Ahead of the Game

In November 2001, in a speech to high school students in Rockville, Md., President George W. Bush exhorted all young Americans to "show courage like the veterans of wars past" as the United States executes its war on terrorism. He also said he "would dispatch veterans to the nation's schools as examples of duty and courage at a time when both are sorely needed." For the last year, we've been accumulating examples of what troa members already have been doing — in fact, we did an article in the August 2001 issue of The Retired Officer Magazine featuring the Lancaster (Pa.) Chapter and its "Adopt-A-Vet/Adopt-A-Kid" program. Here are some more examples:

White River (Ind.) Chapter: In the fall of 2000, chapter board members read in the local newspaper about a program being conducted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7505 in Fountain Hill, Ariz., called "20th Century Veterans in the Classroom." The article described how veterans in the community were visiting local schools to share their personal reflections on events they participated in during wars of the 20th century — specifically World War II. The board decided that it should adopt a similar program and included it as part of the chapter's community outreach program. Chapter Vice President Lt. Col. Bob Trimpl, USAF-Ret., a former national troa board member, was selected to spearhead the effort. With help from other chapter members, Trimpl put together a proposal and decided to name the effort "Defending America's Heritage." He then met with the social studies director of one of the local high schools, who embraced the concept and worked with Trimpl to develop a program.

They decided on a five-session effort: a World War II-oriented program in February, a military culture and lifestyle program for a teachers conference in March, programs focused on the Korean War and the Vietnam War in April, and a final program on Desert Storm in May. The lessons focused on the U.S. military's role in protecting the American way of life and values as lived and experienced by the veterans.

Because students had little contact with military members, the overall effort was designed to acquaint them with the "citizen soldier" concept, demonstrate what military service was about, and share snippets of history as seen through the eyes of participating chapter members. So far, based on feedback from students and teachers, the effort appears to have been a big success, and the lessons have helped instill a sense of service among the participants. The chapter plans to continue the program in 2002, expand its presentation to more schools in the area, and look into ways to adapt the course to changing curricula.

Ark-La-Tex (La.) Chapter: Chapter member and former national troa board member Lt. Col. Lees Broome, USAF-Ret., recently visited with 40 third-grade students of Stockwell Elementary School in his hometown of Bossier City, La., to discuss his Korean War experiences. During a 45-minute presentation, Broome described the kind of training he went through in preparation for deployment to Korea, including winter survival training. He also discussed the characteristics and capabilities of the B-26 Invader bomber he flew while in Korea and the different kinds of missions he performed. Broome included historical information about the war itself: how long it lasted, the number of military personnel who were killed and wounded, and the number who were taken prisoner, as well as the number of personnel still listed as missing.

To help make his presentation more immediate, Broome brought a poster displaying the significant dates and engagements of the war, a map of the Korean Peninsula, a large picture of a B-26, and personal memorabilia. Broom said he was overwhelmed by the students' interest and the many questions they asked. He said he knew it was all worth it after receiving a special thank-you note from one of the students, who wrote, "I would like to thank you personally for the sacrifice you made toward freedom. Words can never express my gratitude for your sacrifice [and] your willingness to share your story this week."

Santa Cruz (Calif.) Chapter: Last summer, several chapter members shared their military experiences with students attending the University of California, Santa Cruz. Two history professors, Alice Yang Murray and Alan Christy, wanted their students to hear firsthand the personal experiences of men in battle for their "Memories of World War II" course. One of the students, a grandson of chapter auxiliary Dorothy Forbus, suggested that perhaps the Santa Cruz chapter could provide what the professors were looking for and asked his grandmother for assistance. She discussed the idea with Chapter President Capt. Jay Balzar, usphs-Ret., and not long afterward, several members of the chapter volunteered to help, including Lt. Col. Henry Temme, USAF-Ret.; Cmdr. Dick Allen, usn-Ret.; Capt. John Siembieda, usn-Ret.; and Lt. Cmdr. Arthur Wells, usn-Ret. Local resident Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Laxson, usn-Ret., a Pearl Harbor survivor, joined the chapter members.

In a thank-you note to Balzar, Murray and Christy wrote, "We knew our students were eager to meet members of [TROA], but even we were surprised by the tremendous impact their presentations had on our class of 170 students. Our students could not stop talking about how much they enjoyed the fascinating, heartrending, and humorous accounts told by each veteran.

"Many remarked that hearing people describe their personal experiences was much more moving than reading accounts in a book. We were especially pleased when some of our students told us that they were now inspired to ask their grandparents more about their World War II experiences." Balzar reports being elated with the reaction and says, "We feel this is particularly noteworthy in that we live in a community that is not always military friendly."

Footnote: TROA has been in touch with the White House public relations office to let them know what our members already have been doing. They were interested and even asked for copies of the material we had. They also said they would be very interested in finding out about other initiatives that might be going on. So, if there are other chapters and chapter members involved with programs of this nature, please share the information with us so we can pass it along!

N.J. Military Pensioners and Survivor Benefits Recipients Gain Tax Exclusion

On May 7, 2001, New Jersey Acting Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco signed legislation to extend gross income tax exclusion to all U.S. military pensions and survivor benefits regardless of the recipient's age. The effective date was retroactive to Jan. 1, 2001. During the annual New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day Ceremony at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Holmdel, DiFrancesco signed the bill to drop the age-62 restriction previously required to qualify for the tax exclusion. All major veterans groups were represented.

Representing the troa New Jersey Council of Chapters were Col. Anthony Suso, usa-Ret., and Lt. Col. Raymond B. Russell Jr., USAF-Ret. Russell initiated and was the primary mover of the legislation to exempt military pensions and survivor benefit payments. His eight-year quest to get legislation passed began in 1993, and legislation first was passed and signed into law — with the age-62 restriction imposed by then-Gov. Christine Todd Whitman — in 1998.

Undeterred, Russell had legislation reintroduced to drop the age-62 restriction, and with a strong veteran's coalition lobby movement the legislation was passed. DiFrancesco gave Russell the first ceremonial signing pen. Assemblymen Melvin Cottrell and Joseph R. Malone III, primary sponsors of the legislation, also were present at the signing.