Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
10 July 2025
Call to Order by President Vance McCrumb at 1901 hrs.
Flag Salute: Vance McCrumb
Opening Prayer: Bob Bull
Moment of Silence for POW/MIA’S, their families and those who are serving in hazardous places around the world.
Roll Call: A quorum was established. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: Jim Green – US Army infantry unit commander 101st Airborne, Vietnam ’71 and ‘72
Guests: None
Motion: by Al Merritt/Tim Driscoll to approve the June Minutes published on the website. Approved.
President’s Report:
Please see the President’s remarks in the Dispatch and online at https://vva310.org.
Finance Report: Bourne. Reports were emailed to the board. Reports are also available to members via email upon request.
Nonrestricted Fund Revenue:
-
$855 merchandise sales at VA less $410 cost of goods sold, or 52% gross margin before 20% fee to VA.
Nonrestricted Fund Expenses: Nothing significant.
Restricted Fund Revenue: $7,775 June donations to Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping Plan with total donations this fiscal year to date of $37,634 which includes $14,852 from Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. $58,314 total project donations with $720 donated in July.
Restricted Fund Expenses: Nothing significant.
Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Fund Balance:
-
$57,594 balance in Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping Restricted Account represents total project donations to today’s date.
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$77,428 balance in Construction-in-Process represents total funds expended on project to date. We have withdrawn $50,000 from our Capital Markets account as a temporary loan to support the project. This amount will be repaid to our Capital Markets account by FY 28/29.
AVVA Report: The AVVA report is no longer being printed in the Dispatch but is being emailed separately to those who request it. The AVVA report is also online at https://vva310.org/newsletter.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Harrison – We had a good month. We took in $855. We can only take a little bit of stuff, so this is a good result. We’ll be selling this Tuesday from 0830 to 1300. We’ll be selling at the Pig Roast and at the Vet Fest. Any help is appreciated.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: Bull – Nothing to report.
Michigan State Council: No report.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt – The Memorial grounds are looking good. The crews are doing a good job. The work on Phase Two will begin on 14 July and should be finished in July. We are taking action to determine if we have a water leak.
Website: McCrumb - We have had over 481,681 478,217 hits since the website was last rebuilt. That means we’ve had 3,464 hits since our June report.
Membership: McCrumb - We have 227 members.
Newsletter: The Dispatch will be published only every other month.
Health Care: No report.
LTCCSKMC: No report.
Unfinished Business: None.
New Business: None.
Motion by Harrison, seconded by Rivers, to transfer $1,000 from the general fund to the Memorial Maintenance Restricted Fund. Approved.
Motion by Bahay, seconded by Driscoll, to rescind the 10 April decision to spend up to $3,000 total for the relief of the National Guard members impacted by the Northern Michigan storm. Approved.
Motion by Throneberry, seconded by Bull, to authorize up to $1,000 to be sent to a VVA chapter in Kerrville for relief of veterans impacted by the flood. Approved.
Good of the Order:
McCrumb: Breakfast on Friday will be at 0900 at the Bomber Restaurant, 306 E Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48198, (734) 482-0550.
McCrumb: Canes are in the back. Donations are requested. The average donation is $20.
Dunlap: Gerofit is an exercise program run by the VA for senior vets. The program gives older vets a chance to build strength, increase flexibility and improve balance. There is a swimming class once a week that uses the water as resistance for low-impact strength training. There are five days of online Zoom classes, that vary by day. One day is chair Yoga, another is Tai Chi and Chi gung. The other three are strength, flexibility and balance. Spouses may attend the online classes. The VA sends you resistance bands for strength work. They also have classes at the VA that only veterans may attend. Attendees are 60 and above. The gym is well equipped. There are six program staff to help with training and proper use of the equipment. You need your Primary Care Physician to refer you to the program.
Bull: 1. We are going to petition the trust fund to help us care for the bodies of veterans who died without next of kin. A new program allows next of kin to be appointed, but it does not cover the cremation cost. Since the trust fund does not believe it has the authority to use the funds that way, we are circulating a petition that will allow the trust fund to cooperate.
