JUNE - JULY 2010 NEWSLETTER
[ NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES ]
| VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA, INC. P.O. BOX 6608 TEXARKANA, TX 75505-6608 www.vva278.org
OFFICERS JOIN VVA and AVVA |
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| VVA # 278's NEXT MEETING |
| VVA # 278's next meeting will be Sunday, June 20, 2010 at the American Legion Post at 525 East Broad Street. The meal will begin at 1:30 pm and consist of an Italian. I will bring the lasagna. The chapter will furnish the soft drinks and coffee. We ask all members to bring a covered dish and/or dessert to share.
The business session will begin immediately after the meal is finished. Topics to be discussed will include: Veterans' issues updates; Committee reports; Legislative news; Report on the Texas State Council meeting; Fundraising ideas; Upcoming events; etc. Remember: Sunday, June 20 at 1:30 pm at the American Legion Post at 525 East Broad Street. We hope to see you there! This is your chapter, take part in it! Bring your ideas on what you would like to see this, your chapter, doing! |
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| VVA # 278's JULY MEETING |
| VVA # 278's July 2010 meeting will be held Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 1:30 pm at the American Legion Post at 525 East Broad Street in downtown Texarkana. The meal will begin at 1:30 pm and consist of picnic fare -sandwiches, potato salad, beans, etc. We ask members to bring a covered dish and/or dessert to share. The chapter will furnish soft drinks and coffee.
The business session will start immediately after the meal and topics to be discussed will include: Veterans' issues updates; Committee reports; Upcoming events; etc., etc.. Remember: Sunday, July 18 at 1:30 pm at the American Legion Post. We hope to see you there!! |
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| VVA #278 MEMBERSHIP |
| As of May 30, 2010 VVA # 278 has 106 VVA members; (66 Life members, 36 annual and/or three year members, and 2 Incarcerated members), and 25 AVVA members, with 14 Life members and 11 annual and/or three year members. We would like to extend a hearty welcome to the newest members of the VVA # 278 family! They are: Neal Freeman and Larry Burgess. WELCOME ABOARD & WELCOME HOME!!!
We have four members whose memberships have lapsed. They are: Herb & Glenda Davison, Tom McLeod, and Phillip Burnham. We want you, we need you!! A reminder: To become a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc, you do not have to have served in-country Vietnam. You just have to have served in the United States military (for other than training purposes) between August 5, 1964 and May 7, 1975. If you served in-country: between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975. We want you, we need you!! Together then, together now!! Help us help veterans!!! Join VVA & AVVA. |
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| PRISONERS OF WAR/MISSING IN ACTION - POW/MIA |
| As of May 30, 2010, according to the National League of Families and the DoD, there are still 1720 Americans unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. March 2009. of these 1720, 1323 in Vietnam (North-479; South-846), 346 in Laos, 59 in Cambodia, and 7 in China. These numbers have changed again due to investigations resulting in changed location of loss. of this 1720, 19 from Arkansas, 24 from Louisiana, 35 from Oklahoma, and 111 from Texas. 556 are Air Force, 550 are Army, 213 are Marines, 369 are Navy and 32 are civilians. 450 of these are losses over sea. Since the end of the war in 1975 there have been 864 Americans acccounted for from the Vietnam War, sadly, none were returned alive after the fall of Saigon. We will never forget!
