One of the most important and significant achievements of the VFW occurred in early March. The Commander in Chief of the entire organization addressed a joint hearing of Senate and House VA committee members where the topic of toxic exposure topped the list. The VFW has been relentless in the promotion of Honoring Our PACT of 2021. The Washington VFW assisted while a two- hour testimony was delivered and it passed the House the next morning.

The PACT Act is to help any veterans suffering from the effects of any and all toxic substances they came into contact while on duty. It also promotes the aftercare and continued aid for those afflicted. The bill was enacted and service was to begin effective May 2022.

An important founding principal of the VFW is legislative activism and that was the impetus for increasing the number of Action Corps members, also called the grassroots advocates, by 10 percent. This said increase now stands at 40 percent giving a total roster of more than 400,000 active participants.

An important tool in securing any new benefits for veterans is an aggressive use of social media to help spread the word and amplify our collective voices. Because of the advent of social media, VFW Posts are being pulled into the 21st Century and this leverage is sending out the word that the VFW is thriving.

Another program which is seeing much progress is the increase of service to the community of each Post. The debut in May of the VFW Day of Service was a huge success in accomplishing the push for this worthy venture.

At VFW Post 4174 in Lehigh Acres, our doors are open to the public and we welcome them in informing us of the specific needs of our community. Lehigh Acres is growing in leaps and bounds, and we are reaching out to our veterans to come join us and let us assist in making a difference to them and their families. We are always striving to attain even greater heights in the future .

Stop in anytime and let us instruct you in all we do. You’ll be glad you did!