2. Green Alert bill is still stalled in the Michigan Legislature.
3. Once the state of Michigan agreed to put 988 stickers on all State Police cars, Michigan Department American Legion withdrew it resolution calling for that result. However, Michigan’s resolution was used to craft a resolution that will be presented at the American Legion National convention, urging all states to follow Michigan’s example.
4. The annual sock drive starts in August. Socks will go to both Ann Arbor and Detroit Fisher Houses. We distributed 1,800 pair last year. We want to double that this year.
5. Paulo and I are asking people to stop what they are doing at noon on the first Saturday of the month and ask God to protect our country and our veterans. There is so much going on. Our nation and our veterans need help.
Throneberry: 1. Be careful. There are lawyers and others out there that are charging veterans to process pensions. We call this “pension poaching” because lawyers take a portion of the proceeds to do what unpaid Veteran Services Officers will do for you for free.
2. Stars and Stripes says there will be a cut of 30,000 in the VA which will be achieved through attrition only. If you observe any impact on healthcare, notify VVA National.
3. Keep in mind that Veterans Radio is hosting its annual fundraiser on Sept. 28th from 1:00-5:00pm
4. Our Veterans Radio program this week features Jim Fasone interviewing a medal of honor recipient. Please link to us on social media.
Hall: Bonnie and I will be out of town at the Cheeseburger festival, so we will not be providing hot dogs and brats for next month’s meeting.
McCrumb: There were snacks and beverages left over from last night’s fundraising event for the Long-Term Memorial project. We delivered them to Fisher House.
Closing Prayer: Bull
Flag Salute: McCrumb
Meeting Adjourned at 1955 hrs.
Email Board of Directors Meeting – 11 July 2025
Call to Order by Vice President Harrison at 1848 hrs.
Roll Call: Attendees/Absent - Vance McCrumb, Stan Harrison, Berry Bourne, Jon Luker, Eric Downie, Bob Bull, Bob Kwiecinski, Tim Driscoll, Marv Rivers, Dale Throneberry, Budd Frye.
A quorum was established.
New Business:
Motion By McCrumb, seconded by Bourne, to increase the convention budget to $2,400.00 to be split three ways. A roll call vote was conducted.
Yea: Kwiecinski, Bourne, Harrison, Downie, Frye, Throneberry, Rivers, Bull.
Nay:
Abstain: Luker, Driscoll
Motion approved.
Meeting adjourned at 1543 on 15 July 2025
12 June 2025
Call to Order by President Vance McCrumb at 1858 hrs.
Flag Salute: McCrumb
Opening Prayer: Bob Bull
Moment of Silence for POW/MIA’S, their families and those who are serving in hazardous places around the world.
Roll Call: A quorum was established. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: Allen Knecht – US Army 2LT, 19th Combat Engineer Battalion
Guests: Jim Green – US Army infantry unit commander 101st Airborne, Vietnam ’71 and ‘72.
Motion: by Al Merritt/Bob Bull to approve the May Minutes published in the Dispatch. Approved.
President’s Report:
Please see the President’s remarks in the Dispatch and online at https://vva310.org.
Finance Report: Bourne. Reports were emailed to the board. Reports are also available to members via email upon request.
Nonrestricted Fund Revenue:
-
$1,500 Pig Roast donations
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$458 merchandise sales and donations at Ann Arbor VA with $206 cost of goods sold, 55% gross margin, before a 20% fee to the VA.
Nonrestricted Fund Expenses:
-
$511 for stamps to mail the Dispatch before five cent increase from $0.73 to $0.78 in July
-
$171 for flowers at Vietnam Memorial for Memorial Day Remembrance.
Restricted Fund Revenue: $19,602 donated in May to Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping Plan with total donations this fiscal year to date of $29,859 which includes $14,852 from Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. $52,419 total project donations with $2,600 donated in June.
Restricted Fund Expenses:
-
$1,665 to Ann Arbor VA for underwear for male and female veterans
-
$218 for maintenance of Vietnam Memorial
Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Fund Balance:
Represents total project donations to today’s date
-
Construction-in-Process $73,679
Represents total funds expended on project to date. We have withdrawn $50,000 from our Capital Markets account as a temporary loan to support the project. This amount will be repaid to our Capital Markets accounts.
