VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA
MICHIGAN STATE COUNCIL
Chateau at Black Mountain
Cheboygan, MI – Chapter 274
General Membership Meeting
October 8, 2023
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by 1st Vice President Ken Rogge at 10:00 AM. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, a moment of silence was observed for the POW-MIAs and those serving in harm’s way with the opening prayer by Tom Meinhardt.
Approval of the Agenda: Motion by 180/310 to accept the agenda as printed, motion passed.
Approval of the minutes: Motion 267/1083 to approve the minutes of 07/23/23, motion passed.
Introduction of guests: Dan Ashcraft, former MSC vice president.
Roll Call of Officers:
President John Riling - Excused
Vice-President Ken Rogge – Present Secretary Gary Estermyer - Present
2nd Vice President Duke Mayo – Present Treasurer Floyd Carmichael - Present
Roll Call of Chapters: 9 Dave Gurtowsky P, 18 Tom Sibley A, 31 William Collins A,
73 Bob Elliot A, 109 John Gibbs P, 110 Ralph Sharp A, 133 Tom Romein E,
142 Michael Goode A, 154 Steve Bago P, 175 Joe Mishler A, 180 Joe Coullard P,
237 Jerry Cummings A, 259 Mike Goodpaster E, 264 Ronald Schrieber A, 267 Phil Smith P,
274 Duke Mayo P, 284 Dennis Bringard A, 287 David Huffman A, 310 Tim Driscoll P,
313 Terry Ivey P, 380 Vic Romback P, 387 A, 390 Charlie Martin A, 494 A, 528 Gary Estermyer P, 571 Dennis Peterson A, 583 Wayne Trapp A, 882 Terry Frank A,
1047 Joe Prato A and 1083 Tom Meinhardt P
Present – 11 Absent – 17 Excused – 2 A quorum is present.
President’s Report (written report read by Ken Rogge, copy attached.)
1st Vice-President’s report: Ken Rogge announced that in regard to the MSC website www.vvamsc.org he’s been dealing with additional IT issues (audio) as he’s now working with a new rebuilt computer. Ken continues to welcome chapter input as he works out the bugs.
The “Vietnam Veterans Michigan Foundation, Inc. (VVMFI) is open for accepting applications for assistance and Ken has a page on the website for the Foundation.
2nd Vice-President’s report: Duke Mayo announced that he has attempted to reach out to northern & UP Michigan chapters. He was hopeful that Pat Kline of Petoskey would be at our meeting today, however Pat is a no show. Duke has some hip surgery scheduled next month so he’ll be slowed down for recovery and rehab. We all hope everything goes well.
Duke attended many convention meetings and in the Membership Affairs committee meeting he found it very interesting to read about the age groups of VVA members, copy of chart attached. Duke agreed the audio system in the main convention ballroom was terrible.
Secretary's Report: Gary Estermyer reported that he has not received chapter election reports from chapters 73, 175, 264, 287, 387 and 583. Some of those chapters may have sent National a copy but not the MSC secretary. As the delegates should know, the official deadline for filing the election and finance reports to National and MSC was July 15, 2023. Gary has been updating the chapter contact list as reports are received. If you haven’t already filed feel free to bring a copy of your chapter reports to our next meeting on December 3, 2023, in Southgate, MI.
Gary also attended multiple convention sessions including Veterans Benefits & constitution.
He provided copies of the DMVA “Michigan Vietnam Veteran Recognition Certificate” application, also attached.
Treasurer's Report: Floyd Carmichael reviewed the finance report dated 07/20/23 – 10/02/23. All the bills are being paid timely and 2 donations ($2,000 & $5,000) were received. VVMFI balance is now over $18K. Floyd reported he has received all the chapter finance reports.
If your chapter treasurer ever has questions simply contact Floyd at
Floyd reported the weather in Orlando in August is hot! Convention business ran fairly well.
National At-Large Director: Sandie Wilson was re-elected as a National At-large Director at the convention. She will continue to chair the Agent Orange Committee. Sandie is hopeful AO Town Halls will increase across the country. She will travel and participate if asked. Her contact info is; (734) 216-4862 and
See your copy of The VVA Veteran, Sep/Oct 2023, for a full convention report.
Committee Reports:
Agent Orange: Sandie reported that the Birth Defects Registry now has 10 states actively participating, www.birthdefects.org. Claims should be submitted for affected children and grandchildren of veterans who served overseas where AO was used or stored. The Denver RO handles all those claims. She reminded the delegates that a law was passed for AO research by President Obama and was thereafter ignored by President Trump. This research is still needed. There is also a need for further AO research for male veterans. It is noted that October is Agent Orange awareness month. The other health issue Sandie is following is child autism. She cites studies/research that show Tylenol taken during pregnancy can contribute to autism which can take 3 years before being diagnosed.
Constitution/Bylaws: Gary Estermyer announced that the MSC supported National proposed constitution amendment was passed at the convention without objection. The 2023 revised constitution can be found on the VVA website, www.vva.org.
Election Committee: In Chairman Jack Devine’s absence Gary Estermyer reported that Jack had not yet formed his committee. He is working on creating election process guidelines.
Nominations for officers may begin at the Dec. 3rd meeting.
Fundraising: Duke Mayo then held the drawing for the 2023 Summer Raffle. The winners were: 1st Prize - $250.00 – Sandie Wilson (ticket 1295), 2nd Prize - $150.00 – Michelle Fejedeem (ticket 0240) and 3rd Prize - $100.00 – Lynne Martinez (ticket 0221). The MSC profit was $1,941.00. Duke thanked all the chapter sellers for their support.
Gary Estermyer spoke about a possible future Charity Mania fundraiser.
Membership: Ken Rogge gave this report based on the recent National Membership Affairs report; 90,755 total VVA membership, 12,156 in Region 5, 4,899 in Michigan.
Chapter 154 is still in 5th place nationwide and the only MI chapter in the top 25.
Dual AVVA/VVA memberships are now at 748.
Missing In America: Phil Smith reported he had received news that Stinson Funeral Home in Detroit was going to cooperate in releasing the unclaimed veteran cremains in their possession. On behalf of the MSC a letter urging Stinson cooperation had been mailed to them. Phil has been trying to contact them to finalize the details.
National Cemetery: Floyd Carmichael reported that Ft. Custer National Cemetery is now over 44K interments. Ft. Custer has another new director, Rodney Heard. All the cemetery roads are to be repaved, expansion plans may include space for an additional 6-8,000 new gravesites.
A new committal shelter, columbarium and a maintenance garage are also in the planning stage.
Seven sets of unclaimed veteran cremains were recently interred.
Veterans Day ceremony @ Ft. Custer will be Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, 11:00 AM, 11/11/11.
Great Lakes National Cemetery (GLNC) 2023 Veterans Day ceremony will be 11/11/11.
Tom Meinhardt reported GLNC held 425 services last month, 4,498 services YTD and 61,898 services since opening in October 2005. GLNC will also be repaving the driveways. They will be switching over to polyester flags on Nov. 13th. The advisory committee reported they profited $11,800 from a recent golf outing fundraiser.
POW-MIA: 1,578 - RVN & surrounding SE Asia area.
