vol. 13, no. 4

Winter, 2009-10 Vol. 13, No. 4

commander’s remarksBy John Byrum, Commander, Department of California AMVETS

Commander Byrum

Time stands still for no one. Aaaaw – Thanksgiving, a time to reflect. As I sat on a plane looking at the ground below, I had to wonder how 2009 went by so fast. My

first thoughts were being thankful for my family and friends. Of course right along with that was the thankfulness that I awoke every morning in the land of the free and the home of the brave. We all need to remember this on a daily basis.

What really hit home was the fact that I had this opportunity because of veterans like you, strong men and women who gave so much and are still doing the same every day. Now we shift our sights to our veterans that are in need of our helping hand, whether it may be young or old, male or female, any race, creed, religion, doesn’t matter. We Are AMVETS - Department of Cal-ifornia, and we together are working to help in so many ways.

In the past eleven months our California AMVETS Legal Clinic with Chapman University School of Law has helped re-cover over two million dollars for veterans and/or their families. As the program grows so will the help to veterans. So many of you are out there every day doing what you can to help, Stand downs, Honor Flight, feeding Veterans for Thanksgiving, help-ing with rides as needed, giving clothes, and so much more. As commander, I want to personally thank you for all you do daily to make this such a great Veterans organization. I ask that you continue in your quest to serve Our Past – Our Present – Our Future.

Now as we move forward to 2010 we need to continue to work for a common goal to serve our veterans, our youth, and our communities. Projects that are seen in your communities with the AMVETS name help us get our name on the front line where we want to be. Think outside the box if need be, be cre-ative with your ideas on helping increase service and member-ship, which a lot of time goes hand in hand.

We need your help in LA County with the VA Hospital and the issue of the VA land that was granted for Veterans that seems to be slowly given away. VA seems to have no problem leasing out parcels of VA property for projects to outside businesses with no regard for the Veteran. Make your voice heard on this im-portant issue by contacting your government representative and letting them know you want answers, you want this to stop. The land and the projects on this land are for Veterans. At the very least, veterans need to be employed with projects on VA land. If you don’t speak out it will continue to be given away leaving less for Veterans, and they will just move on to take from other Veterans. No matter if you live in the LA area or in Northern or Southern California, your voice can and should be heard on this. Post 2 is leading the charge and can give you more details if needed.

Once again please note, AMVETS – Department of Cali-fornia is still in Tulare, and has no plans to move out of Tulare. New address – 120 North “M” Street – Tulare, CA. 93274.

I would also like to thank Rose and Phil for all the work and time they have put in making the move from the old location to the new location. I know this was quite a burden, and I do ap-preciate all your hard work on this. Job well done.

To the ladies in our Auxiliary, again thank you for all you do to not only support us but others in your communities. I ask that you continue your strong support.

Keep in mind we must be united “Team AMVETS” with “Serving the Past – The Present – The Future”.

Don’t forget:

Report all the great work

you are doing!

Photo by Rick Elkins, Valley Voice: WWII Memorial dedication, Visalia, CA

2—California AMVETS Voice Vol. 13, No. 4

DEPARTMENT OFFICERS FOR 2009-2010

Commander John Byrum [email protected]

1st Vice Commander Dennis Starkey 909-355-1061 [email protected]

2nd Vice Commander Charles Ramos [email protected]

Northern Area Commander Thomas Johnson [email protected]

Central Area Commander Frank Guerra 559-960-3682

Southern Area Commander Cephus R. Daniels [email protected]

Finance Officer Phil Plascencia 559-686-8289

Judge Advocate Chuck Kissel [email protected]

Provost Marshal Ben Aguayo 626-337-6152

N.E.C. Man Filbert Bejarano 559-686-0335

Alt. N.E.C. Man Ron Ferrea 626-577-2454

Trustee S.E.B. Leo Simon 530-275-0574

Trustee S.E.B. Ray Delgado [email protected]

Chaplain Tom Sarchipone 707-226-3978

Inspector General Terry Mc Carty [email protected]

Editor Rod Blackman

The Voice is published quarterly by Midwest Publishing, Inc.. Any articles or photographs received after the deadlines will be held for the next edition. All articles must be signed to be printed. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission for clarity, brevity, etc. The opinions expressed in The Voice are those of the authors and not necessarily the opinion of the AMVETS Department of California. Submit articles to:

California AMVetS Voice, Attn: rod Blackman120 north “M” Street tulare, CA 93274or e-mail: [email protected]

Table of Contentsofficer’s reports ....................................................................................... 3

Legislative Advocate’s report .................................................................. 4

Central Area Commander's report .........................................................5

Service officers ...........................................................................................6

2010 recruiting Contest ........................................................................... 7

riders ......................................................................................................... 8

America at War ....................................................................................... 11

Honor flight 2009 ............................................................................ 14-15

Post reports ............................................................................................. 16

Vietnam War - facts, Stats & Myths..................................................... 26

120 North “M” Street

Vol. 13, No. 4 California AMVETS Voice—3

Happy New Year, I hope that you have all had a safe and happy Holiday. Thank you for the many hours you have spent making life

better for our veterans and their families during the past year and for the support that you have given to me as I try to do the job of the Executive Director serving our veterans and supporting you as needed. A few things have been brought to my attention that I need to clarify:

1-Per the resolution that was passed at national last year; effective 1 January 2010 LIFE MEMBERSHIP DUES are $180. This means that your post should be sending two checks to the department: one made out to National for $90 and one made out to the depart-ment for $45. ANNUAL dues remains the same: $13 for National and $10 for department. Please do NOT send your checks and paperwork to National, every-thing needs to go through the department.

2- If a member TRANSFERS into your post, they do NOT automatically get a new card with your post number on it. The post or mem-ber needs to send the dept. a replacement card form with a check for $2 made out to national.

3- All Posts: Please do not send the depart-ment copies of obituaries in lieu of a DECEASED form. Forms are required by national, they need to be filled out by the post so we can remove the de-ceased member from our rolls.

4- ONLINE MEMBER RECORDS: Every AM-VETS member has their own online membership re-cord. This record is available to each member online and can be accessed at www.amvetsmembers.org. The login name is the members’ membership num-ber and the password is also the members’ member-ship number. The password may be changed once the member has logged in. Each member is strongly en-couraged to ensure his/her contact information is cor-rect. Members no longer need to send their change of address information to National as it may be done by them instantly online.

5- DELEGATES for the January Department

Executive Conference in Santa Maria and those at-tending the Dept. Convention in Modesto: two delegates per post will have their mileage paid for. It is up to the post commander to let the Ex-ecutive Director know who the two delegates are. Checks will be mailed out AFTER the convention.

6- REVALIDATIONS are due to the department office no later than 1 July 2010. Please make sure they are signed and dated. If you revalidate on line I still need to have a paper copy (national requirement).

7- According to national: Members who are PAST DEPARTMENT OFFICERS do have the right to wear the white hat with green trim as long as they have the date of their office on it. Example: Execu-tive Director 1989 - 2004.

8-SCHOLARSHIPS: AMVETS annually awards scholarships to veterans/active military, their sons, daughters or grandchildren. A son, daughter or grand-child of a deceased veteran is also eligible. Awarded on the basis of academic excellence and financial need, the scholarships go to deserving high school seniors, high school JROTC students and veterans pursuing a higher education. Additional scholarships, with different criteria, are available through DeVry, Kaplan and the University of Phoenix. See the na-tional website for applications and details www.am-vets.org

9- DEPARTMENT ADDRESS: Please change your post records to: 120 North M Street, Tulare, CA 93274. Many of you are still sending mail to the old address.

10- CONGRATULATIONS to Post 17 member Thomas Truman and Post 1775 member Glenn Tripp for winning in the AMVETS National raffle.

11- CONGRATULATIONS to Mike Walsh of Tu-lare who won the $1,000 Costco gift card-just in time for last minute Christmas shopping.

12- I look forward to seeing many of you in Santa Maria.

