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IN SERVICE
Thomas B. Insley, Sr., a member of Baltimore Chapter
451,
was appointed to a five-year term on the Maryland Veterans
Commission, an arm of the Maryland Department of Veterans
Affairs that advises the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on
all issues relating to veterans, on November 3 by Maryland
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich. Insley also serves as Second Vice
President of the Maryland State Council and as the state
council’s Government Affairs Chair.
The Eddie Uhlmansick
Chapter 10 in Reading, Ohio, distributed $50 gift
certificates during the holiday season to needy veterans’ families
in the area. The chapter, working with the Vietnam Veterans
of Southwest Ohio Foundation, also sent seven boxes of personal
supplies to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and distributed
$500 from Lebanon Correctional Institution Chapter 492 to
local families of Gulf War and Iraq War veterans. The chapter
itself helped one family with a $250 contribution.
The Board
of Directors of Greater Hartford, Connecticut, Chapter
120 has started a program coordinating
the awarding of Connecticut Wartime Service Medals to chapter
members who submit an application package to the Board. Veterans
who were residents of Connecticut at the time they were called
to active duty during the Vietnam War (and other wars in
the 20th century), as well as those who live in the state
today, are eligible. Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Commissioner (and longtime VVA member) Linda Schwartz has
agreed to award the medals to chapter members during a future
membership meeting or special event.
Bozeman, Montana, Chapter
788 provided Thanksgiving turkeys, food certificates,
and phone cards to veterans in need in Gallatin and Park
Counties in November. In December the chapter donated toys
and clothing, along with emergency funds, to needy area veterans.
Western
New York Chapter 77 in Tonawanda has been a long-time
and generous supporter of the VA Medical Center in Buffalo.
Chapter members make regular visits to patients, and the
chapter has helped the hospital in many other ways with supplies
and equipment. In December alone the chapter donated $4,335
worth of goods and services to the hospital. “Staffers
were very appreciative of what Chapter 77 has done for the
hospital,” said chapter member Pete Montemurno, who
visits the hospital weekly.
Central Wisconsin Chapter 101
in Wisconsin Rapids donated nonperishable goods and $100
to the South Wood Emergency Pantry Shelf in December. The
chapter also donated $100 to the Veterans Assistance Project
at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, the PTSD Unit at
the Tomah VA Medical Center, and to the local Boys and Girls
Club.
Members of Sacramento, California, Chapter 500 took
part in the Elk Grove Veterans Day Parade, November 11, and
hosted the Sacramento Parade. Following that parade, chapter
President Ted Adams received word that the NBA Sacramento
Kings wanted three Vietnam veterans to be their guests at
their home game the following evening. Adams and chapter
members Mike Callison and Hank Davis answered the call. “We
were given free parking and free tickets to the game,” Adams
said. At the end of the first quarter, the three were escorted
onto the court and were introduced as the Kings honored all
veterans at the game. “All of Arco came to their feet
and cheered,” Adams said. “When we went back
to our seats, all the people on the ends of the aisle put
their hands out and told all of us, ‘Thank you for
your service.’ Sunday, November 12, 2006, is a date
we all will remember for a very long time.”
Robert E.
Wheelock Chapter 327 in Stanhope, New Jersey,
received an award from the PTSD ward of the Lyons VA Medical
Center in honor of chapter members’ nine years of regular
visits to the patients on the ward. Chapter members visit
the PTSD ward on the third Monday of the month to chat with
patients, to give them advice on veterans’ benefits,
and to provide food donated by local restaurants. The visiting
crew includes Mike Noyes, Tom Holden, Chapter President Jake
Jacobs, 1st Vice President Steve Carrozzo, Treasurer Mike
Rahill, Director Denis Kennedy, and Membership Chair Rick
Millman. “We really enjoy seeing and helping our brothers-in-arms,” Carrozzo
said.
Members of Westchester County, New York, Chapter
49 hosted a Christmas Party
December 10 at the Stress Unit of the FDR Montrose Campus
of the VA Hudson Valley Healthcare System, featuring food
and fellowship with patients, staff, and former patients.
The following week, on December 17, the chapter held a
candlelight vigil at the Westchester Vietnam Veterans Memorial
in Lansdon Park, which the chapter was instrumental in
funding. The vigil was held in honor of the men and women
who did not come home from the Vietnam War.
Quad Cities
Chapter 299 in Rock Island, Illinois, using the profits
from its highly successful November 11 Welcome Home Vets
Dance, put together and distributed 40 Thanksgiving baskets
to needy area families on November 18 and 40 Christmas
baskets on December 9. AVVA Chapter 299 contributed $400
for the operations.
