- The meeting was held at Mikeska’s BBQ, El Campo, TX.
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There were 54 members & guests present, along with 8 spouses in attendance. Total attendance of 62!
This is a new record attendance for our chapter, beating last month's record total attendance of 47.
Thanks to all of you for attending our monthly meetings.
- President Leonard Sternadel declared the meeting open at 1900 hours and the following business was transacted.
- The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag was recited and a prayer was said. The "Mansions of the Lord" video hymn was also shown on the chapter's projector. For those who may not be aware, this is the same hymn that was played in the 2002 Vietnam War film called "We Were Soldiers". The movie dramatizes the Battle of "Ia Drang", fought on November 14, 1965 during the early stages of the Vietnam War. The film was directed by Randall Wallace and stars Mel Gibson, playing the part of Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore. It is based on the book "We Were Soldiers Once… And Young", written by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and newspaper reporter, Joseph L. Galloway, both of whom were at the battle. Someone took the hymn music and combined both visual photos and lyrics into a short video. It is a very touching video that all of us Vietnam Veterans can relate to and so we do play it at every chapter meeting following the Chaplain's prayer. CLICK HERE to watch the "Mansions of the Lord" video on YouTube And if you want to watch the documentary video about the "Ia Drang" battle, narrated by Joe Galloway himself, use the link below to access the YouTube video and to read the details of the battle. The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between regulars of the United States Army and regulars of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN / NVA) of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The two-part battle took place between November 14 and November 18, 1965, at two landing zones (LZs) northwest of Plei Me in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam (approximately 35 miles south-west of Pleiku) as part of the U.S. airmobile offensive codenamed Operation Silver Bayonet. The battle derives its name from the Drang River which runs through the valley northwest of Plei Me, in which the engagement took place. Ia (ia) means "river" in the local Montagnard language. CLICK HERE to watch the Ia Drang battle documentary video on YouTube
- President Sternadel informed the group that Nick and Gerry Mikeska had donated the BBQ supper to all members who attended the meeting. VVA Chapter 1069 wants to thank Nick and Gerry Mikeska for this kind gesture and for ALL the Veteran support they provide for the local community. Please be sure to thank Nick or Gerry the next time you see them!
- The meeting was recessed for the meal and reconvened at 1935.
- Sternadel then introduced two new Vietnam Veteran guests as possible chapter member candidates.
- The minutes of the last meeting were approved as presented.
- The Chapter Christmas Party will held on Wednesday, the 10th of December! This is our normal monthly meeting time, however, there will not be a meeting included in the party this year! YEA! Social hour will be starting at 6:00 PM and the meal served at 7:00 PM. This year Mikeska's will be serving us roast beef. If you were not at Wednesday's meeting, then you were not able to sign up (RSVP) for the party. Please contact Diane Neumann to make reservations - I've included her email address and phone number in the meeting report notification email that I sent out earlier. Make sure you contact her as we need to have an accurate head count of all those attending the party! Note that you and your spouse's meal will be paid for by the chapter. You are allowed 1 guest, however, YOU must pay for your guest's meal.
- Sternadel informed the members that the chapter we will be kicking off our annual chapter fundraising raffle for 2015 - NOW! The reason for this early-start is that "5" new AR rifles have been recently donated to our chapter to be used as fundraiser raffle items for our 2015 chapter fundraising project. And because of laws regulating the time the rifles can be held in storage (at the gun shop), we need to start the fundraiser project now so that it is completed by March of 2015. The current plan is that the drawing will be held in March of 2015 at our monthly chapter meeting. The raffle tickets will be printed this month and will be ready for initial distribution to chapter members at the December Christmas party. If anyone wants to donate additional items for the raffle, please contact Leonard ASAP. Let's make this raffle as successful as our last.
- The El Campo Christmas Parade will be held on Thursday, December 4th this year and our chapter will be again preparing a
parade float and participating in the parade. He also asked the members if any of them would like the chapter to participate
in any events in their own home towns – none replied. If you are interested in helping with the float preparation, please meet
at James Kulcak’s machine shop (Compression Specialties, 1210 West Jackson Street, 979-543-0025), in El Campo, on Thursday,
December 4, after lunch. See map below. We will prepare the float during the afternoon, and then move the float over to the
parade area later in the evening. Some members have volunteered to bring snacks and drinks - no alcohol please. Come on out
for an afternoon and evening of fun and camaraderie with fellow chapter members!
CLICK HERE to see pictures of last year's parade activities
- Wharton County VSO, Dwight Winkler, gave a short presentation to the membership regarding VA benefits. He reminded the
Chapter to be sure and see him first regarding replacement medals or ribbons. He also stated that guidelines for the 40 mile
travel reimbursement were forthcoming; that Liberty Tax Service would be helping veterans with their taxes; that Everyday
Heroes would provide funding for ramps for wheelchairs and scooters (contractors for the construction are needed); he concluded
with an overview of a
HANDOUT SHEET
for Service Connected Disabled Veterans regarding benefits based on the percentage of disability.
