Vietnam Veterans of America
Washtenaw County Chapter 310
P.O. Box 3221 Ann Arbor, MI
48106
www.vva310.org
866-824-4VVA
The Year 2007 is special for Chapter 310. Chapter 310 celebrates the twenty-year anniversary
of the formation of our Chapter in 1987. At that time, the Chapter chose as its motto “Never Again Shall A Vet Coming Home From Battle Be Made to Feel Alone And Unappreciated”. We have not wavered
from that motto, and most significantly, in the past year we have highlighted it through our large Support Our Troops program. We are still serving America!
Chapter 310 believes that, “Together We Can Make a Difference”.
Chapter 310 is a very active chapter and
growing in membership. In the last year, our membership has grown to over 150 members, which is a 9% increase over the previous
year. Chapter 310 has also earned another delegate for the National Convention as a result of our membership recruiting. We
feel that we deserve the selection as the 2006 – 2007 Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter of the Year. There are numerous reasons why we feel strongly about our Chapter.
Chapter 310’s Mission Statement,
which is based on our original Chapter goals, is: Always promote a positive image of
Vietnam Veterans in our community, help all Veterans who need assistance, and never let the sacrifices of the 76 men killed
in Vietnam, or missing-in-action from our county be forgotten by erecting and maintaining our Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Our Chapter activities adhere to the core
values and Strategic Plan roadmap for the Vietnam Veterans of America. The following are examples of the things we do that
meet the Vietnam Veterans of America’s Strategic Plan and core values. These examples provide justification for selection
of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 310 as the Chapter of the Year.
Chapter 310 is widely known throughout
the county for its community service and willingness to accept any mission. Here is a list of activities that our Chapter
participates in regularly:
1.
We are most proud of our Support Our Troops program.
We are responsible for shipping 892 Care Packages to our troops serving overseas in Iraq
and Afghanistan since the war on terror
began in 2002. Our Chapter has raised nearly $32,000 over this time spending nearly $25,000 to Support Our Troops. We have shipped 225 packages over the past year, which is an average of 20 packages a month.
We also receive about $30 worth of donated goods to put into each of these packages. Thus far this year we have spent nearly
$14,000 to Support Our Troops. We have mailed over 1,000 notes and letters of
support to our troops. We have accumulated many addresses of local service-people serving in harm’s way that we support
each month. We hold two large fundraisers each year to support our effort. We held our 4th Annual Pig Roast last
September, and our 2nd Annual Have a Heart for Our Troops Fundraiser
held on Valentine’s Day raising nearly $8,000 for our Support Our Troops
program. Our Support Our Troops program is gaining recognition throughout our
county. We have been asked to help organize similar programs at local Churches such as Living Water in Ann Arbor. We have also successfully helped other Veterans Organizations such as the American
Legion in Saline, the VFW in Ann Arbor, and the Marine Corps League in Ypsilanti organize and conduct packaging parties. Many of our Vietnam Veterans from the Chapter
have helped with these activities.
2.
We regard it to be our responsibility to remind our local residents that Freedom is not Free. And that many men and women have made the supreme sacrifice for us to live under and
display our Flag, our symbol of liberty and Freedom. We march in uniform with Flags and banner in five major local parades
each year around our county. Parades keep us busy through the summer starting with the Memorial Day Parade in Saline. We also
participate in Fair Parades in the cities of Milan and Chelsea.
The Fourth of July parade in Ypsilanti is very inspiring for
the Vietnam Veterans each year as the residents applaud us. We also participate in two Festival Parades in Ypsilanti
and Clinton each year.
3.
We organize and put on annual county Memorial
Day and Veterans Day observances each year at our Vietnam Veterans Memorial located at the Ypsilanti Township
Hall in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
4.
We participate in several High Schools in the county making presentations, holding panel discussions,
and speaking with students on our Vietnam
experiences. This program has been increasing each year since we began about nine (9) years ago. We visit Belleville
High School in Belleville, Pioneer
High School and Ava Maria in Ann Arbor, Lincoln High School in Willis, Chelsea
High School in Chelsea, and Symon Elementary in Milan.
