Vietnam Veterans of America
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
9 December 2021
Call to Order by Secretary Luker at 1905 hrs.
Pledge of Allegiance
Opening Prayer: Berry Bourne
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.
Motion by Throneberry/Wilson to approve the November Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Approved.
Officer Reports:
President’s Report:
No Report (Excused)
Treasurer’s Report:
Berry Bourne. Reports were emailed to the board. Reports are also available to members and others via email on request. We had many transactions this month due to donations and to purchases for the Charles S Kettles VA hospital Christmas giveaway. Merchandise sold more coins. I still believe we will end the year with $11,000 + net revenue more than the $2,100 deficit our budget projected. No questions.
AVVA Report:
Driscoll. Please see report in the Dispatch. We have 120 new wrist bracelets for our fundraiser. They come in two sizes. We are also collecting toys for the Toys for Tots drive again this year.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Bourne. We conducted a physical inventory and made a few adjustments as a result. Now the committee has a complete list of items so they can prepare their purchases for next year.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: The Council’s next meeting will be in January. The location has not been decided yet.
Michigan State Council: Luker. Next meeting will be on 7 March in Plymouth, sponsored by chapter 528. The annual meeting will be held in Dearborn on 21-22 May. The state council would like our chapter to contribute articles to the state website. AVVA has more members now than VVA. VVA is at 88,903. 18 December is Wreaths Across America at Great Lakes. Talk to Fredo if you want to go. If enough want to go, we may use my bus. The National Convention will be in Orlando in 2023, and the leadership conference will be 9 – 13 August in Greenville, SC. VVA benefits section is looking to place a VSO in the Ann Arbor area. We discussed our resolution to amend our membership requirements, but the issue was not voted on. It will be discussed in January and then a more significant strategy will be put in place to shop it around before it is submitted to the constitution committee.
Memorial Maintenance: Luker – We have been unable to find a builder – not even for pay. If you have suggestions, please let me know. If you know people in the construction business who might be willing to help us, please ask them and if interested, have them contact me (or let me know so I can contact them). We are also going to send out requests for bids for weed, bug, slug control and fertilizer and other treatments. A suggestion was made to consider using sustainable, low maintenance native plants, instead of grass.
Website: McCrumb. 321,000 plus hits.
Membership: No change, still at 211.
Newsletter: Kinzinger said that we got the electronic version out today and will have the printed version ready to pick up so George Perrault can do his mailing task late tomorrow. There were technical issues causing the delay.
Healthcare: Wilson. The U of M has already begun to postpone serious medical services because of the demands of COVID patients. Expect the same to happen at the VA. To protect others, you should get your shots and your booster as soon as you can. If you get COVID, take vitamin C and D.
Several of us from the National Agent Orange Committee met with representatives of the Air Force and the VA. It looks like the specimens will be moved either to the U of M or to Wayne State.
There is a researcher who is sure he can prove that there are male mediated birth defects from toxic exposure from military service. The study will cost about $300,000. He will not take government money to preserve the integrity of the research. Therefore, we should consider how to help raise funds for this project.
Finally, the VFW building has been closed for one month due to the significant number of people who have been in the building who tested positive for COVID. The building will be allowed to settle, then get a professional deep cleaning and then allowed to settle before it is reopened.
LTCCSKMC: Kinzinger. It’s Christmas time. We have two drop-offs planned. We are dropping of five thousand dollars worth of underwear. A week later, we plan to drop off the embroidered shirts. The plan is that the VA will have a cart at the door. We’ll load the carts and VA people will take the gifts to voluntary services. Then nurses will come down from each floor and get what they need. The VA has agreed that the nurses will take pictures for us when they distribute the clothing on their floor.
Also, Bob Bull was hospitalized for COVID. He will be released to home tomorrow but will be quarantined because his wife also has COVID. Both are expected to recover.
WACU will hold its annual Christmas party this weekend. They will be giving gifts to about 60 children.
Old Business:
Motion by Sandie Wilson, seconded by Dale Throneberry to furnish one apartment unit at Hilltop in Dexter, not to exceed $1,500. Approved.
A shout out to Joe Palazzo who already has most of the work done.
New Business:
Motion by Berry Bourne, seconded by John Kinzinger to hold the annual recognition dinner in late April or early May, when the union hall is available. Approved.
A shout out to Wendy Hibbitts who agreed to chair the recognition dinner committee with Stan Harrison as cochair.
Motion by Sandie Wilson, seconded by John Kinzinger to arrange a pig roast fundraiser in coordination with and to be held at the Saline American Legion. Approved.
Good of the Order:
Luker (for Merritt): Breakfast tomorrow will be at 0900 at the Bomber Restaurant, 306 E Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48198, (734) 482-0550.
Closing Prayer John Kinzinger
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 1953 hrs.
______________
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
11 November 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison 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: None.
Motion by Bull/Hitte to approve the October Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Approved.
Officer Reports:
President’s Report:
We held our Annual Recognition Dinner. It went well, except that it cost us about $1,200 more than we brought in. I helped put flags up in Saline. We had a packing party on the 7th. We had the 30th anniversary of the Washtenaw County Vietnam Veterans Memorial last night. Dale Throneberry was the keynote speaker. I’ll be gone for a week. I’ll be back on the 21st. On the 23rd we’ll do Dawn Farms. We’ll use our $500 gift card to go shopping at 1600, at Meijer’s on Saline Ann Arbor Road.
Treasurer’s Report:
Berry Bourne. Reports were emailed to the board. Reports are also available to members and others via email on request. We received $3,100 in donations; $1,500 from national and $600 from State Council. We incurred a $1,233 loss from the recognition dinner. Merchandise did sell some of the new 30th anniversary challenge coins, but we need to sell 29 more of them to break even. I project a fiscal year end surplus of $9,374 instead of a $2,147 deficit. No questions.
AVVA Report:
Driscoll. Please see report in the Dispatch. We sold the last of the wrist bracelets, so we were able to give $500 more to Fisher House. We have 30 members now. Shirley went to the National Convention as our delegate, because I became ill at the last minute. We’ll be cleaning the Memorial flower beds Monday or Tuesday. The next weekend, Kate will put up the wreaths. On 1 Dec we are going to put up a Christmas tree here in the VFW hall. It will be decorated by our 9 Dec meeting. AVVA will provide food for the December meetings.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Harrison. We got the new decals on the trailer, so we don’t have to be embarrassed by our trailer anymore. Our next activity is to conduct inventory.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: The Council did not meet.
Michigan State Council: Luker. The national convention had some surprises. The best one being that Jack McManus was elected President. Another was that the administration’s effort to retire GA-21, (which required the board to present a plan for changing our name and expanding membership), failed. That means the board still is under that duty. But another resolution, GA-11, prohibits the board from doing that work, but allows the membership to do it instead. We also heard from VA Secretary McDonough. He did not discuss Agent Orange nor the research obligation that the VA is stubbornly refusing to perform. But he did spend a lot of time thanking VVA for keeping VA’s feet to the fire concerning burn pits, the claims process, the GI Bill revisions and so forth. We did not get a briefing about Veterans Voices of America.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt – The lawncare crews are continuing to maintain the Memorial, which is still green late into the season. We are told our mole problem is partly due to the construction activity.
