Rino 1

Melanie Rino
Professor Jennifer Courtney
English 2010
28 September 2016
Disabled American Veterans

Veterans in WWI
Approx # of total vets in WWI

vets died in combat

vets died from illness

vets wounded

What is a veteran? A veteran is an individual who

has had a lengthy experience in a particular field, or an individual who has been in the military.
In this paper I am going to discuss the latter portion of this definition. In 2014 there were over
150,000 veterans in Utah alone (National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics). These
individuals sacrifice their time and life for the safety of our country. Upon returning home some
of these individuals are ill, wounded or worse deceased. The Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
is an organization that these individuals can turn to in time of need. My goal is to discuss how
this organization came to be, how they assist these veterans, the importance of this organization
and community events held for those the DAV serves.

Rino 2
Who are the Disabled American Veterans? The DAV formerly known as the Disabled American
Veterans of World War (DAVWW) is a non-profit organization that serves veterans and their
families. The DAV was not founded until after WWI, when veterans returned home from the war
the government was not prepared to care for medically or to employ these veterans. More than
4.7 million Americans served in WWI (Wilborn 4). Not all of these individuals got the chance to
return home, 53,500 veterans sacrificed their lives in combat while another 63,000 died from
illness and another 204,000 veterans were wounded during the war (Wilborn 4). Veterans had a
difficult time gaining employment, especially the individuals who had become disabled.
One particular group of individuals known as the Ohio Mechanic Institute Disable Soldiers
(OMIDS) sought help from those who had more influence. One of these individuals was Judge
Robert S. Marx, who was also a Captain who had been injured in combat as well. Judge Marx
hosted a Christmas party at a hotel with veterans who were away from home, it seemed to be that
the conversation drifted towards how veterans needed more help from the government. The
OMIDS and individuals from the University of Cincinnati started the initial groundwork in
establishing the DAVWW (Wilborn 9). Several meetings were held in Judge Marx chambers,
however on May 21, 1920 a meeting was held at Memorial Hall where Judge Marx shared the
information that 741,000 disabled veterans were eligible for membership from the DAVWW.
Although the DAV was initially set up on May 21st, the first national caucus was held September
25, 1920. Approximately 250 individuals were present for this caucus, at this time the DAV
divided into a national organization with state departments and local chapters.
DAV has helped disabled veterans and their families over the years in many ways, at
times it has been difficult getting funding to support these veterans but they have succeeded. At
one point the DAV had a program called IdentoTags, this was a program where miniature license

Rino 3
plate keychains were sent to individuals. If they lost their keys and a person found them they
would simply take the keys to the post office and the DAV would return the keys to the
appropriate owner. In return they received donations for this service, over the years with this
program the DAV was able to continue on with their mission of creating better lives for disabled
veterans and their families. From the first National Convention in 1921 membership has grown
exponentially. The DAV assists veterans in many ways from assisting in travel to medical
appointments, benefit claims, unemployment and being a voice for veterans to the government
and helping change policies.
The importance of the DAV is said even in their mission statement, which is to build better lives
for the nations disabled veterans and their families. This organization was built by veterans for
veterans and who could say it better than Judge Robert S. Marx and I quote We had a common
experience which bound us together, and we ought to continue through an organization of our
own an organization of us, by us and for us (Wilborn 2) . The DAV continues to strive for
building lives for their veterans, which is only a small token for what these veterans have
sacrificed for our country and our freedom.
Along with the DAV serving disabled veterans in the United States, our communities also serve,
assist or celebrate our veterans disabled or not. One particular event that is held annually is
hosted by the University of Utah. This event is a commemoration for our veterans. The
commemoration is held every year on November 11th. Any civilian is encouraged to nominate a
Utah veteran to be honored at this event. All veterans nominated are considered, however special
attention will be given to the veterans who were in harms way. Only 11 veterans will be chosen
and will receive a commemoration medallion and individual recognition at the public ceremony
(U. Seeks Nominations for Veterans to Honor). This event is an all-day affair, including a panel

Rino 4
discussion, 21 cannon salute, an award ceremony and a concert (U. Seeks Nominations for
Veterans to Honor).
In conclusion, the DAV has changed lives over the years for our disabled veterans. They do this
by serving these veterans whether this be from transportation to medical appointments,
assistance with benefit claims or job fairs or training to help those unemployed. They are a group
of individuals who strive to serve these veterans for the sacrifices they made for our country. Our
community is also engaged in recognizing the importance of these individuals in our country. It
is important that we can recognize and assist veterans for all the sacrifices they have made for
our country.

Rino 5

Works Cited
DAV. DAV. Web. 21 Sep 2016.
National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics.
http://www.va.gov/vetdata/Veteran_Population.asp. September 28, 2016.
University of Utah to Celebrate Veterans. Deseret News. Nov. 09 2014. ProQuest Newsstand.
Web. 21 Sep.2016. http://search.proquest.com/docview/121885773?accountid=28671.
U Seeks Nominations for Veterans to Honor. Deseret News. Apr 09 2015. ProQuest
Newsstand. Web. 21 Sep. 2016. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1671173977?
accountid=28671.
Veterans Day Commemoration the University of Utah. The University of Utah, 2016.Web. 17
Sep. 2016.
Wilborn, Thomas L., David E. Autry, Gary Weaver, and Thomas K. Keller, eds. Wars and Scars:
The Story of Compassion and Service for our Nations Disabled Veterans. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
https://www.dav.org/learn-more/about-dav/history/