AVVA Report: The AVVA report is no longer being printed in the Dispatch but is being emailed separately to those who request it. The AVVA report is also online at https://vva310.org/newsletter.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Harrison – Merchandise sales at the VA were $458. Our next sale on the 3rd floor of VA at the café will be Tuesday 17 June from 0830 to 1300. Any help is appreciated.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: Bull – The Annual Dinner is set for 23 March 2026 at the Saline American Legion Post. We will discuss the Michigan Trust Fund at our next meeting on Monday, 16 June.
Michigan State Council: Wilson – The State Council will meet this weekend in Monroe.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt – The Memorial grounds are looking good. The crews are doing a good job. The contract for Phase Two has been signed. We are the next job in line for Leppek Landscaping, which should mean the work will start this month.
Website: McCrumb - We have had over 478,217 hits since the website was last rebuilt. That means we’ve had 5,918 hits since our May report.
Membership: McCrumb - We have 224 members. I don’t get monthly reports anymore, but I do have access to National’s database, so I can get whatever information we need.
Newsletter: President McCrumb is requesting a new editor for the Dispatch. Until then, the Dispatch will be published only every other month.
Health Care: Wilson – We are still expecting more cuts to the VA budget so keep an eye out for any impact you see and let me know.
LTCCSKMC: You heard about the underwear purchase for the VA. Our next event is the Halloween party.
Unfinished Business: None.
New Business: None.
Good of the Order:
Kinzinger – There will be a fundraiser for the Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping Project at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse in Depot Town from 1830 to 2100 on 9 July 2025. The twenty-dollar cover charge will take care of snacks and drinks. Two bands will play, one of which is Nuclassica, an electronic band our Stacey Mason plays for. It will be a fun night that will include a live auction.
Throneberry – The Veterans Radio annual fundraiser will be held at Freedom River this year on 28 September. It is a new veterans recreation area located at 6716 Winans Lake Rd, Brighton, MI 48116. There will be stories and music and fun as usual, but we will also have helicopter rides available. A Huey from the Michigan Flight Museum will give rides for a fee.
Harrison – Right before that will be the Clinton Fall Festival, 26, 27 and 28 September. Be sure to come out.
Kinzinger – Speaking of Freedom River, they will be dedicating their new 60-foot-tall flagpole in the morning on Flag Day.
Harrison – Also, don’t forget the Pig Roast at the Saline American Legion on 23 August.
Bull a. The resolution to require the 988 sticker on all Michigan State Police vehicles was approved and will be implemented starting with new cars.
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Michigan Department of American Legion is going to ask National to ask all states to encourage their state police to use the 988 stickers.
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There are only 11 states that don’t have the Green Alert system in place. Michigan is one of them. Green Alerts work like Amber alerts except that they pertain to veterans instead of children. One thing it does is allow people to report a missing veteran right away.
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Vet Fest is scheduled for 2 August 2025, at Washtenaw Community College main campus. This year we will be blessed with the presence of the Secretary of State’s mobile office. Veterans will be able to get licenses reinstated, take care of expired license plates, upgrade their driver’s license to enhanced and so forth.
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We will run the VA sock drive again during August and September. We did well last year, but we need to do even better this year. All socks are given to the VA.
McCrumb – The Scout Troop that meets here will retire thousands of flags on Flag Day in the morning. They do a respectful and efficient job. You are welcome to come out to observe, show support or participate.
McCrumb – There is a 42-page pdf slide presentation being circulated that discusses the potential futures of VVA National. It also talks about the impact of those futures on state councils and local chapters. Sandie Wilson has volunteered to meet with us to discuss the contents of the document and its ramifications and answer your questions. However, we need a decent number of people to attend to make it worth the trouble. If you would like to attend such a session, please let me know. If enough people show interest, we’ll plan it.
Wilson - I met with second-year medical students from Wayne State University who were getting ready to begin internships at VA facilities. I was able to help them understand that veterans are different from the ordinary citizens they are used to dealing with.
Merritt - Breakfast on Friday will be at 0900 at Holiday’s Restaurant, 2080 W Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, (734) 668-1292.
