Rochester New York
TOGETHER THEN...TOGETHER NOW
November 2007Issue 106
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., Chapter 20
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photo by Joanne Peck
5Share theWarmth
6State Council
Meeting Report
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Pres
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Hope everyone had a greatmonth; weather’s changing andturkey day is just around the cor-ner. When you read this we willhavemadeourtriptoWashington,DC,forthe25thCelebrationoftheVietnam Veterans Memorial. Weall need to thankourMouseDickOleksyn for ANOTHER great joband all those who made the tripwithus. Thelasttwomembershipmeet-ings,inSeptem-ber and Octo-ber,had a greatturnout withover50inatten-danceateach.Iwanttokeepthemomentum go-ing and will belookingforwaysto make themeetings betterandalittlemorefun.Ifyouhaveany suggestionsplease feel freeto call me andletmeknow. AttheOcto-berboardmeet-ingwevotedtodonate $3000totheNewYorkCouncil of theVietnam Veter-ans of Americatohelpwiththefunding of theVeteransServiceOfficersprogram.NYStatecouncilprovides Chief Service Officers todoclaimworkintheregionalofficesinNewYorkCityandBuffaloNY,andwiththeirfundinglowandtheprogramsoimportanttoveteransitwastherightthingtodo. AsforfinancesintheChapter,wearenowdoingokandarefinan-cially sound, thanks in big part toour executive committee making
some hard cuts and the ChapterLLCboardheadedbyRichIsamandoinganincrediblejobatthethriftstore.Thankstoall. OnOctober14MaxLill,hiswifeandIattendedthe75thAnniversarydinnerfortheDavidKaufmanJew-ish War Veterans Post. Our ownLarry Schulman, National Com-manderoftheJewishWarVeterans,wasthekeynotespeakeralongwiththe State Commander Jason Kaatz
and others; itwasawonderfultimeandagreatbunch of veter-ans.Ifoundoutwhat may bea little knownfact, that thepostwasnamedafter the greatuncle of ourown member,and member ofeverything be-causehe’ssoac-tiveintheveter-an community,LeeKaufman. Let’s re-member ouryoung menand womenin harm’s waytoday as we re-member thosewhostillremainPOWorMIA. K e e pyour challenge
coinonyourperson.Lastmeetingsevenpeoplemadethe“WALKOFSHAME,” led by your own presi-dent who holds the record of firstcaught without it on the night wehanded them out. (Sandra Dee,thanks,I’llgetyouback.) Till next month remember,“TOGETHERTHENTOGETH-ERNOW.”
KenMoore
meetingsVVA Chapter 20 Board MeetingsSee page 7 for meeting attendance.• November 5, 2007• December 3, 2007
Membership Meetings2nd Thursday of the Month, beginning at 7:30 pm. All meetings are held at the Ira Jacobson American Legion Post, 90 St. John’s Park, unless otherwise noted.• November 8, 2007• No December Meeting
Membership Meeting AttendanceOctober 11, 2007Joe Swystun, Larry Schulman, Bruce & Nancy VanApeldoorn, Rusty Kurtz, Lee Reisinger, Ken & Sandy Moore, Tom Puff, Jack Madigan, Dick Oleksyn, Joe & LuAnn Peck, Hank Wallace, Joe Harkness, Dick & Diane McDermott, James Sexton, Skip O’Brien, Pete Galle, Pat Marianetti, Gail Bologna Melens, Ray Melens, Dan Corona, Bob Harder, Phil Nasca, Mike Kelly, Gary Schojan, Fred Elliott, Marie Davias, I. Gurbe, Joe Durham, John Hrankowski, David Crawford, Glen Peck, Pat Pudetti, Craig Wirth, Lee Kauffman, Ted Wilkinson, Cecil Young, Nick DeLeo, Ron Trovato, Mike Sanfilippo, Skip Snell, Ken Allocco, Chuck Macaluso, Gary Redlinski, Bud Hemmerick, Rich Isaman, Mick Cole, Tom Emerson, Steve Mros, Gordon Williams, Russell Chimecd, Max Lill
supportchapter 20!
At the October board meeting we
voted to donate $3000 to the New
York Council of the Vietnam Veterans
of America to help with the funding of the Veterans Service Officers program...With their funding
low and the program so important to
veterans it was the right thing to do.