Product Sales: John Riling had reported he was able to cover expenses in Orlando and sales were about average at Kokomo which greeted him with rather cold temps.
PTSD / Veterans Health Care: Sandie Wilson announced that PTSD remains a major problem with all veteran age groups. Sandie also reported the VA has plans to open women veteran health clinics.
V.A.V.S.: Phil Smith and Tim Driscoll reported that earlier COVID issues have been relaxed. Individual and group visits are generally permitted and encouraged. Volunteer hours should still be submitted to him and donations to Volunteer Services are always welcomed. Masks may still be required for long term care unit visits. Tim also shared that veteran suicides remain a very real concern and that such an incident recently occurred with a chapter member.
Veteran’s Benefits / Service Program: Gary Estermyer reported that we again now have 14 accredited staff; 11 service officers, 2 admin. and 1 Director/CVSO. We hired Bethany for the receptionist and she is waiting for final VA/OGC accreditation processing. Two other new hires are in training at this time. The VSO contact and schedule information handout is being tweaked to include new locations for some members of our staff. The entire staff attended training in Higgins Lake and Gaylord, MI.
Recoveries: FY21 – $13,925,883 FY22 - $15,721,015 FY23 - $11,218,931
Detroit RO, McNamara Building, 477 Michigan Avenue, Room 1226, Detroit 48226 is open
with appointments preferred (313) 961-9568 for hearings and face-to-face meetings.
Our service officers continue to participate with the VA at PACT Act events statewide.
Gary also spoke about the Michigan property tax waiver law which was changed to favor the veteran and their surviving spouse.
Veteran’s Incarcerated and in the Justice System: Phil Smith reported there are now 28 Veterans Treatment Courts in Michigan and more are needed.
AVVA: Penny Meinhardt reported they had a busy National Convention in Orlando where all the officers were elected and much discussion was held on their amendments.
AVVA will again hold their gift card fundraiser at the Dec. 3, 2023 meeting. They are asking for donations of $25.00 gift cards that will be sold for $15.00.
New Business:
See www.vva.org for convention highlights.
Tentative plans for a 40th MSC anniversary dinner in the Downriver area on Dec. 2, 2023.
After discussion MOTION 180/267 to pay for lifetime AVVA membership for all VSO staff, motion passed.
After discussion MOTION 267/313 to donate $1,000.00 to the POW-MIA Committee of Michigan for repair/replacing of brickwork @ Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Novi, motion passed.
After discussion MOTION 267/154 to encourage chapters to donate $1.00 per member to support Fisher House of Michigan, motion tabled 180/380 until Dec. 3 meeting.
Vic Romback volunteered his chapter 380 to host the 2024 MSC Annual Meeting at the Holiday Inn in Marquette in May or June (date TBD). MOTION 267/154 to support, motion passed.
Unfinished Business: Phil Smith reported on the Commanders Group ‘Veteran of the Year’ project which received 8 nominees. Tom Wilson of the Dearborn Allied War Veterans group was selected as this year’s winner. Tom is also a member of Dearborn Chapter 267.
Phil, John Riling and many other veterans were in attendance at the Sep. 28th Tiger game @ Comerica Park for Tom to throw out the first pitch and receive his award.
AVVA & VVA upcoming meetings & events:
October 8, 2023 – VVA/AVVA general membership meeting in Cheboygan
The Chateau at Black Mountain
October 19-21, 2023 – VVA National BOD/CSCP/Veterans Benefit meeting
DoubleTree, 8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring MD
John, Gary & Rob Lichy (Asst. VSO Director) attended
November 11, 2023 – Veterans Day – ceremonies throughout the state and
30th Anniversary of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in DC
December 2, 2023 – MSC 40th Anniversary dinner - Baldo’s Italian restaurant
7:00 PM 20051 Telegraph Road, Brownstown, MI 48174
December 3, 2023 – VVA / AVVA general membership & Christmas luncheon
10:00 AM Downriver Chapter 259 @ VFW Post 9283
16200 Dix-Toledo Road, Southgate, MI 48195
January 18-20, 2024 – VVA National BOD/CSCP/ Veterans Benefit meeting
DoubleTree, 8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD
March 2024 – VVA / AVVA general membership meetings (location & date TBD)
May / June, 2024 – VVA / AVVA annual/election meeting (dates TBD)
Holiday Inn, 1951 US 41 West, (906) 225-1351 Marquette, MI 49855
August 20-24, 2024 – National Leadership Conference, Silver Legacy, Reno, NV
August 5-9, 2025 – National VVA Convention – New Orleans, LA, Marriott
Closing prayer Tom Meinhardt
Adjournment: 11:55 AM
Minutes taken by Secretary Gary Estermyer
Lodging in the Southgate, MI area:
Hampton Inn Hampton Inn Holiday Inn Express
13555 Prechter Road 16400 Southfield Road 13333 Heritage Center
Southgate, MI 48195 Allen Park, MI 48101 Southgate, MI 48195
734.463.1885 313.383.9730 833.617.1943
Comfort Inn & Suites Comfort Inn
3600 Enterprise Drive 18950 Northline Road
Allen Park, MI 48101 Southgate, MI 48195
313.323.3500 833.900.2501
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VFW Post 1008
Oakland County Chapter 133
General Membership Meeting
July 23, 2023
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President John Riling, in Waterford, Michigan at 9:00 AM. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, a moment of silence was observed for the POW-MIAs and those serving in harm’s way with the opening prayer by Tom Meinhardt.
Approval of the Agenda: Motion by 310/267 to accept the agenda as printed, motion passed.
Approval of the minutes: Motion 109/267 to approve the minutes of 05/21/23, motion passed.
Introduction of guests: Tom Burke, National VP – Richard Arthur, OH SC President –
Michael Dolan, IN SC President - Gary Hanson Chapter 9 – Vance McCrumb Chapter 310 - Russ Howard & Ken Hunroe Chapter 259 - Bob Dew, Terry Wells & Al Sneath Chapter 528 – Ed Jackson & Al Tarlo Chapter 133
Roll Call of Officers:
President John Riling - Present
Vice-President Ken Rogge – Present Secretary Gary Estermyer - Present
2nd Vice President Duke Mayo – Present Treasurer Floyd Carmichael - Present
Roll Call of Chapters: 9 Jack Devine P, 18 Tom Sibley A, 31 William Collins A,
73 Bob Elliot A, 109 John Gibbs P, 110 Ralph Sharp A, 133 Tom Romein P,
142 Michael Goode P, 154 Steve Bago A, 175 Joe Mishler A, 180 Joe Coullard A,
237 Jerry Cummings A, 259 Mike Goodpaster P, 264 Ronald Schrieber A, 267 Phil Smith P,
274 Duke Mayo P, 284 Dennis Bringard A, 287 David Huffman A, 310 Tim Driscoll P,
313 Terry Ivey P, 380 Vic Romback E, 387 A, 390 Charlie Martin A, 494 A,
528 Dennis Bielskis P, 571 Dennis Peterson A, 583 Wayne Trapp A, 882 Terry Frank E,
1047 Joe Prato E and 1083 Tom Meinhardt P
Present – 11 Absent – 16 Excused – 3 A quorum is present.
