badger aire vol. 92, no. 2 - · pdf fileaire vol. 92, no. 2 ... doze off and drool during...

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Badger &“Wisconsin” &“Wisconsin” Official Publications of The Wisconsin American Legion Family “For God & Country” www.wilegion.org February 26, 2015 Vol. 92, No. 2 aire The mission of The American Legion, Department Of Wisconsin is to provide service to veterans, their families and their communities. On December 22nd, Department Commander Robert Shappell, Judge Advocate G. Steven Ka- minski and Adjutant David Kurtz met with officials of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and finalized details of a new lease for Camp American Le- gion which runs for 10 years. The new lease is the latest in a series of agreements between the State of Wisconsin and the Legion dat- ing back to 1925. During the ne- gotiations on the new lease it was revealed that Camp American Le- gion has encompassed different areas of State-owned lands at dif- ferent times during Camp’s 90 year history. With this information, the Department Executive Committee determined at the Midwinter meet- ings that the Legion will pursue the opportunity to restore the historic boundaries of Camp to provide more rehabilitation and recre- ational opportunities for Wisconsin military service members, veterans and their families. By Aaron Glantz Center for Investigative Reporting Reprinted with Permission. This story was originally published by The Center for Investigative Report- ing. Learn more at www.cironline. org and contact the reporter at [email protected]. Doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Tomah, Wisconsin, hand out so many narcotic painkillers that some veterans have taken to calling the place “Candy Land.” They call the hospital’s chief of staff, psychiatrist Dr. David Houli- han, the “Candy Man.” Current and former hospital staff members describe patients who show up to appointments stoned on painkillers and muscle relaxants, doze off and drool during therapy sessions, and burn themselves with cigarettes. They told The Center for Investigative Reporting that Houli- han himself “doped up” or “zombi- fied” their patients and that workers who raised questions have been pun- ished. Data obtained by CIR shows the number of opiate prescriptions at the Tomah VA more than quintupled ORIGINS - Camp American Le- gion’s origin can be traced to the inspiration of Jim Burns, the first Department Service Officer, who as early as 1920 would make ar- rangements for sick or disabled veterans to go camping in northern Wisconsin to get their minds off their problems, regain health by exercise and live close to nature. In July of 1922, Mr. Burns wrote a letter to Department Commander Edward J. Barrett of Sheboygan and suggested that the Department establish a summer camp. By 1924 several possible sites for a camp were under consideration, includ- ing the Apostle Islands, Hayward, Eagle River and Antigo. In March 1925 the Department entered into a contract to purchase “Camp Minnewawa”. This camp, on State owned land, was put into operation in the summer of 1925 and renamed Camp American Le- gion. Significant funding for the purchase was received from the State of Wisconsin through a grant from 2004, the year before Houlihan became chief of staff of the hospi- tal, to 2012, even as the number of veterans seeking care at the hospital declined. In August, a 35-year-old Marine Corps veteran died of an overdose in the inpatient psychiatric ward. “It’s a system that’s gone com- pletely haywire,” said Ryan Honl, a Gulf War veteran and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who in October resigned from his position as a secretary in the hospital’s mental health clinic after two months, filing a federal whistle- blower complaint on his way out. The problems at this rural medical center underscore the difficulty the VA is having maintaining standards of quality patient care, even after a national scandal forced VA Secre- tary Eric Shinseki to resign last May. The exponential growth in the use of narcotics transformed the Tomah VA from a conservative prescriber of painkillers to one typical of runaway opiate prescription practices through- out the VA health care system. During the same period, the num- ber of pills handed out skyrocketed. In 2004, the Tomah VA dispensed about 50,000 oxycodone pills to Camp Lease Renewed rough 2024 Serious Allegations Emerge at Tomah VAMC from the Soldier’s Rehabilitation Fund. LAND LEASES - Lands used in conjunction with the camp have been provided from the State of Wisconsin in Leases entered into in 1927, 1929, 1944, 1964 and every 10 years thereafter. The land affect- ed by the most recent Lease, which runs through December 31, 2024, is shown in yellow on the accom- panying map of the site. LAND FOOTPRINT - At various times during the 90 year history of Camp, The American Legion has controlled different sized parcels of land under the leases. Land con- trolled from 1927 to 1944 is refer- enced at 28.035 (2) of State Stat- utes and is shown in red and yel- low on the map. The area of land added in the 1944 Lease referenced at 28.035 (3) of Statutes, is shown in green. Since 1964 the Legion has maintained the yellow area of land which is substantially smaller than any of the preceding leases. In 1964 American Legion leadership roughly 25,000 veterans. By 2012, that number had grown to 712,000, the data shows. Last March, the VA’s inspector general found that Houlihan had on average prescribed the equivalent of 25,000 milligrams of morphine to each of the 128 patients he saw in 2012, a level investigators said was “at considerable variance compared with most opioid prescribers” and “raised potentially serious concerns” that should be brought to the atten- tion of the federal agency’s leader- ship. Independent experts who reviewed CIR’s findings said it was disturbing that the top prescriber of painkill- ers was a psychiatrist, charged with treating mental, rather than physical, ailments. “There are a ton of questions here. It doesn’t seem right at all,” said Dr. Stephen Xenakis, a psychiatrist and retired brigadier general who served as commanding general of the Ar- my’s Southeast Regional Medical Command. Following extensive news cover- age of the VA’s national opiate epi- demic, the agency vowed to limit prescriptions and offer alternative YELLOW - Camp land footprint (1964 - current) RED – YELLOW - Camp land footprint (1927 - 1944) GREEN – RED – YELLOW- Camp land footprint (1944 - 1964) (Continued on Page 4) (Continued on Page 3) 2015 Membership Goal 59,600 February 19th Total: 54,493 91.00% District 12 94.66% 1st PLACE District 10 90.14% 3rd PLACE District 2 90.38% 2nd PLACE District 9 89.83% 4th PLACE District 6 89.71% 6th PLACE District 3 89.74% 5th PLACE District 7 89.25% 7th PLACE District 1 88.85% 9th PLACE District 8 88.94% 8th PLACE District 11 88.40% 10th PLACE District 5 78.34% 12th PLACE District 4 85.04% 11th PLACE Possible Expansion of Land in Process

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Page 1: Badger aire Vol. 92, No. 2 -  · PDF fileaire Vol. 92, No. 2 ... doze off and drool during therapy sessions, and burn themselves with ... Legion magazine and the national website

Badger&“Wisconsin”&“Wisconsin” Official Publications of The

Wisconsin American Legion Family

“For God & Country”

www.wilegion.org

February 26, 2015Vol. 92, No. 2

Badger&“Wisconsin”&“Wisconsin”&“Wisconsin”&“Wisconsin”&“Wisconsin”

aireThe mission of The American Legion, Department Of Wisconsin is to provide service to veterans, their families and their communities.

On December 22nd, Department Commander Robert Shappell, Judge Advocate G. Steven Ka-minski and Adjutant David Kurtz metwithofficialsoftheWisconsinDepartment of Natural Resources (DNR) and finalized details of anew lease for Camp American Le-gion which runs for 10 years. The new lease is the latest in a series of agreements between the State ofWisconsinand theLegiondat-ing back to 1925. During the ne-gotiations on the new lease it was revealed that Camp American Le-gion has encompassed different areas of State-owned lands at dif-ferent times during Camp’s 90 year history.With this information, theDepartment Executive Committee determined at the Midwinter meet-ings that the Legion will pursue the opportunity to restore the historic boundaries of Camp to provide more rehabilitation and recre-ationalopportunitiesforWisconsinmilitary service members, veterans and their families.

By Aaron GlantzCenter for Investigative ReportingReprinted with Permission. This story was originally published by The Center for Investigative Report-ing. Learn more at www.cironline.org and contact the reporter at [email protected].

Doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Tomah,Wisconsin, hand out somany narcotic painkillers that some veterans have taken to calling the place “Candy Land.”

They call the hospital’s chief of staff, psychiatrist Dr. David Houli-han, the “Candy Man.”

Current and former hospital staff members describe patients who show up to appointments stoned on painkillers and muscle relaxants, doze off and drool during therapy sessions, and burn themselves with cigarettes. They told The Center for Investigative Reporting that Houli-han himself “doped up” or “zombi-fied”theirpatientsandthatworkerswho raised questions have been pun-ished.

Data obtained by CIR shows the number of opiate prescriptions at the Tomah VA more than quintupled

ORIGINS - Camp American Le-gion’s origin can be traced to the inspiration of JimBurns, thefirstDepartment Service Officer, whoas early as 1920 would make ar-rangements for sick or disabled veterans to go camping in northern Wisconsin to get their minds offtheir problems, regain health by exercise and live close to nature. In July of 1922, Mr. Burns wrote a letter to Department Commander Edward J. Barrett of Sheboygan and suggested that the Department establish a summer camp. By 1924 several possible sites for a camp were under consideration, includ-ing the Apostle Islands, Hayward, Eagle River and Antigo.

In March 1925 the Department entered into a contract to purchase “Camp Minnewawa”. This camp, on State owned land, was put into operation in the summer of 1925 and renamed Camp American Le-gion. Significant funding for thepurchase was received from the StateofWisconsinthroughagrant

from 2004, the year before Houlihan became chief of staff of the hospi-tal, to 2012, even as the number of veterans seeking care at the hospital declined. In August, a 35-year-old Marine Corps veteran died of an overdose in the inpatient psychiatric ward.

“It’s a system that’s gone com-pletely haywire,” said Ryan Honl, aGulfWarveteranandgraduateoftheU.S.MilitaryAcademyatWestPoint who in October resigned from his position as a secretary in the hospital’s mental health clinic after twomonths,filingafederalwhistle-blower complaint on his way out.

The problems at this rural medical centerunderscore thedifficulty theVA is having maintaining standards of quality patient care, even after a national scandal forced VA Secre-tary Eric Shinseki to resign last May.

The exponential growth in the use of narcotics transformed the Tomah VA from a conservative prescriber of painkillers to one typical of runaway opiate prescription practices through-out the VA health care system.

During the same period, the num-ber of pills handed out skyrocketed. In 2004, the Tomah VA dispensed about 50,000 oxycodone pills to

Camp Lease Renewed � rough 2024

Serious Allegations Emerge at Tomah VAMC

from the Soldier’s Rehabilitation Fund.

LAND LEASES - Lands used in conjunction with the camp have been provided from the State of WisconsininLeasesenteredintoin1927, 1929, 1944, 1964 and every 10 years thereafter. The land affect-ed by the most recent Lease, which runs through December 31, 2024, is shown in yellow on the accom-panying map of the site.

LAND FOOTPRINT - At various times during the 90 year history of Camp, The American Legion has controlled different sized parcels of land under the leases. Land con-trolled from 1927 to 1944 is refer-enced at 28.035 (2) of State Stat-utes and is shown in red and yel-low on the map. The area of land added in the 1944 Lease referenced at 28.035 (3) of Statutes, is shown in green. Since 1964 the Legion has maintained the yellow area of land which is substantially smaller than any of the preceding leases. In 1964 American Legion leadership

roughly 25,000 veterans. By 2012, that number had grown to 712,000, the data shows.

Last March, the VA’s inspector general found that Houlihan had on average prescribed the equivalent of 25,000 milligrams of morphine to each of the 128 patients he saw in 2012, a level investigators said was “at considerable variance compared with most opioid prescribers” and “raised potentially serious concerns” that should be brought to the atten-tion of the federal agency’s leader-ship.

Independent experts who reviewed CIR’sfindingssaiditwasdisturbingthat the top prescriber of painkill-ers was a psychiatrist, charged with treating mental, rather than physical, ailments.

“There are a ton of questions here. It doesn’t seem right at all,” said Dr. Stephen Xenakis, a psychiatrist and retired brigadier general who served as commanding general of the Ar-my’s Southeast Regional Medical Command.

Following extensive news cover-age of the VA’s national opiate epi-demic, the agency vowed to limit prescriptions and offer alternative

YELLOW - Camp land footprint (1964 - current) RED – YELLOW - Camp land footprint (1927 - 1944)

GREEN – RED – YELLOW- Camp land footprint (1944 - 1964)(Continued on Page 4)

(Continued on Page 3)

2015 Membership Goal 59,600

February 19th Total: 54,493 91.00%

2015 Membership Goal 59,600

District 1294.66%

1st PLACE

District 1090.14%

3rd PLACE

District 290.38%

2nd PLACE

District 989.83%

4th PLACE

District 689.71%

6th PLACE

District 389.74%

5th PLACE

District 789.25%

7th PLACE

District 188.85%

9th PLACE

District 888.94%

8th PLACE

District 1188.40%

10th PLACE

District 578.34%

12th PLACE

District 485.04%

11th PLACE

Possible Expansion of Land in Process

Page 2: Badger aire Vol. 92, No. 2 -  · PDF fileaire Vol. 92, No. 2 ... doze off and drool during therapy sessions, and burn themselves with ... Legion magazine and the national website

PAGE 2 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Publication ScheduleAll articles due to the Editor four weeks before publication date. Send all copy to

[email protected]

“Badger Legionnaire”&“Wisconsin”

The Badger Legionnaire & Wisconsin are the offi cial publications of the Wisconsin

American Legion Family and are published ten times annually, once every fi ve weeks,

by The American Legion, Dept. of Wisconsin2930 American Legion Drive

P.O. Box 388, Portage, WI 53901.Periodicals Postage Paid at Portage, WI

and additional mailing offi ces.USPS ID Number 010-135

ISSN: 2154-2627Post Master: Send address changes to

Badger Legionnaire and Wisconsin,P.O. Box 388, Portage, WI 53901

“Badger Legionnaire”The American Legion,

Department of Wisconsin2930 American Legion Drive

P.O. Box 388 • Portage, WI 53901Phone: (608) 745-1090

E-mail: [email protected] A. Kurtz, Executive Editor

2014-2015 Communications CommitteeKendel D. Feilen, Chairman

Jeremy Nordie, Vice ChairmanEnsley Brown, DEC Liaison

Bernard OlsonPhil IngwellHarold RihnRory Burns

Greg Eirich, HistorianLoretta Shellman, Auxiliary LiaisonBonnie Dorniak, Auxiliary Liaison

2014-15 Department Offi cers

CommanderRobert ShappellVice Commanders

Dale OatmanRich RulandJohn ThurkDave Brisk

AdjutantDavid A. Kurtz

Sergeant-at ArmsCharles Roessler

Dave WischerService Offi cer

James FialkowskiNECman

Steve KruegerAlternate NECman

Ken Rynes

District Commanders 1st – Tom Strey 2nd – Dan Seehafer 3rd – Mary Lloyd 4th – Claire Goodfellow 5th – Ensley Brown 6th – Jeff Puddy 7th – Mark Lesko 8th – Jerome Krofta 9th – Bob Lemke 10th – Ed Cooper 11th – Frank Kostka 12th – Jim Chapin

Change of Address & Other Information:Subscribers: To report any upcoming changes of address, please ask your Post Adjutant to fi ll out a Membership Data Form and forward it to Wisconsin American Legion Headquarters. The change of address form that will be completed by the Post Adjutant should not be confused with the change of address card fi lled out at the Post Offi ce. Department fi nancial statements are available to Legionnaires in good standing upon written request through their District Commanders.