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Front and CenterMarching UnitRay Melens, Commander
Allhasbeen relativelyquiet formembersoftheMarchingUnitandHonorGuard. Sincemyreport in lastmonth’sBTL,membersoftheHonorGuarddid partake in a ceremony on Fri-day,September21stforPOW/MIARecognition Day. Unlike the past10consecutiveyearswherewetrav-eledtoWashington,DCtoconductservicesattheWallandatArlingtonNationalCemetery,thisyearwepar-tookinceremoniesatthePOW/MIAMemorialinCharlotte.Sothatevery-one is aware, this ceremony is con-ductedannuallybymembersof theformerPOW/MIAMarathonteam.So,whetherTheHonorGuardisintownornot,ourmembersshouldbeattending this ceremony and show-ingoursupportforafullaccountingofallourPOW/MIAs.MembersoftheFairportVFW’sColorGuardandriflesquadweretherealsotopartake.WreathswereplacedandhonorwaspaidtosomeformerPOWsthatwereinattendance.Icannotsayenough,“If we as veterans don’t rememberourPOW/MIAs,thenwhowill?” Then on Saturday, October13th,membersoftheHonorGuardwerepresentat theannualDiabetesWalk.We were asked to be presentwithcolorsfortheplayingoftheNa-tionalAnthematthestartandtoleadthewalkersontheirway.No,wedidnotwalktheroutewiththewalkers.We got them started and then thatwasitforus.Itwasimportantforustobeapartofthisfundraiserforoneimportant reason. Many VietnamVeteranstodaysufferfromtheeffectsof diabetes.Whether it’s Agent Or-angerelatedorotherwise,itwasim-portantthatweshowoursupportinthiscause. That’sallthat’sbeengoingonasofthiswritingfortheMarchingUnitand Honor Guard. Now for some
MU/HGupcomingevents. ThisyearforVeteransDay,ama-jorityoftheMarchingUnitmemberswill be in Washington, DC for the25th anniversary of the Wall. Fearnot,fortherestillwillbeaceremonylocallyonVeteransDayattheViet-namVeteransMemorialinHighlandPark.Thisyear’sservicewillbecon-
This year for Veterans Day, a majority of the Marching Unit
members will be in Washington, DC for the 25th anniversary
of the Wall. Fear not, for there still
will be a ceremony locally on Veterans
Day at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Highland Park. This year’s service will be conducted
by Tom Puff. I am asking all Marching Unit members that
are not going to Washington for
the 25th to please contact Tom right away at 458-7465.
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ducted by TomPuff. I amaskingallMarchingUnitmembers thatare not going toWashington forthe25thtopleasecontactTomrightawayat458-7465.TomandhiswifeSuearetemporar-ily staying withhisbrotherRay,sodon’tbesurprisedwhen someoneelse answers thephone.Tomneedsas many MUmembers as he can muster so hecan make sure that our 280 Broth-ersenshrinedtherearenotforgottenon Veterans Day. Many thanks goto Tom for graciously volunteeringtoholdtheseceremoniesandalsotorepresent Chapter 20 at the annualserviceconductedattheWarMemo-rialindowntownRochester. Anotherupcoming event that Itouchedon a littlebit in theprevi-ousparagraphisthebustriptoournation’scapitalforthecelebrationofthe25thanniversaryoftheWall.It’sreallyhard to imagine that it’sbeen25 years already since the Wall hasbeen dedicated. Many members oftheMarchingUnit&HonorGuardwillbeonthistrip. I know that many of the Ma-rineswill be going to the Iwo JimaMemorial on Saturday, November10th for the annual ceremony con-ductedbytheMarinesincelebrationofthe232ndBirthdayoftheMarineCorps. If you have never seen thisceremony,youowe it toyourself tomakeitapointtotraveltoDCsomeyearandwitnessit.Itistrulyanawe-someevent. Laterthatday,someofuswillgotoArlingtonNationalCemeteryandplacewreathsatthegravesofthreeofour localMIAswhoseremainshave
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beenrepatriatedthere. We willvisitandpayourrespects to RexDeWispelaere,John Crowley,andJamesWid-ener. We willnot forget ourPOW/MIA’s. There willalso be a 4-5hour long pa-rade of variousChapters andother veteranorganizationson Saturday af-
ternoon.ThenonSundaycomesthemajorevent,theserviceonVeteransDayhonoringour58,000+brothersandsistersthatareforeverenshrinedon that black granite wall. I’m surenextmonth’sissueoftheBTLwillbefullofreportsandpicturesfromthismonumentaloccasion. The Honor Guard will not bemeetingbeforetheNovembermem-bershipmeeting.AnynewmembersthatwishtojoineithertheMarchingUnitorHonorGuardarejustaskedtogetintouchwithmeatanymeet-ing or to just givemeacall. Until nextmonth……….ATEASE!!!!!!!