From the desk of the executive directorBy Rose Blackman

radiation exposure Compensation Actto get forms and more infor-

mation about reCA (radiation

exposure compensation pro-

gram) go to http://www.justice.

gov/civil/torts/const/reca/

message from Phil Plascencia

Department Finance Officer:

On March 20, 2010, I will be having our second annual training session on filing the following report:

• I.R.S. Form 990N Post card.• I.R.S. Form 990EZ• State Franchise Tax Board Form 199• Secretary of State Form SI-100• State Attorney General Registry Renewal Fee Report – Form

RRF-1• Post Revalidation – Annual

The meeting will start at 10:30 AM Saturday. Travel Expense and lunch for only two Post members will be provided.

Any questions please call me – 559-688-3407.

Phil PlascenciaDepartment Finance Officer


LegisLativeadvocate's rePortBy Pete Conaty

The Executive Committee and the Legislative Committee have voted to approve the AMVETS, Department of California’s 2009

Legislators of the Year: Senator Jeff Denham and Assemblywoman Mary Salas. This will be the first annual Legislator of the Year award for the Department. The Legislator of the Year awards are to be given annually to two California lawmakers who have shown exemplary support for issues important to veterans and their families. The awards will be presented at the AMVETS Department of California’s 1st Annual Capitol Advocacy Day.

SAVe tHe DAte:AMVetS, Dept. of CA Annual Capitol Advocacy DayApril 20, 2010 (tuesday)State Capitol, Sacramento, CA. All day eventImportant Note: On this day, the Senate and As-

sembly Veterans Affairs Committees will be holding hearings on important veterans legislation in the af-ternoon. It is important that AMVETS members at-tend the 1:30 and 4:00 hearings to testify or observe.

Most grassroots and business organizations, as well as most veterans organizations, have Capitol ad-

vocacy days at the State Capitol every year. These events are intended to connect members of these or-ganizations with the people who represent them in the Legislature. This is a great opportunity for legis-lators and their staffs to meet their constituents first hand. It also provides an opportunity for veterans to tell legislators and staff about the issues that are important to them and their families. Most of these visits are usually done in groups so there is an oppor-tunity for fist timers to learn the ropes. It is actually very easy, because legislators and staff are eager to meet veterans.

In the era of legislative term limits, it can no lon-ger be assumed that the 25% of legislators and staff who come into office brand new every two years are going to be informed on veterans issues. It is impera-tive that we all be in contact with them to educate them on JROTC, DVBE, PTSD, TBI, educational benefits for vets, etc. Part of this effort is having your lobbyist being at the Capitol on a daily basis articu-lating your position. The other part of this effort is the grassroots. That is you; the membership of the Department. Legislators need to know that there are real people with real issues out there and this is what coming to the Capitol and “showing the hats” is all about.

Starting this year, the Department began to regu-larly take positions on pending legislation and tes-tify at legislative hearings. For instance last year, preserving JROTC in the state’s high schools was a hot issue for the Department. These types of issues are an ideal opportunity for Department members to flood the Capitol’s hallways and offices. Please add April 20, 2010 to your calendar for an all day event in Sacramento. This is a great chance to get involved and help advance veterans causes at the Capitol.

AMVetS, Department of California 2009 Legislators of the Year:State Senator Jeff Denham (R-Merced) is a Des-

ert Storm veteran who enlisted in the Air Force at 17 years old and served on active and reserve status for 16 years. He is a recipient of the meritorious ser-vice medal for his service in Operation Desert Storm (Iraq) and Operation Restore Hope (Somalia). In 2006, he was honored by the California National Guard with the highest military award, the “Order of California” service award, for distinguished service. In 2009, Senator Denham served as the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. He has also sat on the veterans committee continuously since he was first elected to office in 2003.

Denham has carried numerous veterans bills dur-ing his 7 years in the Senate and has been part of the debate on every veterans and military bill which has passed through the Senate Veterans Commit-tee. He has carried 4 bills to try to establish a Cen-tral Coast Veterans Cemetery at the former Fort Ord Army base. Denham has also carried bills to extend undergraduate educational grants to members of the National Guard, grant academic leave to service members who are called to active duty during their college session, brought recognition to the David Grant USAF Medical Center and its command as an important segment of the United States Armed Forces, sought modifications to the California Prompt Payment Act to include Disabled Veterans Business Enterprises, expand civil service examination prefer-ence points for veterans, create a California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program, offi-cially requested that the President and the Congress of the United States pass the H.R. 2474 that would restore funding for California veterans pursuing higher education, and has undertaken a clean up of the California Veterans Code.

Assemblywoman Mary Salas (D-Chula Vista) has served as the Chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee for 3 years. Salas is the longest continuously serving chair of this committee in re-cent memory. She represents Chula Vista, Coronado, and areas of San Diego. Salas has shown outstand-ing commitment to representing the interests of the service members, veterans, and their families in her district and statewide. Her father and his six broth-ers all served in WWII, Korea, or the Vietnam era. Since 2007, when she first came into office, she and the committee have authored 29 pieces of legislation to help veterans, service members, dependants, and the National Guard. This legislation has addressed incarcerated veterans, residency classification for military members in California, JROTC, PTSD, vet-erans specific housing, taxation on military housing, the Governor’s Advisory Board on Military Affairs, CVSO funding, Combat Stress Support Team for the Guard, substance abuse programs for veterans, em-ployment training, mental health services, DVBE, and National Guard armories.

Salas has also chaired the Annual Veterans Rec-ognition Day held by the State Assembly since its inception in 2008. AMVETS, Department of Cali-fornia became sponsor of this event in 2009.

Chaparral High School nJrotC Veterans Day Drill Meet

JROTC Color Guard from Long Beach Poly High School during their inspection phase. Schools from Southern California and a

couple from Las Vegas area participated in this AMVETS sponsored event. All awards/trophies given out had AMVETS logo.


Under the leadership of Frank Guerra the Central Area meetings have taken a resemblance of a local AMVETS monthly meeting. Commander Guerra has decided to install a core of officers to make it easier to function

and divide responsibilities.Cmdr. Guerra found that his monthly meetings were lacking in being able to

perform to its potential with so few posts attending. His initial goal was to have each post commander in his area attend the monthly meetings, but because of circumstances, that wasn’t to happen all that often. It was decided at a monthly meeting that it might be necessary to energize the proceedings with an influence of added attendance.

Cmdr. Guerra contacted certain individuals from the Posts that represent his area and set up a core of officers for his executive board.

Tony Gonzales, representing Post 56 was selected as 1st Vice Commander and Ralph Davila, who is also the Post Commander from Post 98, was chosen as the 2nd Vice Commander. There definitely was the need of a finance officer and David Flores from Post 98 was elected to that position. To round out his officers, Cmdr. Guerra picked Amy Dickinson, adjutant and Finance Officer from Post 99, to be his adjutant.

There is a fine representation from all the posts with Post 22 having the Dis-trict 6 Commander Robert Cadena, Amador Garcia who is post 22 Judge Advo-cate, Service Officer and Trustee always in attendance.

Not only does the Central Area Meetings take place on the 1st Sunday of each month at the Visalia Memorial Building on Center Street but Service Officer Tony Pacheco is in attendance to help administer questions that visiting veterans may have with their benefits but to bring added value to the meetings. Cmdr. Guerra

has asked that all attending the monthly meeting make an effort to bring other members from their posts to help bolster projects that will surely come. There have been several ideas that have been brought to the table: Look into Homeless Veterans (both male as well as female), establish a women veterans support group and how to cope with that situation; even establishing Membership drives.

A working budget is being looked at, so that Cmdr. Guerra’s projects can be completed. One of the 1st items that his committee put together was the1st Cen-tral area bar-b-que and membership drive.

That function took place September 14th behind the Tulare Veterans Memo-rial Building and was attended by over 60 local veterans representing many of the posts in the Central area. The membership drive proved successful as several membership applications were given out and Post 22 received paperwork from a new annual member. During the festivities business was also conducted in that Fernando Reynoso, Commander from Post 3, Santa Barbara, was installed as the new District Commander for that area. That installation was presided over by Department of California 2nd vice Commander Charlie Ramos. Also in at-tendance was Phil Plascencia, Department Finance Officer and Rose Blackman, Department Executive Officer.

