Let’s Spread the Word About JWV

By Jerry Alperstein, Post 1

In 2006 shortly after Representative John Boehner became Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, he met with leaders from the major veterans service organizations.  When a leader of the Jewish War Veterans introduced himself, Boehner said that he did not know there was a Jewish War Veterans.   Most of the other veterans’ leaders – as though on cue – said in unison, quote It’s the oldest veterans organization; unquote.

Boehner’s lack of knowledge of the Jewish War Veterans and of Jews in this country’s armed services was not unexpected.  While the participation and importance of Jews in our country’s armed services is well known and recognized within the veterans community, it is largely unknown and unrecognized within this country’s population at large – including within its Jewish Community.

The truth is that Jews have been a part of this land’s military history since 1654, the year after they first arrived in our corner of the New World.  When in the New Amsterdam colony, the Jews were charged an additional tax because they were barred from serving in the local militia, four Jews led by Asser Levy successfully appealed to the owner of the colony, the Dutch East India Company.  They were allowed to serve; and Jews have been serving and giving their lives to our country ever since.

In the 1890s, a number of prominent Americans were falsely claiming that Jews were not patriotic because they did not fight in the Civil War.  This prompted seven Jewish veterans of the Civil War to organize a meeting in Manhattan of other Jewish Civil War Veterans on March 15, 1896.  They organized the Hebrew Union Veterans Association which later became the Jewish War Veterans; today the oldest veterans service organization in the United States.

Unfortunately, one aspect of the Jewish legacy in the United States armed services that has continued since the days of Uriah Levy is anti-Semitism; but while it once was institutional – like when Levy was court martialed six times – it now is relegated to the acts of individuals.

In recent years, three Jewish soldiers finally became Medal of Honor recipients decades after their service because of anti-Semitism.  They were World War I veteran William Shemin and Korean War veterans Leonard Kravitz and Tibor Rubin.  On two different occasions Rubin was recommended for the medal; but an anti-Semitic sergeant both times neglected to fill out the required paperwork.  After lengthy legal battles by JWV, all of these heroic individuals were able to receive their Medal of Honor.

I have been asked whether I experienced any anti-Semitism during my two years in the Navy.  My answer has been that I do not know.  There are members of the armed services who pull rank on others of lower rank.  One usually does not know why.

To sum this up, over the last 363 years, Jews like all other Americans, have served in the armed services of our country, including many who served with distinction.  This record should not be a secret – especially within the Jewish community.  Let’s spread the good word.

Volume 71. Number 4. Winter 2017

 

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Department of MA Intiates “Wills for Veterans Day” Program

By Harvey Weiner, National Judge Advocate

On November 9, 2017, the Thursday before Veterans Day, the Massachusetts Department of the JWV inaugurated its first “Wills for Veterans Day”, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.  Seven local attorneys who concentrate their practices in estate planning were recruited and volunteered their services for a full day.  National Judge Advocate Harvey Weiner initiated the program and acted as onsite greeter, witness, and gofer.  The event took place in the JFK Federal Building in Boston, which is reached easily by public transportation.  The event was advertised state-wide through the VA, the JWV, and certain other veterans groups and organizations.

Twenty-three veterans and nine spouses had their wills, durable powers of attorneys, and health care proxies drafted and executed on site.  Two veterans required complex estate plans, which two of the volunteer attorneys agreed to draft at a later date.  Two house-bound disabled veterans telephoned and one of the volunteer attorneys agreed to go out to their respective houses to draft their estate plans.  The veterans came from nineteen different cities and towns all over Massachusetts, including from the western part of the state and from Cape Cod.  All seven attorneys volunteered to do it again next year.

If any Department is interested in implementing such a program, I would be glad to speak with its Judge Advocate.

Volume 71. Number 4. Winter 2017

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Help Me Get the Recognition My Son Deserves

By Beth Agami, JWV Gold Star Mother

Social media is a wonderful thing.  It has helped me to connect or reconnect with so many people over the years – including my son’s, SPC Daniel Agami, brothers in arms, the military community, the Gold Star community and so many more.

