VFW snaps 27-year membership decline and adds nearly 25,000 new members
Military Times By: Brian Mackley July 16, 2019
This year, the VFW helped advocate on the behalf of 526,000 veterans for $8.4 billion in disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. It also highlighted it’s prominent legislative advocacy for veterans in the nation’s capital, as well.
Don Foran, who as a teenager spent the last months of World War II on dangerous assignments driving a jeep, restored and donated the same model of a 1942 jeep to the Canyon VFW post. (Lauren Koski/The Amarillo Globe News via AP)
The Veterans of Foreign Wars said it has added almost 25,000 new members during the past year, ending a long period of steady decline.
Officials with the 120-year-old veteran service organization attribute the uptick to a new strategy to target new members using social media, as well as word of mouth, to inform veterans how much work they do to serve veterans.
"The VFW is making a difference in the lives of countless others every day, and thanks to the power of social media and the internet, more people are taking notice and wanting to be part of our team,” VFW National Commander B.J. Lawrence said in a recent post on the organizations website. read it here
VFW Post in Bedford fighting to save historic hall: ‘This is what we call home’
FOX 8 Cleveland By Suzanne Stratford FEBRUARY 11, 2019
Over the years, Post 1082 has donated nearly $350,000 to a number of groups, charities, and scholarship funds.
BEDFORD, Ohio -- They served their country in the military and their community as veterans.
Now, members of VFW Post 1082 in Bedford are fighting to save their historic hall.
“This building's been here since 1932, so we’ve been here a long time,” said Vietnam veteran Willie Adams. ”It’s almost like you’re losing your house; I mean, this is what we call home.”
Much more than brick and mortar, the building on Northfield Road has been a rock for these veterans, and a place where they could feel comfortable and camaraderie. “This hall is my solace; this is where I need to be and come to relax,” said Vietnam veteran John Freeman. “Nobody in the world other than veterans can empathize with what we feel and how we feel.”
The Post fell on hard times this past year with a number of members passing away or moving out of town and consequently they fell behind in their taxes. They lost the building to foreclosure, but have been trying ever since to buy it back or make a deal to lease it.
However, Adams says, the price has doubled and now without help they will have to leave by February 17.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Adams.
The loss would be devastating for many others in the community as well. read more here
Iraq War veteran becomes new Valley Stream VFW commander
LI Herald By Melissa Koenig January 5, 2018
Since he returned from his second tour in Iraq, Peter Yarmel has helped renovate the basement, add new sheetrock and fix the plumbing of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1790’s building, at 65 East Merrick Road in Valley Stream.
Now, he serves as the commander of the post he helped restore.
Yarmel, a 39-year-old Valley Stream native who currently lives in Lynbrook, also served on the post’s bartending and cleanup committees, according to Al Goldberg, a Vietnam veteran. “He’s a hard worker, cares deeply for the post and put in a lot of time,” Goldberg said.
Yarmel did not campaign for the commander position. As the senior vice commander, he took over in November after Commander Joe Marando died of lymphoma at age 84. “I got really close to Joe… so he kind of handed the reins over to me when he was starting to get sick,” Yarmel said. He became the senior vice commander over a year ago.
Yarmel served in the Marine Corps for two tours in Iraq, both of which lasted seven months.
His first tour was from January 2003 to July 2003. During that time, he served as a radio field operator for a shock trauma platoon. Yarmel radioed for Medivacs to get injured soldiers off the battlefield and transport them to a hospital.
“We were right there in the battlefield,” Yarmel said. “We went and got ’em, surgeons did what they had to real quick and patched them up, and sent them back to the real hospitals.”
Tough choice for struggling Elgin VFW post: Time to sell building? Daily Herald Elena Ferrarin December 17, 2016
If you walked into the members- and guests-only bar of Elgin VFW Post 1307 on an average Friday night, you'd be lucky to find 10 people.
