Veterans & Military Families Monthly News
May 2010 Vol. 1 No. 2
Welcome to the Second
Month of the newsletter—
and thank you for reading!
The positive response
from last month‘s issue
was great to hear; it is our
hope that the newsletter
becomes better each
month. For that to
happen, we need your
input. If you have any
article topics, or if you
would like to write your own piece, we will
gladly try to work it in. We hope you enjoy, and
we look forward to hearing what you think.
Thank you very much!
Additional Benefits for
Active Duty Time Served
DD FORM 214-SOCIAL
SECURITY BENEFIT
From: Social Security Administration (SSA)
Please share this with anyone who's had
active duty service between January 1957 to
December 31, 2001 and planning for retirement.
In a nutshell it boils down to this: You qualify
for a higher social security payment because of
Military service, for active duty any time from
1957 through 2001 (the program was done away
with 1 January 2002). Up to $1200 per year of
earnings credit credited at time of application -
which can make a substantial difference in social
security monthly payments upon your
retirement. You must bring your DD-214 to the
Social Security Office and you must ask for this
benefit to receive it! Social Security
website: http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/military.htm
This is something to put in your files for
when you apply for Social Security down the
road... It is NOT just for retirees, BUT anyone
who has served on active duty between
January1957 to December 31, 2001. FYI - this
benefit is not automatic, you must ask for it!
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2010 Memorial Day Ceremony
A Day of Remembrance
From: Sherry Swann (Secretary of Fort Custer
Advisory Committee and Event Coordinator)
Memorial Day is the holiday held in the
United States of America in memory of the dead
servicemen and servicewomen of all wars. The
largest ceremony held in our area annually is
always held the day before the date of the actual
holiday. This year‘s ceremony will take place on
Sunday, May 30th, at 2 p.m. at Fort Custer
National Cemetery, 15501 Dickman Road,
Augusta, Michigan. The ceremony is sponsored
by the Fort Custer National Cemetery Advisory
Committee, Inc. We encourage area residents of
all ages to attend this stirring patriotic event.
Attending an hour-long event like this is a
wonderful way for young people to learn why
they should take pride in being an American.
For Memorial Day weekend, over
25,000 American flags are placed on the graves
by volunteers and proudly fly along the avenue
of flags. Michigan‘s Fort Custer National
Cemetery has been selected as the Nations‘ best
for the sixth year in a row.
This year‘s guest speaker is Maj.
General Kurt J. Stein US Army TACOM is
Keynote speaker. Lt Col J Nadrasik Michigan
Army National Guard. Mrs. Laura De Roo Blue
Star & Gold Star Flag Mother will be speaking.
Scott Durham, Lakeview High School teacher,
will emcee this year‘s event. Chaplin Greg Van
Heukelom will provide the invocation and
benediction. The Lakeview High School Band,
under the direction of Darin Schmidt, will
provide patriotic music. Lt. Col. Nicholas Batch
US Army Ret. Will sing the National Anthem
and ―America the Beautiful ―sung by Ms. Linda
We would like to express our appreciation
to all of the fighting men and women in
the United States Military. Thank you for
your service to this county.
p. 1
Carter-Thomas, By- Chance A few years ago, my
Gospel Group will doing Grandfather died. As a
patriotic music. Deb Gardiner young man, he visited
will perform one popular song France along with
―American Solider‖. Echo thousands of others of his
Taps will be played by Lt. brothers in arms, after
Col. Nicholas Batch & son arriving at some now
Alexander. Kalamazoo famous beaches in
Bagpipers will play ―Amazing Normandy. After his stint in
Grace‖ sung by Ms. Linda Europe, he returned
Carter-Thomas. Mr. Floyd Flags at Fort Custer stateside and married my
Carmichael will sing ―One grandmother. At the time
This Day.‖ they married, she already had four of the six
The program will begin with a fly over children she would have. My Grandfather spent
by the 127th Fighter Wing, MI ANG and the most of his life being a hardass, but to those of
Pledge of Allegiance, lead by Medal of Honor us who loved and knew him, he was a very
recipient Cpl. Duane Dewey USMC (Ret.). caring and loving man.
