Toni Johnson has been riding horses since she was a young girl. Today, she rides Napoleon, a Morgan quarter horse with the Arizona VFW Rangers Mounted Color Guard.

Established in 2008 by four Vietnam War veterans from VFW Post 10254 in Tucson, Arizona, the group’s mission is fourfold. It promotes veterans, the nation’s flags, patriotism and VFW/Auxiliary membership.

Johnson, treasurer of VFW Post 5990’s Auxiliary in Marana, Arizona, said the group of nearly 20 – the Rangers have numbered as many as 50 in the past – participates in parades and memorial services all over the state.

“I grew up on horses and have been riding with the Rangers since 2013,” said Johnson, who also is the group’s adjutant. “We also have participated in homecomings for commanders and Auxiliary presidents.”

Johnson, who earned her Auxiliary eligibility through her grandfather, a World War II vet, said there are typically seven horses. Riders carry the U.S. flag, the POW flag, the Arizona flag and the Honor Service flag.

“We are proud to present retirement flags to servicemen,” Johnson said. “We also have the honor of participating in send-off ceremonies and welcome home events for troops.”

Another aspect of the Rangers Mounted Color Guard is its education component. Flag etiquette classes are held in the summer for youth.

Johnson said the group requires membership in either the VFW or Auxiliary. She added that they have signed up members after people have expressed an interest in joining the Rangers.

“This has been an amazing experience for us,” Johnson said. “A lot of people don’t realize what horses can do. It is really something when little kids stand and put their hands over their hearts, as well as the veterans who are able to. It is a great honor to be a part of this.”

For more information and to see additional photos, follow the Arizona VFW Rangers Mounted Color Guard on Facebook at Facebook/VFWRangers.

This article is featured in the 2023 February issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Janie Dyhouse, senior editor for VFW magazine.

A VFW Post in the Garden State will host its third free food truck event on April 13. The Post’s commander said that the event aims to represent the diversity of the community.

VFW Post Commander Maria Hamlin said that over the past couple of years, members of VFW Post 493 in Nutley, New Jersey, have increased community and veteran outreach.

“We discussed hosting some events that had not been done at our VFW Post and would bring the community and our veterans together,” said Hamlin, an Air National Guard veteran. “Food always brings people together, no matter your ethnicity or cultural upbringing.”

While the event is free, the Post accepts donations from those attending. Hamlin, who served with the 108th Air Wing, said donations received benefit VFW programs such as the VFW National Home, Buddy Poppy program, Patriots Pen, Voice of Democracy and VFW Department of New Jersey programs.

“Donations also benefit revitalization efforts at our Post,” said Hamlin, who is an operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom veteran. “Our building is more than 100 years old, and we are doing our best to restore it for our veterans as well as our community to enjoy.”

Hamlin said that the events are a “great way to bridge the gap” between veterans, older and younger, and community members.

“This is our third food truck event, and we are hoping it will be our best,” said Hamlin, whose husband, Herb, is the Post’s quartermaster and adjutant. “We’ve invited back some of our favorite food trucks but are hoping to add a couple more. Nutley is becoming a very diverse town and we want to represent that diversity at all levels, including the type of food we serve at our events.”

Hamlin said that the first food truck event hosted about 1,000 people. She added that the events would not have happened without the support of Post and its Auxiliary members.

“Our Auxiliary, led by Dee Robertella, always lends a helping hand,” Hamlin said. “The majority of our events are family oriented so our members can enjoy spending time with their families and their families can see the work we are doing in our community and for our veterans.”

At April’s food truck event, there will be music by DJ Rob Frannicola, whose late father is a veteran. The Post also will accept nonperishable food items for a local pantry.

Hamlin, an All-American Post commander, said that while the event is not aimed to be a recruitment drive, Post 493 membership has increased since the inaugural event.

“When local veterans see the work we are doing, they want to join and be a part of our great organization,” Hamlin said. “We are proud to say that we are #StillServing.”