Closing Prayer: Bull
Flag Salute: McCrumb
Meeting Adjourned at 1939 hrs.
8 May 2025
Call to Order by Vice President Harrison at 1800 hrs.
Flag Salute: Harrison
Prayer: Bull
Roll Call: Attendees/Absent - Vance McCrumb (Excused), Stan Harrison, Berry Bourne, Jon Luker (Excused), Eric Downie, Dale Throneberry (Excused), Marv Rivers,
Budd Frye, John Kinzinger (Excused), Bob Bull, Bob Kwiecinski, Tim Driscoll. A quorum was established.
Consent Agenda:
Board Meeting Agenda, Regular Meeting Agenda and Minutes of the last board meeting were approved without objection.
Finance Report: Bourne
Reports were emailed to the board. Reports are also available to members via email upon request.
Statement of Revenue and Expenses: - Non-restricted Fund
-
Revenue:
-
$1,308 membership dues rebates from VVA. The per member amount was reduced to $6.00 per member from $9.00 last year’s amount
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$1,343 from Annual Recognition Dinner less $2,256 expenses for a $913 deficit compared to a $907 deficit last year. Annual budget this year is $1,000 deficit.
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$758 merchandise sales less $324 cost of goods sold, or 57% gross margin
-
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Expenses:
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$3,250 donation to Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping plan. This represents FY ’26 annual budgeted amount.
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$100 refund of two membership dues because of long delay in receiving DD 214.
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Statement of Revenue and Expenses: - Restricted Funds
-
Revenue:
-
$4,600 donations to Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping Plan with total donations to date of $30,217 which includes $6,500 from VVA 310
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Other
-
-
Expenses: - Nothing significant
Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Fund Balance:
-
$30,217 balance in Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping Restricted Account represents donations only
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$28,632 balance in Construction-in-Process represents total funds expended on project to date
Old Business: None
New Business: Pig Roast Planning meeting at 1500 hrs. 20 May 2025, at American Legion - Saline
Meeting adjourned at 1814 hrs.
10 April 2025
Call to Order by Vice President Marv Rivers at 1900
Flag Salute: Rivers
Opening Prayer: Bob Bull
Moment of Silence for POW/MIA’S, their families and those who are serving in hazardous places around the world.
Roll Call: A quorum was established. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: Hernando Tena served in the Air Force at Selfridge Air Base during the Vietnam War. He then became a psychotherapist and is now semi-retired.
Guests: None.
Remembering Wes Prater – Rivers/Milton Davis: When the City of Ann Arbor refused to allow us to build a monument to fallen Vietnam Veterans in Veterans Park, Wes Prater, then Ypsilanti Township Supervisor, invited us to come to Ypsilanti Township to see if we could find a suitable place. When we arrived, Wes had a map of all the Township’s property and asked us where we would put it if we could put it anywhere we wanted. We walked the grounds, picked a place and Wes made it happen. Since then, his passion for supporting veterans has been passed on to the elected officials and employees alike so that we are still getting great support from the township. We will remember Wes as a former firefighter, former township trustee then supervisor and former Washtenaw County Commissioner as well as a great human being.
Motion: by Harrison/Cothorn to approve the March Minutes published in the Dispatch. Approved.
Adjourn to Nominations:
Nominations were conducted by Marv Rivers. No new people were nominated. There we no contested positions.
Motion by Frye, seconded by Harrison to direct the secretary to enter a unanimous vote for the slate. Approved. The following elected officials were sworn in by National Board Member At Large, Sandie Wilson:
President: Vance McCrumb
Vice President: Stan Harrison
Treasurer: Berry Bourne
Secretary: Jon Luker
Sergeant at Arms: Eric Downie
One-year board members Bob Bull, Bob Kwiecinski and Tim Driscoll
Two-year board members Dale Throneberry, Marv Rivers and Budd Frye
Recall to Order
President’s Report:
Please see the President’s remarks online at https://vva310.org. Vance is not present tonight because he is in Montana with his kids, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Finance Report: Bourne. Reports were emailed to the board. Reports are also available to members via email upon request.