POW/MIAGail Bologna-Mel-ens, Chairperson
It’s Novemberalready.Wheredidthis year go? Yetwhen I look backat the past elevenmonths so muchwas accomplished.TheChapterwasverybusy. Now we are going to celebrateVeterans Day, the Marine Corps
birthday and the 25th anniversaryof theVietnamVeteransWallall inWashington, DC. This should befabulous,awholebusfullofChapter20membersandfamilyandfriends.Thank you to Dick Oleksyn, ourChapter20travelagent. We did not go toWashington,DC for POW-MIA RemembranceDay in September. Instead we hadtheDignityMemorialWallhereforustodoourceremonyat.Butwewillmake a trip to Arlington NationalCemeterywhenweareinDCinNo-vembertorememberourthreelocalsoldierswhoareentombedthere. We are still waiting for an ac-counting and closure for 1,768 USpersonnelstillmissingfromthewarinVietnam. Wedohavesixnewnamesthathavebeenaccountedfor.Theyare: MajorPerryHJefferson,USAF,fromColorado,MIA4/3/69,SouthVietnam. Airman 1st Class George WLong, USAF, Kansas, KIA/BNR5/12/68,SouthVietnam Capt Warren R Orr, USAR,Illinois,MIA5/12/58,SouthViet-nam. LTjg Norman L Roggow,
USNR, Iowa,K I A / B N R10/8/67, SouthVietnam. LTjg Don-ald F Wolfe,USNR, Mon-tana,KIA/BNR10/8/67, SouthVietnam. LTjg An-drew G Zissu,USNR, NewYork,KIA/BNR10/8/67, SouthVietnam. Tothefam-
iliesofthesemenpleaseknowthattheywerenotforgotten.Wewillal-waysREMEMBER.
We will make a trip to Arlington National Cemetery when we are in DC
in November to remember our three
local soldiers who are entombed there.
On Sunday comes the major event, the service on Veterans Day
honoring our 58,000+ brothers and sisters that are forever
enshrined on that black granite wall.
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SERVICEPERSONSERVINGINHARM’SWAYADDRESSFORPACKAGE
RANKANDNAME__________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS__________________________________________________________________________________
NAMEOFPERSONREQUESTINGPACKAGEANDPHONENUMBER
___________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASEINCLUDECOMPLETEADDRESSTOINCLUDEAPO,FPO,ETC.PLEASESENDTOCHAPTER20OFFICEATTHEFOLLOWINGADDRESS:
CHAPTER 20 VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICAPO BOX 12580
ROCHESTER NEW YORK 14612
ATTN:TROOPPACKAGES
***FORM***
OUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER RECENTLYranastoryontheSharetheWarmthcloth-ing giveaway which Chapter 20 held atourThriftStoreonOctober7.
AccordingtotheDemocrat and Chronicle,Chapter 20 members set up tables andracks of winter clothes, hats, scarves,andshoesoutsidethethriftstore.Theitems were free for the homeless andthose who cannot afford to buy winterclothes. About 300 people, many fromsheltersthroughoutthecity,cameandwentduringtheday. Chapter 20 president Ken Moore wasquoted as saying “It’s our way of giving back to thecommunity.” ThankstoBruceVanApeldoornandallthosewhoparticipatedinthisevent.
ShareWarmththe
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CHAPTER 20
Fron
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nter Report of the September
2007 StAte Council Meetingby Fred Elliott
Chief Service Officer DeeGarcianowhasanadministra-tive assistant 8 hours a week– NYSC hired Dee’s niece,Jennifer,aUSMCveteran
Council delegate Ed Seastrumwasrecentlypromotedtoseniorinvestigator in the AttorneyGeneral’soffice
PresidentFoote, with the con-sent of the delegates, removedtheHealthcareandSilverRoseCommittees and made theVeterans Initiative a subset ofthePOW/MIACommittee
October is Breast CancerAwarenessmonth
Chapter 193 has a new officeinLeroy
Chapter681continuestopro-vide a monthly dinner at theBataviaPTSDClinic
Chapter 480 is starting aVeterans of Modern WarfareChapterinOwego
Chapter79donated$1,000toVVAFforthe25thanniversaryparade
VAClaimNumberswillbecomeathingofthepast–theywillbeusing the veteran’s last nameandthelastfourdigitsoftheirsocialsecuritynumber
Patrick Welch thanked everyoneforsupportinghiminhisrunforelectiontothenationalBoard–hehasbeennominatedasVice-ChairoftheNationalMembershipandGovernment Affairs Committees– he will be leading VVA’s VetsVotecampaign
VVA provides transportationfor veterans at Walter ReedHospital to attend a monthlydinnerattheCapitolHilton
Copies of Veterans andFamilies’ Guide to RecoveringfromPTSDbyStephanieLaiteLanhamwereprovidedforeachchapter
ThenumberofAt-Largemem-bersinthestateisapproaching500–aletterwillbedistribut-edtoallchaptercontactstobesent to thoseat-largemembersintheirareatotrytogetthemtojoinachapter
There will be a Walk-A-ThonasfundraiserforNYSCinthefallof2008
Chapter 77 donated $600 tothe Jack Wisby PTSD CenterinBatavia
There have been 263 reportedincidents of domestic violencewithin the 1st two weeks the10th Mountain Division washome
Vietnam Veterans of AmericaCar Donation, LLC
Call 224-8484
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Adaptive Clothing For Military Wounded American military personnel areservingourcountryinavarietyofdan-geroussituationsandlocations.Anum-ber of them return seriously woundedorinjured.Modernmedicaltechnologyishavinggreatsuccesssavingthelivesoftheseheroes.However,medicinedoesn’taddresssomeoftheirbasicneeds,suchas clothing that will accommodatemedicaldevicesandsituations-braces,fixators, casts, prosthetics and burns.Many of the wounded troops are leftwithahospitalgownastheironlycloth-ingoption. SewMuchComfort (www.sew-muchcomfort.org/index.asp)isacollab-orativeofseamstressesfromaroundthecountry modifying clothing to accom-
modate these needs. All clothing isprovidedfreeofchargetothesoldiers. Marianne Wink-Sturgeon lives inFairport, N.Y. and requests donationsforherpart in this project.Donationsof new men’s boxer shorts (sizes L,XL or XXL only, please) are request-ed. Donations can also be made toMarianne in the form of gift cards toTarget, Kmart, Penney’s, etc. or cash([email protected]).Anyandalldonationsarewelcome. PleasebringyourdonationstothenextmembershipmeetingorcallKathyGleasonat978-1331.