However, when I recently opened my Facebook, I came across a post from JWV member Dr. Robert Pickard about the new permanent U.S. base being built in Israel.  I had not heard anything about this new base, and when I mentioned it to family and friends, they too were surprised to hear about it.

I then thought about it – there are a number of military bases and Navy ships around the world being renamed after fallen soldiers and sailors.  Just this year, the Coast Guard announced that they would build a new ship after fallen Jewish coast guardsmen, Nathan Bruckenthal.  I thought how awesome it would be to have the honor in having this new U.S. base in Israel so deservingly named after my son, Army SPC Daniel Agami aka the “Hebrew Hammer”.

In fact, Daniel proudly wore his rifle with the Hebrew Hammer written across it.  He was sometimes the only Jew that people would meet, and he would not shy away from telling people about his Jewish and Israeli heritage.  Moreover, everyone knew where Daniel slept too because he would go to sleep with an Israeli flag and American flag over his cot.

Daniel had very strong ties to Israel, where his father and my husband, Itzhak, was born and raised.  Itzhak proudly served in the IDF, and Daniel would say that he was his inspiration for joining the U.S. Army.  Daniel entered the Army, and he served in the 1/26 Infantry C-Company in Iraq during 2005.  He was killed in action on June 21, 2007 by an IED explosion on his convoy in Adhamiyah, Iraq.

Prior to just leaving for the Army, our family took a trip to Israel where Daniel enjoyed himself immensely, and he always took the time to befriend everyone he met.  I remember distinctly there was an afternoon stroll that we were taking as a family down Allenby Street in Tel Aviv, and Daniel stopped to take a moment to sit on a street bench next to an aged homeless man.  He made him laugh while his arm was wrapped around him, and then, he gave him some Tzedakah.

This was the kind of man my son was, and theses common acts of kindness were also exhibited by Daniel on the battlefield.  His unit was in charge of rebuilding schools, and the guys in his unit would tell me how he would be mentoring the young Iraqi children.  They would often describe how they knew the children looked up to him.

Daniel fought bravely and died for our country, and I thought how wonderful would it be if his legacy could be continued and recognized in Israel with the renaming of the new U.S. Military base in Israel.  You never had to question whether or not Daniel had your back, and I think that he represents an analogy of the U.S. and Israel relationship.  In my mind, there is no one more befitting to name the first U.S. base in Israel after.

I contacted Dr. Pickard and asked what I needed to do to make this happen, and his response was that he would begin working on it immediately (which he did).  With the help of Dr. Pickard and JWV, I pray and look forward to this becoming a reality.

Volume 71. Number 4. Winter 2017

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Post 385 in California Donates to Thousands of Sailors and Their Families

By PNC Maxwell Colon

This Veterans Day, North County Post 385 members, friends and the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital Commanding Officer assembled at the Chapel of Camp Pendleton’s Naval Hospital in San Diego, California.  Veteran’s Day is unique because we honor past, current and future Veterans, and we truly appreciate the men & women serving in harm’s way.

Post 385 donated the following items to the Naval Hospital – hundreds of DVDs, newborn baby knitted hats, booties, crib blankets, socks, onesies, baby outfits and knitted crutch pads for our wounded warriors.  Many thousands of dollars in supplies were brought to the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital for distribution to the 55,000 plus Marines & Sailors stationed at this base.

During this presentation PNC Maxwell Colón presented a framed Life Membership certificate to the Command Chaplain, who joined Post 385.  The Hospital Commanding Officer and his staff were present for the donations and the presentation of the Life Membership certificate ceremony to the Command Chaplain.  The Naval Hospital Commander asked that all present gather for a formal picture.  People from all over the State of California attended this presentation.  Post 385 and JWV makes 2 to 3 presentations each year at this hospital.

