VFW Action Corps Weekly - 01-17-22

[Boats]

VFW Action Corps Weekly - 01-17-22
Re: https://www.vfw.org/advocacy/grassro...n-corps-weekly

Note: On site there are additional links for more information for each subject if needed.

House Passes Guard and Reserve Equity Bill:

The VFW Action Corps community has done it again! Thanks to your efforts, H.R. 1836, the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2021 has passed the House, and National Guard and Reserve members are one step closer to receiving the education benefits they deserve for their time in service. This bill would expand the types of duty for National Guard and Reserve members to earn eligibility toward the Post-9/11 GI Bill and ensure their increasingly frequent activations count as time toward this education benefit, regardless of the length of time of the activation. Now this bill is headed to the Senate.

Renew Your ID Cards Now:

ID cards for retirees and their dependents have changed to the Next Gen USID cards which are being issued now. To reduce the risk of exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic, DOD electronically extended the expiration dates of ID cards. DOD has requested that retirees and their dependents who were extended under the above conditions renew their cards before they expire on Jan. 31, 2022. Extensions of ID cards for dependents of active-duty service members, and Reserve and National Guard service members and their dependents expired on Oct. 31, 2021. DOD will not issue any further extensions, so schedule your appointment today! Read more.

MIA Update:

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced two burial updates and one new identification for service members who have been missing and unaccounted-for from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Returning home for burial with full military honors are:

01 - Army Cpl. R.B. Cherry, 19, of Dallas, was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 27, 1950, near Anju, North Korea. Cherry had been a POW in Camp 5 and his remains were declared non-recoverable after the war. He will be buried in his hometown. The date has yet to be determined. Read about Cherry.

02 - Navy Seaman 1st Class Biacio Casola, 26, of the Bronx, New York, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Casola. He will be buried on April 20, 2022, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu. Read about Casola.

03 - Navy Reserve Cmdr. Paul C. Charvet, 26, of Grandview, Washington, was assigned to ttack Squadron 215 aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard. On March 21, 1967, the A-1H Skyraider airplane on which Chavret was piloting, was shot down near Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Following the war, his remains could not be identified. Interment services are pending. Read about Charvet.

Note: On site there are additional links to get more specific details on each MIA.

As always, we want to hear your advocacy stories. To share your stories or photos with us, simply email them directly to vfwac@vfw.org.
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Personal note: Welcome Home Men - May you and your Families find closure and
may you Rest in Peace on American soil. Our respects go out to your Family &
Friends and Thank You for Your Service & Sacrifice in behalf of our Country.