MarianneWink-Sturgeon17MonroeStreetFairport,[email protected](usethisemailaddressforPaypaldonations)
hear this: news & notesE-Mail ListWe would like to compile an e-mail address list so that we can communicate updated information or news relating to Chapter 20. This list will be used only for Chapter-related business, and will not be published in Between the Lines. We invite you to give your e-mail address to Kathy Gleason, either by e-mail ([email protected]) or by calling the Chapter phone number (585 482-7396) and leaving a message.
New York State Council Interchange on the WebThe New York State Council Interchange is now on website. Go to www.nyvi-etnamvets.org and click on Interchange. The Interchange can also be sent via e-mail to those who send their e-mail address to the State Council.
New Daylight Saving Time Ending Date As a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, beginning in 2007 the dates for Daylight Saving Time have changed. DST now begins on the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November. PLEASENOTE that the date for the end of Daylight Saving Time listed in the calendar in the October BTL is incorrect. The end of Daylight Saving Time this year will be November 4. We apologize for any inconvenience.
roll call: b.o.d. attendanceNAME 1/8 2/5 3/5 4/2 5/7 6/4 7/9 8/6 9/10 10/1 11/5 12/3
President: Moore, Ken X X E A X X X X X X
1st V. Pres:
2nd V. Pres: VanApeldoorn, Bruce X E X E E X
Secretary: Macaluso, Chuck X X X X X X X X X X
Treasurer: Melens, Ray X X X X X X X X X X
Corona, Dan X X X X X E X X X X
Galle, Pete X X X X X X X X X X
Gleason, Kathy X X X X X X E X X X
Gleason, Tom X X X X X X X X E E
Harkness, Joe X X E A X X X X X X
Lill, Max X X
Madigan, Jack X X X X X X
Oleksyn, Dick X X X X X X X X X X
Pascale, Ralph X E E A X X X X X X
Peck, Joe X X X X X X
Pudetti, Pat X X E X X E
Trovato, Ron X X X E X X X X X A
X=Present E=Excused A=Absent
Many of the wounded troops are left with a hospital gown as their only
clothing option.
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with featured speaker
Lee WoodruffCo-author, In An Instant
13 WHAM-TV’s Don AlhartMaster of Ceremonies
Receiving the Edward and Jacqueline S.Harris Award for Exemplary Service to
Veterans and Veterans Outreach Center
R. Wayne LeChase
Rochester Hyatt Regency HotelReception 5:30 pm — 6:30 pm Cash bar
Dinner 6:30 pm$1,250 per table of ten
or $125 per personCall 546-1081 today to make your
reservation, or to sponsora veteran to attend.
H H HH H HHHH
HH
The Gold Star Families of Rochester present the first-ever
Honorary Chair Lori A. VanDusen andthe Board of the Veterans Outreach Center
invite you to the 2nd Annual
An all-day music event to benefit the Veterans Outreach Center.Featuring country-music acts
Jen CassTracy DeLucia
Katelyn HobsonJenae JohnsonSherri Mullen
Alyssa Sommersand more...
Main Street Armory, Rochester, NYDoors open at noon
First act begins around 1 p.m.$15 per ticket
Visit www.veteransoutreachcenter.org for more details.
Media Sponsor:
including Vietnam-era musicand much more!
