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Here is video in three parts of today's speech (April 7, 2008) by Sen. John McCain to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. From the introduction McCain received, it is clear how VFW feels about the need to elect a President who will not say with words alone he/she "supports the troops," but will prove it by supporting the mission they have sacrificed and died for as well. McCain delivers a great speech here, making it clear that the Democrats are offering a recipe for disaster in calling for a "reckless and irresponsible retreat from Iraq,"...

NEW CASTLE, Colo.—A Colorado man is accused of stealing an Army veteran's identity and using it for 24 years to get married, obtain free medical treatment and even serve as president of a VFW post. Mark Mulcahy, 46, faces felony charges of identity theft, forgery and criminal impersonation. He was being held in the Garfield County jail Friday in lieu of $45,000 bail. It wasn't known whether he had an attorney. Mulcahy obtained a military retirement document in 1984 in the name of David Keith Anderson of Modesto, Calif., according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Anderson, also known as David...

NEW CASTLE, Colo. — A Colorado man is accused of stealing an Army veteran's identity and using it for 24 years to get married, obtain free medical treatment and even serve as president of a VFW post. Mark Mulcahy, 46, faces felony charges of identity theft, forgery and criminal impersonation. He was being held in the Garfield County jail Friday in lieu of $45,000 bail. It wasn't known whether he had an attorney. Mulcahy obtained a military retirement document in 1984 in the name of David Keith Anderson of Modesto, Calif., according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Anderson, also known...

FINAL PREPARATION: On our final day of packing before heading to SC, I wanted to contact you and ask you to email everyone you know and ask them to visit our website http://vfwwebcom.org/ResolveToWin/ and ask them to spread the word to everyone they know. I believe our website is very informative and offers people an opportunity to interact.If we can’t get people visiting the website to learn about the Resolve to Win March, we will not be able to get them out on the road. Please pass this information on to everyone you know who believes that we should Support...

If it is indeed true, as George Bernard Shaw commented, that democracy ensures we get the government we deserve, then I have little sympathy for my neighbors who whine about the smoking ban as they puff their Camel filters in the parking lot outside the bowling alley in the freezing February rain. Besides -- I like to point out -- we voted for the shysters and party hacks who passed the ban. Or -- more likely -- we failed to vote at all. I then call attention to the fact that right next door in Missouri, where the Republican Party...

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 4, 2008--The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is furious with the Berkeley, Calif., City Council, calling their actions “outrageous and idiotic” following their recent vote to give the boot to a U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Station. “The resolution is a direct insult to not only the Marines Corps, but also to all members of the nation’s armed forces,” said George Lisicki, national commander of the VFW, the nation’s largest organization of combat veterans. “Their recent actions represent a calculated effort to legalize harassment of one of our nation’s most elite military organizations....

With VFW Members Dwindling, Posts Shutting Their Doors By JEFF BARR   Members of the Mendon VFW Post 4898 from left, Merlin Huff, Morris Ballman, L.D. Ballman, Vernon Yeomans, Sharon Buchner and Ted Talbot are upset their post is closing. (Photo by Jonathon Gruenke)     MENDON, Mich. — Powder-blue paint peels from the surface of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4898. The brick-and-wood building sits next to a farmer's field gone barren for the winter and, like the adjacent acreage, it sits empty.The Mendon post, located south of Kalamazoo, was ordered closed Nov. 24 — 62 years to the...

Maybe Dallas wouldn't be ranked as the 34th most dangerous city in America if Dallas police weren't devoting precious resources to raiding friendly poker games played by veterans. In his latest video for Reason.tv, Drew Carey examines a paramilitary-style raid on a poker game at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1837 in Dallas, which has now been forced to close its doors. "Poker is about as American as baseball and apple pie," Carey says in theReason.tv video. "It was born here in America. Mark Twain loved it. He's a great American. Until recently, Supreme Court justices had a monthly...

Please, while our troops are fighting overseas, do not forget that their families here at home face their own struggles. Not only do they worry about their spouses, fathers, mothers....they sometimes worry about making ends meet. When our warriors families face hard times here at home, the VFW's Unmet Needs Program (http://www.unmetneeds.com) steps up and pays late water bills, medical bills, broken appliances...all the things that these people should not have to worry about. Our donations can lessen the burden on these great Americans. The holidays are upon us, let's help the people who have sacrificed so much. Most of...