President’s Report (given after Treasurer report): John welcomed everyone to VFW Post 1008 hall in Waterford for this meeting. He thanked Oakland County 133 for hosting and providing lunch today and to the VFW post for providing the meeting space.
VetsVOA has now received the necessary accreditation from OGC to process VA claims.
John had been offered a Board position on VetsVOA but turned it down due to a potential conflict of interest. John mentioned that the National veterans benefits committee will be meeting during the upcoming convention. He has a July 27 invitation to attend a Lansing meeting with the Lt. Governor & other veterans regarding veteran suicide.
Discussion on the proposed constitutional amendments and resolutions follows this meeting.
1st Vice-President’s report: Ken Rogge reported he is having IT issues with the website recently is and working to correct the problems, www.vvamsc.org. Ken continues to welcome chapter input. The “Vietnam Veterans Michigan Foundation, Inc.” (VVMFI) is accepting applications for assistance and Ken has a page on the website for the Foundation.
2nd Vice-President’s report: Duke Mayo reminded the delegates that his chapter Cheboygan 274 will be hosting the October 8, 2023 MSC meeting. Duke continues his attempts to reach out to northern U.P. chapters including the Petoskey area. He’s not getting much response.
Secretary's Report: Gary Estermyer reported that according to his records there are now eight chapters that have not sent him their election reports. Those chapters are; 31, 73, 175, 264, 287, 387, 571 and 583. Gary had emailed and mailed blank chapter election and finance reports to all those chapters. As the delegates should know, the official deadline for filing both election and finance reports to National and MSC was July 15, 2023. Gary or John will check with National membership to confirm the status of all Michigan chapters. Gary has been updating the chapter contact list as reports are received.
Treasurer's Report: Floyd Carmichael reviewed the General Account finance report dated 05/22/23 – 07/20/23. He had paid Himrod & Associates for our audit and submitted the SC 990 to IRS and to VVA National. He has issued 8 grant checks to chapters for convention expenses. He also has received funds from the car program and National membership rebates.
VVMFI balance is now over $18K and Floyd will create a grant application form. The SC bills are being paid in a timely manner and the monthly deposits of random donations continue.
National At-Large Director: Sandie Wilson also reported the importance of delegates expressing their opinions on the future of VVA at the upcoming National Convention.
In her opinion agent orange should be the major issue of concern among our membership.
Sandie asks the questions, “What can we do in our time left and who will take over?”
While the VVA Veteran’s Initiative (VI) program continues, Sandie fears it may be losing
its effectiveness. Grant & Mokie were able to meet with senior members of the Vietnam leadership during a recent trip.
National Vice President: Tom Burke announced that Phillip Waite (AF Col., ret.) has been hired recently as the new managing director to handle the day-to-day operations.
Tom offered his opinion on the upcoming convention and suggested VVA only has about 3 constructive conventions left. That means the 23rd biennial convention in 2027 would be the final one. The date of February 29, 2028 could be the dissolve date of VVA National.
He noted that state councils and chapters can continue their missions if they choose.
Our national political clout will naturally be gone at that time. VetsVOA is being promoted as a separate entity to take over the VVA veterans benefit program. This plan has been favorably received by OGC which offers legal opinions and advice. Whenever the dropdead date arrives Tom believes that VVA may be gone but not forgotten. Tom announced that the main convention hotel at the Rosen Center is full and the overflow hotel the Rosen Plaza is about ½ mile away. Tom is aware 856 delegates have registered and that number could increase to 900.
It has also been determined that the 2024 VVA Leadership Conference will take place at the Silver Legacy in Reno, NV. The date for Leadership is TBD.
Announcements: John Riling announced that he is waiving the $5 out-of-uniform fee for this meeting. Recipients of the VVA Achievement or Commendation Medal should wear them. Phil Smith of Dearborn Chapter 267 announced they will have their annual golf outing on August 27th at Inkster Valley Golf course. Hog Heaven fundraiser in September will have prizes of $10K, $5K and $3K. There will be a PACT Act event in Dearborn on July 28th, 4 – 7:00 PM.
Tom Meinhardt of Chapter 1083 will be holding a Reverse Raffle on Sep. 16, $50 ticket gets you dinner & drinks. Dennis Bielskis of Chapter 528 reported they will be having a Steak Fry on August 25, 5 – 7 PM, at the VFW Post 6695 in Plymouth, $20 a ticket.
Vance McCrumb of Chapter 310 announced they will have their annual Pig Roast at the Saline American Legion on August 26th, dinner, product sales and music 1 – 9:00 PM.
Gary Hanson of Chapter 9 discussed the Keith Famie, Detroit/Auto documentary carried by PBS. Member Dave Gurtowsky is in it and it may be viewed nationwide soon.
Michael Dolan, IN SC president announced that the Grissom Air Museum in Peru, IN will be having a B58 Hustler reunion the weekend of 09/29 – 10/01/23 for anyone interested.
Committee Reports:
Agent Orange: Sandie Wilson stated the obvious that Agent Orange exposure continues to cause illness and death to those who served in contaminated areas. Research is overdue and still needed on this issue. A VVA sub-committee recently traveled to the Denver RO to check on Spina Bifida/child birth defect claims. It was discovered only 2 women vets filed claims.
Sandie also reported on the child health issue of autism. Studies and research are now showing that Tylenol taken during pregnancy is a leading cause of autism. Researchers are now warning that by 2030 up to 50% of children in the school system will be autistic to some degree.
Constitution/Bylaws: Gary Estermyer had submitted the MSC supported National Convention proposed constitutional amendment and it will be discussed at the convention.
Fundraising: Duke Mayo spoke about the 2023 Summer Raffle fundraiser. These $5.00 tickets are available for distribution to chapters today. For each ticket sold $1.00 will go to the seller’s chapter. It is imperative that chapter support (selling & buying tickets) is crucial for a successful raffle. The drawing date is October 8, 2023 @ 11:00 AM during our meeting in Cheboygan. Prizes are; 1st - $250.00 / 2nd - $150.00 / 3rd - $100/00.
Government Affairs: Jack Devine reported he has been involved with the MVC legislative discussion to incorporate a roll-over clause as part of a permanent budget. The Jacobetti home for veterans is to be renovated. Jack reported that any future sites for veterans homes cannot be on leased property, which was a problem for the Detroit site.
Membership: Ken Rogge gave this report based on the recent National Membership Affairs report; 90,436 total VVA membership of which 1,442 are women, Chapter 154 is now in 5th place nationwide and the only MI chapter in the top 25.
Missing In America: Phil Smith reported there were 2 unclaimed veteran cremains that were honored in the Dearborn Memorial Day parade. Unfortunately, those cremains have not yet been released by Stinson Funeral Home to be interred at Great Lakes National Cemetery.
Without objection, MOTION to contact/write Stinson to urge release of those cremains.
Two Army veteran unclaimed cremains were interred recently at Ft. Custer National Cemetery.
National Cemetery: Floyd Carmichael reported a current total of 43,418 burials at Ft. Custer. Ft. Custer had a new director, Andre Logan who has since taken on the duties at Great Lakes National Cemetery. All the cemetery roads are to be repaved, expansion plans may include space for an additional 3-4,000 casketed gravesites and 4-6,000 cremains. There are up to 750 acres available for expansion which includes a scatter area. Also, another committal shelter and a maintenance garage are in the planning stage.
