VFW District 8 Newsletter
Randle Tolliver, Junior Vice Commander
For veterans in crisis, the Veterans Crisis Line's number is "988” then press "1”.
Homebound veterans requiring assistance please contact any member.
Veterans experiencing or at risk for homelessness, please contact any member or the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 424-3838.
Buddy Check! Please call or go visit elderly or homebound veterans and see how they are doing and if they need help.
Veteran employment opportunities! Weekly, the VA post jobs announcements from employers and employment websites who want to hire veterans. If you are looking for opportunities, please visit https://news.va.gov/138283/hiring-veterans-job .
Road trip! Please attend the 8 am, 11 March Veteran’s Legislative Rally in the capitol rotunda in Jeff City to support the veteran’s community. VFW supports the following legislation:
First, to fully fund the Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC). The MVC manages the Missouri Veterans homes, cemeteries, and other veterans programs. These are at risk!
Second, to amend the Missouri Constitution to update the Real & Personal Property Tax exemptions for all 100% service disabled veterans.
Third, to fight unaccredited companies (Claim Sharks) that prey on veterans by offering to file claims disability benefits for presumptive conditions, and charge as high as 40% for services the VFW, DAV and American Legion do for free.
The Missouri legislature is in session; please contact your state senator and representative to voice your support.
The MVC has instituted a new electronic Pre-Certification Application for Burial. Veterans and eligible dependents who desire burial in a Missouri Veterans Cemetery can apply at https://my.mo.gov/gsp?id=vcp_preapplication .Create an account, and complete the application. For information on Missouri burial eligibility, visit https://mvc.dps.mo.gov/cemeteries . Paper applications will still be accepted, and MVC Veterans Service Officers will continue to assist veterans.
Attention, motivated students who want to serve and receive a world-class education at a US Service Academy. All cadets and midshipmen receive pay, free room and board, and pay no tuition or fees. Applicants are required to obtain a congressional nomination. The following eligibility requirements must be met by 1 May; be 17 years old - but not over 23, be a U.S. Citizen, a Missouri resident (and in the case of your congressman, a resident of their congressional district, unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents. The nomination application must be received by 29 September. For more information on academy nominations by Senator Hawley: academy@hawley.senate.gov, Senator Schmitt: Academy_Nominations@schmitt.senate.gov. For your congressman, please contact their local office. For information on the service academies, visit https://www.todaysmilitary.com/education-training/military-schools .
Local events:
The time and place of local post meetings and events are provided on each post’s Facebook site; come join us!
On 1 March, VFW Post 2426 in Desloge will celebrate Mardi Gras and will host Karaoke Bingo! Festivities start at 7 pm. For more information call (636) 937-5400.
On 9 and 23 March, VFW Post 6883 will be host BB gun shooting contest at 1112 Roe Street in Bonne Terre. These will start at 1:00 PM. For more information, call (573) 358-4440.
Now let us talk a bit about our history:
107 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson was presented a secret diplomatic communication sent by the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between the Germany and Mexico and Japan. It proposed that if the United States entered the war against Germany, they would aid, Mexico’s recovery of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. The telegram, which became known as the "Zimmermann Telegram”, was intercepted by British intelligence. President Wilson felt "much indignation" toward the Germans and wanted to publish the Zimmermann Telegraph immediately. He waited until 1 March when the contents were printed nationwide on the front pages of newspapers. The Japanese and Mexican responses to the German proposal were different, but had the same outcome. The Japanese government was already involved in World War I, on the side of the Allies against Germany and was not interested in changing sides. The Mexican government considered it, and assigned a military commission to assess the feasibility of the Mexican retaking their former territories. It concluded that such a war was unwinnable. Although World War I had been ongoing since 28 July 1914, we had remained neutral. However, diplomatic relations between Germany and the United States had been severed in early February 1917 when Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare and attacked our shipping in the Atlantic. The contents of the "Zimmermann Telegram” enraged Americans, especially after the German admitted it was genuine on 3 March 1917. Coupled with the submarine attacks, it resulted in our entry into the war. On April 2, 1917, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany and the Central Powers. For more information, I recommend "The Zimmermann Telegram” by Barbara W. Tuchman.
A quote from a 1938 War Department report on the Zimmermann Telegram, that was declassified in 2013 "among the official cryptograms which have been intercepted and translated, the most important of all time is the one deciphered by the British Naval Intelligence, known to historians as the Zimmermann Telegram”
Bulletin Board:
The 2025 VA Federal Benefits Guide for Veterans, Dependents, Survivors, and Caregivers Handbook is now available. It provides a listing of VA programs, with phone numbers and websites. You can pick up a copy at any VA facility or download the handbook at https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book.asp .
Veterans can no longer use usernames / passwords to access "My HealtheVet.” To regain access, you must create a new account at www.va.gov/sign-in-changes.
The Missouri Job Center offers no-cost employment assistance for veterans and spouses. Contact (417) 257-2630 or visit jobs.mo.gov/vets.
For local VA health care info contact either the Poplar Bluff VAMC at (573) 686-4151 / www.poplarbluff.va.gov/services/index.asp or the Farmington Robert Silvey VA Outpatient Clinic at : (573) 760-136 / www.va.gov/poplar-bluff-health-care/locations/robert-silvey-department-of-veterans-affairs-outpatient-clinic/
The VA one-stop telephone number is 1-800-698-2411 and press "0” for immediate assistance. The VA one stop website is VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs .
The Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) one-stop Benefits and Resource Portal is (573) 522-4061 or www.veteranbenefits.mo.gov .
For more for information concerning VA "End of Life” benefits and services see www.va.gov/initiatives/end-of-life-benefits/
To order military service documents such as a DD 214/Separation Document or Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), contact the National Archives, National Personnel Records Center at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records, or call (866) 272-6272.
For more information, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/967395123712841 or visit movfw.org
"Here to Serve”