Every year, thousands of Veterans of Foreign Wars delegates gather to discuss the organization’s membership of more than 1.5 million people, during a week-long convention. This year, Darren Williams and Telacy Biles of Joint Munitions Command’s Munitions Logistics Distribution Division attended the 123d Annual Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention held in July in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Joint Munitions Command, headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal, provides blank ammunition and clips to American Legion posts, VFW posts, Disabled American Veterans chapters, as well as other veterans’ organizations, free of charge, to perform military funeral honors and to use at parades and other events.
Williams and Biles serve as logistics management specialists at JMC and have the primary responsibility of distributing ceremonial ammunition to the VFW posts that provide funeral honors or other honors at ceremonies across the country. Each year, more than three million rounds of blank ammunition are provided for these ceremonies; the VFW posts are responsible for 27% of these orders, at no cost to these posts. “It is such a pleasure serving those who served and honoring our fallen heroes,” said Biles.
At this year’s national convention, there were several thousand VFW members and post, state and national VFW officers. JMC’s participation afforded an opportunity to share information, network, discuss opportunities for improvements, as well as outline the process for requesting ceremonial ammunition. Several VFW members stopped at the booth and expressed their appreciation for the support they receive from this JMC program and reiterated the importance of the program to what they do as members of the VFW. “Our attendance at this convention enables that process, and we get to hear direct feedback on this service that we provide,” said Williams.
“We are very proud of the support we provide to the veterans organizations. Over the last couple of years, we have simplified the process for veterans’ organizations to request ceremonial ammunition,” said Mr. David Banian, director of munitions logistics for JMC. Providing ammunition for ceremonies is a traditional mission for JMC. Since the end of World War II, the Army has been supplying ceremonial ammunition to veterans’ organizations to conduct military honors for their fallen comrades.
To learn more about the JMC ceremonial ammunition program, contact Telacy Biles, toll free, at 877-233-2515, via Fax at 309-782-7292 or email at usarmy.ria.jmc.mbx.carg@army.mil.
In addition, a video that describes the ceremonial rifle ammunition ordering process can be viewed at the American Legion National Head Quarter’s website at www.legion.org.
For more information about the ceremonial rifle program, contact TACOM by email at usarmy.detroit.tacom.mbx.ilsc-donations@army.mil.
The ceremonial ammunition and rifle program is conducted in accordance with Title 10, United States Code § 4683 (as implemented by Army Regulation 700-131).
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