|
|
|
Chapter and Local
News |
Marine Serves as Parade
Marshall in Windsor Memorial Day Parade
USMC Corporal Mike Gero, grandson of Chapter 120 member
Nancy Rousselle and our departed Brother Dan Rousselle,
served as the 2010 Parade Marshall in the Windsor Memorial
Day Parade and ceremonies.
Followed by a ceremony at Veteran's Cemetery, the Memorial
Day Parade proceeded to Town Hall. Chapter 120 member
Charlie Hallgren introduced Corporal Gero for the Parade
Marshall’s address to the crowd.
|
 |
|
Cpl. Mike Gero salutes his
grandfather Dan Rousselle at Veterans’ Cemetery,
Windsor CT |
|
 |
|
Cpl. Mike Gero with Chapter 120
member Charlie Hallgren at Windsor Town Hall |
Cpl. Gero has now served
three tours in Iraq – Fallujah in 2005, Al Taqaddum in 2007
and Ar Ramadi in 2009. He is currently assigned to the
Marine Corps Reserves in New Haven CT.
The Moving Wall Visits
West Hartford
The Moving Wall, the half-size replica of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., was displayed on the
front lawn of West Hartford Town Hall, 50 South Main Street,
from Thursday, June 17 through Sunday, June 20, 2010.
|
At the opening ceremony on
Thursday, Gold StarMother Helen
“Billie” Hill, mother of Thomas Arthur Hill, placed the Gold
Star Mother wreath at the Wall. The MIA wreath was placed at
the Wall by Watts Smith, daughter of Major Charles F. Kuhlmann, and the Vietnam Veteran wreath was placed at the
Wall by Tim Ahern, Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars
Hannon-Hatch Post 9929.
Dr. Linda Spoonster Schwartz, Connecticut Veterans’ Affairs
Commissioner, gave the keynote address. A special
remembrance of West Hartford’s 18 fallen servicemen was
given by Leesa and Raymond Philippon, mother and father of
USMC LCpl. Lawrence Philippon who was killed in Iraq in
2005.
A candlelight vigil was held on Saturday, in which the names
of all 612 Connecticut residents killed during Vietnam War
were read.
On Sunday, a POW/MIA ceremony led by Connecticut Chapter 120
closed the four-day event. Chapter President Paul Barry
explained the symbolism of the POW/MIA table.
State Council Elections
Connecticut State Council elections for officers were held
on June 14. The following officers were elected for a
two-year term:
President – Patricia “Pattie” Dumin
Vice President – Leonard “Lenny” Ventura
Treasurer – Roger Anderson
Secretary – No candidate
Congratulations to Pattie, Lenny and Roger!
Transitional Housing for
Veterans Opens In East Hartford
In Connecticut, statistics collected by the VA indicate that
there are more than 800 veterans without a home on any given
night. In the face of such statistics, the Community Renewal
Team, Inc. (CRT), in conjunction with the VA and the
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, has opened a
transitional rooming house in East Hartford called Veterans
Crossing. The facility, two years in the making, opened
earlier this spring. See
Transitional Housing for Veterans
and
more
|
Veterans/Military Advisory Council
1st Congressional District
Paul Barry and Gary Waterhouse attended the
Veterans/Military Council meeting on June 3. During
this first meeting, it was suggested that VSOs need
to provide outreach in the form of PSAs, ads, and
other media to better inform the entire veteran
population within the State. The Council’s intent is
to meet quarterly in order to communicate progress
being made and to establish regular communication
channels for all Connecticut VSOs. |
|
Membership Renewals
Is your membership renewal about to become due? Please renew
today so you can continue to receive the award winning Chapter newsletter,
as well as The VVA Veteran! And as you renew, please
consider joining the other 133 members who have chosen Life
membership. |
|
|
 |
| Billee
Culin |
 |
| John
Siemer |
|
Life Members will be Missed
In the past few months, Chapter 120 said farewell to
two Life members, Billee Culin and John Siemer. Both
of these members were very active in Chapter
activities and will be sorely missed.
