Getting What’s Due: Focus on Veterans’ Benefits
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
Release Date: 10/06/2021
Remember the Ramrods: A Discussion with David Bellavia
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
Welcome to the new season of the VFW podcast. The new season will spotlight the recent changes within the veteran community from new initiatives to books being released to new laws that have been passed and updates to benefits. Host Rob Couture is pleased to welcome back David Bellavia to the podcast. David is a Medal of Honor recipient from the Iraq War. Since the last time he was on the show he released his new book, Remember the Ramrods: An Army Brotherhood in War and Peace. In this book, he talks about his brothers-in-arms. The ones he served with over in Iraq, and how the medal of...
info_outline
Medal of Honor Recipient Earl Plumlee
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
Happy Veterans Day. As veterans, we all have our war stories, but none are greater than the ones that come from our Medal of Honor recipients. For this Veterans Day, we have a very special interview. Rob had the privilege of recording earlier this year with Medal of Honor recipient Army Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee, a Special Forces Operations Team sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Forward Operating Base Ghazni in Afghanistan in August of 2013. Earl Plumlee, Army Master Sergeant, Medal of Honor Recipient The idea that Special Forces are elite teams who...
info_outline
Hispanic Heritage Month
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
The observance of National Hispanic Heritage month goes on every year from September 15th to October 15th to honor the lives of American citizens with Hispanic heritage. That goes the same for the VFW as we are just a melting pot, a reflection of the greater society of our great nation. Although we are all different strands, America is much stronger when we are braided together, and nothing does that more than military service. Through the camaraderie, we are unidos, or joined together. Rob’s guests on today’s episode are two gentlemen who have very different Hispanic backgrounds,...
info_outline
Landmark Legislation: a Discussion About the PACT Act with Jon Stewart
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
A little more than a month has passed since the landmark legislation of the PACT Act was signed into law by President Biden at the White House. It was a much-celebrated win for many of the VSOs and for veteran advocates who worked hard for so long to get a bill passed in Congress to finally award veterans the benefits and care they need after suffering for so long with the effects of toxic exposure during their military service. Recently, Host Rob Couture had the unique opportunity to host and moderate a discussion on the PACT Act with Director of National Legislative Service, Pat...
info_outline
On Location: The VFW 123rd National Convention in Kansas City
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
The 123rd VFW National Convention just concluded at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City Missouri. It was the first time the convention has been back in full swing since 2019. One of the new things was an exhibit sound stage in the exhibit hall where #StillServing Podcast Host Rob Couture had the pleasure of interviewing sponsors, exhibitors, comrades, and special guests. Ryan Gallucci, Director of the VFW’s National Veteran Service Ryan describes all of the available services at the convention including the Claims Clinic and Health Fair provided by the NVS. [2:29] ...
info_outline
Giving Veterans A Fighting Chance: Focus on Charity through Mixed Martial Arts
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
Ever since the invention of war, combat sports seem to have been part of the military community. It is something integral to the warrior class. Whether it be wrestling, grappling, boxing, martial arts, or even modern-day combatives, veterans, for the most part, across generations love a good fight. Or, at least, love watching them. In this episode, Host Rob Couture welcomes back to #StillServing Extreme Sports Enthusiast, Veterans Advocate, and MMA Fighter Ricky Folse. He’ll tell us about the charity MMA fight event he’s putting together down in Louisiana called Summer Salute, as he...
info_outline
Why We Are Still Serving: Finding Your Place in the VFW
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
Each of us has a different reason for why we joined the VFW or why we joined a veterans service organization. Maybe it's because we needed help with our veterans’ claim, and we found a service officer that offered us to be part of their organization? Maybe we were looking for the comradery we missed when we left the military? Or, maybe, we were just looking for a way that we could still serve even though we were no longer in uniform? In this episode, Host Rob Couture is joined by VFW Assistant Adjutant General Dan West. A proud Texan who tells us about his long and illustrious career...