There are 3347 Americans unaccounted for from World War I (two more sets of remains have recently been identified). There are now 74,791 Americans unaccounted for from World War II. There are now 8,031 Americans unaccounted for from the Korean War. There are 120 Americans unaccounted for from the Cold War. There is one American, Ahmed Altaie, unaccounted for from Operation Iraqi Freedom, and one American, Bowe Berghal, unaccounted for from Operation Eduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Friday, September 17th will be National POW/.MIA Recognition Day! The 23rd Annual POW/MIA Vigil will be held September 3 & 4, 2010, Labor Day weekend. We hope to see you there again!! WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! WILL YOU? |
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| ANNUAL POW/MIA VIGIL |
| As stated above, we will host our 23rd annual "POW/MIA Vigil on Friday & Saturday, September 3 & 4, 2010 at the Korea/Vietnam Memorial in downtown Texarkana. The opening ceremonies will start tentatively at 3:11 pm (time changes if any more POW/MIAs are identified between now and then). We will have the First Candlelight Services at 8:30 pm Friday night. Saturday we will have our annual POW meal at 12:00 noon. Then at 2:50 pm the annual "Ride to Remember" will arrive at the Memorial and then we will have our POW/MIA Service (3:00 pm). Our closing/Candlelight Sevice will begin at 8:00 pm Saturday night. We will send one minute for each American (1719) unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, one minute for each local American (26?) unaccounted for from the Korean War (whose name is engraved upon this Memorial), and one minute for each American unaccounted for from Iraq & Afghanistan (1 each as of when this goes to print). See events page for more information. |
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| POW/MIA T-SHIRTS |
| We now have t-shirts that have a POW/MIA logo on the front and have the list of POW/MIAs on the back. We have both Arkansas and Texas. These shirts are black (no pocket). The names are listed along with the city and branch of service. These go for $20 each, with XXL, XXXL & XXXXL $2 extra. We will have these at the next meeting. These t-shirts are made in the U.S.A.! |
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| 14th ANNUAL "VETERANS INFORMATION FAIR" |
| Well we just had our 14th annual "Veterans Information Fair" on May 15. It was probably the least attended one we have had but we still helped veterans. By our count we had 73 come through the doors. I would like to thank all of the agencies and organizations that participated. I know there was some confusion because another veterans organization picked the same day to have their Veterans Benefits Fair. Well, they do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. A special thanks to Robert Dotson (Life member VVA # 278) for helping out. Robert is the County Veterans Service Officer for Cass County. He came by to see what was going on and we put him to work doing claims. A big thanks to Freddie Weathers for his efforts in setting this up. A big thanks to Calvin & Jackie Smith for doing the briskets, they were fantastic. Thanks to all who helped and to all who participated, thank you for helping us help veterans!!! We'll look forward to seeing you all at our 15th Annual "Veterans Information Fair" on Saturday, May 21, 2011! |
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| TEXARKANA AREA VETERANS COUNCIL (TAVC) |
| The June meeting will be held Thursday, June 3 at 6:00 pm. The July meeting will be held July 1.
Remember: The Texarkana Area Veterans Council meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 pm at the American Legion Post.
VVA # 278's delegates and alternates are: Billy Walker, Fisher Plymale, Ann Walker, Donna Carmeli, Freddie Weathers, and Greg Bischoff. The TAVC meetings are open to all members of the member organizations. To schedule a ride on one of the vans call the following numbers: To ride the van to Shreveport call: 1-800-863-7441 Ext 7025. To get a ride on the local van call 318-286-6735. Volunteer drivers are needed to drive these vans and provide this service for our veterans! You do not have to be a veteran to drive the van, just a clean driving record and be able to pass a VA physical exam. Help us help veterans! |
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| SOCIAL SECURITY: SPECIAL EXTRA EARNINGS FOR MILITARY SERVICE |
| Since 1957, if you had military service earnings for active duty (including active duty for training), you paid Social Security taxes on those earnings. Since 1988, inactive duty service in the Armed Forces reserves (such as weekend drills) has also been covered by Social Security.Under certain circumstances, special extra earnings for your military service from 1957 through 2001 can be credited to your record for Social Security purposes. These extra earnings credits may help you qualify for Social Security or increases the the amount of your Social Security benefit. Special extra earnings credits are granted for periods of active duty or active duty for training. Special extra earnings credits are not granted for inactive duty training. If your active military service occurred:
From 1957 through 1967, Social Security will add the extra credits to your record when you apply for Social Security benefits. Here's how the special extra earnings are credited on your record the information that follows applies only to active duty military service earnings from 1957 through 2001): Service in 1957 thru 1977: You are credited with $300 in additional earnings for each calendar quarter in which you received active duty basic pay. Service in 1978 through 2001: For every $300 in active duty basic pay, your are credited with an additional $100 in earnings up to a maximum of $1,200 a year. If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, and didn't complete at least 24 months of active duty of your full tour, you may not be able to receive the additional earnings. Check with Security for details. Source: www.ssa.gov/retire2/military.htm |
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| TEXAS A&M CLASS ON VIETNAM |
| We recently had three members interviewed by students of a class on the Vietnam War given at Texas A&M, Texarkana. They video recorded these interviews and are planning on making a documentary for their history library. They might want to do a few more. If you are interested please let me know. I'm kind of surprised that they have a course on Vietnam! |
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| MILITARY RECORDS |
| How to Request Military Service Records or Prove Military Service (DD214): Military personnel records can be used for proving military service, or as a valuable tool in genealogical research. Most veterans and their next-of-kin can obtain free copies of their DD Form 214 (Report of Separation) and other military and medical records several ways: through the National Archives eVetRecs online service or by filling out and mailing or faxing Standard Form SF-180, which can be picked up at a County Service Officers office or contact VVA # 278.