Tom Meinhardt reported that Great Lakes National Cemetery (GLNC) new total of interments since opening is 60K+, 2,500 YTD and 614 in June. GLNC is planning a golf outing fundraiser on September 27th in Lapeer, MI.
POW-MIA: 1,578 total which includes 1,238 from Vietnam, 285 Laos, 48 Cambodia and 7 from China territorial waters. Floyd also did some research and found there are still 72,248 missing from WWII, 7,508 from Korea, 186 from the Cold War and 5 from the Gulf War. 81,500 is the total of American’s MIA.
Some 09/15/2023 POW/MIA ceremony plans include; Oakland Hills Memorial Garden in Novi @ 6:00 PM with Debbie McClain, president of the POW Committee of Michigan as emcee,
Sue Scott of the National League of Families will emcee the event @ Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Twp. and Marty Eddy will emcee the event at VFW Post 2233 in Detroit.
On 09/16/2023, 4:00 PM there will be a POW/MIA Plaques of Honor ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Island Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Product Sales: John Riling and his crew is looking forward to driving down to Orlando for the upcoming VVA National convention and then Kokomo in September. He will be staging an inventory counting party soon also.
PTSD / Veterans Health Care: Sandie Wilson announced that PTSD remains a major problem with all veteran age groups however the VA claims they can treat PTSD patients in 13 visits.
Veterans with asbestos related health issues should file a claim.
Mike Dolan reported that a large number of Indiana veterans are filing hypertension claims.
Mike and his team are working hard with his Indiana benefit program.
V.A.V.S.: Phil Smith and Tim Driscoll reported that COVID restrictions at most VA facilities have relaxed, no more masks. Individual and small group visits are generally permitted and encouraged. Weekly bingo games have also resumed. Monetary donations are always welcomed. Volunteer hours are down by 30%, probably due to the pandemic.
Tim reported that Washtenaw Community College recently hosted a Vet Fest and it had a light turnout which may have been affected by the Ann Arbor Art Fair event.
Phil reported he had received his first VAVS report from the Jacobetti facility in Marquette.
Veteran’s Benefits / Service Program: Gary Estermyer reported that we still have 14 accredited staff; 11 service officers, 2 admin. and 1 Director/CVSO. The hand-out of all our VSO’s contact and schedule information will soon be up on the MSC website and copies were available now.
Recoveries: FY21 – $13,925,883 FY22 - $15,721,015
The process of reporting recoveries has changed and we are going to use the old and new system to provide future numbers.
Detroit RO, McNamara Building, 477 Michigan Avenue, Room 1226, Detroit 48226 is open with appointments preferred (313) 961-9568 for hearings and face-to-face meetings.
Our service officers have been participating in many VA PACT Act / Vet Fest events, including Fowlerville, Genessee County and the Calhoun County Fair.
Our staff will be attending service officer training at the Higgins Lake DNR after the convention in August and more training offered by MVAA at TreeTops Resort in Gaylord in October.
VVA is quite concerned with the Caregiver benefit as 98% of claims have been denied.
VVA National service benefit office plans to settle all the legacy claims by Sep. 1, 2023.
Veteran’s Incarcerated and in the Justice System: Phil Smith reported there are now 28 Veterans Treatment Courts in MI and more are needed. One female veteran is in the program.
AVVA: Penny Meinhardt reported they are preparing for their National Convention in Orlando where all the officers will be elected. Each chapter’s AVVA representative will be recognized as a delegate at their convention. Penny will provide $300.00 for each delegate. Project Friendship donations will go to the National Birth Defects Registry in Orlando.
New Business: See www.vva.org for convention updates.
Phil Smith reported that applications for Veteran Of The Year are lagging. He asked the delegates to consider a member for consideration.
Thursday, September 28, 2023, 1:10 PM, will be Veterans Appreciation Game @ Comerica.
Tickets are now $30.00 per person, in groups of 10 or more which includes a drink & hot dog. Call Jackson Billings, Ilitch Sports Entertainment @ (313) 471-3178 or email him with a credit/debit card.
You could also send Phil Smith a check/money order or cashiers check payable to him
(memo – Veterans Appreciation) and he will pick up tickets or make arrangements for you: Phillip S. Smith, c/o Veterans Appreciation Game, 7774 Patton Street, Detroit, MI 48228.
You’re on your own for parking: bar shuttle, People Mover, car pool or Chapter 9 lot are options.
Chapter 310 was able to petition state legislators to rename a section of I-94 as the Washtenaw County Vietnam Veteran Memorial Highway.
AVVA & VVA upcoming meetings & events:
August 8-12, 2023 – 21st VVA National Convention, Rosen Centre
9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819
$122.50 – rooms $75.00 – registration Free parking
October 8, 2023 – VVA/AVVA general membership meeting hosted by Cheboygan Chap. 274
Chateau by Black Mountain, 10621 Twin Lakes Road, Cheboygan, MI
ALL ROOMS RENTED OUT. (231) 625-9322
October 19-21, 2023 – VVA National BOD & CSCP meeting @ the Double Tree
8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD
December 3, 2023 – 10:00 AM - VVA/AVVA general membership meetings,
MOTION 259/9 to approve hosting by Downriver Chapter 259, motion passed.
VFW Post 9283 – 16200 Dix-Toledo Road, Southgate, MI 48195
July/August 2024 - National Leadership Conference, Silver Legacy, Reno, NV
Date TBD
August 5-9, 2025 – National VVA Convention – New Orleans, LA, Marriott
Closing prayer Tom Meinhardt
Adjournment of meeting: 12:10 PM
Adjournment of pre-convention meeting: 1:10 PM
Minutes taken by Secretary Gary Estermyer
Lodging in the Cheboygan, MI area:
Continental Inn Fleetwood Inn & Suites
613 N. Main Street 889 S. Main Street
Cheboygan, MI 49721 Cheboygan, MI 49721
231.627.7164 231.627.3126
(10% discount for vets)
Creek Side Monarch
231.627.4696 231.627.2143
________________
VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA
MICHIGAN STATE COUNCIL
American Legion Post 257
Battle Creek Chapter 313
General Membership Meeting
May 21, 2023
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President John Riling, in Battle Creek, Michigan at 10:10 AM. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, a moment of silence was observed for the POW-MIAs and those serving in harm’s way with the opening prayer by
Tom Meinhardt.
Approval of the Agenda: Motion by 1083/142 to accept the agenda as printed, motion passed.
Approval of the minutes: Motion 142/109 to approve the minutes of 03/12/23, motion passed.
Introduction of guests: Preston Russell, VVA VSO
Roll Call of Officers:
President John Riling - Present
Vice-President Ken Rogge – Present Secretary Gary Estermyer - Present
2nd Vice President Duke Mayo – Present Treasurer Floyd Carmichael - Present
Roll Call of Chapters: 9 Jack Devine E, 18 Tom Sibley A, 31 William Collins A,
73 Bob Elliot A, 109 John Gibbs P, 110 Ralph Sharp A, 133 Tom Romein E,
142 Michael Goode P, 154 Steve Bago P, 175 Joe Mishler A, 180 Joe Coullard A,
237 Jerry Cummings A, 259 Mike Goodpaster P, 264 Ronald Schrieber A, 267 Phil Smith P,
274 Duke Mayo P, 284 Dennis Bringard A, 287 David Huffman A, 310 Tim Driscoll P,
313 Terry Ivey P, 380 Vic Romback E, 387 A, 390 Charlie Martin A, 494 A, 528 Gary Estermyer P, 571 Dennis Peterson A, 583 Wayne Trapp A, 882 Terry Frank E,
1047 Joe Prato E and 1083 Tom Meinhardt P
Present – 10 Absent – 15 Excused – 5 A quorum is present.
