VFW Post 8964 Ovid, MI

12/13/2025

11/14/2025

VFW National Commander Carol Whitmore issues a fierce statement defending veterans against "disgraceful" media reports suggesting VA disability claims are "dubious" or "fraudulent."

11/10/2025

Happy 250th Birthday Marines!

250 Years of Winning Our Nation's Battles For one quarter of a millennium, we have defended our country. From the birth of our nation during the American Re...

10/24/2025

Because a veteran’s mission never truly ends. And neither does ours. GET IN ON THE ACTION Secure Your Benefits We offer free, expert and accredited assistance to veterans ready to file their VA claim, recovering more than $14 billion in benefits and compensation annually. Serve With Us With more t...

09/18/2025

In April 1967, a young U.S. Navy sailor named Doug Hegdahl was blown overboard from the USS Canberra in the Gulf of Tonkin. Just 20 years old and barely trained for war, he wasn’t captured in battle — he was fished from the sea by North Vietnamese fishermen, who quickly handed him over to the military.

They didn’t know what to make of him. He looked confused, polite, even a little slow. And soon, they gave him a nickname:

"The Incredibly Stupid One."

Doug played along. In fact, he leaned into it. He pretended he couldn’t read or write. He asked the guards to teach him how to spell his name. He acted like he didn’t understand questions. When they tried to interrogate him, he gave blank stares or mumbled. Sometimes he hummed a silly tune to himself:
“Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O...”

The Vietnamese thought he was harmless. They gave him light chores and let him wander parts of the prison where others couldn’t go. Doug, meanwhile, was watching. Listening. Remembering.

In the darkness of the Hanoi Hilton — the infamous POW prison — American prisoners were being tortured and isolated. Many couldn’t speak or write freely. But Doug, the “stupid one,” became their secret messenger.

With the help of other prisoners, especially a fellow POW named Joe Crecca, Doug began memorizing the names of every American held captive. Not just names — details: date of capture, rank, hometown, injuries, even secret codes.

To remember it all, Doug used the same tune he hummed to fool his captors.
“Old MacDonald” became his lifeline.

Each verse, a new prisoner.
Each chorus, another life remembered.

He sang it silently, over and over again in his head, turning pain into memory, and memory into power.

In 1969, the North Vietnamese decided to release a few prisoners as a propaganda gesture. Senior American officers initially refused to go — they didn’t want to give the enemy a public victory. But they saw something in Doug.

They told him: “You have to go. You know too much. The world needs to hear it.”

Doug Hegdahl walked out of that prison a free man, carrying in his mind the identities of 256 fellow Americans still trapped behind bars. Once safely home, he wrote down every name. Every detail. Perfectly.

He wasn’t stupid.
He was brilliant. Brave. And unforgettable.

08/08/2025

RED Friday

On Friday’s it has become customary for many to Remember Everyone Deployed, calling it RED Friday’s. The most common way people recognize this is by wearing a red shirt on Friday. This has also created a market for people to purchase shirts specifically for this reason.

We would like to help our public Remember Everyone Deployed by highlighting a unit currently deployed on Friday’s.

This week, we are recognizing Michigan Army National Guard’s 745th Ordnance Company based in Grayling Michigan.

The 745th Ordnance Company deployed earlier this year. It is said that the Soldiers are to be deployed for up to a year.

“These Soldiers will be supporting Operation Spartan Shield throughout the Middle East to strengthen defense relationships and build partner capacity. Their mission will focus on safely identifying, disarming, and disposing of hazardous explosive devices and conducting concurrent training with partner nations,” said U.S. Army Maj. Megan Breen, commander of the 507th Engineer Battalion. “The explosive ordnance disposal mission not only ensures the safety of U.S. and partner nation military operations throughout the region but also ensures the safety of the local population.”

This is the 745th Ordnance Company’s fourth deployment since 9/11. The units previous deployment was in June 2020 to the CENTCOM Theatre in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve.

(Sources: Article by Daniella Maxwell found on UpNorthLive)

07/17/2025

07/15/2025

Tickets can be purchased from Ovid VFW Members. You can also message us and we can arrange ticket purchases.