Meeting a need at the local level
Department of Louisiana Commander Les Cromwell (left) and Past National Commander Bill Detweiler (right) present Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System Director Fernando Rivera Jr. with $10,000 worth of items provided through Operation Comfort Warriors. (Photo by Lucas Carter)

Meeting a need at the local level

American Legion Past National Commander Bill Detweiler has seen the Legion’s generosity in the form of donations at the national level. But on July 8, Detweiler was able to present a donation very close to home – in fact, right in the middle of home.

Detweiler and Department of Louisiana Commander Les Cromwell presented the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS) in New Orleans with $10,000 worth of items made available through the Legion’s Operation Comfort Warriors program. "We see (donations) all the time on the national level, but rarely are we there when it flows down to the need,” said Detweiler, a New Orleans resident. “This really gives us a chance to see it working at the need. All this stuff is going to good use, no question.”

The donation will be used in two ways – $5,000 went toward purchasing blankets, personal hygiene products, dry food tables, clothing and other items that will go into veterans gift bags and be distributed both to veterans receiving care on site and to veterans who attend a stand down event in October.

“We tend to think about our mission as almost being family driven. In this case, this is the best evidence of coming together (and) making things better for veterans,” SLVHCS Director Fernando Rivera Jr. said. “We’re extremely grateful to The American Legion for (its) support. These are amenities that veterans need. They’re going to make their path, their journey to better health care (and) better quality of life more comfortable and more suitable.

“Donations like this represent so much to the individual veteran. For homeless veterans, it’s about dignity. It’s about convenience. For all veterans, it’s an important part of the experience while you’re going through a health-care episode.”

Another $5,000 was used to purchase art materials that will be used in the health-care system’s neurological rehabilitation program.

“What these donations represent is an extension of the care,” Rivera said. “They represent giving the veteran the greatest chance for the fullest recovery in the quickest timeframe possible. Our arts and crafts are an important part of that recovery. They’re an important part of that continuity. To be able … to have them readily available represents what we want to be as a health-care provider.”

The items were stored in nearby Metairie at Post 175, site of the Legion’s Veterans Benefits Center July 6-8. Local Legionnaires helped pack up and transport the items for the donation. "I can’t thank the Louisiana (Legionnaires) enough,” said Bruce Drake, the Legion’s national OCW program coordinator. “They really helped reach out to the local veterans.”