thedrifter
06-23-07, 07:41 AM
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Volunteers visit vets at the Long Beach VA
Jewish War Veterans members bring lunches and warm greetings to wounded.
By CINDY SANTOS
The Orange County Register
LONG BEACH - Agnes Berkowitz is eager to help. With a paper plate in each hand, she carefully arranges a variety of desserts, including slices of apple pie to chocolate cake, on a round table.
Every month Berkowitz and her fellow volunteers with Major Gary Grant Post 680 of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA and its Ladies Auxiliary trek from their base in Laguna Woods to Long Beach to cheer up disabled veterans with catastrophic spinal-cord injuries and amputations.
Berkowitz, a 78-year-old widow and Holocaust survivor originally from Hungary, joined the Ladies Auxiliary eight years ago as a gesture of gratitude for the United States.
"I was in the concentration camp in Germany and the American soldiers liberated us, and this is my way of paying them back," Berkowitz said.
Her husband, Julius, was a World War II veteran and member of the Jewish War Veterans for 54 years before he died in 2003. Berkowitz is carrying on her husband's legacy by volunteering in the group.
Founded in 1896 by a group of veterans seeking to dispel the myth that Jews didn't fight in the Civil War and initially known as the Hebrew Union Veterans, the Jewish War Veterans of the USA is one of the oldest veterans' organization in the United States.
Members of Post 680 visit victims of spinal-cord injuries at the Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System on the third Wednesday of every month.
Post 680 primarily represents the Saddleback Valley area. It was established in 1973 and named in honor of a Mission Viejo Marine pilot who was killed in Vietnam. The group boasts more than 100 members and the auxiliary has about 50 members.
Richard Shapiro, the group's commander, and his wife, Doreen, have been involved with Post 680 since its inception 34 years ago.
Most of the members of Post 680 served their country in World War II and the Korean War. But long after their service in the armed forces ended, they still seek to serve their country.
This week, 13 members of the Jewish War Veterans and the Ladies Auxiliary brought 58 lunches, complete with Arby's sandwiches, bananas, grapes and plums. The lunches also included desserts for each of the patients in the spinal-cord injury ward.
"When they bring in food for our veterans, they bring things that other groups don't bring," said Rex Jennings, the chief of voluntary services at the hospital.
They make accommodations, for instance, for diabetic patients with sugar-free desserts, Jennings said.
"It's like a feast," he said.
Clad in his black leather fedora, Air Force veteran and paraplegic Fox Anderson, 29, looks forward to their monthly visits because he enjoys their lunches and company.
"I wish they could afford to do it more often," Anderson said.
Anderson, an Orange County native who was shot in 2005 while working as a security guard at a Garden Grove car dealership, said the Jewish War Veterans are friendly and he appreciates their visits.
Anderson is one of about 60 patients in the spinal-cord ward. His wheelchair enables him to roam the corridors of the hospital and meet with visitors and other patients.
Most of the patients in the ward served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. A few of the patients served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some have service-related injuries, while others have experienced accidents or illness.
The Jewish War Veterans help break the monotony of extended hospital stays. Many of the patients in the spinal-cord center are confined to wheelchairs as they meet face new challenges with paralysis or amputations. Others spend the majority of their time in their beds.
Jennings said the presence of the Jewish War Veterans helps the patients get through their day.
"The love that they bring is a wonderful healing tool," Jennings said.
Activities vary. Members visit Camp Pendleton on a quarterly basis and bring lunches with desserts for the Marines. The Ladies Auxiliary knits blankets and crutch covers for injured veterans at Long Beach and Camp Pendleton. The post and its auxiliary also provide veterans at both locations with reading materials for leisure activities and calling cards so they can get in touch with their families.
"If they have a need for something, we try to accommodate them," said Honey Henderstein, 77, president of the auxiliary.
A priority of each visit to the hospital and base is meeting with each of the veterans. At each visit, they chat like old friends.
"The most important thing we do for them is visit with them because conversation is important," she said. "You come back with more than you give."
