First Afghanistan and Iraq War veteran elected to second-highest office

ROCKY HILL, CONN. (June 16, 2024)—The Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Connecticut has elected their first Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran to the senior, state-wide office.

Moving up in rank, Charles M. Pickett was elected to be the Junior Vice Commander at the Department of Connecticut Convention in 2023 and now Senior Vice Commander in June of 2024. While the organization has had a prior Global War on Terror veteran, Pickett was the first to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan and is anticipated to lead the department in June of 2025.

As Junior Vice Commander, Pickett was chairman of the VFW Connecticut Special License Plate Committee, established to investigate and possibly facilitate the creation of a VFW special interest plate for Connecticut vehicles. Additionally, he was co-chairman of the membership committee.

Furthermore, as junior vice commander, Pickett championed the doubling of the department’s national VFW Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen youth scholarships when he delivered two resolutions to the floor of the Department of Connecticut Convention in June of 2023 and got them passed at the January 29, 2024 Council of Administration meeting.