Verhovayak Lapja, 1950 (33. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1950 / Verhovay Journal
Verhovay Journal ___________________________________________________________________________ September^, 1950 WHY SERVICEMEN SHOULD KEEP THEIR INSURANCE IN FORCE OFFICERS OF 5 YEAR OLD BRANCH 525, LOS ANGELES A highly successful anniversary dance marked the 5th birthday of Branch 525 in Los Angeles, Calif. Flanked by a birthdav-cake, the officers posing for this picture on the memorable occasion are: Dennis Kocs, comptroller, Joseph Sipos, recording secretary, Emery Horvath, vice-president, Michael Kosztin, president and Alexander Gyulay, Manager cf the Branch. The anniversary ball, held on June 10th in the Hungarian Hom^ of Los Angeles, attracted a great crowd which, as usually at Br. 525 affairs, had a wonderful time. (Continued from page 1) Many of these young- men have been investing- in life insurance for several years, but quite a number of them have just recently purchased their life insurance contracts. When they applied for life insurance, they had faith in the future and they were reasonably certain to be able to maintain the plan adopted when the application was made. But the situation has changed overnight. The future again has become uncertain: the young- men expect to get their call to the colors any day and what the future may bring to each and every one of them is something no one can foretell. * It is due to this uncertainty that many of those who already received •the call, or expect to receive it in the near future, contemplate the advisability of “dropping” their recently acquired life insurance contracts. Discussing- this problem with several servicemen, we find that one of their reasons for intending to discontinue their life insurance program is the War Risk Exclusion clause carried on all life insurance contracts, according to which only the mortuary dues are returned to the beneficiaries if the insured should die in military service. (It is true that at the end of the last war, the Verhovay F. I. Association paid the full death benefits on all certificates bearing the same war risk exclusion clause, but the fact remains that this canr.ot be guaranteed in advance by any life insurance organization.) Another reason for discontinuing their life insurance plans is, according to the statements of servicemen, that they will be unable to pay the premiums (or dues) on life insurance contracts purchased on the assumption of higher wages than that received by servicemen. In these discussions, however, we invariably arrive at the same conclusion. No other advice can be given but this: we sincerely recommend that each and every serviceman keep his life insurance in full force, even if doing so would involve sacrifices. This we recommend because postwar experiences have proved in innumerable instances that servicemen who had discontinued their life insurance programs upon entering military service, have made a tragic mistake. To illustrate the unfortunate results of such a step, we quote one of our field men who tells us of talks he had, during- a single week, with four veterans of World War II. Each of the four veterans was about 30 years of age, apparently healthy, gainfully employed, married, and anxious to make adequate provisions for the future security of his family. Each of them made his choice from among the insurance plans offered to him, but it was only when the organizer started to write the application that it developed that each and every one of the four was uninsurable due to disabilities acquired In military service. One received a spinal wound in Italy, the other lost a kidney in France, the third had been seriously injured in the skull and the fourth still had occasional attacks of malaria. In each case, the organizer regretfully replaced the application in his briefcase, sadly explaining to the keenly disappointed prospeets that as reeeipients of 50 to 90% disability pensions they could not possibly pass a medical examination. But no explanation, no matter how sympathetically worded, could take the sting out of his refusal to write the applications. In fact, one of them, a ,31 year Old father of three small children, had tears in his eyes as he looked after the application blank disappearing in the organizer’s briefcase. These veterans became painfully aware of the mistake they made when they dropped their life insurance policies upon entering military service. In fact they realized that it would have been very much to thenadvantage. had they purchased additional ordinary life insurance before entering military service. No serviceman can be sure that he will be insurable after returning from military service. Even though, fortunately, millions of servicemen returned fx-oqi the last war in the best of health, there still are hundreds of thousands who can never again purchase ordinary life insurance and, what is worse, a great many of them had dropped their National Service Life Insurance policies for reasons best kn9wn to them.... These possibilities must be given serious thotight by every young man getting ready to enter military service. If he has recently acquired a life insurance policy, he should keep it by all means and if he has not yet purchased life insurance, he will take the wisest course