issue 26 september-october 2017 vva chapter...
TRANSCRIPT
Issue 26 September-October 2017
The President and Secretary’s Corner Come And Grow With Us
The Smoke Em if you Got Em BBQ event was successful! Though the event was rained expenses were met. So, hat’s off to all who helped with the event.
The event was a huge project; and with the assistance of Brett GoForth’s Country Side BBQ and Pro Shop location was a success. Brett is pictured on the left; Dan Igou presented
the plaque on behalf of the VVA Chapter 952 for his outstanding help in promoting and hosting the event. Visit the Country Side BBQ and Pro Shop at 2857 South Campbell, Springfield MO and thank Brett for his support of VVA Chapter 952. https://www.facebook.com/Springfieldbbqstore/
Last year, VVA Chapter 952 set up a Scholarship Fund at Springfield’s Ozark Technical Community College. This year Veteran Isaac Demotta received $500.00 at the Smoke Em if you Got Em BBQ event. Congratulation Isaac! (Isaac is in the blue t-shirt)
The 2nd Annual Smoke Em if you Got Em BBQ Event is set for October 5, 6, 7 2018 at the Legion Post 639. The KCBS BBQ Association of Kansas City will judge the event. The BBQ teams are $200.00 each with prize money. Media will cover the event.
Contact Dan Igou if you interested in reserving a BBQ spot for the 2018 Smoke Em if you Got Em BBQ event. [email protected]
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
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VVA Board of Directors
Harlan Bristol (Army) President [email protected]
John Walker (Army) Vice-President [email protected]
Dan L. Igou (USN)Past President [email protected]
Susan Phillips (USAF) Secretary [email protected]
Rex Krasche (Army) Chaplin, Membership Chair [email protected]
Charles Hopkins (Army) Treasurer [email protected]
Mike Egan (Marine) Sgt. at Arms [email protected]
Bill Beeman (Army) Outreach Coordinator [email protected]
Homeless Veteran Coordinator [email protected]
Tom Blubaugh (USN) Web Coordinator [email protected]
News and ArticlesPg. 1,2 - President and Secretary Pg. 2,3,6 - Take the Test, VVA Convention, Women Veteran’s of America 1214 Pg. 4,5 - Sponsors Pg. 6,7 - Book Review from The Military Writers Society of America Review,. Jericho Commission Pg. 8 Who We Are, Calendar
VVA CHAPTER 952 The Wil Daley Memorial Chapter
1925 Bennett #H Springfield, MO 417-693-6298
http:springfieldveterans.org/ https://www.facebook.com/Vietnam-Veterans-of-America-Chapter-952-Springfield-
MO-2221684631391342/
Issue 26 September-October 2017The Presidents and Secretary’s Corner (continued) VVA Chapter 952 office is in a complex with diverse business owners. The Springfield Recovery Center is a new neighbor that is working with Washington on a new initiative Facing Addiction Pilot Project. The project will kick off the Facing Addiction program at Southwest Missouri Campus at Plaster Union on September 20th.
The project is a response to the rising addictions of all households and including Veterans; this is a grass roots initiative to help solve drug and alcohol problems in 15 communities throughout America. Springfield has one of the highest addiction rates in the America. According to the Facing Addiction website “1 in 3 households” are impacted. The Springfield Recovery Center is the brain center for the Pilot Project program.
For further information on Facing Addiction, contact Eric Moffitt - 856-685-0399. https://www.facingaddiction.org/pilot-community-project-2
New Office Hours Tuesday – Friday
9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Call for after hour appointments
417-693-6298
Thank you so much to all who helped with the 1st annual Smoke Em if you Got Em BBQ Event. Sgt. Harlan Bristol, President [email protected] Susan Phillips, Secretary [email protected]
Take the test! True or False? Tom Blubaugh VVA Chapter 952 Website Coordinator, Past Chaplain, and Treasurer
IS IT TRUE the mind can't tell the difference between REAL experiences and IMAGINED experiences? Does it react the SAME way to BOTH Real & Imaginary events?
Yes! It's true. You CAN use this principle to your advantage. The theory has been tested. The Power of Imagining was tested by pitting three different groups of students against each other shooting Basketball Hoops.
Many students were tested for the ability to shoot baskets while standing at the free throw line. From the student base, three smaller groups of equal size and similar skills were formed. ALL three groups shot roughly the same % of baskets at the start of the test.
The first group was the Control Group and for a few weeks did NOT practice at all. They were NOT allowed to go into the gym. Group Number two, entered the gym and practiced free throws for 20 minutes EACH day.
The third Group practiced for 20 minutes a day and NEVER touched a basketball! Each student was told to practice only "in their heads" developing
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
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1st Annual Smoke Em if you
Got Em BBQ Event
Issue 26 September-October 2017 Tom Blubaugh (continued)
muscle memory. They had to IMAGINE shooting free throws and NEVER touched a basketball!