5.
We hold an annual Watch Fire ceremony on Memorial Day Sunday at our Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
We honorably retired American Flags that have been given to us. We retire each Flag in memory of deceased Veterans and loved
ones. This program grows in size each year.
6.
Our Chapter members do all the grounds maintenance around our Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This includes
trimming and planting trees and flowers and mowing the grass to keep it as a proud place of remembrance. We established a
separate non-profit organization to provide for the perpetual care of our Vietnam Veterans Memorial after we are no longer
able to do it ourselves. A goal of $80,000 was set for the amount of money needed for the perpetual care of our Memorial.
We attained that goal in November of 2006 after fundraising efforts over the past eight years.
7.
Many members of our Chapter are members of the Veterans Honor Guard of Washtenaw County that performs
military funeral ceremonies for any Veteran in our area. We stand ready to serve in this capacity each day of the year. The
Veterans Honor Guard of Washtenaw County performed at 121 funerals in 2006 totaling nearly 1,200 man-hours of community service.
The Honor Guard has already performed military honors for 52 veterans this year.
8.
Annually we provide a large complete Thanksgiving Dinner spending nearly $400 for the residents
of Dawn Farm in Ann Arbor, which is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation
program for young people.
9.
We also support different fund raising activities of other nearby VVA Chapters, local schools and
non-profit organizations. We also support the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund by using the Internet Web Search Engine GoodSearch. Several of our members are recipients of The Order of the Silver Rose that the Chapter also supports.
10. Chapter 310 sponsored two Eagle Scouts who wanted to do projects to improve our Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in
Ypsilanti, Michigan. Eagle
Scout, Mark McGuire, decided with the help of our membership to erect informational signage to show how to find our Memorial.
Eagle Scout, Alex Van Hout, coordinated a project to beautify and improve the maintainability of our Memorial by landscaping
improvements. Alex Van Hout has gone on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.
11. Our Chapter Vice-President coordinated a meeting for an organization of Navy-moms at our local VFW Post.
12. Many of our Chapter members have visited Veterans staying in nursing homes around our county such as the Hartland Nursing
Home in Ann Arbor and the Evangelical Home in Saline.
13. Chapter 310 also has in its membership members who have served in Iraq.
One of our members is in the process of establishing a Chapter of the Veterans of Modern Warfare.
Communications is a primary reason for
the members being so active in Chapter 310 activities. The following examples further support Chapter 310 selection as Vietnam
Veterans of America Chapter of the Year.
1.
Our monthly Chapter newsletter, The 310 Dispatch, is
an outstanding newsletter that is mailed to all of our members and family members of those listed as KIA and MIA on our Vietnam
Memorial in Ypsilanti, Michigan
just prior to our monthly meetings. It is also mailed to many non-members from our community to keep them informed of our
activities, events and programs. Approximately one-third of our members receive The
310 Dispatch via email while our mailing distribution is well over 200. The quality, content and composition of The 310 Dispatch are outstanding and set a great example for all that read it. Every month our The 310 Dispatch includes what is going on at our Chapter level, County Council and State Council level meetings
through accurate and complete meeting minutes printed in The 310 Dispatch.
2.
We also provide local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapters a copy of The 310 Dispatch. We also send invitations to attend our Chapter events held throughout the year. We also assist
neighboring VVA Chapters with events they organize. Through our communications we organize and promote an excellent local
image of united and organized Vietnam Veterans.
3.
Many local organizations, businesses and individuals who contribute to our Chapter are long time
supporters of our events and goals. Each contributor receives a special thank you note and a copy of our financial report
so they best understand what we do with their contributions. This encourages them to most often increase their support of
our Chapter. We have developed a tremendous trust and support base from our local supporters by just being honest, appreciative
and sincere with them.
4.