Memorial Building: We have been told “no” by three construction companies so far, but the Michigan Laborers Training and Apprenticeship Institute (MLTAI) and Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 499 is considering helping us out. We are looking into shutting off the water and waiting until spring to begin building.
Website: McCrumb. Our hit count is 313,915, up 3,800 from last month.
Membership: We are at 211.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. COVID booster shots are now available. So are new flu shots.
LTCCSKMC: Kinzinger. No report.
Old Business: None
New Business:
Motion by Wilson, seconded by Driscoll, to purchase 50 new chapter hats, black, with “VVA 310” on the front and the Vietnam campaign ribbon on the back to be issued to new members, including those who didn’t get a new hat during the past year or so. Approved.
Motion by Luker, seconded by St Antoine, to amend VVA National Constitution Article I, Section 3, Subsection A, by deleting the words “during the dates established by federal law for the Vietnam War.” Approved.
Good of the Order:
Bull: Thank you, VVA 310, for donating the $1,000 food bank money. We are expanding the food pantry as a result.
Also, the decision has been made to keep the Resource center open on Christmas and New Years Day. That’s the result of a survey. On Christmas, we will have honey baked ham for lunch and all the fixings. On New Years, will have the bowl games on TV.
Dempsey: Read a letter from Michael Smith asking VSO’s like us to agree to furnish one veteran apartment in the new Hilltop Housing Project in Dexter. 6 out of 24 apartments are for homeless veterans. American Legion said they would do one. The Michigan Veterans Trust Fund is going to contribute $10,000 to make improvements to the “as built” plan for the facility.
Wilson: We had planned to present Secretary McDonough with the signed Agent Orange petitions when he spoke to us at the National Convention. However, President Rowan said we couldn’t do that. So, we found a way to give him the petitions as he was leaving the building. We also had the first two rows of people in the convention hall wearing Agent Orange face masks during his speech. Secretary McDonough got the message, but he is still not convinced that the research needs to be done. I have been reelected to the National board and appointed Chair of the Agent Orange Committee, so you have not heard the final word yet.
Harrison: Breakfast tomorrow will be at Holiday’s Restaurant, 2080 W Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, (734) 668-1292.
Closing Prayer Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 1941 hrs.
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
14 October 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison 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: None.
Motion by Bull/Merritt to approve the September Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Approved.
Officer Reports:
President’s Report:
The Clinton fall festival sale went well. The more important event now is the Recognition Dinner tomorrow. We are going to start setting up at 1000 at the UAW Hall on Textile Road. We will open up to the public at 1700 and serve dinner at 1800.
Treasurer’s Report: Berry Bourne. Reports were emailed to the Board. Reports are also available to members and others via email on request. We sold $3,400 of merchandise at the Clinton Fall Festival. Our total cash increased by $2,400. We received $1,500 COVID relief grant money from National. We are expecting a $600 grant from Michigan State Council to help with convention expenses. I currently project an $11,000 surplus for the year.
AVVA Report: Driscoll. Please see report in the Dispatch. We are still selling wrist bracelets to support Fisher House. We are also still collecting small-size personal items for Fisher House. Kathy and Shirley will represent AVVA at the National Convention. AVVA is helping to clean up and sanitize the VRC. We are sending four girls to Girls State this year.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Harrison. Clinton Fall Festival went very well.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: The dinner is planned for the 18th to be held at the Saline American Legion hall.
Michigan State Council: Luker. We met in Cheboygan to discuss the Convention and to report on what happened at Columbus. The next meeting will be in Howell. We discussed a petition the VVA National is circulating that opposes VA Secretary McDonough’s contention that studying Toxic Exposure damage to children and grandchildren is not practical.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt. The lawncare season is winding down. I’d like to thank the lawn crews for doing such good work throughout the year.
Memorial Building: Due to circumstances beyond his control, our contractor had to bow out of building the building. We have a plan B in mind and will call it into play right away.
Website: McCrumb. Our hit count is 313,018.
Membership: We are at 213, which includes a new member recruited at the Clinton Fall Festival.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. No report
LTCCSKMC: Kinzinger. Don Miller called to say that there was an emergency need for underwear at the hospital, so we sent them $800 worth, paid for from the Restricted Fund account.
Old Business: None
New Business: Motion by Kinzinger, seconded by Driscoll, to authorize Bob Bull to purchase $1,000 of emergency food. Approved.
Good of the Order:
Kinzinger: There will be a packing party on Sunday 7 November at 1500. Our goal is to pack 25 boxes. We will have a potluck dinner after that. Elmer White is providing a matching donation up to $500, which helps cover the cost of postage.
Mays: I was given an electric wheelchair. Thank God, I don’t need it anymore. It is available in case anybody else needs it.
St. Antoine: Michigan Woodcarver’s Association is still hand carving customized wood canes for Veterans who were deployed to combat zones. Pick up a flyer for more information. Be sure your DD-214 is complete and up to date because that is what they use to decide what to put on your cane.
Throneberry: This week’s vets’ radio will be about sandbox veterans that were awarded the Medal of Honor.
We do the “There I was” story telling event on the third Thursday of every month. Even if you were not sent to Vietnam and even if you don’t have a “war” story to tell, we still want to hear your story. This time, we’d like to hear your story about heroes you met during your time in service.
Finally, please remember that Veterans Radio is a charity that relies on donations from supporters like you.
Bull: Our next Open House 23 October from 1000 to 1600. We will have the usual resources, but MVAA asked to attend so they can help you with the unusual situations you have.
Bull: I now am the peer support specialist for several local counties. It is a fun job, and I get to work with Erika Behm.
Bull: You may have seen the bench just to the right of the door as you were coming in. That will be the first bench we place on the new walking path through the woods. We have to thank Stan Harrison for that bench. I have a new volunteer who will be coming to the Resource Center on Wednesdays to build the trail.
Driscoll: Remember, we need three flags and a flag stand for dinner tomorrow.
Harrison: Lloyd Lee seems to be doing better. I see him nearly every day. His name is on the new bench Bob Bull was talking about. It also shows his rank and that he earned a Silver Star, three Bronze stars, and two Purple Hearts.
Harrison: Breakfast tomorrow will be at Brewed Awakenings at 0900. Some of the regulars might not be there because of setting up the Recognition Dinner. If any of you know somebody who is looking for work, Brewed Awakenings is desperate for good help. They pay $12 per hour, and most folks earn about $3 per hour more in tips.
Closing Prayer Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 1950 hrs.
__________
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
9 September 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison 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: None.
Motion by Bull/Driscoll to approve the August Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Approved.
Officer Reports:
President’s Report:
We had a pig roast. It went very well. Saline Legion helped us with this. I thank Sandie Wilson, Tim Driscoll and John Kinzinger. They did the feasibility study and got roped into being the committee that planned and executed the event.
Our next event is the Clinton Fall Festival. We’ll need help 23 September to do the setup. Then we could also use help from the 24th through the 26 for the event and to pack things back up.
The recognition dinner is set for 15 October. If anybody would like to help with that, please let me know.
Treasurer’s Report: Berry Bourne. Reports were emailed to the board. Reports also available to members via email on request. Our books are open to the public. We will email a copy of the report upon request.
- The Pig Roast was a financial success, $9,700 more than expenses.
- Merchandise had two successful events; the Pig Roast and VetFest.