On the recommendation of PNP Linda & PNC Maxwell Colón, Post 385 adopted this hospital in the year 2000-2001 and to date have raised and contributed in supplies, food gift cards/certificates over $900,000.00.

This year we have added another facility known as Naval Medical Center San Diego where we will be making a similar presentation on November 20, 2017 at 11:00 A.M.  The Commanding Officer of this Naval Hospital has also become a NEW member of Post 385.

Volume 71. Number 4. Winter 2017

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Giving PTSD the Jewish Treatment, Not Just Matzo Ball Soup

By Anna Selman, Programs and Public Relations Coordinator

A recent study from the Department of Veterans’ Administration (VA) found that the daily number of American veterans who commit suicide has decreased from 22 to 20 a day- a small improvement, but a step in the right direction.  The leading cause of veteran suicide is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a disorder where you have intense and sometimes disturbing thoughts about a traumatic event that can lead to severe psychological suffering.  It can be very common in veterans that have combat experience, and after almost two decades of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have a lot of veterans with combat experience and many with PTSD.

In a shocking discovery, researchers have also found that only 30 percent of PTSD treatments are effective.  With such a low success rate, it might leave you wondering what else we can do for our veterans.

When someone brings up treating veterans with PTSD, it is unlikely that the first thing that comes to mind is to look to the Jewish community for how it helped treat Holocaust survivors.  However, for those of us that come from families of Holocaust survivors, we know that Jews have a long history of treating PTSD even before the term came into use.  In fact, according to some researchers, the prevalence of PTSD in Holocaust survivors is somewhere between 46 and 55 percent, which is really high.  To give some comparison, the prevalence of PTSD in combat veterans in Vietnam is much lower, between 2 and 17 percent, and only 15 to 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans meet the criteria to be diagnosed with PTSD.

As Jews, our long and rich track record in treating PTSD provides us lessons for treating our veterans today.  Jewish scholars found that survivors deal with their PTSD in 3 ways – some victimize themselves, some become defensive, while others numb themselves so that they could feel protected.  These behaviors can be somewhat helpful during the trauma, but they can create problems down the road.

One of the leading scholars in treating survivors during the post-Holocaust period was Viktor Frankl, who famously wrote A Man’s Search for Meaning.  Just by looking at that title, Viktor’s approach to treating traumatic events was to give everything meaning (also called logotherapy) – even their painful trials.  He would often talk to survivors – helping them discover their own reasons to live.

Some survivors also found meaning in telling their stories – making sure that something like the Holocaust never happened again.  They did not tell their stories to their psychologist; they told their story to their family, their friends and their synagogue.  They went to schools and museums.  By telling their experiences, survivors’ experiences became a part of the Jewish experience.  We all have a shared experience of the Holocaust, which, in some way, makes them feel not as alone.

However, some survivors were reluctant to tell their stories, which might be because we did originally not want to hear their stories when they first got to America.  Survivors were told to move on, and they did.  They built families, found careers, and kept their experiences bottled up for a decade or more.    Meanwhile, they often experienced the nightmares and the intense flashbacks associated with PTSD, but once they did finally tell their family and friends, survivors reported a decreased number of symptoms and an increase in quality of life.

So what can be learned from the Jewish treatment of PTSD?  There are many veterans coming home who feel like no one wants to hear about their story, but we know that it is good for veterans to talk about what happened “over there.”  This is not only for our veterans.  We as Americans can bridge the military-civilian divide and make the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan a shared American experience.  In some ways, this can make our veterans feel less alone.

So, please invite your local veterans to come speak at your synagogue. Organizations, like the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. or the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, can help connect you with veterans in your area that can come speak to your synagogue, schools and other groups.  We owe it to our veterans to understand where they are coming from and to make them part of our community. Together, we can help them overcome their problems, and they can teach us about what it means to serve something greater than themselves.

Volume 71. Number 4. Winter 2017

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VAVS: A Family Tradition

By Garland Scott, Post 753

Leo & Faye were involved in JWV activity since the mid 1980s, for over 40 years.

