VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA, INC.
P.O. BOX 6608
TEXARKANA, TX 75505-6608
www.vva278.org

OFFICERS
PRESIDENT: Gregory Beck
VICE-PRESIDENT: Harry Campbell
SECRETARY: Johnnie Gentry
TREASURER: Jimmy Smith
AVVA REP: Merle Morris

BOARD of DIRECTORS
Robert Brown
Freddie Weathers
Kenneth Cosby

EDITOR: Gregory Beck

JOIN VVA and AVVA

VVA #278’S JANUARY MEETING

Vietnam Veterans of America #278’s January meeting will be held Sunday, January 16 @ 1:30 pm at the Elks Lodge at 3702 New Boston Road. This will be our New Year's meal. We ask members to bring a covered dish and/or dessert. Topics to be discussed are: Committee reports; Updates on Veterans issues; Plans for the 4th Annual "Wagons for Veterans"; TAVC's 22nd Annual Chili Cook-off; Vietnam Veterans' Day 2022 (March 29); Upcoming events & activities.

Remember: Sunday, January 16 @ 1:30 pm at the Elks Lodge.

VVA #278’S FEBRUARY MEETING

VVA #278's February meeting will be Sunday, February 20 @ 1:30 pm at the Elks Lodge at 3702 New Boston Road. This will be our Chili meal, chapter will furnish the chili, we ask members to bring the sides and/or dessert to share. Topics to be discussed will be: Committee Reports; Veterans' issues updates; 4th Annual "Wagons for Veterans"; TAVC's 22nd Annual Chili Cook-off results; Vietnam Veterans Day-March 29; Upcoming events & activities.

*REMEMBER: Sunday, February 20 at 1:30 pm at the Elks Lodge.

Reminder: At our April 17 meeting we will hold elections for our chapter officers.

*March's meeting will be held on Sunday, March 20 @ 1:30 pm at the Elks Lodge.

VVA #278 MEMBERSHIP

As of December 24, 2021, VVA #278 has 160 members: 157 Life; 3 IVI. We would like to encourage all Vietnam era veterans to join Vietnam Veterans of America! For $50 you can belong to the organization that represents Vietnam & Vietnam era veterans as well as other eras! Membership is open to U.S. armed forces veterans who served on active duty (for other than training purposes) in the Republic of Vietnam between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975, or in any duty location between August 5, 1964, and May 7, 1975. We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new members: DONALD ROGERS and DARLENE TURPIN. WELCOME ABOARD & WELCOME HOME!

New members: You must submit a copy of your DD- 214 form along with the application & dues payment! Life membership just cost $50.00.

Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America #278 (AVVA) has 31 members: 22 Life; 9 Annual and/or 3 year.

Together then, Together now.

We want YOU in the VVA #278 family!!! JOIN VVA and/or AVVA!

Remember to look for VVA #278 on facebook at: Vietnam Veterans of America #278 and on our website at: vva278.org

VVA's Founding Principle: Never Again Will One Generation of Veterans Abandon Another

VVA #278's ACTIVITIES

Since the last newsletter, VVA #278 has built two ramps for veterans, made a $250 donation to a widow of an AVVA #278 member, donated $800 to the Arkansas High School AF JROTC, joined the American Chuck Wagon Association, participated in the annual Veterans Day Parade and participated in Hospice of Texarkana's drive-by Veterans Day parade past local nursing homes. We paid for the turkeys for the Elks Lodge # 2771's Thanksgiving baskets; and are making plans for our 4th Annual "Wagons for Veterans" set for March 12, 2022. Jimmy Smith, at our November meeting presented VVA #278 with the Event Award of 2021 from the American Chuck Wagons Association "For the event that is considered to best exemplify what competitors feel is the best run chuck wagon event." Thru the Wagons fund we recently built two wheelchair ramps for 2 veterans. We supplied Christmas gifts to 41 veterans in local nursing homes who have no local family. We set up at the DeKalb Christmas Festival where we worked on our fundraising project, distributed information to veterans and presented 50th Vietnam War Commemoration pins to 2 Vietnam veterans and several of our Desert Storm, Iraq & Afghanistan ribbons to veterans of those wars. At our December we elected to assist the Hero's Pantry $800, we presented two 50 year pins, & we voted to establish a committee to contact our elected officials. We were presented 10 hams, socks, blankets and snacks from the Leatherneck Motorcyle Club out of McCurtain County, OK by Tooki. We will get this distributed to needy veterans. Thank You Leathernecks! We also had our drawing for the two weapons: Randall Lee & Sara Posey were the winners! Thank you for your support! We also selected the two weapons we will do for 2022: a Golden Boy 22 and a Rock Island VR-60 shotgun (AR style, 12 gauge.) We raised $122 in our mothly drawing which goes iinto our Nursing Home fund.

