Poland looks to Illinois for model program

In spite of all its horrors, war has a unique ability to form the tightest of bonds between comrades-in-arms. Today's coalition forces rely heavily on the support provided among various nations. This friendship among allies was on full display June 30, when American Legion officials from the Department of Illinois welcomed a delegation of Polish military veterans at department headquarters.

The delegation - which included uniformed officials from Poland's Ministry of National Defence, Land Forces Command (LFC) and Military Health Command - toured the state to study services provided to veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Illinois National Guard and The American Legion.

"Poland is just transitioning to an all-volunteer force," Col. Eugeniusz Szajbel of the LFC explained. "Our Parliament just passed major legislation to benefit veterans. Implementing it will be a challenge, but we believe there is a lot we can learn by studying the American system of caring for veterans."

The Polish legislation, which is expected to be enacted in January 2012, includes the designation of a national "Veterans Day," the provision of educational benefits for veterans, a veterans-preference employment system in the Ministry of National Defence, and increased retirement and disability pay for those who served.

"I wanted this group to come to The American Legion because it is such an integral part of what we are able to do for veterans," Illinois Director of Veterans Affairs Dan Grant said. "We cannot accomplish our mission if not for organizations like the Legion, that champion policies and quality-of-life issues which benefit veterans. Our (state) veterans homes, for instance, are a direct result of our service organizations. And the Legion is the biggest."

Grant pointed out that until the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Poland had not experienced prolonged combat since World War II. "Many of the issues that our veterans have faced during Korea and Vietnam are much newer to Poland," he said. "There is no VA there as we know it. Members of our Illinois National Guard have deployed with Polish forces. We have also traveled to Poland, and are hoping to share our best practices and learn from each other."

Legion Past National Commander Marty Conatser of Illinois believes the visit was beneficial to all parties involved. "This came about as a result of our strong relationship with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and the Illinois National Guard," Conatser said. "We are there to provide assistance to veterans, and they know that. It's simply a case of credibility."

During his welcoming remarks to the group, Legion Department of Illinois Adjutant Terry Woodburn emphasized the need to provide strong customer service to veterans. "We have 106,000 members, and I have 106,000 bosses," Woodburn said. "Our veterans are our customers. We are a volunteer organization, and our members volunteer many hours of their time to help their fellow veterans. That's what we do - respond to our customers' need."

"Without a doubt, what we do can be emulated by other countries," Conatser added after the briefing. "That's why the National Guard asked that we give them a briefing about how we are structured, and how we have the ability to help on a day-to-day basis."

Illinois Legionnaires ensured that the 10-member Polish delegation would experience another American tradition during the brief visit - a barbecue cookout that included hamburgers, hot dogs and homemade desserts.

John Raughter is communications director for The American Legion.