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The American Legion Temporary Financial Assistance Fund is running low when we most need to help our Coast Guardsmen and women. Donate at this link here, and please share this post on Facebook, Twitter or other social media. And then contact your members of Congress and tell them to act now to help our Coast Guard which is in dire need.

Imagine one of these scenarios:

Fresh out of high school you get married and have a child. Wanting to be responsible and patriotic, you join the Coast Guard. You head out for training and when you return, you and your wife have child number two. After a few years you've made it up to E4 and you get a new duty station: Alaska. You're excited because Alaska is beautiful, and a great place to raise kids, but it's far from what you've known, far from your family. But off you go. Eventually you get an even more exciting set of orders, you are off to Antarctica for a while on a polar expedition. Your wife and kids will be staying in Alaska, but you are off for the exciting trip of a lifetime. And then, right after you leave, your wife stops getting paid. She'd love to talk to you because she's scared and doesn't know what to do, but you are half a world away, and what can you do from there?

Or imagine you are an E3 with 2 kids. You'd joined because of the oportunities and felt it was best for your family. You'd done pretty well and been selected to attend training in California, which would in turn provide you an opportunity to get another promotion and have a little more money for your kids. The problem is, you are stationed in Texas, and the school is in California. On top of that, not only are you not getting paid for the work you are doing, because of the shutdown in Washington, D.C. the Coast Guard travel office can't cut you orders or get you reimbursed. Your school is still there, but if you want to go, it's going to be on your dime. And if you don't go, who knows when the next school slot will come around.

Of how about an E5 with 3 kids. You've been watching the political machinations in DC and you knew you wouldn't get paid, so you squirreled as much away as you could before it started. But it's going fast, and you're looking at another pay period coming and going without a deposit in your account. But you want to do the best you can for your kids, and want to make sure they still get enough food. You've got your house or apartment, but without pay, food is the biggest problem. Some of your creditors (rent, power, cable etc) have agreed to give you some grace, but the grocery store won't. So, swallowing your pride you go to food banks and see what you can get. But there's a problem there too: your youngest child has severe food allergies. Can't eat anything with gluten, can't eat anything with dairy in it. You couldn't be more appreciative of what people have donated, but your youngest still needs to eat, and there aren't many gluten-free, dairy-free options at the food bank, and you don't want to appear ungrateful...

These are just three of the hundreds of stories I've read this past weekend going through Temporary Financial Assistance applications. I worked all day on each of the three days from this holiday weekend, as did most everyone else at your National Headquarters. I even drove in during an ice storm to grab more applications to sort through.

Here's a local TV news station covering our efforts:

I'm not about to lay blame on any person or body, whether it's the President's or Congress' fault for them not getting paid is a matter of perspective. But it doesn't change the fact that our Coast Guardsmen are forced to go to work despite not getting paid. And because no one is getting paid, the childcare and other amenities usually offered on a base aren't there.

Our brothers and sisters in the Coast Guard are scared, they are in need, and they feel betrayed to some extent by the people in Washington who are supposed to make sure they have the money to train, to protect us, and to provide for their families. And they can't just walk off the job and find something else that will pay the bills, they enlisted for a set period of time, and there are criminal prosecutions for them not showing up. But with re-enlistment coming up, you can see how this doesn't help the cause any.

So we want to help them. In fact, we've been helping them:

“Members of the Coast Guard were last paid on January 1. This is completely outrageous,” said American Legion National Commander Brett P. Reistad. “There are many things the American public can do. First, demand Congress immediately pass and the president sign a clean version of the Pay Our Coast Guard Act, HR 367. Second, help The American Legion support Coast Guard families in need by donating to The American Legion Veterans and Children Foundation. The American Legion has already awarded almost $700,000 in nonrepayable grants to junior ranking Coast Guard families in need. There are hundreds of additional requests already in the pipeline which The American Legion is trying to grant, but we have a very limited budget. So any amount that you can give would be most appreciated.” Reistad is also calling on bill collectors to offer flexibility for members of the Coast Guard. “Due dates should be extended until the Coast Guard is paid and interest and late fees should be waived,” Reistad said. “We are hoping that the private sector as well as public utility companies all step up.” In a Twitter video, Admiral Karl Schultz, the Coast Guard commandant, acknowledged the gravity of the situation. “Ultimately, I find it unacceptable that Coast Guard men and women have to rely on food pantries and donations to get through day-to-day life as service members,” Schultz said. “As a nonprofit, The American Legion is not capable of funding the entire Coast Guard payroll,” Reistad said. “But we are hoping that Americans immediately demand that Congress and the White House pay the Coast Guard. Any donations that people wish to make to the foundation will be especially appreciated at a time like this.” The American Legion has awarded grants to meet the shelter, medical and nutritional needs for the minor children of military personnel since 1925. It is funded by donations made to The American Legion Veterans and Children Foundation.

Now, a few quick notes. As the press release notes, we've awarded nearly $700,000 in nonrepayable grants to just under 1,100 Coast Guard families in need over the last two weeks. These families have a total of nearly 2,000 minor children in their households. Hundreds of families, with thousands of more children in need have applied for assistance have now been put on hold until further donations can come in. Donations are 100 percent tax deductible.

The TFA is funded by The American Legion’s Veterans and Children Foundation, which depends solely on donations, not dues money. But that fund is running dangerously low, and we have literal stacks of TFA grants to still go through, and there's very little in the way of breakthrough happening at the federal level, as unrelated political squabbles hold Coast Guard pay hostage. In order for us to make these grants, we're going to need more in the coffers.

So please, donate BY USING THIS LINK HERE.

And after you donate, contact your representatives in Washington DC and let them know what our fellow service-members are facing. Congress needs to pass and president needs to sign the Pay Our Coast Guard Act, (S.21 and HR 367) – Call the congressional switchboard, (202) 224-3121.

We encourage all private sector vendors and bill collectors to be flexible with Coast Guard families as Commander Reistad said above. Due dates on bills should be extended until these heroes can once again be paid. Interest and late fees should be waived. This is a great time for businesses to step up and show appreciation for those who defend our way of life.

And lastly, look around your community for members of the Coast Guard, and help them if you can.

These are our brothers and sisters serving their country, just as we did when we wore the uniform, and but for being moved to a different budgetary process (where they were moved from the DoD to the Department of Homeland Security) they'd still be getting paid like their sister services. It's not fair that they should be treated differently.

Times are hard, and right after Christmas most people don't have a lot of extra money. Add in the cold spells and increased costs of heating homes etc, and it's hard on everyone. So give what you can. Because it's even harder when you have no money, no pay check coming, and you're still required to show up for work every morning.

Again, you can donate at THIS LINK. Every cent you donate will go directly to those who qualify for a TFA grant. Our salaries and such are handled through dues and other funds. 100 percent of your donation goes to charity, there is no overhead/costs.