It has been mentioned at the monthly meetings by Cmdr. Guerra that each post needs to make sure that all their paperwork is in order and that certainly pertains to insurance but also includes the need to expand by adding new members. As the attendance increases at the Central Area meetings, so will the productivity and that will certainly benefit each post but also the Department of California.

See you at the next monthly meeting – don’t forget, the 1st Sunday of each month at the Visalia Memorial Building on Center Street, Visalia.

central area commander’s reportSubmitted by Jerry Guevara, Adjutant, Post 22

Valley forge november 2009Once again California AMVETS led the way with sponsoring 54 students to the very special trip to Valley Forge, PA., with a final night on the USS New Jersey (above picture). The trip took place from 5 -9 November 2009.


AMVetS SerVICe & reHABILItAtIon DePArtMent of CALIfornIA SerVICe offICerS

1213 S. DALE AVENUE, ANAHEIM, CA 92804 Telephone (714) 761-5811 Fax (714) 761-5812 EMAIL: [email protected]

DoUg BrADLeY, eXeCUtIVe DIreCtor trUPtI PAteL (offICe MAnAger) eSter PAngAnIBAn (ADMIn. ASSt.) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

LeonArD AAron [email protected]

VA MEDICAL CENTER 11301 WILSHIRE BLVD

BLDG. 500 RM. 1613 LOS ANGELES, CA 90073

PHONE: (310) 268-3717 FAX: (310) 268-4823

SAM ALSABAgH [email protected]

V.A. STOCKTON CLINIC 7777 S. FREEDOM RD

FRENCH CAMP , CA 95231 (209) 946-3400 Ext 43439

(209) 468 7682 (AFTERNOON) (209) 946-3458 FAX

AnACLeto t. ArCIAgA [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 16111 PLUMMER ST BLDG 20 RM 2B116

SEPULVEDA, CA 91343 (818) 891-7711 EXT. 9147

(818) 895-9493 FAX

JAMIe BALDWIn [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 10535 HOSPITAL WAY, T-3

MATHER, CA 95655 (916) 843-7076

(916) 843-9455 FAX

JoHn CAStILLo [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 5901 E 7TH ST BLDG 126, RM W212

LONG BEACH, CA 90822 (562) 826-8000 EXT 2011

(562) 826-8081 FAX

MIrIAM CAVALLero [email protected]

HerMAnoS K. BUrgeSS [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 1000 LOCUST ST, MS38 RM 1

RENO, NV 89502 (775) 328-1714

(775) 337-2291 FAX

DonnA DePeW [email protected]

FAIRFIELD OUTPATIENT CLINIC 103 BODIN CIRCLE RM B122

TRAVIS AFB, CA 94535 (707) 437-1900

(707) 437-1809 FAX

reV. gArY C. DoUgLAS [email protected] SERVICE OFFICER

14444 CALIFORNIA AVE. SUITE C VICTORVILLE CA 92392

(760) 955 1103 OFFICE (760) 955 1120 FAX

(760) 514 6244 CELL

JoHn W. fISHer [email protected]

WILeY BUffIngton [email protected] CALAngI (ADMIn . ASSt.)

[email protected]. REGIONAL OFFICE

11000 WILSHIRE BLVD RM 5206 LOS ANGELES, CA 90024

(310) 235-7179 FTS (310) 479-8649 FAX

DonALD r. frAnKLIn [email protected]

SHALeKA McCLeLLAnD [email protected]

V.A. REGIONAL OFFICE 8810 RIO SAN DIEGO DR. RM 1127

SAN DIEGO, CA 92108 (619) 400-5303

(619) 400-5305 FAX

MICHAeL J. gIntHer [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 5901 E 7TH ST BLDG 126, RM W210

LONG BEACH, CA 90822 (562) 826-5709

(562) 826-8081 FAX

frAnK gonZALeS [email protected]

1213 S. DALE AVENUE ANAHEIM, 92804

(714) 761-5811

roBert KAUL [email protected]

V.A. OUTPATIENT CLINIC 201 WALNUT AVE RM 1016

MARE ISLAND, CA 94592 (707) 562-8263 (707) 562-8257 FAX

HenrY e. KAYLor [email protected]

V. A. MEDICAL CENTER 351 HARTNELL AVE RM A02

REDDING, CA 96002 (530) 226-7629

(530) 226-7505 FAX

rICHArD J. Kenton [email protected]

MICHAeL f. o’BrIen [email protected]

LeAne WAttS (ADMIn. ASSt.) [email protected]

tAWAnDA JACk (ADMIn. ASSt.) [email protected]. REGIONAL OFFICE 1301 CLAY ST RM 1150N

OAKLAND, CA 94612 (510) 637-6126 FTS (510) 637-6376 FAX

JoSePH MAffeI [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 4951 ARROYO RD BLDG 64, RM 275

LIVERMORE, CA 94550 (925) 373-4700 EXT 35673

roDneY McCLAIn [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 4150 CLEMENT ST, BLDG 200 RM 71

SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121 (415) 750-2157

(415) 750 6907 FAX

DAn MUrAoKA [email protected]

V.A. OUTPATIENT CLINIC 2221 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

OAKLAND, CA 94612 (510) 267-7826

(510) 267-7870 FAX

rUSSeLL nAKAISHI [email protected]

(562) 296-5716

WADe L. roBertS [email protected]

(562) 296-5715 JOINT FORCES TRAINING BASE

11206 LEXINGTON DR, BLDG. 244, RM 102 LOS ALAMITOS CA 90720

(562) 296-5718 FAX

JoHn r. neAL [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 3801 MIRANDA AVE BLDG 101 RM A1-215

PALO ALTO, CA 94304 (650) 493-5000 EXT 65392

JoSePH g. oDYA [email protected]

CHerYL PorrAL (ADMIn. ASSt.) [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 4800 ALPINE PLACE STE 7

LAS VEGAS NV 89106 (702) 258-3691 FTS (702) 259-0838 CML (702) 259-0932 FAX

(702) 588-9870 CELL

tonY PACHeCo [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 2615 E. CLINTON AVE RM E108D

FRESNO, CA 93703 (559) 241-6417

(559) 241-6446 FAX

Joe roMo, [email protected]

V.A. OUTPATIENT CLINIC 351 E TEMPLE ST RM #A131D

LOS ANGELES CA 90012 (213) 253-2677 EXT. 4128

(213) 253-5035 FAX

JoSePH r. SCAMIHorn [email protected]

MICHAeL P. KUKULSKI [email protected]

BrenDA CHAPMAn (ADMIn. ASSt.) [email protected]

V.A. REGIONAL OFFICE 5460 RENO CORPORATE DR RM 103

RENO, NV 89511 (775) 329-9833 (775) 321-4890

(775) 329-6054 FAX

oSCAr r. SIfUenteS [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 11201 BENTON ST RM 1F39A

LOMA LINDA, CA 92357 (909) 583-6013

(909) 583-6707 FAX

freD A treMBLett Jr. [email protected]

V.A. MEDICAL CENTER 3350 LA JOLLA VILLAGE DR RM 1607

SAN DIEGO, CA 92161 (858) 642-6453

(858) 642-1450 FAX

SUZAnne VInCI [email protected]

roger K SCoVIL [email protected]

V.A. OFFICE 10365 OLD PLACERVILLE RD

SACRAMENTO, CA 95827 (916) 364-6793 & 6792

(916) 364-6560 FAX

JAMeS WoLSKe [email protected]

(530) 879-5030

CArLoS CAStLe [email protected]

(530) 879-5031 V.A. OUTPATIENT CLINIC

280 COHASSET ROAD, RM 1045A CHICO, CA 95926 (530) 879-5027 FAX

george t. ZAMArIA [email protected]

V.A. OUTPATIENT CLNIC 150 MUIR RD RM B-149 MARTINEZ, CA 94553

(925) 372-2159 (925) 372-2086 FAX

It’s official,

DD-214’s are noW online Please pass on to other vetsThe National Personnel

Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214’s on-line: http://vetrecs.archives.gov/