--Vanity-- Earlier this week, MilitaryForPaul.com broke with the big announcement that the VFW had endorsed Ron Paul. (Still on their website, but updated) http://militaryforpaul.com/vfw.html Well it seems, the VFW was not happy about this statement and issued the following letter to the owners of militaryforppaul.com October 31, 2007 To: militaryforpaul.com From: Veterans of Foreign Wars-Political Action Committee Sirs, Please correct immediately your announcement about the “Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Endorses Ron Paul�. Your full statement is as follows. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Endorses Ron Paul Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is an American veterans organization with over...

Port Legion fire ruled arson An arsonist destroyed the joint headquarters of the Port Allegany American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars early Tuesday morning. A fire marshal from the Pa. State Police barracks in Kane said his investigation confirmed that the fire was intentionally set. Police declined to say whether they have any suspects. The 55-year-old building and its contents along Rt. 155 were described by police as a total loss. A passing motorist called in the blaze shortly before 4:00. First firefighters on the scene from Port Allegany's Star Hose Company said the building was fully involved. Firefighters...

RUDY'S 'ARMY' August 24, 2007 -- Military veterans are ready to salute Rudy Giuliani as their next commander-in-chief - but treat Hillary Rodham Clinton like a private. Giuliani is the most popular presidential candidate among vets and Clinton is the most unpopular, according to a Gallup poll released yesterday. ********************* While popular among all vets, Giuliani faces a tough battle for the military vote in a Republican primary. He gets 28 percent of the vote, compared to 25 percent for unannounced candidate Fred Thompson.

Military veterans are ready to salute Rudy Giuliani as their next commander-in-chief - but treat Hillary Rodham Clinton like a private. Giuliani is the most popular presidential candidate among vets and Clinton is the most unpopular, according to a Gallup poll released yesterday. Giuliani - a supporter of the Iraq war who obtained an occupational deferment during Vietnam - was viewed favorably by 64 percent of veterans. Only 29 percent disliked him. By comparison, 59 percent of vets gave Clinton an unfavorable rating. Only 37 percent gave her a thumbs-up, giving her the poorest overall rating. The Gallup survey suggested...

08/22/2007 Kerry Statement on Bush Speech to the VFW FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 22, 2007 CONTACTS: Amy Brundage/Vincent Morris, 202-224-4159 BOSTON – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) today made the following statement in response to the speech today by President Bush to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Missouri in which the President invoked comparisons to the Vietnam War to defend his war policy: “Invoking the tragedy of Vietnam to defend the failed policy in Iraq is as irresponsible as it is ignorant of the realities of both of those wars,” Senator Kerry said. “Half of the soldiers whose...

The truth behind Bush's mangling of Cold War history. The Soviet Union was in its final days of existence when I visited Vietnam in late December of 1991. The cold war was about to end forever with the collapse of one of the two adversaries that had kept it going for 40-odd years. A lot had changed in Vietnam, too, I discovered during my trip. The coziness between Moscow and Hanoi, once comrades within the Soviet bloc, had curdled into mutual hatred. Throughout the country, but especially in the North, the Vietnamese had come to despise the large resident Russian...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - President Bush resurrected Vietnam's agonizing legacy yesterday, vowing to fight on indefinitely in Iraq to avoid the bloodbath he predicted would follow a U.S. withdrawal without victory. "Then, as now, people argued the real problem was America's presence and that if we would just withdraw, the killing would end," Bush reminded in a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. "As long as I am commander in chief, we will fight to win," he vowed to cheers and applause. Bush also dialed back on earlier remarks widely perceived as signaling lukewarm support for embattled Iraqi...

August 23, 2007, 6:00 a.m. Maroons Rush InCriticism of the president’s Vietnam analogy takes Chutzpah. By Mackubin Thomas Owens In his speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars on Tuesday, President Bush argued that the consequences of an American withdrawal from Iraq would be similar to those that followed our abandonment of South Vietnam in 1975. Citing the killing fields of Cambodia and the executions and “reeducation� camps in Vietnam, the president continued: Three decades later, there is a legitimate debate about how we got into the Vietnam War and how we left. There's no debate in my mind...

In a cacophonous political environment, it matters a great deal that on the largest questions of the day, the president is right. For anyone who was willing to invest 43 minutes to actually listen, President Bush during an appearance yesterday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention cut through the cacophony to remind Americans of why we are in Iraq – and why the conventional storyline is wrong.

