NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

Without a doubt, one of the most interesting news items to Americans currently, especially families with family members in the military deployed in the Afghanistan area, is the daily reports about the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan. Whether you are a Vietnam veteran, or one from the war on terror or another era, we all thank you for your service. No matter when you served, your service matters, and it’s what will allow freedom to continue.

The American Legion National Commander further encouraged our American Legion Family saying, “But we need to let the returning Afghanistan and Iran veterans know that their service matters today, and it will matter tomorrow. I strongly encourage American Legion Family members to take this time to perform Buddy Checks on Afghanistan, Iraq, and other veterans during this time. Reach out to your brothers and sisters in arms, and make sure they are doing OK and ask what they need.”

What makes this a difficult task is that many active and inactive veterans, especially those Afghanistan, Iraq, and other veterans during this time have never heard of or are unaware of what the American Legion can do to help them return to a civilian or semi-civilian life. What also makes it difficult for The American Legion to contact these returning veterans is not knowing who these latest returning home veterans are. Please, if anyone reading this article knows of any veterans returning home from Afghanistan, Iraq, or any place in the world, let them know we are here for them and let them know how to get in touch with Post 142 and with any of the veteran agencies listed below.

We all want to let every veteran who served Afghanistan, Iraq, and other veterans during this time know that they are in our prayers. There are some who will feel frustration, grief and anger over the events that have unfolded. You are not alone, and you don’t have to be alone. There are many resources available for you to go to at this time. There is the Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255 (then press 1) or you can visit veteranscrisisline.net. For emergency mental health care, you can also go directly to your local VA medical center 24/7 regardless of your discharge status or enrollment in other VA health care. These Vet Centers discuss how you feel with other veterans in a community-based counseling centers. Seventy percent of these Vet Center are staffed by veterans. Call 1-877-927-8387 or find one near you. These are counseling centers that provide combat veteran to combat veteran counseling. To learn more visit, vetcenter.va.gov. The Tulsa Vet Center is located at 14002 East 21st Street, Suite 200. Their phone number is 918-628- 2760.

Our Hominy American Legion Post 142 is also here to support you in any way we can. You can visit our web site at http://americanlegion142.org or contact us by email at alpost0142@gmail.com or contact us by phone at 408-881-4302. Remember, you are not alone in this. Please reach out and talk to another veteran if you feel you are in a crisis or not. We are here for you.

Until further notice, our regular Legion meeting will be the third Thursday of each month. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, September 16^th at 7:00 PM. The Sons of the American Legion meetings have been suspended until further notice, depending on the future COVID-19 situation. We have resumed the tradition of the dinner at bi-monthly meetings now on the third Thursday of the month only. The Monday morning Koffee Klatch meetings have been resumed at 8:00 AM. If you are a veteran, or currently on active duty, come by for our monthly meeting, and/or the Monday morning Koffee Klatch meetings. Several of the Post 142 members meet on Wednesday’s at Daylight Donuts on OK-99 around 8:00 AM in Hominy for coffee and breakfast treats. If you have a good story, it may end up in print. Also, keep up with us at the Post 142 website “americanlegion142.org” and Hominy Legion on Facebook.