Nonrestricted Fund Revenue:
a. $549 general fund donation $500 of which was for the Memorial Grounds Improvement Project.
b. $456 merchandise sales and donations less $154 cost of goods sold.
Nonrestricted Fund Expenses:
a. $1,800 VFW Post 423 annual donation plus WiFi access
b. $1,266 - $1,000 Prepayment to Caterer for Annual Recognition Dinner plus $266 expenses
c. $188 Post Office box rental. This cost is going up much faster than the consumer price index.
Restricted Fund Revenue:
-
$5,657 donations to Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping
Plan with total donations to date of $25,617
b. $330 donations to Vietnam Memorial Maintenance Fund
Restricted Fund Expenses: Nothing of significance.
Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Fund Balance:
1. $25,617 balance in Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping Restricted Account represents donations only
2. $26,877 balance in Construction-in-Process represents total funds expended on project to date
AVVA Report: The AVVA report is no longer being printed in the Dispatch but is being emailed separately to those who request it. The AVVA report is also online at https://vva310.org/newsletter.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Harrison – We had poor sales at the VA because VA employees were concerned about whether they were going to lose their jobs. Of the slightly more than $400 we collected, $200 was a donation. We will be back at the VA again a week from Tuesday. As always, we’d appreciate help opening and closing. Of course, help during our sales time is also appreciated.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: Bull - Our next meeting is a week from Monday. We are still looking for veteran-related organizations to join the council. The organization doesn’t need to be chartered, nor does it need to be restricted to veterans. Any organization with some veteran members should be encouraged to join the council and make their voice heard.
Michigan State Council: No report. No meeting this month.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt - Schedules are out for cutting crews. We have one opening because Ed Scruggs will not be able to do it this year. Please see me if you are interested. All the scrub brush and dead trees have been removed, the wood split and chipped and the chips distributed behind the berm as planned. The Memorial lights are now being powered from our new barn. Unfortunately, the wires that control our irrigation system were cut in the process. Oasis Irrigation is planning to make that repair, turn the irrigation system on and assess damage to it caused by our construction traffic (so far) as soon as the threat of freezing weather is behind us. Leppek Landscaping is expected to start work in the middle of this month, weather permitting. We expect that our 10-year project will be about 1/3 completed by Memorial Day.
Website: We have had over 467,299 hits since the website was last rebuilt. That means we’ve had 648 hits since our March report.
Membership: We have about 219 members.
Newsletter: No report.
13 March 2025
Call to Order by President McCrumb at 1856 hrs.
Flag Salute
Opening Prayer: Budd Frye
Moment of Silence for POW/MIA’S, their families and those who are serving in hazardous places around the world.
Roll Call: A quorum was established. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: Dennis Webb, US Army Artillery from ’68 to ’70. He served a year in Vietnam and a year at home.
Guests: Katherine King, Outreach Program Specialist for the Charles S Kettles VA and Gary Estermyer, VVA Michigan State Council Secretary.
Report by Katherine King:
National Vietnam Veterans Day is 29 March – a Saturday. We will celebrate it at the VA on Friday, 28 March. We’ll do a breakfast from 0800 to 0900. The celebration will run from 1000 to 1400 at Charles S. Kettles VA. We will have resource tables that can help veterans with common issues. We’ll also have people who can help with the new MyHealtheVet signup process and with getting your new ID card. We’ll have a smaller celebration at the Toledo CBOC.
If you have questions for me, I can be reached at (734) 575-9082 during normal business hours or at
Motion: by Harrison/Feight to Approve the February Minutes published in the Dispatch. Approved.