- Last year, we expected to end the year with unrestricted cash being lower by about $2,100. My current projection for the fiscal year is $11,000 better than that.
AVVA Report: Driscoll. Please see report in the Dispatch. We are still selling wrist bracelets to support Fisher House. Kathy and Shirley will represent AVVA at the National Convention. AVVA is helping to clean up and sanitize the Veterans Resource Center at the VFW. Fundraiser coming up at recognition dinner is the first one of the year.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Harrison. VetFest and Pig Roast went well producing $1,417 in combined revenue. Clinton Fall Festival is coming, as I said in my President’s report.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: No new meetings planned.
Michigan State Council: Luker. Region 5 preconference to be held in Columbus, Ohio, 24 – 26 September.
Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) wants to decentralize the Veteran Service Officer (VSO) program that is now being managed by a coalition of veterans organizations. MVAA asked for the VSO program appropriation to be distributed evenly across the state’s 10 economic regions. That is not good for the reasons stated in my email to you asking you to contact your state legislators.
We were told that we will be able to see the proposed resolutions and Constitutional amendments at the preconvention in Ohio.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt – Lawns crews continue to do excellent work on mowing and maintaining facility maintenance. We have a significant mole problem and the lawn looks bad. The building project includes plans to irrigate the lawn and bushes and to deal with the moles. Memorial Building: We now have a concrete pad with water and electrical connections provided for. DTE and the township have approved what they have inspected so far. This major step was largely due to the efforts of Laborer's International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 499, which is part of LIUNA’s training center. The next step will be to construct the building. The contractor who will manage that work just had a tree fall on his house, so a start date is not available at this time.
Website: McCrumb. Our hit count is 306,356. I added a page to the website’s Memorial section that gives the history of our first maintenance shed and has pictures and a story about the progress of the new building.
Membership: We are at 211. (We are the fourth largest chapter in the State of Michigan).
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. The VA is soon going to start making the COVID booster shot available to those who have had both shoots more than 6 months ago. There is also a new shingles shot available. But you can’t get those shots too close together.
Dioxin research and care continues to be a problem for the VA. They now claim that doing the research required by law is just not feasible. VVA will be circulating a petition for us to sign pointing out that dying from dioxin exposure or living with birth defects from it is not feasible either. Current estimates are that by 2030, 50% of our students will be on the autism spectrum due to toxic exposures. As a result, parents of Autistic kids are asking more questions about treatment and prevention. We have invited the VA Secretary to the VVA National Convention to discuss this and other issues.
LTCCSKMC: (Lieutenant Colonel Charles S Kettles Medical Center) Kinzinger. We received confirmation that the patients will get two meal upgrades from us: One on Christmas and one on Veterans Day. The VA is allowing a few more volunteers into the building, but we are still unable to plan any events, like the Halloween party.
Old Business: Motion by Kinzinger, seconded by Bull, to hold the 2022 Pig Roast at the Saline American Legion. Approved.
New Business: None
Good of the Order:
Merritt: Breakfast tomorrow beginning at 0845 instead of 0900 so that we can have breakfast and then help with the crosses at 1000. Breakfast will be at the Bomber Restaurant at 306 E Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48198 (734) 482-0550.
St. Antoine: The lawnmower VVA members bought for Camp Liberty had a price tag of $8,700 but was sold to Camp Liberty for only $6,200. The lawnmower will be donated to VVA Chapter 310 if Camp Liberty closes.
Throneberry: There I Was will be a round table type group discussion this Thursday, rather than individuals telling their stories. We will talk about leaving Afghanistan and how that compares to leaving Vietnam. Join us from 1900 to 2100 on 16 Sep 2021 at VFW.
Kinzinger: I am happy to see so many people attending our meetings. I am especially happy to see Bob and Sharon Kewicinski. Sharon brought us the pecan pie bars.
Kewicinski I am glad to see new and old faces. I transferred back to here because of how well you guys are doing. I’m especially happy to see that you are continuing to do great things.
Bull We are doing a First Responder reception on Saturday, 11 September. We’ll open the doors at 0900, have a short program at 1100 and remain open until 1600. Some of the food we will be serving to first responders was donated by VVA 310. Thank you. Our next Open House will be 23 October. Three tables are reserved for VVA and one for AVVA.
Draper American Legion Post 46 donated funds to enhance a program in Washtenaw County that provides transportation between cities in the county that are not adequately served by the VA shuttlebus system. Calls are routed to Bob Bull and myself when somebody needs transportation for essential services such as going to VA or clinics. The service is available even for people who need service dogs, oxygen, or wheelchairs and such.
Frazier: Congratulations to Tim Driscoll who graduated from a 10-week class for guitar playing. The class was moved to the VFW from the VA due to COVID. There will be an orientation this Tuesday. We’ll have about 30 students in line for classes. To get in line, a veteran needs a referral from mental health which will be sent to voluntary services who then contacts Guitars for Vets. Those who finish the class are given a guitar to keep. We are looking for teachers and fundraisers as well as students, by the way.
Harrison: We are doing the cross project at the Ypsilanti Township grounds for the whole month of September. Come out to observe or to help put up crosses.
Hibbitts: Also, please take a look at website www.22aday.org.
Bull: Please remember this is veteran suicide prevention month. Stay dressed in veteran stuff so people in stress know they can talk to you and get the help they need.
Closing Prayer Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 1953 hrs.
__________________
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
23 August 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison 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: None.
Motion to approve the June and July Minutes as published in the respective Dispatch’s.
Officer Reports:
President’s Report: President Harrison stated that John Kinzinger and he continue to help clean out a deceased veteran’s house. Some goods were donated to charity.
DoD: Waiting (again) to hear from TACOM
Treasurer’s Report: Berry Bourne.
Donations for pig roast are $5,800 now. We are beginning to incur some pig roast expenses. Meijer’s at Ann Arbor/Saline Road donated $500 to be used as needed for any purpose.
Annual insurance premium of $489 was paid.
My current projection for the fiscal year ended 28 Feb 2022 is an unrestricted fund surplus of $3,600 compared to a $2,100 deficit. Questions were answered.
AVVA Report: Jane Kinzinger stated that the report is printed in the Dispatch.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: Sold 79 pins only at VetsFest in Fowlerville.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: Harrison. Attended meeting with nothing of significance to report.
Michigan State Council: Luker. Region 5 preconference to be held in Columbus, Ohio, 24 – 26 September.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt – Lawns crews continue to do excellent work on mowing and maintaining facility maintenance. Memorial Building: Construction will see some process this month via volunteer time from a trade union.
Website: McCrumb. We have received 302,560 hits since inception as of today.
Membership: We are still at 209.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. Encourages everyone to either get a COVID-19 vaccine shot or wear a mask.
VAAAHS: John Kinzinger lead a discussion on arrangements for the pig roast to be held this coming Sunday, 29 Aug. 2022. Volunteers are still needed to erect some event tents on Friday, and setup merchandise tent and display goods to be sold on Saturday. Steve Hitte stated at 10:30pm on Saturday the cooker would be fired up. Serving hours the next day are Noon to 4:00pm.
Old Business: None
New Business: Motion by McCrumb/Wilson to put maturing CD into interest bearing savings account. Approved.
Motion by Bourne/Luker to prohibit soliciting funds from Chapter members without prior board approval. Approved.
