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Veteran who served Valley receives hall-of-fame status
Twohig will be inducted posthumously Nov. 6.
YOUNGSTOWN — “A True Veterans Advocate” is the inscription on John W. Twohig’s grave at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman.
That is an accurate description of the man, said Barry E. Landgraver, executive director and county veterans service officer of the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission, who nominated Twohig for induction into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.
Twohig will be inducted posthumously Nov. 6 in Columbus in a ceremony at the Franklin County Memorial. He was a former executive director of the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission.
“John spent his life serving veterans. He joined AMVETS in 1969, remained active until his passing and was a key to the organization’s success in Ohio,” Landgraver said.
“John believed in AMVETS’ programs and strived to make them work. He worked tirelessly on veterans’ and widows’ claims to ensure they received their entitlements and preserved the memory of those who died,” Landgraver said in nominating Twohig.
“John was one of those guys who went 110 percent when he believed in a cause, and veterans benefits was his cause,” said John P. Brown of Youngstown, immediate past national president of AMVETS.
Twohig put AMVETS seminars together at the state level for veterans and their spouses so they would understand what they are entitled to and worked hard locally during tough times to keep the veterans service commission alive, Brown said.
Twohig was a Navy and Army National Guard veteran and state service officer for AMVETS, Department of Ohio.
He received numerous Certificates of Training for AMVETS National Service Office Training and completed Veterans Affairs training in 2005 that led to special computer-portal access to veterans claim folders at the VA Regional Offices that aided him in better claim development, according to his nomination.
During Twohig’s 21 years as a veterans service officer and executive director with the county Veterans Service Commission, from 1985 to 2006, he taught many other employees under him and ensured their attendance at off-site training so they would be updated on benefit issues, Landgraver said.
Twohig was past president of the Mahoning Veterans Memorial (The Log Cabin) on the Canfield Fairgrounds and was instrumental in moving the log cabin from Columbiana and helped restore and maintain the building.
He served as AMVETS District 19 commander and was a member of the selection committee for the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2007.
Twohig received a letter of appreciation from William Boettcher, past national commander, AMVETS, for commitment and financial support to the Needs of Young Veterans hosted by AMVETS in 2006.
John was a vocal supporter of increased benefits and timely issuance for seriously disabled veterans of all conflicts, but particularly those of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Although saddened by the results of war, he provided the best service he could for young veterans of our area,” Landgraver said.
Twohig planned and organized annual Veterans Day programs, and while commander of the United Veterans Council, he coordinated an annual installation banquet in 2006 that succeeded in reinvigorating the organization, Landgraver said.
Twohig made several suggestions concerning legislation affecting veterans, one of which led to special Ohio license plates for former prisoners of war.
As a member of AMVETS Resolutions Committee, he proposed legislation that now provides single, wartime veterans and their widows $90 per month while on Medicaid in nursing homes. During the 1990s, when certain VA pension benefits were new to veterans and widows in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, Twohig was one of the first advocates in the country to work the claims.
Even after retirement, he assisted veterans and widows in securing VA benefits, said his wife, Dianne, who will attend the hall of fame induction ceremony with other family members.
“John never wanted any recognition because he thought it was his job to help veterans,” she said.
alcorn@vindy.com