Correcting of Military Records: The secretary of a military department, acting through a Board for Correction of Military Records, has authority to change any military record when necessary to correct an error or remove an injustice. A correction board may consider applications for correction of a military record, including a review of a discharge issued by court-martial. The veteran, survivor or legal representative must file a request for correction within three years after discovering an alleged error or injustice. The board may excuse failure to file within this time, however, if it finds it would be in the interest of justice. It is an applicant's responsibility to show why the filing of the application was delayed and why it would be in the interest of justice for the board to consider it despite the delay. To justify a correction, it is necessary to show to the satisfaction of the board that the alleged entry or omission in the records was in error or unjust. Applications should include all available evidence, such as signed statements of witnesses or a brief of arguments supporting the correction. Application is made with DD Form 149, available at VA offices, veterans organizations or visit www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/formsprogram.htm. Replacing Military Medals: Medals awarded while in active service are issued by the individual military services if requested by veterans or their next of kin. Requests for replacement medals, decorations, and awards should be directed to the branch of the military in which the veteran served. However, for Air Force (including Army Air Corps) and Army veterans, the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) verifies awards and forwards requests and verification to appropriate services. Requests for replacement medals should be submitted on Standard Form 180, "Request Pertaining To Military Records," which may be obtained at VA offices or the Internet at www.va.gov/vaforms/. Forms, addresses, and other information on requesting medals can be found on the Military Personnel Records section of NPRC's Web site at www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/index.html. For questions, call Military Personnel Records at (314) 801-0800 or e-mail questions to: MPR.center@nara.gov. When requesting medals, type or clearly print the veteran's full name, include the veteran's branch of service, service number or Social Security number and provide the veteran's exact or approximate dates of military service. The request must contain the signature of the veteran or next of kin if the veteran is deceased. If available, include a copy of the discharge or separation document, WDAGO Form 53-55 or DD Form 214. Don't try any of these by yourself - get help! |
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| CALENDAR OF EVENTS
June 3: TAVC meeting June 4, 5, and 6: VVA TSC meeting(San Antonio) June 20: VVA #278 meeting July 2: TAVC meeting July 18: VVA #278 meeting August 5: TAVC meeting August 12-14: Hope Watermelon Festival August 10-15: VVA National Leadership Conference, Orlando, FL August 15: VVA #278 meeting August 18-21: New Boston Pioneer Days September 2: TAVC meeting Septmeber 3-4: 23rd Annual POW/MIA Vigil September 17-26: Four States Fair & Rodeo October 2: DeKalb's OktoberFest October 7: TAVC meeting October 17: VVA #278 meeting November 4: TAVC meeting November 6: Dedication of Fouke's Veterans Memorial Park November 10: Marine Corp's Birthday November 11: Veterans Day November 13: Veterans Day Parade November 21: VVA #278 meeting December 2: TAVC meeting December 19: VVA #278 meeting January 6, 2011: TAVC meeting January 16, 2011: VVA #278 meeting |