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Chapter and Local
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Connecticut Veterans’ Day Parade
An estimated 45,000 onlookers turned out for the 10th annual
Veterans Day Parade through the streets of downtown
Hartford. Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 120 has
marched in each of these annual parades since 2000.
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Connecticut Chapter 120 forms up for
the 1.26 mile march through the streets of Hartford |
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Chapter 120 Life member Rich Nurmi
chauffers AVVA member and Gold Star Mother, Mrs. Frances Dumin. |
Veterans’ Day Parade in Manchester
The annual Manchester Veterans’ Day parade was held on
Veterans’ Day, November 11, stepping off from the American
Legion post at 10am. The parade proceeded to Manchester
Memorial Hospital for their Veterans’ Day ceremony.
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After the Manchester Veterans' Day
ceremony, President Paul Barry, Membership Chair Joe
Hachey and Board of Director Pete Lund visited
Manchester Manor, a local nursing home, to greet 50
veterans who reside there. These veterans were very
appreciative to be honored on “their day”, thanking
our three devoted Chapter members. |
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Chapter 120 Christmas Dinner & Dance
The 23rd annual Christmas Dinner Dance will be held on
December 5, 2009 at the Machinists’ Union Hall, 357 Main
St., East Hartford. Letters of invitation to Chapter members
and others were sent out November 6. Dinner will be catered
by The Main Pub & Restaurant this year – a special treat.
Chapter 120 requests that you bring a raffle prize. See
our
flyer
A Busy Day for Chapter 120
December 5 will be a very busy day for Chapter 120. In the
morning, we will decorate the Union Hall for the Christmas
Dinner & Dance that night. After decorating the Union Hall,
members will decorate the Christmas tree in the Rocky Hill
Veterans’ Home cafeteria. Immediately afterward, members
will proceed to Colonel Gates cemetery in Rocky Hill to
remember and honor Tom Blanchard on what would have been his
60th birthday. Volunteers are needed for these activities.
Chapter 120 Donates Mechanics Gloves for USMC Unit in Iraq
Thanks to the efforts of Chapter 120 Life member John Siemer
and his son, Capt. Frank DuVerger (USA), Chapter 120
purchased 20 pairs of mechanics gloves for Cpl. Mike Gero’s
squad in Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 46, Transportation
Support (TS) Company, Iraq. Cpl. Gero is grandson of AVVA
Chapter 120 member Nancy Rousselle.
Sitrep from Cpl. Gero
(via Erika, Michael's girlfirend)
 While Cpl. Gero continues to be hard at work, his schedule
has certainly lightened since the first few weeks of this
deployment. Though convoys in the last month became
exponentially more difficult with the destruction of the
bridge in Ramadi, the platoon was still able to accomplish
their tasks and are moving along right on schedule.
He currently has quite a bit of free time as the convoys in
Ramadi have come to an end and he is awaiting his move to Al
Taqaddum, where he will be stationed until mid-December.
Once there, they will be continuing the mission to shut down
the base so it is uncertain how much internet and phone
access he will have toward the end of the stay. This move
may also result in a change of address so any packages that
have not been sent should be held for at least the next
couple of weeks until the new address is confirmed.
There has also been talk of an early arrival home for the
unit (sometime around mid-January) but at the moment this is
nothing more than hopeful speculation so we will just have
to wait and see. All in all, our deployed marine is holding
up very well and remains in good spirits thanks to
everyone’s continued love and support. He is anxious to get
home but also takes great pride in the work he carries out
overseas.
Thank you for all you have done for Michael, it is greatly
appreciated by all and certainly helps him remain positive
during his time away from friends and family!
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Willie Earl McCarthy
Chapter 120 Life Member Since 1990
Willie Earl McCarthy, 62, of New Britain, son of
Pauline McCarthy and the late Elijah McCarthy, was
born August 5, 1947, at New Britain General Hospital
and departed this life November 11, 2009, Veterans'
Day. Willie was
a proud Vietnam Veteran and member of the Vietnam
Veterans of America, Chapter 120. He is survived by daughters,
Vanessa McCarthy and Desiree McCarthy; sons, William
McCarthy, Jr. and William Rames; brothers Elijah
McCarthy and Howard McCarthy; sisters, Marion Yopp
and Eunice McCarthy; an uncle, Archie Gray; and a
host of grandchildren, cousins and step-children.
Services are Friday, 12 noon, at the McCullough
Temple, 55 Chapman St., New Britain, with viewing
from 11 a.m. Burial at Fair View Cemetery, New
Britain with full Military Honors. All Faith
Memorial Chapel, 90 John Fitch Blvd., South Windsor,
CT, has charge of arrangements. View or sign the
Guest Book for our Brother |
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Connecticut Department of
Veterans' Affairs |
Governor Announces New Inductees into
Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame
Governor Rell, joined by leaders of the state’s veterans’
community, formally inducted the Class of 2009 in a public
ceremony on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, in the Atrium of the
Legislative Office Building in Hartford. See
New Inductees
Forgotten no more: State of
Connecticut unveils memorial to Korean War veterans
Fifty-six years after the U.S., China, and North Korea
signed the armistice that ended the Korean War, Connecticut
veterans of the conflict have a memorial dedicated to their
service and to their fallen comrades.