President’s Report (given after Treasurer report): John welcomed everyone to the American Legion hall in Battle Creek for this meeting. He thanked Battle Creek 313 for hosting and American Legion Brian Mohlman for providing the meeting space. John reported that VVA BOD had approved the MOU with ClearTrust Claims LLP. Mr. Geoffrey Bestor of CTC has offered to represent VVA members with their asbestos claims and only charging a 10% fee. This class action lawsuit is independent of VA claims. Mr. Bestor has offered to travel to Michigan maybe in June or July to personally train our service officers on asbestos claims. John attended the CSCP and National BOD meetings in April last month which included a 1 day special meeting with all the directors and officers, as well as chairing the National Veterans Benefit Program meetings. He also had a list of the proposed resolutions and constitutional amendments which is now available at www.vva.org. John also reported that the law firm Bergman & Moore had entered a co-counsel agreement with Beasley Allen Law Firm to offer their service and advice to VVA members regarding the PACT Act / Camp Lejeune water contamination class action lawsuit and to knock down the backlog of VVA claims and appeals.
VetsVOA has now received the necessary accreditation from OGC to process VA claims.
John also reported he has various office furniture and equipment for sale to a good home.
John, Gary Estermyer, Jack Devine, Duke Mayo and Rob Lichey (VVA VSO Asst. Director) had attended the May 3-5 MVAA Leadership Conference in Traverse City. He also attended a meet and greet with Gov. Whitmer to discuss veteran legislative business. John also attended a recent Chapter 154 meeting and presented the VVA Achievement Medal to Marty Eddy and Debbie Pineau (POW-MIA Committee of Michigan).
1st Vice-President’s report: Ken Rogge announced that MSC is now working with new website management which is much more user friendly. Check out the updates Ken has been working on, www.vvamsc.org. Ken continues to welcome chapter input. The “Vietnam Veterans Michigan Foundation, Inc.” (VVMFI) is open for accepting applications for assistance and Ken has a page on the website for the Foundation.
2nd Vice-President’s report: Duke Mayo announced that his chapter Cheboygan 274 will be hosting the October 8, 2023 MSC meeting. Duke continues to reach out to northern chapters including the Petoskey area and those in the UP, some of which we haven’t seen in years.
Duke reported he thought the Leadership Summit event was well planned and executed.
Secretary's Report: Gary Estermyer reported that according to his records there were 24 chapters that were to hold their elections last month. Gary had emailed and mailed blank chapter election and finance reports to all those chapters. Copies of the forms are available today also. As the delegates should know, the official deadline for filing both election and finance reports to National and MSC is July 15, 2023. Gary or John will check with National membership to confirm the status of all Michigan chapters. Gary will be updating the chapter contact list as reports are received. Feel free to bring a copy of your chapter reports to our next meeting on July 23, 2023, in Waterford. Gary was also impressed with the turnout and information provided at the Traverse City MVAA event.
Treasurer's Report: Floyd Carmichael reviewed the finance report dated 03/13/23 – 05/20/23. He had transferred $20,000 from the General Fund to the VSO account due to the State being slow in their monthly processing. He also has received funds from the car program and National membership rebates. VVMFI balance is now over $17K. The SC bills are being paid in a timely manner and the monthly deposits of random donations continue. Floyd reminded the delegates that all chapters need to submit their annual finance report to MSC and to National by July 15.
If your chapter treasurer has questions simply contact Floyd at
The MSC is currently offering $750.00 National Convention grants. Floyd has the application and it’s on the website.
National At-Large Director: Sandie Wilson also reported the importance of delegates expressing their opinions on the future of VVA at the upcoming National Convention. The future of VVA chapters and state councils will also be discussed. Chapters should begin to consider what issues are important to them. POW-MIA has always been a top priority for VVA but how important is it today? Sandie had attended the DOD 50th Commemorative event in DC earlier this month and she was not impressed. The weather was hot, not enough shade nor available fluids. Events were to spread out, too much walking.
Announcements: Terry Ivey of Chapter 313 reported on the June raffle they were running. There will be a daily winner of prizes from Litchfield Outdoors. $20.00 a ticket.
Terry also announced his chapter is having a going-out-of-business product sales sale.
Phil Smith of Dearborn Chapter 267 announced they will have their annual golf outing on August 27th at Inkster Valley Golf course. Hog Heaven fundraiser in September will have prizes of $10K, $5K and 4$3K.
Committee Reports
Agent Orange: John entertained a motion 154/142 to approve Sandie Wilson as the new Agent Orange committee chairperson. Sandie agreed as long as Mike Goodpaster would be the co-chair. Motion passed. Sandie reported there are currently 19 additional A.O. presumptive issues for women veterans. Studies continue to research whether some of those conditions also apply to men. She is aware that due to staff shortages the Birth Defects Registry data input is affected.
Constitution/Bylaws: Gary Estermyer had submitted the MSC supported National Convention proposed constitutional amendment. To insert language in Article II, Section 6, A and/or Article II, Section 8 … “The state council president may appoint the Election Committee Chair as with all the other committee chairs, without objection.”
Finance Report: Floyd reported that the Smile.Amazon donation program has ended, effective on Feb. 20, 2023, however we should expect one more donation. Floyd had spent over 14 hours to complete an economic census report.
Fundraising: Duke Mayo spoke about the 2023 Summer Raffle fundraiser. These $5.00 tickets are available for distribution to chapters today. For each ticket sold $1.00 will go to the seller’s chapter. It is imperative that chapter support (selling & buying tickets) is crucial for a successful raffle. The drawing date is October 8, 2023 @ 11:00 AM during our meeting in Cheboygan. Prizes are; 1st - $250.00 / 2nd - $150.00 / 3rd - $100/00.
Government Affairs: Jack Devine reported in March on the MVAA Leadership Summit that was held May 3-5, 2023, in Traverse City. There were 9 sessions, which included; Keynote speaker, Veterans Benefits, Networking with Veteran Service Providers, Working with your Legislators, Aiming for Zero (suicide prevention), What’s Next, VEO & Building Communities, Underserved Veteran Populations in Michigan (The Big Picture) and Aligning Focus (Building veteran-friendly communities). MOH recipient James C. McCloughan was a guest speaker.
Jack was a co-presenter on one of the sessions. The Legislative Priority packet he co-produced on behalf of the Commanders Group was presented to the MI Senate and House Veteran Affairs Committee members and all the MSC delegates. One important bragging right is the fact that for the $4.25 million received from the State grant the Coalition has returned $660 million in recoveries in the State!
Membership: Ken Rogge gave this report based on the recent National Membership Affairs report; 89,990 total VVA membership, 12,061 in Region 5, 4,872 in Michigan.
