Past State Commander Steven D. Lawrence

Steven Dennis Lawrence age 65 died unexpectedly on Tuesday February 21, 2012 at home. He was born on July 16, 1946 in Janesville, Wisconsin the son of George S. and Kathleen (Thalacker) Lawrence.
Steven graduated from Stoughton High School Class of 1964. He married Susanne Byers on June 19, 1970 at the United Methodist Church in Evansville, Wisconsin. He was employed by the State of Wisconsin Department of Industry Labor and Human Relations until his retirement.
He was a member of the United States Navy from November 1965 until October 1991 when he retired as a Cryptologic Technician Admin First Class. He served in the Vietnam War earning a National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. Steven was very proud of his service to the Country and was very active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was the Past State VFW Commander from 2001-2002, State Adjutant Quartermaster for Wisconsin from 2006- 2012, National Legislative Chairman for the VFW and currently serving on the committee where he has made several trips to Washington, DC to meet on Legislative issues.
He has served on many National, State, District  and Local Committees. He was a member of the Oregon-Brooklyn-McFarland VFW Post 10272 and currently Post Commander, Military Order of the Cooties Madison Pup Tent 41, Naval Fleet Reserve Association 376, Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America, American Legion Brooklyn Wisconsin, and Disabled American Veterans.
Steven is a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church Oregon, Wisconsin and a former member of Oregon Jaycee’s. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Susanne, of Oregon WI., his mother Kathleen Hanson of Madison WI., and many friends and relatives. He was preceded in death by his father George, father and mother in-law Harry and Edna Byers.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00pm on Monday February 27, 2012 at the Ward Funeral Home 130 S. 5th Street Evansville Wisconsin with Reverend Patrick Siegler of Zion Lutheran Church Madison officiating. Burial will follow in Maple Hill Cemetery Evansville with Military Rites provided by Oregon- Brooklyn-McFarland VFW Post 10272.
Friends may call on Sunday February 26, 2012 from 3:00pm until 7:00pm at the Ward Funeral Home where a VFW Pass and Review Ceremony will be held at 6:30pm. Memorials may be made to the VFW National Home for Children or charity of your choice.

Steven D. Lawrence, Past State Commander

It is with great sadness that we announce that Steven D. Lawrence, who served from 2006 until he resigned on January 26th of this year as our State Quartermaster and Adjutant, died suddenly yesterday morning (February 21st).

Steve Lawrence was a Past State Commander (2001-02).  At the time of his death he was a Life Member and Commander of Oregon-Brooklyn-McFarland Post 10272. He held many other posts in his long VFW career, and was widely respected throughout the Veterans of Foreign Wars for his work at all levels. He was a tireless advocate for Veterans on the national scene and served as Chairman of the VFW National Legislative Committee.

He is survived by his wife, Sue.

Arrangements are in the care of the Ward Funeral Home, 130 S. 5th St in Evansville, WI. Visitation is planned for Sunday, February 26th from 3:00pm to 7:00pm.  The funeral is set for Monday, February 27th at 1:00pm. All services will take place at the funeral home, and burial will be at Maple Hill Cemetery in Evansville.  A full obituary and all details will appear here later today.

For those in the Milwaukee area! The Milwaukee VA has started a program MOVE OUT!  They are looking for 16 posts in the Milwaukee area to serve as MOVE OUT sites.  The post will need to provide space for MOVE OUT activities and secure storage spots for the equipment.  These posts will receive $200 per year for three years in addition to weight loss activities, equipment and materials.  Please contact Dr. Jeff Whittle at 414-384-2000, Ext. 46444 or Ms. Kristyn Ertl at Ext. 46441, their emails are: jeffrey.whittle@va.gov or kristyn.ertl@va.gov.

A privilege he welcomes in his new position of director at the Tomah VA Medical Center.

 He started last week, replacing Jerald Molnar, who retired in June after 18 years at the VA, the last three as director.

 In that position, DeSanctis will be responsible for the Tomah VA and its outpatient clinics in La Crosse, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids and Clark County. The facilities provide care to more than 25,000 veterans in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

DeSanctis’ main goal as director is to make the Tomah VA the top-choice facility for veterans.

“When they think of excellence, quality and good access to health care, I want them to think of us first,” he said.

 The VA is well on its way there, he said, but there’s always room to improve.

DeSanctis, 54, started in the U.S. Air Force 30 years ago, fascinated by aircraft. He began as a navigator, then became a personnel specialist and soon after changed to the medical service corps.

