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SPECIAL HAVEN SOOTHES BATTLE SCARS -- The

Mayhew-Vincent White Cane American Legion Post

in Midway City, California was formed for disabled

veterans by disabled, mostly blind, veterans.

 

 

Story here... http://www.ocregister.com/
ocregister/news/local/wes
tminster/article_1674057.php

Story below:

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Haven soothes battle scars

The Mayhew-Vincent White Cane American Legion Post in Midway City was formed for disabled veterans by disabled, mostly blind, veterans.

By DEEPA BHARATH
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

MIDWAY CITY - C.P. Dou'Glass smiles as he plays the keyboard.

The smile turns into a broader grin as his fingers spread out, almost caressing the keys. He plays slowly and deliberately, taking in the sound of each note, humming, sprinkling a few lyrics along the way. His red and white cane rests beside him.

American Legion Post 266 is a place where the Vietnam War veteran feels not just accepted, but understood, he says.

This post, called the Mayhew-Vincent White Cane Post, was founded by blind veterans for blind and disabled veterans in December 1975 at the VA Long Beach Medical Center.

It's a lesser-known American Legion post, but it has always been popular among veterans at the hospital because of its significance to them, Dou'Glass said.

"Most veterans are forgotten," said a stoic Dou'Glass, a member since 1982. "But it's the wounded and disabled veterans who are completely ignored and forgotten."

The White Cane Post provides financial and moral support for hospital programs. Members distribute gift baskets at Easter, play bingo with spinal cord injury patients a few times a year and hold holiday parties and social gatherings for patients who otherwise have few places to go.

Paul Brownstein, a World War II veteran who lost his sight because of retinal detachment barely a decade after he returned from the war, was a founding member of the post.

The White Cane Post initially met at the VA Hospital, then moved its meetings to Midway City, Brownstein said. The group has met at its current Beach Boulevard location for about five years, he said.

"It's not just about finding friends," said Brownstein, 88. "A lot of veterans don't know what their benefits are and where and how to get them. Providing that information and getting them connected with the veterans hospital is an important part of what we do."

The post started with 20 members and now has more than 200.

Here, disabled veterans get a chance to share relationships with others like themselves who are looking for help and a little understanding, Dou'Glass says.

"Before I became a part of this post, I never thought I could help anyone," he said. "I never thought I'd find this kind of camaraderie."

He and other members ride with volunteers to the VA Hospital, where they socialize with patients who cannot get out, such as those in the spinal cord injury ward.

Some members are more disabled than others, says Lance Davis, who lost a leg in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach. He did not serve, but comes from a family of World War II, Vietnam War and Korean War veterans.

"This post started out for blind veterans," he said. "But now we have a good mix of people."

There are veterans like him with other types of disabilities, Davis said. Those members form a core group who do chores such as driving members to meetings or other activities.

At the post, veterans can relax and be who they are, said the post's commander, Shirley Stephenson. Some choose to stay in a corner by themselves; others choose to participate.

"It's up to each one what they feel comfortable with and how they want to be involved," she said.

The fellowship between post members and patients at the veterans' hospital is something an outsider cannot comprehend, Dou'Glass says.

"It's not just people with opinions about wars and the troops," he said. "Everyone's been there, done that, suffered and felt the pain."

They've seen people's arms, legs and body parts return home in padded caskets, said Dou'Glass, who was stationed in Vietnam for 37 months and lost his sight during a mission. He saw brave men and women lose their lives and limbs.

"And many others, what they lose, you can't see," he said.

But at the White Cane Post, Dou'Glass saw much more than that sense of gloom. He saw hope and a lot of spirit. His most inspiring moment came when he saw a bunch of guys at the hospital form a wheelchair basketball team.

"I didn't see any self-pity there," he said. "They just kept on going."

Joseph Gonzalez, a recreation therapist at the hospital, said patients benefit from their interaction with post members as well. He said the hospital has been working with the White Cane Post since its beginning, but more closely for the last 12 years.

The post often sponsors field trips for patients and organizes events for Christmas, Easter and July Fourth, Gonzalez said. Most recently, the post has been helping the new veterans resource center at the VA hospital called Partnership in Effective Recovery. In addition to sending a letter to help the center get startup funding, post members pay the center monthly to help buy supplies and food.

When patients visit members at the post, such as their recent trip for an Easter barbecue on April 6, they get out of their usual situation and into a social setting where they interact with other veterans, Gonzalez said.

"More than anything else, it helps lift the spirit of these folks," he said.

Hector Hernandez, who lives in a transitional facility at the hospital, is a veteran who was once a patient but is now assistant sergeant at the White Cane Post.

The Vietnam War veteran said he had severe mental illness after he returned from Vietnam. For eight months, he had tagged and bagged dead bodies and body parts at the war sites.

"It messed my head up pretty bad," Hernandez said. "For years, I'd have nightmares and flashbacks."

He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Hernandez said. The White Cane Post was a big part of his recovery process, and his ability to help others had an almost therapeutic effect, he said.

"I feel close to normal again," Hernandez said. "Somehow, here, everything feels right."

Contact the writer: 714-445-6685 or dbharath@ocregister.com

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Who were Mayhew and Vincent?

That seems to be a mystery. The two blind veterans died shortly before the White Cane Post was founded in 1975, according to the oldest member, Paul Brownstein. But no one knows which wars Mayhew and Vincent fought, or even their first names. The Orange County Register called the American Legion's National Commander's Office and its Department of California office, which had the date and place the post formed but nothing about Mayhew or Vincent. If you know, call 714-445-6685.

If you go

The Mayhew-Vincent White Cane American Legion Post 266 meets every third Saturday at 14582 Beach Blvd. in Midway City. The post also hosts special events for veterans on July Fourth, Christmas and Easter. For information, call Post 266 at 714-638-1151.

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Larry Scott  --