Leo was a Post Commander for 2 years (19xx-19xx) and the designated Rep for VAVS between May 2005 & May 2007.  He continued to actively participate in JWV activities until is passing in May 2015.

Faye was a key developer and Past President of the JWVA Post 753.  Its Charter was issued Sep 1986 with installation of officers in 30 May 1987.  A City Of San Antonio Proclamation, issued by Mayor Cisneros, asserted 21 May 1987 as “Jewish War Veterans Ladies Auxiliary Day”.  Both Faye and daughter, Bonnie Scott, each served 2 years as JWVA President.  JWVA ceased to be active around 1992 as demographics changed.

The Post and Auxiliary did most of the Post activities jointly.  Leo & Faye participated in various VA Hospital activities such as:

Quarterly Bingo- calling numbers and helping patients with cards, Semi Annually baking of cookies, then distributing them and ice cream to patients and staff in the wards for 4th of July and Christmas time.

They had Chanukah parties at Hospital.  JWVA donated a flag pole at a newly commissioned elementary school honoring one of the Post 753 founders – Zavell Smith.  They were also active in fund raising, canning, and acquiring donations from various merchants.  They held social activities at different locations to maintain and increase membership.

Volume 71. Number 4. Winter 2017

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The Eugene Moore National Stamp Program

By Mel Gervis, Post 440

The Eugene Moore National Stamp Program was started in 1991, and is designed to uplift the spirits of hospitalized veterans and shut-ins.  JWV members and good citizens collect stamps from local businesses and house of worship, which are then sent onto the National Stamp Program Distribution Chairman, Mel Gervis.  He in turn distributes these stamps to over 40 Veteran Affairs Centers and residences of veterans, who otherwise would not get out.

The stamps are sent out each month to our hospitalized brothers and sisters across the US.  They receive a wonderful assortment of stamps that are used in the occupational and physical therapy.  Through your many hours of postage stamps collecting and cutting, we help our disabled veterans increase their dexterity and using their prosthetic limbs.  Veterans can make beautiful vases, collages, sculptures and so much more with the stamps that you collect.  The real reward is the appreciativeness on our veterans faces – that you took the time to think about them and the amount of effort it takes to organize such an endeavor.  Thank you for giving back for those who have served our country and showing our troops, soldiers and veterans we care and they will not be forgotten.

Volume 71. Number 4. Winter 2017

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Veterans ID Cards

By Michael Corbett, Post 440

There’s a great deal of confusion over the “Veteran ID” cards soon to be issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  For those who have been rated by the VA Health Care system, issuance of the “Veterans’ Health ID card” permits qualified veterans to enter VA clinics and hospitals for the express purpose of obtaining health care.

The President of the USA, in 2015, signed the “Veterans’ Identification Card Act,” to provide a form of identification as a veteran to anyone.  Simply put, this identification card acts much as a driver’s license without the privilege of operating a motor vehicle.  That is, the “Veterans’ ID Card” provides documented evidence the holder is a bona fide veteran who has faithfully and honorably served her or his country.  For the veteran, it will be, when eventually issued, an easy to carry form of identification in order to obtain offered discounts at retail outlets – businesses, restaurants, amusements, etc.

While the Veterans’ ID card will be an officially sanctioned form of identification for the veteran to whom it is assigned, it is up to the business firm to decide on offering a discount in the first place; and, the level discount to provide.  There will not be a Government standard discount!  Businesses that choose to offer a discount may or may not require appropriate identification – the “Veterans ID card” is appropriate for such transactions.

The “Veterans’ ID card” is neither intended to nor shall it be used in place of a DoD Uniform Services or Retiree ID card.  There is just no relation among the cards.  However either of the three may be used as identification, provided the business establishment accepts it as such in order to provide the discount.

The VA website reports that the “Veterans’ ID card,” which originally was to be available in 2016, should now be ready for issue in 2017 – as of this report in October 2017, VA sources tell us they do not know when the card will be nationally available.  However, we were referred by the VA at their “800” number to go to the website:  https://www.vets.gov   after 1 November to complete the application for the card.  A visit to the site on 19 October revealed no reference to the “Veterans’ ID card.”

