[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7860]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF VFW POST 63

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                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 10, 2006

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in honoring the 60th anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 
Post 6368 in Dupo, Illinois.
  The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States traces its 
roots back to 1899. That year, veterans of both the Spanish-American 
War and the Philippine Insurrection founded local organizations to 
secure rights and benefits for their veterans. In Columbus, Ohio, 
Spanish-American War veterans founded the American Veterans of Foreign 
Service and in Denver, Colorado, Philippine veterans organized the 
Colorado Society, Army of the Philippines. In 1913, both organizations 
merged to form the present Veterans of Foreign Wars organization.
  The VFW is known the world over for their service not only to 
veterans, but to all people. They are considered to be one of the most 
active forces in the pursuit of services for and recognition of 
veterans at a national level. The efforts of the VFW resulted in the 
creation of the House Veterans Committee, the WWI bonus, the national 
Veterans Day holiday, various GI bills, the creation of a cabinet-level 
office of Veterans Affairs and support on many veterans' health issues. 
The VFW is active in disaster relief and also provides information to 
citizens about our national flag. You cannot mention the VFW without 
mentioning their ``buddy poppy'' program which raises funds for 
veterans' homes.
  VFW Post 6368 was chartered in 1946 with 52 charter members and was 
named the Sugar Loaf Memorial VFW Post. Currently, of the 52 original 
members, three are still with the Post; Robert Schneeberger, Stan 
Parrin and John Fischer. Post 6368 is very active in the community and 
provides many services and support to our area veterans, such as 
raising funds for homeless vets, money for the National Children's 
Home, and the Veterans Relief Fund. The Post also donates funds and 
supports the Dupo Senior High School Junior ROTC program.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the men 
and women of VFW Post 6368 both past and present on 60 years of serving 
veterans and the people of Southwestern Illinois.

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