VFW Post 12243 - Union, MO

08/28/2026

VFW Post 12243 - Union, MO at the City of Union Farmers' Market helping Vets access their benefits, recruiting new members, raising funds for POW MIA Museum in Jefferson Barracks, and spreading the word about Veteran's Way - Union, MO and Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Youth Schlarship Programs. Stop by, say Hi, and take a Buddy Poppy!

08/26/2026

Today marks five years since the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2021.
13 U.S. service members were killed: 11 Marines, one Navy corpsman, and one Army soldier. We will never forget.

VFW Post 12243 - Union, MO asks you to take time today to remember their sacrifice.

1. Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, Utah
2. Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, Massachusetts
3. Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, California
4. Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, California
5. Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, Nebraska
6. Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, Indiana
7. Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, Texas
8. Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, Missouri
9. Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, Wyoming
10. Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, California
11. Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, California
12. Navy Hospital Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, Ohio
13. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, Tennessee

08/24/2026

VFW Post 12243 - Union, MO will have a booth at the City of Union Farmers' Market this Friday! Our Veterans Benefits Advisors will be there ready to help Veterans access their benefits. Our Post is a supporter of the POW MIA Museum in Jefferson Barracks and will be taking donations to support their program, so if you have spare change or would like to make a donation, we will happily take accept at that time. Please stop by and say hello! We look forward to seeing you there.

08/18/2026

Today we remember Captain Arthur “Art” Bonifas, 1st Lt. Mark Barrett, and the South Korean Soldiers who were brutally axed and bludgeoned to death by North Korean Soldiers during a routine tree-trimming mission at the DMZ on this day in 1976. The unprovoked attack and resulting murder led to the US launching "Operation Paul Bunyan" on 21 Aug 1976. Please read the details of the event in the linked article.



https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FJT93bfMg/

08/12/2026

VFW Post 12243 - Union, MO is a proud promoter of alternative health therapies. If you are a Veteran and want to seek out alternative treatments, PLEASE contact your VA primary health team and ask them about the "Whole Health Clinic" at Jefferson Barracks. They offer access to acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic services, and a variety of non-medicaded mental health treatments! Many Veterans don't even know these treatments are available, so call or email your VA provider and ask!
If you need help accessing your benefits, please message us on Facebook or email [email protected] and we will get you in contact with a Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Veteran Service Officer. They're YOUR earned benefits so let's get you full access to them!.

VFW Post 12243 on Union, MO is an alcohol-free VFW Post committed to connecting Veterans to their Family, their Community, and their Benefits! Let us help you, TODAY!

08/11/2026

Agent Orange is responsible for a wide range of medical issues. The herbicide was used during the Vietnam War to defoliate battlegrounds with the purpose of depriving the opposition of ground cover in which to hide. The VA has added Agent Orange exposure or potential exposure as a presumptive condition. Talk with your local Veteran Service Officer to learn more. mvc.dps.mo.gov/service/serviceofficer

08/08/2026

🎙️Tune into 93.3 Real Talk Radio Network tomorrow at 11am & Sunday at 8am to hear Commander Annie Stanfield on Grunt Style Foundation "House of Grit" radio show. She talks about starting VFW Post 12243, our success over the past year and how we're challenging the status quo in the VFW. 🎙️

08/07/2026

🇺🇲 It's time for the Annual Veterans' Dinner!! 👉YOU MUST RSVP by Friday, Aug 28!!👈 🇺🇸

08/06/2026

Today, VFW Post 12243 remembers Extortion 17.

On August 6, 2011, a U.S. CH-47D Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was shot down while transporting a Quick Reaction Force attempting to reinforce a unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan.

The resulting crash killed all 38 personnel on board, which included:
19 U.S. Navy SEALs
2 U.S. Navy EOD
1 U.S. Navy Cryptologist Technician
2 U.S. Air Force Pararescue
1 U.S. Air Force Combat Control Team member
1 pilot and 2 crewmen of the U.S. Army Reserve
1 pilot and 1 crewman of the U.S. Army National Guard
7 members of the Afghan National Security Forces
1 Afghan interpreter
1 U.S. military working dog

Navy SEALs:
PO1 Darrick C. Benson
CPO Brian R. Bill
PO1 Christopher G. Campbell
PO1 Jared W. Day
PO1 John Douangdara & Navy SEAL Dog “Bart”
CPO John W. Faas
CPO Kevin A. Houston
Lt. Cmdr. Jonas B. Kelsall
MCPO Louis J. Langlais
CPO Matthew D. Mason
CPO Stephen M. Mills
PO1 Jesse D. Pittman
SCPO Thomas A. Ratzlaff
CPO Robert J. Reeves
CPO Heath M. Robinson
PO2 Nicholas P. Spehar
PO1 Jon T. Tumilson
PO1 Aaron C. Vaughn
PO1 Jason R. Workman

U.S. Navy EOD:
TCOP Nicholas H. Null
SCPO Kraig M. Vickers

U.S. Navy :
PO1 Michael J. Strange

U.S. Army:
SGT Alexander J. Bennett
SPC Spencer Duncan
CWO Bryan J. Nichols
CWO David R. Carter
SSG Patrick D. Hamburger

U.S. Air Force:
TSgt John W. Brown
SSgt Andrew W. Harvell
TSgt Daniel L. Zerbe

They shall never be forgotten.