As planned, the “Veterans’ ID card” will display the veteran’s branch of military service.  49 states currently provide veteran status on their driver’s license plus, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, by displaying the insignia of the branch of service of the veteran.  The 50th state, Washington is scheduled to roll-out their version by the end of 2017.  Veterans interested in this form of ID should contact their state’s Motor Vehicle department.  Veterans may possess both a valid state driver’s license with the “veterans” designation and the new VA issued “Veterans’ ID card.”

Today, veterans may access a free identification – proof of honorable service – via the joint VA/DoD site, “https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage”  However, when available, the new “Veterans’ ID card” will not be free!  Veterans will apply for the card, as VA provides, for a fee that will be established “in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible while protecting Veterans’ personal information.”  Considering the millions of people whose information has been hacked in very recent memory, veterans are warned to take this message with a grain of salt.  At the time of this article, the fee for the “Veterans’ ID card” has not been determined.

For years we have been admonished not to use our Veterans Health Care ID card for purposes outside the VA.  Now however, the VA website offers that, when veterans want an ID for purposes of obtaining discounts at civilian establishments, they may obtain the ‘Veterans Health Care ID card’ from the VA (see: http://www.va.gov/HEALTHBENEFITS/vhic/index.asp ).  Meanwhile, military retirees have the option of obtaining an ID card from the Department of Defense (see:  https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/appj/site ).

Veterans are reminded that non-official websites on the internet are purposely made to look like the real VA website – proceed carefully when seeking VA information on-line.  And know too, VA programs such as the “Choice” program permitting qualified veterans to visit civilian medical facilities are rife with problems.  Veterans should insist on written permission to visit civilian medical facilities only after being absolutely certain of their qualification for VA health care.

Volume 71. Number 4. Winter 2017

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The Lack of Accountability at the VA Leaves Veterans Flabbergasted

By Lance Wang, Editor

I had the opportunity to interact with the Veterans’ Administration while in uniform, much more so since retiring from the Army.   As with any large organization I’ve encountered good and bad.   Certainly the good is the dedicated functionaries who I encounter, many of whom are themselves veterans.   I also have been particularly pleased with the service of a nearby VA Community-Based Outreach Clinic which provides responsiveness that I’ve never encountered from a big city VA facility.  They have provided more continuity of care than I encountered in military or the civilian world.    However the “bad” side has certainly made itself known.   I live in a border region of New York, and the ability of Veterans Administration facilities to talk across state lines is still bureaucratically challenged to a very frustrating degree.   For instance, rather than referring 50 miles to the nearest VA Hospital in New York, they have to refer me to three times that distance to a facility in Vermont.   The employees of the VA who I encounter know this limitation of their system, and share my frustration.   I don’t blame them.

Why is it so difficult to bring the problems in the VA to solution stages?   For years the VA has been neither fish nor fowl – it did not have the accountability nor true profit motive that civilian medical agencies have, nor did it have the discipline to which a military agency was subjected.   It was designed to replace a 19th century system which largely put the onus on charitable organizations and local communities to care for veterans.   It was never fully resourced to perform its mission, resulting in fraud and scandals like we saw in Arizona’s VA system several years ago.   Or it resulted in terribly substandard care like revealed in a 1970 Life magazine expose called “Our Forgotten Wounded” regarding what Vietnam Veterans were encountering in VA hospitals, what Life called a “medical slum.”   The complaint of the VA hospital administration in the article – “We’re just not being funded so as to give our services.”

The workload for the VA has only increased since the editorial was written.   Battlefield mortality has again decreased – some wounds that would have been certain to kill someone during the Vietnam War are now survivable.   However, they are survivable in some cases with considerable follow-up care required, often for life.   In addition, as our Vietnam veterans require geriatric medicine, demands will again rise.   So, as in 1970, are we prepared to pay the costs for the VA to do their job?   Or are we to treat our veterans as out of sight and out of mind, with the VA only commanding attention when its problems come to a head as in Arizona?