“Wisconsin”American Legion AuxiliaryDepartment of Wisconsin2930 American Legion Drive

P.O. Box 140 • Portage, WI 53901Bonnie Dorniak, Editor

Teresa Isensee, Department PresidentBonnie Dorniak, Exec. Secretary/TreasurerTo change your address: Notify Unit Secretary

Unit Secretary: Notify DepartmentHeadquarters on a Member Data Form

The “Wisconsin” deadline for copy is 4 weeks before publication date.

DEPARTMENT COMMANDEROne of the rea-

sons I joined my local post in 2001 after retir-ing from the Air Force was to be-come involved in local community activities. The

thought of becoming a county or districtofficerwasnotapartofmyplan. In fact, I didn’t even know what a district was. As I learned more about the Legion, I started to pay more attention to reading the Legion magazine and the national website. Then I read about some-thing that helped me understand whatanobleandselflessorganiza-tion the Legion truly is. I learned about the Legacy Scholarship Fund.

The Legion has a number of out-standing charities – all of which ensure that 100% of your donations go directly to helping those in need.

WiththeendofFebruary comes the advent of Spring and The American Le-gion’s Birthday. This year we cel-ebrate the 96th

Anniversary of our founding. The founders of our organization asso-ciated together because they knew they had a responsibility to their comrades, their communities, and to their country. In World War I they fought to

preserve freedom and because of theirsacrificewecontinuetoreapthe benefits generations later. ForGod and country, they formed The American Legion to preserve the values for which they sacrificed,and “to make the world a better place than the one” they found. They were people of vision who established a legacy of service that

The Legacy Scholarship seemed extra special to me, because I had known several Air Force mem-bers who died on active duty (one in combat during Desert Storm) and left children behind them. The moment I learned what the Legacy Scholarship was, I knew I wanted to become a greater contributor to The American Legion. I probably would not be your Department Commander right now except for my discovery of the Legacy Schol-arship Fund.

I attended the funeral of a sol-dier killed in Afghanistan in No-vember 2010. As the beginning of the ceremony neared, the pastor approached the wife, who was sit-ting in a chair holding her infant daughter. I heard him ask her, “Are you ready?” Her reply was, “I’ll never be ready.” I could see in her face the weight of a thousand wor-ries – the burden of raising a child alone, building a new life for her

has improved the lives of millions ofAmericans.Wearepartofthatlegacy and believe in the same values our founders did. This is the bond of comradeship that tran-scendsgenerations.TheWorldWarI founders passed The American Legion torch to theWorldWar IIveterans, and they to their Korean, Vietnam, and post-Vietnam coun-terparts. OurWorldWarIfoundersknew

veterans didn’t always get a fair shake. They knew about the thou-sands of Spanish-American Warveterans who survived combat but died from malaria. They saw their comrades return from the Great WarwithT-B,shellshock,andtheloss of limbs -- and there was no federal agency to help them. Our founders knew that veterans gave their all and asked for very little in return. Our long-standing com-mitment to our fellow veterans re-

daughter without her father, and planning for her daughter’s future. Just as we can never leave someone behindon thebattlefield,wecan-not leave the families and children of our comrades behind. Relieving the surviving parent of the burden ofplanningandfinancingacollegeeducation is the goal of the Legacy Scholarship Fund.

Last year Past Department Com-mander Ken Rynes made the Legacy Scholarship Fund his special project. The results were overwhelming, with over $70,000 donated. But to make this a self-sustaining fund that will cover the college costs of Gold Star children far into the future, we must keep pushing forward. I am so thankful that the Legion Riders have agreed to organize another fundraising run this year, known as the Spirit Run. It will start with a ceremony the evening of June 18 at Mequon Post No. 347, and end on Sunday June 21

mainsconsistentwiththefirstruleof battle: “We shall not fail thosewith whom we serve.” Within two years of its found-

ing, The American Legion suc-cessfully lobbied for the creation of a federal veterans bureau and the Department of Veterans Af-fairswasborn.WhenWorldWarILegionnaires looked at the limited opportunities available to returning WorldWarIIveterans,theywroteandchampionedtheGIBill.WorldWarIveteranswhosufferedfromservice-connected tuberculosis had toarguewithfederalofficialstore-ceive just compensation. Like them, many sick veterans still struggle to prove their conditions are service-connected. But because of the vi-sion of our founders, American Le-gionServiceOfficershelpveteranscut through the red tape and get the compensation they deserve. Veter-ans whose bodies were ravaged by

at the King Veterans Home. There’s even a strong possibility that my butt will be on a moving motorcy-cleforthefirsttimeinmylife.

I am asking for your help. I ask that each Post and County con-sider hosting an event or dedicat-ing the proceeds from an event to the Legacy Scholarship, and bring it to one of the stops on the Spirit Run. You can also give your dona-tions directly to me, or send them to Headquarters earmarked for the scholarship fund. If every Legion-naire would throw in a single dol-lar, we would have over $59,000 to donate. Add to that a dollar from every Auxiliary and SAL member, and Wisconsin would definitelyhave something to be proud of! As Abraham Lincoln said in his sec-ond inaugural address, the nation has a sacred obligation “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.” Weoweittothosewhohavefallen.

atomic radiation, asbestos, Agent Orange and Gulf War syndromehaveallbenefittedfromthevisionof our founders.

Our founders realized that our young people could not be respon-sible leaders, voters and parents if they did not embrace traditional American values. So, they made a commitmenttoScoutingatthefirstNational Convention in Minneapo-lis in 1919. This is a commitment that we honor today as one of the nation’s largest sponsors of Boy Scouts. The men and women of The American Legion started oth-er youth programs: Boys State and Boys Nation, American Legion Baseball, Junior Shooting Sports and the High School Oratorical Contest.

For 96 years, Legionnaires have worked to make this world a better place than the one they found. Hap-py Birthday fellow Legionnaires.

Seventy years ago, the month-long battle of Iwo Jima took place, pitting the United States against the Empire of Japan in another island battle as the Amer-

icans worked their way closer to Japan. Beginning on February 19, 1945, the

bloody battle for an eight-square-mile volcanic island involved 80,000 Amer-icans and cost the lives of 6,821 Ma-rines. More than 20,000 others were wounded. Nearly the entire Japanese garrison of 22,000 died. Of the thou-sands of Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner, some of whom were captured because they had been knocked unconscious or otherwise disabled. Marine veterans received slightly more than one-third of the total Medals of Honor awarded to the entire Marine Corps in the entire Sec-

ondWorldWar during the thirty-sixday Iwo Jima campaign. More medals for heroism in combat were awarded at Iwo Jima than at any other battle in U. S. history. Two out of every three Americans who fought on Iwo Jima were killed or wounded. TheepicfightforIwoJimawasim-

mortalized in America with photogra-pher Joe Rosenthal’s famous photo of fiveMarinesandoneNavycorpsmanraisingtheU.S.flagonMountSuriba-chi while the battle still raged. Three of the Marines were killed shortly thereafter. The unforgettable image re-mains an icon forever associated with American valor and it became the ba-sis for the Marine Corps Memorial in WashingtonDC.

John Bradley, a Navy hospital corps-man,fromAntigo,helpedraisetheflagon Iwo Jima and lived to see the end of the war. Despite being something of a celebrity after the Battle of Iwo Jima, Bradley never spoke to his family of the photograph or the Navy Cross he

had been awarded during the war. An unassuming, hard-working, small town Wisconsinite, Bradley lived a simplelife – he married his third grade sweet-heart; opened a funeral home; helped raise eight children; joined the PTA, the Lions, and the Elks. But Bradley’s quiet ways, like those of so many of his comrades in the Greatest Generation, masked the reserves of strength and resolve that America’s enemies never counted on.

