AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2017 NEWSLETTER
VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA, INC.
P.O. BOX 6608
TEXARKANA, TX 75505-6608
www.vva278.org
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT: Gregory Beck
VICE-PRESIDENT: Robert Row
SECRETARY: Johnnie Gentry
TREASURER: Tom McLeod
AVVA REP: Merle Morris
CHAPLAIN: Herb Davison
BOARD of DIRECTORS
Robert Brown
Freddie Weathers
Kenneth Cosby
VVA #278 Veterans Service Officer
Ray Harmon
SGT of ARMS
Moe Missildine
EDITOR: Gregory Beck
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VVA #278's AUGUST MEETING
VVA # 278's next meeting will be Sunday, August 20, 2017 at 2:00 pm at the Texas Elks Lodge at 3702 New Boston Road. The meal will begin at 2:00 pm (Note: This is a change of time due to the Elks having their Inter-Lodge till 12:30) and will be pot luck. We ask members to bring a covered dish and/or dessert to share. Topics to be discussed will include: Veterans' issues updates; Committee reports; 2017 fundraising project; Upcoming set-ups and events; Plans for our 30th annual POW/MIA Vigil & 23rd annual "Ride to Remember"; Plans for Veterans Day Parade; Plans for our upcoming "Wagons for Veterans"; Report on Pioneer Days; Ideas for Veterans Day Parade; etc., etc.. We will have VVA hats and t-shirts at this meeting!
REMEMBER: Sunday, August 20 at 2:00 pm at the Elks Lodge at 3702 New Boston Road.
VVA #278's SEPTEMBER MEETING
VVA # 278's May 2017 meeting will be on Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 1:30 pm at the Elks Lodge at 3702 New Boston Road. The meal will be pot luck dinner. We ask members to bring a covered dish and/or dessert to share. Topics to be discussed: Updates on Veteran's issues; Committee reports; Report on POW/MIA Vigil; Progress on "Wagons for Veterans"; Report on gun show; Plans for Veterans Day Parade; etc., etc..
REMEMBER: Sunday, September 17 at 1:30 pm at the Elks Lodge at 3702 New Boston Road.
VVA # 278's October meeting will be held Sunday, October 15 at 1:30 pm at the Elks Lodge.
VVA #278 MEMEBERSHIP
As of July 31 VVA # 278 has 125 members: 99 Life, 21 Annual and/or 3 year; 2 IVI. Remember: You don’t have to have served in-country Vietnam to join VVA, you just have to have served during that time. Look at the application in the newsletter for the details.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest members: Bobby Michael, James Cates, Barchenger Browning, and Jackie & Calvin Smith(AVVA). WELCOME ABOARD AND WELCOME HOME!!! Welcome to all Veterans who served during the Vietnam Era!
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. ATTENTION new members and new life members: You must submit a copy of your DD- 214 form along with this application and dues payment.
AVVA # 278 has 32 members: 21 Life;11 Annual and/or 3 year.
Together then, Together now.
AVVA # 278 MEMBERSHIP
Members of the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America # 278 is an interesting mix of talent and individuals. Most are family members of VVA # 278 members and/or past members. Three, that I know of, are veterans of other eras. One is the Director of the local VA Clinic. One is the Arkansas State Coordinator of the National League of Families of Prisoners of War/Missing in Action. We did have the Texas State Coordinator.
Membership in Associates of the Vietnam Veterans of America is open to spouses, children, grandchildren, friends, veterans of other eras, and anyone that is interested in the issues of Vietnam and other era veterans. Dues are $20 a year, $50 for 3 years, and Life memberships according to age: 49 and under -$250; 50 to 55 -$225; 56 to 60 - $200; 61 to 65 - $175; 66 to 71 - $150; 72 and above -$100.
Also, any AVVA member who wishes to receive the "VVA Veteran" and does not have a VVA member living at the same address should email the following information to: avvaveteranmagazine@aol.com. They will need your name, membership number, current address and state & chapter affiliation. Each individual must submit an individual request, no group request will be honored. If you don’t have email access you can call 717-269-5716 to request the Veteran.
VVA #278 ACTIVITIES
VVA #278 set up a booth at the "Sparks in the Park" 4th of July celebration where we passed out information, worked on our fundraising project, recognized some Vietnam & Desert Storm veterans, and passed the word on our upcoming POW/MIA Vigil and our "Wagons for Veterans." At our June meeting we presented Luke with a $500 scholarship. Luke is the grandson of a Vietnam veteran (VVA # 278 member). With the help of the Red Diamond chapter of the Sons of the Confederacy (they did all the work), the eagle on the U.S. flagpole at the Korea/Vietnam Memorial was changed out. It is now a colored eagle! Thanks Red Diamond! And thanks to Randall Jemison for donating the eagle!