President Bush compares the Democrats' wish to cut and run in Iraq to their betrayal of Vietnam three decades ago. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's reaction proves the president struck a sensitive nerve. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related Topics: Iraq | General Politics Speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars' convention in Kansas City on Wednesday, President Bush said our soldiers in Iraq wonder: "Will their elected leaders in Washington pull the rug out from under them just as they're gaining momentum and changing the dynamic on the ground in Iraq?" The president made his most overt analogy yet to the Democratic-led Congress'...

President Bush arrived in Missouri last night. This morning he had a breakfast meeting with community leaders in Riverside (Transcript) before heading to the National Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Kansas City where he delivered an amazing speech. (Transcript with audio) Afterwards, the president boarded Air Force One and returned to Texas, arriving at his home in Crawford this afternoon. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — President Bush, scrambling to show he has not abandoned Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, offered a fresh endorsement today. "Prime Minister Maliki's a good guy, good man with a difficult job and I support him," Bush said in a speech to military veterans. "And it's not up to the politicians in Washington, D.C., to say whether he will remain in his position," Bush said. "It is up to the Iraqi people who now live in a democracy and not a dictatorship." The president's comment was intended to dispel the impression he left on Tuesday that he...

The newsroom is a sacred, magical place where unhinged partisanship never intrudes into actual reportage. Except when it does. The actual reference occurs on page three of the article: After comparing the current war against extremists with the militarists of Japan and the communists in Korea and Vietnam in Wednesday's speech, he plans to discuss the war in Iraq in the context of its implications for the broader Middle East in a speech next Tuesday at the annual American Legion convention in Reno, Nev.

NSAS CITY, Missouri (CNN) -- President Bush drew parallels between the aftermath of the Vietnam War and the potential costs of pulling out of Iraq in a speech Wednesday. "Three decades later, there is a legitimate debate about how we got into the Vietnam War and how we left," Bush told members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, at their convention in Kansas City, Missouri. "Whatever your position in that debate, one unmistakable legacy of Vietnam is that the price of America's withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens, whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like...

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. It's good to be with you again. I understand you haven't had much of a problem attracting speakers. (Laughter.) I thank you for inviting me. I can understand why people want to come here. See, it's an honor to stand with the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. (Applause.) The VFW is one of this nation's finest organizations. You belong to an elite group of Americans. (Applause.) You belong to a group of people who have defended America overseas. You have fought in places from Normandy to Iwo Jima,...

9:46 A.M. CDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. It's good to be with you again. I understand you haven't had much of a problem attracting speakers. (Laughter.) I thank you for inviting me. I can understand why people want to come here. See, it's an honor to stand with the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. (Applause.) The VFW is one of this nation's finest organizations. You belong to an elite group of Americans. (Applause.) You belong to a group of people who have defended America overseas. You have fought in places from Normandy...

I want to open today's speech with a story that begins on a sunny morning, when thousands of Americans were murdered in a surprise attack -- and our nation was propelled into a conflict that would take us to every corner of the globe. The enemy who attacked us despises freedom, and harbors resentment at the slights he believes America and Western nations have inflicted on his people. He fights to establish his rule over an entire region. And over time, he turns to a strategy of suicide attacks destined to create so much carnage that the American people will...

President George W Bush has warned a US withdrawal from Iraq could trigger the kind of upheaval seen in South East Asia after US forces quit Vietnam. "The price of America's withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens," he told war veterans in Missouri. Mr Bush said the Vietnam War had taught the need for US patience over Iraq. His speech comes amid an apparent rift with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, but Mr Bush said Mr Maliki was a "good man with a difficult job". The ideals and interests that led America to help the Japanese turn defeat...

As Democrats scramble in the wake of the realization that President Bush's surge is working in Iraq, Senator Clinton is suddenly talking about preparing to fight a new war. She's always been a master at hedging her bets, but her speech Monday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars where she admitted that the surge she opposed is "working," beats all. In the same breath she added, "We're just years too late in changing our tactics We can't ever let that happen again We can't be fighting the last war. We have to keep preparing to fight the new war." New...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The U.S. must rebuild its military to fight global terrorism because leaders "took a holiday" in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War, undeclared presidential candidate Fred Thompson told war veterans Tuesday. "Some people in this country think if we can pull out of Iraq, our problems will be over," Thompson told the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "You and I know better than that." "Now we're stretched too thin, and our equipment is wearing out," said Thompson, the former Tennessee senator who is expected to announce a decision soon on whether to seek the...