Bradley was hardly the only notable Wisconsinite to serve in the famousbattle. Others include Admiral Marc Mitscher, born in Hillsboro, who to-ward the end of the war commanded a carrier task force, which led aerial assaults on not only Iwo Jima, but on Okinawa, and the Japanese home is-lands as well.Many Wisconsinites served in this

battle and came home to shared their stories. One of these, Clayton Chipman ofWestAllis sharedhis storyof IwoJima inanoralhistorywith theWis-

consin Veterans Museum. In his de-tailedaccountofthefighting,hetalksaboutlandingonthebeachandfightinginland, being wounded, and how much of a morale boost the flag-raising onMt. Suribachi provided the troops in thefight.Hedescribedthefightingashorrendous and said he “was told that out of that 240 men there were, only three that landed D-Day…walked off the island.”

These stories are the stories of many of his generation–battle-hardened war-riors who lived through some of the darkest days our nation has ever seen, but yet came home and continued to contribute in many amazing ways; amazing enough to earn the title of the “Greatest Generation.”

Looking back 70 years, we can take pride in the accomplishments of the Greatest Generation’s veterans. They showed us the way. It is up to our gener-ation to live up to their example of ser-viceandsacrifice.Weowetheveteransof that time a debt of gratitude.

WDVA SECRETARY

John A. ScocosWDVA Secretary

David KurtzDepartment Adjutant

DEPARTMENT ADJUTANT

Bob ShappellDepartment Commander

Page 3: Badger aire Vol. 92, No. 2 -  · PDF fileaire Vol. 92, No. 2 ... doze off and drool during therapy sessions, and burn themselves with ... Legion magazine and the national website

PAGE 3THE BADGER LEGIONNAIREFEBRUARY 26, 2015

pain treatment. The number of vet-erans on VA-prescribed opiates has declined by about 6 percent over the last year.

But insiders say problems in Tomah continue, suggesting the agency does little to rein in rogue prescribers, who are able to write escalating numbers of prescriptions with impunity.

“Houlihan is a symptom of failed leadership from Washington ondown,” said Honl, the former em-ployee. “They turn the other way while veterans, who expect to be taken care of after the politicians send them to war, suffer.”

For his part, Houlihan said there is nothing unusual about his prescrip-tion practices. Many veterans had come to the Tomah VA after receiv-ing large doses of opiates in private practice or during their military service, he said, and he worked to taper them back to safer levels. He maintains that doctors at the Tomah VA are relying increasingly on Sub-oxone, an opiate used to help veter-ansfightaddictiontoothernarcotics– though he had no statistics to back that claim.

“The problem is there is a lot of chronic pain,” Houlihan said. “You don’t hear a lot of veterans com-plaining about me.”

Two days before Jason Simcakos-ki died of an overdose in the Tomah VA psychiatric ward, the head of the unit, Dr. Ronda Davis, discussed his care with Houlihan.

Simcakoski had checked himself in, citing an addiction to painkill-ers and severe anxiety that was de-stroying his relationship with his wife and 11-year-old daughter. The Marine Corps veteran’s medical record shows Houlihan advised Da-vis to add Suboxone to his existing cocktail of 14 drugs, which included antipsychotics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants and the opioid painkiller tramadol.

“They had my boy on so many meds that it blew my mind,” said Simcakoski’s father, Marvin, a building contractor from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, who visited hisson the day he died. “They like peo-ple to be zombies over there so they don’t have to care for them.”

An autopsy report prepared by the University of Wisconsin Hospitaland Clinics declared the cause of death to be “mixed drug toxicity.”

“I wouldn’t say it was enough to kill a horse, but it was enough to kill this man,” said Frank Ochberg, a leading traumatologist and clinical professor of psychiatry at Michigan State University, who reviewed Sim-cakoski’s medical record at CIR’s request. “He wasn’t otherwise frail or compromised. He was a young man with a decent life expectancy; a tragic, unfortunate death.”In Washington, the VA’s direc-

tor of media relations, James Hut-ton, would say only that the agency is “looking into the situation” in Tomah. He said no senior agency of-ficialswouldbewillingtocomment.

DOCTOR’S CHECKERED CAREERHoulihan joined the VA in Wis-

consin after a decade of private prac-tice in Iowa, where he worked for a Dubuque medical group. In April 2003, he was disciplined by the Iowa Board of Medicine for being “inap-propriately engaged in a social rela-tionship with a patient,” hiring a cur-rent or former patient and bringing a patient’s medicine home with him. Houlihan did not fight the medi-

calboard’sfindings.Inaninterview,he downplayed their significance,blaming them on contentious di-vorce proceedings. The social rela-tionship was simply a person he ran into on the street, he said, while the patient he employed was an electri-cian who worked on his house as a subcontractor during a home repair.

But Mark Bowden, executive di-rector of the Iowa medical board, said the sanction “should be a seri-ous concern to any potential employ-er” because it related to Houlihan’s ability to set professional boundaries with his patients. “When the practice is psychiatry,

it even takes on a more concerning level because you’ve had a patient who is likely mentally vulnerable,” he said.

In February 2004, Houlihan let his license to practice medicine in Iowa lapse. By then, he was working as a psychiatrist at the Tomah VA. In Au-gust 2005, he was appointed chief of staff, charged with overseeing care for veteransacrosswesternWisconsin.

Over Thanksgiving weekend last year, the new VA secretary, Robert McDonald, responded to a slew of emails from Honl that sought a direct response to his Oct. 4 whistleblower complaint.

“Thanks for your input,” McDon-aldsaid.“Wetakeyourconcernsse-riously and investigate.”

Internal VA documents show Tomah VA employees have been complaining about Houlihan’s pre-scription practices for years.

For example, last March’s inspec-tor general report followed a series of complaints to the agency watch-dog dating back to March 2011. The investigation, obtained by CIR, has not been published or shared with the House or Senate committees that oversee the VA.

Houlihan remains on the job, while pharmacists who have raised ques-tions about his prescription practices were fired or resigned in protest,according to the inspector general. One was let go after he refused to dispense controlled substances, cit-ing concerns about patient safety and drug diversion. “There were outrageous refills,

patients who told us they lost their drugs for the fifth time,” said RonPelham, who resigned as the hospi-tal’s chief pharmacist in May 2013.

Pelham now works at the local Wal-Mart.HesaidHoulihan’smostfrequent narcotic prescription was for 30-milligram oxycodone pills, which are popular on the street be-cause they can be crushed easily and snorted.

Jennifer Brooks, a psychologist and retired Navy commander who resigned from the Tomah VA in Jan-uary 2014, said Houlihan’s patients tended to be those “with drug-seek-ing behavior, veterans who had gone

to other physicians seeking narcotics and been turned down.”

It’s not only prescriptions for out-patients that have drawn staff at-tention. Heavy doses of opiates and benzodiazepines also have been giv-en to addicts living in the facility’s residential drug rehabilitation center, according to hospital staff. Some have taken to calling it the “Houli-han Cocktail.” JacobWard’s parents say he was

among those drugged at the facility. Ward, an IraqWar veteran, soughtinpatient care for post-traumatic stress disorder after going AWOLfrom his unit in 2005. His father, John Ward of Coon

Valley,Wisconsin,saidhissonwastortured by nightmares and dulled his emotional pain with marijuana and alcohol after a tour as a cavalry scout.TheelderWardwasrelievedwhen his son checked himself into the VA in Tomah, he said, but found him unrecognizable when he went to visit.

“They narcotized him until he was in la la land,” JohnWard said.Atthe hospital, he said, his son “spoke slowly with slurred words and rare-ly opened his eyes. It was the worst thing that they could have done for him.”JacobWard’squalityoflifecontin-

ued to deteriorate after his time at the Tomah VA, according to his father. He became a full-blown addict and, in 2008, he joined two roommates in an armed robbery of a sports bar in La Crosse.