There is no bingo or fish fry anymore, although twice-monthly country line dancing and weekly raffles have survived. Occasionally, the hall gets rented for events.
And now, the post's membership will make a pivotal decision about its future on Jan. 2: Sell the building, or mortgage it to make much-needed repairs with no foreseeable means of repaying the debt.
Post Commander Art Buckheister and Post Quartermaster Scott Webb believe it's best to sell.
"The VFW is not about bars and canteens and things," Webb said. "The VFW is about veterans. Serving veterans and serving our community. That's what must be paramount. It's time to get out of the bar business."
Buckheister agreed. "We were pretty good at it for a lot of years. Now things have changed and it's time to refocus." read more here
A Memorial Day tribute was held at VFW Post 4287 in Orlando. Some Gave All panels offered a stark reminder of what this day is supposed to be all about.
Published on May 30, 2016 Today at the VFW Post 4287 in Orlando, there was a Memorial Day service. One of the special guest was a Korean War veteran about to celebrate his 95 birthday. What no one expected was that he can tap!
Florida is veterans friendly, says VFW Commander Amber Putnam.
The first female VFW chief in Florida is reaching out to younger veterans.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush, one of the herd of GOP presidential hopefuls, recently made a bid to stake out leadership in one vital area: veterans' affairs.
His VA reform plan would enlarge options for care outside the VA and boost focus on female veterans care. Paramount issues in Florida, home to America's third-largest veteran population and more than 166,000 women veterans, including Amber Putnam, the first female state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Florida. Putnam, a panelist on the Sentinel's November Florida Forward veterans forum, recently shared plans for the VFW.
Q: What challenges do you foresee as the first female head of the Florida VFW?
A: The challenges I face are in many ways no different than those of state commanders that have come before me. As a woman, I of course come from a different perspective, but first and foremost I am a veteran. One thing we pride ourselves on as an organization is that we embrace and support all combat veterans regardless of race, religion or gender. It was that way when we served in the military, and it remains that way as we continue to serve. read more here
Honor Guard will invite God to the funeral on request
Times Standard
By Warren Tindall
POSTED: 06/20/15
Should God be invited to a veteran’s funeral? This is a question that is ricocheting around the local veterans’ community. Since the end of World War II, many veterans’ organizations have assumed the duty of providing military honors at veterans’ funerals and memorials. The climax of the ceremony is the ritual folding of the ceremonial flag in 13 folds and the presentation to family of the departed veteran. It has been a tradition to recite a poem written by an Air Corps chaplain during World War II describing each fold of the flag as the flag is folded. Thus, “The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life, the second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life,” etc.
In Riverside National Cemetery, a protest was lodged concerning this practice. The poem was deemed “politically incorrect” because of its reference to God. In response, and apparently in agreement, the Veterans Administration banned the practice at veteran’s funerals. Many veterans throughout the country vehemently objected. Predictably the conservative talk show hosts had a field day. Even some congressmen became involved.
Eventually, the Houston Veterans of Foreign Wars took the question to federal court. The judge noted that the first paragraph of the Military Funeral Honors Law of 2000 begins with two words, “upon request.” According to the law, the judge ruled the requesting families have the option to decide what elements they wish for their veteran’s ceremony.
Thus the judge declared the “13 folds” poem may be allowed, but only “at the request” of the veteran’s family. Since that time, our Mad River Community Veterans Honor Guard has always given the families a choice. Many families are adamant that it should be included. In all the years since that ruling, only two families have declined. read more here
The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.
The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.
The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."
The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother's Day.
The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.
The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, "In God we Trust."
Local vet offers alcohol-free VFW
CBS 6 News
May 25, 2015
“You know, we'll get WiFi in here, we'll put some small food items out,” Porter said. “And then a coffee selection, some teas, you know, to have them have a place where they can relax and enjoy the company of fellow veterans."
Monday, May 25 2015
ALBANY -- While Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice one local veteran is working to help those who came home from serving and are now struggling.
