Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 03/10/2008

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
My husband has his W214, but we need to know the prerequisites for veterans and their families to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. We are ages 78 and 74 and live in Fairfax.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Wayne and Virginia

Dear Wayne and Virginia:
The folks at Arlington suggest that you check out their Web site, www.arlingtoncemetery.org, under funeral information.

Shaft Notes

The Sarge was honored to join guests of the Armed Services YMCA's second annual Angels of the Battlefield Gala to honor our courageous combat doctors. While corpsmen and medics are part of the military services, they are typically the only source of medical attention on the battlefield and are routinely called upon to look after civilians, as some of the journalists who follow the troops into battle can attest.

The ASYMCA — a national nonprofit organization that is a leading provider of social and support services to members of the U.S. military and their families — has worked with the military services to select individual U.S. Navy corpsmen and U.S. Army medics from each branch of military service, including the National Guard, Reserves and Coast Guard, who were honored at a recent Washington gala.

Supporters of the event were asked to make a charitable donation in order to attend. Those in attendance included representatives from Congress, high-ranking officials from the Department of Defense, and all branches of the military services. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave the keynote address.

And kudos to the ASYMCA and Woman's Day magazine for their wonderful program, Operation Holiday Joy, an annual holiday food and toy drive benefiting military families in need. For four years, Woman's Day and the ASYMCA have worked together to raise more than $850,000 from more than 8,000 donors.

"With so many of our men and women in uniform serving overseas, the Armed Service YMCA works hard to make the season bright for their families back home," said ASYMCA National Executive Director S. Frank Gallo, a retired Navy rear admiral.

During November and December, Woman's Day magazine profiles a military family and their experiences and reaches out to readers to donate to Operation Holiday Joy. The Woman's Day/ASYMCA holiday drive provides Americans an opportunity to honor and thank servicemen and women and help military families enjoy the holidays.

"When Operation Holiday Joy first started, we had no idea what kind of response we'd get, but our readers came through in a big way, donating over $850,000 over the four years of the program. That's a lot of joy — and you don't have to watch much of the news to know that that's needed now more than ever," said Jane Chesnutt, editor-in-chief of Woman's Day.

This year, the campaign was able to make an even greater impact with the help of the Military Channel. Throughout the months of November and December, public service announcements about the holiday drive aired nationally to help boost awareness and encourage individuals to make a donation.

"During the holidays, we know how much these families appreciate the toys and food provided by Operation Holiday Joy, and the Military Channel is delighted to assist in the campaign's efforts," said Clark Bunting, general manager for the Military Channel.

Thousands of military families have benefited from Operation Holiday Joy, one of which was an Air Force sergeant from Alaska. He and his family were experiencing a difficult time after his wife suffered a stroke last month. Through Operation Holiday Joy, the Air Force sergeant was able to pick out two toys for each of his nine children — a total of 18 toys, including a bicycle and skateboards. He also used the ASYMCA food pantry to supplement meals.

The ASYMCA offices have been flooded with notes of appreciation, but one that stands out is from a wife of a National Guardsman from New York who wrote: "I was touched by this effort to remember the families of those who serve our nation. It is a comfort to have so many organizations dedicated to assisting families of soldiers. Thank you for giving a gift that was so much more than a toy."

ASYMCA operates more than 150 program centers in 15 states, as well as in Puerto Rico and Okinawa. The ASYMCA, an affiliate of the YMCA of the USA, is headquartered in Alexandria. For more information, please visit www.asymca.org.

• The 3rd Marine Division Association will hold its annual family reunion July 30-Aug. 3 in Iselin, N.J., at the Woodbridge Sheraton Hotel.

Anyone who served in, was attached to, or served in support of the 3rd Marine Division at any time since it was formed Sept. 16, 1942, is invited to attend.

For membership and reunion information, contact retired Sgt. Maj. Bill Krueger at 703/451-3844, at 7622 Highland St., Springfield, Va. 22150-3931 or via www.caltrap.com.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-257-5446 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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