President Chen Shui-bian on July 23 met with Gary Kurpius, Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States. President Chen is delighted that this is the seventh consecutive year since his inauguration in 2000 as president that he has met with the VFW's Commander-in Chieves and officers. He thanked the VFW for its long friendship to and support for Taiwan.
The president said that the VFW was established in 1899 and that it maintains close and friendly ties with Taiwan's Veterans Affairs Commission (VAC). The VFW established a branch organization in Taiwan in 1954 and in 1980 inked a brotherhood relationship with the VAC, becoming the first brotherhood organization of the VAC. The VFW each year invites members of the VAC to attend its annual national convention and offers a warm welcome and reception to the visitors. The president also expressed his appreciation for the VFW's passing a resolution each year to support Taiwan and express its concern over the situation in the Taiwan Strait, calling for peace, security and stability.
The president furthermore said that both the Taiwan and American governments place great emphasis on the welfare of veterans as well as the meritorious achievements of veterans. He hopes that amid government reform, Taiwan can elevate the Executive Yuan's VAC to a ministry-level agency, after the fashion of the United States. He said this would enable the government to provide better care for retired servicemen.
As Mr. Kurpius comes from Anchorage, Alaska, President Chen fondly recalls his transit stop in Anchorage in November 2003 at the invitation of the then Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski. The president said he hopes to have an opportunity in the future to once again set foot on Alaskan soil.