Veteran Presented with Tracked Wheelchair by Florida Georgia Line and Fox News' Jennifer Griffin
PEOPLE
By Joelle Goldstein
July 15, 2019
Marine Corps veteran Chris Kaag was honored with the all-terrain tracked wheelchair during Florida Georgia Line's July 13 concert.
A wounded veteran was in for a huge honor over the weekend when he was presented with a new wheelchair by Florida Georgia Line and Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin.
During the country duo’s concert in Camden, New Jersey on Saturday, Marine Corps Veteran Chris Kaag was given a brand new all-terrain tracked chair to help him get around more places.
The emotional moment was captured in a video and shared to Instagram by The Independence Fund, a nonprofit organization that has teamed up with FGL during their 2019 “Can’t Say I Ain’t Country” tour to help wounded, injured or ill veterans in need.
At each leg of their summer tour, the country duo, known for their hit “This Is How We Roll” and “H.O.L.Y.”, will be presenting the specialized wheelchairs, which provide the ability to regain independence lost through their injuries, to wounded veterans.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of all, Griffin recalled, was when Kaag’s 6-year-old son joined his father on stage and became overcome with emotion as the crowd chanted, “USA! USA!”
read it here
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
Navy corpsman wins $1 million on scratch off
By N.C. Education Lottery
Posted Jul 12, 2019
RALEIGH – Michael Strong has been on a lucky streak lately when it comes to scratch-off games. His luckiest ticket to date? The $150 Million Cash Explosion ticket he bought Wednesday that won him a $1 million prize.
“I decided to play this game because $20 tickets are my lucky tickets,” said Strong. “I always win when I play them. I’ve won 26 out of the last 27 $20 tickets I bought.”
Strong, a Navy corpsman, currently calls Waianae, Hawaii home, but has been stationed all over the world, including North Carolina. He was in Richlands to do some work on his home when he decided to continue his lucky streak at the Scotchman on South Wilmington Street.
“My friends were joking with me about my luck,” said Strong. “They said I should buy a ticket since I was back in town. So I took a break from the fence I was building, bought a ticket, and won $1 million!”
Strong claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. He had the choice of taking an annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $424,506. He plans to use his winnings to invest and pay off bills.
read it here
Todd Starnes: Seniors told to pledge allegiance to the flag -- in a closet
FOX News
By Todd Starnes
July 15, 2019
“The first person to receive a trespass notice walked into the center carrying his flag and was told, ‘This is your warning. If you try to say the pledge you will be escorted off the property by the sheriff,’” Miss Minnie told me. “He did receive a trespass notice.”
A raging battle over prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance at a Washington State community center took an ugly turn when military veterans were thrown off the property and elderly patriots were told to recite the pledge inside a closet.
The board of directors at the Mullis Community Senior Center on San Juan Island decided to revise its lunchtime program by removing the traditional prayer and the recitation of the pledge.
The center’s executive committee blamed the prayer and the pledge for a decline in attendance, as I mentioned on the "Todd Starnes Radio Show" Podcast.
“We discovered that many of the incoming seniors were uncomfortable with an introductory ceremony where the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer were recited,” they wrote in a letter to the San Juan Islander.
The senior center went on to say they had a “duty to provide a safe and peaceful environment in our building and on our property, inclusive to all.”
Minnie Kynch, a longtime member of the community center, told me that a majority of the citizens staged a rebellion and decided to show and recite the flag in spite of the rule. So then, the operators of the community center decided to play hardball.
read it here
Florida launches investigation after fake nephew cremates veteran
BY CNN WIRE
JULY 16, 2019
CITRUS COUNTY, FL — A U.S. Navy veteran was cremated after a man falsely claiming to be his nephew signed off on his cremation and death certificate, the I-Team uncovered.
Navy veteran Robert Walaconis of Hernando, Florida died June 5, 2018 at 71 years old.
His son and daughter said they found out months later.
They claim items were missing from their father’s home – including a gun collection – and told the I-Team they were shocked when they discovered his death certificate listed a nephew named Todd Smith.
But Walaconis doesn’t have a nephew, according to his son, Michael.
Michael said that fake nephew also made decisions against his father’s wishes.
“He wanted to be buried in Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania,” said Michael. “I can’t believe this could happen to someone.”
read it here
