Veterans Services Office to aid Blue Water Navy veterans with Agent Orange claims

Palm Coast Observer
News

Flagler County’s Veterans Services Office will aid Blue Water Navy veterans — veterans who served on ships near the shores of Vietnam and Cambodia during the Vietnam War — with Agent Orange claims.

“I just want to make sure the word is being spread out that we’re doing the Blue Water Navy claims, even though they won’t be seeing them until 2020, next year,” Acting Veterans Services Officer Eric Febles Flores said at an Aug. 5 Veterans Advisory Council meeting. “But we do intend to file claims.”

Nominate a veteran for Veteran of the Year

The Flagler County Veterans Advisory Council is in the process of forming a committee to select the county’s Veteran of the Year, and nominations for Veteran of the Year will be due on Sept. 30.

For details on how to nominate a veteran, go to https://bit.ly/2YJAchX.

Local governments declare Purple Heart Day

City Councilman Jack Howell, commandant of the Palm Coast chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, reads the proclamation Aug. 6 (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)

Chris Sleep, Hershel Gober and Steve Lunsford, of the Palm Coast chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, attended the Palm Coast City Council meeting Aug. 6 for the reading of a proclamation declaring Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day in the city of Palm Coast. Councilman Jack Howell, commandant of the Palm Coast chapter, read the proclamation.

The Flagler County Commission read a similar proclamation at its meeting on Aug. 5.

The proclamations illuminated some of the history of the award — the oldest American military decoration in the country, initially know as the Badge of Military Merit and established by Gen. George Washington on Aug. 7, 1782 — and acknowledged veterans who have died in service or been wounded in combat.

Both proclamations also declared Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day.

City plans barbecue for veterans

Palm Coast is planning a new event this year: a special Veterans Day barbecue for veterans and their families. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Central Park in Town Center. It is free to attendees, but attendees are encouraged to sign up to attend through a veteran group, so that the city knows how many people to cook for.

The barbecue will follow Flagler County’s 10 a.m. Veterans Day ceremony and precede Flagler Beach’s 1 p.m. Veterans Day ceremony.