In 2009, a circuit court judge sen-tencedJacobWardto10yearsofpro-bation rather than prison – provided he seek treatment at the Tomah VA. There, “they drugged him again,” his father said. OnSeptember4,2013,JacobWard

died of an overdose of heroin and co-caine in a Milwaukee apartment. He was 27.

A CULTURE OF FEARHospital staff, who confirmed

JohnWard’s account of his son’scare, described a culture of fear at the hospital. They said Houlihan regularly threatened those who dis-agreed with him. Many said they were afraid to speak to CIR for fear of retribution.

In 2011, when Houlihan demoted the head of the hospital’s mental health residential rehabilitation program after the two clashed over narcotic prescriptions, Brooks – the psychologist – wrote to the VA health care system’s regional direc-tor, describing “a workplace atmo-sphere of fear and hopelessness.”

During one staff meeting in which concerns about prescribing muscle relaxants to addicts were raised, hospital staff said Houlihan yelled and threw medical journals endors-ing the off-label use of benzodiaz-epines across the table.“Wewere supposed to be doing

hard work, getting these veterans to fight through their anxiety andfear, to talk about killing someone or running over a child in your con-voy,” Brooks said. “But their eyes would be dilated, their sentences would be blurry. Sometimes they’d be on so many medications that they’d fall asleep.”

In a June 2013 email obtained by CIR, Houlihan upbraided a physi-cian assistant who had told two vet-erans that he planned to reduce their narcotic prescription load.

“I understand you may have issues with controlled medications. That is your issue,” Houlihan wrote. “I take personal issue with you changing meds on my Veterans.”

“I expect this practice to stop im-mediately,” he added.

Houlihan brushed aside allega-tions that he has created a climate of fear or retaliated against employees

who disagreed with his prescription practices.

“I’ve had a good working rela-tionship with my people,” he said.

However, after he became aware of CIR’s investigation, the hospi-tal’s management instructed front-line staff not to speak with the me-dia. That order was reinforced by an all-staff email from the hospital’s communications department.

The inspector general’s report pinpointed two other health care professionals at the Tomah VA with extremely high numbers of narcotic prescriptions.

One, referred to as “Y” in the au-ditors’ report, was named co-chair-man of the hospital’s pain commit-tee under Houlihan.

That clinician prescribed the equivalent of 5.3 million milli-grams of morphine in 2012, more than any VA employee in a region that covers parts of Illinois, Indiana, MichiganandWisconsin.Theclini-cian, who the auditors said worked closely with Houlihan, had a casel-oad of 182 patients.

The auditors also found that Hou-lihanandhiscolleaguesrefilledopi-ate prescriptions before they were used up, violating hospital policy. Refills of painkillers also weredoled out to veterans who came up clean in urine drug screens, indicat-ing they likely were selling their medication instead of taking it.

Even though the auditors ex-pressed serious concerns, they said those concerns “did not constitute proof of wrongdoing.” They rec-ommended no punishment for Hou-lihan or any other staff investigated.

Houlihan cited that fact in his in-terview with CIR. “I’ve been inves-tigated again and again,” he said, “and they’ve never found anything wrong.”

Opiates (Continued from page 1)

Auditions for the Milwaukee

Legion BandThe Milwaukee American

Legion Band is holding audi-tions for membership in its con-certbandorganization.Weareseeking qualified adult instru-mental musicians who are in-terested in participating in vari-ous band concerts, ceremonies and performances in the greater Milwaukee Area and southeast-ernWisconsin.Thisisacom-munity based organization.

Auditions are scheduled on an individual basis and will be held at our rehearsal loca-tion, Riverside University High School, 1615 E Locust St, Mil-waukee,WI53211.CallDirec-tor Michael VanPelt at (414) 507-1408 or President Richard Schwartz at (414) 962-4124 for information and an appoint-ment. Legion membership is not a requirement. Rehears-alsareWednesdayeveningsat7:30 PM. Please see www.mil-waukeeamericanlegionband.com for more information.

Wisconsin American Legion College Basic TrainingMarch 28, 2015 • 8:00AM -5:30PM

Ridge Hotel • 2900 New Pinery Road - Portage, WI 53901

CALLING ALL ALEI GRADUATES!

√ Do you want to know more about The American Legion?√ Do you want to be a better American Legion recruiter?√ Do you want to move up in The American Legion?√ Do you want to go to National American Legion College some day?√ Have you taken The American Legion Extension Institute Course?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, do we have the perfect learning experience for you!

Part of the Wisconsin American Legion’s 5-Year Membership Plan is for the National American Legion College graduates put together a Wisconsin American Legion College program. Well, we have done it!• AMERICANISM, CHILDREN & YOUTH (1 HR)• PUBLIC RELATIONS (1 HR)• LEADERSHIP (2 HRS)• LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES (1 HR)• POST OFFICERS (1 HR)• MANUAL OF CEREMONIES (1 HR)

Be one of the fi rst inWisconsin to be a

Basic Course Graduate!

Registration can be done online at www.wilegion.org by clicking on WI Legion Col-lege Basic Course Link. A fee of $20 can be paid online during registration, mailed to Headquarters at The American Legion, Dept., of WI, PO Box 388, Portage, WI 53901-0388 or paid at the door. Registrations due by March 16. Late Registration - $25.“Need to Know”: 1. You don’t need to take the entire course in one sitting. A registrar will keep track of your progress. 2. Completion of the ALEI Course is required. 3. Rec-ommended for All Family Members. Same fee of $20 for all participants. Multiple ways to pay. 4. Intermediate and Advanced Courses will be offered for graduates in the future.

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PAGE 4 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE FEBRUARY 26, 2015

2015 SPECIAL GROUPWEEKS, RETREATSAND PROGRAMS

1. U.S. Coast Guard Morale/Team Building Week ........................May 4-10 (Lake Michigan Sector)

2. Wisconsin Air National Guard Chiefs Huddle ......................... May 11-13 (State Command CMSgt’s Group of CMSgts (E-9) or First Sergeants (E-7)

3. 128th ARW Small Air Terminal Reintegration ......................May 13-20 (WisconsinAirNationalGuard-Milwaukee)

4. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) ............May 20-24 (WINGPreventionResponseOutreachProgram)

5. OPERATION HOME FRONT ......................................................June 1-7 (WorkingTogethertoEliminateVeteranHomelessness)

6. Vietnam Veterans Week ................................................................June 8-14 (50th Anniversary recognition for Vietnam Veterans)

7. Women Veterans Week ...............................................................June 15-19

8. 829th Engineering Company Reintegration Camp .................July 13-19 (This company has returned from a deployment in Afghanistan)

9. Post 9/11 Veterans Week ..............................................................July 20-26 (OEF/OIF/OND Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans)

10. 950th Engineering Company Families ...........................July 27-August 2 (This Unit is presently deployed in Afghanistan)

11. Caregiver Respite Retreat ......................................................August 10-14 (Post 9/11 Caregivers)

12. Camp Serenity-Families of the Fallen Weekend ..................August 14-16 (WI-NationalGuardSurvivorOutreachServices)

13. Vision & Hearing Loss Veterans Week ..................................August 17-23

14. Veterans Recovery Week .....................................................Aug. 31-Sept. 6 (Veterans dealing with the challenges of substance abuse)

15. Diabetes Camp ................................................................... September 11-13 (Education program for Veterans with Diabetes)

16. Army Recruiting Battalion Peer Support Retreat ........ September 15-17

17. Peer Support Training Workshop ................................... September 18-20

18. Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development ..... September 21-24 (Attendees are Service Connected Disabled Veterans)

19. 1st BN, 121 SECFOR Reintegration ............................... September 25-27 (WisconsinArmyNationalGuardRecruitingandRetentionBattalion)

Civil War Veteran Honored in Little Chute, 148 Years after his Death

During the summer of 2014, members of the Little Chute His-torical Society took on a project to refurbish grave sites in St. John Cemetery that had fallen into dis-repair. During this project, they discovered a grave site that was marked only by a weather beaten, wooden cross, that had no visible markings on it.