4th ANNUAL “WAGONS FOR VETERANS”

It is set, VVA #278 will host our 4th Annual "Wagons for Veterans" Saturday, March 12, 2022 at the Four States Fairgrounds. Because of our sponsors, cooks, donors, customers, and volunteers, we have been able to assist local veterans to the tune of over $50,000 since our first "Wagons for Veterans" event! This event has enabled us to help with rent, utility bills, medical expenses, funeral expenses. educational expenses, food, gas, clothing and assisting burnouts, & building wheelchair ramps! We are looking for sponsors for this year's event. We have several categories of sponsorship: $2000, $1000, $500, $250, & $100 (see attached sponsor form). We are also looking for donations of items for our live auction. Thanking you in advance for any and all assistance you can provide for this event! No funds raised from this event will be used for any administrative purposes.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US HELP VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES!!!

PRISONERS OF WAR/MISSING IN ACTION - POW/MIA - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

As of December 17, 2021 the number still missing (POW/MIA) and otherwise unaccounted-for (KIA/BNR) from the Vietnam War is 1,584. Of that number: Vietnam-1,244 (VN-442, VS-802); Laos-285; Cambodia-48; PRC territorial waters-7; AR-15. LA-24, OK_30 & TX-100. The total accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 is 999. A breakdown by country of these 999 Americans is: Vietnam – 674, Laos – 280, Cambodia – 42, and the PRC – 3. In addition, 63 US personnel were accounted for between 1973 and 1975, the formal end of the Vietnam War, for a grand total of 1,062. A total of 288 have been accounted for from Laos, 729 from Vietnam, 42 from Cambodia and 3 from the PRC. .The last ID was only the second identification of a previously unaccounted-for Vietnam War Veteran to be announced since July 26, 2019. There were 684 returned alive during and after the war and 27 escaped.

As of December 17, 2021, there are still 126 Americans unaccounted for from the Cold War 2 from AR; 1 from LA; 3 from OK; & 4 from TX.

As of December 17, 2021, there are still 7,550 Americans unaccounted for from the Korean War: 99 from AR; 142 from LA; 139 from OK; 411 from TX; 5724 from the USA; 908 from the USAF; 276 from the USN; & 641 from the USMC.

As of December 17, 2021, there are still 72,350 Americans unaccounted for from World War II, 843 from AR; 975 from LA; 1215 from OK; & 3613 from TX; 16,649 from the USA; 20,058 from the USAAC; 30,900 from the USN; 2686 from the USMC.

There are 6 Americans unaccounted for from conflicts in the Middle East.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!

TEXARKANA AREA VETERANS COUNCIL 22nd ANNUAL CHILI COOK-OFF

On Friday, February 18, 2022 The Texarkana Area Veterans Council (TAVC) will host their 22nd Annual Chili Cook-Off at the Truman Arnold Center at the Texarkana College. Area Chili cooks will be competing for trophies in three Catagories: Business, Civic Groups and Individual. Judging will begin at 10:30 AM. There will also be a "PEOPLE'S CHOICE" Award & a "BEST PRESENTATION" both chosen by the public. Funds from this event will be used to purchase a new DAV van (when needed) to transport local Veterans to the VA Medical Center in Shreveport, LA & to assist local Veterans & their families. The doors will open to the public at 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Tickets are eight (8)Dollars. Each ticket will allow you to sample each chili & will enter you to win door prizes.