Recently, the lack of accountability and discipline was highlighted in a USA Today report.   The report indicated that “In 2014 and 2015, the VA spent nearly $6.7M to secretly settle cases with hundreds of employees who were either fired or forced into retirement due to inadequate performance.”   This included doctors who made mistakes that caused harm to patients.   One VA podiatrist was allowed to resign after harming 88 patients at a hospital in Maine.   Another VA radiologist in Washington was allowed to resign after finding that he misread “dozens of CT scans.”   Because of the nature of their departure from the VA, these individuals’ poor performance does not make it into national registries and databases.

Until the VA is treated as a civilian entity, with the same accountability (and liability) as a civilian hospital, this will continue to happen.   I understand the challenges of hiring medical professionals for government employment – the military branches often face the same challenges.   However, compensating for lower wages with lower accountability is not the answer – it will not provide the health care that our veterans need, nor of the caliber that they deserve.   Further, I’m also well aware of how challenging and cumbersome the civilian personnel system is for the Federal Government.   Supervisors need to be trained to document and evaluate poor performance.   It has been my experience that the reason that the government (and other large organizations) often need to “settle with” as opposed to “firing” an employee is that supervisors often do not do their job when it comes to documenting employee performance.

It seems amazing that we can create a world class military, unmatched in technological advantage, yet still are having a hard time creating a system of medical care that is equally unmatched for our veterans.   Our veterans, and the thousands of outstanding employees of the VA who do go over and above to take

Volume 71. Number 4. Winter 2017

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Secretary Shulkin’s Five Priorities

By Herb Rosenbleeth

At a recent meeting in the Omar Bradley Conference Room in the VA Central Office, I got to hear Secretary David Shulkin present his five most important priorities for reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs:

The Secretary’s first priority is to increase choice for our veterans. “We think that is an important way for reforming the VA,” said Shulkin. Veterans are going to be allowed to have much greater choice in their decision making when seeking medical care. Shulkin reported that the VA is working with Congress to redesign the Choice program so that veterans will have much greater choice in interacting with their providers and in making decisions about where it is best for them to get their care, either in the VA or in the community, or a combination of both.

The second priority presented by Dr. Shulkin is to modernize the VA. The system has experienced years, if not decades, of neglect. The VA must keep up with today’s technology and business practices. For example, the electronic medical record, which is thirty-five years old and extremely expensive to just maintain, needs to be updated.

The VA is getting rid of some 1,100 vacant, under-utilized buildings, some dating back to the Civil War, and even the Revolutionary War, which are extremely expensive for the VA to maintain. Updating of business practices, particularly accountability to hire and fire is crucial. (As I am writing this column, the VA has fired the Director of the VAMC in Washington, DC.)

VA’s third priority for reform is to improve the timeliness of its services. The VA is making progress on this and they now publish wait times on the internet for everyone to see. VA is trying to improve the timeliness of its benefit claims and appeals. Over 90,000 disability claims are over one hundred and twenty-five days old, which is too long. The time involved in the appeals process is being greatly reduced.

Secretary Shulkin’s fourth VA reform priority is focusing VA’s resources.  Many of the VA’s services cannot be replicated in the private sector. VA delivers world class services in polytrauma, spinal cord injury and rehabilitation, prosthetics, and orthotics, traumatic brain injury, PTS treatments and other behavioral health programs.

The VA’s top clinical priority and Shulkin’s fifth reform priority is the prevention of suicide. “This is our most serious concern,” stated Shulkin. He added that twenty suicides a day are twenty too many. The VA will be expanding its suicide prevention crisis line service, working more closely with communities and looking at social media to identify veterans that may be asking for help.

Secretary Shulkin certainly has things in focus. He has the vision, the managerial experience, and the professional medical skills to make him a truly great Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Volume 71. Number 3. Fall 2017

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