See
Memorial
2009 Veterans' Resource Guide
Available
The CT Dept of Veterans' Affairs has created the
2009 Veterans' Resource Guide. |
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POW/MIA |
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DPMO News Releases
For the latest news
releases from the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel
Office (DPMO), click
HERE
Twists and turns snagged missing pilot
Saddam Hussein was telling the truth, this time. The United
States just didn't believe him. So it took the most powerful
military in the world 18 years to find the remains of the
only U.S. Air Force pilot shot down in an aerial battle in
the 1991 Gulf War. See
Twists and turns |
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On The Hill |
Senate Approves Budget For Veterans
Programs
The Senate on Nov. 17 adopted the latest in a continuing
series of major budget increases to provide medical care for
veterans. The move came as the Senate passed, by a rare
100-0 vote, a $134 billion spending bill for veterans
programs and military construction projects. See
Senate Approves
Senate Passes Sweeping Reform for
Veterans and Their Caregivers
The U.S. Senate voted 98-0 to pass the Caregivers and
Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009 on Nov. 19. The
bill, S.1963, would help wounded, homeless, women, and rural
veterans and family caregivers. See
Press Release |
Senate Bills on Agent Orange
Two introduced Senate bills, S.1939 and S.1940, now join
House bill
H.R.2254 (The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009) in
committees.
S.1939, introduced by Senator Gillibrand (NY), is a
sister bill to H.R.2254. These two bills add inland
waterways, ports and harbors, waters offshore and airspace
above the Republic of Vietnam as areas in which presumptive
agent orange related diseases will be considered for
veterans seeking service connected VA compensation. The
bills also allow for presumption of service connection for
veterans who served on Johnston Island during the period
beginning on April 1, 1972, and ending on September 30,
1977; or who received the Vietnam Service Medal or the
Vietnam Campaign Medal.
S.1940, also introduced by Sen. Gillibrand, provides for
a study on the effects on children of exposure of their
parents to herbicides used in support of the United States
and allied military operations in the Republic of Vietnam
during the Vietnam era. This study is long overdue.
Given the time left in the year and other important
congressional activities yet to be completed before congress
adjourns in late December, it is doubtful that these bills
will make it out of committee.
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Veterans'
Affairs News |
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Patrick W. Dunne, VA Under Secretary
for Benefits, to Step Down
Patrick W. Dunne, the Under Secretary for Benefits for the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), announced his
resignation for early next year. Dunne, who attained the
rank of rear admiral while in the U.S. Navy, has been with
VA since 2006. See
Patrick W. Dunne
Army Orders Probe at Arlington
National Cemetery, Releases Investigation Findings
Secretary of the Army John McHugh announced on November 13,
2009 that he has ordered an investigation into allegations
of lost accountability of some graves, poor record keeping
and other issues at Arlington National Cemetery. See
Probe
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Special Notice to Veterans and
Family Members who request copies of military personnel
and/or medical files
Since the 1970s, our standard procedure for replying to
requests for entire files has been to provide only copies of
key documents and extracts of vital information, rather than
a copy of every document in a personnel and/or medical file.
As of September 28, 2009, all responses that contain file
extracts include an explanation of the policy. See
Special
Notice
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2009 Federal
Veterans' Benefits Now Available
The 2009 Federal Veterans'
Benefits booklet is now available on the VA website.
Click on the picture to the right.
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National Veterans Golden Age Games
Now in its 24th year, the
National Veterans Golden Age Games offer sports
and recreational competitive events for veterans 55
years of age and older. It is the largest sports and
recreation competition for this age group of
military veterans in the world. The Games continue
to serve as a showcase for the rehabilitation value
that wellness and fitness provide in the lives of
older Americans.
To be eligible, competitors must be 55 years of age
or over and currently receiving care through the
Department of Veterans Affairs. Competitors may be
inpatients of a VA facility or receiving
care/services on an outpatient basis. Veterans who
receive health care at a Department of Veterans
Affairs medical facility have first priority.
In Connecticut, a team has been formed and meets
once a month at West Haven VAMC. If interested,
please e-mail Martin Lopez at
leaddog123@sbcglobal.net or call Coach Pamela
Moran at 860-582-9358 for more details. |
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A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or
national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one
point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable
to "The United States of America," for an amount of
"up to and including my life." That is honor, and
there are "way too many" people in this country who
no longer understand it. |
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