Good of the Order: Bull: He reviewed several events and happenings:
Suicide prevention communication efforts continue at the Veterans Resource Center
Patriot’s Day – Will be celebrated on Sept. 11th at the VFW with an opening ceremony at 11:00am followed by outdoor games and food and poo/water.
He has published 2022 dates for Open Houses at the VFW on the calendar
Guns shows at the fairgrounds in September
A contest has been opened to name the trail in the woods at the VFW
Throneberry: He stated that Podcasts will resume on September 16th from 6:00-9:00pm.
Harrison: Breakfast tomorrow beginning at 9:00am will be at Holiday’s Restaurant, 2080 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103, (734) 668-1292
Closing Prayer Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 1905 hrs.
_______________
Meeting Adjourned at 1949 hrs.ourned at 1949 hrsVietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
10 June 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison 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: None.
Motion to approve the May Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Merritt/Bull. Approved.
Swearing in of Officers and Board Members: Sandie Wilson
Officer Reports:
President’s Report: I represented VVA 310 at the Saline Memorial Day Ceremony, the Washtenaw County Memorial Ceremony, and the Watch Fire. John K and I helped to clean out a deceased Veteran’s house. Some goods were donated to charity.
I appointed Tim Driscoll to the vacant position on the Board.
The Board decided to hold our Recognition Dinner. Sense of the house was conducted to determine date of 15 October at 1800. Al Merritt will check to see if the UAW Hall is available. Caterers are still holding our deposit.
Treasurer’s Report: Reports were emailed to the Board. Reports were also made available to members and others via email on request. Net cash gain of about a thousand. We received a $1872 check from National for our life membership dues share. If anybody needs anything over the next 10 days, I’ll be out of town.
AVVA Report: The report is printed in the Dispatch.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: No activity except for a few challenge coin sales.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: Harrison. ALS is considered service connected no matter when you served nor where you served.
Michigan State Council: Luker. The State Council meeting is 27 June. We are still working on the Region 5 preconference to be held in Columbus, Ohio 24–26 September.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt. Lawns crews are out and doing good work. Received many compliments over the Memorial Day weekend. Doan is still committed to doing the concrete, but they don’t know when.
Website: McCrumb. We are up to around 189,000 hits.
Membership: We are at 209 again.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Sandie Wilson. On your behalf, I participated in a Zoom meeting with people from Wayne State University Medical School and the Detroit VA about improving patient care. We discussed the things about being a Veteran that make it matter how a medical person approaches them and how they work with you to address your medical issues.
I am also still working with Jack McManus and Dr. Linda Schwartz on Agent Orange. There is still much to learn. You and your children and grandchildren can help by becoming listed on the toxic research registry at www.birthdefects.org. The registry compares Veteran offspring with non-Veteran offspring to notice the differences that could be caused by the higher toxin exposures of Veterans. The best help you can be to your offspring is to get on that registry.
VAAAHS: Kinzinger. We didn’t get any feedback from the VA about upgrading the evening meal to steak. Although patients are now allowed to have one visitor at a time (instead of only on visitor per day), volunteers are still not allowed to do much. We have no plans in the works at the moment.
Old Business: None
New Business: Motion by Driscoll, seconded by Kinzinger, to use two of the Holiday’s Restaurant gift cards as prizes at the Flag Day Celebration on the 13th. Approved.
Good of the Order: Harrison: We received a thank you note from Steven Spar, Chief of Voluntary Services, for blankets that we donated. You should know that Larry St. Antoine is the one who arranged the donation and that the blankets were crocheted by a group called “Chain Gang” in Manchester that makes items to donate.
Bull: In my role as director of the Resource Center, I met with the home Board – that’s the group of all the member organizations that use the VFW hall. To make the Resource Center something we could all be proud of, I asked them for permission to do many things and they said “yes.” We will build a walking path (half mile or one mile) through the property. We will build a bridge. We will put ten benches along the pathway for $300 each. Two have been paid for by donations so far. We will put two permanent basketball hoops out in the parking lot. And we will put a small poppy patch just inside the gate along with a sign that has the Flanders Field poem on it.
Dunlap: There will be a three-hour pepper spray class here at 1000 on 12 June 2021 for people who are 18 years old or older. The fee is $10. The VFW will provide food. I will also be teaching a CPR class on 25 July 2021.
Bull: Don’t forget to come for our Flag Day event, opening at 1000 and going until closing. We will be giving away raffle tickets when people come and to winners of certain games. We take care of everything, but you might want to bring a lawn chair and anything special you need, such as if you have a special diet or want a specific beverage.
We would also like your help with some preliminary setup on Saturday, especially with moving the picnic tables out from under the pavilion. We’ll start work as soon as RWB shows up after their 0900 Walk Run.
Throneberry: MOH receipts program being planned. Thanks to Bill Vollano for helping Charles Kettles. We are also doing a PTS show for Eisenhower Center, since this is PTS awareness month. We are also planning another program about VA benefits with Michael Smith and others. Finally, we are looking at getting “There I was” up and running again.
Harrison: Breakfast on July 9th: Holiday's Restaurant - 2080 West Stadium - Ann Arbor.
Closing Prayer: Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 1949 hrs.
___________________
Chapter Meeting Minutes June 2021
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
13 May 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison 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: None.
Motion to approve the April Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Bull/St Antoine. Approved.
Swearing in of Officers and Board Members: Wilson
New Business:
Motion by Luker, seconded by Bourne, to name the new corporation “Local Veterans Alliance.” Approved.
Motion by McCrumb, seconded by Perrault, to conduct Watch Fire on 30 May approved without objection.
Motion by Wilson to limit the number of flags burned to six died for lack of a second.
Officer Reports:
President’s Report: Memorial Day planning is underway. The ceremony will begin at 1300, followed by unveiling the member bricks.
Treasurer’s Report: Reports were emailed to the board. Reports were also made available to members and others via email on request. We received $3,500 for Pig Roast donations, which qualifies us to receive the $1,000 matching fund gift as well.
AVVA Report: The report is printed in the Dispatch.
Committee Reports:
Merchandise: No activity but I do have challenge coins with me tonight.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: Harrison. We learned that there is now $70,000,000.00 in the Veterans Trust Fund, so make sure that veterans who have needs know about that and apply for it.
Michigan State Council: Luker. DAV is no longer doing VSO work. VVA hired most of their employees and is picking up where DAV left off. The State Council is also getting ready for the Region 5 preconference to be held in Columbus Ohio 24 – 26 September.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt – Lawns crews are out and doing good work. The changes we made to drainage are showing now in that the boxwood bushes have grown 3 inches since this spring. The building project is underway. Diversified Excavation installed water, did some initial grading, dug footers for the building and the trench for the electricity and then regraded and reseeded the area. Doan Construction expects to pour the foundation in the first week of June.
Website: McCrumb. Almost 8,000 hits this month, so we are up to 277,483 hits. 3,000 people hit the Memorial page on Google Maps, 5 of whom clicked through to the website.
Membership: We are at 209 again.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. You may now take your family members with you to the VA when you get your vaccine and they will be vaccinated also. If you haven’t been vaccinated, wear your damn mask. But, if you have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks, you don’t need to wear a mask anywhere anymore. Officer workers will be allowed to return to work in a couple weeks.