Billee Culin
Billee sent a message to the editor to pass on to
Chapter 120. After a long trip from Connecticut to
Arizona, she and husband Taylor are starting to
settle into their new home in Sun City. Billee says:
After being all packed up and the house in
Connecticut being ready for inspection for the
closing, we pulled out in the late afternoon on May
26th. We travelled as far as Fishkill, NY and spent
the night. Two days later we arrived in Louisville,
KY and spend 3 days with Taylor's family and our
daughter Sharee Lynn. On Memorial Day we took off on
our long leg of our trip to Arizona. Let's see....we
traveled through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri,
Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and finally made it to
Arizona. We arrived in Sun City, AZ on Thursday,
June 3rd. It was an uneventful trip except for
Jonathan, our cat, howling most of the way the first
day, but calmed down the rest of the way only
howling in the morning.
Our belongings arrived on Saturday, June 12th. What
a mess! There are boxes everywhere. I cannot fathom
where we got all this stuff! Thank goodness that
Sharee Lynn will be arriving tomorrow morning to
spend a month with us to help me get my house back
in order. The only room that is totally done is the
guest room that Sharee Lynn will be staying in while
here. Kitchen is on its way, but I have more stuff
than places to put them. I'll figure it out.
I attended the Arizona State Council Meeting on the
morning of June 12th. It was great to see some old
friends and to make some new ones. I have
transferred my membership to the Phoenix chapter.
You will receive notification. Along with Bill
Messer I will be working on starting a new chapter
in Sun City, AZ.
I miss you guys and think about all of you every
day. Y'all are my family and will always be dear to
my heart. Here is our address and landline phone
number:
10841 West Boswell Boulevard
Sun City, AZ 85373
623-414-3287
God bless you all from your sister in Arizona.
Go in Peace. Serve a Vet!
Billee Culin
Overwhelmed in Arizona!
Retired VVA CT State Council President
John Siemer
Chapter 120 members said farewell and happy
retirement to one of our “old-timers”, Life member
John Siemer, at the June membership meeting. John
has been an active member of Chapter 120 and the
Connecticut State Council since 1984 – the early
days of our formation. John and his wife Ria will
move to sunny Florida in September. We will all miss
both of them. Keep in touch, John! |
|
|
Connecticut Department of
Veterans' Affairs |
CT DVA Launches Digital Directory of
Veterans Memorials
Dr. Linda S. Schwartz, Commissioner of the Connecticut
Department of Veterans’ Affairs, today announced the launch
of an electronic directory of local veterans memorials
created from information submitted by municipalities. The
directory is available on the agency’s website at
www.ct.gov/ctva
Attention! New Phone Numbers
Effective Monday
April 26, 2010 The CT Dept of Veterans' Affairs has NEW
PHONE NUMBERS for the agency. The new AGENCY MAIN NUMBER is
860-616-3600. Please go to
http://www.ct.gov/ctva/cwp/view.asp?a=2005&q=290744 to find the Directory of Agency Phone Numbers.
2010 Veterans' Resource Guide
Available
The CT Dept of Veterans' Affairs has created the
2010 Veterans' Resource Guide. |
|
|
POW/MIA |
|
 |
A wounded heart that keeps giving
Joe joined the Navy, and then he married Maureen. He went to
flight school, volunteered to go to Vietnam. On Feb. 14,
Valentine’s Day, 1968, US Navy Lieutenant Joe Dunn was
piloting his jet over the South China Sea when a Chinese MIG
shot him down. They never found him. See
A wounded heart
DPMO News Releases
For the latest news
releases from the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel
Office (DPMO), click
HERE
National Alliance of
Families Newsletter
For the latest POW/MIA news from the
National Alliance of Families, see their
Bits 'n' Pieces Newsletter |
|
|
On The Hill |
From VA Watchdog Dot Org
VA Secretary Shinseki to get the Senate Hearing He Didn’t
Want
On September 23, the Senate Vets' Committee will look at
Shinseki's new Agent Orange presumptive diseases: Ischemic
heart disease, Parkinson's disease and hairy-cell leukemia.
