The History Of The DAV - Disabled American Veterans - Wars .

WARS & SCARSThe Story of Compassion & Servicefor our Nation’s Disabled VeteransA HISTORY OF THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS

Mission StatementMade up exclusively of men and women disabled in our nation’s defense, theDisabled American Veterans is dedicated to one single purpose: building betterlives for all of our nation’s disabled veterans and their families.his mission is carried forward by:Providing free, professional assistance to veterans and their families inobtaining benefits and services earned through military service and provided bythe Department of Veteran Affairs and other agencies of government;Providing outreach concerning its program services to the American peoplegenerally, and to disabled veterans and their families specifically;Representing the interests of disabled veterans, their families, their widowedspouses and their orphans before Congress, the White House, and the JudicialBranch, as well as state and local government;Extending the DAV’s mission of hope into the communities where theseveterans and their families live through a network of state-level Departments andlocal Chapters; andProviding a structure through which disabled veterans can express theircompassion for their fellow veterans through a variety of volunteer programs.NATIONAL ADJUTANT &CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERArthur H. WilsonEXECUTIVE DIRECTORNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS& CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICEREXECUTIVE DIRECTORWASHINGTONHEADQUARTERSRichard E. PattersonDavid W. GormanDESIGNID8 DesignPRINTINGThe IPR GroupAmerican PrintingPHOTOGRAPHYJim CallowayLarry ScottLibrary of CongressNational ArchivesCONTRIBUTING EDITORSCREATIVE DIRECTIONThomas L. WilbornDavid E. AutryGary WeaverThomas K. KellerGary WeaverBob Sehatz/GettyShawn SpenceDepartment ofDefenseCincinnati HistoricalSociety LibraryAssociated PressU.S. ArmyU.S. NavyU.S. Marine CorpsU.S. Air Force

Table of ContentsPREFACEPAGE 1CHAPTER 1PENCILS ON STREET CORNERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 3THE BEGINNING OF THE DAV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 6CHAPTER 2A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION IS BORN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 11TRIUMPHANT FIRST CONVENTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 13FROM HIGH PRINCIPLES TO HARD WORK . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 15DAV AUXILIARY FOUNDED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 17FUNDRAISING PROGRESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 18CHAPTER 3BONUS MARCHERS & FALSE ECONOMIES . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 21CHARTERED BY CONGRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 24IDENTOTAGS: A FUNDRAISING BREAKTHROUGH . . . . PAGE 25CHAPTER 4THE MOST COSTLY WAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 27RESPONDING TO A NEW GENERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 30CHAPTER 5KOREA AND THE COLD WAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 35CHAPTER 6THE LONGEST WAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 39THE DAV & VIETNAM VETERANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 42A NEW NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 45CHAPTER 7CHANGING OF THE GUARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 49CHAPTER 8NEW WARS AND A NEW ERA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 55YEARS OF CHANGE AND GROWTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 58CHAPTER 9THE GULF WAR LEGACY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 65DEFINING MOMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 68NEW BEGINNINGS, NEW SUCCESSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 70CHAPTER 10DECADE OF EXCELLENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 73BUILDING THE FUTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 75THE ACADEMY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 77WASHINGTON BATTLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 78BUILDING UP PROGRAMS OF SERVICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 80INCREASING SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 84THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 86CHAPTER 11THE NEW CENTURY AND WAR ON TERROR . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 89WAR IN IRAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 98BUILDING THE VOLUNTEER LEGACY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 100KEEPING MEMORY ALIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 102SEAL OF APPROVAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 106CHAPTER 12CENTURY OF HOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 111ANNEXNATIONAL COMMANDER TERMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 117NATIONAL ADJUTANT TERMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 121

page 1P REFACEWars and scars—those are the hard facts of history that broughtabout the creation of the Disabled American Veterans. Compassionand service—those are the tools with which the DAV responds toour Nation’s disabled veterans and their families.This great organization was formed as our country struggledto deal with the painful effects of World War I. At this momentour Nation is struggling once again with the impact of war—asAmerican men and women face combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, andother nations.A great deal has changed in the 85 years since the DAV wasfounded, but this much has remained the same: those who comehome from war wounded and sick need the care and attention of agrateful nation. And our Nation’s citizens have an organization theycan trust to serve as their vehicle of compassion for their wartimedisabled veterans. Through the DAV, they can fully express theirappreciation and their concerns for those whose bodies and mindshave been forever scarred by war.But the story on the pages that follow—the history of theDisabled American Veterans—is not a story of able-bodied peopletaking care of handicapped veterans. While it is certainly truethat the American people have been invaluable partners in theDAV’s mission, the work of our organization has been a self-helpproposition since the beginning. The DAV—disabled veteranshelping disabled veterans—continues working cohesively to buildbetter lives for all disabled veterans and their families!As you read about the men and women of the DAV in thefollowing chapters, please remember that all those mentioned arethemselves disabled veterans, struggling with their own disabilitiesas they help others.That’s what it’s all about in the DAV, and I don’t think anyonein America would have it any other way. Surely, it’s the best way forAmerica’s disabled veterans.Arthur H. WilsonNational Adjutant andCEOPREFACE

page 2We had a common experience which boundus together, and we ought to continuethrough an organization of our own anorganization of us, by us and for us Robert S. Marx W A R S&S C A R S

page 1 P R E F A C E Wars and scars—those are the hard facts of history that brought about the creation of th