CSKMC: (Formerly VAAAHS, Formerly AAVAMC) Kinzinger. The evening meal on the Fourth of July is being upgraded to steak. The meal is being paid for out of the Support for Hospitalized Veterans Fund.
Old Business: None
Good of the Order: Dunlap: There will be a three-hour pepper spray class here at 1000 on 12 June 2021 for people who are 18 years old or older. The fee is $10. The VFW will provide food. I will also be teaching a CPR class on 25 July 2021.
Draper: As you may have seen in our April Dispatch, several of our members were honored for the volunteer work at the VA hospital. The highest awards were received by our chapter members.
Merritt: Breakfast tomorrow will be at 0900 at Holiday’s Restaurant in Ann Arbor.
Bourne: Not many of the veterans who are food insecure are able to get to Holiday’s Restaurant to take advantage of the gift cards that were donated to us for that purpose. Therefore, we have decided to sell the gift cards at face value and use the funds from those sales to purchase gift cards from places like Meijer’s and Kroger’s that can be more easily used by the intended beneficiaries of the gifts.
Kinzinger: Our guys are being remembered. Jane and I went to Larry Persoski’s funeral at Holly. While we were there, we visited Dave Hizer’s grave and then went to the columbarium to see the final resting place of Pete Belair, David Belair and Doc Martinez.
Wilson: I was working with a doctor who is researching disease among Vietnam veteran children. Her research has shown that there are many more cases of ADHD and Autism in veteran families than there are in civilian families. As you may remember, there are 91,000 specimens in storage at Wurtsmith Air Force Base that came from the Operation Ranch Hand research. Linda Swartz must find a new place for them because the Air Force is no longer authorized to do non-war activities. I will be doing an Agent Orange presentation up north once people are permitted to come.
Wilson: Need to do early registrations for the convention if we can. Rubber chicken for the Saturday night banquet. Delegates should apply soon.
St Antoine: There are several lawsuits going against California Air Force bases for cancer caused by PFOS and other water pollutants.
Bull: The VA hospital is already using its new official name. There will be a public name change ceremony in June, probably.
Bull: We and Team Red, White & Blue are cohosting a Flag Day event here at the post on 13 June. We will hold an old-fashioned picnic like the churches used to do. There is not a set itinerary. It is just a time for families to relax and mingle with others. There will be games for all generations of kids from 3-legged sack races to corn hole and games the whole family can enjoy. We will serve traditional picnic fare, including pop, water and beer. Bring a lawn chair and any special food or beverage you want. We will have a campfire going until closing. At some point, we will have a flag retirement ceremony as well.
Hall: We lost our last Gold Star mother. She was the last mother to survive the people on our wall.
Luker: On some of the copies of the April Dispatch, the name of the funeral home that donated our dinner for the April meeting did not show through. For the record, the meal was provided by Robison-Bahnmiller Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Saline.
Closing Prayer Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 1954 hrs.
Chapter Breakfast (11 June 2021): Brewed Awakenens Cafe.
_______________
Chapter Minutes April 2021
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
8 April 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison at 1901 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. Two or three attended via Zoom. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: None.
Guests: None.
Motion to approve the March Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Bull/Clarke Approved.
Meeting Recessed for Nominations for Elected Offices: (Third Round) Wilson
For President: Harrison (accepted)
Vice President: Rivers (declined) McCrumb (accepted)
Secretary: Luker (accepted)
Treasurer: Bourne (accepted)
One Year Board: Moving from two-year Board to one-year Board are: Bob Bull, Sandie Wilson, Steve Hitte, Chris Wetzler and Larry St Antoine.
Two-Year Board
(accepted) Bauder, Betz, Bayha, Kinzinger
(declined) Hall, Perrault, Henry, Driscoll, Merritt, Draper
Sgt at Arms: (accepted) Clarke
Regular Meeting Resumes
President’s Report: The Pig Roast committee has been meeting. $1,000 has been put up as a matching donation, so we need members to step up and make donations. We don’t want to take money out of general fund, but we need a total of $3,200 for the event. We are trying not to ask our usual Pig Roast donors.
We received a thank you note from Dawn Farm for the Thanksgiving dinner we sent them. The note came with a report that they will be getting a new director.
Three of us from the Chapter met with WACU at Camp Liberty. WACU members volunteered to help with the Merchandise Committee, to help plan events that we hope would be family friendly and attractive to PVVs, and they said they would like to be invited to participate in VVA events. They are willing to help put on the events as well as to attend them.
Treasurer’s Report: Bourne. Reports were emailed to the Board. Reports were also made available to members and others via email on request. The major activity this month was $324 of merchandise sales at the 20 March Open House of clothing, pins, and Chapter challenge coins.
AVVA Report: The report is printed in the Dispatch.
Merchandise: No activity other than the Open House. I do have challenge coins with me tonight.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: Harrison. The next council meeting is set for 19 April and will be on Zoom and in person. The council is discussing holding a dinner in Saline.
Michigan State Council: Luker. Next meeting is to be in person in Howell on 19 April.
Memorial Maintenance: Luker for Merritt. The maintenance building could be under construction soon. Everything is set for permits to be completed and we have contractors nearly ready to get to work. Lawn crews are back at work. Though the grass hasn’t grown much, crews are clearing dead branches, pulling weeds and so forth.
Website: McCrumb. We get about 210 hits a day. Total is around 269,000.
Membership: McCrumb. The official number is lagging. We are at 210 even though Dave Hizer passed away, heart attack. We received a new member’s paperwork today.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. You may now take your family members with you to the VA when you get your vaccine and they will be vaccinated also. The VA has not yet begun to act on the new presumptive agent orange injuries. The VA has also not started to do the research on the effects of adult toxin exposure on children.
CSKMC: (Formerly VAAAHS, Formerly AAVAMC) Kinzinger. The VA is not allowing volunteers to do much yet. However, Don Miller is back to driving the cart.
Old Business: None
New Business: Motion by Luker, seconded by McCrumb, to form a new corporation in such a way that:
It would be able to apply for tax exemption as a 501(c)(3) that will admit any veteran, any veteran’s family, and any veteran’s caregiver from any geographic location; and,
All VVA 310 members and all AVVA members are members of the new corporation unless they opt out; and
All Officers and Board members of VVA 310 are the Officers and Board members of the new corporation until the new corporation has enough members to change that; and
VVA 310 is a Board member with a right of veto for 3 years; and
The Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of members present at the meeting or if 60 members vote for the change, whichever is greater.
Motion by Wilson, seconded by Driscoll to amend the motion to add subparagraph six which reads as follows: “We do not fund the new organization accept when membership approves an appropriation at a regular VVA membership meeting. Amendment Approved. Motion approved.
Good of the Order: Mullins: Our embroiderer is going out of business. If we order jackets and pay the going rate for embroidery, the $75 jacket price will not cover the costs anymore. I will not order new jackets for the time being to give us time to find a new way to get it done.
Bull: “Paint Like Bob Ross” class will be at 1300 on Saturday. There is no cost to the veteran and all necessary materials are provided. Erika Behm is providing breakfast for the group that day.
