American Legion Scamming Veterans?

They want you Vets to believe they’re not, it’s All a Mistake!

Or so they , quickly? backtracked, only after one Retired Air Force Major, Robert Hanafin, sent the letter to ABC News, you’ll find that link, in PDF, below as well as they’re apology in PDF.

Bobby, is not one you want to piss off.

Oh and it seems the Veterans Charities, those given extremely low grades on actually helping Veterans, while doing more to help themselves, are still playing their game, more about that below.

Could this be why, the right leaning American Legion, has been virtually Quiet, along with the VFW, on all the reports coming to light about treatment, and shortchanging Again, of the returning Iraq and Afgan Veterans, to busy figuring ways, Illegally, to enhance their dwindling membership and coffers!

American Legion Trying to Scam Vets?

U.S. postal inspectors have been asked to investigate whether the American Legion tried to trick veterans into signing up for membership in the Legion.

In a mailing last year to 800,000 former members, the American Legion said their “benefits as a veteran of the United States Armed Forces have lapsed” and that the only way to “reinstate these important benefits” was to pay $20 to reinstate their American Legion membership.

It was signed by Legion National Adjutant Robert Spanogle, which he now says it was “a serious mistake.”

Oh I’d say so Mr. Spanogle, and as a Veteran you know Full Well how big a Mistake it is!

A retired Air Force major, Robert Hanafin, has filed a complaint of mail fraud with postal inspectors after becoming outraged by what he viewed as a deceptive letter designed to scare people into rejoining the American Legion. According to Hanafin, “Any veterans organization that uses any such low-down scams to increase membership deserves to stay in the 19th century.”

Veteran Spanogle, after blaming the ‘private contractor’, who does their mailings, had this to say:

“we acted promptly and immediately sent out a correction letter.”

And the Major, Bobby Hanafin, comes back to Spanogles with the obvious:

Maj. Hanafin, however, said he doesn’t buy the American Legion’s explanation that the first letter was a mistake. He points to specific language in the letter that states the benefits were given “in accordance with a special act of Congress.” According to Hanafin, “The disservice they are doing to America’s veterans…goes far beyond shameful.”

You go, as ussual, Bobby, putting the Truth to the Fiction!

I’m frankly amazed that these right leaning groups and ideology followers, not just veterans groups, still seem to think that this countries citizens are as Stupid as they seem to be, over and over and over the corruption and scams they think they can get away with, as they make them so easy to not only Debunk but get caught! Want to improve the economy, start building more prisons and put these idiots behind those bars, we’d be filling them up as quick as we build them, and we’d be building them for a long time!

And as said, in the beginning, here’s some more on the caring,compassionate {compasionate- the bush mantra?}? Veterans Charities.

But first, to refresh your short term memory, watch this Video about the initial investigative reports from ABC News:

And this one as well from the Hearings:

And you certainly don’t want to miss this great commentary, by Bob Schieffer, on Gen. Tommy Franks participation, and selling of his name and stature, in these Veterans Charitable Organizations:

An now on to a report published in the New York Times on Febuary 8th, 2008:

‘An Intolerable Fraud’

An envelope arrived in our office the other day. It had the bulky, tawdry look of junk mail: pink and lavender Easter eggs, a plastic address window and a photo of a young man in fatigue shorts using crutches to stand on his only leg. “Thousands of severely wounded troops are suffering,” it read. “Will you help them this Easter?”

It was a plea for money from the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, one of the worst private charities – but hardly the only – that have been shamefully milking easy cash from the suffering and heartache caused by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The coalition and its sister organization, Help Hospitalized Veterans, were among a dozen military-related charities given a grade of F in a study last December by the American Institute of Philanthropy, a nonprofit watchdog group. These and other charities have collected hundreds of millions of dollars from kind-hearted Americans and squandered an unconscionable amount of it on overhead and expenses – 70 percent or 80 percent, or more.

The report goes on to explain where Most Of The Money Collected Actually Goes, than gives us this bit of Truth:

And what did the soldiers get? Try almost $18.8 million in “charitable” phone cards sent to troops overseas in 2006 – not to let them call their families, but rather to call up a stateside business that sells sports scores.

You can find abit more, after reading the report, at the link within this:

Additional commentary and images of the mailing from the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, visit The Board: From Sympathy to Outrage

And the Quote, from the hearings by the Arrogant Uncaring Shithead Roger Chapin, that should embed in everyones mind:

“If we disclose, which I’m more than happy to do,” he said, “we’d all be out of business. Nobody would donate. It would dry up.”

Be Aware, Very Aware, of Who You Give Any and All Donations To, and Demand They Go To The Intended Recipients of These Charitable Organizations!!