MEMORIAL DAY 2017
Our annual Memorial Day service turned out to be awesome this year. We had added a name to our Korea/Vietnam Memorial and this man’s widow was there. We presented her with a Gold Star pin and a red rose. Thanks to Wayland Lacy for bringing this to our attention! We also presented another widow with a Gold Star pin and a red rose. We had also updated the status of several POW/MIAs whose remains were returned and these was read. Since we had also added 12 names to the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial we read those names (Sheriff James Prince performed this reading). Through a local car dealer we were able to present a car (a used Lincoln Towncar) to a veteran who needed transportation, and we were presented with two handmade wooden plaques – one of the POW/MIA logo and one of the Wounded Warriors Project logo! We had bagpipes and a bugler sound Taps! And of course, we had Mathew Butler perform some of his songs. His daughter Ashlynn sang our National Anthem. Michael Bond perform our POW/MIA Table. We recognized some Vietnam era veterans with their 50th year Commemoration pin and honored a couple of Desert Storm veterans with their 25 year ribbon. Thanks to everyone who was there! At our July meeting we were honored to recognize a few more Vietnam veterans with their 50th year Commemoration pin. Welcome Home!!!
TEXAS VETERANS LAND BOARD
The Texas Veterans Land Board provides Texas veterans with access to land, home & home improvement loans that allow them to own their very own piece of Texas. We also offer State Veterans Cemeteries to honor those who have served, as well as State Veterans Homes that provide care to & dignity for veterans, their spouses and Gold Star parents. Texas provides the strongest veterans benefits package in the nation. Find out more about the Veterans Land Board and our many veterans’ benefits at: texasveterans.com.
PRISONERS OF WAR/MISSING IN ACTION - POW/MIA - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!
AMERICANS ACCOUNTED FOR: The number of US personnel missing and unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War is still 1,606 as of July 13, 2017. The total accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 is 977. Another 63 US personnel, recovered by the US and identified before the end of the war, bring the total of US personnel accounted for from the Vietnam War to 1,040. There follows a breakdown by country of the 972 Americans accounted for since the April 30, 1975 end of the Vietnam War: Vietnam, 661; Laos, 268, Cambodia, 41 and the PRC, 3. Of the 1,606 still missing (POW/MIA) and unaccounted-for (KIA/BNR), 90% were lost in Vietnam or in areas of Cambodia and Laos under Vietnam’s wartime control: Vietnam-1,256 (VN-461, VS-795); Laos-295; Cambodia-48; PRC territorial waters-7. These country-specific numbers can and do fluctuate when investigations result in changes to loss locations. Of these 1606, 15 are from Arkansas; 24 are from Louisiana; 32 are from Oklahoma; and 101 are from Texas. US Army -514; US Navy -358; US Marine Corps – 202; US Air Force – 501; Civilians – 31.
There are still 126 Americans unaccounted for from the Cold War.
There are still 7,744 Americans unaccounted for from the Korean War: 102 from AR; 147 from LA; 146 from OK; 431 from TX.
There are still 73,061 Americans unaccounted for from World War II.
There are 6 Americans unaccounted for from Iraq Theater and other conflicts.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!
30th ANNUAL POW/MIA VIGIL
ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 & 2, 2017, THE TEXARKANA AREA CHAPTER #278 OF THE VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA, INC. WILL STAGE THEIR 30th ANNUAL POW/MIA VIGIL AT THE KOREA/VIETNAM MEMORIAL AT 7tH STREET & STATE LINE AVENUE IN DOWNTOWN TEXARKANA. THIS VIGIL IS TO HONOR AND REMEMBER THOSE WHO ARE/WERE CLASSIFIED AS PRISONERS OF WAR/MISSING IN ACTION (POW/MIA), BOTH THOSE WHO RETURNED AND THOSE STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR, FROM ALL WARS, TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THIS ISSUE AND TO LET THE FAMILIES OF THESE MEN AND WOMEN KNOW THEY ARE NOT ALONE IN THEIR QUEST OFR ANSWERS AND FOR CLOSURE.
WE WILL SPEND ONE MINUTE FOR EACH AMERICAN WHO IS UNNACOUNTED FOR FROM THE VIETNAM WAR (1611), AND ONE MINUTE FOR EACH AMERICAN UNACCOUNTED FOR FROM THE KOREAN WAR WHOSE NAME IS ENGRAVED UPON THIS MEMORIAL (37) PLUS ONE MINUTE FOR EACH AMERICAN UNACCCOUNTED FOR FROM THE GULF WARS (3) AS OF NOW THIS IS 1651 MINUTES (27 HOURS AND 31 MINUTES).