Throneberry: “The People vs Agent Orange” is a new documentary about Agent Orange and its effects on people and on the planet. We did a show on the documentary. You can find a link to this and to other documentaries on the Veterans Radio webpage. For example, there is a new one called “Wounded Heroes” about the treatment of PTSD. That video is free for streaming and there is a link on our webpage.
Also, Jim Fausone will be the main speaker on our next program. He will be talking about tinnitus. It is such a serious problem that some people have chosen suicide over living with it.
Bull: We are planning a family picnic for the families of all four organizations that meet at the VFW hall.
Harrison: Tonight’s pizza dinner was donated by:
301 East Michigan Ave. Saline, MI 48176
Phone: 734-429-9760 Fax: 734-944-5022
Bull: Starting on 1 May, we will have a birthday party on the first Saturday of the month at the Veteran Resource Center. The VRC is functioning well and now also has a webpage.
Driscoll: Let’s have a round of applause for Bob Bull for all he does for us and our veterans.
Closing Prayer Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 2019 hrs.
Chapter Breakfast: May 14, 2021: TBD
___________________
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
8 April 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison at 1901 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. Everyone attended via Zoom. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: None.
Guests: None.
Motion to approve the March Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Bull/Clarke Approved.
Meeting Recessed for Nominations for Elected Offices: (Third Round) Wilson
For President: Harrison (accepted)
Vice President: Rivers (declined) McCrumb (accepted)
Secretary: Luker (accepted)
Treasurer: Bourne (accepted)
One Year Board: Moving from two-year board to one-year board are: Bob Bull, Sandie Wilson, Steve Hitte, Chris Wetzler and Larry St Antoine.
Two-Year Board
(accepted) Bauder, Betz, Bayha, Kinzinger
(declined) Hall, Perrault, Henry, Driscoll, Merritt, Draper
Sgt at Arms: (accepted) Clarke
Regular Meeting Resumes
President’s Report: The Pig Roast committee has been meeting. $1,000 has been put up as a matching donation, so we need members to step up and make donations. We don’t want to take money out of general fund, but we need a total of $3,200 for the event. We are trying not to ask our usual Pig Roast donors.
We received a thank you note from Dawn Farms for the Thanksgiving dinner we sent them. The note came with a report that they will be getting a new director.
Three of us from the Chapter met with WACU at Camp Liberty. WACU members volunteered to help with the Merchandise committee, to help plan events that we hope would be family friendly and attractive to PVVs, and they said they would like to be invited to participate in VVA events. They are willing to help put on the events as well as to attend them.
Treasurer’s Report: Reports were emailed to the board. Reports were also made available to members and others via email on request. The major activity this month was merchandise sales at the 20 March open house. Most of the sales came from challenge coins.
AVVA Report: The report is printed in the Dispatch.
Merchandise: No activity other than the open house. I do have challenge coins with me tonight.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: Harrison. The next council meeting is set for 19 April and will be on zoom and in person. The council is discussing holding a dinner in Saline.
Michigan State Council: Luker. Next meeting is to be in person in Howell on 19 April.
Memorial Maintenance: Luker for Merritt – The maintenance building could be under construction soon. Everything is set for permits to be completed and we have contractors nearly ready to get to work. Lawn crews are back at work. Though the grass hasn’t grown much, crews are clearing dead branches, pulling weeds and so forth.
Website: McCrumb. We get about 210 hits a day. Total is around 269,000.
Membership: The official number is lagging. We are at 210 even though Dave Hizer had a heart attack and died. We received a new member’s paperwork today.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. You may now take your family members with you to the VA when you get your vaccine and they will be vaccinated also. The VA has not yet begun to act on the new presumptive agent orange injuries. The VA has also not started to do the research on the effects of adult toxin exposure on children.
CSKMC: (Formerly VAAAHS, Formerly AAVAMC) Kinzinger. The VA is not allowing volunteers to do much yet. However, Don Miller is back to driving the cart.
Old Business: None
New Business: Motion by Luker, seconded by McCrumb, to form a new corporation in such a way that:
It would be able to apply for tax exemption as a 501(c)(3) that will admit any veteran, any veterans’ family, and any veterans’ caregiver from any geographic location; and,
All VVA 310 members and all AVVA members are members of the new corporation unless they opt out; and
All officers and board members of VVA 310 are the officers and board members of the new corporation until the new corporation has enough members to change that; and
VVA 310 is a board member with a right of veto for 3 years; and
The Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of members present at the meeting or if 60 members vote for the change, whichever is greater.
Motion by Wilson, seconded by Driscoll to amend the motion to add subparagraph six which reads as follows: “We do not fund the new organization accept when membership approves an appropriation at a regular VVA membership meeting. Amendment Approved. Motion approved.
Good of the Order: Mullins: Our embroiderer is going out of business. If we order jackets and pay the going rate for embroidery, the $75 jacket price will not cover the costs anymore. I will not order new jackets for the time being to give us time to find a new way to get it done.
Bull: “Paint Like Bob Ross” class will be at 1300 on Saturday. There is no cost to the veteran and all necessary materials are provided. Erika Behm is providing breakfast for the group that day.
Throneberry: “The People vs Agent Orange” is a new documentary about Agent Orange and its effects on people and on the planet. We did a show on the documentary. You can find a link to this and to other documentaries on the Veterans Radio webpage. For example, there is a new one called “Wounded Heroes” about the treatment of PTSD. That video is free for streaming and there is a link on our webpage.
Also, Jim Fausone will be the main speaker on our next program. He will be talking about tinnitus. It is such a serious problem that some people have chosen suicide over living with it.
Bull: We are planning a family picnic for the families of all four organizations that meet at the VFW hall.
Harrison: Tonight’s pizza dinner was donated by: Robinson Bahnmiller Funeral Home
301 East Michigan Ave. Saline, MI 48176
Phone: 734-429-9760 Fax: 734-944-5022
Bull: Starting on 1 May, we will have a birthday party on the first Saturday of the month at the resource center. The resource center is functioning well and now also has a webpage.
Driscoll: Let’s have a round of applause for Bob Bull for all he does for us and our veterans.
Closing Prayer Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 2019 hrs.
Chapter Breakfast: tomorrow morning was changed from Holiday’s to Brewed Awakenings due to a Covid related health department order.
___________________
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
11 March 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison 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. Three attended via Zoom. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: Paul Dunlap, with the Army Security Agency, embedded with the infantry on the ground in Vietnam, intercepting enemy communications.
Guests: None.
Motion to approve the February Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Bull/Hitte. Approved.
Meeting Recessed for Nominations for Elected Offices: (Second Round) Wilson
President: Harrison (accepted)
Vice President: Rivers (declined) McCrumb (accepted)
Secretary: Luker (accepted)
Treasurer: Bourne (accepted)
One Year Board: Moving from two-year Board to one-year Board are: Bob Bull, Sandie Wilson, Steve Hitte, Chris Wetzler and Larry St Antoine.
Two-Year Board:
(accepted) Bauder, Betz, Bayha
(declined) Hall, Perrault, Henry, Driscoll, Merritt, Kinzinger, and Draper
Sgt at Arms: Clarke (accepted)
Regular Meeting Resumes
President’s Report: We are working on two major things: The Pig Roast, which will be held at the Saline American Legion; and, strategic planning, especially discussion of starting a new nonprofit corporation.
