By Dorothy Meindok
The Post Newspaper Veterans Consultant
The Beaumont Veterans Town Hall was smashing with over 110 people attending in a rural area of Texas and two hours away from the nearest VA hospital! VHA representatives from Michael E. DeBakey came out and provided on the spot toxic screenings, executives Maureen Dyman and Brent Kratky, nurses and other specialist were there and a Marine veteran VA employee everybody called “Chico” (but I don’t think that was his real name 😂- he was a funny, smiling Marine).
Thank you to everyone including my newspaper family at The Post Newspaper that have helped make this awareness project a reality!
Lanie from Congressman Brian Babin’s office was onsite and extremely helpful, Jared & Blake from Congressman Randy Weber’s office was there; they’re some of our local veterans liaisons and so many more I could barely keep up! The Texas Golden Triangle community was indeed Gold! Texas VVA President Buddy Farina honored a founding and legendary VVA #292 member, Mr. Vega. Both VVA and AVVA #685’s Presidents< Ernest and Gina Mathews, were there too!
On March 27, 2023, we’ll all be at a hanger bay at Ellington Airport (12101 Blume) for Houston/Galveston Town Hall, and the list of attendees is rapidly growing! The topics are the same. The depth and emphasis will reflect the Texas region’s most asked for information and reflect the issues of the local veterans as they have raised them to our local veteran leadership to raise awareness via our forum.
We are getting lots of RSVPs! I hope that all Gulf Coast veterans will attend!
Houston and Galveston vets at our Thursday night meeting were asking if Senators John Cornyn Ted Cruz, Congresspersons Sheila Jackson Lee and Veteran/Congressman Dan Crenshaw, Texas’s Dr. Greg Bonnen and Mays Middleton might come out to support and hear the concerns. I replied, “they’ve all been invited ya’ll!” I added that I invited the President and SECVA McDonough (I gathered since they can land 🛬 Air Force One at Ellington anyway- one never knows…). In fact, everyone that supports veterans is invited! I’ll keep you posted as to the happenings, right here at The Post.
This just in: we’ll have a representative for Pentagon Federal Credit Union who is retired law enforcement, a USN veteran & Board Member of Crimestoppers there too; he’ll be sharing a new Pentagon Fed Credit Union program that gives back 5% to veterans organizations with every transaction! Nothing like vets helping vets! 🤘😎💕
To find out more about the PTSD work of veterans healing veterans, some of the outstanding veteran and active-duty aviation leaders that make it possible right here off of Highway 3, straddling Galveston and Harris County. The work takes place at the hangar bay shared among local aviation museums like the one directly sponsoring the Galveston/Houston Town Hall, the Vietnam War Flight Museum. There is a training program that helps care for and maintain the aircraft where veterans can socialize among other veterans while empowering themselves and healing. The program is run through the National United States Armed Forces Museum. Be sure to check out the video about the program found on their website! Visit www.nusafm.org for further information on how you can get started!
I am so thrilled for the privilege to work with and get to know these people! What God filled blessings abound! 🙏 (Maybe we’ll get a fly by on March 27th!). A veteran owned food truck will also be onsite and I’ll give the details on that story in the coming weeks and I’ll also share a Galveston County golf event coming up from PJ Pararescue Foundation (United States Air Force Pararescue) that you’re sure to love!
Off to the Houston Regional Office, so see you next week and have a great weekend!
Dorothy Meindok is The Post Newspaper’s Veterans Consultant. Ms. Meindok served her nation in the United States Navy and is currently a practicing lawyer advocating for our nation’s veterans. Her column appears on Sundays.
