Veterans News

All veterans must pay close attention to the forthcoming federal budget debate. Since the “Super Committee” failed to reach an agreement of what federal services to cut, the law now mandates that automatic cuts are made across the board. Although Social Security, Medicare and Veterans Benefits are protected, we must remain vigilant. We are all old enough to know that Congress’s word is not to be trusted!

Elementary schools in the Warwick School District honored our veterans with programs for Veterans Day. Several of our active and auxiliary members attended them and the enthusiasm the students displayed was heartwarming. Our heartfelt thanks to those who organized and helped present the tributes. Also our friends from Girl Scouts Cadette Troop #70262 volunteered their service to clean up the Main St. Veterans Memorial. These displays of patriotism, from the youth of our community, are very much appreciated by all veterans.

Also thanks to everyone who helped make the Christmas Package Program for our veterans overseas and the Christmas Visitation to area retirement homes a grand success.

I received information from Frank Kenavan about an Ambucs program to help disabled veterans. The Ambucs sponsor an “AmTryke” Veteran Cycle Program. These are three wheeled vehicles and can be operated either by hand or foot. This offer is made to all disabled veterans at no cost to the applicant. If there are any questions please contact Frank Kenavan. A link to view is available here.

Veterans needing help for any VA benefit may contact any of the following people:
Daniel Tooth, Director of Veterans Affair, Lancaster County 717-299-7920
John Chiodi, Dept. of PA VFW 717-234-7927 or (Cell) 717-884-1704
Audrey M. Bergstresser, Dept. of PA VFW 717-234-7927 or (Cell) 717-884-1705
Vince Anzalone, Post 1463 Service Officer, 626-0694
Manny Gonalez, Post 1463 Service Officer, 664-0196

May God Bless America and all those who preserve our freedoms.

Respectfully Yours,
John Z

Previous Veterans News:


Our Christmas “Care Packages for Troops” program begins now! American Legion Garden Spot Post 56 and Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 will once again sponsor it. Our summer program was an outstanding success. Many volunteers participated collecting, sorting and packing the many items that were donated.

Please check the flyers that are posted at both posts for needed items. In addition to the collection boxes in both posts there are several sites in the Lititz area that also are collection points. Monetary donations are most welcome to help defray the mailing costs. All items will be packaged at the American Legion, Thursday, December 8 at 1600 hours. Contact Jeff Vance at 717-940-0600 with any questions or for additional information.

Good news for our veterans! Post 1463 has a new service officer. Vincent Anzalone received his accreditation from both the VFW, Department of Pa. (July 5th) and the Commonwealth of Pa. (August 4th). Vince works directly with the state VFW service officers and can be of great assistance to initiate claims or inquires. His expertise is a valuable asset for any veterans with a VA issue.

More good news! The VA has expanded its list of Navy and Coast Guard ships whose crews may be eligible for disability compensation as a result of exposure to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange. The VA added three new presumptive illnesses to the list of health conditions presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure. Read more about the new ships and presumptive conditions click here: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/shiplist/index.asp

To conclude I would like to pass on information about a new program for veterans. It was recently announced that a Veterans Court program would be introduced in Lancaster County. A Veterans Court is a program open to any current or former member of any branch of the United States military who is charged with a crime. An individual interested in participating in the program must be fully assessed by the Veterans Administration who would design a treatment plan specific to that individual’s needs. Once accepted into the program the veteran’s charges may be dismissed or the sentence may be reduced upon successful completion of the treatment plan.
May God Bless America and all those who preserve our freedoms.

Respectfully Yours,
John Z


Maybe the recent Memorial Day ceremony was the incentive that started me to think about my own demise. Thoughts of how I can make it easier for my family regarding what graveside memorial honors I am entitled to as a veteran crossed my mind. Permit me to share some information with you. In Lititz and Warwick Township there are several local funeral directors who are knowledgeable regarding these matters. They should act as your advocate to honor your wishes and those of your family in requesting what services you wish.

In Lancaster County we are fortunate to have two outstanding veterans groups who perform 2 totally different graveside ceremonies. They are the “Red Rose Honor Guard” who administers the flag ceremony with the playing of taps. The second group is called “VET 21." They will give a rifle salute consisting of 3 volleys with between 3 to 7 riflemen. Your family or the funeral director must contact each group to request their services. For the Red Rose Honor Guard please contact Tony Cerase 717-548-2986. For “VET 21” contact either Clyde Snyder 717-475-0590 or Greg Ludwig 717-917-7806. Finally, if any veteran wishes to join either of these groups, please contact the above mentioned names.