Highland ParkVietnam Veterans Memorial
Rochester, NY8 a.m. - noon
Open to the General Public
Media Sponsor:
Impact Technologies presentsa live broadcast of
Sponsored by:
and
November 8, 2007 November 10, 2007 November 11, 2007HH
with featured speaker
Lee WoodruffCo-author, In An Instant
13 WHAM-TV’s Don AlhartMaster of Ceremonies
Receiving the Edward and Jacqueline S.Harris Award for Exemplary Service to
Veterans and Veterans Outreach Center
R. Wayne LeChase
Rochester Hyatt Regency HotelReception 5:30 pm — 6:30 pm Cash bar
Dinner 6:30 pm$1,250 per table of ten
or $125 per personCall 546-1081 today to make your
reservation, or to sponsora veteran to attend.
H H HH H HHHH
HH
The Gold Star Families of Rochester present the first-ever
Honorary Chair Lori A. VanDusen andthe Board of the Veterans Outreach Center
invite you to the 2nd Annual
An all-day music event to benefit the Veterans Outreach Center.Featuring country-music acts
Jen CassTracy DeLucia
Katelyn HobsonJenae JohnsonSherri Mullen
Alyssa Sommersand more...
Main Street Armory, Rochester, NYDoors open at noon
First act begins around 1 p.m.$15 per ticket
Visit www.veteransoutreachcenter.org for more details.
Media Sponsor:
including Vietnam-era musicand much more!
Highland ParkVietnam Veterans Memorial
Rochester, NY8 a.m. - noon
Open to the General Public
Media Sponsor:
Impact Technologies presentsa live broadcast of
Sponsored by:
and
November 8, 2007 November 10, 2007 November 11, 2007HH
Stand Up forVeteransWeekend
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Vietnam Veterans of AmericaTHRIFT STORE, CHAPTER 20, LLC
1199 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 14609
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pmSaturday 9:00am - 5:00pm
Car Donations 8:30am - 5:00pmTruck Pick-up: 9am - 4:30pm
(weather permitting)
DAVID J. KAUFFMAN POST #41JEWISH WAR VETERANS
THE OLDEST ACTIVE VETERANSORGANIZATION
SUPPORTS THE VIETNAM VETS
LARRY SCHULMAN, QUARTERMASTER, 271-6967
FREEDOM FLAG CO., INC.419 Embury Rd. Rochester, NY 14625 • Richard Burgey
Veteran owned and operated full service flag company. Serving the area for 20 years.
Flagpoles and Accessories • Flags: USA & InternationalInstallation & Repair • Custom Banners / Flags
(585) 671-0624
497 Stone RoadRochester, NY 14616
(585) 865-7370
C.M.Gifts and Militaria
Est: 1987
Medals, Badges, Patches, Ribbons, CapsClothing, Boots, Gear, Buckles, Flags,Award Cases, Military Rings and Watches
Charles RabidouxUSMC 1957-612nd Mar. Div.
SENATOR JOSEPH E. ROBACH
NEW YORKSTATE
SENATE
2300 WEST RIDGE ROADROCHESTER, NY 14626
(585) 225-3650
ROOM 902LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING
ALBANY, NY 12247(518) 455-2909 • FAX (518) 426-6938
E-MAIL: [email protected]
>>>>>photographyanddigitalarttomatchyourmood>>>>>
Various topics are offered from military / veteran oriented, patriotic, scenic,
landscapes, nature, botanical, animals,fantasy, in a variety of sizes and gift items
Gary T. Redlinski Email: [email protected]
Rochester, New York
www.GTRedphotos.com
BETSY LOMBARDOVeterans Advocate
DEBRA SLOANERetail Office Assistant
The only store where you can buy
America’s Flag
455 South Avenue • Rochester, NY 14620Tel: 585-546-FLAG • Fax: 585-546-5978
A project of the Veterans Outreach Center, Inc.
fromAmerica’s Veterans
TOM DAVISINCOME TAX
CONSULTATION & PREPARATIONYear-Round. By Appointment Service
1 732 Winton Rd. N.Phone (585 ) 288-8465 • Fax: (585 ) 288-8465
Rochester New York
~ Delivery Available ~Truck Pick-up #482-8016Thrift Store #482-8036
All donations go to the Thrift Store at the address above.
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SupportWe’recollectingitemstoboxandsendtoourtroops.PleasebringwhateveryoucanfromthelistbelowtothenextGeneralMembershipmeeting.Wewillannounceadateshortlythereafterandaskhelptopreparepackagesforshipment.
Likewise,ifyouknowofsomeonestationedintheMiddleEast,giveustheircontactinformationandaddresssowecanincludethemonourlist.Youcanbringtheinformationthatevening,[email protected]!
Itemsinclude:• Soap(barsonly)• Toothpaste • Toothbrushes• ShavingCream• Razors
• Deodorant• MovieDVDs• Cheez-itCrackers• CreamSavers(orhardcandy) (nochocolateasitmelts!)
