COMMANDER'S CORNER
Matthew Kampainen, DAV WI Commander
Happy Holiday Season and
Prosperous New Year!
Hello DAV Brother and Sisters,
Things have slowed down a lot since Fall Conference, but the mission never stops. For example, as has National, our BPTL Al Labelle has been sending out the legislative updates. Please, when you can, reach out to your representative at both state and national levels to push those bills through. The legislative work Al does is only one part, you the members, are the other parts to make sure the DAV and the Veteran's voices are heard.
Things will be moving slower over the holidays, and Winter is Coming, but that doesn't mean we stop "Keeping our promises to America's Veterans." At the chapter level, you have always helped Veterans down on their luck, and during the holidays, it can be dark times for many reasons. So, you have always done what you can to brighten those days, and I hope to keep seeing all the good work continue. We at the department are proud to see all the chapters giving back to the Veteran community in their area.
As many know, I open my home to the Veterans, friends and family that may not have anywhere to go on Thanksgiving. So whether you stop in for the day or stop to grab a plate, I am happy to have anyone that would like to come. I have been doing this since 2005 with my mom. We started this right before my second deployment to Iraq. Unfortunately, she passed in early November 2016, but my daughters helped me push through my hard times and told me that we couldn't stop our tradition because grammy loved helping others and that there were others out there that needed us as we needed them. It is a challenging period for many of us, so let's all do what we can to be someone's light in the dark.
I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday Season and Prosperous New Year!