This may be particularly help-ful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment pur-poses. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain cop-ies of documents from their military files. Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new on-line military personnel records system to request documents. Other individu-als with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can be downloaded from the on-line web site. Because the re-quester will be asked to supply all in-formation essential for NPRC to pro-cess the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veter-ans for additional information will be minimized. The new web-based application was designed to pro-vide better service on these requests by eliminating the records centers mailroom and processing time.


america’s Heroes at WorkThe following information is to help our returning veterans suffering

from PTSD/TBI to secure employment.The DOL has undertaken a project that focuses on the employ-

ment challenges of service members returning to the United States withTraumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder(PTSD). The goal of the project is to educate employers and the workforce development system on TBI and PTSD as well as on accommo-dations they can make for these individuals. This website is designed to be a link to information and tools that will help service members, primarily returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, affected by TBI and/or PTSD succeed in the workplace. Some of the resources include: job sharing, coaching and mentoring programs, fact sheets, training tools and success stories. For all these resources please visit: www.AmericasHeroesAtWork.gov

America's Heroes at Work

http://www.americasheroesatwork.gov/[3/31/2009 9:10:16 AM]

Contact Us | News Room | Email to a friend

America's Heroes at WorkSupporting the Employment Success of Returning Service Members with TBI & PTSD

Welcome to America's Heroes at Work - a U.S. Department of Labor(DoL) project that focuses on the employment challenges of returning servicemembers living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or Post-TraumaticStress Disorder (PTSD).

Designed for employers and the workforce development system, thisWeb site is your link to information and tools to help returning service membersaffected by TBI and/or PTSD succeed in the workplace - particularly servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Focus• DoL announces Employment PilotProject to connect employers with veteranemployees with TBI and PTSD. Learn how to participate>>

• Spotlighting America's Heroes at Work.View the video profile>>

• Promising Practices in action.Read about real-life on-the-job successstories>>

Learn How to HelpEmployees withTBI/PTSD Succeedfrom simple workplace supports to jobcoaching and mentoring programs,employers can play a vital role in therecovery and rehabilitation of peoplewith TBI and/or PTSD. Learn More >

Learn How to Hire a VeteranHelpful resources to help you recruit,hire and retain qualified veteranemployees. Learn More >

Site Map | Link to Us | Email to a friend

amvets are onLine

Check out the websites of some of our posts to see what they are up to. If you find a site you like contact the post

to learn how you can set up your own.

Post 2 www.amvetspost2.com

Post 85 www.montereybayamvets.com

Post 940 www.amvetspost940.org

Post 1240WWW.AMVETS1240.US

Post 1996www.rhmercer.org/amvets.HTML

Post 1997www.amvetspost1997.org

AMVETS Riders

AMVETS RIDERS

RIDERS

MEMbERShIp ApplIcAtIon

RIDING FOR THOSE WHO SERVE

AMVETS RIDERS

A leader since 1944 in preserving the freedoms secured by America’s armed forces, AMVETS provides support for veterans and the active military in pro-curing their earned entitlements, as well as community service and legisla-tive reform that enhances the qual-ity of life for this nation’s citizens and veterans alike.

AMVETS is one of the largest congressionally-chartered veterans’ service organizations in the United States, and includes members from each branch of the military, including the National Guard and Reserves. For more information, visit

www.AMvEtS.oRg.

AMVETS RIDERS

RIDE FOR YOUR FELLOW VETERANS... BECOME ONE OF US TODAY

RIDER MEMbERShIp

• Membership in the National AMVETS Riders shall be limited to members in good standing of AMVETS, AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary, and Sons of AMVETS.

• Members must be the legally registered owner of a motorcycle or be the spouse of the legally registered owner within the state of registration. • Members must show for membership application a VALID State Drivers License with a Motorcycle endorsement, A VALID State Motorcycle Registration, and PROOF of insurance meeting State and Federal Regulations to the Chapter President and one other elected officer. • There will be no HONORARY memberships in National, Departments or Chapters of the AMVETS Riders.

rider Membership• Membership in the National AMVETS Riders shall be limited to mem-

bers in good standing of AMVETS, AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary, and Sons of AMVETS.

• Members must be the legally registered owner of a motorcycle or be the spouse of the legally registered owner within the state of registration.

• Members must show for membership application a VALID State Drivers License with a Motorcycle endorsement, A VALID State Motorcycle Registra-tion, and PROOF of insurance meeting State and Federal Regulations to the Chapter President and one other elected officer.

• There will be no HONORARY memberships inNational, Departments or Chapters of the AMVETS Riders.

rIDIng for tHoSe WHo SerVe

A leader since 1944 in preserving the freedoms secured by America’s armedforces, AMVETS provides support for veterans and the active military in procuringtheir earned entitlements, as well as community service and legislativereform that enhances the quality of life for this nation’s citizens andveterans alike.

AMVETS is one of the largest congressionally-chartered veterans’service organizations in the United States, and includes members fromeach branch of the military, including the National Guard and Re-serves. For more information, visit www.amvets.org.


Friends of amvetsA C & S Materials Testing Service

ASL Pharmacy

Automatic Boiler Co.

Burghard Design Group

Chamberlin Building Services

Colony Landscaping

Dominguez Painting Co.

Dr. Ron Schilling

Ensminger Consulting

Gyl Decauwer CPAS

Harbor Dental Bleaching Group

Kishek International Inc.

Lancaster Plumbing Supplies

Lathrop Construction Association

N City Sports Lounge

Pizza Patron

Randy W. Hoover

Redi Room

Sam Joaquin Prime Care

Skeez

Velascos Mexican Restaurant

ZMW Inc.

PLATINUM

Combat Medical LLC

GOLD

Black Hawk Tobacco Inc.

Core-Mark International Inc.

FPI Management Inc.

San Francisco Fire Protection

SILVER

Johnson Transportation Service

CORPORATE

Access Compliance Consultants

Best Western Frontier Motel

Direct Construction

Heckman & Pull Inc.

Issue Deadline Vol. 14, No. 1 March 1 Vol. 14, No. 2 June 1 Vol. 14, No. 3 September 1 Convention Book April 1 Vol. 14, No. 4 December 1

Deadlines for Quarterly Submissions by Issue


Hey VA!

The 2009 Veterans Day

teacher resource guide is now

online. Parents and educators

can download the guide as a PDF

file from the VA Web site: http://

www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/

index.asp. The guide in-

cludes: suggested activities for

Veterans Day (such as a school

assembly, musical performance,

or flag-raising ceremony); infor-

mation on how to contact vet-

erans service organizations and

staff at VA medical centers, ben-

efits offices, and National Cem-

eteries; information for older

students including handouts on

the origins of Veterans Day, the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,

statistics on America’s wars,

and scholarships; and subjects

for younger students such as a

Veterans Day maze and coloring

pages. The guide, along with a

Veterans Day poster, is being

distributed on CD-ROM to prin-

cipals at 115,000 schools nation-

wide. America’s veterans have

shaped our history. Share their

example of courage and sacrifice

with future generations.


Department of Veterans Affairs

America’sWars

office of Public Affairs Washington, DC 20420 (202) 461-7600

Nov 2009

American revolution (1775-1783) Total U.S. Servicemembers1 217,000Battle Deaths 4,435Non-mortal Woundings 6,188

War of 1812 (1812-1815) Total U.S. Servicemembers 286,730Battle Deaths 2,260Non-mortal Woundings 4,505

Indian Wars (approx. 1817-1898) Total U.S. Servicemembers (VA estimate) 106,000 Battle Deaths (VA estimate) 1,000

Mexican War (1846-1848) Total U.S. Servicemembers 78,718Battle Deaths 1,733Other Deaths (In Theater) 11,550Non-mortal Woundings 4,152

Civil War (1861-1865) Total U.S. Servicemembers (Union) 2,213,363Battle Deaths (Union) 140,414Other Deaths (In Theater) (Union) 224,097Non-mortal Woundings (Union) 281,881Total Servicemembers (Conf.) 2 1,050,000 Battle Deaths (Confederate) 3 74,524 Other Deaths (In Theater) (Confederate) 3, 4 59,297 Non-mortal Woundings (Confederate) Unknown

Spanish-American War (1898-1902) Total U.S. Servicemembers (Worldwide) 306,760 Battle Deaths 385 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater) 2,061 Non-mortal Woundings 1,662

World War I (1917-1918) Total U.S. Servicemembers (Worldwide) 4,734,991 Battle Deaths 53,402 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater) 63,114 Non-mortal Woundings 204,002 Living Veterans 1

World War II (1941 –1945) Total U.S. Servicemembers (Worldwide) 16,112,566 Battle Deaths 291,557 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater) 113,842 Non-mortal Woundings 670,846 Living Veterans 5 2,272,000 ______________________________________noteS: 1. Exact number is unknown. Posted figure is the median of estimated range from 184,000 – 250,000. 2. Exact number is unknown. Posted figure is median of estimated range from 600,000 – 1,500,000. 3. Death figures are based on incomplete returns. 4. Does not include 26,000 to 31,000 who died in Union prisons. 5. Estimate based upon new population projection methodology.