by applying for life insurance before entering military service. There is no risk involved. He will not lose the money invested, even if he should be called upon to make the supreme sacrifice. His beneficiary will certainly receive what he invested. But if he returns, as most servicemen return, he will have an insurance policy in force which maybp the only protection be will be able to provide for his family. The argument that a serviceman’s pay is insufficient to pay the premiums, or dues,, on an ahbitious life insurance plan, is a serious one. It must be pointed out, however, that during the last war many a serviceman managed to save a substantial amount from his modest pay be sending it home, month by month, to his family for safe-keeping. It is a much wiser procedure, however, to save through the life insurance plan because it assures, the insured as well as his beneficiaries of the full amount he plans on saving, even if he should die a short time after returning to civilian life. There is no difficulty in makingsure that the premiums, or dues, are paid in time, even if the serviceman should serve on the other side of the globe. Arrangements \-an be made with the military authorities for the allotment of the premiums, or dues, which then will be paid directly to, the life insurance organization by the U.S. Treasury Department, as, deducted from the servicemen’s pay. An added advantage of this procedure is that the servicemen, returning to civilian life, will have ac- . cumulated a substantia! cash reserve in his life insurance policy, or certificate, which may come in handy, in the form of a low-interest loan, during the period of readjustment to civilian life. This problem is so grave that it would be well if not only servicemen, but their next of kin, their parents or wives, would give it serious thought. If a servicemen absolutely refuses to keep his life insurance in force, his parents should carefully weigh the advisability of themselves assuming the premium payments, because if the servic-m^n Chicago Branch 164 Dance Group at Fair Chicago Branch 164 scored another big success when its Hungarian Folk Dancers were featured on the program of Chicago’s 810,000,000 lakefront Fair, writes Louis Barna, Manager of the Branch. The well trained and exquisitely dressed group of dancers performed on August 20th with such success that the management requested a repeat perf Or mance which was given on September 2nd. Branch 164 is to be commended for putting the name of the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association on the program of the Chicago Fair. Eastern Verhovay Day Contributes to Aid Fund The Home Office gratefully acknowledges a donation of §70.53 to the Fund for the Aiding of Verhovay's Handicapped Juvenile Members end Disabled Aged Members from the proceeds of the Eastern Verhovay Day picnic, remitted by Adam Simon, Jr., Mgr. of Branch 52, treasurer of the picnic. The Eastern Verhovay Day, held on August 14th, 1950. at Metuchen, N. J., was sponsored by the following branches; ^3, Trenton, N. J., 48, New York, 52, New Brunswick, N. J., 70, Newark, N. J., 87, Passaic, N. J., 145, Jersey City, N. J., 176, Roebling, N. J., 417, Tieuton, N. J., 518, New Brunswick, N. J., and 76, Philadelphia, Pa. To these branches participating in the great event, the Home Office extends its thanks for the generous contribution. should die after returning to civilian life, the greatest part of the financial burden, in all probability would fall upon their shoulders, unless there is some insurance in force for their protection. It is in the best interests of every serviceman’s family that he should acquire some insurance and if he already owns life insurance, that it be kept in force throughout the entire period of his military seryice. The sad example of the four veterans, mentioned above, proves that the time may come when the serviceman will be grateful for having life insurance that has been kept in force throughout the time of his service with the armed forces. Teacher and Coach at Newton Falls High School STEVE GERGELY A native of Daisytown, Pa., Steve Gergely was born on January 5, 1923. He graduated from Sharpsville, Pa., High School in June, 1941. He entered the U.fe. Array in January, 1943, went overseas^ in June of the same year and served with the 804th Aviation Engineer Bn. He served mostly in the Central Pacific Itheatre of war and saw action on Baker, Makin, Saipan and the Marshall Islands and received his honorable discharge in November, 1945. The following January he enrolled at the University of Georgia where he was member of the Freshman football te^m. In September, 1946, he enrolled at Youngstown College where he played varsity football for 2 years, varsity basket ball for 4 years and captained basketball for 2 years. In 1948 he had the honor of having been elected to the first team in the Tri-State area, (W. Va., Pa., and Ohio). He graduated from Youngstown College in June, 1950 with a B.S. degree in education. He is now teaching and coaching at Newton Falls High School in Newton Falls, O. Mr. Gergely is married and his wife is the former Margaret Bellas of Hartford, O. Mr. Gergely is a member of Branch 171, Sharpsville, Pa., whose membership follows his career in education and sports with great interest.
