VFW: Beware of Questionable Individuals Soliciting Donations

A few times this summer, veterans dressed in obsolescent woodland camouflage uniforms were soliciting donations in front of on Shore Road.

When queried by me, the solicitors said, "We're collecting donations for local vets." I asked the vets soliciting where they were from – and they stated they were from Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, etc. – I perused the ID card worn around their neck and determined it was a "Department of Veterans Affairs Patient ID" card.

I can verily say that, to the best of my knowledge, local Port Washington vets receive zero funds from this group. I told these vets that they were being used by a questionable enterprise, which gives these vets a "cut" of what they collect each day.

I recently received a notification from the national headquarters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) that VSO and similarly named groups are being investigated by several state and federal authorities.

Patriotic citizens should be on the look-out for the following indicators that they may be contributing to a questionable vets group:

• A padlocked plastic pail or box
• A looseleaf binder for "endorsements"
• A non-local veteran soliciting
• A VA patient ID card in a holder around the solicitor's neck.

If the public wants the donation to go to local vets, donate to: 

• Henderson-Marino Post 1819, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the US (VFW)
• American Legion Post 509
• Port Washington Detachment Marine Corps League

The above vets groups are local vets, and your donation goes to local vets.

We can not let a few dubious groups get in the way of supporting our local veterans. 

Yours in Patriotism,

John Chalker

Commander 

VFW Post 1819

29 Mohegan Ave

Port Washington, NY 11050

516-767-1552

Editor's Note: The original headline inadvertently referred to one organization in particular, Veterans Support Organization. That was not the intent of Patch.