Legion posts in Thailand continually seek to improve veteran-funeral process.
In February, the two American Legion posts in Thailand participated in a nearly-three-hour veterans roundtable with VFW leadership, other community representatives and the Hon. Sean O’Neill, the new U.S. ambassador to the country; in fact, it was his very first U.S-facing engagement. John Skabry, commander of Brig. Gen. Robin Olds Post TH01 in Ubon Ratchathani, reported on the post’s Facebook page that “the meeting was productive and focused on issues directly impacting American veterans and citizens living in Thailand.” These issues range from VA and medical services, to APO and mail systems, to the nationwide campaign O’Neill has initiated to celebrate America’s 250th birthday (Thailand is the oldest ally of the United States in Asia, with relations going back to 1818).
But as Skabry emphasized in later emails, possibly the VSOs’ highest priority is funeral military honors for deceased veterans in Thailand. There are no U.S. military bases or funeral-ready units in the country, so Legion and VFW posts have been conducting the honors for years, as “we are community-oriented and service-minded people … several of us are also U.S. Embassy Wardens/citizen liaison volunteers (CLVs), helping coordination and facilitating communication and activities with our local communities and the embassy’s American Citizen Services.”
The current relationship started in September 2023, when he met Consul General Hon. Kathryn Flachsbart and thanked her for consular help in providing interment flags. But even with as many honors as the VSOs perform, some deceased veterans were not known as such and had fallen through the cracks. After that conversation, consular staff began asking upon reported deaths of any veteran status, then relaying that information to VA. But veterans were still falling through the cracks, because according to U.S. Code such services are actually up to the Department of War.
One goal of the February roundtable was to get resolution on that situation, and efforts continue toward a formal memorandum of understanding about all parties’ roles – as do the VSOs’ funeral honors. Part of that is simply getting the word out to the residents of Thailand about those honors, and it’s working; Skabry said they sometimes receive funeral requests directly from the deceased’s family. He has stood up a post subcommittee “to help define, and coordinate, a nationwide program to help ensure that any deceased veteran in Thailand receives the military-honors funeral they earned and are entitled to receive.”
- FODPAL