AIKEN, SC (WRDW/WAGT) – Veterans of Foreign Wars in Aiken held a ceremony Monday advocating for veterans to leave the fight with various pieces of legislation.

In addition to recognizing veterans today, the VFW continues to advocate for legislation to help veterans have greater access to resources such as post-education, mental resources and more federal dollars paid to the VA.

The VFW says this is a year-long operation to continue to support the millions of people who fight for us.

“A 17-year-old grows up very quickly when he’s in the middle of a firefight,” said Charles Ihloff, commander of VFW Post 5877.

Ihloff says it was in parts of the military that he experienced some of his darkest moments.

“It’s something you live with,” Ihloff says. “You learn to survive like an animal, to eat like an animal, and then after you hear it, you come home and wonder: Now what do I do? »

He says it’s these sacrifices and experiences that remind him that this isn’t just a day for our veterans.

“We have people who come in looking for help, and it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to offer them some direction and point them in the right direction,” Ihloff says.

Organizations like the VFW have made great strides in protecting veterans by lobbying for legislation such as the Forever GI Bill, which provides more accessible education options, and the Pact Act, which provides more benefits veterans exposed to toxins.

Veterans say more needs to be done when it comes to funding for things like employment and mental health.

“I definitely think the suicide rate is high, and I think maybe we can help some of these guys a little more than we do now,” says Scott Salzman, quartermaster of VFW Post 5877.

Ihloff says providing support to the local veteran community is a challenge when there is no federal funding for the thousands of VFW posts with limited resources.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Ihloff says. “But we need this VFW to be open and help our veterans in any way they can and get back into the community.”

A battle Ihloff says they will continue to fight for in honor of his experiences, the peers who fought alongside him, and the next generation in the trenches now fighting for our stars and stripes.

“I was proud of what I had done,” Ihloff says. “I would do it again without hesitation. I’ll be the first in line.

Although there is still work to be done to provide resources, the federal government continues to increase its budget for veterans.

Money going to the Department of Veterans Affairs has increased by 70% over the last 10 years.

For fiscal year 2024, it was $408 billion.

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