WINDHAM - It’s hard to believe July has flown by, and now we’re heading into August!
Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 7, when VFW Post 1545 will host our 18th Annual Golf Outing at the beautiful Christman’s Golf Club.
We’d love to have your support! The event features a 4-person scramble, where your team plays the best shot, making it a fun format for golfers of all skill levels. There will also be prizes, great company, and plenty of opportunities to enjoy a fantastic day on the course.
Your participation helps support the mission of VFW Post 1545, and we truly appreciate everyone who comes out to make this event a success. We hope to see you on August 7 for a great day of golf, fun, and fellowship!
A decision was made to cancel our bingo night due to low attendance. We tried as long as we could, although we had a good time, it was financially difficult to continue. We are sorry this had to happy and want to thank all who participated.
This past Sunday, Lynn and I attended a baby shower for our first great grandson. I was unaware that men were invited to one of these events, which I always though it was a woman’s event.
The ladies were having a great time with all the pageantry that goes along with a baby shower, but I was excited to find out that they are expecting a boy. I now can put attending a baby shower off of my bucket list.
For all the veterans, I have some news regarding The Take Care of Veterans Act. For the second time in recent weeks, VFW leadership, staff and more than 100 advocates from at least 30 states converged on Capitol Hill visiting every congressional office to communicate the organization’s opposition to Section 108 of Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, which would reduce future veterans' disability compensation for tinnitus and sleep apnea through changes to VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.
Heated debate on H.R. 9237 took place on the House floor followed by a motion to recommit, which would have sent the bill back to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, but the motion was rejected with a vote of 210-211.
House leadership then pulled the bill from the floor, delaying further action. The VFW has repeatedly asserted that earned veterans’ disability benefits and compensation shall never be used as a legislative budgetary pay-for.
VFW National Legislative Service Associate Director Joy Craig participated in a roundtable hosted by House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano, D-Calif., to examine barriers veterans with less than honorable discharges face when accessing VA benefits and services.
Discussion focused on review processes, transition challenges and the impact of administrative and punitive discharges related to post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma and other mitigating factors.
Craig emphasized the importance of ensuring service members facing involuntary separation receive specialized transition support, and understand their options for discharge review and potential eligibility for VA benefits.
She also highlighted provisions in both the House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 that would establish a senior DOD official responsible for overseeing military-to-civilian transition and strengthening support for separating service members, which the VFW strongly supports.
This demonstrates how tirelessly the VFW works on behalf of America's veterans. As a member of the VFW, you are part of an organization dedicated to ensuring that veterans receive the benefits, services, and recognition they have earned through their service to our country. The VFW serves as a strong voice for veterans in Congress, advocating for their rights and their future.
Today, I want to share a story that reflects what our military is truly about. We recently welcomed home four soldiers who served in the war in Iran. These men and women answered the call to serve out of a deep sense of patriotism and commitment to our nation.
Regardless of our political beliefs, we are united by something greater—we are all Americans. It is that shared commitment and sacrifice that deserves our gratitude, respect, and unwavering support.
We also must remember the POW’s and Missing in Action. One such hero is U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Henry L. Younge, age 20, of Copiague, New York. Sgt. Younge, who was killed during World War II, was finally accounted for on August 14, 2025.
In the spring of 1945, Sgt. Younge served as a tail gunner aboard a Boeing B-29 Superfortress assigned to the 30th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy).
On April 24, 1945, while on a combat mission over Kawasaki, Japan, his aircraft was shot down over Chiba Prefecture. Although he survived the crash, he was captured and held as a prisoner of war. Tragically, he died in the Tokyo Military Prison during a devastating fire on May 26, 1945.
In March and April 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) exhumed the remains of 39 unknown service members associated with the Tokyo Prison Fire for comparison with those still unaccounted for, including Sgt. Younge. Scientists at the DPAA laboratory used anthropological analysis and circumstantial evidence to positively identify his remains.
For many years, Sgt. Younge's name was inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, an American Battle Monuments Commission site honoring those still missing from World War II. A rosette will now be placed beside his name, signifying that he has finally been accounted for.
Sgt. Younge will be laid to rest with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on August 3, 2026.
Please keep Sgt. Henry L. Younge, his family, and all those who remain missing in your thoughts and prayers. Let us also remember and honor the brave men and women who continue to serve our nation every day, protecting the freedoms we cherish. God Bless America.
Marc Farmilette, PDC – VFW Post 1545