Color guards from youth groups including the, He was to be interred at Yankee Springs
Michigan Youth Challenge Academy. Will National Cemetery. During the funeral
accompany the Fort Custer National Cemetery ceremony at the church, I was doing well. It was
Tuesday Honor Guard... Veterans‘ organizations when we arrived at the cemetery that things
will lay wreaths in honor of our war dead. Rifle started getting emotional.
salute will be done by the Fort Custer Tuesday After my uncles and I loaded the casket
Honor Guard. on to the bier, the Honor Guard draped the flag
Provided by American Legion Post over his casket. I instantly had a lump form in
#298. Refreshments, including cookies, coffee, my throat and felt my face flush with blood. The
fruit punch and preacher gave his graveside spiel and then one
bottled water will be of the Honor Guard gave his speech. The very
served. last line still burns into me: ―A soldier now
For further sleeps‖ -- tears began to well in my eyes. That is
information about a powerful declaration.
donating a flag to The height of emotion came when Taps
the Fort Custer began to play. There was no holding back the
National Cemetery tears & emotion. I looked around to see if
Advisory anyone saw me crying, and noticed that two of
Committee for the my uncles and my great uncle (Grandpa‘s
cemetery please call brother) were also crying. We were all veterans
Sherry D. Swann, at different times. The ―civilians‖ present were
Flags at Fort Custer Program Chair, at not as moved by this service as they were at the
(269) 964-0309. church.
There is a love for our Country, our

Memorial Day Reflection

By: Sean M. Furr Specialist 4, US Army Veteran
Many civilians don‘t realize the
significance to veterans of things like Memorial
Day, The American Flag, and fellow soldiers
(veterans). There are emotions involved with
these things that only veterans can appreciate &
understand.
Flag, and our fellow veterans that simply cannot
be explained to those who did not serve.
Hopefully, we can help them understand a little
better, this and every other Memorial Day, and
in doing so, get more support for our brothers
that need help. It is shameful the way our
government ―forgets‖ those of us who put our
lives on the line to protect this great nation and
its citizens.

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 Do You Love America?
By: Denny Gillem Lt. Col., US Army, Retired
Too many Americans
don‘t love America. We
are threatened from
many directions, both
external and internal.
Yet, many Americans
seemingly neither know
nor care. You know, the
opposite of love isn‘t
hate. The opposite of love is indifference. If
you hate something you care enough to want it
to hurt or damaged—and that caring might
change. Indifference means it‘s of zero
importance in your life. And the future and
security of America seems to be of zero
importance to many Americans. We must wake
them up.
We Americans have more freedom,
liberty, and rights than any other people in the
world. We enjoy wealth and prosperity that
dwarfs that of most of the about 200 countries in
the world. And we have become so fat and
happy that we act like this abundance is
somehow our divine right, bestowed by God
upon us because we‘re so good; thus, it will
never go away. We hear a great deal about our
rights but never about our duties.
Freedom is not free. Our founding
fathers put everything on the line to create our
nation—and many of them lost everything.
Freedom has had to be defended in every
generation. Our nation has fought many wars to
protect freedom. We must remind folks that
freedom needs to be defended through both
vigilance and service.
America today seems mostly concerned
about fishing poles, Ipods, and partying. None
of these things are in any way wrong, but when
they become the primary focus, freedom can slip
away. When a person is indifferent to freedom,
to America—the indifferent one no longer loves
America; he or she is willing to let America fend
for itself.
We are at war today. Radical Islam has
sworn death to all Americans. They aren‘t going
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR
FLAG PLACEMENT
For Memorial Day, volunteers are
needed to assist the cemetery staff in the
placement of small flags on headstones out
at Fort Custer National Cemetery
(Augusta, MI) to honor our deceased
servicemen and servicewomen. The annual
event will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday
May 29, 2010. Volunteers of all ages are
welcome to participate. Refreshments will
be served for all participants.
The flag placement takes place on
the day before the annual Memorial Day
service at Fort Custer National Cemetery.
Please come out and join us, to honor our
fallen heroes on this important national
holiday. If you have any questions, please
call (269) 964-0309.
away, because they love their religion and their
cause and their way of life—so they will fight
and die for it. But, Joe Average-American just
doesn‘t care.
If you‘re reading this, you‘re likely one
of the people who does love and care for
America. Care means to act, to get involved.
Involved means to invest both your time and
your money. So I really relate to and appreciate
folks who are actively seeking a smaller, less-
intrusive government.
This year is an election year. This
year‘s elections will determine the future of our
nation. We have our primary elections this
summer. The general elections are this
November. Thanks for joining me as an
America lover.