Chapter 154 is now in 5th place nationwide and the only MI chapter in the top 25.
Dual AVVA/VVA memberships are slowly climbing towards 700.
Missing In America: Phil Smith reported there will be 2 unclaimed veteran cremains that will be honored in the Dearborn Memorial Day parade, May 29, 9:30 AM. The Great Lakes National Cemetery ceremonies for those veterans will take place 1 week after Memorial Day.
National Cemetery: Floyd Carmichael reported a current total of 43,206 burials at Ft. Custer. Ft. Custer had a new director, Andre Logan who has since taken on the duties at Great Lakes National Cemetary. All the cemetery roads are to be repaved, expansion plans may include space for an additional 3-4,000 casketed gravesites and 4-6,000 cremains. Another committal shelter and a maintenance garage are also planned to be built.
Fort Custer is in need of flag poles and additional flags.
Ft. Custer “Day of Remembrance” program is planned, May 28, 2023 @ 2 PM.
Great Lakes National Cemetery (GLNC) Memorial Day ceremony will be on May 28th @ 1 PM.
Tom Meinhardt reported that GLNC new total of interments since opening is 59,112, 1,781 this FY and 268 in April. GLNC will have a flag retirement ceremony on June 14, 2023 and they will have a golf outing fundraiser on August 26th.
Motion 1083/313 to donate $100.00 for the golf outing. Motion passed.
POW-MIA: 1,579 - RVN & surrounding SE Asia area.
Floyd reported in March that 8 WWII and 5 Korea remains have recently been identified. Floyd also did some research and found there are still 72,248 missing from WWII, 7,508 from Korea, 186 from the Cold War and 5 from the Gulf War. 81,500 is the total of American’s MIA.
Product Sales: John Riling is looking forward to the upcoming VVA National convention and then Kokomo in September. He will be staging an inventory counting party soon also.
PTSD / Veterans Health Care: Sandie Wilson announced that PTSD remains a major problem with all veteran age groups however the VA claims they can treat PTSD patients in 13 visits.
Veteran’s with asbestos related health issues should file a claim.
V.A.V.S.: Phil Smith and Tim Driscoll reported that COVID restrictions at most VA facilities have relaxed, no more masks. Individual and small group visits are generally permitted and encouraged. Weekly bingo games have also resumed. Monetary donations are always welcomed. Volunteer hours are down by 30%, probably due to the pandemic. Tim also announced that the Ann Arbor VAMC has room for an additional Fischer House facility to have 16 rooms. The Detroit VAMC plans to build a Fischer House which will have 26 rooms.
Tim said that Betty (VVA VSO) continues to get complements from vets he speaks with.
He also gave a shout out to Home Depot who helped his chapter with the Ypsilanti Veteran’s Memorial.
Veteran’s Benefits / Service Program: Gary Estermyer reported that we still have 14 accredited staff; 11 service officers, 2 admin. and 1 Director/CVSO. The hand-out of all our VSO’s contact and schedule information will soon be up on the MSC website and copies were available now.
Recoveries: FY21 – $13,925,883 FY22 - $15,721,015 FYTD - $11,218,931
February - $2,217,340 March - $2,286,107
Detroit RO, McNamara Building, 477 Michigan Avenue, Room 1226, Detroit 48226 is open
with appointments preferred (313) 961-9568 for hearings and face-to-face meetings.
Our service officers have been participating in many VA PACT Act events.
Gary also spoke about the Michigan property tax waiver change which now only applies on the homestead where the veteran lives or had resided if deceased.
Veteran’s Incarcerated and in the Justice System: Phil Smith reported there are now 28 Veterans Treatment Courts in MI and more are needed. One female veteran is in the program.
AVVA: Penny Meinhardt reported they are preparing for their National Convention in Orlando where all the officers will be elected. Each chapters’ AVVA representative will be recognized as a delegate at their convention. Penny will provide $300.00 for each delegate. Project Friendship donations will go to the National Birth Defects Registry in Orlando.
New Business: See www.vva.org for convention updates. Phil Smith also reported that applications for Veteran Of The Year are lagging. He asked the delegates to consider a member for consideration. He will also probably ask the Commanders Group for an extension to receive applications. He also will meet with Comerica Park personnel about enhancing the program.
AVVA & VVA upcoming meetings & events:
July 23, 2023 – VVA/AVVA general membership meeting hosted by Oakland Cty. Chapter 133,
*** 9:00 AM *** VFW Post 1008, 1690 Airport Road, Waterford, MI 48327
August 8-12, 2023 – 21st VVA National Convention, Rosen Centre
9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819
$122.50 – rooms $75.00 – registration Free parking
October 8, 2023 – VVA/AVVA general membership meeting hosted by Cheboygan Chap. 274
Chateau by Black Mountain, 10621 Twin Lakes Road, Cheboygan, MI
(231) 625-9322
December 3, 2023 – 10:00 AM - VVA/AVVA general membership meetings in Howell, MI
August 5-9, 2025 – National VVA Convention – New Orleans, LA, Marriott
Closing prayer Tom Meinhardt
Adjournment: 12:10 PM
Minutes taken by Secretary Gary Estermyer
Lodging in the Waterford, MI area:
American Inn & Suites Cass Lake Hotel Also check numerous hotels
7076 Highland Road 120 S. Telegraph Road in Clarkston & Auburn Hills
Waterford, MI 48327 Waterford, MI 48341 area
(248) 666-8555 (855) 516-1090
__________
F. O. Eagles Hall
Jackson Chapter 109
General Membership Meeting - March 12, 2023
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President John Riling, in Michigan Center, MI at 10:00 AM. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, a moment of silence was observed for the POW-MIAs and those serving in harm’s way with the opening prayer by Floyd Carmichael.
Approval of the Agenda: Motion by 310/154 to accept the agenda as printed, motion passed.
Approval of the minutes: Motion 154/109 to approve the minutes of 12/04/22, motion passed.
Introduction of guests: Tom Burke, National Vice President
Cheryl Gawne, DAR State Chair Commemorative Events
Chapter 109; Michael Finch, Bill Stoka(sp) and Edith of AVVA
Roll Call of Officers:
President John Riling - Present
Vice-President Ken Rogge – Present Secretary Gary Estermyer - Present
2nd Vice President Duke Mayo – Present Treasurer Floyd Carmichael - Present
Roll Call of Chapters: 9 Jack Devine P, 18 Tom Sibley A, 31 William Collins P,
73 Bob Elliot A, 109 John Gibbs P, 110 Ralph Sharp A, 133 Tom Romein A,
142 Michael Goode A, 154 Steve Bago P, 175 Joe Mishler E, 180 Joe Coullard E,
237 Jerry Cummings A, 259 Mike Goodpaster P, 264 Ronald Schrieber A, 267 Phil Smith P,
274 Duke Mayo P, 284 Dennis Bringard A, 287 David Huffman A, 310 Tim Driscoll P,
313 Terry Ivey P, 380 Vic Romback E, 387 A, 390 Charlie Martin A, 494 Ray Essenmacher A, 528 Gary Estermyer P, 571 Dennis Peterson A, 583 Wayne Trapp A, 882 Terry Frank E,
1047 Joe Prato A and 1083 Tom Meinhardt E
Present – 10 Absent – 15 Excused – 5 A quorum is present.