Every Friday, VFW Post 6461 members in Fountain, Colorado, host a dinner on behalf of a cause or simply to come together in camaraderie. On Feb. 10, however, the dinner was a rallying call for an Air Force veteran and Fountain Police officer on life support.

Post 6461 was filled to the brim with hundreds of people supporting Julian Becerra, 35, who police said fell 40 feet off a bridge while pursuing a carjacking suspect in Colorado Springs earlier in the week.

“This was beyond my expectations,” said Steve Kjonaas, a former VFW Department of Colorado commander. “I knew there was going to be a lot of people there, but I’ve never seen so many people inside this building.”

Kjonaas joined Post 6461 Commander Travis Baker and Post members in helping raise funds from the benefit dinner on behalf of Becerra, who had served just four years in the police department since his service in the Air Force.

For Baker, the story of Becerra had a deep-rooted connection to his own.

“Nine years ago this year, I fell 50 feet off of the side of a mountain and that ended my military career,” said Baker, whose military career spanned 23 years prior to his injury. “Then we found out that he was not only police, but an Air Force veteran. That brought it even more to heart for us veterans of the VFW.”

Though Becerra remained on life support throughout that Friday night, the Air Force veteran died the next night at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, according to police officials. He is survived by his wife and two children.

The money raised, more than $5,750, will be presented to the surviving family during a Fountain city council meeting on March 14.

Last month, VFW Post 8904 in Center, Texas, commemorated the 266 Americans who died when the USS Maine exploded in the Havana, Cuba, harbor on Feb. 15, 1898, during the Spanish-American War.

According to Post 8904 Quartermaster Larry Hume, the USS Maine remembrance ceremony is just one of more than 25 events the Post schedules throughout the year to honor veterans and historic events impacting the United States.

“We do these ceremonies because we do not want any veterans group to be forgotten,” said Hume, a Gold Legacy Life member.

Center is the county seat for Shelby County. Most of the Post’s ceremonies are held in the town square at the county courthouse where a veterans memorial sits. During the USS Maine ceremony, a wreath was placed at the memorial.

Hume read the names of six Shelby County residents who were associated with the Spanish-American War: Elijah Webb, Edwin A. Booth, Brunson Cline, Charles Hudson, Charlie E. Matlock and James Mosby Jr.

Post 8904 Commander Richard Lundie played Taps to conclude the remembrance ceremony.

Hume said that while the ceremony was attended largely by Post and Auxiliary members, the local newspapers regularly publicize the Post’s events. The Light & Champion newspaper wrote a lengthy piece on the USS Maine event, according to Hume.

“The newspapers are always there,” Hume said of the coverage. “We have developed a good relationship with them over the years. They give us front page coverage whenever they can.”

Hume said the events are advertised in the newspapers and on the radio.

“It’s sad to say, but we don’t get a lot of attendees outside the Post and Auxiliary,” Hume said. “Of course, on Patriot’s Day, we always have a good turnout just as we do on Memorial Day.”

Does your Post conduct similar ceremonies? If so, let us hear about it. Email JDyhouse@vfw.org.

Members of a Sunflower State VFW Post on Jan. 23 gave their respects to a World War II veteran on his 100th birthday.

VFW Post 11499 in Basehor, Kansas, held a birthday celebration for Wilbur Grisham’s century of living. Grisham, a retired Army tech sergeant, is a longtime Life member of the VFW Post and still attend Post meetings, said VFW Post 11499 Commander David Babin.

“He’s respected in the community,” Babin said. “Not only is he a World War II veteran, but he was also a postal carrier in town and drove a school bus. As a fireman, he was instrumental in getting the first firetruck in eastern Kansas, too. He’s such a humble man.”

Grisham was at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. According to Babin, Grisham cared for the wounded from the attack.

Babin also said Grisham has donated thousands of dollars to the Post to buy life memberships for veterans he thought deserved it.

“Because of his age, he doesn’t help much with setting up events, but he is very active and participates in everything we do.

