Veterans Connection 11/25/2025

The Montgomery County Veterans Service Commission has begun their 2025 Winter Coat Giveaway. This annual program helps local veterans have a warm holiday season during a time of year that can be extremely difficult.

Local veterans can apply via the link below to receive winter coats and Aldi gift cards for food. Please keep in mind that this program is for veterans in need. We calculate this by household size and income, so please check the link below to see if you qualify. Qualified veterans will need to bring:

1. Veteran ID or DD214
2. Proof of Montgomery County Residency
3. Proof of Income

Veterans will be notified if they are approved for this benefit. Please keep in mind that quantities are limited and we will distribute items on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Thank you and happy holidays from MCVSC!

Scammers frequently target veterans, often seeking to steal benefits or trick veterans into paying for benefits. Sometimes scammers will impersonate VA representatives and demand repayment for alleged benefits overpayments. With the assistance of AI, many scammers appear more authentic than ever before. They will utilize authentic looking letters, emails, and text messages that will direct you to illegal call centers or fraudulent websites that look official.

If someone reaches out to you claiming to be from the VA, do not give them any personal information such as your VA login credentials or financial information. The actual VA already has that information and they would not reach out to you asking for it.

If you receive a letter from the VA regarding benefits overpayment or asking for any other benefits information you find suspicious, verify whether you actually owe money by logging into your official va.gov login account.

If you require some personalized help please feel free to reach out to the Montgomery County Veterans Service Commission. We can help you identify whether a correspondence from the VA is genuine.

When William Barnes discovered a footlocker belonging to a local Tuckegee Airman at a local flea market, he knew he had to find the family and return the items. The footlocker contained dozens of items including photographs, medals, and a presidential gold coin.

The footlocker was discovered when a friend of Mr. Barnes cleaned out a shed. It belonged to Charles Feaster of Xenia, a beloved member of the community who passed away in 2016. Feaster was posthumously appreciated by the City of Xenia by an official resolution in 2016. Feaster served in the Army from 1941 to 1945 as a Technician/Flight Engineer in the 99th Pursuit Squadron, later called the 99th Fighter Squadron and known as the "Red Tails."

During WWII Feaster participated in 11 major battles and 3 invasions. Feaster was awarded a Bronze Star, a Congressional Gold Medal, and the aforementioned presidential gold coin. After completing his military service, Feaster continued serving as a civil employee at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for decades.

Dara Barker helped Barnes by using social media to bring awareness to the discovery of the footlocker. Almost immediately, dozens of people responded explaining Feaster's importance to Xenia and helping to establish contact with the family. Contacts have been made and the items should soon be returned.

Local veteran Zack Sliver will host the upcoming season of WYSO's Veterans' Voices, a popular radio series on 91.3 WYSO out of Yellow Springs. 

Sliver serves as an artist ambassador for Operation Encore, a nonprofit that connects veteran and active-duty musicians with the music industry. Sliver, the frontman of the local band, Yuppie, says that being a veteran has helped shape his art. He told NPR:

I believe veterans have a different perspective on things. The perspective veterans give is one of the warrior who is no longer a warrior and is trying to become a member of society again.

For this season of Veterans' Voices, Sliver will explore how military service inspires art. Be sure to check it out.

Dayton Daily Profile: The Battle Buddy Foundation

The Dayton Daily News recently profiled a local nonprofit, The Battle Buddy Foundation, that works to partner service dogs with veterans in need. The organization was created by Kenny Bass and Joshua Rivers, after Bass returned from the Iraq War with a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Bass struggled to find an effective treatment, and after being prescribed dozens of different medications, his VA physician wrote a prescription for a service dog. Unfortunately, VA benefits do not cover the cost of a service dog, which can be prohibitively expensive.

Bass' service dog Atlas the Wonderdog became the face of The Battle Buddy Foundation and even inspired Bass to author a children's book series based on the dog.

The Battle Buddy Foundation could use donations to help continue their mission. Please consider helping them out to ensure local veterans in need receive the care they wouldn't get elsewhere.