“When I think there's usually no boxes,” former Marine Robert “BAR” Porter said. “People say, ‘Think outside the box,’ and I go, 'There's a box?'"
Porter got the keys to 481 Washington Avenue in Albany late last week when he took over as an officer at VFW Post 1019. He says the taps here have been dry for five years and he wants to keep it that way.
“The veterans community, the military community, is a very alcohol-related environment,” Porter said. VFW posts typically serve as a place for vets to get together, have a drink and swap war stories. But Porter says when VFW Post 1019 didn't renew its liquor license because the insurance was too expensive with the dwindling membership he thought that was just as well. read more here
Mason VFW hall attacker ordered to get drug treatment, mental health check
Zachariah Purcell pleaded guilty to 2 charges
WCPO News
Staff
May 13, 2015
MASON, Ohio -- A Tennessee man who pleaded guilty to attacking two members at a Mason Veterans of Foreign Wars hall was ordered Wednesday to undergo drug treatment, spend time on house arrest and get a mental health check.
Zachariah Purcell, 26, of Morristown, Tennessee, was arrested Jan. 24, 2015. He pleaded guilty March 24 to one count of aggravated assault and one count of assault.
Police said Purcell broke a pool cue over Larry Kennedy's head and hit a woman in the face.
"You don't get in no fights in a place like that," Kennedy said.
But when he saw his friend trying to get Purcell to leave, Kennedy couldn't just sit in the corner.
"I just kind of held him down and next thing I know he said, 'I've had enough. Let me up,'" said Kennedy.
"And I let him up and that's when he hit me with a pool stick."
read more here
VFW, DAV Joint Legal Fight Against VA Over New Claims System
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
May 08, 2015
Veterans groups, including the VFW and DAV, told the VA two years ago that any new system that eliminated the informal claims process would be opposed.
Two more veterans organizations are going to court against the Veterans Affairs Department over the agency's decision to end its historic informal claims process.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans say that a new claims system the VA adopted in March "severely undercuts the non-adversarial, pro-veteran principles upon which the veterans' benefits system was built. In particular, the VA alters decades-long pro-veterans practices under the guise of creating efficiencies within the VA."
The efficiencies include the use of standardized forms that veterans would have to download, fill out and file.
"The VFW doesn't oppose the use of standardized forms," VFW National Veterans Service Director William L. Bradshaw said. "Our opposition is to this all or nothing approach that VA is forcing on veterans -- changes, that if left in place, will guarantee in this year alone that tens of thousands of service-connected wounded, ill and injured veterans will be denied benefits they were entitled to before the change became effective."
The VFW and DAV are only the latest veterans' advocates to sue the VA over the new system.
Attorney Douglas J. Rosinski of Veterans Justice Group in Columbia, South Carolina, also filed a suit challenging the new system last November.
In March, The American Legion, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the National Veterans Legal Services Program, AMVETS, and the Vietnam Veterans of America filed suit. read more here
These groups are fighting for all generations of veterans. That says something right there considering they have all been doing it for decades!
The VFW and the DAV are very dear to my heart. The VFW fights for all veterans no matter what generation they belong to.
My husband is a lifetime member of the VFW and DAV and I am a lifetime member of the DAV Auxiliary. My Dad (Korean veteran) was a lifetime member of the DAV, so in one way or another, I've known how hard they work all my life. They fight for all veterans to obtain what they are eligible for and compensated appropriately for their disabilities/wounds caused by serving this country.
While it may feel warm and fuzzy to think these politicians have the best interest of veterans in mind, the reality is they are like a rusty wheel making a lot of noise going in circles. Every year veterans don't even get excuses from them. They just spin their gears so they can point their fingers at whoever happens to sit in the seat as Secretary of the VA. Don't believe me. Just look up what they are supposed to be responsible for on the link above. Educate yourself so you know exactly what has been going on and why veterans blame congress!