President’s Report (given after Treasurer report): John welcomed everyone to the Eagles hall in Michigan Center for this meeting. He thanked Jackson 109 for hosting and the Eagles personnel for providing the meeting space. John reported that VVA BOD has approved the MOU with ClearTrust Claims LLP. Mr. Geoffrey Bestor of CTC has offered to represent VVA members with their asbestos claims and only charging a 10% fee. This class action lawsuit is independent of VA claims. Mr. Bestor has offered to travel to Michigan maybe in June or July to personally train our service officers on asbestos claims. John attended the CSCP and National BOD meetings the weekend of January 18-21, 2023, as well as chairing the National Veterans Benefit Program meetings. Gary Estermyer serves as secretary of the VBP committee. John also reported that the law firm Bergman & Moore has entered a co-counsel agreement with Beasley Allen Law Firm to offer their service and advice to VVA members regarding the PACT Act / Camp Lejeune water contamination class action lawsuit.
VetsVOA is still on hold pending accreditation from OGC.
VVA National will have a tent near the Mall during the DOD 50th events from May 11-13, 2023, www.vietnamwar50th.com. There will be displays, exhibits, entertainment at the event.
It was mentioned that the Space Force is underrepresented at times. A Space Force flag should be added to the other branches on display. On March 22 John had attended the Dearborn South unofficial VVA meeting in Florida. John also reported he has various office furniture and equipment for sale to a good home.
On the Region 5 front, John and Mike Goodpaster had just traveled to Illinois for their state council meeting. John is exploring the option of holding individual state pre-convention meetings instead of holding one weekend meeting for all the Region 5 states.
John also suggested our members should consider becoming dual VVA/AVVA members, which is $50 lifetime and includes voting rights at AVVA meetings.
1st Vice-President’s Report
Ken Rogge announced that MSC is now working with new website management which is much more user friendly. Under the new system Ken noted there has been 43 visits to the site for the month of February. Check out the updates Ken has been working on, www.vvamsc.org. Ken continues to welcome chapter input. The “Vietnam Veterans Michigan Foundation, Inc. (VVMFI) is open for accepting applications for assistance and Ken has a page on the website for the Foundation. MOTION by 259/267 to donate $5,000.00 to the Foundation from the MSC general fund, motion passed.
2nd Vice-President’s report: Duke Mayo announced that his chapter Cheboygan 274 would like to host the October 2023 meeting. MOTION by 274/310 to hold the October 8 meeting at The Chateau by Black Lake, motion passed. Duke continues to reach out to northern chapters and those in the UP, some of which we haven’t seen in years. John Gibbs reported he has been in contact with some veterans in the Lansing area who have expressed interest in re-forming a chapter. John will investigate further.
Secretary's Report
Gary Estermyer reported that according to his records there will be 24 chapters holding their elections next month in April. Gary had emailed and mailed blank chapter election and finance reports to all those chapters. Copies of the forms are available today also. Chapters not holding elections this year (they are on a 2-year cycle) are; 9, 109, 133, 284, 882 and 1083. As the delegates should know, the official deadline for filing both of these reports to National and MSC is July 15, 2023.
Gary will be updating the chapter contact list as reports are received. Feel free to bring a copy of your chapter reports to our next meeting on May 21, 2023, in Battle Creek.
Treasurer's Report: Floyd Carmichael reviewed the finance report dated 12/05/22 – 03/05/23. He had transferred $20,000 from the General Fund to the VSO account due to the State being slow in their monthly processing. He also has received funds the car program. VVMFI balance is now over $17K. The SC bills are being paid in a timely manner and the monthly deposits from National and random donations continue. Floyd reminded the delegates that all chapters need to submit their finance report annually to the State Council and to National by July 15.
If your chapter treasurer has questions simply contact Floyd at
The MSC will again be offering the National Convention grants in 2023, without objection the amount will be increased to $750.00. Floyd has the application and it’s on the website.
National VVA Vice President: Tom Burke and his spouse Robin had also attended the Illinois state council meeting and decided to double down and attend our meeting also. Tom reported that VVA National President Jack McManus has scheduled, April 20th, an all day SC presidents and directors meeting to discuss the future of VVA. Tom personally thinks we (VVA) have maybe 3 more effective conventions to conduct our business. The aging veteran community has many issues to deal with. Tom and many of us are attending an increasing number of funerals.
Tom has read some national statistics that state approximately 1,500 Vietnam veterans die each month in the U.S... The dissolution plan of 2019 speaks to many relevant issues however Household Goods fundraiser and staff issues were not addressed. National VVA is now starting to exert some pressure on OGC to approve accreditation of VetsVOA which will be an option for VVA POA’s in the future. OGC finds it intriguing that VVA is the only organization that has endorsed a new entity to transition it’s benefit program in the future.
Tom is involved in the National VVA budget conversation which is also extremely important.
Tom emphasized the importance of the upcoming National Convention in August 2023. He encouraged all chapters to send their delegates. Check www.vva.org for convention details.
National At-Large Director: Sandie Wilson also reported the importance of delegates expressing their opinions on the future of VVA. It is hoped there will be answers to the questions of VVA chapters and state councils being able to continue their work even after the National level closes. Sandie mentioned that all VVA chapters have their own EIN number. Chapters should begin to consider what issues are important to them.
National essentially believes veteran benefits and legislative advocacy are very important. POW-MIA has always been a top priority for VVA but how important is it today?
Announcements
John Gibbs (109) announced his chapter will be holding an open house on Mar. 29th and they will be holding a raffle on April 29th. .
Mike Schnieder (154) announced his chapter will feature their Traveling Wall, a pinning ceremony along with a DAR presentation on March 29th.
Mike Goodpaster (259) announced his chapter will have a ceremony at the Wyandotte Vietnam Veteran Memorial with speakers, Canadian Vietnam veterans and a DAR presentation on 3/29.
Phil Smith (267) announced his chapter is planning their 21st Annual Dinner Dance.
Tim Driscoll (310) announced his chapter will participate with the Ann Arbor VAMC event on the 29th. Most VA hospitals will also have events honoring Vietnam veterans.
John Riling announced that IL has an Unknown Soldiers display from Rome, GA.
Cheryl Gawne, DAR Special MI Commemorative Event Coordinator then made her presentation to MSC. John Riling accepted the DOD Partnership Award from her.
Committee Reports
Constitution/Bylaws: Gary Estermyer announced that he is withdrawing his proposed MSC bylaw amendment relating to the Election Committee.
Instead, he will now present 2 motions for the delegates to vote on, one after the other.
MOTION 1 – Effective immediately to make the Election Committee Chair an elected position.
2 votes for, 9 votes against, motion failed.
MOTION 2 – Effective immediately to make the Election Committee Chair an appointed position. 10 votes for, 0 votes against, motion passed.
Without objection President John Riling appointed Jack Devine as Election Committee Chair.
Gary then presented a National Convention proposed amendment.
To insert language in Article II, Section 6, A and/or Article II, Section 8 … “The state council president may appoint the Election Committee Chair as with all the other committee chairs, without objection.”
The delegates voted 11-0 to approve moving this proposal forward.
