Stelle Asks Unbiased Monthly Va
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' " ■■■"*"■ JANUARY, 1946 POSTMASTER:The PLJiASJ!. DO NO'l SMNU Natio NOTICE T\ J ' J * 7 egionnaire ON FORM 3578 If a notlct haa already been lent &€(tlC&*€Cl 10 IP6 to tht publisher* of The American Legion Magazine, the Firing Line Chicago, 111., with reaped to a copy ilmllarly Vol. 12 Indianapolis, Ind., February, 1946 No. 2 STELLE ASKS UNBIASED MONTHLY V. A. CHECK-UP * * • ••* *** *•* * • * t national headquar- ed this Legion youth 8 former Boys State Will Make Proposal to National Executive Committee it was indicated'that sly featured the pro- at Special Meeting to be Held at Headquarters Feb. 17 ious Service NATIONAL Cuminuiiuer John Stelle of! The American Legion has announced and adequate examinations at. time of discharge from the War and Navy De- that he will recommend to a special meeting of the national executive partments to reduce the tremendous number of veterans who are required to ird to J. F. O'Neil committee, to be convened in Indianapolis February 17, that a monthly public appear for re-examination. This figure was recently set by General Omar . O'Neil of Manchester, statement on the activities of the Veterans Administration be issued by the Bradley, director of the Veterans Administration, at 458,000. chairman of the Amer- national organization. 2. Immediate procurement from any source of hospital beds so that the >mmission, has received This would be in the form of a statement by the national commander and 7,000 applicants already processed and waiting can be immediately hospital- Drious Civilian Service would summarize information on veterans' affairs and treatment gathered by ized and so that in the future there will be no such waiting list. >m the government, in n of his services as spe- the 13,400 posts of The American Legion. 3. Reduction of the 102,830 unprocessed applications for education and int to John L. Sullivan, Potentially, this recommendation would make the more than two million training under the G. I. Bill of Rights to a point where an applicant would Secretary of Navy for Legionnaires in all posts the watchdogs for the rights of veterans and their know just where he stood in time for at least quarterly planning and would wing the completion of efficient treatment under existing federal laws. not be waiting around in uncertainty. he returned to his post 4. Reduction of the 20,411 pending claims for waiver of insurance pre- f police in Manchester, Fairness Is Yardstick h he had been given a mium. bsence during his duties '"ll/'E would be entirely fair in our presentation," said Commander Stelle. 5. Quick elimination of the 18,847 undisposcd-of death claims. Javy. * * "We would start from the admitted deficits and shortcomings of the 6. Immediate reduction of the 287,000 unanswered letters to a current Veterans Administration and give credit for any improvement. On the other basis by employment of the many applicants for Veterans Administration jobs hand, if delinquencies, delays and inefficiencies continue in the Veterans Ad- and establishment of extra-hour, or 24-hour operation. ministration, these would be ruthlessly exposed, The American Legion will 7. Expansion of temporary hospital facilities by taking over Army and permit no person, persons, groups, bureaus %r divisions in government to go Navy establishments while other facilities are being constructed. I unexposed where treatment of the veteran is not in accord with the letter and 8. Ruthless dealing with any governmental agency that is delaying proper spirit of existing laws which reflect the desires of the American public. There housing for the veteran, thereby preventing the pursuit of his educational would be no personalities involved, because in seeking remedy for the tragic career or the reunity of his family. While this is not a direct Veterans Ad- situation existing in the Veterans Administration, there should be none." ministration responsibility, the veteran is critically affected and therefore Commander Stelle outlined the recommended plan as follows: housing should have constant attention of the v*. A. 1. Membership will submit the experiences of veterans, members of The 9. Hastening of further decentralization of the Veterans Administration American Legion or not, to the post service officers. to the field whereby veterans and their representatives can have direct contact 2. Each month the post service officers will forward a summarized report with the V. A. officials and not be forced into correspondence that delays to the department service officers. answer. 