They researched cemetery re-cords and were able to determine thatthesitewasthatofaCivilWarVeteran, Corporal Louis Bernard Grignon, who died on February 28, 1866, six months after he com-pleted service in Company D, 3rd Wisconsin Regiment during theCivilWar.HeenlistedonJanuary3, 1863 and mustered out Septem-ber 8, 1865.

Louis Grignon was the son of George & Mary (Prickett) Grignon, born April 12, 1844. He did not marry and had no children.

The lack of a government head-stone was traced back to the fact that he did not marry and had no children.Withthisinformation,theHistorical Society applied to the U.S. Government for a headstone for Corporal Grignon. A bump in the road to getting the headstone

came when the government re-quired the next of kin to request the memorial marker. Even though it was explained that he died in 1866 and didn’t have any children or wife, officials still insisted that itwas the law.PaulWestoftheHistoricalSoci-

ety then did research and was able to track down Grignon’s second cousin, four times removed, Lois Peeters, who along with her hus-band Chris and four young sons, live in Little Chute. After contact-ing Lois and telling her of their quest on behalf of Cpl. Grignon, she agreed that he needed a marker and signed a letter, giving the His-torical Society permission to act onherbehalf.Withthat,andCplGrignon’s military records, they applied to the Veterans Adminis-trationinWashington.Thegovern-ment provided the stone at no cost, the same as any other veteran.

The Historical Society then planned for a small prayer ser-vice and placement ceremony to take place on Sunday, November 9th. They contacted Jacob Cop-pus Post No. 258 and asked if the Post would like to participate in the ceremony. The Post Commander

enthusiastically responded YES! Though the notice was short, Post No. 258 was able to provide full military honors to Corporal Gri-gnon, with Commander, Chaplain, Color Guard, Sergeant at Arms, RifleSquad,BuglerandFlagDe-tail present.

Unfortunately, a death in the Peeters’ family, shortly before the planned ceremony, caused a disrup-tion of normal activities within the family. Because of this sad occur-rence, the Peeters family was un-able to be present on that day. The ceremony proceeded, as planned, butpresentationoftheflagtoLoisPeeters did not take place.

The following day at the No-vember meeting of Post No. 258 the entire event was discussed in great detail. It was unanimously agreed that the missing portion of the ceremony, the presentation of the American Flag to Lois Peeters, needed to be completed. The post members wanted to make sure that the Peeters family had suf-ficient time to grieve their recentloss. They were invited, along with members of the Little Chute Historical Society to the January meeting to receive our country’s flaginmemoryofCorporalLouisGrignon.

A member of Post No. 258 built a beautiful display case for the Flag, which included the pertinent information of Cpl Grignon. The choice of the January meeting was significant also, because Depart-ment Commander Bob Shappell presented the Flag to Lois. It was a touching moment for all that were present, and was met with a standing ovation to the Peeters familyasafittingconclusiontoajourney of discovery that spanned over a period of eight months and CorporalLouisGrignonfinallyre-ceived recognition of his service to our country, nearly 148 years after his death.

relinquished certain lands at the request of the State Conservation Department with the understand-ing that this land would again be available to the Department in the future.

DNR LAND USE - During ne-gotiations for renewing the current Lease, DNR and American Legion representatives discussed restoring the relinquished lands to Legion control. The DNR indicated that because the land relinquished in 1964 has been available for Public Access, they could not include it in the current Lease despite the rep-resentations made in 1964 without amending the DNR’s Master Land Use Plan (MLUP). Amending the MLUP will require a process that provides for public comment before restoring the relinquished lands to Legion control. The initial

step will take place on February 25th when the Natural Resources Board meets to consider whether or not to allow the amendment pro-cess to take place.

Assuming that the Natural Re-sources Board agrees to allow the process to begin, a Public Hear-ing will be scheduled to take place later this spring. Most likely in the Rhinelander, Woodruff – Minoc-qua area.

The process for amending the Master Land Use Plan requires a Public Hearing and a period of time for written Public Comments. Once these have taken place, the matter would be placed on a future agenda of the Natural Resources Board for action. This process could allow for the restoration of all land relinquished in 1964, (red and green areas on the accompany-

ing map), or the footprint of land controlled from 1927 to 1944, (red area). The projected timeline for the process is 6 to 8 months from inception.

ACTION - As Camp continues to growinpopularitywithWisconsinmilitary service personnel, veter-ans and their families, The Ameri-can Legion looks for new ways tofulfillourmissionofservicetoWisconsin military service mem-bers, veterans and their families. By restoring the area of land avail-able at Camp American Legion we can provide new opportunities for rehabilitation and recreation. All interested parties and supporters of Camp American Legion will be encouraged to contact Laurie Ross -WisconsinDepartmentofNaturalResources at (608) 267-7420 or [email protected].

Camp Lease Renewed (Continued from page 1)

Ed and Gene Janssen place the U.S. Government headstone for Corporal Louis Bernard Grignon at St. John Cemetery in Little Chute. Photo by Brian Roebke, Editor, Times-Villager.

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1-800-707-4859

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PAGE 5THE BADGER LEGIONNAIREFEBRUARY 26, 2015

Department Commander Bob Shappell presented a check for $1,000 to Donald Braun of Post No. 375 in Mukwonago. Don recruited a new Legion member and won top prize in the “Get One” drawing held at the Midwinter Conference. The photo was taken at the Braun home in Mukwonago.

Commander Robert Shappell presents 2015 Midwinter Sweepstakes Grand Prize winner Charles Jordan of Post No. 30 in Edgerton a BIG check for $20,000.

Cable Post Honors Paralympians

On February 12, Legionnaire Helen Z. Wilke, a veteran ofWWII,celebratedher100thbirth-day.SheservedasanofficerintheUS Army from 1943 to 1946. She married Robert G.Wilke, whomshe met at an American Legion meeting. Bob Wilke served theDepartmentofWisconsinasAdju-tant from 1951 to 1981. He died on June 8, 1997.

Helen has been a member of The American Legion for 67 con-tinuous years, presently with the Alonzo Cudworth Post No. 23 in Milwaukee.

We are excited to report thatthe fundraising efforts for Team Wisconsin are going very well.Many Posts, Counties, Districts and individuals have made do-nations and they are getting too many to list here - but they are all very much appreciated. Our en-dorsed candidate Denise Rohan is delighted yet humbled by the support and looks forward to at-tending more events as they are scheduled.Wehopeeveryoneenjoyed the

Poker Run during Midwinter. It was such a success the Auxiliary is planning to hold another one during Convention in Appleton. Please look for the “TeamWis-consin” table at convention and get your entry tickets.

The 2nd District Riders had a fantastic Chili Cook-Off/Pie & Cake Auction/ Karaoke fund-raising event on January 31 in Saukville. La Crosse Post No. 52 and the Seven River Jazz Band featuring Judy K, did a wonder-ful job on the Valentines Dinner and Dance. We have an offer from Men’s

Hair House Haircuts for Dudes to donate $1.00 for each haircut given at their locations in: How-ard, Appleton, Waukesha, NewBerlin, West Allis, West Bendand Menomonee Falls. To have

WWII Veteran Celebrates 100 Years!

Fundraising E�orts in Full Force for Team WI

Birthday greetings can be sent to; Trinity Village Attention; Helen Wilke 7500 W. Dean Rd. Milwaukee, WI 53223

Helen Z. Wilke

American Legion Auxiliary Unit No. 487 and Legion members of Post No. 487 hosted a spaghetti dinner for members of Team USA, their coaches, families and friends that attended the 2015 IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships. Many area resi-dents and Legion Family members were on hand to greet and wish the Paralympians success during the week of competition. Among the athletes attending the dinner were 6 veterans from across the United States.