Adjourn to Nominations: (conducted by Marv Rivers)
President: Vance McCrumb accepted
Vice President: Marv Rivers declined, Stan Harrison accepted
Treasurer: Berry Bourne accepted
Secretary: Jon Luker accepted
Sergeant at Arms: Eric Downie accepted
Two-year board members moving to 1-year positions are:
Bob Bull, Bob Kwiecinski and Tim Driscoll
Two-year board nominees (Need at least three)
Accepting: Throneberry, Rivers, Frye
Declining: Cothorn, Kinzinger, Merritt, South, Bayha, Scruggs, Clarke, Klintworth, Coleman
State Council Delegates: (We are authorized up to 5)
Luker, Driscoll, Wilson, McCrumb
National Delegates:
Accepting: McManus, Luker, Wilson, Cothorn
Declining: Graef
Recall to Order
Officer Reports:
National President’s Report:
VVA National President and Chapter 310 Charter member gave us his personal views on how things are going for VVA National and for our chapter. He was pleased about our decision to change our name to honor Chuck Kettles, our effort to get the Ann Arbor VA’s name changed as well and about our efforts to make long term improvements to the Washtenaw County Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Jack also pointed out the importance of getting our chapter’s representation at the VVA National convention in New Orleans. This is a most important time for VVA to be at the table and helping Congress and the President to make wise decisions.
President’s Report:
Please see the President’s remarks online at https://vva310.org.
Finance Report: Bourne. Reports were emailed to the board. Reports are also available to members via email upon request.
Nonrestricted Fund Revenue: $882 merchandise sales and donations at Ann Arbor VA with $388 cost of goods sold, 56% gross margin, before a 20% fee to the VA.
Nonrestricted Fund Expenses: $550 donation to Vietnam Memorial Maintenance Restricted Fund.
Restricted Fund Revenue: $9,635 donated for Vietnam Memorial Long-term Landscaping Project which represents $19,960 to date.
Restricted Fund Expenses: Nothing of significance.
AVVA Report: The AVVA report is no longer being printed in the Dispatch but is being emailed separately to those who request it. The AVVA report is also online at https://vva310.org/newsletter.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Harrison – We had $882 of merchandise sales at the VA. We can’t sell much while confined to a small space in the cafeteria. We will be there again on 18 March. We will be doing an inventory here on 23 March at 1300. We could use a few volunteers to help with that.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: At the 17 February meeting, we discussed the possibility of starting the annual appreciation dinner back up.
Michigan State Council: Estermyer reported that 15 chapters attended the State Council meeting held in Howell on 8 March. That’s the highest turnout in recent years. Long time friend and treasurer Floyd Carmichael passed away suddenly. Allen Tardo from Oakland County was elected to fill out the balance of his term.
Point of Order: It is now 2030. No official business can be conducted beyond this time.
Memorial Maintenance: We have completed removing the trees and other vegetation from behind the berm. We have firewood available. On Friday, we will split wood into small enough pieces to feed into a chipper. On Saturday, we will chip whatever wood you don’t want. We have contracted Leppek Landscaping to do the following work so that it will be complete and looking respectable by Memorial Day: Berm repair, plant first set of trees and plants, install new patio and refurbish the boxwood hedges. Our regular crews are back at work but are limited in what we can do.
Website: McCrumb. We have had over 466,651 hits since the website was last rebuilt.
Membership: McCrumb. We are still officially at 218 members, but we have 2 applications pending.
Newsletter: We are still working to improve our new design. Remember to send your articles to Paulo, not me.
Health Care: Wilson. So far, there is no visible impact of the VA staff layoffs but watch for appointments to take longer to schedule and for them to be substituted with video appointments. Also, you might want to read about the monkey studies. They found that if they fed clay to monkeys and then exposed them to large doses of a wide variety of toxins, the toxins were not found in the blood. Would this help humans also?
LTCCSKMC: We are keeping female items stocked up. We have 4 steak meal upgrades planned for this year. The VA is asking for volunteers to return to work. The next VVA event at the VA will be the Halloween party. It looks like we will be able to make another gift to Fisher House this year.
Good of the Order:
McCrumb – We will hold a recognition dinner committee meeting here at 1000 on 20 March.
McCrumb – Several of us showed up for Doctor Allen’s service. She was a member for a while, but her health apparently got in the way of keeping her membership current.
Bayha – Elmer White’s sister is bringing some of his ashes back to Michigan to be interned at the Holly National Cemetery at 1400 on 24 March. It would be good if we could arrange a group to attend.