• BeefJerky(apopularfavorite!)• Singlestickflavorpackets forbottledwater (e.g.–CrystalLightOntheGo)• ChewingGum
OUR TROOPS
As most of us deal with our ownhealthandagingissues,wefindourselvesalso caring for our parents. There is anew resource available to help those ofus in this area determine what servicesmightbeavailable forus for support inthisarea. Greater Rochester Area Partnershipfor the Elderly, G.R.A.P.E., has a newwebsite that I encourage you to checkout!On the sitewww.grapelder.org youwillfindacomprehensiveguidetoseniorservices in Monroe County. The siteis “interactive,” meaning as programsor services change it can be updatedimmediately. As a result, it is the mostup to date resource currently offered inMonroeCounty.
Taking Care of our Folksby Kathy Gleason
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11PLEASE NOTE: Order may take up to 6 months to be fully processed. Engraved bricks will be installed prior to Memorial Day and Veterans Day (twice annually). Questions? Please call Chuck or Joan Macaluso at 225-8288.
Name: _______________________________________
Address: _____________________________________
City/Zip: _____________________________________
Phone: _______________________________________
The Veterans Walk Committee of Chapter 20, VVA want to thank you for your purchase of a personalized, engraved paver brick. Each paver brick (4” x 8”) can have from one to three lines of engraved information. The cost will be $50.00 per brick. Make checks or money order payable to: VVA Chapter 20, Veterans Walk.
The engraved line(s) can include any of the following information: • Full name • Branch of service, rank • Dates of service (1967-1969, etc.) • Conflict (WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, etc.)
Please print the information you would like engraved on the brick below. (Maximum of 14 letters/numbers, including spaces per line).
Any past or present member of the United States Armed Services, Active or Reserve, is eligible. Simply fill out and mail the completed form to the Veterans Walk Committee at PO Box 12580, Rochester, New York 14612.
Veterans WalkHelp Build
at the Rochester Vietnam Veterans Memorial
When you return the completed form to the Veterans Walk Committee at P.O. Box 12580,
Rochester, New York 14612, please include your payment and “Proof of Service” for above recipient.
SAMPLE BRICK
PFC John DoeUS Army
65-67 Vietnam
1.
2.
3.
The
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$
History of MPC MilitaryPaymentCertificates (MPC)evolved from
Allied Military Currency as a response to the large
amounts of US Dollars circulating in post-World War
IIEuropedue toAmericanservicemen.The localciti-
zensdidnot trust localcurrenciesas the fateof their
governmentswasunclear.Thereforepreferringastable
currency,dollars,theyoftenacceptedpaymentindol-
larsforlessthantheacceptedconversionrates.Obvi-
ouslydollarsbecamemorefavorable,inflatingthelocal
currenciesandthwartingplanstostabilizetheecono-
mies.Contributingtotheproblemwasthefactthat
though troopswerebeingpaid in the local cur-
rencytheycouldconvertanunlimitedamountto
dollars at thegovernment set conversion rate,
whichwasmuchmorefavorabletotheGIsthan
themarketrate.Fromthisablackmarketde-
veloped where the servicemen could utilize
thefavorableexchangerate.
TocombatthistheUSmilitarydevised
theMPCprogram.MPC’swerepapermon-
ey denominated in US Dollars in amounts
of5cents,10cents,50cents,
1 dollar, 5 dollars, 10 dollars,
and starting in 1968 20 dol-
lars.MPC’swerefullyconvert-
ibletoUSdollarsuponleaving
thecombatzone(adesignated
MPCzone)andconvertibleto
localcurrencieswhengoingon
leave(butnotvice-versa),and
were illegal for unauthorized
personnel to possess, thus,
in theory, eliminating US dol-
lars from local economies. Al-
PeterM.Galle•Email:[email protected]
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Cite&page=Military_Payment_Certificate&id=133865562
Military PayMent CertifiCate
Military Payment Certificates, or
MPC,wereused fromtheendof
WorldWar II until theendof the
Vietnam War, between the years
of1946and1973.MPC’sutilized
layersoflinelithographytocreate
colorful banknotes that could be
produced cheaply. Fifteen series
ofMPC’swerecreatedbutonly13
serieswereissued.
Virt
ual V
et
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IllustrationsofMPCsarefromthewebsiteoftheAssociationofthe1stBattal-ion50thInfantry,http://www.ich-iban1.org/html/memorabilia.htm.
though actual greenbacks were not circulating, many
localmerchantsacceptedMPConaparwithUSdol-
lars, as they knew they could use them on the black
market.ThiswasespeciallyevidentduringtheVietnam
WarwhentheMPCprogramwasatitszenith.Topre-
ventMPCfrombeingusedasaprimarycurrencyinthe
hostcountry,therebydestroyingthelocalcurrencyval-
ueandeconomy,MPCbanknotestylewouldchange.
