Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 203 Mail Call PO Box 23405 Chattanooga, TN 37422 February 2014 Next Meeting: The VVA, Chapter 203, Nominating Committee is accepting nominations, IAW chapter by-laws, for 2014–2015 Officers and Board of Directors. Election will be held on Monday, April 21, 2014. The Nominating Committee will accept nominations for all Officer positions and two (2) Board of Directors positions. The nominations may be presented orally or written to any committee member. Nominations should be submitted by Monday, March 17, 2014. In the group interview, each candidate will be asked the following questions: Monday, • The candidate must be current with Chapter dues. Are you? February 17, 2014 • What skills or assets do you have that demonstrate you are the best qualified candidate? • Are you willing to seek higher level of leadership in the chapter? • Will you be available to attend all regularly-scheduled meetings and all board meetings? Legion • Will you promote VVA, AVVA and Chapter 203, at every opportunity? Post 95 Nominating Committee members: Dinner at 6pm Meeting at 7pm American 3329 Ringgold Rd East Ridge, TN Inside this issue: Officer Contacts 2 Upcoming Events 2 President’s Message 3 Chaplain’s Corner 3 Membership Update AVVA Update 4 Chapter Pictures 5 Website Articles 6 7 Ray Adkins PH: 423-825-0823 E-Mail: [email protected] Don Hays PH: 706-866-4890 E-Mail: David Bell PH: 423-476-2602 E-Mail: [email protected] Paul Williams PH: 706-866-2034 E-Mail: [email protected] Fred Huskey PH: 423-899-2133 E-Mail: Menu for February: Baked Ziti, Salad, Garlic Bread & Desserts Chapter 203 Officers and Board of Directors: Officers: President- Charlie Hobbs 3619 John Sims Road Chattanooga, TN. 37412 423-495-0202 (H) 423-991-5858 (C) 423-495-1108 (F) [email protected] 1st VP- Rick Simpson 170 Creeks Jewell Drive Ringgold, GA. 30736 423-902-1359 (C) Board of 2nd VP- Larry Johnson 727 Godsey Lane Chattanooga, TN. 37415 423-875-3949 (H) 423-718-9056 (C) [email protected] Directors 2012 - 2013 Treasurer- Dan Lovin 8331 Mill Race Drive Ooltewah, TN. 37363 423-238-5128 (H) 423-902-4472 (C) 423-698-2541 (W) [email protected] Secretary-Judy Baker PO Box 772 Rock Springs, GA. 30739 423-432-4218 (C) [email protected] Larry Anderson 706-676-3458 [email protected] Fred Huskey 423-899-2133 (H) 423-883-9297 (C) Larry Gregory 423-396-3191 (H) 423-667-2415 (C) [email protected] Bob Holloway 423-802-8681 [email protected] Ralph Price 423-580-9611 [email protected] www.vva203.org AVVA - Elected Officers: President: Sharon Hobbs 423-495-0202 Vice President: C J Cox 423-847-1299 Secretary: Barbara Ashenbramer 706-891-7068 Treasurer: Susan Price 423-629-7242 Appointed Positions in Chapter 203 VVA Membership Chair: Dan Taylor 423-9915628 Chaplain: Paul Williams 706-866-2034 Historian: Gerald Sniff 423-326-3177 Honor Guard Coordinator: Tom Sloan 423-762-2522 UPCOMING EVENTS Armory Sergeant: Wayne Walker Website: Sharon Hobbs 423-495-0202 Feb. 17th: Monthly meeting Newsletter: David Carne 423-413-0012 or email: [email protected] March 17th: Monthly meeting Social Events: AVVA April 21st: Monthly meeting (Election of Officers) Page 2 Mail Call President’s Message I trust that everyone is staying warm and looking forward to spring like I am. Our Chapter activities have fallen dormant this winter due to the extreme cold weather- except for funerals. I really appreciate those members of our Honor Guard who have braved the cold weather to pay last respects to our veterans who have passed on. In the upcoming (and warmer) months, we will return the Huey to its perch in the Soddy Daisy Veteran’s Park, begin maintenance on our trailers, hold a membership drive, and elect new leaders. we will be in your area. Please try to spend some time with us; recruitment is everyone’s responsibility and a job that everyone can do. April is Chapter elections month. Five Officer positions and two Board positions are open for candidates. Our Nominating Committee was elected in 2013; Ray Adkins is the Chair; his contact information is included in this newsletter. Isn’t it time that you stepped up and served your Chapter? I will not be running for reelection this term; I implore you to either give serious consideration to taking the Chapter lead or to nominate someone who will take us to the next level. This spring, Chapter 203 will sponsor a “BLANKET THE AREA” new member recruit- HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! ment program. We are scheduling recruitment days at seven area Walmarts; chances are that Charlie Chaplain’s Corner: The Pledge of Allegiance The Original Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible—with liberty and justice for all. Francis Bellamy, 1892 At the first National Flag Conference in Washington D.C., on June 1923, a change was made for clarity: the words “the Flag of the United States” replaced “my flag.” Chaplain, Paul Williams PO Box 23405 In 1942 Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance. In June 1954 an amendment was made to add the words “under God.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “In this way we are affirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resources in peace and war.” The Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag Of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands, One nation, under God, indivisible, With liberty and justice for all. (Copied) Paul Williams, Chaplain Page 3 Membership Update and Renewals “IMPORTANT” Please call me if you have made any change of “Address” or “Phone Number” in the past year. Dan L. Taylor, Jr. (423) 991-5628 Membership Chair VVA Chapter 203 Update As of 2/6/14 November Burl Jones Bernard Sherman January Frank Coker Ed Harde Sam D. Henry Darle Jordan Larry Kirkland LMT due Beverly Nave Larry Palmer Robert Roy Ed Shropshire Page 4 February Larry Brown Aubie Camp Samuel Dial Louis Forrester F.A. Hatfield Seth Hullander Vickie McCoy Charles Mowery Buddy Mumpower Gene Roberts Euretha Shropshire We want to thank you if you have already paid your dues. Dan Taylor, Membership Chair Please send your renewal payments to: VVA Chapter 203 P.O. Box 23405 Chattanooga, TN 37422-3405 This will be a GREAT help in tracking the renewals. Mail Call Additional Photos of the Chapter’s