Dempsey – 7 years ago, Governor Snyder changed the way trust fund directors are selected. Before that, the directors represented many different veterans organizations including VVA. After that, the field has narrowed so much that only members of the Legion, the VFW and DAV are eligible and selected. The main problem with that is that those directors are loyal to their organizations, not to veterans overall. You can see the change by looking at the decisions that have been made over the years. I think it is time for VVA to get active at the state level to get back on the trust fund board. The governor’s appointment committee needs to understand and do the right thing.
Merritt: We are changing our breakfast routine this month so we can go to Jack McManus’ favorite breakfast joint. Breakfast on Friday will be at 0900 at the Harvest Moon Café, 5484 W. Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI (734) 434-8100.
Closing Prayer Budd Frye
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 2030
13 February 2025
Call to Order by President McCrumb at 1900 hrs.
Pledge of Allegiance
Opening Prayer: Bob Bull
Moment of Silence for POW/MIA’S, their families and those who are serving in hazardous places around the world.
Roll Call: A quorum was established. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: None
Guests: Leroy Page, VVA Chapter 528 member and former VVA Chapter 310 President
Motion: by Bull/Bayha to Approve the December and January Minutes published in the Dispatch. Approved.
Please see the President’s remarks online at https://vva310.org.
Finance Report: Bourne.
Nonrestricted Fund Revenue: $449 merchandise sales and donations at Ann Arbor VA with $181 cost of goods sold, 60% gross margin, before a 20% fee to the VA.
Nonrestricted Fund Expenses: Nothing of significance.
Restricted Fund Revenue:
-
$6,175 donated for Vietnam Memorial L/T Landscaping Project which represents $7,075 to date.
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$650 donated for Ann Arbor VA Patients Christmas Program which represents $19,041 to date.
Restricted Fund Expenses: Nothing of significance.
We have received a new bid for part of the work for the Memorial Landscape plan. The $60,355 bid was about $27,000 less than the first bid. The Memorial Maintenance Committee is working to lower the cost even further.
AVVA Report: The AVVA report is no longer being printed in the Dispatch but is being emailed separately to those who request it. The AVVA report is also online at https://vva310.org/newsletter.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Harrison – We had $449 of merchandise sales at the VA. We will be there again on 18 February. Any help you provide will be appreciated. Also, I have chapter challenge coins here for those who want to purchase them.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: The next meeting will be on 17 February.
Michigan State Council: The Council will meet in Howell on 8 March. A new State Treasurer will be elected.
Memorial Maintenance: We will begin the next several phases as soon as we can in spring. We will clear more of the property behind us, redo the berm plantings, install a French drain behind the berm, install the new brick patio, put in the first set of new trees, do all the work planned for the boxwood hedges and get the site ready for Memorial Day activities and Fire Watch. Additional bids are being solicited for the remaining phases.
Website: McCrumb. We have had over 460,680 hits since the website was last rebuilt. We’ve modified the front page to make it easier to navigate.
Membership: McCrumb. We are officially at 218 members.
Newsletter: We have a new newsletter format designed by McCrumb and approved by Pereira. Articles should still be submitted to Pereira who will select what will go into the newsletter and edit the content with help from Bourne. McCrumb will then produce the electronic file which will be dealt with as usual.
Health Care: Wilson. So far, there is no visible impact of the VA staff layoffs.
LTCCSKMC: No report.
Old Business: None
New Business:
Motion by Clarke, seconded by Harrison to approve the 2025/2026 annual budget. Approved.
Motion by Clarke, seconded by Feight to contribute $550 to the Washtenaw County Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Approved.
Motion by Luker, seconded by Bayha to pay $579.07 for fundraising costs incurred by the Vietnam Memorial L/T Landscaping Plan Fundraising Committee. Approved.
Good of the Order:
Page – VVA Chapter 528, Plymouth-Canton, is sponsoring a 50th Vietnam War Commemoration event at Belleville High School on Friday, March 21st at 1700 hrs. All are invited to attend.
Bull – The 988-call sign project is going well. The State Police will have all their vehicles marked this year. MDOT is considering placing the 988 call sign on all of the doors of its 61 rest stops. The American Legion has approved the resolution we’ve been circulating. I was able to present the issue to Michigan’s Council of Veterans Organizations. Please remember that I’m the chapter Veterans Service Officer. If you know of any Washtenaw County veteran, family member or provider that needs help for a veteran, let me know. We are blessed with many resources in this county. Help is available.
