National commander, Auxiliary president meet with Taiwan president
Less than two days after his political party suffered decisive electoral defeats, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou met this week with American Legion National Commander Michael D. Helm and American Legion Auxiliary National President Janet Jefford to discuss veterans issues and areas of international concern.
“It must have been tempting for President Ma to cancel our meeting so he could ponder his own political and personal future,” Helm said. “The fact that the president still met with us shows how high the Republic of China (Taiwan) values its relationship with The American Legion family. President Ma and his entire team from Taiwan’s Veterans Affairs Council were gracious and knowledgeable hosts who sincerely wish to strengthen an already strong friendship with our organization and our two countries.”
“The American Legion is the largest veterans organization in the United States,” Ma said. “Ever since our founding, we have always maintained close relations with The American Legion. I have met with five national commanders since 2008, and we also send a delegation to the Legion National Convention every year.
Earlier that morning, Taiwan’s Veterans Affairs Council (VAC) presented its prestigious Medal of Honor awards to Helm and Jefford for “promoting veterans welfare and strengthening mutual relations and cooperation between the two organizations.” The council’s minister, Tung Hsiang-Lung later hosted an official luncheon honoring the two Legion family heads.
The Veterans Affairs Council, much like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is responsible for providing health and education benefits to Taiwanese military veterans.VAC officials accompanied the Legion delegation on a tour of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, which serves more than 2.5 million veterans and treats 100,000 inpatients each year.
“Janet and I were very impressed with how you treat not just patients but their family members in your facility,” Helm later told Tung. “The fact that you treat family members in your facility is a very good idea and something that we don’t do in America.”
“I worked in a hospital for 20 years, and yours was very impressive,” Jefford added. “The people we met – the staff – really care a lot about your veterans. And I thank you for what you do for them and their families.”
“We like to see how groups like The American Legion help veterans, so veterans organizations in this country could better learn to serve veterans,” Tung said.
Helm’s visit to Taiwan was part of a Far East tour that included Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, South Korea and Okinawa, Japan. Helm and Jefford are currently visiting the Department of Hawaii, where they will participate in Pearl Harbor observances on Dec. 7.