OUR TENATIVE SCHEDULE IS:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
OPENING CEREMONIES: 4:59 PM
CANDLELIGHT CERMONIES.: 8:00 PM
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
POW MEAL: 12 NOON
"RIDE TO REMEMBER": 3:00 PM (LEAVES ARKANSAS WELCOME CENTER, LOCATED AT RED RIVER ON HWY 71 NORTH OF TEXARKANA @ 2:40 PM)
POW/MIA REMEMBRANCE SERVICE: 3:10 PM
CLOSING/CANDLELIGHT SERVICE: 8:00 PM
AT THE ARRIVAL OF "RIDE TO REMEMBER" AT THE MEMORIAL, A BALLOON RELEASE OF 174 BALLOONS (ONE FOR EACH AMERICAN UNACCOUNTED FROM THE VIETNAM WAR FROM ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, OKLAHOMA & TEXAS) WILL BE CONDUCTED.
This will be our 23rd annual "Ride to Remember." FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 870/773-8279, 903/628-7216 OR 903/824-2727 OR AT THE VVA # 278 WEBSITE AT www.vva278.org OR ON FACEBOOK @ VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA #278.
AN EVENT OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR COMMEMORATION.
TEXARKANA AREA VETERANS COUNCIL (TAVC)
The Texarkana Area Veterans Council meets the first Thursday of every month at 6:00 pm at the American Legion Post at 525 East Broad Street. The TAVC is made up of 6 local veterans organizations which have come together to better help veterans by exchanging information and working together to accomplish more such as providing a van to transport veterans to the VA Medical Center in Shreveport. We are looking for volunteer drivers for this! Volunteer Drivers just need a clean driving record, have car insurance (to prove you’re insurable), and pass a free medical exam performed by the VA.
The TAVC also hosts the annual Veterans Day parade in November and the Memorial Day service at East Memorial Gardens and our annual Chili Cookoff in February. We are working on the 2017 Veterans Day Parade – Saturday, November 11, 2017. We are looking for Women veterans – one each from WWII, Korea, Vietnam Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, to be our Parade Marshalls as our theme is "Women in the Military Thru the Years".
VVA NATIONAL CONVENTION
The VVA National Convention will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana August 6 -12, 2017 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, 500 Canal Street • New Orleans, LA 70130 • 504-525-2500. This is the time VVA members and AVVA members from across the nation come together to elect the VVA National officers and to adopt resolutions and amendments to the VVA Constitution. AVVA members will do the same for the AVVA.
As per the VVA Constitution: "The Corporation shall hold a national biennial convention in odd-numbered years at such times, dates, and places as may be designated by the national board. The national convention shall be the highest authority of the Corporation."
CHUCKWAGONS FOR VETERANS
VVA # 278 is working on a fundraising project where we will have several chuckwagons come into town and serve meals from them for a nominal price. This is scheduled for April 14, 2018 at the Four States Fairgrounds. This will be a different approach to fundraising for us but we are excited about trying this. We have four wagons tentatively scheduled! More information to come as received. We will be looking for sponsors for each wagon ($500{10 tickets}) and event sponsors ($250 {5 tickets}).
STROKE WARNING SIGNS
Stroke is a medical emergency. Every second counts because time lost is brain lost. Know these stroke warning signs and share them with others: *Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body. *Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding. *Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. *Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination. *Sudden, severe headaches with no known cause.
If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs, don’t delay! Call 911 or the emergency medical services (EMS) immediately so an ambulance – ideally with advanced life support – can come! Also check the time so that you’ll know when the first symptoms appeared. It is important to take immediate action. If given within 3 hours within the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
August 3: TAVC meeting
August 8-12: VVA National Convention
August 17-19: New Boston Pioneer Days
August 19: Elks Veterans Breakfast
August 20: VVA #278 meeting
September 1 & 2: POW/MIA Vigil
September 7: TAVC meeting
September 8-17: Four States Fair and Rodeo
September 16: Elks Veterans Breakfast
September 17: VVA #278 meeting
September 21: VA Town Hall meeting
October 5: TAVC meeting
October 7: DeKalb's Oktoberfest
October 15: VVA # 278 meeting
October 20 & 21: VVA Texas State Council meeting
November 2: TAVC meeting
November 4: Cullen Baker Festival, Bloomburg
November 9: Red, White & Blue Expo
November 11: Veterans Day Parade
November 18: Elks Breakfast
November 19: VVA #278 meeting
United States Army National Guard: December 13, 1636
United States Army: June 14, 1775
United States Navy: October 13, 1775
United States Marine Corps: November 10, 1775
United States Coast Guard: August 4, 1790
United States Air Force: September 18, 1947
JOIN VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA (VVA) & ASSOCIATES OF VVA
All veterans should belong to at least one veterans organization!!