Post No. 487 of Cable was honored to participate in the opening and closing ceremo-nies of the 2015 IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships held January 24th through February 1st in Cable. George Wolski, Tim DeChant, Dick Williams, and Gary Frier-mood participated in the retiring of the colors and many other Legionnaires were on hand for the ceremony. All Photos by Julie Friermood

Many members of Cable American Legion Post No. 487 of the 12th Dis-trict participated during the opening ceremonies for the 2015 IPC Nordic Ski World Championships held at the Lakewoods Resort in Cable on January 23rd.

1ST PLACE$20,000 Cash or

2015 Vehicle from Boucher Charles G. Jordan

Edgerton, WI

2ND PLACE$10,000 Vehicle Allowance

from BoucherKeith Boardman Wi Rapids, WI

3RD PLACE$5,000 or Hawaiian Vacation

Robert Zalewski,Wauwatosa, WI

4TH PLACE$2,500 or Hunting Rifle

David Karpenske • Comstock, WI

5TH PLACE$1,000 or Big Screen TV

Richard Chojnacki Stevens Point, WI

Thanks to everyone for par-ticpating in the 2015 Midwin-ter Sweepstakes. Your donations help to support the many pro-grams of The American Legion, Deptartment of Wisconsin.

this donation made, you need to presentacertificatewhenyougoinforyourhaircut.Weareintheprocess of getting posters distrib-uted to the Posts, Counties and Districts in those areas to help promote this opportunity. You can also email [email protected] and she will send you the graphictoprintyourowncertifi-cate.

Plans for the June 25 golf out-ing are moving forward. Your District should have received a request for help putting togeth-er baskets to raffle during theevent. More information will be mailed in the spring about reg-istering to golf and other ways you can participate. You can con-tact Chairman Ted DeMicchi at (262) 945-1496 or email him at [email protected]. RaffleticketsforTheAmerican

Legion Centennial Pistol con-tinue to be available by contact-ing Candidate Denise. If you are not a gun collector but still want to support the campaign; several people are interested in purchas-ing the gun from the winner and we can get you connected after the drawing in July.

Details about upcoming Cam-paign Events continue to be post-ed on the Department website under the Post Calendar.

March 14, 2015Noon Luncheon at

Swan Club in DePere March 28, 2015 German Dinner

La Crosse Post No. 52April 11, 2015

Dinner Cross Plains Post No. 245

April 18, 2015Beer&WineTasting

Stoughton Post No. 59 April 25, 2015

Loyalty Day in New RichmondMay 2, 2015

Kentucky Derby Teain DarlingtonMay 15, 2015

Dinner at Laack’s Hallin JohnsonvilleJune 27, 2015 Golf Outing

Reedsburg County Club September 12, 2015 Sportsman Banquet

McFarland

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PAGE 6 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE SEPTEMBER 25, 2014PAGE 6 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE FEBRUARY 26, 2015

The LastBugle

1 GermantownRoger Neumann V 11/09/14Edward Palbicki K 02/10/1510 WausauDonald Wunsch II 01/08/15Roger Lotto 01/12/1511 Green BayEdward Mostek II 01/15/15Joseph Novitski K 01/22/1517 ArcadiaTitus Kupietz II 01/27/1519 HartfordRichard Austin V 01/07/1526 BarabooEdward Kurtz II 01/02/1528 ValdersDarrell Wiegert V 01/31/1533 NeenahWesley Zimmer K 01/26/15Gilbert Mitchell II 01/27/1535 EvansvilleRichard Howard V 12/30/1436 West BendRaymond Fligge II 01/16/15Jerome Jerome II 01/08/1538 AppletonWendall Smith II 01/08/15Jerome Sobiesczyk V 01/17/15Joseph DeNoble II 01/21/15Robert Mitchell V 01/21/15Donald Wechsler II 02/03/1539 MarinetteJames Stodola II 01/24/1540 BangorAlan Jacobson V 02/05/1541 KaukaunaRobet Vandrasek II 12/16/14Harry Hurst II 01/02/15Thomas Ditter K 01/07/1542 PlattevilleRonald Hying V 01/21/15Harold Beals K 01/18/1544 WabenoMarvin Heisler II 01/18/1547 PortageJohn Krause K 01/19/1548 BeloitGeorge Turner K 12/05/1253 Eau ClaireStanley Ayres II 01/24/15Melvern Wesenberg II 11/17/1454 Marshfi eldWilliam Breu II 12/18/14Gene Loos V 12/05/14Robert Cadwalader K 01/07/15Eugene Daniel K 01/18/1558 HurleyThomas Thompson II 01/05/1563 ClintonvilleVern Rasmussen K 02/02/1566 Silver CliffJames Laurent K 10/14/14Douglas Stockwell V 01/19/1570 OshkoshWilliam Kollross K 01/02/15George Hagene II 01/10/15Fredrick Leist II 01/23/1571 PewaukeeKenneth Stahl V 01/16/1572 Sturgeon BayJohn Nelson II 11/28/14Benjamin Logerquist K 11/29/14Daniel Carmody V 11/11/14

73 NeillsvilleJohn Ringstad II 01/20/1574 OcontoGerald Stewart V 02/25/1477 Chippewa FallsOtto Bohl K 01/18/15Albert Hurtgen II 01/16/1579 BurlingtonDaniel Kanaly II 01/26/15John Coleman K 02/04/15Homer Berry II 80 New RichmondKeith Johnson V 01/12/15Milford Simonds V 12/31/1482 Port WashingtonArlin Walsh K 02/03/15Ray Kolocek II 01/24/1583 SheboyganRonald Gooding K 12/26/1485 MuscodaDonald Imhoff V 02/07/1589 MinocquaFelix Batwinski II 01/16/15Harold Passow II 01/15/1590 AshlandTom Holvick K 01/10/1593 TomahawkJames Parrish V 01/06/15Ronald Jensen V 01/20/15Walter Meyer II 95 DelavanDonald Boviall II 01/21/15John Lefel K 02/09/1598 CumberlandBruce Stokes V 01/07/15106 SeymourVernon Dreisow K 01/12/15109 LancasterBert Moore II 02/09/15121 River FallsGlen Bottolfson II 12/17/14Paul Sylla II 12/31/14Michael Gilbert PG 02/05/15126 BrillionLewis Pfeffer K 12/30/14Reuben Paul II 01/22/15131 ColfaxMarvin Rothbauer K 12/17/14Clifford Peterson II 01/17/15Francis Schindler II 12/04/14141 New GlarusDonald Moen II 12/09/14John Elmer V 03/29/14Jack Heller K 01/28/15143 St Croix FallsRoy Bracht K 01/17/15Donald Carlson II 12/31/14146 Beaver DamClifford Jackman II 12/30/15Ruben Greenfi eld K 01/23/15Richard Leichtle II 02/06/15148 BloomingtonMonroe Gardner K 02/06/15149 Sheboygan FallsJerome Buechler V 01/26/15158 Maiden RockRobert Zich V 12/27/14Richard Lundquist V 01/25/15165 Two RiversClarence Seeley K 01/19/15169 AmeryDavid Paulson K 01/17/15Gregg Judge V 12/11/14170 Mineral PointRichard Lyman K 01/05/15Burnell Wange II 01/06/15171 Union GroveRichard Plucker V 01/17/15George Strasser K 12/11/14173 WhitewaterAnthony Rutoski II 01/13/15175 LoyalGordon Allar V 01/27/15176 WeyauwegaRobert Noffke K 01/13/15179 ChetekDennis Morley K 05/24/14182 Park FallsHarold Pritzl II 01/07/15

