Minority Affairs Committee Update September/October 2023

BY GUMERSINDO GOMEZ, CHAIR

Warm greetings from the Minority Affairs Committee, freshly renewed from the Convention in Orlando. I must extend my kudos to the Convention’s organizers. Despite the heat, it was a great event for us all.

I want to thank all who made it to the Convention. We had more than 700 delegates. Special thanks to the 443 delegates who supported me with their votes for an At-Large seat on the Board of Directors, allowing me to come in third in the field of 16. This tells me that you, the delegates, approve of the work we’re doing on the Board, and more importantly, the accomplishments of the Minority Affairs Committee.

Connie G. Evans, a Native American who served as a nurse in Vietnam, was selected by the Minority Affairs Committee to receive the Minority Affairs Committee Award at the Convention. It was an honor to have such a distinguished figure among us. She served as a guest speaker at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of The Wall on November 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

We presented an amendment to resolution MA-16, Support for South Korean War Veterans, requesting that the Korean government cover the health services that Korean American Vietnam veterans will receive through the VA system, once S-2648 passes the Senate. Sponsored by Senator Mike Braun (R-Indiana) and co-sponsored by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), this amendment was approved by the delegates. I ask for your support by contacting your senators and urging them to co-sponsor S-2648.

In the next two years, the committee will continue to address the issue of equality for veterans in Puerto Rico. Veterans services and health benefits on the island are not on par with those in the continental U.S., and veterans there are treated as second-class citizens. This issue is crucial to the veterans community in Puerto Rico, and VVA strongly supports their cause.

A troubling question arose at the Convention regarding veterans who have died but remain in cold storage due to a lack of funding for proper interment. The committee will collaborate with regional directors and state council presidents to investigate how many veterans are in this state. Our intent is for these veterans to receive proper burials with military honors.

We ask for your assistance in this matter. If you know of any instances of this happening in your community, please let us know so we can take prompt action.

If you have any issues that you would like the committee to engage in, email Sgtgomez@aol.com or call 413-883-4508.

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