Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-08-09
Dear Joe
By JAMES L. HICKS

Inc National Association Tor the
Advancement Of Colored People
and the National Urban League
have announced repeatedly that
they are out TO help the veteran.
But neither the NAACP nor the
Urban League has a national serv-
ice ORicer-and the Veterans Ad-
ministration says that the best way
governmental agency can
serve a veteran is through having
its own national service officer.
The American Legion, the Vet
Grams of Foreign Wars, the Dis
abled Veterans Of America and the
Military Order of the Purple Heart
all have long since realized that
in order to really help a veteran
they must have a national service
officer.
A national service officer is an
individual hired by a national or
ganization to look after the affairs
Of its veterans.
He is trained in all the rules and
regulations Of the Veterans Ad-
ministration and knows all its laws
affecting veterans. When properly
accredited he can walk in the office
Of any Veteran Administration IA
cility and demand to see the records
Of any veteran on file in the facility.
Although he is not an employee
Of the government he is authorized
to do these things by the Veterans
Administration, and the national
service officers of the several vet
Grams organizations are doing them
daily in the interest Of members
Of their organizations.
In addition to being able to walk
in and examine the records for
themselves and thereby expedite
cases for veterans belonging 10
their organizations, these national
service officers are paid $50 a
month by the Veterans Admins
tration under the on-the- job train.
ing program plus the salary they
receive from their organizations.
But colored veterans are not able
to benefit by this service because
there is no colored organization in
the nation which has a national
service officer.
Jesse O. DedmOn, veterans
secretary for the NAACP. and
Julius Thomas, who handles vet
Grams affairs for the National
Urban League. are both good
men, but neither Of them dares
to walk into a Veterans Admin
istratiOn Office and examine the
record Of q veteran because they
are not accredited national sery-
Ice officers.
The Importance of being able e
examine the records need not b
raised here. But no one can keel
down the question: Why doesn'
the NAACP and the Urban League
have national service officers IL
their branch offices?
That is a question which thes'
organizations themselves mus
answer, but here is the answer a
TO how they both can go abou
getting such officers and have then
approved by the VA for on-the- jol
training:
| At American University in Wash
ington. d. c., a blitz course |
taught especially for national serv
ice officers. EnrolleeS in this cours
are taught all there is to know
about helping vets with their prob
lens.
The VA said last Tuesday tina
there Is no reason why a schoC
like Atlanta University OF som
similar school cannot set up tn
same type of blitZ course for ma
tional service officers. There !
nothing to stop colored veteran
from attending the course at Am
erican University.
The only need Is place for ther
, TO use the knowledge they al
taught.
The NAACP and the Nations
: Urban League could select veteran
to attend the American UniverSit
. hlitz course and become trained ns
tional service officers or they eoul
persuade some other school to o.
fer the same course.
In any event, in six months tin
they could place q number Of we
: trained qualified veterans in the
! branch offices over the nation WI
J would not only reader a valuab
service to the eolored veteran b.
be a definite credit TO the organ
nations.
Z The muddled situation In whiel
= the eOloFed veteran 6nds him
self clearly indicates that IN,
=. NAACP, the Urban League aR'
4 all other national eolOred organi
A EatiOns are badly In need Of som,
A such trained personnel to assis
A in handling colored veterans AZ
4 fairs
III II appears that here is . way
get IL.