Author: UAV Webmaster

Ukrainian American Veterans (UAV) webmaster is responsible for maintaining the UAV national website.
Posted on by

National Cemetery Administration

The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) honors Veterans and their families with final resting places in national shrines and lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our Nation. The NCA offers free burial services to eligible veterans at over 151 national cemeteries nationwide.

Les’ Melnyk, Chief of Public Affairs & Outreach for the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Dept. of Veterans Affairs, addressed the delegates at the Ukrainian American Veterans 73rd Annual Convention on Friday, 6 November 2020. Melnyk spoke about the history and mission of the National Cemetery Administration, and then he discussed eligibility criteria for veterans and their families.

Continue reading National Cemetery Administration
Posted on by

VA Disability Compensation Program

The Veterans Administration’s Disability Compensation Program seems to become more important as we veterans get older.

Keith Hancock, Senior Policy Analyst with the Veterans Benefits Administration, addressed the delegates at the Ukrainian American Veterans 73rd Annual Convention on Friday, 6 November 2020. Hancock spoke about VA benefits that Vietnam-era veterans should find interesting, including Agent Orange and the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.

Continue reading VA Disability Compensation Program
Posted on by

2020 UAV Convention Speakers

The Ukrainian American Veterans are pleased to announce the convention speakers for the UAV 73rd annual convention to be held 6-7 November 2020.

  • Brigadier General Leonid E. Kondratiuk, Past National Commander of the Ukrainian American Veterans
  • Major General Borys Kremenetskyi, Defense Attaché, Embassy of Ukraine to the USA.
  • Keith Hancock, Senior Policy Analyst with the Veterans Benefits Administration
  • Les’ Melnyk, Chief of Public Affairs & Outreach for the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Dept. of Veterans Affairs
  • Oksana Kolyada, Minister for Veterans Affairs, Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine, from August 2019 to March 2020
Continue reading 2020 UAV Convention Speakers
Posted on by

Ivan Bohdan

Ivan Bohdan, the First Ukrainian American Veteran?

Was Ivan Bohdan the First Ukrainian American Veteran?

During the 1980s and 1990s, Ukrainian American active duty, Guard and Reserve officers stationed in Washington, DC held an annual dinner at the Fort Myer Officer’s Club near or on 22 January, the day Ukrainian independence was then celebrated. There were over two dozen of us. One year Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney was the speaker. Since the event was open to the Ukrainian American community, we had a large turnout.

As the historian for our group, I read a brief history of Ukrainian Americans who have served in the United States Armed Forces. That evening I mentioned that there was a Ukrainian settler in the Jamestown, Virginia colony. I got a big laugh since the civilians were skeptical, but our cohort of Army, Navy and Air Force officers gave me a big hand of applause.

Continue reading Ivan Bohdan