Members of Columbia, South Carolina, Chapter
303, many of whom wore Santa hats, took part in the chapter’s
annual Christmas gift event at the William Jennings Bryan
Dorn VA Medical Center’s Nursing Home on December 14.
Each resident received a Christmas card signed by many chapter
members, along with VA canteen coupons and a Christmas decoration.
The chapter also presented Christmas cards to the nursing
home staff, the Red, White, and Blue team staff, and the
volunteer services staff.
PFC Bruce W. Carter Chapter 121
in Coral Gables, Florida, has launched a campaign
in conjunction with Georgie Carter, the Gold Star Mother
of the chapter’s
namesake, to have the Miami VA Medical Center named in honor
of her son, who received the Medal of Honor for courage under
fire in 1969 in the Vietnam War. The chapter is asking all
VVA members, students, teachers, and the general public for
support of this worthy effort. Address letters of support
to “Whom
It May Concern” and send them to Frank Kovac, 11161
S.W. 57 Ave., Miami, FL 33173-1103, and they will be forwarded
to the VA.
Members of Suffolk County, New York, Chapter 11 attended a Christmas Party at the Long Island State Veterans
Home in Stony Brook in December where they helped distribute
gifts to the residents. In January, the chapter received
a grant from the GEICO Insurance Company that will be used
in programs to help veterans. Last Veterans Day, Chapter
Vice President Bill Baessler and members Mel Cohen and Ralph
Zanchelli received awards from Suffolk County for their community
service efforts.
Geno Lenyk, the head of the Speaker’s
Committee for Rochester, New York, Chapter 20, had a busy
fall. He led three groups of school students from Pittsford-Mendon
High School, Holy Cross Middle School, and a group of French
exchange students on guided tours of the Greater Rochester
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. And he gave presentations to an
auditorium full of 7th graders at Red Jacket Middle School
and to seniors at Medina High School.
Welcome to VVA’s newest Georgia
chapter, Chapter 981 in Baxley. The chapter hit the ground
running last year, undertaking many community activities,
including a Christmastime fund-raising sale of barbeque ribs.
VETS CONNECT
Northern Virginia Chapter 227 President Len Ignatowski is
asking chapter members to place an electric candle in a window
of their homes every night to honor American troops in Iraq
and Afghanistan. “Let the Stars and Stripes boldly
fly during the day and burn the single candle at night to
show the world that we stand with our brave soldiers, and
remind everyone that the daily sunset does not mark the end
of the work day for our troops in harm’s way,” Ignatowski
said.
Members of Chapter 616 at the Mansfield Correctional
Institution in Ohio hosted a dinner on November 19 to honor
the parents of SSG Matt Maupin of Union Township, Ohio, who
has been listed as Missing in Action in the Iraq War after
his convoy was attacked and he was taken prisoner April 9,
2004. Members heard from Timothy Epich, the director of the
Ohio Governor’s
Office of Veterans’ Affairs. Among other things, the
chapter presented a baseball bat with signatures of veterans
from the Mansfield area to the parents.
Fitzgibbon/McMahon
Chapter 837 in Stoneham, Massachusetts, is heavily involved
with a program known as Helping Our Troops (HOT), which collects
and ships a wide array of supplies to local service personnel
in Iraq and Afghanistan. HOT, which is a private, non-profit
organization, has three drop-off locations in the area. Chapter
members pick up items, transport them to a central packing
location, inspect and sort the items, bag them, place them
into packing boxes, and deliver them to the post office.
Members of Nassau County, New York,
Chapter 82 make regular trips to Washington to visit wounded
and sick veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Chapter
members offer the recuperating veterans tee shirts, hats,
and just plain support for their service to our country.
That’s in addition
to the monthly visits that chapter members make to the Northport
VA Medical Center Hospital, where they share fellowship and
present patients with much-needed toiletry
items.
The members of Chapter 862 in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania,
voted at their November meeting to donate $200 to the Veterans
of Modern Warfare to help with the formation of a local VMW
chapter.
Chapter 979 in Kingsport, Tennessee, which has been
extremely active in service to its community since it was
founded last June, has adopted the 60 Marines of Lima Company,
3/24 Marine Reserves, of Grey, Tennessee. The chapter sent
care packages to the Marines in time for Christmas. Chapter
member Ron Herron’s son is serving his second tour
with 3/24.
