The Official Voice of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. ®
An organization chartered by the U.S. Congress
July 2004
VETERANS AGAINST DRUGS TASK FORCEMaking A Difference In Nashville
BY HERB WORTHINGTON, CHAIR
Are you going to the Leadership Conference in Nashville? Do you go out to schools or youth programs or detention centers to talk to kids or to scout troops or the Youth Challenge Program for the National Guard? If so, then you should come to the VAD demonstration and class at the Leadership Conference. You will learn how easy it is to become involved and the difference you can make in a child or young adult's life.
Members of the VAD committee who are applying these lessons around the country will be there to show you how the program works. We will be working with a group of Boy Scouts who have volunteered to meet with us and show how you can make a difference in someone's life.
We will also have a special guest speaker at the seminar. Gary Beikirch, Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient who served with the 5th Special Forces group in Kontum Province. He risked his life to save others as a medical aidman. Although wounded himself, Beikirch saved many. Through a hail of bullets and exploding mortar shells, he managed to get his fellow soldiers back to a medical bunker before he collapsed from his own wounds.
Beikirch is still saving lives. He is a school counselor in Rochester, New York. He counsels young people on career opportunities and how to be useful citizens, and sometimes he advises students on the perils of drugs and alcohol. Beikirch has chosen a path of saving lives by giving of himself. We are extremely proud to have him at our seminar and be a part of VAD.
Come and hear how you can get a VAD program started in your area. It is adaptable to any community and any geographic location. Don't miss out on this seminar. See you in Nashville.
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