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After leaving the military, finding a job was a job in itself for veteran Courtney Smalls who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. As he transitioned to civilian life, many things were weighing on this veteran, but he soldiered on with determination.
“I had to endure losing my mother and grandmother within a 13-month period as well...
“The Battle Never Ends,” an hour-long documentary streaming on HISTORY Channel on-demand, is a chronological look back at DAV and its accomplishments throughout the past century. The film focuses on how DAV responded to the emerging needs of disabled veterans and their families during each of America’s military engage...
David Miles comes by his commitment to veterans quite naturally – it’s rooted in the deep pride he feels for his father who served 16 years in the Army as a Sergeant MP (Military Police), and experienced two tours in Korea before a service-related injury forced him into retirement.
“We’re real proud o...
Glenn E. Smith proudly joined the Pennsylvania Air Guard’s 111th Security Forces Squadron at Willow Grove in September 1998. Three years later, to the very month, the nation came under attack.
It wasn’t long after the attacks of September 11, 2001 that Smith’s unit activated and deployed to Lajes Field in the Az...
Air Force veteran Amber Frymark watched as income from her veteran-owned business slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, business insurance, storage fees and administrative costs were still due. Scheduled demos of her award-winning product — a beverage enhancer that adds health, hydration and flavor to beverages — which were...
When Hurricane Michael barreled into the Florida Panhandle in October of 2018, Air Force veteran Edgar Lane, Jr. braced for its force inside a friend’s house in Panama City that was well equipped to withstand the most powerful storms.
“It sounded like a freight train for about 20 minutes, then for another 15 minutes,”...
“DAV has been right there every time I needed help.”
After suffering a heart attack and undergoing open-heart surgery, Vietnam veteran James Norman reached out to DAV to help him gain critical access to earned benefits.
At the time, Norman had a low service-connected disability rating, which...
Dawnelle Boles, a disabled veteran and single mother, suddenly lost her income during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, DAV’s COVID-19 Unemployment Relief Fund provided a critical grant to support her and her family during this unprecedented time.
“This will feed both of us and get the basic necessities that people take f...
They say to look for the helpers during difficult times. When you do, you’ll find people like Air Force veteran Marian Smith.
Despite the risk, Smith is steadfast in her commitment to be of service to others.
“This time is almost like being away in the military,” she said. “You miss birthdays, we...
Like many veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, Robert Power rarely talks about his service.
“I had no idea what my husband had been through,” said Janet Power. “He never talked about it. I knew in my spirit that my husband had suffered, even though he said he didn’t. I was married to him 25 years, and 15 y...
April is the Month of the Military Child when DAV brings awareness to the children of military service members and veterans.
Brenda Crawley’s husband joined the Navy in 1998, inspired to serve because he wanted to defend his country. His service would take him around the world on sea duty, which meant extensive time away...
After sustaining life-altering wounds in Iraq, Nick Koulchar thought he’d lost his purpose. As it turns out, his wounds would give him a whole new mission.
In 2006, 24-year-old Koulchar entered the Army as a private. By 2008, he was deployed to Sadr City, Iraq with Alpha Company 40th Engineers, Task Force 1/6, conductin...
It was 1979, the summer after Glenn E. Smith’s junior year of high school when he decided to sign up for the Army’s Delayed Entry Program.
“I realized that I only had one year of school left and I still didn't know what I wanted to do afterward,” said Smith.
For a decade Smith served in...
Army veteran Alexander Murphy suffered numerous injuries during his service, but among the most painful were those inflicted on his legs in a truck collision.
“We were in a truck, and there was a convoy coming. There was another military truck that tried to pass in an area where he couldn’t make it,” recal...
Vietnam veteran turns to DAV for help with lasting effects of war
Dennis Reichert struggles daily with what he experienced in Vietnam. Memories of fierce combat haunt the Marine, as do images of the weapons, flak jackets and canteens stacked row-after-row, each representing an American injured or killed on the battlefi...