Korean War (1950-1953) Total U.S. Servicemembers (Worldwide) 5,720,000 Total Serving (In Theater) 1,789,000Battle Deaths 33,739 Other Deaths (In Theater) 2,835 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater) 17,672 Non-mortal Woundings 103,284 Living Veterans 2,600,000

Vietnam War (1964-1975) Total U.S. Servicemembers (Worldwide) 6 8,744,000 Deployed to Southeast Asia 7 3,403,000 Battle Deaths 8 47,434 Other Deaths (In Theater) 8 10,786 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater) 8 32,000 Non-mortal Woundings 9 153,303 Living Veterans 5, 10 7,600,000

Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-1991)Total U.S. Servicemembers (Worldwide) 2,322,000 Deployed to Gulf 694,550 Battle Deaths 148Other Deaths (In Theater) 235Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater) 1,565Non-mortal Woundings 467Living Veterans 5, 10 2,258,000

America’s Wars total (1775 -1991) U.S. Military Service during Wartime 41,892,128 Battle Deaths 651,031Other Deaths (In Theater) 308,800 Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater) 230,279 Non-mortal Woundings 1,431,290 Living War Veterans11 17,456,000 Living Veterans (Periods of War & Peace) 23,000,000

global War on terror (oct 2001 - )The Global War on Terror (GWOT), including Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), are ongoing conflicts. For the most current GWOT statistics visit the following Department of Defense Website:http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/gwot_component.pdf

________________________________________________________

6. Covers the period 8/5/64 - 1/27/73 (date of cease fire) 7. Department of Defense estimate 8. Covers period 11/1/55 – 5/15/75 9. Excludes 150,341 not requiring hospital care 10. Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) estimate, as of 4/09, does not include those still on active duty and may include veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. 11. Total will be more than sum of conflicts due to no “end date” established for Persian Gulf War. Source: Department of Defense (DOD), except living veterans, which are VA estimates as of Sep 2009.


America’s Wars Fact Sheet, Nov 2009

American revolution Last Veteran, Daniel F. Bakeman, died 4/5/1869, age 109 Last Widow, Catherine S. Damon, died 11/11/06, age 92 Last Dependent, Phoebe M. Palmeter, died 4/25/11, age 90

Mexican War Last Veteran, Owen Thomas Edgar, died 9/3/29, age 98 Last Widow, Lena James Theobald, died 6/20/63, age 89 Last Dependent, Jesse G. Bivens, died 11/1/62, age 94

War of 1812 Last Veteran, Hiram Cronk, died 5/13/05, age 105 Last Widow, Carolina King, died 6/28/36, age unknown Last Dependent, Esther A.H. Morgan, died 3/12/46, age 89

Civil War Last Union Veteran, Albert Woolson, died 8/2/56, age 109 Last Confederate Veteran, John Salling, died 3/16/58, age 112 Last Union Widow, Gertrude Janeway, died 1/17/2003, age 93

Indian Wars Last Veteran, Fredrak Fraske, died 6/18/73, age 101

Spanish-American War Last veteran, Nathan E. Cook, died 9/10/92, age 106

VA estimates the number of living World War II U.S. veterans will be:*

9/30/09…….2,272,000 9/30/10….….1,981,000 9/30/11……….1,711,000 9/30/12……. 1,462,0009/30/13……..1,237,000 9/30/14….… 1,034,000 9/30/15…… ...…855,000 9/30/16…….. 697,0009/30/17……….562,000 9/30/18…....….446,000 9/30/19…………349,000 9/30/20…….. 269,0009/30/21……….204,000 9/30/22……….153,000 9/30/23………....112,000 9/30/24…….. 81,000

* Estimates have changed based on new population projections.

___________________________________________.

U.S. Veterans and Dependents onBenefits rolls as of

September 2009

SUrVIVIng VeterAnS CHILDren PArentS SPoUSeS

Civil War - 2 - -

Indian Wars - - - -

Spanish-American War - 82 - 69

Mexican Border - 13 - 50

World War I - 2,885 - 3,986

World War II 244,659 13,883 82 216,028

Korean Conflict 153,743 3,087 188 60,121

Vietnam Era 1,051,294 8,346 2,660 168,085

Gulf War 1 998,751 13,239 1,026 16,659

Non service-connected 314,245 17,146 2 180,810

Service-connected 3,069,653 26,867 5,021 315,057 1 For compensation and pension purposes, the Persian Gulf War period has not yet been terminated and includes veterans of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.


Office of Policy and PlanningApril 29, 2009

Analysis of Unique Veterans Utilization of VA Benefits & Services

Office of Policy and Planning, National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics (008A3)

Project Objective

To determine the number of unique Veterans receiving VA benefits or services in FY08– Utilization by age group and gender– Utilization by OEF/OIF Veterans

2


Key Points

23,440,000 is the Vetpop estimation of living Veterans as of 9/30/08 8,493,700 (36% of total living Veterans according to Vetpop)

received VA benefits and/or services in FY08– 87% (7.38M) were male– 81% (6.89M) were 45 years old or older

5,756,800 of Veterans using VA only used one program– 84% (4.85M) were male– 81% (4.68M) were 45 years old or older

2,736,900 of Veterans using VA used multiple programs– 93% (2.53M) were male– 81% (2.21M) were 45 years old or older

40% (1.17M) of the Veterans receiving VA disability compensation did not use VA health care


UNIQUE OEF/OIF VETERANS UNIQUE OEF/OIF VETERANS RECEIVING VA BENEFITS/SERVICESRECEIVING VA BENEFITS/SERVICES

10


Key Points

There were 957,441 living OEF/OIF Veterans as of 9/30/08*– 89% were male and 11% were female

498,737 (52% of living OEF/OIF Veterans as of 9/30/08) received VA benefits and/or services in FY08

277,907 (56%) OEF/OIF Veterans using VA only used one program– 88% (246K) were male – 85% (235K) were 44 years old or younger

220,830 (44%) of OEF/OIF Veterans using VA used multiple programs– 87% (192K) were male– 81% (180K) were 44 years old or younger

39% (84K) of the OEF/OIF Veterans receiving disability compensation did not use VA health care

11*Source: Defense Manpower Data Center


Honor Flight 2009

Left to right: Mel Posey pushing Dick Hum; Lou Zuner and Mel Cheney

Debbie Johnson, Secretary Honor Flight Board and Dick Hum, Vice President carry flag to California Tower.

66th National ConventionAugust 7-14, 2010

The Galt House Hotel140 North Fourth Street

Louisville, KY 40202

www.galthouse.com

800-843-4258502-589-5200

$113.86 - $148.36 (inclusive of taxes*)

July 9, 2010

Parking $9 per nightSAV

e t

He

DAt

e


Honor Flight 2009Honor flight California to Washington, D.C. to see WWII Memorial

Pictures by Neil Remnant

Left to right: Dorothy Ward, John Bolner, Ethel Stanley, Dick Hum and Rita Humphries

66th National ConventionAugust 7-14, 2010

The Galt House Hotel140 North Fourth Street

Louisville, KY 40202

www.galthouse.com

800-843-4258502-589-5200

$113.86 - $148.36 (inclusive of taxes*)

July 9, 2010

Parking $9 per night


Post 18

POST Reports

Here are some great ideas your post can do to help veterans and your community!