In recognition of the 100-year milestone, the mayor of Basehor, Dick Drennon, declared Jan. 23, 2023, as “Clyde Wilbur Grisham Day” in the town.

Within a large and darkened nightclub accentuated by the pink glow of neon lights and computer screens, Afghanistan War veteran Hunter DeSander watched as young video gamers and veterans converged in a whirlwind inspired by his fourth annual Combo Con.

The Sept. 23-25, 2022, weekend festival at Wayside Central in Mount Pleasant. Michigan, proved a success for DeSander, who reveled in a soundtrack of incessant keyboard click-clacks, reverberating laughs, shouts and loud waves of “oohs” and “aahs” from about 400 attendees.

“Even though we only made enough to cover expenses after a two-year layoff due to COVID, people loved the cause,” said DeSander, a former VFW Post 4113 commander in St. Johns, Michigan, and current junior vice commander of VFW’s Department of Michigan’s District 9.

A video game enthusiast himself, the 29-year-old DeSander spent most of the weekend pacing from screen to screen, huddle to huddle, eavesdropping on conversations between older veterans and younger gamers, many from different countries, as his vision played out.

For DeSander, whose Combo Con livestream brought an additional 3,000 viewers to watch the action between some 150 gamers competing against one another for cash prizes, the exposure was his unique way of promoting the VFW and what it does for veterans.

All those in attendance virtually and in person joined intermittent games hosted by DeSander throughout the weekend, which included renowned online gamers that came from as far away as Ireland to support the cause.

“I was told many times by spectators that they didn’t think the VFW could do such a thing,” said DeSander, who served as an infantryman in Afghanistan in 2013 with the 2nd Bn., 506th Inf., 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Abn. Div.

“Our big-time gamers, not being from this country, loved the VFW and what it represented enough to genuinely show their love and promote it on their platforms to a global audience.”

Gaming community sensations with gamer names such as Woolie VS, Unrooolie and Super Eye Patch Wolf spent their off -time playing military trivia and mingling with veterans in the audience, many offering them a perspective on what it’s really like to be the characters they use in war games such as Call of Duty.

For Unrooolie, a tenured gaming community persona dating back to the 1990s and whose real name is Kenny O’Brien, the festival’s mission to help veterans is the main reason he continues to come back.

“Many members of the fighter-game community have served in the military,” O’Brien said. “We get a lot of messages from community members that are like, ‘Hey, I’m stationed over here, and we watch your [online video] streams and we watch you play fighting games, and it’s helped us get through tough times.”

‘THIS IS ABOUT LENDING THEIR VOICE TO OURS’
Many of the veterans in attendance served as volunteers helping DeSander run his fourth Combo Con, helping set up and pick up, as well as manning a VFW booth for membership that juxtaposed a row of
other booths with collector’s items such as comic books and paintings.

DeSander strategically placed VFW at the helm of the booths, spotlighted to remind gamers that the unique setup of the festival served not just the gaming community but as a connection between them and veterans.

“By bridging the gap with Combo Con, we’re also raising morale for our VFW District and pushing awareness to show that we are keeping up with the times and adapting,” DeSander said.

“Many of us younger veterans feel disenfranchised, and this event proved the community does have the best interest in mind for them.”

Among the veterans helping run the event and spreading awareness, many were Vietnam veterans who did not play video games themselves. For them, the notion of younger veterans feeling disenfranchised is a familiar one.

“We want to make younger veterans understand why it’s important to belong despite their busy lives,” said Shane Houghton, a Vietnam veteran who served with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Danang. “This is about lending their voice to ours in order to keep getting veterans their much-deserved benefits.”

Houghton, a past All-American District 9 commander and current quartermaster at Post 12083 in Iona, Michigan, joined as a volunteer following DeSander’s proposal at a District 9 meeting. The idea of bridging a gap between young civilians and veterans through a unique festival featuring video games, cosplay and comic books seemed enticing.

