VFW Post 717 Indiana is pleased to announce that William A. “Bill” Thien, Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will be visiting the St. John post. Joining Commander Thein will be Rick Faulk, Indiana Representative, National Council of Administration and Greg Baker, Indiana State Commander, VFW. Congressman Pete Visclosky, who serves as Ranking Member, House of Representatives Defense Subcommittee will also be in attendance.
The event details are the following:
Thursday, April 24, 2014
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
VFW Post 717
10400 West 93rd Avenue
St. John, Indiana
“We are very excited to have our National Commander visiting our post. His service to our country is admirable and we are proud to have him in Northwest Indiana,” Gene Kijanowski, Commander, Post 717 said.
About the VFW:
The VFW traces its roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service.
Since then, the VFW's voice had been instrumental in establishing the Veterans Administration, creating a GI bill for the 20th century, the development of the national cemetery system and the fight for compensation for Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange and for veterans diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome. In 2008, VFW won a long-fought victory with the passing of a GI Bill for the 21st Century, giving expanded educational benefits to America's active-duty service members, and members of the Guard and Reserves, fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Annually, the nearly 2 million members of the VFW and its Auxiliaries contribute more than 8.6 million hours of volunteerism in the community, including participation in Make A Difference Day and National Volunteer Week.
From providing over $3 million in college scholarships and savings bonds to students every year, to encouraging elevation of the Department of Veterans Affairs to the president's cabinet, the VFW is there.