ManyveteranscanrecountaconversiondayorC-Day.
C-dayinVietnamwasalwaysclassified,neverpre-
announced.OnC-day,soldierswouldberestrictedto
base,preventingGIsfromloadinguponoldMPCfrom
local bars, brothels, bargirls and other black market
Virtual Vetpeopleandunable tohelp theseVietnameseconvert
tothenewerstyleMPC.Vietnamesewerenotallowed
toconvertandfrequently lostsomuchold,worthless
MPC, theywould“arrange” tohave thenearestU.S.
baserocketedthenextnight.
To illustrate the Vietnam war MPC cycle, in mid
1970,aGIwouldhavehisfamilymailhimaU.S.hun-
dreddollarbill, take it“downtown”andconvert it to
180dollarsMPC,thenchangeMPCtoS.Vietnamese
piastersatdouble the legal rate.Hethencouldhave
afundayshopping,barhopping,orafullservicemas-
sage,payinginverylowcostpiasters.
To continue the MPC cycle, that 100 dollar note
would find its way to high level Vietnamese
government officials, especially the corrupt
ones,whohadaccesstooutofcountrytravel,
where the U.S. currency could be deposited
safely (Bangkok, Taipei, or Hong Kong). Ru-
mors also suggested that this hard currency
(u.s.dollars),wouldfinditswaytoHanoi,then
toEurope.
There were 13 series of MPC issued
between1946and1973,with
varied designs often com-
pared to Monopoly (game)
money due to their colors.
After the Vietnam War MPC
was never again issued, and
laydormantuntilthelate90’s
when it was replaced by a
StoredValueCardsystem.
BETW
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BETWEEN THE LINES
Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter �0Membership Application
Return this application, along with a copy of your DD214, to:VietnamVeteransofAmerica,P.O.Box12580,Rochester,NY14612
Name: ___________________________________ DateofBirth:____________________ Sex:M/F
Address:__________________________________ HomePhone:(_____)_______________________
City:_____________________________________ WorkPhone:(_____)________________________
Zip:_______________Country:______________ E-mailAddress:______________________ W/H
Chapter#________(ifknown) _______________ Sponsor:__________________________________
IamnotaVietnamveteran,butIwanttohelpVietnamveteransandtheirfamilies.Pleaseacceptmydonation:___________________ AVVAMembership_______$10_______$20_______$50_______Other($_______)
Eligibility:VietnamandVietnam-eraveteranswhoservedonactivedutyintheU.S.Military(forotherthantrainingpurposes)betweenFebruary28,1961andMay7,1975(in-countryVietnam),orbetweenAugust5,1964andMay7,1975(forVietnam-eraveterans).
Term:_____1year($20)_____3years($50)_____LifeMembership: $250(ages49andunder) $225(ages50-55) $200(ages56-60) $175(ages61-65) $150(ages66andover)Payment Option:_______Check_______MoneyOrder
VVAisanon-profitveteransserviceorganization.Programsandservicesarefundedbymemberduesandpublicdonations.
Between the Lines ispublishedmonthlybyChapter20,VietnamVeteransofAmerica.Theviewsandopin-ions expressed arenotnecessarily thoseofChapter20,or theVietnamVeteransofAmerica, itsofficers,boardofdirectors,orthegeneralmembership.Nosubscriptionfeeischargedforthispublication,andinclusiononthemailinglistisavailableonrequest.Between the LinescanalsobeseenontheChapter20website,www.vva20.org. We welcome letters to the editor, poetry, originalarticles, and suggestions. Submissions can be sent to:Between the Lines,P.O.Box12580,Rochester,NewYork14612ore-mailedasaworddocumentto:[email protected]
script returned, include a self-addressed envelope withpostage. We reserve the right not to use materials wethinkarenotappropriateforthepublication,andtoeditforspaceandclarity.We’dalsoliketohaveaphonenum-beraswellasyournameincasethereareanyquestions. Thedeadlineforsubmissionsintendedforaparticu-larmonth’sissueisthe5thoftheprecedingmonth.Ifthe5thfallsonaweekendorholiday,thedeadlineisthefirstbusinessdayfollowingthe5th. Between the Lines runspaid advertisements tohelpoffsetthecostofpublicationandasaconveniencetoourreaders.Chapter20doesnotendorseanyadvertiserorguaranteesatisfactionwithgoodsorservicesprovided.