Click on link below to view or print the handout. Dwight Winkler, the Wharton County Veterans Service Officer (VSO), then gave
a presentation on Veterans benefits.
CLICK HERE to View or Print Dwight's Handout Sheet (PDF)
CLICK HERE to view Dwight's VSO home page
CLICK HERE to visit the Texas Veterans Commission home page
Note that Dwight again setup his entire VSO shop at this meeting to help chapter members with their VA benefits issues and questions. See photo below.
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Leonard reminded everyone, that The Vietnam Traveling Wall will be back in El Campo, the week of July 16-20, 2015!
(below photo is courtesy of chapter member, Paul Francoeur, taken 3 years ago when the Traveling Wall came to town)
Saturday, July 18th, the 3rd day of the 5-day event, has been designated as “Our” day, meaning the whole day has been
reserved by event planners, so that our VVA chapter can pretty much do whatever we feel should be done to properly
welcome and show honor for "The Wall".
Leonard is really excited and passionate about the Traveling Wall coming to El Campo in 2015 and is dedicated to making sure that
our chapter plays its part in honoring the memorial by a large showing of our membership. And he hopes all of you
realize the importance of this Vietnam memorial coming to our local area. He has requested that all chapter members
reserve Saturday the 18th of 2015 on their calendars, as we will need everyone to attend the morning ceremony and help
out during the day with other event tasks. Again note that we will also need volunteers to help with setting up the Wall
on the day it arrives in El Campo, on Thursday, July 16th.
There will also be a parade in El Campo on Thursday the 16th to honor the arrival of the Traveling Wall. It will be accompanied
by a large motorcycle entourage. We will not participate in the parade, but will instead be waiting at the school site
where the Traveling Wall components will be delivered, and we as a group will help assemble and setup the Traveling Wall.
A true honor indeed! More details regarding the event and our chapter participation duties, will be presented to the
membership as the July 2015 date draws near.
REMEMBER MEN - This is "our" Vietnam War Memorial and we should all be proud and feel an obligation to ensure that this
Vietnam War Memorial is properly honored during its time in El Campo. Let's all pull together to make sure that this event
is a huge success!
And although the Traveling Wall came to El Campo 3 years ago, and some of our current members did attend the memorial ceremony,
(photo above & below - courtesy of Paul Francoeur) we were not a formally formed VVA chapter at that time and so
were not able to show our support as an fully organized Vietnam Veterans chapter. And so 3 years later, we now have
70+ members! So, this is our chance to really shine by participating in this Vietnam memorial event, and in full force!
Below are some of events and tasks that Leonard plans for our chapter members to participate in during the 5 days
that the Traveling wall will be in El Campo.
Please contact Leonard for any questions, suggestions or comments you may have regarding our participation in this
Vietnam memorial event.
- Leonard came up with the idea to display 17 small aluminum Crosses in front of the Wall, each one representing a local area soldier that was killed in the Vietnam War. Much thanks goes out to Chapter member, James Kulcak for his help in designing the cross & stand assembly and getting the crosses built.
- On Saturday, one of the day's ceremonial events is in the planning and provides for red roses to be ceremonially placed (by our chapter members) at each of the 17 small aluminum Crosses.
- On Thursday evening, after the Wall has been assembled, a ceremony to post the Colors at the head of the Wall. A Color Guard, composed of several chapter members, will raise the U.S. and P.O.W. flags. A local business has volunteered to provide lighting and a portable generator so that the flagpole is properly lit during the night.
- On Saturday, an honor guard ceremony, in which several of our chapter members have volunteered to participate in.
- On Saturday, A 21-Gun Salute provided by the local Wharton-based Americal Legion.
- On Thursday, our chapter members being present on the day of the arrival of the Traveling Wall and helping assemble and setup up the Wall.
- On Saturday, additional volunteers will be needed to help with other Wall-related tasks - more details to come.
- Clothing to wear at the event - Leonard made it very clear that he did not want our members to spend any additional money on clothing to wear at the event, but would like for us be in a common uniform attire. He said that a white shirt and jeans will do along with the Chapter's official tan VVA cap. And for those of you who have one, he would also like for you to wear the chapter's official tan vest.
- On Saturday, after the formal ceremonies have concluded, a social gathering (sponsored by our chapter) is being planned to be held at Mikeska's BBQ on the highway, in the same room we have our monthly meetings. Vietnam Veterans who attended the ceremony, will be invited over to Mikeska's. We will need volunteers to help out at this social. Note that if those who attend wish to eat lunch at the social, will pay for their meal - the chapter is not providing free meals. We do plan to setup our chapter's projector and run a variety of slides showing events and projects that our chapter members have been involved with.
- On Saturday, during the ceremony, "Echo Taps" will be played - The chapter has already contacted the individuals who will perform the Taps.
- On Saturday, during the ceremony, the National Anthem will be sung by a local volunteer - The chapter has already contacted the individual (Lady) who will sing the Anthem.
