VFW helps veterans of all ages get help

Published Aug. 11, 2011
By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer and Nick DeCicco
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- For some, just the name "Veterans of Foreign Wars" is associated with the notion of senior citizens who served in Vietnam, Korea and World War II.

What many people don't know is that as soon as young Airmen return from fighting on foreign soil, they are eligible to register with the VFW, even if they are still on active duty.

"In VFW, they'll learn benefits and give back to veterans," said Barry Adams, VFW Post 2333 commander in Fairfield and Suisun City and Army veteran of the Vietnam War.

Adams worked on Huey helicopters as a gunship electrician with the 1st Cavalry Division during his service.

The Huey choppers frequently returned from battle in grizzly, worn-torn condition, said Adams.

"Helicopters would come back like Swiss cheese with blood on the floor and body parts scattered," he said.

For Adams, it was his comrades and friends in those aircraft. He tells the story of one mechanic who had recently cross trained to become a flight crew chief who died before he made it home.

"A good friend of mine who was going to get married in two weeks got blown out of the sky," said Adams.

Working with Adams is Frederick Williams, Post 2333 chaplain and a former C-5 Galaxy loadmaster in Vietnam from 1965 until the end of the conflict.

For Williams, a life-changing moment came following a C-5 crash. He was scheduled to fly on the aircraft, but a surgery kept him from boarding it.

Williams and Adams came home and now spend their days trying to make live better for those returning after them.

Members of the local VFW visit David Grant USAF Medical Center three nights a week to see wounded warriors and bring them gifts. They use it as a chance to inform the wounded warriors about their benefits and supports.

They also make a point of thanking redeployers for their service; something Adams said his generation was not given upon its return.

"When Vietnam vets came back, they got spit on and called baby killers," he said.

Troops of the 21st century not only experience a warmer greeting, but they have advantages in the battlefield that he was not afforded, said Adams.

"Today's troops are better armed and have better body armor," said Adams. "They move faster from the field to hospitals. They're better organized and coordinated."

Though today's Airmen are better equipped, Adams said his advice for today's Airmen is to soak up whatever they can and do as they are told.

"Obey your commanders, get as much training as you can and listen to the people who have already been there," said Adams.