Bluffton,
Indiana, Chapter 698 played a leading role in sponsoring
a Chili and Hot Dog Lunch for Families and Significant Others
of Active Duty Military Personnel in January. “This
effort is designed two-fold,” said Chapter Secretary
Ralph Garcia, “to uphold the mission of Vietnam Veterans
of America, ‘In Service to America,’ and to help
empower the families and significant others of active-duty
military personnel to help themselves via organizing a support
group for them and for their loved ones, especially regarding
benefit information and help during emergency situations.”
Washtenaw
County, Michigan, Chapter 310 held an extremely successful
fund-raising event in January for Cpl. John Lockwood, an
area resident who was severely wounded in Iraq. The event,
called “Operation Lockwood,” included a well-attended
spaghetti dinner, auction, raffle, bake sale, and donations.
With donations still coming in, Chapter 310 President Pete
Belaire announced in February that the event raised about
$55,000 for the Lockwood family. “I am still in awe
at how a community wants a chance to support our warriors,” he
said.
MEMORIALS
Members of Chapter 380 of Marquette County in Negaunee,
Michigan,
played a big role in supporting the recently dedicated Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Iron Mountain, Michigan. The chapter
donated funds to help build the memorial, and the chapter
Color Guard joined more than 1,000 veterans, active-duty
military personnel, dignitaries, and others at the dedication
ceremonies on July 1 of last year.
South Bay Chapter 53 in
Redondo Beach, California, co-sponsored the Veterans Day
Commemoration at the Hermosa Beach Veterans’ Memorial.
Chapter member Paul Verner played “Taps” at the
ceremonies.
Members of Central Minnesota Chapter 290 in St.
Cloud, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in February,
were instrumental in the creation of the Central Minnesota
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in downtown St. Cloud, which was
dedicated on Veterans Day. Chapter members Ron Morton of
RA Morton Contracting and Jim Gratke of Northwest Excavation
volunteered their services to make sure the memorial was
completed on time, and chapter President Jim Bestick worked
hard for years to help bring the memorial to fruition. The
local Vietnamese community also contributed, raising the
funds for the memorial’s
black granite stone, which is engraved on both sides with
the image of two soldiers holding the flags of the United
States and the Republic of Vietnam.
Members and Associates
of Oahu, Hawaii, Chapter 858 dedicated a memorial stone made
of marble from Marble Mountain near Danang in Vietnam last
August at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl)
at Pu’owaina Crater. The
words on the stone, in both English and Hawaiian, were taken
from the Keynote Speech delivered by chapter member Allen
Hoe at the 2005 National Convention in Reno: “We honor
those whose Sacrifice gives us the Privilege and the Duty
to continue their legacy of Freedom and Liberty.”
SCHOLARSHIPS
Baltimore Chapter 451 recently presented three scholarships:
the Thomas Dolan Scholarship to Justin Wilson, who is studying
electrical engineering at Lehigh University; and two Katherine
Manion Scholarships, to Cassie Hickey, who is studying education
at Towson University, and Andre Grice, a student in mechanical
engineering at the University of Maryland.
Richard Brummett, a member of Ron Davenport Memorial
Chapter 165 in Bellingham, Washington, had more than your usual experience
in the Vietnam War. His first tour of duty in 1967-68 was
more or less normal: He served as a crewman on medium tanks
in two Army armored cavalry squadrons. His second “tour” was
anything but normal, because Brummett returned to Vietnam
after his discharge as a MACV-accredited civilian photographer
and he stayed for almost two years.
“My time as a photographer
in Vietnam was discontinuous,” Brummett
said. “I went for summer vacation in 1970 between my
first two years of college. The following year I flew to
London and then went overland to Vietnam by bus and train.
Leaving New York in May,
I arrived in Saigon and stayed until
the following April.” After
being wounded for the second time at Dong Ha during the NVA’s
1972 Easter Offensive, Brummett said, “I decided to
call it a war and go home.”
Several years ago one of
the photos Brummett took in Vietnam came to the attention
of Jim Pace, Chapter 165’s president. “It
is one of a series of shots showing soldiers of the 196th
Light Infantry Brigade being dropped off at, and walking
out of, Firebase Linda in February 1972 in the Rocket Belt
west of Danang,” Brummett said of the striking image,
which is titled “Grunts in the Wire.” Brummett
promptly donated the copyright of the photo to Chapter 165.
The chapter has had great success selling poster-sized images
of “Grunts in the Wire,” and using the proceeds
in a campaign to convince the VA to build a much-needed,
community-based outreach clinic in northwest Washington State.
For ordering information, write to VVA Chapter 165, P.O.
Box 29885, Bellingham, WA 98228-1885, or contact Jim Pace
at jpace35@msn.com
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2008, Vietnam Veterans of America. All Rights Reserved. 8605 Cameron
Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910 
