Veterans Chronicle is a supplement to The Spokesman-Review • Friday, August 16, 2019
VETERANS CHRONICLE FRIDAY, August 16, 2019
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Learn more at VeteransHelpNet.com.
Warriors Heart to Art Retreat:
HEY, VETERANS DID YOU KNOW …
“The art broke me open to things I couldn’t say”
Base Exchange is expanding to serve more veterans?
By Mary DeLateur, LICSW
Warriors Heart to Art Retreat Director
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t’s early Saturday morning, the final full day of our retreat. A few veterans are sipping coffee in the dining room, quietly talking; others sit together in silence while journaling. Down the hall in the great room, there is artistic chaos strewn over and under the tables after three days of creating under the guidance of an art professor. The once tidy circle of chairs in the middle of the room are scattered in smaller groups amid guitars, flutes, shoes slipped off and retreat folders. And on the far west end of this room, with a 20-foot glass view of Mother Nature’s majesty, there is already a fire crackling. Feels like home.
The Warriors Heart to Art retreat uses the expressive arts to help veterans with post-traumatic stress tell their story, not with words, but with paint, glue, shards of broken glass, nuts and bolts, barbed wire and anything they find on their walks. They tell their story through song, digging to find feelings that can only point to the unspeakable. They tell their story during Tai Chi, moving shoulders stiff with moral burdens and legs that have walked among the dead. Their bodies surrender stories under the healing hands of massage therapists. Often, the horror of the initial trauma renders one speechless, but right brain art activities can open the door to healing. Warriors Heart
to Art is a Spokane based, allvolunteer non-profit organization whose mission is to help veterans heal through art and fellowship and to help our community understand military trauma. Veterans of all ages, eras and genders who struggle are welcome to attend. The last night of the retreat, the vets emerge to do truth-telling at “The Welcome.” This public gathering is held at Unitarian Universalist Church on Fort George Wright Drive. The veterans choose if and how to share their truth and the public bears witness. It is a powerful combination of fear and triumph of the human spirit surrounded by battle buddies, friends, family and strangers.
This year’s retreat is Nov. 20-24. The retreat is offered to veterans at no cost thanks to donations from area partners. “The Welcome” is 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23. The event is appropriate for high school juniors and older. To register, donate or volunteer, visit www.warriorshearttoart.org. Call (509) 939-0324 for more information.
Starting Jan. 1, all serviceconnected disabled veterans, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war and primary veteran caregivers will be eligible to shop at base commissaries and exchanges. The fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act expanded the pool of eligible shoppers by about 50%. If you are a disabled veteran with any service-connected disability, your VA health card will give access to military bases at the front gate; previously only 100% service-connected disabled veterans were eligible.
“Not just a bunch of old guys telling war stories” at Valley Legion Post By Dr. David Sutton Chaplain
How cash benefit can help seniors By Holland McBurns Evergreen Elder Law
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eniors are faced with rising costs of long-term care, and some must decide to sell a house or deplete their savings to pay for ongoing care. Veterans and surviving spouses who are eligible for a VA pension and require the aid and attendance of another person may be eligible for additional monetary payment. A veteran does not need to have a service connected disability to be eligible for the Aid & Attendance pension benefit. There are certain criteria that must be met to receive this benefit: 1.The veteran must have served 90 days of active duty during a period of conflict. 2. The veteran or surviving spouse requires assistance with at least some of the following: bathing, toileting, general hygiene, eating, transferring and transportation. 3. The veteran or surviving spouse must meet an income and asset test. The asset test allows for a net worth of $123,600. A home, “reasonable
lot area,” personal effects and some vehicles are not countable. To satisfy the income test, gross income must be slightly less than medical expenses. For example, if veteran or surviving spouse has an income from social security and pension of $3,000/ month and the cost of long-term care is $4,000 per month, VA calls that a -$1000. Typically, the need for longterm care would satisfy this income test. The benefit continues for life. The Aid & Attendance benefit can be difficult to navigate and determine eligibility, but it is an underutilized resource that more veterans and surviving spouses can get. This process can be complicated and consulting your Veteran Service Officer and/or a VA accredited elder law attorney is recommended. If you think you may quality, Evergreen Elder Law offers a free consultation. Visit www. evergreenelderlaw.com or call (509) 325-5222. Does this sound like someone you know? Show them this article!
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o say the Vernon J. Baker American Legion Post 241 in Spokane Valley is busy and active may be an understatement. Monthly meetings at HolmanGardens Retirement Community are attended by 25-30 members, but the real work is done in the community. The Legion Post has qualified and certified Veteran Service Officers who are ready to help former military members receive their entitled benefits. “Many of our veterans are unaware of what benefits they are entitled to,” said past Post Commander Tim Gray, a VSO who served in the United States Air Force. The Post 241 Adjutant Officer Anthony Bradley, a retired U.S. Army veteran, works with homeless and indigent veterans in Spokane. He is very knowledgeable of their needs and resources to assist them. The Post sponsors both a Cub Scout den and a Boy Scout troop. The Cubs meets at McDonald Elementary. The Boy Scout Troop specializes in flag etiquette. Paul Fuchs heads up the Scouting activities at the Post. He is a Son of The American Legion, a support organization of non-veterans whose parents or grandparents served. Twice a year, the Post veterans work at an I-90 rest stop to provide free coffee and snacks,
and encouragement to travel safety, to motorists. “We meet so many veterans at the rest stops,” reported Navy veteran Neal Arveschong. “We exchange stories and express appreciation and support.” The Post also volunteers at Hoopfest, cleaning the streets and removing trash. Their booth gives free water to players and spectators. The Post 241 Honor Guard is always in demand. This elite group serves at school activities, funerals, sporting events and parades. It is seeking more veterans who want to serve in this capacity. As a service to the community, Post 241 has a Chaplaincy Program whereby the Chaplain is available to perform funeral services for veterans. Post volunteers in the program also arrange visits with veterans and their families in local hospitals and nursing homes. World War II veteran Betty Woolley stays in contact with all the widows of deceased Post members. She sends birthday cards to members, and assists in Chaplaincy-related correspondence. “We need to keep in front of our vets the fact that we are involved in God and country,” she said. The Post also supports American Legion Baseball, the world’s largest amateur baseball organization. Thom Sutton, a
SERVICE. SACRIFICE.
SUPPORT.
We are proud to accept and honor all veteran educational benefit programs, including the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, Yellow Ribbon Program, Survivors’ & Dependents’ Assistance and more. We’re dedicated to helping you determine your benefits and guiding you through the process. 509.777.3222 | whitworth.edu/veterans
U.S. Army Vietnam vet, and Dave Sutton, a U.S. Army vet, have been umpiring for a combined total of 75 years and enjoy traveling to games in Washington and Idaho. “We take extra flags and information wherever we go,” said Thom. ”We just promote American Legion as an entity, but sure brag a lot about our Post back home.” Several Post members have gone on the Northwest Honor Flight to visit military memorials in Washington D.C., including Tzena Scarborough, U.S. Army; Rex Walker, U.S. Marine Corps; Bill Lee, U.S. Air Force; Neil Arveschong; U.S. Navy; David Sutton, U.S. Army; Chet Bothun, U.S. Air Force; and Neil Fuchs, US. Army. The Vernon J. Baker American Legion Post 241 certainly does stay busy. “We all can’t do everything” said one member. “But we tell people that it’s like many other things in life … you get out of it what you put in it!”