" Thompson is expected to enter the Republican presidential race next month. Like another GOP candidate, Sen. John McCain, he said the United States should not pull out of Iraq. "Some people in this country think if we can pull out of Iraq, our problems will be over," Thompson said. "You and I know better than that." - Thompson said the military is not as strong as it needs to be because during the 1990s, the U.S. "took a holiday" after the end of the Cold War. "Now we're stretched too thin, and our equipment is wearing out," he said....

The U.S. must rebuild its military to fight global terrorism because the country's leaders "took a holiday" in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War, undeclared presidential candidate Fred Thompson told war veterans Tuesday. "Some people in this country think if we can pull out of Iraq, our problems will be over," Thompson told the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "You and I know better than that." "Now we're stretched too thin, and our equipment is wearing out," said Thompson, an actor and former Tennessee senator who is expected to announce a decision soon on whether to seek the...

New military tactics in Iraq are working ......but the best way to honor U.S. soldiers is "by beginning to bring them home," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told war veterans Monday.

The national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which will take place in Kansas City, Mo., is attracting a number of A-list speakers, including President Bush on his way back to Texas from Canada. Bush will speak Wednesday before an expected audience of 5,800 VFW and Ladies Auxiliary delegates. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) are set to address the meeting today. Tomorrow, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and still-undeclared Fred D. Thompson (R-Tenn.) will speak. The VFW convention is not a standard campaign stop, according to VFW National Commander Gary Kurpius, and he said it...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - New military tactics in Iraq are working but the best way to honor U.S. soldiers is "by beginning to bring them home," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told war veterans Monday.

Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., greets members of the audience after speaking at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention Monday, Aug. 20, 2007 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Clinton: Honor Soldiers By Pulling Them Out of Iraq Monday , August 20, 2007 AP KANSAS CITY, Mo. — New military tactics in Iraq are working but the best way to honor soldiers is "by beginning to bring them home," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told a veterans group Monday. Clinton, seeking the Democratic nomination for president, praised the work that soldiers have done in Iraq but described the Iraqi government as "on vacation," leaving American troops in the middle of a sectarian war. She spoke to hundreds of members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a group that is holding...

The attention of America's 24 million military veterans will be on Kansas City, Mo., next week when President George W. Bush and four leading candidates for his job in the 2008 election will address the 108th National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. Speaking Monday are Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ). Speaking Tuesday will be former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). The president will address the audience of 5,800 VFW and Ladies Auxiliary delegates on Wednesday. "It is unprecedented to have leading candidates address our organization before they...

Four top-tier presidential candidates have accepted invitations to speak to the 108th National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., which starts Aug. 18 in the hometown of the VFW's national headquarters, Kansas City, Mo. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ) are scheduled to speak Aug. 20, and former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will speak Aug. 21. "This is the candidates' opportunity to address the national convention of America's oldest and largest organization of combat veterans," said VFW Commander-in-Chief Gary Kurpius, from Anchorage, Alaska. "In our audience will be...

It’s a sacred day to all war veterans: None need to be reminded of the reason that Memorial Day must be commemorated. But what about the general public, and more important, future generations? Do most non-veterans really recognize the importance of the day honoring their fellow Americans killed in war? Judging from what Memorial Day has become—simply another day off from work—the answer is a resounding no. Perhaps a reminder is due then. And it is the duty of each and every veteran to relay the message. Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance. America’s collective consciousness demands that all citizens recall...

VFW Urges Reid to Stop Defeatist Rhetoric WASHINGTON, April 20, 2007--Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Commander-in-Chief Gary Kurpius is urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to stop his defeatist rhetoric because of the negative impact it is having on the morale of American forces and their families. The senator declared April 2 in Las Vegas that the Iraq war was “a failure.” He also announced he would submit legislation to end all funding for the war if President Bush made good on his promise to veto any funding bill that contained troop withdrawal timelines. The Senate version of the...

VFW Statement On Iraq Supplemental Funding Bill Statement by George Lisicki Senior Vice Commander, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Las Vegas, Nevada April 3, 2007 VFW Statement As we all know, President Bush has vowed to veto the war supplemental legislation that Congress recently voted to pass. Both the House and the Senate funding packages were loaded with extraneous spending not related to the war on terror. The funding packages also contained artificial troop withdrawal deadlines that would ultimately break the morale of our troops in the field and directly jeopardize their safety. Speaking on behalf of...