“It really is an interesting thing to get young people involved to learn something about the VFW,” Houghton said. “This seems like a new and unique way of teaching younger people about our organization and about veterans in their language. And they seemed very appreciative about what we do at VFW.”

Post 4113 life member and Vietnam veteran Gordon Shipley shared a similar sentiment after hours of mingling with the gaming community in attendance. Though Shipley had volunteered for Combo Con in past years, the festival always brings an element of novelty.

“This is a great way to advocate for veterans’ causes, and they have all been very polite and thanked me for my service,” said Shipley, who deployed to the Navy’s Small Craft Repair Facility in Danang from July 1968 to July 1969. “Many of the younger people don’t necessarily know veterans, and this has been a novel opportunity to teach and let them appreciate what veterans go through.”

CHALLENGING PRECONCEIVED IDEAS
DeSander’s efforts throughout the weekend also helped solidify about $6,000 in fundraising to cover expenses and procure a donation on behalf of District 9 to the Humane Society in Michigan.

But the Afghanistan War veteran stood firm when explaining what he believed the real success of the festival was: his ability to blur the lines between two communities through the use of video games, cosplay, comic books and movies.

A person with pieces of himself placed within the VFW, young veterans’ community and the gaming world alike, DeSander’s perspective sits outside the box of norms.

Already working toward the fifth annual Combo Con next year, DeSander hopes that as his event continues to grow, so will his ability to further unite all communities together.

“There’s mutual acceptance when gaming, as if finding the perfect dance partner,” DeSander said. “To be relevant in this day and age, we have to keep progressing as an organization. And that’s why I do this. I believe that the rising of the tide brings up all ships.”

This article is featured in the 2023 February issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

George Gagnon sat having lunch when his calling walked through the door of VFW Post 6364 in Richmond, Virginia, in November 2021. It arrived in the form of Jim Carney, a representative with the Richmond chapter of Guitars 4 Vets, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans treat PTSD and other wounds of war through music.

Gagnon, a Vietnam veteran who began playing the guitar in 1964, overheard Carney’s pitch on using Post 6364 as a venue to teach guitar lessons. Intrigued about the prospects of such a union, he approached the Guitars 4 Vets representative about joining the effort.

“We met weeks later, and he gave me paperwork and signed me up as an instructor,” said Gagnon, who served with the Army’s 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Div., in Vietnam between August 1970 and June 1971. “I did all the training required and was soon teaching fellow veterans at my Post.”

On Dec. 1, 2021, Gagnon taught his first guitar lesson to a Post 6364 member, Army veteran Soloman Blevins. The experience confirmed his own therapist’s view on music carrying the power to ease suffering and treat several wounds of war often not visible to many.

For Gagnon, who strummed his guitar alongside his student, the notes produced by this instrument of wonderment moved gently across the room to calm them both.

“For 45 years, I did not know I was suffering from PTSD, and it was my therapist who eventually told me I was giving myself therapy all these years by playing the guitar daily,” Gagnon said. “So it was very gratifying to see other veterans with that sparkle in their eyes as they made progress in learning how to play the guitar because it’s clear how calming making music really is.”

‘BEING A GOOD LISTENER IS VERY IMPORTANT’
Since beginning his volunteer teaching role in 2021, Gagnon has helped three veterans graduate from the Guitar 4 Vets program, which includes a 10-week course that ends with a certificate of completion, a Yamaha guitar and several books on music theory.

The program also offers advanced lessons following the 10-week course and graduation, a way to keep those transformed by the progress in tune with the power of creating music.

In his short time as a teacher for Guitars 4 Vets, Gagnon’s influence has brought many other students to sign up and learn to play the guitar. The lessons, added Gagnon, resemble a therapy session split between learning the music and speaking candidly with one another, a mutual connection shared through combat.

“As an instructor, there are times when you just listen and do very little with the guitars,” Gagnon said. “You don’t have to be a good therapist, but being a good listener is very important. These guys sometimes just want to share their story with someone who can be empathetic and understand them. As a veteran who suffered from PTSD myself, I am able to provide that.”