Published on Apr 12, 2015
Saturday fed up veterans got into a dumpster to show how they feel. Congress has failed them and made them feel like they are disposable. Congress blames the VA only because they refuse to blame themselves! They write the rules, pass the budgets and are supposed to be in control over what the VA
The VFW and DAV earned your support and need your voice to fight for all generations of veterans.
How many more times will you end up supporting charities to provide "awareness" of what some veterans are going through when these groups have been fighting for all veterans to make sure they didn't have to go through it?
who served in the armed forces during a period of war or under conditions simulating war, and was wounded, disabled to any degree, or left with long-term illness as a result of military service, and was discharged or retired from military service under honorable conditions.
What does DAV do for you?
Helps returning veterans transition back to civilian life by linking them with services that address their physical, emotional, and financial needs.
Provides free, professional assistance to veterans of all generations in obtaining VA and other government benefits earned through service.
Fights for veterans’ rights on Capitol Hill.
Links veterans to job training and job assistance programs.
Funds rehabilitation programs for veterans with severe disabilities, such as blindness or amputation.
WASHINGTON — The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States said the U.S. House of Representatives is set to penalize disabled veterans this week if it votes to reduce the Department of Veterans Affairs budget request by more than $1.5 billion.
“The nationwide crisis in care and confidence that erupted in the VA last year was caused in many ways by a lack of adequate resourcing that only Congress is authorized to provide,” said John W. Stroud, who leads the 1.9 million-member VFW and its Auxiliaries. “That’s why the VFW is demanding that the House amend this bill to appropriate a funding level that fully funds VA.”
In its current form, the fiscal year 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill makes across-the-board cuts to all VA discretionary accounts, and drastically underfunds medical care, major construction and Information Technology accounts. Stroud said across-the-board cuts to discretionary spending is what Congress created back in 2011, but by another name, sequestration. Now the House wants to impose its own sequester on a federal department whose sole mission is to care for wounded, ill and injured veterans.
“The VA cannot fulfill its mission without proper funding, but the House for whatever reason now wants to ration care, eliminate infrastructure projects, and stop improving upon the programs and services that the VA was created to provide,” said the VFW national commander. “This bill is bad for veterans and any vote for it is unconscionable, which is why we want veterans and advocates everywhere to get involved by urging their elected officials to fully fund the VA.”
VFW Says Ending Sequestration is Top 2016 Priority
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
Capitol Hill
Mar 03, 2015
"Everyone is against the sequester but no one has yet proposed legislation to end it," said Joe Davis, the VFW's national spokesman.
Members of the nation's oldest veterans' service organization will be lobbying to end sequestration this week when they appear before congressional committees and meetings with lawmakers in their offices.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars has a number of military- and veteran-related issues to talk up, but its top mission is to rid Washington of the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts that are scheduled to go into effect on Oct. 1 if Congress fails to pass a budget.
"Our members -- all voting constituents -- will use this face-to-face opportunity [with Congress] to demand ... an end to the sequester," VFW National Commander John W. Stroud said. With the U.S. still at war, the cuts required under the sequester will devastate military readiness, homeland security, the quality-of-life of military families and veterans, he said.
The VSO leadership and an estimated 500 members gather in Washington annually to confer on veterans and defense issues and lobby Congress for them.
VFW officials will testify before joint sessions of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees on Wednesday and Thursday, where they will make their case for proper benefits and healthcare funding for the Veterans Affairs Department.
The group's 2016 priorities list also seeks improved interoperability between VA and Defense Department records, continued safeguarding of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and for employment programs. The group's priorities also extend to defense and homeland security spending.
The sequester, officially the Budget Control Act, should be ended to "ensure defense funding supports quality of life programs for servicemembers and families, training and readiness, troop end strength and equipment needs," the organization said.
read more here
Three wars, three veterans, one camaraderie
Echo Press
By Annie Harman
February 17, 2015
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) is an American veterans organization providing financial, social, and emotional support to members of the armed forces, veterans, and their dependents.
