Remember Pearl Harbor

Veterans Talk

Greetings. I have a quick question that you need only to answer to yourself. How many of you took the time to remember the ones who died on that fateful day called “Pearl Harbor Day”? Did you really reflect on that day or just watch the blips that were broadcast on TV news? Knowing that most of the readers of this column are veterans, I believe that most of you did “REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR.” Just like 911, we must never forget!

One thing the House of Representatives did for our military was to pass H.R. 4803, which insures that children of U.S. citizens born outside the U.S. will automatically be U.S. citizens. Thank you for correcting that error, now we need to get a positive vote from the Senate and the president’s signature.

Another day that all of us need to pay attention to is “WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA” day. This year, the day set aside to place wreaths on all veterans’ graves will be Dec.

14. This is done at all the National Cemeteries, but what about veterans’ graves in private cemeteries? Please, either make or buy a wreath and go to your local cemetery, find a veterans’ grave and place your wreath there. Believe me, you will feel a lot better when the day is done.

A couple of important things you need to know if you go to a medical emergency facility and you are enrolled in the Veterans Affairs health care system. First, ask the facility if they are part of the VA’s contracted network. You might want to do this before you need to use an emergency facility. Upon arrival, notify the facility that you wish to use your VA urgent care benefit. They can check your eligibility with your VA card or call 1-833-4VETNOW. If you go to www.VA.gov/VetResources, you can find a lot of valuable information on VA health care.

Thank you to all my veteran friends and their families . May God bless Texas and the USA.

Carl Dry is a Korean War veteran, a former Grimes County Veterans Service Officer and former VFW Post 4006 Commander.