On September 30, many post members were invited to attend the West Coast Premiere of the documentary movie, “Voices of the Never Ending Dawn.” It was the true story of the World War II “Polar Bears,” American soldiers from Minnesota, who fought in northern Russia. Of note,

was that Auxiliary member, Lise Reese, was featured as one of the voice makeovers. October 3-4, was the annual Marching Thru History Exposition that displays re enactors for armies from medieval times through W.W.II. Post member Ron Lane supplied many of the WWII vehicles and props. Jeff Sharp was the Executive Director and is the “procurer” of sponsorship funds from the Service Foundation.

On October 26 through 29, the Post, in conjunction with the Orange County Veterans Advisory Council, conducted the annual Fifth Grade Walk of Honor program. 1080 Fifth Grade students from 15 Orange County grade schools participated. The students were guided through stations explaining the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service crosses, the playing and history of Taps, the folding and presentation of a funeral flag, a field medical setup and a display of an A-4 Skyhawk. In addition to the 12 members of Post 18, six other Veteran’s organizations provided volunteers to assist in the program.

One of the more entertaining and informative venues was Jeff Sharp’s explanation of the his-tory of the Medal of Honor, and what it took to earn one. He in-cluded the students as participants in the demonstrations as shown in the picture.

On November 11, 2009, we participated in City of Stanton’s Vet-erans Day Celebration at their new Veterans Memorial Park. John Doogan was the Military Liaison for the program and Master of Ceremonies. Hal Camp gave the invocation and Benediction. Brent Nielson, Fred Schrieber, Ivan Ashbaugh and Bill Leonard provided the rifle salutes (three volleys). On Saturday, November 14, the Post was represented at the 25th La Palma Days Parade, by Ivan Ashbaugh, who served as the Marching Band Reviewing Of-ficer. In addition to the above listed public events, the Legion of Honor conducted seven Military Funeral Services. The saddest of these was for one of our own life members, Lt. Col. USAFR, Bruce Bower. Bruce served in India during W.W.II, then helped design the Lockheed P-38. Bruce was an active member of the Post and will be sorely missed. Auxiliary members, Ida Camp and Sandi Ashbaugh played “echo” taps. Respectfully submitted, C. Ivan Ashbaugh Post 18, Legion of Honor1202 W Park Lane Santa Ana, CA 92706 714-558-2708

September, october and november busy months for Hal Camp Post 18

on 23 Sept 2009, AMVetS Post #18 - orange County California, officially changed it’s name to “AMVetS HAL CAMP PoSt #18-orAnge CoUntY.” this event took place at one of the schedule meetings to pay tribute to a WWII veteran and one of the longest members of Post #18.


Post 22

Post 26

POST Reports


Submitted by Adjutant Jerry Guevara

Members of Post 22 continue to be very active in attending functions and events.

Following the State Convention in On-tario in June they: helped participate in the Visalia Veterans Committee (VVC) Flag Retirement pro-gram on June 14th. With a grant from the National Service Foundation the Post purchased over 200 3 x 5 flags that were given to residents who turned their flags in for proper retirement. District 6 Command-er Robert Cadena installed the officers for Post 922 in Shafter. In July several members helped support a multi veterans service group that sold fireworks. Members worked four-hour shifts over a four-day period. Members also set up and worked a booth at a local Farmers Market to hand out information and speak with several possible new members. Members also attended a local Lions club breakfast to speak with those members about Am Vets and the programs that the VVC have put in place. During the months of June, July and August several post members also volunteered at the local baseball club, Visalia Raw-hide. Acting as ushers for the ball team, they were able to talk with local veterans and it turned out that one of the conversations with a veteran attending the game he turned in paperwork at the Bar B Que in September for an annual membership. (See separate article for Central Area Committee for more informa-tion.)

Also in July several post members attended a local retirement home for a Flag Replacement and folding ceremony. Several members then attended

the transition meeting that took place in Tulare. In August, a post representative attended the dedica-tion of benches at the Oak Preserve along with Boy Scout Troop 321. Post members set up a booth at the Visalia Home Show, with the VVC. They discussed post activities and during the three-day show they handed out a total of 22 membership applications and actually received 8 new annual and three new life memberships back; this was a very successful outing. With several members attending the DEC in Bakersfield, most members continued to meet with the Visalia Veterans Committee and planning for the Veteran Day Program in November and Pearl Harbor Day ceremony in December.

Several members continue to attend the monthly meetings of the Central Area Committee under the leadership of Frank Guerra. In September several members attended the new Veterans Pavilion dedica-tion at the Visalia Cemetery. November was a very busy month for activities with members attending several functions: Central Valley Vietnam Veterans Parade in Tulare, Mission Oak’s High School (in Tu-lare) 1st Veterans Appreciation Day, College of the Sequoias Veterans Club 1st Annual Veterans Appre-ciation Day, where they spoke with college Veterans and handed out Sad Sacks, and the Veterans Day Pro-gram on Veterans Day. The planning of this program has involved many meetings over several months and a well-rounded program was presented to the members of the community that attended which was received very enthusically. Also in November was the visit to the town of Woodlake to participate in the grand opening and Military Appreciation Day at

the new Twilight Park, where several new members were signed up. Along with other VSOS, the post held their annual well attended, Thanksgiving dinner for post members and their families. The other major program that post members help plan was present-ed on Dec. 7th. It encompassed three separate pro-grams: Pearl Harbor Day Ceremony, with William Dietzel, editor and publisher of Veterans magazine; The Fallen Soldier Statue Dedication, to honor the two recipients of the Medal of Honor from Visalia. The guest speakers for this part of that program were Johnny Byrum, State Commander and Jim Pidgeon, President of the Service Foundation. The final part of that program was a Highway Dedication, where a portion of a major road in Visalia was renamed “World’s Greatest Generation Memorial Highway.” That, to honor the mural erected in 2006. The guest speaker for that ceremony was Connie Conway, As-semblyperson, who authored the bill that was signed by the Governor. Many and most of the City leaders as well as county dignitaries were present for those three ceremonies.

Post 22 continues to attend a lot of events and functions and with that they have been able to sign up new members. With new members becoming ac-tive, the planned events and functions will be tak-ing on a new meaning and that meaning is promot-ing AMVETS and how AMVETS can help you. It’s like Commander Byrum has said more than once, “Supporting veterans and active military and provid-ing community and youth services” is the AMVETS way.

nathan Johnson helps raise over $14,000 for wounded veterans on 544 mile bike ride

The California Tour is an effort to increase public awareness and raise funds to support wounded veterans in their local community, “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon”. The California Tour involved 12 riders (most riders were Marines) and 10 support staff comprised of veterans, Post 26 members and family members

of veterans.Nathan Johnson’s participation involved riding in a 544 mile race from San Francisco to Camp Pendleton

from September 27th thru October 5th. During the course of the race, Nathan was also doing outreach to the Vets and their families in the local communities to provide them with information and increase awareness about Vet Centers, AMVETS and the Sentinals of Freedom. As an indicator of it’s success, Nathan was able to help raise over $14,000 in donations for wounded veterans. Nathan also interacted with dozens of civilians, military and veterans in dialogue about the needs of wounded veterans.

For Nathan to safely participate in this ride, he had to extensively train and practice the fundamen-tals of bicycling on a daily basis for 9 months. Nathan plans on participating in this worthy cause again in 2010.

The members of Post 26 and Nathan Johnson want to thank the AMVETS Service Foundation for there generous grant and support. The bike ride would not taken place without the “Foundation” step-ping up.