At the end of the TESTING period, the FIRST Group had NOT practiced and showed NO improvement. When re-tested the scores were the same as the earlier results. The Second Group had practiced WITH basketballs, shooting free throws, tested 20% HIGHER than the earlier scores.
Check this out! The Big Shock was Group three tested 19% BETTER and NEVER touched a basketball. This proved that we CAN learn a skill by practicing it in OUR heads.
Is there "something" that you're not good at and needs IMPROVING? IF the answer is YES, then repeat daily with muscle brain memory imaging. IMAGINE and SEE the activity reflected in the imaging. It works.
BOXERS are very successful using this technique and IMAGINE fighting an opponent for hours before the important Boxing Match or "Shadow Boxing." Salesmen AND Athletes IMAGINE! Imagining CAN be a way to build familiarity with ANY New situation building UP confidence.
Mental Imaginary WORKS! Tom’s Author’s Community http://commonsensemarketingstrategies.com Tom’s website http://tomblubaugh.net Email [email protected]
Vietnam Veterans Association Convention Charles Hopkins VVA Chapter 952 Treasurer
Hello Members and Friends, Jim Recamper and I traveled to New Orleans August 6-12 to the National Vietnam Veterans Association Convention. This was my first convention and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Veterans from around the United States. Jim and I had the opportunity to visit the World War II Museum, which was interesting and educational. The convention had current benefits information and handouts, which are in the office to assist Veterans. Stop by for the latest information.
I believe groups are not started without many hands. I have a saying, “There is no me in the group. It is always we. Turn the M in me upside down and make it a W for we. All the accomplishments, the fundraisers and promotions, and office help are because of the members, associates, and friends of VVA Chapter 952.” A BIG thank you to all of the members, associates, and friends who have spent hours helping with events and office organizational needs. Charles
Women Veteran of Southwest Missouri American Legion Post 1214 Shellie Jones, Historian
Thanks to donations by post members, as well as proceeds from a recent pancake breakfast fundraiser, Women Veterans of Southwest Missouri, American Legion Post 1214 was able to donate 190.5 yards of fabric, nine rolls of batting and a check for $606 to the Ozark Piecemaker's “Quilts of Valor" (QOV) program. (continued page 6)
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
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Issue 26 September-October 2017
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
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La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant 1370 S. Glenstone Springfield, MO 65804 [email protected] http://lahaciendaspringfield.com/29309
Issue 26 September-October 2017
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
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Brent Bradley 2581 S Campbell Springfield, MO 417-865-4443 [email protected] www.springfieldmattress.net
Issue 26 September-October 2017Women Veteran of Women Veteran’s of Southwest Missouri (continued ) During the gift presentation, QOV Chairman Connie Bradford, with tears said, “this donation will allow
the group to continue providing handmade quilts to veterans in southwest Missouri for an entire year.” Information on the Quilts of Valor Foundation, go to https://www.qovf.org/ Contact Chairman Connie Bradford with questions about the "Quilts of Valor" or to apply for a quilt. [email protected]
Thank you Vietnam Veterans and friends of Vietnam Veterans Of America Chapter 952 for supporting and eating breakfast pancakes with with Women Veterans of Southwest Missouri. You helped to make this contribution possible! The pictures include Debbie Erwin in the hat and Commander Ronnie and Leca sporting the cowboy hat. Shellie
A Book Review from The Military Writers Society of America (used with permission) Dr. Carolyn Schriber
Viet Man by D.S. Liters MWSA Review
Small irritations make wonderful essay topics. Almost anyone can describe the annoyance of a faucet dripping somewhere in the wee hours of the morning—or
the incessant buzzing of a solitary mosquito seeking dinner at midnight—or the soreness of a nagging hangnail when no manicure scissors are available. Words and images flow. When it comes to agonizing pain that keeps going on day after day, paralyzing fear, or unimaginable loss, however, the story is quite different. Words fail, memories shatter, eloquence dies on the tongue. Somehow there develops a distinct inverse relationship between the depth of our feelings and our ability to remember them and talk about them.
Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the great number of recent novels and memoirs about the Vietnam War. Veterans have finally received approval and encouragement to talk about their experiences, only to find that they cannot easily communicate their feelings to those who were not there with them. When an author succeeds in carrying his readers directly into the jungles, the rice paddies, the strangely impersonal hootches and dusty base camps, the world of drugs and blank-eyed mama-sans, the impact of his words makes us gasp for breath and struggle for understanding.
D. S. Lliteras has managed to do exactly that in his tersely-worded literary novel, Viet Man. His narrator has no name other than “Doc.” He is a navy corpsman; who he was back home doesn’t matter. He is young--just out of high school but equipped with perceptive powers of memory and observation. He arrives in Vietnam with no idea of what the war holds in store for him, but he is determined to take charge of this experience and meet it head on. As readers, we follow him through his first patrols, his first kill, his first visit to the local red light district, the growing recognition of his own mortality.
When he describes a scene, his details are specific and honest. We don’t just learn what’s going on; we see it and smell it, feel it and hear it. In peaceful moments he speaks to us in sentences and paragraphs. When danger threatens or fear overwhelms, his mental state retreats into disjointed phrases or single words.
