Dear Funeral Directors:

We are asking for your assistance. As you may be aware, the government’s primary repository for military personnel records, the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), has been closed to the public since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to numerous COVID-19 exposures occurring with increasing frequency, the NPRC has informed us they have shut down most of their remaining operations indefinitely. This decision negatively impacts our ability to obtain documents to determine eligibility for interment in national cemeteries.

We will continue to make every attempt to assist Veterans and their families, but if a service member’s records cannot be obtained through any source other than NPRC, we may not be able to make a timely eligibility determination.

We ask you to inform family members of this issue and ask them to search for any additional military documents which may be in their possession. Documents kept by the Veteran may be the only documents available at this time to verify his or her eligibility for burial.

We also encourage you to ask family members to check the following:

• Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) or the American Legion. These organizations may have discharge documents on file for members.
• Any orders the service member may have received or any documents showing a military service number would be helpful.
• County clerk of the county where the service member would have returned from service. The service member may have filed their documents with the county upon discharge from military service.
• If the service member has a set of dog tags, please send a clear photograph of them to our agency.

Any additional information provided may improve our ability to locate records. You may send any additional information or documents by fax at 1-866-900-6417 or by email at NCA.Scheduling@va.gov. Please follow up on the fax or email with a phone call to 1-800-535-1117, Option 1, to alert us to this additional information. We apologize for the delay and thank you for your assistance in this emergency.

Jay Dalrymple

Director, National Cemetery Scheduling Office

St. Louis, MO

Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home (ENVH) Opportunities - The Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs established new requirements to volunteer at the ENVH. Below are the forms required and a flyer listing volunteer opportunities. 

Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs - Volunteer Service Program Profile

Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs - Disclosure & Authorization for Background Check-Volunteer

ENVH - Vets Helping Vets

 

 

Member News - VFW Post 2704 would like to congratulate Larry Gerlt. At the December Awards Banquet it was announced that Larry was selected by the Post for the 2020 Edward G. Reyes Semper Fidelis Award. Congratulations Larry.

 

Annual Members - If you haven't already renewed your membership, please do. Every year our Post spends hundreds of man-hours on membership renewals. It's important to our Post and the entire VFW organization. That said, time is precious, and the hours spent on membership renewal takes away from hours that could be spent on other service projects helping Veterans in the Omaha area.  Thank you.

 

Our Post History - I'm trying to gather information on our Post history, I've been a member for several years, I know we are the Deml-Kopietz Post but I was never told why.

 

If you have any Post history, please send it to me at imgrund@cox.net