VFW Commemorates 39th Anniversary Of Operation Desert Storm
Sunday Jan. 17, marked the 30th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm. The operation lasted 43 days from Jan. 17 to Feb. 28. 1991, and involved several hundred thousand service members. The VFW and its Auxiliary members will always be thankful for the service and sacrifice of all veterans who served during the Gulf War. Veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn are eligible to complete the Gulf War Registry health exam to identify possible long-term health problems that may be linked to their military service. Please contact your local VA Environmental Health Coordinator to schedule an exam.
Survey Seeks Women-Veteran Participants
The University of Alabama is seeking women-veteran participants in a survey about health care experiences. The results of the survey are intended to help assess the needs of women veterans.
VA Launches Fitbit Initiative
Eligible veterans, caregivers and VA staff who are fitbit device users have until Jan. 25, to sign up to express interest in receiving a one-year free membership to Fitbit Premium. The VA indicated it will initially provide up to 10,000 memberships. This expanded membership brings access to Fitbit Health Coaching, guided programs, workouts, mindfulness activities and outcome platforms like wellness reports and health metrics dashboards.
VFW National Home for Children
The National Home was founded in 1925 as a place where the families left behind by the war could remain together. Today’s families face different challenges, and the National Home has evolved over decades to meet those needs. The community is open to the families of active-duty military personnel, veterans and relative of VFW and VFW Auxiliary members. Families can be one or both parents with one or more children.
MIA Update
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced one new identification for a service member who has been missing and unaccounted-for from World War II. Returning home for burial with full military honors are: Army Air Force Tech Sgt. Alfred F. Turgeon who was a 23-year-old pilot assigned to the 344th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Turgeon was serving as a radio operator crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal WAVE, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. Interment services are pending.
Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class Isaac Parker, 17, of Woodson, AK, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Fort Island, Pearl Harbor. When the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The ship sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Parker. Parker will be buried June 8, 2021, in St. Louis.