Next I would like to pass on some information about our nations oldest military decoration, the “Purple Heart.” George Washington established the decoration on August 7, 1782. Since that time over 1.6 million Purple Heart medals have been awarded to members of the United States military. Today we have more than 500,000 living veterans who are Purple Heart recipients. The U.S. Postal Service recently unveiled the "Purple Heart with Ribbon forever stamp” to honor the recipients of the medal. I would hope all veterans use that stamp as a way to honor the sacrifices made by those who proudly wear the medal. Also recently announced was that Purple Heart eligibility has been revised. The Army and the Marine Corps will now permit more battlefield concussions to be eligible for the Purple Heart. The new eligibility requires all injuries to be the result of direct or indirect enemy action. This change is retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001. Departments of the Air Force and Navy are reviewing the regulation changes for their respective service branches. In conclusion, are you aware that a local chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) meets monthly here at Post 1463? Karl Spidel is the commander and welcomes all Purple Heart recipients to join the chapter to work on wounded warrior issues. At the present time, free life memberships are available to eligible members. Please contact any Post officer for more information.

Don’t forget our summer “Care Packages for Troops” program. Once again, American Legion Garden Spot Post 56 and Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 will sponsor it.

Please check the flyers that are posted at the posts for needed items. In addition to the collection boxes in both posts, there are several sites in the Lititz area that are also drop off points. Monetary donations are welcome to help defray the mailing costs. All items will be packaged at the American Legion, Thursday, July 7 at 1600 hours. Contact Jeff Vance at 717-940-0600 with any questions or for additional information.

Finally to wrap up this section of our newsletter I want to inform our members that Post 1463 now has a very active color guard. This group of veterans proudly displays the American, POW / MIA, VFW, and Vietnam flags at various events. To date they have displayed the colors at church memorial services, basketball and baseball games, and other public events. All veterans are welcome to participate. If you want to join or need more information please contact Senior Vice-Commander Ron Lantz at 1-607-857-1616.
May God Bless America and all those who preserve our freedoms.

Respectfully Yours,
John Z

Attention All Veterans: The Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Military Museum in Pittsburgh, PA are seeking Pennsylvania veterans who have served the United States in its military endeavors. They wish to honor those veterans by adding their names and military accomplishments into the Joseph A. Dagan “Hall of Valor” located inside the museum. To qualify, the veteran must have a significant connection to Pennsylvania either by birth, entering the military in Pennsylvania or by living in Pennsylvania after completing their service. They also need one of these seven medals: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, Distinguished Navy Cross, Silver Star, Air Force Cross or Soldiers Medal. If you qualify or have questions please call Mike Lynch, at John Bears office, 626-1776.

National Caregiver Support Line Opens: The VA opened a toll-free National Caregiver Support Line this week at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center in New York to serve as a “primary resource/referral center” for caregivers, veterans and others seeking information to help our nation’s veterans. VA employees who are licensed clinical social workers will answer calls. The toll-free number is 1-855-260-3274, and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. More information is available online at www.caregiver.va.gov

Please pay attention to the budget talks currently taking place in Washington. Congress is looking to cut programs to balance a budget that has been out of control for many years. Recently Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) suggested cutting $4.5 billion from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Included in that cut would have been payments made to disabled veterans. Thank God we have vigilant VFW people looking out for us. The VFW and others loudly protested the proposed cuts. After hearing the outcry, Rep. Michele Bachmann removed the $4.5 billion cut from her bill. Here is a prime example of why we veterans must be vigilant and support our comrades who use the VA for so many things.

Representative John Bear of the 97th District, Commonwealth of PA. will again honor all veterans from his district with an evening baseball game Thursday, May 26th at Clipper Stadium. This is the fourth consecutive year that Representative Bear will host this event. For more details contact his district office at 626-1776.

The annual Memorial Day parade will be held Monday, May 31, 2011. All wishing to participate should assemble at the Lititz American Legion around 8:00AM for coffee and cake before proceeding to Rothsville for the 8:45 AM memorial service. After the Rothsville memorial service, veterans will stop at the Main Street Veterans Memorial for a short service and wreath laying. The Lititz parade begins at 10:45 AM. Please check post bulletin boards for time and assembly locations.

The life membership boards have been brought up to date. We thank Dick Getz Jr. and Ron Zunich for their persistence and hard work with this project.

May God Bless America and all those who preserve our freedoms.

Respectfully Yours,
John Z


I don’t know if you read or heard the criticisms directed at Warwick and Manheim Township High Schools regarding Veterans Day recognition and the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag. If not, here it is in a nutshell. The Warwick High School facility and administration did nothing to promote the National Holiday that honors veterans for their sacrifices protecting our freedoms. At Manheim Township High School some students feel the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag is unworthy of their attention or respect. What a shame!