Newly Painted Huey Helicopter Above: On display at the Hixson Walmart with “collection” crew Below: At the “shop” with the “decal installers” Photos provided by: Ken Starry PO Box 23405 Page 5 The following article is reprinted from the www.veterans.house.gov website: House Votes to Strengthen G.I. Bill, Ban Bonuses for VA Senior Execs For more information, contact: Curt Cashour, (202) 225-3527 Feb 3, 2014 WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 357, as amended, the G.I. Bill Tuition Fairness Act of 2013, a bipartisan bill introduced by Chairman Miller and cosponsored by Ranking Member Mike Michaud. The bill would enable G.I. Bill recipients to receive in-state tuition rates at any public college or university in the country, not just those in a veteran’s state of residence. The bill also contains a number of other provisions designed to enhance veterans benefits and bring more accountability and efficiency to the Department of Veterans Affairs, including: • • • • • A five year ban on performance bonuses for VA Senior Executive Service employees An extension of Veterans Retraining and Assistance Program job training benefits through May 31, 2014. The program is currently set to expire March 31, 2014 Stronger infectious disease reporting requirements for VA hospitals A requirement for VA health officials to obtain the consent of patients before electronically monitoring them in private patient areas More comprehensive reporting requirements for VA employees traveling abroad Following House passage of H.R. 357, Chairman Miller issued the following statement: “The men and women who served this nation did not just defend the citizens of their home states, but the citizens of all 50 states. This bill will ensure our veterans’ educational benefits reflect that important principle. And because H.R. 357 saves the government money, it’s a win for taxpayers as well as veterans. “House passage of this bill is also a big step forward for all who are fighting to instill some much-needed accountability at VA. In response to a rash of media reports documenting how numerous VA senior executives have received sizeable ‘performance’ bonuses despite presiding over significant increases in benefits claim backlogs and even preventable veteran deaths, we’ve been asking VA for months to conduct a top-to-bottom review of its performance appraisal system. So far, VA leaders have refused, and until we have complete confidence that VA is holding executives accountable – rather than rewarding them – for mistakes, no one should get a performance bonus. Period. This bill will ensure that is the case.” – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Page 6 Mail Call The following article is reprinted from the www.courthousenews.com website: Army Fires Back on Veteran Drug Testing By BARBARA LEONARD (CN) - The 9th Circuit battle over U.S. veterans subjected to Cold War-era drug experiments just got uglier as the Army filed a cross-appeal Tuesday (January 21, 2014). The notice of appeal comes five years after Vietnam Veterans of America led a class action against various government entities, claiming that at least 7,800 soldiers had been used as guinea pigs in Project Paperclip. Soldiers were allegedly administered at least 250 and perhaps as many as 400 types of drugs, among them Sarin, one of the most deadly drugs known, amphetamines, barbiturates, mustard gas, phosgene gas and LSD. Using tactics it often attributed to the Soviet enemy, the U.S. government sought drugs to control human behavior, cause confusion, promote weakness or temporary loss of hearing and vision, induce hypnosis, and enhance a person's ability to withstand torture, according to the complaint. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken certified the plaintiffs as a class in 2012, a status that could make thousands of veterans eligible for relief. Though court tossed claims against Attorney General Eric Holder and the CIA, the Department of Defense and Department of the Army remained on the hook. The crux of the veterans' argument is that Administrative Procedure Act obligates the defendants to provide notice to test subjects and to provide them medical care. They also cite a 1962 Army regulation involving the use of volunteers as research subjects. Updated in 1990, that regulation allegedly requires the Army to notify test subjects about possible side effects "even after the individual volunteer has completed his or her participation in research." Judge Wilken gave both sides some relief this past November, granting the DoD, Army and CIA summary judgment on certain claims, and giving the plaintiffs summary judgment only as to one claim against the Army. Based on interpretation of the disputed Army regulation, Wilken agreed "that the duty to warn is properly interpreted as applying on an on-going basis, not just as part of the pre-experiment consent process, and is owed to service members who became test subjects before 1988." "The court concludes that defendants' duty to warn test subjects of possible health effects is not limited to the time that these individuals provide consent to participate in the experiments," Wilken wrote. "Instead, defendants have an ongoing duty to warn about newly acquired information that may affect the well-being of test subjects after they completed their participation in research." The plaintiffs did not convince the court that the Department of Veterans' Affairs "systematically fails to offer them care." "Although there may be general dissatisfaction and individual erroneous results, plaintiffs and the class members can seek medical care through the DVA and challenge denial of care through the statutory scheme prescribed by Congress," Wilken wrote. The judge also found for the defendants on the plaintiffs' constitutional claims, finding the plaintiffs could not prove that it was a violation of due process when the Army did not follow its own regulations. Vietnam Veterans of America quickly filed a notice of appeal, leading the U.S. Army and its secretary to a notice of cross-appeal Tuesday. Page 7 Mail Call Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 203 PO Box 23405 Chattanooga, TN 37422 We’re on the web! www.vva203.org “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another”