I hope that everyone has a great time this July 4th. Our country is almost at the 250-year anniversary. I hope to see everyone on the parade route. Thank you to Windham Hose Co. #1 for sponsoring the parade as they have for years.
This brings me to the fact that VFW Post 1545 has been in the Town of Windham since 1928. In 3 short years we will celebrate our 100th anniversary.
Our post has had WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, the War on Terror, Iraq War and the Afghanistan War veterans in our ranks along the way. We thank everyone in the community for your support along the way.
One thing I would like to touch on is community. We are very fortunate to live in this community. It has so much to offer.
Yes there’s a ski slope, golf courses, great restaurants, fantastic views, and for the most part, quiet. I have met so many beautiful people here that are caring and considerate, and care for each other.
Recently, our post suffered a great loss with the passing of Linda Varelas. I came to know Linda and her husband Jim through the VFW, where they both served with quiet dedication and strong community spirit.
Jim, a proud Korean War veteran, has long been a cornerstone of our post. Linda, equally devoted, was a charter member of our Auxiliary, and her commitment to service was an inspiration to all who knew her.
At Linda’s funeral, the outpouring of love and support from the community was deeply moving. The service was not just a farewell—it was a true celebration of a life lived with faith, compassion, and selflessness.
Linda’s deep belief in God and her generous heart touched so many, and her memory will remain a blessing.
I know I speak for many when I say she will be deeply missed. As we remember Linda, we also keep Jim in our prayers, asking for comfort and peace in the days ahead.
VFW National Legislative Associate Director Nancy Springer submitted a statement for the record for a House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs hearing on pending legislation.
The hearing reviewed 12 bills addressing issues including burial and survivor benefits, an annual report on veterans’ causes of death, enhanced access to benefits for rural veterans, hiring preferences for Veterans Law Judges, and improvements to the VA claims and appeals processes.
A key piece of legislation that includes provisions that the VFW has asked for and commented on in previous testimony is H.R. 3983, Veterans Claims Quality Improvement Act of 2025. It would enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and overall effectiveness of the claims and appeals processes through data-driven training initiatives and strengthened quality assurance protocols.
This week’s POW/MIA: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. George F. Bradbury, 22, of Georgia, killed during World War II, was accounted for Dec. 19, 2024. In the fall of 1943, Bradbury served as a navigator aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber with 858th Bombardment Squadron, 492nd Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force. The unit was engaged in Operation CARPETBAGGER, a series of secret missions in which several specially designated bomb groups dropped supplies, arms, equipment, leaflets, U.S. Office of Strategic Services and French agents to resistance groups operating in northern France. On Sept. 16, 1944, Bradbury’s crew was scheduled to fly its final mission to drop supplies to resistance forces 40 miles east of the Moselle River. 115th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion, an American artillery unit stationed near Lebeuville, France, mistook Bradbury’s B-24 for an enemy aircraft and opened fire upon it, killing six of the eight crew members onboard, including Bradbury.
On the morning of Sept. 17, 1944, American soldiers recovered the remains discovered at the crash site, along with identification tags belonging to four of the crewmembers. Of the eight crew members aboard, two successfully parachuted to safety, while four were resolved through remains found at the crash site. Two were left unaccounted for, one of which was Bradbury.
In 2013, a DPAA investigative team visited Bainville-aux-Miroirs, France, where they gathered information from local informants and surveyed the area where the B-24 crashed. From Oct. 16 through Nov. 16, 2021, DPAA partner Geoscope Services, Ltd. excavated the site and recovered remains and evidence, all of which was accessioned into the DPAA laboratory.
To identify Bradbury’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome, and autosomal DNA analysis. Bradbury will be buried in Ranburne, Alabama in October 2025.
Remember to keep all our troops still serving and our veterans in your thoughts and prayers. God Bless America.
Marc Farmilette, PDC – Commander VFW Post 1545.
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