We learn about his broken romance back home only when something triggers his own memories. And in the end, we accompany him when he returns stateside, only to find that those at home cannot begin to understand that he now lives in a different world than the one they know. Review by Carolyn Schriber, MWSA Reviewer
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
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Issue 26 September-October 2017Book Review from The Military Writers Society of America (continued )
THE MILITARY WRITERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA—“This is a powerful novel, eloquent while using the simplest of vocabulary and poetic in its clear-eyed imagery. Read it. Your understanding of this tumultuous period of our history will be forever enriched.” http://www.mwsadispatches.com/reviews/2017/5/18/viet-man-by-d-s-lliteras
Mike Cook, owner of Mike’s Antiques, sponsored the VVA Chapter 952 Fundraiser September 2 at Mike’s Antiques. https://www.mikesunique.com
Back row left to right: Rex (Chaplain), Mike (owner of Mike’s Antiques), Susan (Secretary). Front row left to right: Harlan (President), Charles (Treasurer), and Bill (Outreach Coordinator).
“Calling Military Veterans For Service” Michele Dove
One in six veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraq Freedom suffer from a substance abuse issue. Today, thousands are in the judicial system due to substance use, alcoholism, and other medically related conditions.
The Department of Justice and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimate there are 703,000 veterans in the corrections system. However, today there is hope for hundreds of veterans because of the successful impact of Veterans Treatment Courts. The first established Veteran Treatment Court in 2008 reported a 98% success rate for military veterans graduating their program. The high success rate is attributed to an expert court and treatment team, and the unique and invaluable role of the veteran mentor. Since 2008 to now, hundreds of Veteran Treatment Courts have popped up around the country, and has finally become established in SW Missouri.
Jericho Commission, a mentoring organization located in Springfield, Missouri, has been invited to partner with the Veterans Treatment Courts to provide mentors serving this court system. Jericho Commission is looking for military veterans. Perhaps YOU are one to make a difference in the life of veteran today. Michele
Contact Jericho Commission at 417-350-4005. http://jerichocommission.org/wanted/wanted.html Statistics: Justice for Vets http://justiceforvets.org/studies-and-stats/ Justice for Vets Justice for Vets Video https://justiceforvets.org/westwingpsa-page/
Michele Dove is the Director of Jericho Commission. Jericho provides mentors for those coming out of incarceration, in Drug Court, and Veterans Treatment
Court programs. Michele also serves as a co-director for The Springfield Recovery Community Center (SRCC). The center provides recovery support, life skills training, education, coaching and pro social events for those in recovery, substance use treatment courts, and treatment programs.
Along with her husband and children, Michele's family lived and worked in the Nation of Laos for 3 years. They also lived in Bangkok, Thailand for 12 years, working in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam Nam, Cambodia, and Myanmar (Burma). Michele has been married for 41 years, has two children and six grandchildren.
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
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Issue 26 September-October 2017
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
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Vietnam Veteran Chapter 952 Helping Veterans Who We Are: We are a small active group of Vietnam Veteran’s as well as associates of family and friends making a difference in the lives of Veterans and their families. Vietnam Veteran Chapter 952 is a group of Veterans and their families who actively help Veterans by providing a “helping hand up and not a hand out.” We help Veterans of all wars, spouses, and friends by providing mentoring, friendship, and information.
Our goal and mission is to support Vietnam Veterans, their families and future generations for all who served their country. We actively assist the homeless Veteran and are active in community networking. Join us as we make a difference in the lives of Veterans, and veteran families.
Vietnam Veteran Chapter 952 Events and Meetings 2017 September 12 Committee BBQ 2018 meeting Legion Post 639 4:00 p.m. September 16 Walmart Super-center on E. Independence Fundraiser 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. September 30 VVA Meeting October 14 Golden Corral on South Glenstone Fundraiser 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 pm October 28 VVA Meeting November 4 Wanna Geta Pizza 3302 S National Ave Fundraiser 11:00 a.m. -8:00 p.m. November 18 VVA Meeting (3rd Saturday) December 9 Golden Corral on South Glenstone Fundraiser 8:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. December 10 Christmas Party at the Office
Come And Grow With Us! VVA Chapter 952 website http://springfieldveterans.org/ For more information, email [email protected] FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/Vietnam-Veterans-of-America-Chapter-952-Springfield-MO-2221684631391342/
VVA Chapter 952 accepts donations in the mail, in person, or from the website http:springfieldveterans.org/ to help more Veterans.
All cash donations are accepted by mail, in person, and through the website. Donations are greatly appreciated. Vehicles, good furniture, and anything of value is also accepted. Thank you for the donations.
Location: 1925 E Bennett # H Springfield, MO
New Office Hours: Tuesday–Friday 9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Call for after hour appointments
Meeting: Last Saturday of the Month Arrive and visit 9:30 a.m.
Starts 10:00 a.m. Social and Lunch 11:30 a.m.