Through the Guitar 4 Vets chapter in Richmond, Gagnon says more than 143 veteran students have graduated since its inception in 2011. The chapter operates on donations, issuing a $200 guitar to veterans free of charge upon graduation, as well as books on music and other useful tools to enhance their experience.

Since coming onboard and having Post 6364 Commander Mike Purcell give his blessings for the Richmond chapter to use the Post as a venue, Gagnon also has paved the way for all students of the program to receive a proper graduation ceremony during the Post’s weekly meetings.

“We as a Post let the Richmond chapter use the venue free of charge, which allows my fellow VFW members that have been treated for PTSD to witness the lessons, and some have signed up for lessons themselves as a result,” Gagnon said. “We also have made the Post available to other instructors of the program, as well as using it for our regional chapter meetings.”

‘MANY VETERAN LIVES WILL BE ENRICHED’
The Richmond chapter is one of more than 100 Guitar 4 Vets chapters established nationwide since its creation in 2007, prompting VFW to ink a partnership with the nonprofit in March 2022.

Like Gagnon and legions of veterans using guitars to treat their PTSD and other wounds of war today, Guitar 4 Vets co-founder Dan Van Buskirk created the nonprofit after discovering the power guitar lessons had on his own mental health.

A Vietnam War veteran himself, Van Buskirk joined guitar instructor Patrick Nettesheim in sharing what they had learned at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, a lesson that has since become the origins of Guitars 4 Vets.

“The VFW is providing Guitars 4 Vets with the most significant expansion opportunity since the founding of our mission in 2007,” Nettesheim said. “As a result, many veteran lives will be enriched and possibly even saved. We share the belief with the VFW that through the healing power of music, the effects of PTSD on the mind, body and spirit can be lessened.”

Since 2007, Guitars 4 Vets has provided more than 50,000 lessons and distributed more than 5,000 guitars to veterans. With more than 100 chapters in 40 states and counting, the VFW’s extensive network of about 6,000 Posts around the world is poised to expand the program’s reach.

VFW members interested in volunteering opportunities or hosting free guitar lessons at their Post are encouraged to contact Guitars 4 Vets National Program Director Bailey King at bailey@guitarsforvets.org.

This article is featured in the 2023 February issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

The hum of bagpipes called out to Frederick Benda Jr. a quarter century ago, and the Vietnam War veteran has not stopped playing them.

Benda, a Life member of VFW Post 872 in Southwick, Massachusetts, was drawn to bagpipes for their ability to pulse together a soundtrack that without words could honor fellow veterans at all the funerals and memorials he frequented since his return from war.

“After I got out of the service in 1972, I carried on with life for some 20 years,” said Benda, who served with the Air Force’s 823rd and 554th Civil Engineering Squadrons at Tan Son Nhut, Vietnam, from September 1970-September 1971. “When I began joining different groups at 50 years of age, I decided to learn how to play the bagpipes to honor our fallen veterans.”

Benda’s journey toward becoming a practicing bagpipes player began after he first joined VFW in the 1990s. Signing up at the now-defunct Post 1847 in Westfield, Massachusetts, 98 miles west of Boston, he appealed to his fellow members, who voted him as Post commander for four consecutive years.

During his time as Post commander, Benda often sat at the helm of VFW functions in Westfield. From Memorial Day functions to Veterans Day programs over the years, the pulse of bagpipes being played captivated Benda.

Benda began taking lessons, learning to play a wide variety of famous songs and eventually joined a kiltie pipe band in Springfield, Massachusetts. Over the years, he and his band have been a fixture at all local and neighboring community functions and parades, veterans’ memorials and honorary events.

“I also belong to the Vietnam Veterans Liberty Chapter 219 here in Westfield, and we are planning to have a special ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the war,” Benda said.

Benda said he plans to perform a self-written song during a commemorative march on the official 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War in Westfield. His performance of the song “Never Again Will One Generation Of Veterans Abandon Another” will be its debut.