3. The service officers of the 58 departments, after consultation and analy- 10. In order quickly to get the veterans' processing, to which they are sis with their commander, adjutants and other proper officials, will give the lawfully entitled, into full gear as outlined in the first nine points, the Veterans consolidated department report to the field representative of national hcad- Administration should use its legal authority to requisition building materials, quarters. supplies and equipment for hospitals; use still existing Selective Service to 4. Field representatives will be responsible for getting the department obtain needed hospital personnel; bring in nationally-known and experienced monthly reports into national headquarters with their own comments and in- insurance men to set up an insurance system; take over emergency office space vestigation reports attached. This must be in the hands of national head- for regional and local offices. quarters not later than the 10th of each succeeding month. Asks All to Assist 5. National officials would summarize the department reports and compile a statement from which data the national commander would issue a statement. /"COMMANDER Stelle said that his recommendation takes into considera- 6. The national report would be published in The National Legionnaire, ^ tion the positive necessity of enlisting the interest and assistance of all which goes to each member and would be issued as a general public release to individual Legionnaires and projecting this interest and assistance through the press, radio and other publicity sources. the 13,400 posts, the districts, areas, departments and to the national organ- 7. Posts would be urged to have at least one meeting each month when all ization. or a portion of the program would be discussion of the report as carried in "The American Legion cannot win this vital battle from national head- The National Legionnaire, quarters," said the commander. "The facts on which to work are there, un- contradicted by any official source. The only opposing argument is 'Give the Ten-Point Objective Veterans Administration time!' Five years from now that might turn out to COMMANDER Stelle set forth a "Ten-Point Veteran Objective Under the be the same plea with the GI Joe and Jane bearing the brunt of delay. Our Law" as a framework for the monthly national report and which may millions of service people are pouring back home and must not be made the be extended with experience and circumstance. This was as follows: victims of procrastination, regardless of what the circumstances may be. Ask t arm's length 1. Direct action by the Veterans Administration to get complete records them for their opinion. They are bitter at delay and the run-around." U. The vivid iehfully repro- Delay As Policy? Let Us Take a Look At the Record HERE are two important them the courtesy of reply be- ance fait to get answer and as II veterans at Houston, Texas, individual medical and treat- •T letters carried on pages 2 fore congressional and public at- far as is known, consideration, wired General Bradley, citing ment records from overseas the- and 11 in this The National Le- tention was called to the situa- what next step can be taken.but delays occurring about Title aters, these being essential to gionnaire which should be care- tion by Commander Stelle. appeal to other sources! Two of the Servicemen's Ad- the adjudication of veterans' □ Ship c. O. D. fully read and analyzed by ev- These letters and events re- There is a library of such cor- justment Act. eases. ery member of the organization. veal without question that Com- respondence on the part of The Commander Stelle received a The reply came on February They display a study and fight mander Stelle did not act in American Legion and in behalf reply on February 4, dated two 2—AFTER Commander Stelle s for the care of the sick and dis- haste. He was anxious for The of the veteran, but the examples days previously. That was appeal to Congress and the pub- abled veteran on the part of The American Legion to assist in printed are recent ones within AFT Kit the commander's ap- lic. American Legion. correcting a disturbing situation the administration of the pres- peal to Congress and the public. On January 18, Director Kiaa- They further display a tend- in the Veterans Administration. ent administrator, General Brad- On January 17, T. O. Kraft- bel sent ;i four-page letter to ency on the part of the Veter- But when reply to letters ley. bel, director of rehabilitation for General Bradley on the subject ans Administration to ignore the pointing out injustices to veter- On January 12, 1946, Com- The American Legion in Wash of expansion of medical and arguments and pleas of the Le- ans under the law are delayed or mander Stelle, after conference ington, wrote General Bradley, hospital service for veterans. gion—yes, even failure to give ignored; when offers of assist- with a delegation of World War urging an early return of the (Continued on page U) ■MM MMMB. ■MUM MM FEBRUARY, 1946 ■iHB NATIONAL LEGIONNAIRE STHU BLASTS V. A.; ASKS INVESTIGATION BY CONGRESS OF TBAGIC BREAKPjWNJN WORK pointed Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, former servicemen had ris- ing hopes, because uVy believed 500,000 Claims Unprocessed in that the antiquated and ineffi- Letter to Senators and Congressmen cient methods of the VA would be changed," Stelle asserted.