We have an extensive email distribution list for our members and other Veterans, which we use to
communicate information. We keep each other informed of special information and communicate it to further build our closeness
and effectiveness as a Chapter. Also many of our members are registered on VVA@talklist.com,
so they are tied into our National picture.
5.
Our Chapter web page www.vva310.org is an interesting, living, colorful, well linked and informative web page. We are proud
of it and Our Chapter member webmaster.
6.
Our Chapter has a telephone number, which is listed in the local yellow pages. We are available
to the public and respond to many different calls. The telephone has voice-mail and is checked daily by a Chapter member.
Calls are responded to within 24 hours.
7.
All Chapter mail is received at a local Post Office Box by the Chapter President, Secretary or
Treasurer, which is checked several times per week, so the mail is forwarded and handled expeditiously.
8.
To highlight an upcoming big event, we use the local radio shows, which are quite friendly with
us to promote special upcoming events.
9.
Our Chapter is also proud to have three of our members who organize and produce programming for
Veterans Radio that is broadcast on 990 AM WDEO,
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1440AM WMAX Saginaw,
MI and 98.5FM in Naples, Florida.
The program airs on Saturday mornings at 0900. Veterans Radio also has a fantastic website: http://www.veteransradio.net/ where you can listen to past programs in case you miss the live broadcast and get information
on future programs.
10. We hold a Chapter 310 breakfast each month so that members can get together socially. The breakfast location is different
each month as we make a swing through the county.
Another major VVA goal, which Chapter
310 does extremely well, is providing direct services needed by Veterans and their families. We help all Veterans in need
that we are aware of:
1.
We have a Food Pantry that we use to feed Vietnam Veteran families who need temporary help. We
also purchase toys, and sometimes clothes, at Christmas time and other occasions throughout the year for needy Veterans’
children.
2.
We focus on the families of our local Vietnam KIA’s and POW-MIA’s. They receive our
newsletter and are welcome to join us in any of our activities. They all are proud of what we do for the image of Vietnam
Veterans and the fact we will not allow the sacrifices they and their loved ones made be forgotten. Each year during the Christmas
season, we send the family members a specially designed greeting card to confirm that we will never let their loved one be
forgotten and that we are thinking about them during the Christmas season.
3.
We annually visit the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center with a Christmas room-to-room program for all
the hospitalized Veterans. It includes a High School fiddle and stringed instrument group called, “The Saline Fiddlers
Philharmonic”, the current year Miss Michigan and Miss
Washtenaw County and the great performances
of former Miss Michigan of 1993. We also invite other local
Vietnam Veterans of American Chapters to participate such as Chapter 528 and Rolling Thunder. As part of the show each year,
we give every patient a special gift from our Chapter and our supporters. This past year we presented each patient with a
nice hooded sweatshirt embroidered with the American Eagle and Flag with the words, Freedom
is Not Free.
4.
Around Valentine’s Day each year, a group of members visit with every hospitalized Veteran
in the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center to give them packages of new underwear, socks and other treats.
5.
Every Christmas season we send out specially designed greeting cards and packages to our service
men and women serving in the military overseas. We also send cards to the families of the men listed as Killed-in-Action and
Missing-in-Action on our Vietnam Memorial in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
6.
For Memorial Day, the Chapter holds a pizza party at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center visiting hospitalized
patients and providing pizza and beverage.
7.
The Chapter also holds an Ice Cream Social for the patients at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center
around the 4th of July. Members visit with hospitalized patients and pass out ice cream.
8.
At Halloween, we put on an event at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center for the hospitalized patients
and the nursing staff. We dress in costumes and go from room-to-room to ‘trick or treat’ all of the patients.
We have two huge pumpkins nicely carved and on cart, which we roll into each room and really cheer up the patients. We give
out treats and refreshment to the patients and the nurses throughout the facility.
9.
A Chapter 310 member is on the selection board for the ‘Wall of Heroes recognition at the
Ann Arbor VA Medical Center.
