The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States realizes that duties performed in the fields of law enforcement and emergency services, whether carried out in public view with the ensuing public acclaim, or performed in ways which gain little public recognition, are both exemplary and of great value to the nation.

Refer to the National VFW Programs Chairman’s Guide for helpful tips and ideas in recognition programs. All Posts and Districts are encouraged to publicize this program in the local media.

Additional materials are available from VFW Emblem and Supply, or by visiting vfwstore.org.

 

Each year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars honors a law enforcement officer, firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) from each Department to receive the VFW National Gold Medal Award. Post Chairmen are encouraged to submit a candidate for these awards to the District Chairman by November 15, 2020. 

Any individual, who actively gives emergency medical treatment, provides rescue service or civil disaster assistance as a member of any public or volunteer company organized to give emergency medical care, provide rescue and civil disaster assistance to our nation’s citizens.

Law Enforcement

Any individual who serves in a municipal, county, state or federal unit tasked with enforcement of the laws pertaining to their area of responsibility. This award does not apply to individuals employed by private companies or security services.

 

Any individual  who  actively fights  fires  as a member of any public or  volunteer company organized to fight fires and give assistance to our nation’s citizens.

 

It is important that Post and District Chairmen alike understand the following policy: It is the Post’s responsibility to interview, write, and submit the candidate packets to the proper Chairman in the chain. It is not that of the nominee’s Department Captain or supervisor to do so. Any packets submitted for judging which have been written by someone other than the Post Chairman or Post representative should be returned to the Post for re-write.  Any  finalist packets submitted by District Chairmen to the Department Chairman for judging, which do not meet the criteria above, will be returned to the District Chairman for re-write. It will be the District’s responsibility to make changes and resubmit corrected packets prior to final judging. Any packets received following judging will not be accepted. The Deadlines are published in multiple appropriate areas to include multiple areas of this guide.

Nominee packets should contain the following:

Nomination  letter  from  the  Post  containing  the  candidate’s  name,  title,  address, telephone and identifying the award for which the individual should be considered.

One-page resume of the candidate’s overall background.

One-page resume of the candidate’s background in their field.

One-page listing of the candidate’s accomplishment and awards in their field.

Photograph (preferably a head shot no larger than 3” x 4”) of the candidate (as Law Enforcement candidates may be undercover, photographs need not be recent).

Written text should be in an easily readable font such as Calibri or Times New Roman and should be no less than 10 point and no more than 12 point in size.

Keep your descriptions short and to the point. Try not to repeat information.

Please be thorough with your documentation. Entries must remain within the parameters described above. No other documentation will be accepted.

Post Chairmen submit their winning packets for each category to their District  Chairmen.

Posts may submit their packets online via email to the District Chairman. 

 

PDF format only. Any packets received in Word or other publishing applications other than PDF will not be accepted. District Chairmen should monitor this and make corrections before submitting to Department for final judging.

DEADLINES

Deadline for submission to Post Chairmen is November 1, 2023.

Deadline for submission to District Chairman by Post Chairmen is November15, 2023.

 

Important! To qualify for awards, Posts must submit an online report. Reports must include but not be limited to:

Present a certificate or plaque to an eligible individual Law Enforcement Officer, Firefighter, or EMT, and must state the name, agency, and date of presentation. You must report what you do!

CONCLUSION

All of our programs are important and which ones we participate in are up to the individual Posts. In a perfect world Posts would submit entries for all three categories…in a perfect world. In reality, recent history shows that this cannot always be accomplished. I encourage you to do the best you can even if it means only participating in one category. All I ask is you give it your best. Promote your winners by submitting them to your local newspaper. Not only will the public put a face with a name, they will see the local VFW cares enough to honor and recognize those who are our first responders in their community.

Remember Comrades, our Law Enforcement and Emergency Service Personnel face extreme challenges in today’s society. Recognizing these men and women in your community for their vital service is an important moral boosting program. Know who these men and women are in your community by introducing yourself in person.

Send a letter of introduction to your local Police Department, Sheriff’s Department, Highway Patrol Station, Fire Department Headquarters and EMT provider on your  Post  letterhead. Follow up with a phone call and a direct meeting. District Commanders and Chairmen, I encourage your direct participation as well.