Greetings from Commander Kevin C. “K.C.” Johnson
- Kevin C. “K.C.” Johnson, DAV-Wis. State Commander, 2011-12
I am honored to have been elected to serve as the Disabled American Veterans Department of Wisconsin State Commander for 2011-12. As this year’s DAV state commander, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and to reintroduce DAV to you.
As you may know, DAV is the largest organization of service-disabled wartime veterans in the world. Made up of well over one million men and women disabled in our nation’s defense, DAV is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our entire nation’s disabled veterans and their families.
Fully non-partisan, DAV extends its mission of hope into communities where these veterans and their families live through a network of direct assistance-providing national service offices.
As a major national commitment, DAV also provides an extensive transportation program to our veterans get to their often far-flung VA medical appointments. As part of this key national DAV program, we operated 35 volunteer-driven vans that crisscross the state. DAV also maintains state-level department like here in Wisconsin and more than 2,400 local chapters, including 55 here in our state.
Like our other members, I’m a service-disabled wartime veteran. But as I’m sure you would agree, this is really about the disabled veterans we serve.
For my year as Commander, I have assembled and appointed a staff of high quality, knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated service-disabled men and women who, I anticipate, will help make my year as DAV State Commander one filled with shared accomplishments to further benefit Wisconsin’s disabled and other veterans and their families.
In addition to continuing DAV’s programs and service to veterans, among our key volunteer duties is to advocate in Washington and Madison for programs, services, and the associated funding for our disabled and other veterans.
DAV is fully prepared to continue to actively assist the continuing influx of our newest disabled veterans returning to our state from active duty in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the globe. While DAV’s financial and staffing requirements are both large and demanding, we keep up with those demands through countless volunteers and donors who see the need for DAV’s assistance programs. There are many sick and disabled veterans who need to be transported to their medical appointments at the myriad of VA facilities around the state and DAV will always be there for them.
If you’re not yet part of the DAV family, please join us by becoming a member, volunteer with us, come to our many events throughout the year, contact your elected officials in support of our government relations goals for helping our disabled veterans, or donate to help us help others.
On behalf of DAV and the more than 53,500 service-disabled Wisconsin veterans whose interests we represent, I look forward to working with you for the betterment of our disabled, wartime and other Wisconsin veterans. If we or I can ever be of assistance in our shared goals of aiding and assisting our veterans, please do not hesitate to contact any one of us.
Sincerely,
Kevin C. “K.C.” Johnson
State Commander
DAV Mission Statement
- Made up of well over one million men and women disabled in our nation’s defense, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) national organization is dedicated to one, single purpose:
- Building better lives for all of our nation’s disabled veterans and their families by: representing the interests of disabled veterans and their families, their widowed spouses and their orphans before Congress, the White House, and the Judicial Branch, as well as state and local government;
- Providing free, professional assistance to veterans and their families in obtaining benefits and services earned through military service and provided by the department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other agencies of government;
- Extending the DAV’s mission of hope into communities where these veterans and their families live through a network of state- level departments and 2,400 local chapters; and
- Providing a structure through which disabled veterans can express their compassion for their fellow veterans through a variety of volunteer programs.