10. We came together to help a fellow Vietnam Veteran by constructing a handicap ramp at his home in Milan.
11. Chapter 310 has a policy to engrave the names of deceased members that are in good standing on a separate podium at
the Vietnam Memorial in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
12. Chapter 310 has a member that is a active-member of the Executive Committee for Voluntary Services at the VAMC in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our member has
been appointed to this position for the last two years.
Another focus of Chapter 310 is in the
area of advocacy. We work hard to get our politicians to understand Veteran’s concerns. Over the years we have built
a strong relationship with all local relevant politicians and we can fairly easily get them to listen to our concerns. Some
of the things that we do to keep them informed of our concerns are listed here:
1.
Our monthly Chapter newsletter is mailed to many of the politicians, who review it and use it to
keep aware of our events and what we are doing to help our community.
2.
Each year members of our Chapter 310 attend the Washtenaw County Council of Veterans Dinner. Many
of the local politicians attend the dinner, which is a great opportunity for us to discuss our concerns about recent issues.
We concentrate on issues of major concern and focus just on them at the dinner with the political guests. It is common for
members of our Chapter to be contacted by local politicians for our opinion on various Veterans’ related issues.
3.
Through our work and efforts, local politicians are proud to be friends with our Chapter. We invite
them to different events throughout the year and they make presentations when requested. They are invited each year to our
annual Recognition Dinner where we highlight their efforts to help us attain our goals and we show our appreciation.
4.
We are very active in writing articles for the local newspapers on Veterans’ issues, which
make our concerns well known.
5.
Chapter 310 is proud to be able to list Sandie Wilson, VVA Director-at-Large and former National
Treasurer, John McManus as active members of Chapter 310. Both are fine examples of advocates for Veterans issues.
6.
A Chapter 310 member is a lawyer who is representing a Vietnam Veteran in a case involving Michigan’s Veterans Preference Act to be heard by the Michigan
Supreme Court. A veteran was denied a job that he was qualified for, but the job was given to a non-veteran.
The strength of Chapter 310 is its membership.
The Chapter recruitment programs last year increased our membership by 9% to 150 members from 138 the previous year. Over
40% of our members are now Life Members. The Chapter activities and events keep our members interested and motivated to be
involved. The Chapter retention rate is about 90%. Our Membership Chairman does an excellent job at contacting delinquent
members to get them to renew. The following are some of the actions that we take to keep our membership strong:
1.
We keep every member informed of events and actions through our monthly newsletter, telephone calls
and email.
2.
If there is an illness of a member or an immediate family member, we send a card and flowers from
our Chapter to let them know they are important and we care about them and wish for their speedy recovery.
3.
The past few years we have made an effort to reach out to Vietnam Era Veterans, who were not made
to feel as welcome in the early years of the Chapter.
4.
We have an annual Chapter picnic in a local park and urge all members to attend and get to know
other members in a fun atmosphere.
5.
We set up our membership table and pass out membership forms and newsletters to attract possible
new members at all of our fundraising events like the Heritage and Clinton Fall Festivals, the Milan Fair, and our Annual
Pig Roast. It gives us a chance to discuss our Chapter with prospective members. All of our Chapter officers have business
cards that have an application on the back that we can pass out to prospective members. We also have our Chapter telephone
number listed in the Yellow Pages and receive requests for applications and information through that means.
6.
When we meet a potential member, we send him a membership package and put him on our newsletter
mailing list for at least four months to entice him to join. We also make follow-up calls and contacts with them.
7.
Every new member receives a packet of Chapter information and a Chapter hat with the Chapter Logo
on it.
8.
We make follow-up calls and contacts with members whose membership has lapsed to try to get them
to continue their membership.
9.
As we promote our image and events through the different local media, we take the opportunity to
also promote membership in our Chapter.
Chapter 310 has few financial issues, because we have a sound diversified financial base and minimal needs. The Chapter
does not own a building, but pays a nominal fee to the local VFW Post for the use of their Hall for our meetings and events.
When
we do identify a special need, we set up a committee and develop a plan to raise the required money, like the fundraising
the Chapter does to raise money for our Support Our Troops program.