Treasurer’s Report: Reports were emailed to the Board. Reports were also made available to members and others via email on request. Our year started out with a prediction that expenses would exceed revenue for unrestricted accounts by around $6,700. We amended the budget when Covid hit to reduce that deficit. Our actual year-end result was a net gain of $92, so we did very well in controlling our costs.
The Memorial building project has brought in around $11,000 of which $9,600 has been spent. We hope that most of the rest of the expenses will be met through in-kind contributions. There were no questions.
AVVA Report: The report is printed in the Dispatch.
Merchandise: No activity since the last meeting. We are planning to do an inventory on 21 February. We will have some things to sell at the Open House here on 20 March.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: No Report. The next council meeting is set for 15 March.
Michigan State Council: Luker. No report.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt. We are waiting for the frost laws to come off to begin construction of the Memorial Maintenance Building. Work should begin this month. Diversified Excavating will be onsite first, preparing the site for concrete and running the water line.
Wendy, Luker and I were able to find a trailer, and we are getting it ready to do a Veterans Suicide Awareness Demonstration at the American Legion in Howell beginning 18 March – National Supreme Sacrifice Day.
Website: McCrumb. It is still working fine. We are following up on the recommendations from Uproar Communications. I added a link on the links page to a website that provides interesting Vietnam statistics from 1998.
Membership: The official number will go up to 210 with tonight’s new member but will go back down to 209 because a member, Richard Rupert, died.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. I have a 90-minute video on Agent Orange. Dogmen will send it out to members.
Tomorrow, the VVA National Board is voting on whether to change the convention date to 2 through 6 November, still in Greensboro, North Carolina. If it is approved, it will be an in-person convention, not virtual.
VVA National stood up a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Veterans Voice of America. 80% of the members of the new nonprofit are also employees of VVA National. The new nonprofit is in the process of taking over the Veterans Service Officer work that VVA does. They are not taking over any of the rest of the VVA mission. They are in the process of getting VA accreditation so they can take cases on their own, though they will continue to work on the VVA cases as long as there are VVA cases to work.
The VA caregiver program has been expanded to include caregivers of Vietnam era Veterans. A spouse can be compensated up to $1,800 a month in some cases. Caregivers are also able to get classes to help them take better care of themselves and to better understand how to work with a Veteran suffering from PTSD. Other supports are available as well.
Dr Skinner, from the University of Washington, has been studying kids on the autism scale. He recently reported that the kids who were highest on the autism scale were also the ones whose dads had the highest toxin load.
The biological samples that were taken back when Operation Ranch Hand was being investigated will not be destroyed after all. The VA is obligated to maintain them.
CSKMC (Formerly VAAAHS): Kinzinger. The VA is still nearly closed and not letting volunteers do much. The committee is working on plans to provide inpatients with a special meal, like steak, on a holiday like Flag Day or the 4th of July.
Unfinished Business: None
New Business: Motion by Bull, seconded by Rivers, to hold a regular meeting on 8 April in addition to the Annual Meeting on 11 April. Approved.
Good of the Order:
Luker: The 8 April meeting is being conducted to give members a time to discuss a motion to start up a new nonprofit that Post Vietnam Veterans can join with us. Details will be sent out prior to the meeting.
Bull: The Veteran Resource Center had 20 visitors yesterday. Although we had younger vets, we also provided a birthday cake to a Veteran to commemorate his 98th birthday.
There is a new metal cabinet near the kitchen cupboards that is being used to hold food that is available for our food pantry program. The food is provided by VCAT. Veterans may obtain a bag of food when the Resource Center is open. A Veteran with a family may receive two bags of food.
Our next Open House is on 20 March. We really need more people from VVA 310 to participate. Three tables will be available for you. There will be lots of resource providers there. And there will be hotdogs and such.
VVA, VFW and the American Legion all participated at the local, regional and state levels to ask the State Legislature to support the Green Alert proposal.
Bourne: The law changing the name of the VA has been signed for some time, but we are still waiting to hear about the details of when and how the Ann Arbor VA will be rededicated in its new name.
McCrumb: A couple people who will be at the Open House provide a photography course for Veterans. I took the class. It was twice a week for 13 weeks. It was a good course. If you are interested in learning about photography, be sure to check them out.
St Antoine: Please be thinking of ways our Chapter can reach out to Post Vietnam Veterans. How do we communicate with them? What events would they like to attend? Please let one of the Board members know what your suggestions and know what you think about attracting newer Veterans.
Closing Prayer: Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 2020 hrs.
Chapter Breakfast (8 April 2021): TBD
__________________
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
11 February 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison at 1908 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. Everyone attended via Zoom. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: None.
Guests: None.
Motion to approve the January Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Bull/Merritt. Approved.
Meeting Recessed for Nominations for Elected Offices: (First Round) Wilson
For President: Harrison (accepted)
Vice President: Rivers (declined)
Secretary: Luker (accepted)
Treasurer: Bourne (accepted)
One Year Board: Moving from two-year board to one-year board are: Bob Bull, Sandie Wilson, Steve Hitte, Chris Wetzler and Larry St Antoine.
Two-Year Board: Bauder (accepted)
(not present to accept or declined) Kinzinger
(declined) Hall, Perrault, Henry, Driscoll, Merritt
Sgt at Arms: (none)
Regular Meeting Resumes
President’s Report: I attended several meetings on your behalf. I also collected our artifacts from storage. Milt Davis expressed his thanks for our letting him take care of the artifacts and for letting him display the artifacts appropriately over the past many years. Next month’s meeting will be both live and zoom.
Treasurer’s Report: Reports were emailed to the Board. Reports were also made available to members and others via email on request. Quiet month. The main revenue was $2,600 for the Christmas program. No expenses. We have collected $1,500 more than we’ve spent so far on the Memorial Building, but we can’t be happy with that yet because we still don’t know how many in-kind donations we will get. We will only get 92% of the GoFundMe account donations because we had to pay service charges totaling 8% of gross. Our unrestricted fund net is almost $3,200 better than we projected in our last budget.
AVVA Report: The report is printed in the Dispatch.
Merchandise: No activity since the last meeting. We are planning to do an inventory on 21 February. We will have something to sell at the Open House here in March.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: No Report. The next council meeting is set for 15 February.
Michigan State Council: Luker. No report.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt. With help from Howell American Legion Riders and the Fowlerville Baptist Church, we completed the effort to build 700 new crosses to be used for the Veteran Suicide Prevention Awareness Demonstration. We are now in the process of acquiring a 6x12 trailer to haul and store the new crosses.
Website: McCrumb. I moved several things off the front page to other pages on the website to make navigation easier. We have had a total of 256,000 hits.
Membership: The official number will go up to 209 when National processes our newest member, Stan Harrison’s brother-in-law, Ken Scruggs.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. The VA ran out of the first vaccine dose but is still giving the second dose to people with appointments. You can still get the first and second dose from pharmacies around town. Even after you get vaccinated, you should still wear your mask because you can still be a carrier even if you are immune. Bourne added that St. Joseph Hospital stopped doing the first dose immunization at its facility so it could help with the County project taking place at the EMU Convocation Center. Wilson also said that a small committee is looking at what needs to be done to force the VA to comply with the Toxic Exposure Research law passed back in 2016.
CSKMC: (Formerly VAAAHS) Wilson. The VA is still admitting non-Veteran patients from other hospitals, so those other hospitals have room for Covid-19 patients.