Throneberry – We try to stay away from politics on the broadcast, but we have a representative of the Non-Commissioned Officers Association of the United States will speak on how events in Washington are impacting services at the VA. Next week, Team Red White and Blue will explain a project called “Glory Relay” in which they will have a relay race that will carry the US flag from coast to coast. You may listen live on WAAM radio on Sundays at 1700 hours or go to veteransradio.org to listen to the podcasts.
Wilson – 24 April marks the end of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration. There will be a closing ceremony in Washington DC.
McCrumb: Our annual recognition dinner will be on 12 April. The doors will open at 1700.
McCrumb: Breakfast on Friday will be at 0900 at the Bomber Restaurant, 306 E Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48198, (734) 482-0550.
Closing Prayer Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 1937 hrs
9 January 2025
Call to Order by President McCrumb at 1900 hrs.
Pledge of Allegiance
Opening Prayer: Tim Driscoll
Moment of Silence for POW/MIA’S, their families and those who are serving in hazardous places around the world.
Roll Call: A quorum was established. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: None
Guests: None
President’s Report:
Please see the President’s remarks online at https://vva310.org.
Finance Report: Bourne.
Nonrestricted Fund Revenue: $4,150 donations for Memorial L/T Landscaping Plan and $855 from merchandise sales at the VA.
Nonrestricted Fund Expenses: $3,250 of the above donation came from the Chapter. We also paid our annual $450 website hosting fee.
Restricted Fund Revenue:
- We received $6,130 more for the Ann Arbor VA Christmas Program bringing the total to over $18,760.
- $1,000 donated for Support the Troops packing party
Restricted Fund Expenses:
- $4,013 was paid to Linda Colby for the embroidered clothes given to VA patients for Christmas.
- $1,000 was spent for non-perishable food which was sent via truck to help North Carolina people recover from storm damage.
- $751 was used to pay for 3rd steak dinner upgrade for VA patients.
We’ll be emailing an updated version of the proposed 25/26 annual budget. We will discuss, revise (if needed) and vote on the budget at the February meeting.
Thanks to a donation of labor from Certainty Construction and Son LLC, we finished Phase One of the Memorial Landscape plan $5,800 under budget.
AVVA Report: The AVVA report is no longer being printed in the Dispatch but is being emailed separately to those who request it. The AVVA report is also online at https://vva310.org/newsletter.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Harrison – We had $855 of merchandise sales at the VA. We will be there again on 21 January. Any help you provide will be appreciated.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: The Next meeting will be in February.
Michigan State Council: Driscoll reported that longtime State Treasurer Floyd Carmichael passed away. Gary Estermyer will take on his duties until a new treasurer is elected.
Memorial Maintenance: Phase One has been completed. The grounds look rough now, due to the ongoing work, but will be cleaned up in time for Memorial Day activities and Fire Watch. Additional bids are being solicited for remaining phases. A fundraising committee has been formed to raise funds for the project.
Website: McCrumb. We have had over 456,671 hits since the website was last rebuilt. We’ve modified the front page to make it easier to navigate.
Membership: McCrumb. We are officially at 219 members.
Newsletter: No report. As you know, it is not out yet.
Health Care: No report.
LTCCSKMC: No report.
Old Business: None
New Business: MOTION by Luker, seconded by Harrison to transfer $50,000 from the LPL Financial investment account to Memorial Landscaping Project Restricted Fund. This motion was approved at the board meeting. Approved.
Good of the Order:
Feight – Thank you all for coming out to my talk.
Driscoll – Fisher house is now seeking donations of gift cards from local area restaurants. When people who are just arriving at Fisher House need food, Fisher House wants them to just be able to go to a restaurant and eat rather than having to try to make a meal from the food stores on hand.
McCrumb – Milt Davis was the one who went shopping for the food for the North Carolina relief effort and found the transportation for the food.
McCrumb: Breakfast on Friday will be at 0900 at Holiday’s Restaurant, 2080 W Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, (734) 668-1292.
Closing Prayer Tim Driscoll
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 1934.