Perhaps the Warwick School District Administrators and the rebellious Manheim Township students who refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance should begin their day reciting the following poem:
Member # 1134
" It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag."
--Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

On a brighter note several Elementary schools in the Warwick School District presented some marvelous tributes honoring our veterans. Our heartfelt thanks to all that organized and helped with these programs. I call this to your attention because as veterans we must never allow the memories of our comrades to be forgotten. We must take an active part educating the generations that follow us. When schools fail to teach about the terrible wars America has fought and how difficult it is to preserve our freedoms we must raise our voices and be heard.

May God Bless America and all those who preserve our freedoms.

Respectfully Yours,
John Z


Attention Vietnam Veterans: The Veterans Administration has published final regulations for three (3) new illnesses to be added to the list of presumptions caused by exposure to Agent Orange --- hairy cell leukemia, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease. These illnesses were added after an Institutes of Medicine independent study linked the illnesses to exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicide defoliants used during the Vietnam War.

The VA has a new phone system for answering any questions regarding your medications. You can call 1-800-409-8771 between 8 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday. All questions pertaining to prescription refills, prescription status or any other pharmacy questions will be answered at this number.

For help resolving veteran’s problems the following information is provided for your convenience. This service is for all veterans. Please call for an appointment.

John Chiodi……. 717-234-7927 or (Cell) 717-884-1704
Lebanon Veterans Hospital
Location: Bldg. #17, Room 123, Bay 4
· Available every Tuesday and Thursday…All day
· Available the 2nd and 4th Wednesday…… All day
Greenfield VA Clinic, Lancaster, Pa
· Available 1st and 3rd Thursday …All day

Audrey M. Bergstresser…717-234-7927 or (Cell) 717-884-1705
Lebanon Veterans Hospital
Location: Bldg. #17, Room 123, Bay 5
· Available every Friday…All day
· Available every Wednesday Ephrata VFW, 1 to 6 PM

In addition to the above, don’t forget Dan Tooth who is the veteran’s affairs representative for Lancaster County. He is an excellent source of information regarding veteran benefits. His office is located at 150 N. Queen St., Suite 101, Lancaster, PA 17603. His phone # is 717-299-7920

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Bill Raines on their sixty-first wedding anniversary. Bill is a life member of our post. Bill served as a fighter pilot in World War II. From all of us Happy Anniversary and may you both have many more years of health and happiness.

We wish to acknowledge Mr. & Mrs. Edward “Ted” McCall. Married for 59 years, both served our country in World War II. Ted fought with the U.S. Army Air Force while Beverly his wife served in the U.S. Coast Guard. Ted was asking me if I knew of any members of our post who were married while serving in the Armed Service during World War II. Please contact me know if you meet this criteria. Ted is a life member of our post.

Do you need help resolving a veteran benefit problem? Your Department of PA, VFW provides help in the form of two service officers who will listen and help solve your problem. Both have their main offices at the Lebanon VA Hospital. They also visit 2 locations at other locations in Lancaster County. Membership in the VFW is NOT REQUIRED. Please call them for an appointment. Following information is provided for your conveyance. This service is for all veterans.

John Chiodi……. 717-234-7927 or (Cell) 717-884-1704
Lebanon Veterans Hospital
Location: Bldg. #17, Room 123, Bay 4
• Available every Tuesday and Thursday…All day
• Available the 2nd and 4th Wednesday…… All day

Greenfield VA Clinic, Lancaster, Pa
• Available 1st and 3rd Thursday …All day
Audrey M. Bergstresser…717-234-7927 or (Cell) 717-884-1705

Lebanon Veterans Hospital
Location: Bldg. #17, Room 123, Bay 5
• Available every Friday…All day
• Available every Monday Ephrata VFW, 1 to 6 PM

In addition to the above, don’t forget Dan Tooth who is the veteran’s affairs representative for Lancaster County. He is an excellent source of information regarding veteran benefits. His office is located at 150 N. Queen St., Suite 101, Lancaster, PA 17603. His phone # is 717-299-7920.

All veterans who participated in the “Salute to Veterans” weekend want to express our gratitude to State Representative John Bear and his remarkable staff for their hard work organizing and presenting this special tribute to veterans of the 97th legislative district. For the 3rd consecutive year respect and gratitude was showered on those who served our great country.

Priority Group 7 & 8 Copays to Increase $1: The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that Priority Group 7 and 8 veterans will begin paying $1 more per 30-day supply of medications beginning July 1. Priority Groups 7 and 8 veterans are those with no service-connected disabilities, and who generally have higher income levels. The $1 copayment increase - from $8 to $9 - will be the first copayment increase for these two categories since Jan. 1, 2006. The change will not impact veterans in Priority Groups 2 through 6, who will continue to pay $8 for each 30-day supply of medications for non-service connected conditions, unless otherwise exempted. Priority Group 1 veterans - those with service-connected disability ratings of 50 percent or greater - are exempt from copayments.