Did Secretary Shinseki do the right thing by stopping the
Senate hearing? For veterans - yes. He was telling Sens.
Webb and Akaka: Don't mess with my authority to declare
presumptive diseases.
On the other hand, Shinseki stepped onto dangerous ground.
By convincing Akaka to cancel the hearing he was interfering
with Congressional oversight authority. Not a good thing.
On the Dark Side: Many vets feel this is a setup. It appears
that Parkinson's and hairy-cell leukemia are a “gimme” ...
but ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a really iffy
presumptive disease when it comes to Agent Orange exposure.
So what if Shinseki declared IHD a presumptive knowing that
Congress would get involved and shoot it down? Then he could
say he was doing the right thing for veterans and the nasty
old Congress is to blame for denying the presumptive. This
might be a stretch ... but I've been around long enough to
know that it could be reality. |
Statement by VVA President John Rowan:
VVA Calls for Support of the Decision by VA Secretary to
Declare Presumptive Agent Orange/Dioxin
& VVA Calls on the President and Congress to Fund Research
Now,
And Not Wait for an Army to Die
There have been reports in the media recently in which some,
including Senator Jim Webb, seem to question the legitimacy
of service-connected disability compensation for exposure to
Agent Orange/Dioxin on the battlefield, such as Type II
diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease. Further, it
appears that there is confusion on the part of some about
how the process established by the Agent Orange Act of 1991
should and does work. See
VVA Press Release
Hearing on the Army Investigation
of Arlington National Cemetery
The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing on
June 30 concerning the results of an investigation
into mismanagement of Arlington Cemetery that led to
misplaced grave markers, illegally discarded grave
markers and questionable burials.
In his opening remarks, Committee Chairman Rep. Ike
Skelton said, “Arlington Cemetery is our nation’s
most hallowed ground. It is reserved as the final
resting place of our heroic warriors. Management
ineptitude and neglect have resulted in a web of
errors. How in the world could this tragedy be
allowed to happen?"
See
testimony and video of the the hearing
 |
|
|
|
| |
|
Veterans'
Affairs News |
|
VA Makes Filing Claims Easier and Faster
for Veterans
Simpler Forms and New Program Reduce Paperwork
and Speed Process
As part of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki's
effort to break the back of the backlog, the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) is reducing the paperwork and
expediting the process for Veterans seeking compensation for
disabilities related to their military service. See
News
Release
VA Announces Change to Medication
Co-pays for Some Veterans
As previously announced on January 7, 2010, the Department
of Veterans Affairs froze prescription copayment increases
for six months. Veterans who generally have higher income
and no service-connected disabilities - referred to as
Priority Groups 7 and 8 Veterans - will now pay an
additional $1 for each 30-day supply of outpatient
medications. Taking effect July 1, the increase to $9 from
$8 is the first change in VA’s medication copay since Jan.
1, 2006. See
News release
|
Homeless Veteran in Need of Help?
The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) has founded a
National Call Center for Homeless Veterans hotline to ensure
that homeless Veterans or Veterans at-risk for homelessness
have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. The hotline is
intended to assist homeless Veterans and their families, VA
Medical Centers, federal, state and local partners,
community agencies, service providers and others in the
community. To be connected with a trained VA staff member
Call 1-877-4AIDVET (877-424-3838). See
more
Veterans at Risk for Infection from St.
Louis VA Dental Clinic
Veterans are getting certified letters advising them they
may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV. See
Veterans at Risk
_____________________
2010 Federal
Veterans' Benefits Now Available
The 2010 Federal Veterans'
Benefits booklet is now available on the VA website.
Click on the picture to the right.
___________________________ |
 |
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