Raymond Peterson V 01/11/15Harlan Stull II 01/17/15185 GrantsburgLoran Hoffman K 12/29/14Gerald Cambronne K 12/10/14188 East TroyJim Cash II 02/03/15189 WatertownLarry Ninmann V 02/24/14Laverne Wilkes II 11/23/14Stuart Schilling II 01/11/15Raymond Rodenkirch G/L 12/19/14191 WhitehallJerome Estenson V 01/23/15201 TomahArnold Bloyer V 01/18/15Michael Grandinetti V 01/29/15204 EllsworthLewis Powers II 01/15/15205 JanesvilleRichard Henning II 02/06/15206 WonewocOscar Pynnonen K 01/29/15212 BarronOrville Hicks II 01/16/15215 PardeevilleDeane Steele II 01/12/15216 LodiLawrence Novy K 02/01/15Harold Stoltenberg K 02/02/15219 MilwaukeeMark Perschbacher II 04/16/14Larry Grulke V 02/04/15243 PlymouthKenneth Deicher K 01/18/15251 ArgyleJohn Erickson K 01/30/15258 Little ChutePaul Lamers II 01/06/15John Verbruggen II 01/15/15Robert Vandenberg II 01/29/15Henry Evers II 01/31/15260 Deerfi eldDean Gotzion K 01/11/15262 LuxemburgLeon Zimmer V 09/09/32263 New LondonDonald Polzin II 01/17/15267 New AuburnJames Beal II 02/02/15272 ButternutJohn Jehn II 01/24/15284 HolmenRoger Gilberg II 01/23/15288 CedarburgRichard Rieder K 01/22/15Oliver Westby II 12/10/13James Whiting II 09/14/14Wilbert Schoknecht II 02/07/15294 HartlandFred Pilacek 01/29/15295 BloomerJohn Yakesh II 01/05/15Gerald Davis II 01/24/15299 Hales CornersPatrick Sheehan K 11/09/14305 Johnson CreekFranklin Brunk K 01/12/15310 RacineNorman Levin II 07/22/14Donald Ancevic II 01/31/15Lowell Jensen II 02/01/15Gilbert Nelsen II 02/07/15315 StoddardMarvin Landsinger K 02/03/15316 SheldonJack Dutter K 12/25/14Phillip Lukowicz K 01/14/15320 HumbirdJohn Clapper V 01/10/15324 OsseoWilliam Fox K 02/01/15Royce Kuberra K 02/08/15331 ShorewoodJohn Coldwell II 01/01/15Edward Heidenreich II 10/15/14George James II 10/03/14William Baivier II 11/05/14Donald Nelson II 03/21/13

333 Sun PrairieElmer Haefner II 01/16/15339 AlmondRonald Cieslewicz V 01/09/15Lawrence Vroman K 01/15/15340 BerlinOneta Harrington V 01/15/15351 MontelloKenneth Peters II 01/16/15352 CassvilleLeo Friederick V 12/31/14355 GraftonHarley Pals 01/03/15360 WaunakeeDonald Miller K 01/28/15363 DenmarkRoyal Cenefelt II 01/10/15Lawrence Lacenski II 01/16/15365 Plum CityRaymond Dettling II 01/21/14Maxine Eccles II 09/29/14Donald Konsela V 12/05/14Gene Swanson II 12/18/14Elwood Eccles II 11/07/14375 MukwonagoBruce Turner V 01/09/15Fabian Ruszkiewicz K 01/25/15Arnold Zahn K 01/12/15377 ElchoJames Sharon II 01/22/15382 Menomonee FallsFrancil Bitters V 01/26/15Donald Schoenke II 02/05/15385 VeronaEdward Faber II 01/13/15392 CecilMarvin Murphy K 12/19/14395 KingstonWilliam Bork II 01/02/15Walter Walker II 01/19/15396 Indian CreekRonald Pearson V 01/31/15400 WauwatosaRonald Hudy V 02/04/15406 MilwaukeeJohn Snedeker K 02/02/15410 FredoniaBernard Hoppe K 01/12/15416 GreendaleLloyd Reynolds II 12/22/14Albert Luetzow II 01/24/15

Don Motquin II 10/14/14433 BarneveldJohn Bergum V 01/31/15448 MilwaukeeIda Fischer K 12/09/14Helen Aasen II 01/02/15449 Brookfi eldHelmut Dallgas II 01/11/15Robert Kujawski II 02/04/15453 BelmontHarold Miesen II 02/07/15454 Mt CalvaryLeo Schneider K 01/11/15Joseph Nett V 01/12/15David Rieden K 12/03/14Arlyn Bord K 01/29/15460 BellevilleWilliam Smith II 10/15/14476 LoomisJohn Veriha II 02/08/15481 MadisonJames Noll V 01/08/15483 AllentonRaymond Lubbert K 01/20/15485 RudolphTheodore Lemay II 01/18/15501 MadisonLoraine Marvin II 12/30/14Merlin Goth II 02/03/15Joseph Frisch II 02/03/15Carl Mueske K 10/11/12James Anderson II 04/06/14519 StetsonvillePhilip Metz V 01/23/15Floyd Neibacher K 01/23/15521 Fox LakeDonald Towles K 02/10/15531 Herbster-Port WingWalfred Anderson K 01/31/15534 McFarlandFrank Hlavac II 01/05/15Raymond Popp V 01/20/15544 Twin LakesWayne Kimmell V 01/16/15546 RacineOthella Turner K 08/08/14547 LublinEugene Zakrzewicz II 01/11/15Alvin Graski K 01/12/15Robert Nordlof V 01/19/15

Who Will Help You?

©2014 Worldwide Rescue & Security 34932

Today’s travel can involve unexpected financial risks.But you’re GUARANTEED help in case there’s a medicalemergency away from home.

The Legionnaire Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+)Program offers you and your family security you needwhile traveling. EA+ delivers high-value benefits toprotect you such as:

☞ Emergency Medical Assistance☞ Medical Evacuation & Transportation Home☞ Travel Assistance For You & Your Companion

To learn more about the benefits and services provided to you by Your American LegionDepartment, visit us online today at www.theLIT.com/emergency-assistance-plus

or call 1-888-310-1547.This information is only an overview of the plan’s features. Terms & Conditions apply.

From Your American LegionDepartment

34932 LT.17931 EA+ Ad_Layout 1 3/21/14 2:48 PM Page 1

Page 7: Badger aire Vol. 92, No. 2 -  · PDF fileaire Vol. 92, No. 2 ... doze off and drool during therapy sessions, and burn themselves with ... Legion magazine and the national website

PAGE 7THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE

Post No. 113 • Mt. HorebGeoff Shields

Post No. 121 • River Falls Jim Miller

Post No. 128 • Stockbridge Ron Deets

Post No. 480 • Presque Isle Jim Stober

Post No. 379 • BirchwoodRon Marcon

Post No. 306 • Green LakeMark Kramer

Post No. 170 • Mineral Pt.Ray Paynter

Post No. 132 • Siren Christoper Sower

Post No. 438 • Norwalk Joseph E. Culpitt

Post No. 476 • LoomisJulie Retza

Post No. 524 • White LakeRobert Graupner

Post No. 106 • SeymourDick DuBuhr

Post No. 517 • DorchesterWally Sprotte

Post No. 216 • Lodi Eugene Neumaier

Post No. 375 • MukwonagoSteven Plochocki

Post No. 288 • CedarburgDennis Loberger

Post No. 376 • Fall CreekNorm Brunkow

Post No. 433 • BarneveldRussell Moyer

Post No. 401 • CambriaCharles Dykstra

Post No. 313 • Black EarthDennis Wood

Post No. 261 • Greenbush John Kline

Post No. 383 • Lone Rock Art Temby

Post No. 103 • Galesville Harold Vaughn

Post No. 540 • HaugenLloyd Meinen

Post No. 109 • LancasterMike Lieurance

Post No. 269 • CushingGary Johnson

Post No. 243 • PlymouthEugene Blindauer

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