I was looking for a place to hang my hat,” James Krall stated as he thought back on how he came to find a home within the DAV family, which led to naming DAV in his will.

Krall is a disabled Vietnam veteran who sought care at the VA after his insurance would no longer cover his injuries. “I wish I would have known about DAV sooner,” Krall stated. “My biggest regret is that I didn’t know about DAV National Service Officers when I was claiming my disability.”

While riding in the DAV Transportation Network van to his appointments at the VA medical center, James was introduced to members of the local DAV Chapter in Green Bay, Wisc., and invited to a picnic. There he met Chapter leaders and says, “That’s when my interest in DAV really took off.”

He soon became a DAV member and active volunteer in the Chapter’s office, doing the monthly newsletter mailings and scheduling rides for veterans with the DAV Transportation Network. “Since the Chapter shared an office with the Department of Wisconsin, there was always something going on,” recalled Krall. While there, he befriended state DAV leaders who further inspired him. “After seeing the interest they had, and so many others in DAV, I was so happy to be a member.”

It was around this time that Krall decided to include DAV in his will. He had seen many of the programs DAV offers to help disabled veterans across the country and wanted to continue his support. “I believe this is just one more way I can give back to my disabled veteran brothers and sisters,” he said.

Krall and his wife have since moved to South Carolina. He no longer coordinates rides for veterans; rather, he is now a DAV Transportation Network van driver. Krall, along with a neighbor, transports area veterans to and from the Dorn VA medical center in Columbia, S.C. for their medical appointments. “It is so rewarding for me to be able to do that for my fellow veterans, and to include DAV in my will,” he concluded.

The Guardian Society extends honor to those like Krall, who go one step further by including DAV in their will or other estate plans. Their future gifts ensure DAV will continue to serve our nation’s injured heroes for years and generations to come.

For more information, please call 1-800-216-9802 or email giftplanning@dav.org
Legal address for your will or trust: Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250; tax identification number: 31-0263158.
If you have included DAV in your will or other estate plans, please let us know!