I hope the last four articles dealing with veteran homelessness was informative and you now have the sense that there is a lot of support for veterans facing homelessness or who are homeless. But, the only immediate action to stabilize a situation 24/7 is the non-profit Maine Veterans in Need (MVN). MVN can’t provide this support without the financial support of the community. MVN does not accept government funding/grants because MVN cannot be restricted by the bureaucracy that comes with government grants. So, please consider donating to MVN with checks to MVN, 62 Pegasus St, suite 101, Brunswick, ME 04011. I am one of the founders and the current treasurer. 

Honor Flight Maine will be taking its last trip of 2023 this weekend, leaving on the 27th and returning on the 29th.  This is a special trip for those of us on the peninsula since two of our own are on this trip, Jim Singer and Phil Chapman! The “Homecoming” is on Sunday with the flight arriving at 10:45 a.m. There is free parking at the State of Maine building, 151 Jetport Blvd. with shuttle parking.  I suggest arriving between 10:30 and 11 to insure you don’t miss it. The Volunteer Jazz Band will be entertaining the crowd while we wait for the veterans to “roll” in. There is also another special family on board this flight. Steve Douglass, a 26-year US Marine serving in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Kuwait and Iraq, is the Guardian for his Dad, Carl Douglass. Steve is a Gold Star Dad, who lost his son YN3 Shingo Douglas at sea when the ship he was on, the USS Fitgerald, collided with a freighter off the coast of Japan. Carl is a 28-year US Army veteran serving in Korea and Vietnam and was awarded the Purple Heart. We have 50 veterans on this flight, all special and all deserve the hero’s “welcome home” they have earned; for many this welcome home will be their first. The mission of Honor Flight Maine is to get all of our veterans to DC to see their memorials.  Whether you served one year or 40, whether you served in a war zone or never left the state, you are eligible to go and there is no priority given beyond when you applied and age. Priority is given to veterans who just might not be able to make a future flight, so they go to the head of the line. To get on the list, go to www.honorflightmaine.org   and go to “applications” and “veterans.”  You can also call the Hall to make an appointment and we can fill out the application for you. 

The last American Legion breakfast for the season is Nov. 5.  Please join us and provide your thoughts on how we can make these breakfasts better in 2024 via our annual survey.  The next Post meeting is Nov. 13. 

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