Each year we raise approximately $9,000
for our annual Ann Arbor VA Medical Center Christmas Show through contributions from a special list of friends we have established
in our community. That support is largely due to our showing them our appreciation for their continued support. These contributors
are long time supporters, most for over ten (10) years. Funds not used at Christmas are used for special projects within the
Ann Arbor VA Medical Center, along with a $100 per month donation for ‘Comfort Items’ for the patients.
Chapter 310 is very successful in its fundraising
efforts as explained in the following:
1.
When we identify a need for money, we consider the feasibility of a special fundraiser to meet
that need. And we get the commitment of our membership to support the effort. Then a member volunteers to lead the effort
and success follows.
2.
We have found that if you simply tell people the truth and show your appreciation for their support;
afterwards they will enjoy contributing to future events of our Chapter. For our Christmas program each year, we have about
an 85% response rate from previous contributors, which makes it easy for us to put on our big special events at the Ann Arbor
VA Medical Center. Our supporters actually count on us to send them a request letter and financial statement in November each
year, which they commonly respond with an even greater contribution each year.
3.
Always keep our mailing list confidential and explain that to your contributors.
4.
We make and sell dog tags at several events around the county each year. Selling dog tags at our
events attracts a lot of attention. We find that it is an excellent way to identify potential new members. It is also an excellent
adjunct to our merchandizing sales.
5.
At each monthly Chapter meeting we review in detail the financials with the membership to keep
them informed of our spending and income.
6.
We also have a merchandise group, which uses their profits to purchase special items for our Chapter.
7.
Annually we hold a fundraiser for the Perpetual Care to ensure continued support of our Vietnam
Veterans Memorial. We established a separate non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization to provide for the perpetual care of our
Vietnam Veterans Memorial after we are no longer able to do it ourselves. A goal of $80,000 was set for the amount of money
needed for the perpetual care of our Memorial. We attained that goal in November of 2006 after fundraising efforts over the
past eight (8) years.
8.
We also host an annual Pig Roast to raise operating funds for the Chapter. This event raises enough
money to support the Chapter fully for a whole year.
9.
This year we are adding another fundraiser at Michigan International Speedway where we are going
to be Information Ambassadors. There are three races over the summer race season that we will support with three members as
Information Ambassadors for each race day. We expect to earn $1,425 for the race season.
10. Our Chapter has a policy that we will not participate in any fundraising activity that is suspicious or restricted
activities as defined in accordance with the Vietnam Veterans of America Constitution. We use no telemarketers.
11. Chapter 310 conforms to the National Vietnam Veterans of America Constitution, Article IV.
a.
We file the appropriate State and Federal tax returns for our Chapter. A financial report is submitted
to our State Council.
b. The Chapter does perform an annual audit of all financial records. The Chapter membership reviews the audit report
and approves it at our monthly meeting.
c.
All of the officers of the Chapter are bonded.
12. Our Chapter also requires:
a.
Two signatures on all checks.
b. Receipts for any expenses incurred.
c.
That a budget be developed and approved.
Some notable accomplishments that our Chapter
participated in over the past year are as follows:
1.
The War on Terror came to Washtenaw
County. Several young Marines from our community were killed or wounded
in action. Now the City of Saline had one of its own severely
wounded. His name is John Lockwood. The Lockwood family has been in the Saline area for several generations, and has been
involved in this community. John’s vehicle was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device) on November 19. The Marine
driving the vehicle in front of John was killed in the blast. John suffered some severe blast and shrapnel injuries. He was
treated for his injuries at Bethesda Naval
Hospital in Maryland.
Our Chapter became involved with Operation Lockwood in Saline. The community organized into a Task Force to raise money to
assist the Lockwood family. On December 2, at the Saline Community Christmas Parade, Vietnam Veterans from around this County
came to a call to help sell raffle tickets for Operation Lockwood. These Vietnam Veterans sold all of the raffle tickets before
the parade even started to the amazement of the Fire Chief and the Saline Police Department. Our Chapter also helped with
a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser on Sunday, January 21, 2007 by donating $500 towards food and related expenses. Many of our
Chapter members took the time to come and support a wounded warrior and his family. The Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser earned
approximately $65,000 to help defray some of the expenses that the Lockwood family incurred from travel to be with John during
his treatment.