Contact the writer: 949-454-7350 or csantos@ocregister.com
Ellie
Volunteers visit vets at the Long Beach VA
Jewish War Veterans members bring lunches and warm greetings to wounded.
By CINDY SANTOS
The Orange County Register
LONG BEACH - Agnes Berkowitz is eager to help. With a paper plate in each hand, she carefully arranges a variety of desserts, including slices of apple pie to chocolate cake, on a round table.
Every month Berkowitz and her fellow volunteers with Major Gary Grant Post 680 of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA and its Ladies Auxiliary trek from their base in Laguna Woods to Long Beach to cheer up disabled veterans with catastrophic spinal-cord injuries and amputations.
Berkowitz, a 78-year-old widow and Holocaust survivor originally from Hungary, joined the Ladies Auxiliary eight years ago as a gesture of gratitude for the United States.
"I was in the concentration camp in Germany and the American soldiers liberated us, and this is my way of paying them back," Berkowitz said.
Her husband, Julius, was a World War II veteran and member of the Jewish War Veterans for 54 years before he died in 2003. Berkowitz is carrying on her husband's legacy by volunteering in the group.
Founded in 1896 by a group of veterans seeking to dispel the myth that Jews didn't fight in the Civil War and initially known as the Hebrew Union Veterans, the Jewish War Veterans of the USA is one of the oldest veterans' organization in the United States.
Members of Post 680 visit victims of spinal-cord injuries at the Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System on the third Wednesday of every month.
Post 680 primarily represents the Saddleback Valley area. It was established in 1973 and named in honor of a Mission Viejo Marine pilot who was killed in Vietnam. The group boasts more than 100 members and the auxiliary has about 50 members.
Richard Shapiro, the group's commander, and his wife, Doreen, have been involved with Post 680 since its inception 34 years ago.
Most of the members of Post 680 served their country in World War II and the Korean War. But long after their service in the armed forces ended, they still seek to serve their country.
This week, 13 members of the Jewish War Veterans and the Ladies Auxiliary brought 58 lunches, complete with Arby's sandwiches, bananas, grapes and plums. The lunches also included desserts for each of the patients in the spinal-cord injury ward.
"When they bring in food for our veterans, they bring things that other groups don't bring," said Rex Jennings, the chief of voluntary services at the hospital.
They make accommodations, for instance, for diabetic patients with sugar-free desserts, Jennings said.
"It's like a feast," he said.
Clad in his black leather fedora, Air Force veteran and paraplegic Fox Anderson, 29, looks forward to their monthly visits because he enjoys their lunches and company.
"I wish they could afford to do it more often," Anderson said.
Anderson, an Orange County native who was shot in 2005 while working as a security guard at a Garden Grove car dealership, said the Jewish War Veterans are friendly and he appreciates their visits.
Anderson is one of about 60 patients in the spinal-cord ward. His wheelchair enables him to roam the corridors of the hospital and meet with visitors and other patients.
Most of the patients in the ward served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. A few of the patients served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some have service-related injuries, while others have experienced accidents or illness.
The Jewish War Veterans help break the monotony of extended hospital stays. Many of the patients in the spinal-cord center are confined to wheelchairs as they meet face new challenges with paralysis or amputations. Others spend the majority of their time in their beds.
Jennings said the presence of the Jewish War Veterans helps the patients get through their day.
"The love that they bring is a wonderful healing tool," Jennings said.
Activities vary. Members visit Camp Pendleton on a quarterly basis and bring lunches with desserts for the Marines. The Ladies Auxiliary knits blankets and crutch covers for injured veterans at Long Beach and Camp Pendleton. The post and its auxiliary also provide veterans at both locations with reading materials for leisure activities and calling cards so they can get in touch with their families.
"If they have a need for something, we try to accommodate them," said Honey Henderstein, 77, president of the auxiliary.
A priority of each visit to the hospital and base is meeting with each of the veterans. At each visit, they chat like old friends.
"The most important thing we do for them is visit with them because conversation is important," she said. "You come back with more than you give."
Contact the writer: 949-454-7350 or csantos@ocregister.com
Ellie