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VVAW and American Legion

By VVAW

For the first time in the history of VVAW, members of the National Office and Chicago Chapter of VVAW were invited into an American Legion Post to give a presentation on the effects of the Reagan budget cuts on vets. Forty-five members of the John H. Shelton American Legion Post in Maywood, IL, attended the panel discussion. They expressed concern about proposed cuts in their benefits and wanted more information about Agent Orange defoliant poisoning.

Speaking for the VVAW National Office, Barry romo stated, "What the Reagan Administration is saying is that we were fine to fight their wars, we were fine to bleed for them, but once they're out of money, once the economy has hit the skids, they'll throw us on the skids with it."

On the question of Agent Orange, Bill Davis, another national officer of VVAW, said: " The biggest problem with the government in trying to get a program for veterans exposed to Agent Orange is the acknowledgement that the chemical is harmful." Davis further stated, "We're not asking that they make each and every one of us rich; all we're asking is that we be tested, treated and compensated if we're affected by it."

The final panel member, Lambert Caldwell, staff person of the Chicago Chapter of VVAW, told the American Legion Post, many of whose members are third generation participants in the post, that, "Veterans of different eras must work together to preserve their benefits and bring an end to the competition among vets of different eras and organizations."