info_outline
Command Visit — Hawaii and a Discussion with DPAA
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
This episode of the #StillServing podcast aptly drops on the National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, April 9th. During the podcast, Rob speaks with Tim Borland, VFW Senior Vice Commander-In-Chief, and Duane Sarmiento, VFW Junior Vice Commander-In-Chief, about their informative trip to Hawaii to discover how the VFW can better support troops in the field. During their visit to the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, they see firsthand how the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) works to bring back the remains of POW/MIA service members. To describe the mission of the DPAA in detail...
info_outline
Poised, Polished and Empowered: Focus on Female Competitive Fitness
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
The month of March is Women’s History Month and National Nutrition Month. To recognize them both in one episode, Host Rob Couture speaks with two women who are the epitome of poise, polish, and empowerment. Rachelle Cannon and Julia Waring are both veterans and professional bodybuilders. During the interview, Rob inquires about their respective military academies, their military service, and how they maintain their physical prowess for competitions and beyond. Rachelle Cannon, U.S. Coast Guard Veteran, Prevention & Wellness Program Manager and IFBB Pro Physique Competitor + Julia...
info_outline
Everyone Has A Story To Tell: Focus on Black History Month
#StillServing: The VFW Podcast
February is a significant month when it comes to black history. The 13th amendment, which abolished slavery, was passed by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865, and the following day President Lincoln approved a joint resolution of congress submitting it to the state legislature for ratification. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’s birthdays are also in February. It's no wonder that the second week of February was chosen as National Negro History week back in 1926. Other important dates like the founding of the NAACP on Feb 12th, 1909 was the centennial anniversary of the...
info_outlineThis past September 29th, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States celebrated its 122nd birthday. As one of the nation’s oldest combat veterans service organizations, the VFW has been unwavering in its devotion to serving those who served. Whether it’s fighting for health care, education, or disability compensation — No One Does More For Veterans than the VFW.
More than 100 Service Officers attended an eight-day training session put on by VFW’s National Veteran Service. During this episode of the #StillServing podcast, Host Rob Couture speaks to Junior Vice Commander for the VFW, Duane Sarmiento, about how important this training is to the VFW in continuing our legacy of helping veterans. Deputy Director of National Veteran Service, Gregg Orto, breaks down the fundamentals of VA Claim eligibility and filing and an interview with the Defense Commissary Agency discussing commissary benefits veterans are entitled to even after leaving service.
Duane Sarmiento, Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief, VFW —
-
Duane shares his opinion of the Service Officer training based on his many years of service as Director of Veterans’ Affairs in NJ. [2:56]
-
Taking care of veterans is paramount because only eight percent of Americans serve in the military to protect the nation’s freedoms. [5:04]
-
Duane’s military service includes the Navy and the Navy Reserves. [11:19]
-
Joining the VFW was a rite of passage and his continued membership is a significant part of his life, explains Duane. [14:15]
-
Duane is the first person of color to be a VFW National Officer. [19:39]
Gregg Orto, Deputy Director, National Veterans Service —
-
Gregg shares the story of his transition from active duty to working through his pre-disposition claims. [27:28]
-
Gregg defines processes, timelines, and recommendations to use when being discharged from military service. [29:13]
Sgt. Maj. Michael Saucedo, U.S.M.C., Senior Enlisted Advisor & Deborah Harris, Dietician and Health and Wellness Program Manager, Defense Commissary Agency —
-
Michael and Deborah describe how and why they arrived in the Defense Commissary Agency. [39:28]
-
The commissary offers service members and retirees scientifically-backed nutritional food. [42:44]
-
Veterans are now allowed to access the commissary benefit. [45:29]
-
New initiatives by the commissary include the Come Back to Savings campaign and home delivery services. [51:49]
-
The various payment options available at commissaries and final thoughts on DeCA. [1:01:05]
For more information or continue the conversation, please visit:
Veterans of Foreign Wars Website
Call 1-888-JOIN-VFW
Text “NEEDS” to 20222 to donate to the Unmet Needs Program
Today’s VFW — Share Your #StillServing Story