Visit our website www.amvets-ca.org

POST Reports


On Wednesday, November 4, for the sixth year in a row, Comstock Middle School in Santa Rosa, California, invited local

veterans in to chat with their students about their time in the military and what it means to be a veteran. This invitation is open to all veterans’ groups, and many of them were represented at this great function. Bud Simmons and Dave Richey represented Michael Ottolini AMVETS Post 40 of Sonoma County. Also present were residents of the Pathway Treatment Facility at Yountville Veterans Home in Napa County, CA. The residents there are current and former OEF/IEF military with special treatment needs.The ceremony began at 0830 in the school quad with a colors presentation and the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. Dave Richey was asked to lead the singing. Following Colors, veterans and students met in the dining area of the school, with one veteran to a table of four to eight students. Besides a list of suggested questions, students were curious with questions of their own.We were honored to be invited and available for such an opportunity to further the principles of Americanism

with these young people in our community Color Guard Flag ceremony at the new VA Clinic in Santa Rosa. The woman helping us who is not in uniform was a Marine, and is now an employee at the clinic. The four of us performing the flag raising are: Bud Simmons (with flag), Dave Richey and Dennis Smith (rifles) and Hattie Stone (supporting flag as it is raised). The civilian’s name is Leah (??). The ceremony was on November 6. On November 14, the same color guard posted Colors at the start of the national convention of a branch of the Social Security Administration.

On Sunday, November 22, the Sonoma County United Veterans’ Council, an association of all the Veterans’ service organizations, hosted a re-tirememt luncheon for a sister veteran who has worked feverishly during the last 37 years in the local VSO. During those years, this super-hero, known to us only as “Dudley”, has served thousands of veterans in the county, helping them fulfill their medical, financial and legal

needs. She has been a pioneer and a fighter for the official recognition and diagnosis of the stess disease of many returning battle veterans known as PTSD. Dudley was awarded many honors and certificates, one of the most sig-nificant of which was a resolution read into the Congressional Record on the floor of Congress by Representative Mike Thompson. Serving on the organizing committee for the luncheon were AMVETS, Bud Simmons and Dave Richey of Michael Ottolini AMVETS Post 40 of Sonoma County. Also in attendance were Post 40 Cdr, Jay Matthews, Second Vice Cdr, Morella Staggs and Chaplain, Hattie Stone. At the close of the luncheon, Dave held a POW/MIA ceremony, an issue that is close to Dudley’s heart.

Dave Richey, Post 40 Finance Officer

Post 40


Post 56Post 56 in Tulare has had a busy time the last two months having signed several new members.

We welcome them to Post 56. The honor guard was busy with several funerals. Promoting Americanism involved two parades, local college vets information seminar, visited three local

schools and performed flag folding ceremonies for the students. Also had our annual Vets Day picnic open to all vets and their families. We fed 465 hungry folks at our annual Free Thanksgiving Dinner, open to everyone in the community. We are very fortunate to have a lot of great volunteers, both veterans and civilians. We are also busy preparing for our annual Post AMVETS Christmas dinner, for Vets and their families and our annual New Year’s Eve dinner dance. Thanks to all of the Post 56 volunteers for their tireless work on these projects.

Post 56 continues to proudly sponsor Nico Andrade who has been a part of the Lemoore Naval League Cadet program since 2007. At the age of 10 yrs. he received special admission into the Lemoore Naval League Cadet Program. Since his admission he has attended weekend drills, color guard, learned damage control, first aid and participated in marches and summer trainings.

POST Reports


On about the 20th of Oct. I received a phone call from Dave Cota who is a U.S. Military Veteran who attends

Cerritos College. He called to ask me if I would be interested in going to Cerritos College and talking to some 470 Veterans who attend classes there about what the AMVETS do. I told him absolutely, we would be delighted to tell them about the great work that the AMVETS do. I e-mailed Rose Blackman to get information about some pamphlets, applications and other literature about the AMVETS. Rose told me to call the AMVETS Service Foundation. I called them and they came through with flying colors. I picked up a box of brochures and applications on the 2nd of Nov. Jack Peterson, his wife Lee and I went to Cerritos College on the 3rd of Nov. They had set up a booth complete with tables, chairs and canopy for our use. We lined up our brochures and applications on the table. There were numerous other Veteran Organizations present there as well. The program was a tribute to Veterans. We talked to several hundred people there and most took applications for enrollment. We were able to get one new member immediately, Mr Cota took between 150 and 200 applications for his group who have a Veteran’s Club on campus and said he would forward all applications personally to us to be processed. Cerritos College has it’s own Veterans Club. Their leader was the main reason that all of the various Service Organizations were invited to participate in their pre Veteran’s Day Program. A bugle player from the school explained the different bugle calls from reverie to taps and he performed them all well. Another speaker a young female student veteran told a story about her arrival back to Los Angeles from Iraq. She stated that as she entered the airport, she was greeted by people who walked up to her and shook hands and hugged her and said “Thank You for your service”. As she spoke her voice trembled a bit. At the end there was nary a dry eye, including myself and Jack Peterson. She said when you see a Veteran, all you have to do is shake their hand and say “Thank You”. At the end of the program, Dave Cota came to our table and picked about 150 to 200 brochures and applications. He said he was going to get as many of the Veterans enrolled in their program to join the AMVETS. We had one student sign up at the booth. We will be forwarding his application to Rose this next week. Hopefully, we will get 150 or more of these young veterans in AMVETS.

Post 48get your AMVetS gear here!

www.amvetsquartermaster.com/

Ed DuffyCommanderAMVETS Post # 48Long Beach.


POST Reports


Post 116Post 116 giving Vets sweat shirts, tee shirts, laundry bags, tennis shoes, under garments, Lady’s sports bras etc. All items donated by Pete Ramirez, Post 113

Post 96Post 96 in Eureka, CA. Made a donation of $4,000 dollars to

the “Socks For Soldiers” organization here in Eureka, Ca. in Nov. 2009, and the first of December is when they get

busy and put the box’s together. They work it as an assembly line, as they have eight tables lined up end to end in the hall, and they have big box’s of the items that they are putting into each one of the gift box’s to be sent over sea’s to our soldiers, then they start an empty box down the line and each person along the line puts there item into the Box. It takes five evenings, and a Saturday to get all of these boxes put together and ready for the post office to pick them up, and send them to our troops. On Wednesday evening, soldiers family members come and help put the box’s together. I was there and met the people that were assembling the box’s for there soldiers, and I took these pictures of what I observed, and I hope that we can donate to this program again next year. It was made possible this year by the AMVETS Service Foundation! Thank you to the foundation board.

Jerry R. Greer - Post 96 Finance Officer


POST Reports


Post 116, cont.


POST Reports


Post 700

Post 1240

A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL WHO ATTENDED THE PICNIC AT THE CHULA VISTA ELK’S BARBEQUE AREA. 55 FOLKS SHOWED UP, AND REALLY ENJOYED THE FOOD, BEER AND SOFT DRINKS.

AMVetS PoSt 700 WIngo’S BIngoYou don’t have to have “RESERVATIONS” to play bingo. Bring your

friends.Our bingo games are every 2nd Friday of the month and everyone is wel-

come.You do not have to be a post member or a resident of the Veterans Home

to play.As in previous years, on Veteran’s Day, Palomar High School delivered

flowers and candy to the Veteran’s Home in honor of the sacrifice and service of our veterans. “We are always appreciative of your support to our school and the continued encouragement you provide to our “at risk” students.

AMVETS Post 700 scholarships have made a difference and we will al-ways be thankful of your generosity and caring.” Thank you, Vern Von Sydow.

Palomar High School The above letter was sent to all of us and I felt every-one should see it, short, sweet and to the point. A big thank you to Captain Von Sydow for the great job that he and the staff at Palomar High School are doing. As we enter 2010 remember all of the things accomplished in 2009, anew bus, picnics, harbor cruises, pizza parties, bingo, just to name a few. I am looking forward to the New Year and I want to wish everyone a a great New Year.... Many thanks to Mike Gonzalez who coordinates the pizza parties, which oc-curs immediately after our monthly meeting. We have averaged two a month, and this past month, we had two transfers from other AMVET Posts in the San Diego area. Welcome aboard. Bingo is going well.

God Speed, Commander Jim Taylor

Fellow AMVETS

Our year is half over and we still have a long way to go to be at one hundred percent with reporting our post activities. Our biggest goal is to get every Post to do their program re-ports. Even if you only report one or two programs. Remem-ber Post elections and revalidation is not that far off and if you have not done any reporting you will not be able to revalidate. I have faith in Team AMVETS to be at one hundred percent.

