The Grunt Style Foundation leaders Tim Jensen and Will Wisner speak with Veteran Service Organization’s to discuss the historic passing of The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The team is joined by U.S. Marine Corps veteran Patrick Murray, Director of the National Legislative Servicemember for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Listen in and learn about the VFW can help veterans across the country, and the world. Visit VFW.org to learn more about VFW and how they foster camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts. To serve our veterans, the military and our communities. To advocate on behalf of all veterans.
Pat Murray is the Director of the National Legislative Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. It is his responsibility to plan, coordinate and implement the VFW’s national legislative agenda. with members of Congress, their staff and committees, and with other federal departments, agencies and organizations.
His mission is to work with Congress to create and protect all programs and services provided by the federal government to veterans, service members and their families, and to help defeat
proposals that are not beneficial to America’s veteran and military communities. This includes executing the VFW’s Priority Goals, as it pertains to budgets, education, employment, healthcare, benefits and capital infrastructure as well as working on The Independent Budget, which is a comprehensive budget recommendation and policy document created by veterans for veterans.
Pat served five years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in the Infantry as a noncommissioned officer. In 2006, he deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, where his unit conducted hundreds of counter insurgency operations in support of Iraqi Freedom. After rehabilitating from a wound received in Iraq he successfully transitioned back to work in the D.C. metro area.
Prior to joining the VFW, he worked for a veterans nonprofit that focused on employment for student veterans after their graduation.
In 2014, Pat received a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. He is a Life member of VFW Post 152 in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a nonprofit veterans service organization composed of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, guard and reserve forces.
We trace our roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service. Many arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans' pension for them, and they were left to care for themselves.
In their misery, some of these veterans banded together and formed organizations that would eventually band together and become known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. After chapters were formed in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania, the movement quickly gained momentum. Today, membership stands at more than 1.5 million members of the VFW and its Auxiliary.
Our voice was instrumental in establishing the Veterans Administration, development of the national cemetery system, in the fight for compensation for Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange and for veterans diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome. In 2008, we won a long-fought victory with the passing of a GI Bill for the 21st Century, giving expanded educational benefits to America's active duty service members, and members of the guard and reserves, fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. We were the driving force behind the Veterans Access and Accountability Act of 2014, and continually fight for improved VA medical centers services for women veterans.
Besides helping fund the creation of the Vietnam, Korean War, World War II and Women in Military Service memorials, in 2005 the VFW became the first veterans' organization to contribute to building the new Disabled Veterans for Life Memorial, which opened in November 2010. And in 2015, we became the first supporter of the National Desert Storm War Memorial which is planned for construction at our nation's capital.
We have many programs and services that work to support veterans, service members and their families, as well as communities worldwide. Please check out our latest fact sheet or spend some time browsing our site to learn why No One Does More For Veterans.