Meet Matthew “Fritz” Mihelcic: USTRANSCOM attorney, Gulf War veteran, scuba diver, magician, and now State Commander of the Illinois Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
In addition to conducting legal reviews of Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, ethics, and information technology matters for command personnel, Mihelcic was elected June 15, 2013, to the state commander position.
His focus as state commander and as a military veteran is to preserve the history of the VFW and its progression through the years, and to ensure our nation remembers and supports all military veterans.
Since his installation to this one-year volunteer role, he has driven more than 25,000 miles to activities of 18 state VFW districts encompassing approximately 340 VFW posts and 62,000 members. Every weekend, Mihelcic travels to attend district meetings, deliver motivational speeches, or do news media interviews, all while meeting and championing the state’s veterans and their families.
In hearing the Illinois veterans’ stories and sharing his own, Mihelcic hopes to generate more pride and enthusiasm among the state posts -- or “Pockets of Patriotism” as he proudly dubs them -- and increase membership among newer veterans.
He said, “My personal motto, especially for all engagements as state commander, is ‘Service Before Self.’ Each day I wake up and ask myself, how can I help a veteran or his/her family?”
Mihelcic also oversees Illinois VFW members certified by the Veterans Administration (VA) to provide free assistance to all veterans (not just VFW members) in filing their VA disability claims. A disabled veteran himself, Mihelcic knows firsthand the power of older veterans helping newer ones readjust to civilian life while retaining from their military years a sense of belonging.
“We veterans have a unique commonality of experience and can relate to each other. We understand the physical and emotional distress which can result from serving in a hostile environment,” he said. “The VFW has a responsibility to help these service members and their families.”
The magician piece? Mihelcic found a book on magic while he was deployed during the Gulf War, started doing sleight of hand tricks, and now belongs to the Society of American Magicians and the International Magicians Society. He incorporates magic into his speeches, entertaining audiences while advocating the importance of keeping veterans a top U.S. priority.