Old Business: None
New Business: Motion by Luker, seconded by Bourne, to approve the amended FY 21-22 budget. Approved.
Good of the Order: Harrison: The Pig Roast is a go. There are still many details to be worked out. We don’t know what restrictions will be in effect and we haven’t struck a deal with the Saline American Legion yet. We do plan to move the event to the Saline American Legion. But we don’t know if the event will be a drive through only, or if we can have some outdoor dining or if we might even be able to have indoor dining. The board did authorize the Pig Roast Committee, headed by John Kinzinger, to develop and execute a plan for the Pig Roast, not to exceed $2,500. We will be asking our members to make private donations so that we do not need to use our general fund. A donor has already offered to match donations we get up to $1,000, so each dollar you give will be worth $2 to us, up to the first $1,000. Also, what we do will depend on how many volunteers we can count on to help. Please let John Kinzinger know if you will be able to help with any of the preparation or with any of the work on the day of Pig Roast. We are thinking the Piggy will be on a Sunday, most likely on of the last two Sundays of the month of August. The committee’s goal is to have the Pig Roast net $2,000.
Driscoll: The list of Agent Orange Presumptive conditions was expanded by three conditions: Bladder Cancer, Hypothyroidism, and Parkinsonism. Although the VA had 100 days to implement the additions from when the law passed (1 Jan 2021), vets are asked to submit their claims now or to submit a notice of intent to file a claim now so that the effective date of the award is sooner (resulting in a larger back-pay check)
Bourne: I still have food cards from Holiday’s Restaurant.
Bull: There will be paczki at the Resource Center Wednesday. The Center is open from 0930 to 1700.
Closing Prayer: Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 2009 hrs.
Chapter Breakfast (12 Mar 2021): TBD
_________________________
Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles S. Kettles Chapter 310
Regular Membership Meeting Minutes
14 January 2021
Call to Order by President Harrison at 1905 hrs.
Pledge of Allegiance
Opening Prayer: Robert 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. Everyone attended via Zoom. Welcome Home Everyone!
New Members: None.
Guests: None.
Motion to approve the December Minutes as published in the Dispatch. Merritt/Driscoll. Approved.
President’s Report:
I recommend that you stop by the Resource Center at the VFW that Bob Bull has set up on Wednesday and Saturday from 9:30 to 5:00.
Treasurer’s Report: Reports were emailed to officers and board members. Printed reports or emailed reports were available for those members who wanted them. Our year-end non-restricted operating results are projected at a budget deficit of $240, which is much better than the $2,266 amended budget deficit we approved last spring. VAAAHS Christmas Program donations are projected at $14,380 compared to $10,000 budgeted. The non-restricted operating budget for next year is not much different that this year’s. You can get a copy of the budget by emailing me. Members will vote on the final version of the budget at the February meeting.
AVVA Report: The report is printed in the Dispatch. We are collecting sample size toiletries and facial tissues for Fisher House. They are put in gift bags for the guests there.
Merchandise: No report.
Washtenaw County Council of Veterans: Bull. The council meeting was canceled due to MDHHS restrictions.
Michigan State Council: Luker. No report.
Memorial Maintenance: Merritt. I am starting to put grass cutting teams together for next year. I am happy that most of this year’s crews are coming back next year, but there are some vacant slots. Also, please let me know if you would be willing to help as a backup person or to help with special projects. Building construction will have to wait for spring.
Website: McCrumb. Another 9,000 or so hits this month for a total around 250,000. We added pictures from the VA events (underwear delivery and the delivery of the embroidered shirts).
Membership: The official number went down to 208 after Jim Graham passed away.
Newsletter: Pereira. No report.
Healthcare: Wilson. The VA is now giving Covid-19 vaccine shots by appointment to people aged 65 or older. I was able to get in and out in about 22 minutes. You need to call the VA at 734-222-7100 to get two appointments (because it takes two shots to be effective).
VAAAHS: Kinzinger. We have given about $9,000 worth of underwear and embroidered shirts to VA patients. I was happy to have help moving all the stuff. Thank you very much for being there, also. I’m doing better after my surgery, but I couldn’t move anything when it needed to be done.
Old Business: None
New Business:
Motion by Bull, seconded by Luker, to approve the attached resolution calling for Michigan to adopt the Green Alert system and directing the President to lobby as needed for its adoption by the State. Approved.
Good of the Order: Bourne: A proposed budget has been developed for next year that predicts a deficit of about $2,762. You may email me to request a copy of it. We will vote on it at the February meeting. We don’t have much we can do with this budget, given that much of it involves fixed expenses. If we can do any fundraising this year, we will happily adjust the budget according. I still have a lot of cards for Holiday’s Restaurant. We gave 4 to Fisher House, who could not accept them for reasons they didn’t share. We gave 4 to Bob Bull for the Resource Center. He has used only one. We need to find people who need these.
Bull: Perhaps we could take a page from other organizations that ask members to contribute $2 a month into an endowment fund. Interest earned on the funds is used to help with unbudgeted program expenses.
Kinzinger: Volunteered to chair a small committee to study the feasibility of doing a simpler Pig Roast, perhaps with prepared pork and without the raffles and auctions. Perhaps it could be set up as a drive-through event or socially distanced outdoor event, if restrictions are still in place. Sandie Wilson and Tim Driscoll volunteered to help. We hope to have a result by the February meeting.
Bull: The next open house for organizations using the VFW building will be on 20 March from 1000 to 1700, MDHHS regulations permitting.
Luker: The President vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act; but, since the House and the Senate voted to override the veto, it became law anyway. That means that bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinsonism are now included on the list of diseases presumed to be caused by toxic exposure in Vietnam (and other places). Although the VA has 100 days to implement the law, you should file your claim now (or file your notice of intent to file a claim) if you want your retro check to be larger than it will be if you wait to file.
Closing Prayer Bob Bull
Flag Salute
Meeting Adjourned at 2000 hrs.
Chapter Breakfast: - TBD. However, you can get breakfast on Saturday at the Resource Center. Lunch also. Doors open at 0930 and close at 1700. Breakfast will be served until noon. Then lunch until 1700.
The Attached Resolution:
Resolution: To adopt the Green Alert System for finding missing veterans in the State of Michigan
Whereas: Over half of the veterans in Michigan are over 65 years of age, and
Whereas: Dementia is becoming a growing concern among these older veterans, many of them just walking away from their homes or nursing facilities, and
Whereas: Many of our veterans also go missing because of stress and trauma associated with their military service to this country, and
Whereas: The Amber and Silver Alerts have been so effective in helping to find missing children and seniors, and
Whereas: Like the Amber Alert System, the Green Alert System is activated immediately after notice is given of a missing veteran, not having to wait 24 hours to file a missing persons report, and
Whereas: 39 other states have voted, ratified, and put into action a Green Alert System, and
Whereas: An attempt to pass a bill in the US Senate, S699 the National Green Alert Act to help create a National System, has been stuck in committee since mid-2019.
Therefore: We do hereby resolve that to protect our aging veterans, to prevent any additional harm coming to them, and
To give their families peace of mind knowing that there is an additional system in place to protect their loved one, in the event that it is needed, a Statewide Green Alert System must be adopted for our over 550,000 veterans, now and for their future.