2.
Our Chapter President had the honor and privilege of driving a young wounded Marine home for Christmas.
Our Chapter President just happened to be the one who had a large van that would accommodate all of his Christmas gifts for
his family, wheelchair, walker, crutches and a wounded Marine. This young man came from a large family. He is just one of
twelve children. Here is a quote from our Chapter President, “I listened to him talk about going home, about being free
from the hospital, and how beautiful it is to be home. As we drove down I-94 towards his home, he pointed out places that
he went hunting and fishing. He told me about his family and their home. Then I pulled up into the driveway of his home. His
family rushed out to see him. His mother anxiously awaited him at the door. I just stood back as his brothers and sisters
ranging in age from three to twenty-three unloaded my van and took this young Marine in the house. I was invited in to have
a snack of pizza with the family. This young Marine took me on a limited tour of his home. He could not show me the entire
house because it had many levels to it. All of the time, his brothers and sisters surrounded him. You could feel the love
of family. They transformed a room on the lower level into a bedroom for him. He was tired from the journey and wanted to
go to bed. The entire family helped him into bed and stood beside him. I wished them all a Merry Christmas, and left to go
home. But, as I was leaving the house, I heard his mother cry out, ‘Oh Timmy, it is so good to have you home!’”
3.
Chapter 310 also had the distinct pleasure of presenting an award to nine-year-old Keegan Hillier.
Our Chapter President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer drove down to Keegan’s school in Britton, Michigan to make the presentation on January 12,
2007. The school had a Positive Behavior Assembly to recognize good behavior. The entire elementary school gathered in the
auditorium for the Assembly. Keegan organized a fundraiser to Support Our Troops
that earned $3,000. Our Chapter worked with Keegan to organize a packing party to ship Care Packages to the members of the
First Battalion, Twenty-Fourth Marines in Iraq.
The Principal of the school started the session and then turned it over to our Chapter. One of the best compliments that our
Chapter received was from Keegan’s mother who told us that, “We are the
best role models for Keegan”.
4.
Our Chapter also helped LCpl Tim Lang find transportation so that he could become an Outpatient
at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. He could not find anything that would pick him up in Parma
and drive him to the VA every day for his physical therapy. Tim had recovered from most of his injuries to his leg, except
for the foot. He was able to move his knee and actually get around on crutches very well. Our Chapter President contacted
Sandie Wilson who manages the Vietnam Veterans of Michigan Car Dealership in Milan,
Michigan where she sells donated vehicles to support homeless veterans. Sandie
came up with a car to give to him. Vietnam Veterans Chapter 310 paid all of the licensing and tax fees. Members of the Veterans
Honor Guard of Washtenaw County passed the hat and collected $500 for the purchase of gas. Tim was overwhelmed when he picked
up the car and drove it home.
5.
It seemed like LCpl Tim Lang was on his way to getting back on his feet when he was directed to
return to Bethesda to evaluate his foot. Chapter members were
very sad to learn that Tim lost his battle to save his foot on March 6 of this year. They amputated his foot approximately
8” up from his heel. On March 20, our Chapter President and Secretary left from Ann Arbor,
Michigan to visit Walter Reed Hospital where Tim is now located. Word
got around that we were going to Walter Reed, and we collected unsolicited donations totaling $200 to be used to help Tim.