There have been discrepancies in dues payments that are sent in with some Post D&R’s causing delays because they have to be returned for correction. The amount to be sent to Department is $23 for an annual membership. $13.00 is for National dues and $10 is for Department dues. The Post shares are determined by each individual Post.

Life membership dues has risen to $180 effective 1 January 2010. Of the $180 National dues are $90, Department dues are $45 and $45 is retained by the post. Be sure to change your paper work and notify your members of the changes.

To help with your membership drives we are offering each Post ten free memberships under our Veterans Outreach Program. When you send those 10 in to Department be sure to include a note stipulating that they are under Veterans Out-reach or your Post will be charged for the membership.

In the past year and a half this Department has made great strides in becoming number one thanks to the great ef-fort and work done by our officers and members. This shows the great pride that each and every one of you have in our Organization and the work that we do to help our veterans and our communities. I want to thank each and everyone of you for your part in making this the Best Organization. Keep up the good work.

1st Vice CommanderDennis Starkey


Post 1240, cont.


POST Reports


Post 1240, cont.


POST Reports


Post 1996AMVETS Leo P. Simon Post # 1996Thomas L. Johnson –Commander17669 Warwick Pl.Anderson, CA 96007-9271

national 1st Place Americanism Winner

The Leo P. Simon Post 1996 has had many 1st place winners for Americanism at both the Post and Department level in the last 3 years. This year, Natalie McAuliffe currently a junior at West Valley High

School has placed first in the AMVETS National Americanism Essay Contest for 2009 for 10th grade. The news arrived the first week of November to the Leo P. Simon Post and Auxiliary members, who offered the opportunity to enter the contest last Winter. The theme Natalie wrote to was: “What Does An American Veteran Mean to Me?” She placed in the top three locally to go on to the state competition and then the national level. Natalie received cash awards at all levels as well as a Certificate and Plaque from National

News of Natalie’s accomplishments has traveled fast and two High Schools have signed on to participate in next years competition.

Thomas L. JohnsonCommander Post #1996

Pictured: presenting Natalie (center) with her Plaque, Certificate, and Check from National are (l to r) Carol Silva Aux. Sec, Tanya Gray Aux mem., Debbi Johnson Aux. Pres., Natalie, Leo P. Simon, Bill Silva 3rd Vice., Tom Johnson Cmdr., and Dave Cockrill 2nd Vice.

The post participated in the Corning Veterans Day parade, the Post adjutant led the parade carrying the U.S. flag with two Marines as his honor guard. Once again, the post will be sending toiletries to the VA Hospital in Landstahl,

Germany. For Christmas post members will donate lap robes, puzzles, cookies and other gifts to the veterans living at the Yountville Veterans Home. The AMVET motto “Veterans Helping Veterans” is embraced with all vigor and compassion by Post 2002 members.

Commander A.C. “Buck” Bordeau

Post 2002

• 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1958. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. 58,148 were killed in Vietnam. 75,000 were severely disabled. 23,214 were 100% disabled. 5,283 lost limbs. 1,081 sustained multiple amputations. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21. 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old.

Of those killed, 17,539 were married. Average age of men killed: 23.1 years. Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. The oldest man killed was 62 years old. As of January 15, 2004, there are 1,875 Americans still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. 97% of Vietnam Veterans were honorably discharged. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. Vietnam veterans’ personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. 87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and

Vietnam War: facts, Stats & MythsCredit: Capt. Marshal Hanson, USnr (ret.) and Capt. Scott Beaton, Statistical Source


non-Vietnam Veterans of the same age group (Source: Veterans Ad-ministration Study). Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. 85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life.

Common Myths Dispelled: Myth: Common belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted. fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers. Myth: the media have reported that suicides among Vietnam vet-erans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population. fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. “The CDC Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5 years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans’ group. Myth: Common belief is that a disproportionate number of blacks were killed in the Vietnam War. fact: 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book “All That We Can Be,” said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like can-non fodder during Vietnam “and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. Black fatalities amounted to 12 percent of all Americans killed in Southeast Asia, a figure proportional to the number of blacks in the U.S. population at the time and slightly lower than the proportion of blacks in the Army at the close of the war.” Myth: Common belief is that the war was fought largely by the poor and uneducated. fact: Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. 79% had a high school education or better. Myth: the common belief is the average age of an infantryman fight-ing in Vietnam was 19. fact: Assuming KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in Viet-nam, the average age of an infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam to be 19 years old is a myth, it is actually 22. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. Myth: the common belief is that the domino theory was proved false. fact: The domino theory was accurate. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of America’s commitment in Vietnam. Without that commitment, Communism would have swept all the way to the Malacca Straits that is south of Singapore and of great strategic importance to the free world. If you ask people who live in these countries that won the war in Vietnam,

they have a different opinion from the American news media. The Viet-nam War was the turning point for Communism. Myth: the common belief is that the fighting in Vietnam was not as intense as in World War II. fact: The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 mil-lion who served. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. As a result, less than one percent of all Americans wounded, who survived the first 24 hours, died. The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. Without the heli-copter it would have taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border with Cambodia and Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954 and the Geneva Accords or 1962 would secure the border). Myth: Kim Phuc, the nine-year-old Vietnamese girl running naked from the napalm strike near trang Bang on 8 June 1972 (shown a million times on American television) was burned by Americans bombing trang Bang. fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. The planes doing the bombing near the village were VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese pilots in support of South Vietnamese troops on the ground. The Vietnamese pilot who dropped the napalm in error is currently liv-ing in the United States. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. The incident in the photo took place on the second day of a three day battle between the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) who occupied the village of Trang Bang and the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) who were trying to force the NVA out of the village. Recent reports in the news media that an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc are incorrect. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. “We (Americans) had nothing to do with controlling VNAF,” according to Lieutenant General (Ret) James F. Hollingsworth, the Commanding General of TRAC at that time. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phuc’s brothers were killed in this incident. They were Kim’s cousins not her brothers. Myth: the United States lost the war in Vietnam. fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. From a military stand-point, it was almost an unprecedented performance. General Westmore-land quoting Douglas Pike (a professor at the University of California, Berkeley), a major military defeat for the VC and NVA.

Statistics from the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF) as of November 1993 (the CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, aka The Wall) Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action).

Join Now! • Veterans Service

• Legislative Action • State and national Publications • Local Post Activities • Community Service • Memorial Carillons • V.A.V.S. • Scholarships

EligibilityAll American Veterans who were honorably separated after September 15, 1940 or are now serving in the Armed Forces, National Guard or Reservists, are eligible for membership in AMVETS.

Application For Membership

Membership Fees: ANNUAL: $30 LIFE: $180 RENEWAL: $30

Attention Veterans!

I apply for: New Annual Renewal Life Membership & Pay $________ Post dues __________

Printed Name _________________________________________ Service# or SS# ____________________________________

Street Address___________________________________________ City __________________ State _____ Zip ___________

Sponsor __________________________ Phone _____________________ Branch of Service _________________________

Mo/Yr Entered SVC. _______/_______ Mo/Yr Discharged _______/_______ Type of Discharge _________________________

Date of Birth (DD/MM/YY) / /____ Date of Application / /____ Spouse _______________________________

Signature_________________________________ *Post dues vary.

DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA HEADQUARTERS120 north “M” Streettulare, CA 93274

NoN-PRofITU.S. PoSTAgE

PAIDRoYAL oAK, MI

48068PERMIT #792

AMVETS DEPARTMENT of CALIFORNIA

65th ANNUAL CONVENTION

June 11 – 13, 2010Doubletree Hotel Modesto 1150 Ninth Street, Modesto, CA 95354

ROOM RESERVATIONS 1-800-222-TREE (8733)

request the group rate for AMVETS (American Veterans).

ROOM RATES $104 PLUS TAXMay 21st-, 2010 cut off date

Parking in the hotel is $6 per day

vol. 13, no. 4

Documents

veterans andor

va land

great veterans organization

amvets department

va hospital

amvets department of

helping hand

parcels of va property