To enter there is a 3 gallon minimum and no entry fee.

For more information and/or to enter, please call: 903-556-1613 or 210-859-6827 or 903-203-1329 or e-mail @ USMCgreg@aol.com

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

TAVC PICNIC

The Texarkana Area Veterans Council is planning a Joint picnic for all the member organizations' members. Tentatively set for April 23, 2022 all members of American Legion 25 & 58, Disabled American Veterans # 222, Marine Corps League Detachment # 1149, Veterans of Foreign Wars # 4562, and Vietnam Veterans of America #278 are invited. More information as planning progresses.

---THE VIETNAM WAR---

*The War took a great toll on a generation of some Nine Million members of our U.S.A. Armed Forces who served during a 20 year period from 1955 - 1975. Of these approximately 2,700,000 served in Vietnam.

*As of August 2, 2021 The Department Of Veterans Affairs say approximately 7.2 Million Veterans of this time period are living today.

*304,000 Veterans were wounded.

*75,000 Veterans were severely disabled.

*And 58,479 Vietnam War Veterans were KIA.

(Please note that the statistics vary from all of the different reports due to faulty record keeping during that time period.)

*2/3 OF THE IN COUNTRY BOOTS ON GROUND VETS ARE ALREADY DEAD!! As of this date The American War Library estimates that approximately only 610,000 Americans who served on land in Vietnam or in the air over Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 are alive today!!! THE 7.2 MILLION NUMBER IS ALL VIETNAM ERA VETS!! Defense Dept says their best estimate is that between 2,709,918 and 3,173,845 GIs served in Vietnam and its surrounding waters between the years 1954 and 1975.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January 5: Wagons for Veterans meeting @ 6:40 pm
January 8: TAVC meeting @ 6 pm
January 15: Elks breakfast
January 16: VVA #278 meeting @ 1:30 pm
January 19: Wagons for Veterans meeting @ 6:30 pm
February 2: Wagons for Veterans meeting
February 3: TAVC meeting @ 6 pm
February 16: Wagons for Veterans meeting @ 6:30 pm
February 18: TAVC's 22nd Annual Chili cook-off
February 19: Elks' Veterans Breakfast
February 20: VVA #278 meeting @ 1:30 pm
March 2: Wagons for Veterans meeting @ 6:30 pm
March 3: TAVC meeting @ 6 pm
March 9: Wagons for Veterans meeting @ 6:30 pm
March 12: Wagons for Veterans event
March 19: Elks' Veterans Breakfast
March 20: VVA #278 meeting @ 6:30 pm
March 29: Vietnam Veterans Day
April 1-2: VVA TSC meeting @ Baytown
April 7: TAVC meeting @ 6 pm
April 16: Elks' Breakfast
April 17: VVA #278 meeting @ 1:30 pm
April 23: TAVC's picnic(tentatively)
May 5: TAVC meeting @ 6 pm
May 15: VVA #278 meeting @ 1:30 pm
May 21: Elks' Breakfast/Veterans Information Fair
May 29: TAVC's Memorial Day Service @ 2 pm
May 30: VVA #278's Memorial Day Service @ 11:45 am
June 2: TAVC meeting @ 6 pm
June 14: Flag Day
June 18: Elks Breakfast
June 19: VVA #278 meeting @ 1:30 pm
July 4: Independence Day
July 7: TAVC meeting @ 6 pm
July 16: Elks Breakfast
July 17: VVA #278 meeting @ 1:30pm
August 4: TAVC meeting @ 6 pm
August 18-20: New Boston Pioneer Days
August 20: Elks Breakfast
August 21: VVA #278 meeting @ 1:30 pm