[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16436]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF VFW POST 1308 IN ALTON, ILLINOIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 1, 2011

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in honoring the 75th anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 
Post 1308 in Alton, Illinois.
  VFW Post 1308 was founded during the Great Depression, at a time when 
our nation's economic situation only served to aggravate the needs of 
veterans, many of whom had served with honor during the First World 
War. Veterans who sustained injuries while on active duty were at a 
greater disadvantage as medical bills continued and their ability to 
find work was compromised.
  From its founding, 75 years ago, Post 1308 has continually grown 
until it now lists 1,263 members, making it the largest VFW post in the 
State of Illinois. In addition to serving and advocating for our area's 
veterans, Post 1308 has also shown concern for the needs of their 
community, especially for its young people. Their democracy and patriot 
pens programs are examples of the educational programs Post 1308 
conducts to foster patriotic and civic awareness among area students. 
They have also shown tremendous support to area organizations, ranging 
from Special Olympics to the March of Dimes.
  Through the years, Post 1308 has developed a number of programs to 
meet the many and diverse needs of veterans. They visit veterans in 
hospitals and nursing homes, conduct annual clothing drives to benefit 
homeless veterans, provide financial assistance to veterans in times of 
economic hardship and provide no-cost military funeral rites (over 100 
per year) for honorably discharged veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the 
members of VFW Post 1308, both past and present, on 75 years of serving 
veterans and the people of the Alton, Illinois, area and to wish them 
many continued years of service in the future.

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