This article is featured in the 2023 January issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The VFW and Humana are joining forces with multiple veterans organizations to collaborate on a new initiative focused on raising awareness about Veterans Service Officer (VSO) programs.

With Humana’s support, PsychArmor, a national nonprofit and preferred training provider specializing in military culture awareness, is creating an online, video-based curriculum to educate about VSOs and to offer guidance on how to access support and maximize veteran entitlements across the full range of non-profit providers.

“The VFW is excited to see that Humana and PsychArmor see the value of VSOs and the human impact that this network of professional and trained advocates offers to the veterans’ community free of charge,” said Ryan Gallucci, VFW Deputy Executive Director. “We look forward to working with Humana, PsychArmor and our VSO partners on this project to make sure veterans, military-connected families, and the American public know how to easily access the care and benefits to which they are entitled.”

During the collective impact strategy meeting here Jan. 11, leaders from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), DAV (Disabled American Veterans), Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO) brainstormed with the Humana and PsychArmor teams to determine the overarching goals for the developing curriculum.

The training PsychArmor is developing will leverage the collective strength of these organizations around whole-person health in military-connected communities.

“I am proud Humana is taking an important role in bringing together various veteran service organizations to have critical discussions on how to better educate and coordinate transitions of those leaving active service as well as support the many existing veterans who are unaware of or apprehensive about accessing benefits and services available to them,” said Dan Maltese, Vice President of Retail Career Distribution for Humana MarketPoint. “Our veteran community is in need of trusted, easy-to-access and understandable resources that will give them a path of care, support and services that can stand as proud as the service our veterans gave to our country.”

The group agreed there is a significant knowledge gap when it comes to general understanding of the benefits and services available to those who have served in the military, meaning many veterans are not accessing the financial compensation or health care to which they are entitled through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

VSOs are in communities across the country to help veterans navigate federal, state and local resources and benefits. Their services are free of charge through national veterans non-profit organizations, like those working to develop this educational training with PsychArmor.

“This is yet another building block in our work to reduce barriers to care for veterans and their families,” said Dr. Tina Atherall, CEO of PsychArmor. “We’re applying a public-health approach to an identified health equity need – getting veterans in touch with their VSO peers who can help them navigate the complexities of VA claims and benefits. We also believe that the resulting social connections and their impact on health outcomes will be a secondary benefit of VSO engagement and advocacy.”

The new course being developed, 15 Things Veteran Service Officers Want You To Know, will be based on feedback from this meeting as well as surveys and focus groups with VSOs and learners. In addition to raising awareness about VSO programs, the curriculum aims to counter misconceptions about the VSO program and will address concerns that many veterans do not self-identify or file VA claims.

The VSO course will follow a similar format as PsychArmor’s cornerstone course, 15 Things Veterans Want You To Know.

The VFW is gearing up its second annual VFW Day of Service scheduled for May 6. More than 400 Posts worldwide engaged in activities benefiting communities during last year’s inaugural event.

Nearly 100 percent of Posts participating last year have already said they will host events again, according to VFW Communications Director Randi Law.

“Our members show up when there’s a need,” Law said. “Day of Service offers us a great way for them to demonstrate what they stand for, and that’s service to others.”

Law added that while the first Saturday in May has been designated as the VFW Day of Service, Posts can host events at any time throughout the month.

This day of serving was created following the success of VFW’s #StillServing campaign which launched in 2020. The social media campaign recognizes VFW members’ commitment to community service. Since then, more than 3 million people have engaged in the campaign.

Last year’s Day of Service saw Posts beautifying communities and collecting supplies for animal shelters. There were food drives, events to recognize firefighters and even a Freedom Festival hosted by one Post.

VFW members are no stranger to community service and for most, they naturally gravitate toward it.

“Bringing veterans and the community together to make a meaningful difference is what the VFW does,” Law said.

To learn more about the second annual VFW Day of Service and to register your Post, visit VFWDayofService.org.