Our Chapter President wanted to go to Walter Reed to help Tim, but he also wanted to see for himself the lurid conditions
that Tim was living in at Walter Reed. LCpl Tim Lang is located in the Mologne House on the Walter Reed Campus. Tim’s
accommodations are outstanding. He has two computers in his room supplied by Walter Reed. He has a thin-style wide-screen
TV that is hanging on his room wall. He has a refrigerator and microwave. He has maid service. He has access to all of the
facilities at Walter Reed from the Hospital to chow to a gym. He can view movies in his room. The most important part of the
Mologne House is that it contains hundreds of amputees. The mutual support that they give each other is inspiring. Tim was
asked about Walter Reed. His exact words are, “It is awesome!” He likes Walter Reed more than Bethesda. The Chapter President and Secretary wanted to see for themselves what Walter Reed
was like on the inside. They did not go to every room and every building, but they saw enough to convince them that Walter
Reed is a model hospital that is treating our service men and women well. The trip to visit Tim was timely. Tim needed to
go shopping for some new shoes so that he could get his new foot fitted properly. The doctors at Walter Reed wanted him to
get a new set of shoes that would last through the summer. Our Chapter President and Secretary took Tim on a shopping spree
that covered two malls in Washington, DC
and many stores. Our Chapter President and Secretary reported that Tim really knows how to speed around in his wheelchair.
They could not keep up with him. He was so excited to be out and about. He shopped around to get the best price on everything.
He found a great pair of running shoes for his new foot, some clothing he needed for his PT, a couple of new baseball hats
and a new sweatshirt. After about three hours of shopping, they finally found a place to eat. The President and Secretary
of our Chapter decided that they were going to make sure that Tim had a good meal while they were there. They had one of the
best Italian dinners money can buy. Tim insisted that he buy the beer for them. That beer sure tasted good! The Chapter President
and Secretary paid for this trip out of their own funds.
6.
We just had a wonderful visit from our friends from the Down-Under. Al and Barb Wood came all the
way to Ann Arbor, Michigan from Tasmania, which is the most southerly State of Australia. Tasmania
is approximately the size of the State of Ohio with a population
of 472,000. Allan Wood served with the Fourth Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment in Vietnam in a Tracker/Recon Platoon from 1968 to 1969. Allan is doing research on
a relative of his that was involved in an amphibious invasion of France
in 1798. He found that the Clements Library, located at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor,
had an extensive collection of writings about this campaign, so he planned a trip to Ann
Arbor. Then Al had a thought. He Googled Vietnam Veterans and found our Chapter 310 and made contact
with our Chapter Secretary, John Kinzinger and Vance McCrumb, our Chapter Newsletter Editor. One of the missions that Al Wood
had in coming to the United States is
to establish a relationship with other Vietnam Veterans. He also had a desire to place a wreath at our Vietnam Memorial in
Ypsilanti Township.
A number of Vietnam Veterans came out to witness the wreath presentation by Al. We have so much in common with our friends
in Australia, especially a desire to remember
those who have gone before us. We also had a great time visiting at the Sidetrack Restaurant and Tavern in Ypsilanti afterwards. We must have had 30 people eating, drinking and visiting. What a great
time!
7.
The Chapel at the VAMC in Ann Arbor, Michigan was located in an inaccessible and unacceptable location within the hospital. .
The Chapel was located in the old part of the hospital since Memorial Day of 1954. One of our Chapter members is responsible
for having the Chapel moved to an accessible area within the hospital. Our Chapter also donated $2,000 to help with the move.
The Chapel has been moved and rededicated on November 16, 2006.
As for organizational effectiveness, we
must be doing the right things. Our Chapter successes since our start in 1987 are proof. The fact that our Past Chapter President
was awarded the 2003 Michigan Veteran of the Year further supports the effectiveness of VVA Chapter 310.
We have very businesslike monthly membership
meetings led by our President. We have a standard format of reporting out by committees and everyone gets a chance to state
their opinion on any issue. Our goals are clear and our members buy into them, so it is easy for us to be successful. However,
we do occasionally stop and review our actions to be sure they are directed toward the goals of our Chapter and the Vietnam
Veterans of America.
Submitted By:
--------------------------------------------------------
Peter M. Belaire, President VVA Chapter 310
Concurred By:
--------------------------------------------------------
Tom Meindhardt, Michigan State
Council President