The VFW works to secure the rights of veterans who have served in a war on foreign soil.
The members of the Alexandria VFW have each other’s backs through everything they do, including when it comes to a medical emergency.
During the Marine Corps League meeting on July 1 at the VFW, World War II Veteran Bruce Brown was delivering the pagemaster reports when he suffered from heart failure.
“It looked like he had just missed his chair,” said the new Douglas County Veterans Service Officer Josh Brummond. “But he had actually fainted.”
Brummond, a veteran who served two tours to Iraq, rushed to Brown’s side. He administered the sternum rub and tried to bring Brown back.
“I could see him going away,” Brummond recalled. “He started changing colors and his eyes rolled back.”
Having been trained in CPR since his senior year of high school and through his 15 years in the military, Brummond took action and administered CPR. read more here
Veterans brave elements for those in need
Local VFW volunteer spends 72 hours homeless to collect clothing, donations for veterans in need
The Huntsville Item
By Winston Spencer Jr
Staff Reporter
November 6, 2014
Commander David Lanque shows off the large amount of clothes donated by Huntsville residents throughout his 72-hour occupation of a makeshift outpost on 11th Street. By Winston Spencer Jr / Staff Reporter
“A lot of people asked me why 72 hours,” Lanque said. “It’s all about a commitment that our servicemen make. Just like they don’t shy away from their commitment, I can commit to do for 72 hours what many, who return home with the hidden wounds of PTSD, have done for far too many years.
Folks who traveled down 11th Street this week might have noticed a lone, makeshift outpost with flags of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines next to Walgreens.
That’s where Commander David Lanque of the Melvin White Post 5871 VFW in Huntsville stood “post” for 72 hours with a mission to raise awareness about homeless veterans, as well as those suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder by collecting clothing and monetary donations.
“I’m nearing the end of my tour,” Lanque said Wednesday, referring to living the previous 71 hours on the street as a homeless veteran.
“This community has not forgotten about the sacrifices made by those in uniform,” he added. “They’ve given out of their hearts for a great cause.”
Collected during 72 hours of a homeless fundraiser were “fine Western suits and sports coats,” Lanque said. “The community didn’t give us their leftovers, they gave their best. Good quality merchandise and plenty of it.”
read more here
Young members explore ways to reshape the VFW
KANSAS CITY STAR
BY RICK MONTGOMERY
08/23/2014
“If our generation doesn’t do it,” said Villa, “who will?”
Relaxing in a Lawrence courtyard at the new digs of Post 852, Iraq veterans Michael Siroky and Amanda Villa recalled the city’s former VFW hall.
Not many of their peers knew it existed. And when the two checked it out, they understood why.
“It was a round building, with no windows, out by the hospital,” said Villa, 30. “It looked as if the World War II veterans wanted to socialize in a bunker.”
So if they didn’t like it, get involved, a VFW Kansas Department commander urged her. It was up to the nation’s latest war veterans to change things.
Slowly and far between, younger veterans are reshaping their local VFW posts and practices, bringing glints of new life to an organization they respect.
“If our generation doesn’t do it,” said Villa, “who will?”
She joined a post committee looking to relocate. Boyfriend Siroky, 33, became post commander. And last year he cut the ribbon at the post’s new social spot in the center of Massachusetts Street nightlife.
The place is drawing dozens of new members, as are other VFW posts injected with youth.
Vietnam vet Jerry Karr, 64, was among the shrinking cadre keeping the old post going, sometimes taking out personal loans to pay the bills.
“It’s not about my war, their wars or World War II,” Karr said. “We’re also here for the kids in third grade whose conflict hasn’t happened yet.
“They’ll be coming home decades from now and will need us.” read more here
The commercial came out of a VFW program to honor one returning serviceman representing many. Cantwell, a native of Mobile, Ala., and a staff member with Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, entered Nadd’s name in the drawing.