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Num
bers to KnowCHAPTER OFFICERS
President:KenMoore..... 392-0269(h)...576-9000(c)1stVicePresident:2ndVicePresident:BruceVanApeldoorn.... 252-514-5597(c)Secretary:ChuckMacaluso.....................225-8288(h)Treasurer:RayMelens.............................392-2079(h)
VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS AND INFORMATIONGreaterRochesterVietnamVeteransMemorial...585-753-7275 (enter9;enter2toleaveamessage)IraJacobsonAmericanLegionPost#474..... 663-7030VAClinic-465WestfallRoad..................... 463-2600VeteransOutreachCenter............................ 546-1081VetCenter.................................................... 232-5040VeteransAdministration........................ 800-827-1000NYSCouncil....................................... 888-678-VETSMonroeCountyVeteransServiceAgency..... 753-6040 e-mail:[email protected]...................... 800-827-1000“VeteransBillofRights”........................ 800-342-3358VAMedicalCenterinBatavia............... 585-297-1000VAHospitalinBuffalo.......................... 716-834-9200
VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS AND INFORMATION, CONT’D.VAMedicalCenterinCanandaigua............. 394-2000VAMedicalCenterinBath.................................607-664-4000V.V.ofAmericainWashington.........................800-VVA-1316V.V.MemorialFund“TheWall”.........................202-393-0090Nat.’lLge.ofFam.MIA/POWUpdates................202-223-6846RichardsHouse..........................................................506-9060TheResourceCenter..................................................546-4250Stars&Stripes...........................................................546-3524PersianGulfVets,Inc.................................................385-4097OperationWelcomeHome........................................234-4694
MISCELLANEOUSVVA20ThriftStore,LLCMgmt.,BethAffeldt......482-8036DonationPick-up,CindyRowley.....................482-8016VVAVehicleDonations,CindyRowley............224-8484VVAChapter20......... [email protected]•482-7396
EMAIL ADDRESSES OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CONTACTSDanCorona......................................nycorona@juno.comFredElliott..................................felliott@rochester.rr.comPeterGalle.................................. PGALLE5000@aol.comKathyGleason...............................kathy14470@msn.comTomGleason................................. [email protected].................................... [email protected]........................... jmax.lill@industrialfurnace.comChuckMacaluso.......................chuckmac66@yahoo.comBruceMcDaniel.................bruceimcdaniel@earthlink.netKenMoore................................17CAV@rochester.rr.comDickOleksyn...................................roleksyn@yahoo.comRalphPascale.............................. golferalph@hotmail.comJoePeck.......................................jpeck2@rochester.rr.comPatPudetti............................... [email protected]..... [email protected]
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 20P. O. Box 12580, Rochester, NY 14612
(585) 482-7396 • Fax (585) 482-5513 • www.vva20.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORSDanCorona.................................................406-6108PeteGalleKathyGleason............................................978-1331TomGleason...............................................978-1995JoeHarkness..........................................889-9728(h)MaxLill...............................................288-4646x18JackMadigan..............................................392-8259DickOleksyn........................................663-5255(h)RalphPascale.........................................755-2560(h)JoePeck.................................................. 734-9046(c)PatPudetti............................................ 753-6040(w)RonTrovato...........................................544-8470(h)
COMMITTEE CONTACTSAgentOrange/HealthCare......SueOleksyn663-5255AVVA................................... KathyGleason978-1331BetweenTheLines.............BruceMcDaniel482-5314Chaplain................................ TomGleason978-1995Comm.Service/Pub.Affairs.... DickMcDermott398-2628Constitution...............................FredElliott288-5756Finance.......................................... JoePeck734-9046Historian................................ DaveHooker544-8815IncarceratedVeterans................RonTrovato544-8470MarchingUnit.......................... RayMelens392-2079Membership,ChapterGear.... RalphPascale755-2560POW/MIA................. GailBologna-Melens392-2079Scholarship................................AlicePopen247-1024SocialEvents..........................DickOleksyn663-5255SpeakersBureau.......................GenoLenyk423-0206VeteransAffairs/Benefits............. PatPudetti482-2387VeteransWalk...................ChuckMacaluso225-8288VolunteerCoordinator......... KathyGleason978-1331
WEB SITES/E-MAIL ADDRESSESVeterans Widows International Network [email protected]/vetwindowsNYS Department Health: www.health.state.ny.us/nyvetsVietnam Veterans Memorial at Highland Park: www.vietnamemorial.orgOperation Welcome Home: www.operationwelcomehome.orgVVA New York State Council: www.nyvietnamvets.orgRegion 2 Director: www.region2vva.com
Rochester New York
Vietnam Veterans of AmericaChapter 20, Rochester, NY Inc.P.O. Box 12580Rochester, NY 14612
NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDROCHESTER, NYPermit No. 439
November �00�SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Daylight Saving Time Ends
Board of DirctorsMeeting7:00 P.M. Election Day
Membership Meeting7:30 P.M.
Chapter 20Bus trip to
Washington, DCU.S. Marine Corps founded in 1775
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
VeteransDay Ceremony at Highland Park
Bus returns from Washington, DC
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If you would like your Birthday or Anniversary included on the BTL calendar, please call the office at 482-7396 or E-mail [email protected]
HappyThanksgiving!29 30