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2007 – Since 1914, members of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars have supported U.S. servicemembers and their families and worked to ensure that America’s military veterans are never forgotten, auxiliary officials said. Today, the auxiliary’s almost 600,000 sisters, daughters, wives, mothers and grandmothers carry on that tradition, Cara Day, director of communication and publications at the organization’s headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., said. “Auxiliary members support troops in a number of ways,” Day said, including the sending of care packages to overseas-deployed military members, “adoption” of military units, sponsorship of servicemember-support programs...

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2007 – Hundreds of volunteer buglers and trumpeters are being sought to participate in Armed Forces Day observances held at veterans’ cemeteries nationwide and overseas, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs official said here yesterday. The event, called “Echo Taps Worldwide,” will be held May 19 and is co-sponsored by the VA’s National Cemetery Administration and “Bugles Across America,” a volunteer group, said Michael Nacincik, the cemetery administration’s chief of communications and outreach support. “Echo Taps” will take place at VA-operated national cemeteries, U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service national cemeteries, and American Battle Monuments...

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2007 – Vice President Richard B. Cheney today assured those attending the Veterans of Foreign Wars conference here that he and other U.S. leaders are committed to members of the armed forces and to the nation’s strategy overseas. After he thanked VFW members attending the Community Service and Legislative Conference for their continued service to the nation, Cheney told them the nation’s leaders share the same dedication to the men and women in uniform as those in the audience. “Pride in service and willingness to give all in the defense of freedom are familiar concepts to...

SIERRA VISTA — Members of American Legion Post 52 gathered in the parking lot Sunday morning for a special mission — the delivery of presents to veterans residing in nursing homes in Sierra Vista. Suzette Martinez, who served eight years in the Army and is the public relations officer for Post 52, said the group had three full truckloads of presents for 68 veterans living in five nursing homes. “The Legionaries cannot wait to see the smiles on the faces of the disabled veterans faces when receiving gifts that may be the only ones given to our veterans on this...

Today I participated in an event of which should warm the hearts of many, especially those who appreciate the service and sacrifice of our veterans. We have the priviledge of having a veterans-only nursing home nearby, specifically Floyd E. "Tut" Fann State Veterans Home, in Huntsville, Alabama. Members of VFW posts 2702 and 4190 (there may be others also) organized a Christmas gathering at which Santa, Mrs. Claus and members of a local Army unit distributed gifts and suitable refreshments. The home hosts veterans from all services, and accepts only veterans. It was an honor and a priviledge to meet...

Democratic congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth was severely injured serving her country in Iraq, but that apparently wasn’t what it takes for the national Veterans of Foreign Wars to endorse her. Instead, the national VFW relied on the word of former Republican state Sen. Ray Soden of Wood Dale to back Republican Peter Roskam in the down-to-the-wire 6th Congressional District contest. Roskam billed the endorsement as a “great boost” to his campaign in the final days but admitted he sat on the endorsement until a few days before Tuesday’s election to have “the biggest possible influence.” World War II veteran Joe...

CHICAGO -- The Veterans of Foreign Wars' political action committee Friday endorsed a Republican congressional candidate with no military experience over a Democrat who lost her legs in combat in Iraq. The endorsement of GOP state Sen. Peter Roskam over Tammy Duckworth angered some Illinois veterans, as well as national figures such as former Sen. Bob Kerrey, a veteran who lost a leg in Vietnam. "They should be ashamed of themselves," he said. "They have some explaining to do to their members." Duckworth is a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot with the Army who lost her legs when her aircraft...

DJ VFW Endorses Illinois GOP Candidate Over Iraq War Veteran 11/03/2006 Dow Jones News Services (Copyright © 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.) CHICAGO (AP)--The Veterans of Foreign Wars' political action committee Friday endorsed a Republican congressional candidate with no military experience over a Democrat who lost her legs in combat in Iraq. The endorsement of GOP state Sen. Peter Roskam over Tammy Duckworth angered some Illinois veterans, as well as national figures such as former Sen. Bob Kerrey, a veteran who lost a leg in Vietnam. "They should be ashamed of themselves," he said. "They have some explaining to...

Old guard not buying any ban of smoking at VFW posts Friday, September 08, 2006 Jeb Phillips and Kevin Kidder THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH You can walk inside VFW Post 4931 on the Far West Side and smell how hard this will be. Taking a drag from his Charter cigarette at the bar, Korean War veteran Dennis Keith knew. "Do you know how many fights we’d have in here? Everyone’s nerves will go loony," said the 66-year-old Keith, who started smoking in the Army when cigarettes were included with rations. The new national commander-inchief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars wants...