After his name was drawn, the VFW became involved with the company that produced the 60-second commercial as well a 5-minute documentary that included VFW members sharing their homecoming experiences. Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Al Lugo, director of the village, and members of the staff there, along with other local VFW personnel, were involved in the project.
For the two productions, Cantwell started a campaign to get Nadd’s friends and former classmates at Trinity Preparatory School of Winter Park assembled, along with his mother and hundreds of town residents.
read more here
This is the video I shot from right in the middle of the huge crowd.
HOTH MISSION Salute to our Fallen Soldiers Orlando, Florida Sunday, February 23, 2014
Join us in a Saluteto our Fallen Soldiers as we honor them through a Love Letter Tribute, Ceremonial Balloon Release, Children's Activities, and Poetry. Gold Star family members will attend this memorable occasion held at a scenic waterfront park. This is the second of its kind event. It will open with a color guard, the 13 folds of the flag presentation, and keynote speaker US Army chaplain. This event is open to all family members and friends of our Fallen Soldiers.
Let's bring our flags and stand a flag line for a Salute to our Fallen Hero's.
Patriot Guard Riders will be there!
Staging will be at the: VFW Post 2093 4444 Edgewater Drive, Orlando, FL 32804 MAP: http://tinyurl.com/lsly6jc
Texas Vets Sleep in Dumpsters to Bring Awareness to Homeless Vets
KFDX News
12/12/2013
(KAGS) For the holidays a lot of us will go home, but what if you didn't have a place to call home?
Sadly that's the case for millions of people across the country and a lot of them are veterans.
But two veterans in Huntsville, Texas are taking a stand to combat the problem.
"Being out here, we're really experiencing what it's like to be out in the cold and I'll tell you, it's brutal," Veteran David Lanoue said.
Lanoue isn't asking for money for himself though, but for real homeless veterans in need of clothes, cash and coats.
"We're taking collections for everything we can provide for them. Kid's clothes, warm clothes they need, whatever, to get them off the street and into society," Lanoue said. go here for more
Semper Fidelis had their second fundraiser for breast cancer and men dressed up in their best pink bras to put on "support" for the effort. Great night and lots of laughs. Even Santa strapped one on.
Medal of Honor recipient fights to remove stigma of PTSD
The Denver Post
By Austin Briggs
POSTED: 12/01/2013
Staff Sgt. Ty Carter, a Medal of Honor recipient, is pictured at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, where he spoke Sunday at the VFW Post 1 Founders Day Banquet. Carter earned the nation's highest military honor in Afghanistan. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)
A therapist usually isn't on the list of people someone gives thanks to in an acceptance speech.
The acknowledgment is even more striking when it comes from a Medal of Honor recipient whom President Barack Obama called "as tough as they come."
For 33-year-old Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter, it seemed only natural to thank his support group, including mental health professionals, which helped him cope with psychological wounds he suffered after surviving one of the most intense firefights in the Afghan war.
Carter was a guest speaker at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1 114th annual Founders Day Banquet on Sunday evening at the Brown Palace Hotel. In an interview before the banquet, Carter spoke about his work in removing the stigma associated with post- traumatic stress disorder.
He has toured the country and spoken to countless media outlets since Obama placed the medal around his neck Aug. 26. He wants to see the D removed from PTSD.
"Because by calling it a disorder, individuals believe that 'if I have this, then there's something wrong with me,' " Carter said. "With PTS you just had a bad experience and you're trying to learn from it and trying to reintegrate how you live your life with it, because that trauma will never go away."
In the battle that earned him the nation's highest military honor, an outpost in Afghanistan's Nuristan Province was surrounded by almost 300 insurgents who opened fire with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades the morning of Oct. 3, 2009. Fifty-three Americans were stationed there; eight were killed in battle, and 25 were wounded, including Carter, who suffered hearing loss, shrapnel injuries and a concussion. read more here
