Category: Events

Service Officer Event

ATTENTION ALL VETERANS
DO YOU KNOW YOUR V.A. BENEFITS?

A Post VFW Veterans Service Officer will be available at

Big River Post 5331
on
Saturday, October 14th
from
4:00pm – 7:00pm

to discuss your well deserved V.A. Benefits

Hearing loss or Tinnitus – ALL VETERANS
Agent Orange Vietnam
Exposure to cold weather in Europe and Korea
What every veteran’s spouse needs to know about veteran benefits
Veteran and surviving spouse that receive in-home care
Many other benefits will be discussed

*** Bring your discharge and DD-214 with you please ***

The V.A. will never tell you about your benefits, you have to ask.
Questions about this event, call Daniel Brown, 636-677-2892

POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremony

Please join Big River VFW Post 5331 this Friday at 6:00pm for our annual POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremony at the VFW Post flagpole. In addition to recognizing and remembering our former prisoners of war and those missing in action, we will also recognize our Blue Star, Silver Star and Gold Star family members. All are encouraged to attend.

Things to Know on POW/MIA Recognition Day

POW/MIA Recognition Day is commemorated on the third Friday of every September, a date that’s not associated with any particular war.

The Numbers

In order to comprehend the importance of this day, all you need to do is look at the sheer number of Americans who have been listed as POW/MIAs.

According to a 2005 Congressional Research Service report on POWs:

  • 130,201 World War II service members were imprisoned; 14,072 them died
  • 7,140 Korean War service members were imprisoned; 2,701 of them died
  • 725 Vietnam War service members were imprisoned; 64 of them died
  • 37 service members were imprisoned during conflicts since 1991, including both Gulf wars; none are still in captivity

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 82,478 Americans who fought in those wars are still missing, including:

  • 73,014 from World War II (an approximate number due to limited or conflicting data)
  • 7,729 from the Korean War
  • 1,603 from Vietnam
  • 126 from the Cold War
  • 6 from conflicts since 1991

The DPAA said about 75 percent of those missing Americans are somewhere in the Asia-Pacific. More than 41,000 have been presumed lost at sea.

Efforts to find those men, identify them and bring them home are constant.  For example, the DPAA said that in 2016, it accounted for 61 men missing during the Korean War. They had been identified either through recovery operations, from remains turned over by North Korea in the 1990s, or they’d previously been buried as unknowns.

The POW/MIA Flag

The traditional POW/MIA flag that’s well-known across America was actually created many years before the remembrance day became official.

In 1971, a woman named Mary Hoff contacted a flag company near her home to see if a flag reminding people of POWs and the missing could be made. She was one of the many waiting to see if her husband, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael Hoff, would ever return home after his plane had been shot down over Laos.

World War II pilot Newt Heisley designed the now-famous flag, which was made in black and white to represent the sorrow, anxiety and hope symbolized by the image of the gaunt man featured on it.

For every POW/MIA Recognition Day since 1982, the flag has flown just below the stars and stripes at the White House – the only other flag to ever do so. In 1998, Congress ordered it to also be displayed on Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day.

Fourth of July Celebration!

free-fireworks-image-11VFW Big River Post 5331

will host a

4th of July Celebration

Saturday, July 1st
Festivities will be from 12:00pm – 11:00pm

Barbecue from 12:00pm – 7:00pm
Music starting at 2:00pm
Live Band plays from 7:00pm – 11:00pm

A great fireworks display will begin after dark!!!

Pork Steak, Chicken or Brat Plate is $9.00

The VFW Auxiliary
will also be offering the follow after 4:00pm

• Hotdogs • Funnel Cakes • Snow Cones
Soft Pretzels • Popcorn • Nachos
Tea & Lemonade

Post 5331 Receives All-State Recognition

Every year, the VFW Department of Missouri recognizes Posts from across the state who successfully participate in ALL VFW PROGRAMS. These are posts that have excelled in meeting Veteran’s needs, community service, fostering Americanism and increasing membership. This year, VFW Big River Post 5331 received this coveted recognition. Pictured are then current Commander Daniel Brown and Quartermaster Tom Herek accepting the White Hat, symbolic of this achievement, on behalf of the post.

Flag Day Parade

flagVFW Big River Post 5331
and
High Ridge Elks Lodge 2455
will host the
Annual Flag Day Parade!

Saturday, June 17th

All floats are welcome!!!

Participants are encouraged to arrive between 8:00am – 8:30am
The flag ceremony will be held at 9:00am
The parade will begin at 10:00am

Starting Location
High Ridge Elks Lodge 2455
2808 Old Hunning Road, High Ridge, MO 63049

Ending Location
VFW Big River Post 5331 parking lot
1 Lynn Lane, Cedar Hill, MO 63016

Refreshments will be provided to participants at the end of the parade!