- On every day of the event, we will most likely need some level of volunteer support to 'man' the Traveling Wall area in order to provide any help, guidance, general information to the public attending and viewing the Traveling Wall. And we're sure there will be questions that the public will ask regarding the Wall and Vietnam War. This will be a great opportunity for all chapter members to mix and mingle with the visitors, some of which may be Vietnam Veterans who have traveled from out of town to view the Wall.
- We will also be setting up and manning some sort of Chapter display booth, something similiar to the tent & booth we had setup for the Veterans Benefits Fair, that was held back in August in El Campo. We will need volunteers to 'man' this booth on Saturday.
- We are also thinking of providing some sort of Vietnam memorabilia display for the public, something similiar to the display we had at last year's Chapter Christmas party. If anyone has some suggestions or thoughts on this idea, please contact Leonard or bring it up at the next chapter meeting.
The Traveling Wall is a 3/5 scale of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC, it stands six feet tall at the center and covers almost 300 feet from end to end. It stands as a reminder of the great sacrifices made during the Vietnam War. It was made for the purpose of helping heal and rekindle friendships and to allow people the opportunity to visit loved ones in their home town who otherwise may not be able to make the trip to Washington. Click on the image to the left to visit the online Traveling Wall website.
The online "Virtual Wall" has memorial pages honoring the 58,272 women and men who are named on "The Wall", the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, USA; those military persons who gave the "ultimate sacrifice" for their country. The nifty thing about this website is that you can do a search for a particilar individual whose name is on the Wall, and it will show you what panel and row the name is actually located on. Click on the image to the left to visit the online Virtual Wall.
Based in Washington, D.C., VVMF (the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) is the nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1980 to build a national memorial dedicated to all who served with the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. Incorporated on April 27, 1979 by a group of veterans led by Jan C. Scruggs, the organization sought a tangible symbol of recognition from the American people for those who served in the war. Click on the image to the left to visit the online VVMF website.
- At the meeting, another chapter member, Dwight Winkler, was added into the Chapter Membership Bio & Photo Album
(see photo below). For those of you wishing to participate in the Bio & Photo project or wanting more information,
please contact chapter member, Bob Supak. We are hoping to have at least 10 more chapter members added into the album
by the time the December Christmas party arrives.
- The "GI Joe/GI Jane Care Package Drive" needs help on November 22nd – please meet at Prosperity Bank in El Campo at 9:00 AM if you can help.
- Sternadel announced that more of the new tan chapter vests were on order and that some were still available in our
current stock. See example photos below of the chapter vest. Please contact chapter member, James
Kulcak, or come to a chapter meeting if you're interested in purchasing one of these vests. We now have vests
available for purchase at the meetings! The cost to each member is ONLY $20 - A really great deal! Many members have
already purchased one of these vests and are starting to wear them to our monthly meetings. It would really be great
if all our membership could wear this vest when attending special Chapter functions or events as a group. And one very
special upcoming event will be when the Vietnam War Traveling Wall comes to El Campo next year.
- Sternadel also reminded all members that the green winter wind-breaker jackets were still available for ordering.
See example photos below of Ed's jacket. The cost for the windbreaker jackets are about $100.00 each. Contact chapter
member, Ed Kulcak, if you are interested in purchasing one. Be sure to provide Ed with the exact wording (on a sheet
of paper) that you want on the front and back of your jacket.
- Applications for the Wharton County VSO position will be reviewed next week by the hiring review board. Hopefully, a replacement for our current VSO, Dwight Winkler, will be on board by the end of December. And remember, Dwight will still be available for our members after he retires from the County VSO position.
- Sternadel then stated that McCoy’s Building Supply has recently adopted the policy of providing all veterans with a 10% discount on any purchase – no questions asked. GO MCCOY’S!!!!
- Three complimentary artery screenings became available and were given out at the meeting.
- Sternadel then informed the membership that chapter member, John Bubela, was very ill, and asked everyone to please keep him and his family in your prayers.
- Sternadel then announced that Vietnam veteran Stephen Brady and his spouse Laurie have officially transferred their Houston VVA Chapter membership over to Chapter 1069. Stephen and Laurie have become good friends of chapter 1069 over the past year, and frequently attending our monthly chapter meetings and various chapter events. Chapter 1069 welcomes them into our chapter! Note that Stephen has recently been elected to the Secretary position of the VVA Texas State Council (TSC) and does frequently email TSC, VVA & VA related information & updates on to our chapter membership.
- Sternadel stated that he and Dana had visited the "Xena Project" (an organization for helping
disabled veterans) during their "Open Wellness Day" event. The Xena Project itself is located in
Beasley, TX. Contact information and a link to the Xena Project website is shown below.
Jan Shultis
CLICK HERE for information regarding the Xena Horse project
Executive Director, The Xena Project
Owner, All Xena's Horses, LLC
Beasley (Houston area), Texas
Cell: (619) 415-1440
- There being no further business, President Sternadel declared the meeting adjourned at 2100.
