The realization that our Country had sent a generation off to fight, and now the American people saw that our politicians did not foresee that many would come home wounded and sick. Our politicians forgot President Lincolns words of over a half century earlier. that as a grateful nation we must " care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and orphans " . Note : they were called orphans in lieu of children because in the mid 1800s women were not recognized as head of household.
Several federal agency's were given the task of careing for the then released from service soldiers of WW1 The cost of War that our government did not foresee. Our government bought the war but failed to own up to those who fought it! To care for him who shall have borne the battle.
June 27, 1921; 1st National Convention DAVWW.
Early 1920s DAVWW secured legislation establishing what is now The Department of Veterans Affairs.
1922; Judge Marx chose a flower , the forget-me-not , as a reminder of those who fought and became disabled in the Great War A national forget-me-not day was held on Armistice Day , November 11 . The program WAS TO RAISE FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF DAVWW. It was based in the local chapters . It remains today as a means to raise funds to support our mission
The members of DAVWW worked hard to establish what we now call ourselfs, Disabled American Veterans in lieu of Disabled American Veterans World War. They went back into the trenches, but this time the trenches were in Washington DC, and their mission was to get , what we now call The Department of Veterans A affairs , established . They were successful! We continue to support the VA, to this day.
We ,DAV was instrumental in getting legislation that created the VA.
We NEED to go back to the trenches in DC to get the legislation required to reset the tools which will allow the VAt o do the best job possible in serving our veterans Thomas A Pridell Chapter 4 DAV Commander Canandgiua New York