Finance Report: Floyd reported that the Smile.Amazon donation program has ended, effective on Feb. 20, 2023, however we should expect one more donation.
Fundraising
Duke Mayo spoke about a Cabela’s gift card or cash raffle fundraiser. He suggests a top prize of $500.00. Duke recommends that for each $5.00 ticket sold $1.00 would go to the sellers chapter. It is imperative that chapter support (selling & buying tickets) is crucial for a successful raffle. The delegates voted to support this fundraiser. Duke plans to have the drawing date at our October 8, 2023 meeting in Cheboygan.
Government Affairs
Jack Devine reported on the upcoming MVAA Leadership Summit to be held May 3-5, 2023, in Traverse City. There will be 9 sessions, which include; Keynote speaker, Veterans Benefits, Networking with Veteran Service Providers, Working with your Legislators, Aiming for Zero (suicide prevention), What’s Next, VEO & Building Communities, Underserved Veteran Populations in Michigan (The Big Picture) and Aligning Focus (Building veteran-friendly communities). MOH recipient James C. McCloughan will also speak.
Jack also spoke about the Legislative Priority packet he co-produced on behalf of the Commanders Group. This informational packet will be presented to the MI Senate and House Veteran Affairs Committee members and all the MSC delegates. One important bragging right is the fact that for the $4.25 million received from the State grant the Coalition has returned $660 million in recoveries in the State! The Coalition is also pushing for a rollover clause of the state grant money. The current state veteran homes are located in Grand Rapids, Chesterfield Twp., Marquette (plans to rebuild), Detroit (future plans to build) and Traverse City/Clare area (future plans to build). There are also plans to seek a Federal cemetery in Crawford County and perhaps in the Upper Peninsula in the future. We also support hyperbaric health care, keeping the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund strong and functioning and reviewing the Michigan Vietnam Veteran Bonus act.
Membership
Ken Rogge gave this report based on the recent National Membership Affairs report; 89,486 total VVA membership, 12,061 in Region 5, 4,874 in Michigan.
Chapter 154 is now in 5th place nationwide and the only MI chapter in the top 25.
Dual AVVA/VVA memberships are slowly climbing towards 700.
Missing In America
Phil Smith reported that he now has four unclaimed veteran cremains in his possession that will be honored in the Dearborn Memorial Day parade, May 29, 9:30 AM. The Great Lakes National Cemetery ceremonies will take place 1 week after Memorial Day.
National Cemetery
Floyd Carmichael reported a current total of 42,925 burials at Ft. Custer. Ft. Custer has a new director, Andre Logan. All the cemetery roads are to be repaved, expansion plans may include space for an additional 3-4,000 casketed gravesites and 4-6,000 cremains. Another committal shelter and a maintenance garage are also planned to be built. Floyd has retired from their Honor Guard with over 5,500 volunteer hours but will still serve on their Advisory Board. Floyd will also now volunteer on Tuesday’s in the front office answering the phone. Ft. Custer “Day of Remembrance” program is planned, May 28, 2023 @ 2 PM.
Great Lakes National Cemetery (GLNC) Memorial Day ceremony will be on May 28th @ 1 PM.
POW-MIA
1,581 - RVN & surrounding SE Asia area.
Floyd reported that 8 WWII and 5 Korea remains have recently been identified. Floyd also did some research and found there are still 72,248 missing from WWII, 7,508 from Korea, 186 from the Cold War and 5 from the Gulf War. 81,500 is the total of American’s MIA.
There was recent news that the National POW-MIA League of Families was going to disband.
However, they did in fact receive a sizeable donation to allow them to continue.
Product Sales: John Riling is looking forward to the upcoming VVA National convention and he is also seeking design suggestions for a new MSC challenge coin.
PTSD / Veterans Health Care
Sandie Wilson announced that PTSD remains a major problem with all veteran age groups. Sandie also reported the VA has plans to open women veteran health clinics.
V.A.V.S
Phil Smith and Tim Driscoll reported that COVID issues (masking required) still persist at most VA facilities, so most group volunteer efforts/activities are on hold. Individual visits are generally permitted and encouraged. Volunteer hours should still be submitted to him and donations to Volunteer Services are always welcomed. Tim also announced that the Ann Arbor VAMC has room for an additional Fischer House facility to have 16 rooms. The Detroit VAMC plans to build a Fischer House which will have 26 rooms.
Veteran’s Benefits / Service Program
Gary Estermyer reported that we still have 14 accredited staff; 11 service officers, 2 admin. and 1 Director/CVSO. The hand-out of all our VSO’s contact and schedule information will soon be up on the MSC website and copies were available now.
Recoveries: FY21 – $13,925,883 FY22 - $15,721,015
Oct. - $1,517,109 Nov. - $1,468,864 Dec. - $1,551,213 Jan. - $2,178,298
Detroit RO, McNamara Building, 477 Michigan Avenue, Room 1226, Detroit 48226 is open
with appointments preferred (313) 961-9568 for hearings and face-to-face meetings.
Our service officers have been participating with the VA at PACT Act events.
Gary also spoke about the Michigan property tax waiver change which now only applies on the homestead where the veteran lives or had resided if deceased. Michigan is still assisting IL veterans until VVA National hires someone to take over.
Veteran’s Incarcerated and in the Justice System
Phil Smith reported there are now 28 Veterans Treatment Courts in Michigan and more are needed.
AVVA
Betty Pike reported they are preparing for their National Convention in Orlando where all the officers will be elected. Each chapters’ AVVA representative will be recognized as a delegate at their convention. Treasurer Floyd Carmichael made a motion (from the Executive Committee) to donate $2,000.00 to MI AVVA to help offset convention expenses. Motion passed.
New Business
See www.vva.org for convention updates
AVVA & VVA Upcoming Meetings & Events
April 20-23, 2023 – National VVA BOD & CSCP meeting, Silver Spring, MD
8777 Georgia Avenue, DoubleTree
May 3-5, 2023 – MVAA Leadership Summit, Traverse City, MI VFW hall
May 11-13, 2023 – DOD Vietnam 50th event, DC, www.vietnamwar50th.com
May 21, 2023 – 10:00 AM - MSC/AVVA General Membership meeting
American Legion Post 257 Battle Creek Chap. 313
7475 B Drive North Battle Creek, MI
June / July 2023 – Region 5 pre-convention meetings, in OH, IN, IL
July 2023 – VVA/AVVA general membership meeting (date & location TBD, Howell?)
August 8-12, 2023 – 21st VVA National Convention, Rosen Centre
9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819
$122.50 – rooms $75.00 – registration Free parking
October 8, 2023 – VVA/AVVA general membership meeting in Cheboygan
The Chateau by Black Lake lodge
August 5-9, 2025 – National VVA Convention – New Orleans, LA, Marriott
Closing prayer Floyd Carmichael
Adjournment: 12:55 PM
Minutes taken by Secretary Gary Estermyer
Lodging in the Battle Creek, MI area:
Fairfield Inn Red Roof Inn Holiday Inn
4665 Beckley Road 5050 Beckley Road 12812 Harper Village Drive
Battle Creek, MI 49015 Battle Creek, MI 49015 Battle Creek, MI 49014
269.979.8000 269.979.1100 269.979.0500