I want to thank Main Street Community Center for the delicious corned beef dinner that they served at our last bingo night this past Thursday night.
Everyone enjoyed the meal and we gave the crew a big cheer. Our next bingo night will be Thursday April 16, at 6 p,m. I will be finding out the menu for that evening soon.
Let us first think of all the service members that are now in harm’s way. Many do not agree with the conflict that our country is now engaged in and that’s normal.
Whether you agree or not, keep them in your thoughts and prayers. They are performing a duty that they agreed to when they joined.
They swore to protect the U.S. Constitution against all foreign and domestic enemies and commit to following the orders of the President of the United States and all appointed officers and they agree to abide by the regulations and legal structure of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
They pledge true faith and allegiance to the Constitution. With that in mind, please remember that these men and women are our defenders of freedom.
I want to put out some information of interest to veterans. VFW National Legislative Service Acting Director Nancy Springer submitted a statement for the record for a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing on pending legislation.
The VFW stated support for proposals to reauthorize and strengthen key VA programs; to improve benefits related to toxic exposure, health care and housing; and to enhance workforce recruiting and retention within the appellate system.
This legislation reflects long-standing VFW priorities, including stronger safeguards against unaccredited claims representatives and the creation of a fourth VA administration.
Should you want to file a claim, I recommend contacting an accredited service officer. You can find one on the 3rd floor of the medical center at 159 Jefferson Heights Greene Medical Arts Building, Catskill, NY or at the Albany Stratton VA Hospital, 113 Holland Ave., Albany, NY 12208.
As the month of March comes to a close I would like to honor some very important woman. The Women of World War II.
By the end of World War II, more than 19 million women were in the workforce, and 350,000 women had served in the US Armed Forces.
Women experienced the war and contributed to American victory in World War II in countless ways. American women entered the work force in large numbers, enabling the production of the “Arsenal of Democracy.”
They volunteered in the United States and abroad with the American Red Cross, the USO, and hundreds of other organizations.
When the United States entered World War II, production of weapons, tanks, ships, planes, and other military equipment increased dramatically.
As men joined or were drafted into the US Armed Forces, war industries needed to replace its workers. To do so, the government encouraged companies to hire more women in a wider variety of roles.
Women were part of the larger workforce before the formal entry of the United States into the war; however, they were mostly women who needed to work—poor women, single women, and those helping with their husbands’ or families’ businesses.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 8802 banning discrimination in defense jobs facilitated many new roles for women, as did the start of the peacetime draft in 1940.
Wartime production needs meant that companies were encouraged to hire women who would not normally be working, like mothers or women from wealthier families. Women also moved from clerical and domestic jobs to more technical and skilled work in factories, shipyards, and other heavy manufacturing plants.
Beyond riveting, they welded, operated machines on assembly lines, tested equipment, shoveled sand at steel foundries, and produced artillery rounds, among many other critical tasks.
As the war ended, the US government and employers encouraged women war workers to return to their homes so more industrial jobs would be available for the returning servicemen.
Some of the women workers were tired of the long hours and laborious work and planned to find different jobs after the war, while others did not need further employment and wanted to return to their homes.
A number of women enjoyed their wartime work and the higher wages and wanted to keep their jobs. Although many women workers returned to traditional roles after the war, their contributions to the war industries demonstrated women’s capabilities for expanding workforce roles.
Some people ask, who was the “real” Rosie the Riveter? Although various modern news reports offer several different candidates, the truth is that the real Rosie is not a single person. Instead, Rosie the Riveter represents the more than six million women from a wide variety of backgrounds who entered the workforce to support the American war effort.
Let us all remember how this country came together and the important part that woman made. Keep all woman in your thoughts and prayers for without them we would not be who we are today. God Bless America.
Marc Farmilette, PDC – Commander VFW Post 1545
WWII’s Finest