In his three decades of service, DeSanctis was stationed at 11 bases throughout the U.S. and Europe. He worked in clinics, hospitals and at the headquarters, taking charge of medical supplies, patient administration, resource management and medical readiness.

He retired from the Air Force in December with the rank of colonel at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. It was there he was the deputy group commander and hospital administrator for the 375th Medical Group, which administers health care to airmen and women, their families and other beneficiaries.

DeSanct wanted a new challenge. And the Tomah VA was it.

“People are sincere in what they do here,” he said. “When I first walked in the door, I knew I could work here.”

 It’s his background that made DeSanctis the No. 1 choice for the job, said Judith Broad, associate director of patient care services at the Tomah VA and a member of the panel that interviewed the three candidates for the position.

“I thought, wow, it would be great if we could get him to come here,” Broad said.

 He’s genuine, she said, and engages people, showing interest in the staff and knowledge of the position.

 ”I’m confident with him,” she said.

DeSanctis says the future of the Tomah VA is promising.

“I wanted to be part of that,” he said.

Still, there are challenges, like balancing costs with providing the best possible service to veterans.

 His job is to come up with plans to meet the VA’s new initiatives, such as an emphasis on women’s health, a more efficient health care process and a focus on technology. He’ll also oversee future construction projects.

 Building on those initiatives will be a challenge because of funding and space limitations, he said.

 But it will happen.

“I don’t think I’m dreaming,” he said. “It’s not a fantasy. It’s achievable.”

YOUR VFW WASHINGTON OFFICE

On Wednesday, VFW testified before the House VA Committee as part of an Independent Budget (IB) panel on the FY 2013 VA budget. The IB, now in its 26th year, captures the full picture of what VA needs to care for veterans. VFW is responsible for the construction portion of the IB, and our testimony centered on major and minor construction project funding. We voiced our concerns about the woefully underfunded construction accounts, noting that Congress projected some $2.8 billion for projects, while the Administration this year only asked for $725 million, which is well over $2 billion short of what is needed. Safety and accessibility are concerns when construction accounts remain unfunded or underfunded for years. VFW asked Congress to increase funding so VA can complete numerous projects under way, as well as those being planned. To read VFW testimony, go to http://www.vfw.org/VFW-in-DC/Congressional-Testimony/. To learn more about the hearing and to view a recorded webcast, visit http://www.vfwonthehill.org/2012/02/watch-live-vfw-shinseki-to-testify-on.html. Read the Independent Budget at http://www.independentbudget.org/.

Today they are homeless veterans — veterans without homes, but not without hope.

Veterans are significantly overrepresented in America’s homeless population. They are 40 percent more likely to be homeless than the general population, and William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison is in the fight to help end their plight.

Click on the link for the story:

www.wispolitics.com/1006/2.06.12_VA_homeless.pdf

MADISON – State Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) and Representative Robin Vos (RRochester) announced that they will hold a “Veterans Listening Session” this Friday, February 17, 2012 at the Veterans Home at Union Grove from 10am-11:30am. Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary John Scocos will also be in attendance. The listening session is open to veterans and their families.

“I look forward to hearing the concerns of the veterans of my district,” said Sen. Wanggaard. “In particular, I want to hear feedback about my recent veterans’ proposals, the conversion of Gates Hall to a skilled nursing facility and the Wisconsin HEART Act.”

“One of the most important parts of my job is to listen to my constituents,” said Rep. Vos. “We’re currently considering several important bills that will have a positive impact on our veterans and I would like to get their input on the legislation.”

Details:

When: Friday, February 17, 2012

10:00am-11:30pm

Where: Veterans Home at Union Grove

Boland Hall

21425 G Spring Street

Union Grove, WI 53182

The location of our Washington, D.C., office allows us to monitor all legislation affecting veterans, alert VFW membership to key legislation under consideration and to actively lobby Congress and the administration on veterans issues. 

With VFW’s own priority goals in mind, combined with the support of 2.1 million members of VFW and its auxiliaries, our voice on “the Hill” cannot be ignored!  

WHAT WE DO:

We continuously advocate on veterans behalf. By testifying at committee hearings and interacting with congressional members, The VFW has played an instrumental role in nearly every piece of veterans legislation passed in the 20th century, as well as bills developed in the 21st.

Please help ensure that our Military remains strong, and our Veterans who are our true heros are taken care of

 Click the following link for the Priority Goals for 2012

http://www.vfw.org/uploadedFiles/VFW.org/VFW_in_DC/2012%20Priority%20Goals%20Brochure.PDF