Please Support Veteran‘s Radio with
―Frontlines of Freedom‖
Hosted by Lt. Col. Denny Gillem
You can hear it every Saturday at 1pm on
1260 AM the Pledge (Zeeland, MI),
or by visiting the website at
www.frontlinesoffreedom.com
p. 3
 Armed Forces Day
From: Sean M. Furr Specialist 4, US Army
Veteran
Several nations of the world hold an
annual Armed Forces Day to recognize,
venerate, and honor their military forces.
In the United States, Armed Forces
Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in
May. The day was created in 1949, and was a
result of the consolidation of the military
services in the Department of Defense. It was
intended to replace the separate Army, Navy,
Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard
Days, but observance of these days,
especially within each particular service,
continues to this day.
The United States' longest running
city-sponsored Armed Forces Day Parade is
held in Bremerton, WA. In 2009, Bremerton
celebrated the 61sth Armed Forces Day
Parade.
The purpose of Armed Forces day is to honor
Americans serving in the five services – the
Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast
Guard.
Deadly New Russian Weapon
Hides In Shipping Container
By: REUTERS, April 26, 2010
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian
company is marketing a devastating new cruise
missile system which can be hidden inside a
shipping container, giving any merchant vessel
the capability to wipe out an aircraft carrier.
Potential customers for the formidable Club-K
system include Kremlin allies Iran and
Venezuela, say defense experts. They worry that
countries could pass on the satellite-guided
missiles, which are very hard to detect, to
terrorist groups.
"At a stroke, the Club-K gives a long-
range precision strike capability to ordinary
vehicles that can be moved to almost any place
on earth without attracting attention," said
Robert Hewson of Jane's Defense Weekly, who
first disclosed its existence.
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A promotional video for the Club-K on
the website of Moscow-based makers Kontsern-
Morinformsistema-Agat shows an imaginary
tropical country facing a land, sea and air attack
from a hostile neighbor.
It fights back by loading three shipping
containers concealing Club-Ks onto a truck, a
train and a ship, disperses them, and then
launches a devastating strike on its enemy,
destroying its warships, tanks and airfields.
"The idea that you can hide a missile system in a
box and drive it around without anyone knowing
is pretty new," said Hewson, who is editor of
Jane's Air-Launched Weapons.
"Nobody's ever done that before."
Hewson estimated the cost of the Club-
K system, which packs four ground or sea-
launched cruise missiles into a standard 40-foot
shipping container, at $10-20 million.
"Unless sales are very tightly controlled, there is
a danger that it could end up in the wrong
hands," he said.
The promotional video showed how an
ordinary shipping container with the Club-K
inside could be hidden among other containers
on a train or a ship. When required, the roof lifts
off and the four missiles stand upright ready to
fire.
An official reached by telephone at
makers Kontsern Morinformsistema-Agat
declined to answer questions about the Club-K.
He said the firm had no spokesman and he
needed time to study written questions before
passing a request to the firm's management.
Russia is one of the world's top arms exporters,
selling a record $8.5 billion of weapons last year
to countries ranging from Syria and Venezuela
to Algeria and China. Its order book is estimated
to top $40 billion.
p. 4
Mikhail Barabanov, a defense expert at Russia's
Center for Analysis of Strategies and
Technologies (CAST), said that as far as he
understood, the Club-K was still at the concept
stage.
"Potential clients include anyone who
likes the idea," he said. "It is known that the
United Arab Emirates has shown interest in
buying the Club."
Barabanov said the Club-K used proven
missiles from Novator, an established Russian
maker of weaponry including anti-submarine,
surface-to-air and submarine-launched missiles.
One of the missiles on offer is a special anti-ship
variant with a second stage which splits off after
launch and accelerates to supersonic speeds of
up to Mach 3.
"It's a carrier-killer," said Hewson of
Jane's. "If you are hit by one or two of them, the
kinetic impact is vast...it's horrendous."
--Story From: REUTERS
HONOR FLIGHT MICHIGAN
SCHEDULES FINAL FLIGHTS
From: Honor Flight Michigan Website
The final flights for Honor Flight
Michigan are now being scheduled for
2010.
The purpose of Honor Flight
Michigan is to fly Michigan's deserving
WWII Veterans to Washington, DC to
visit the memorial dedicated to honor their
service and their sacrifices for our
country.
On 29 May 2004, the World War II
Memorial was dedicated to honor "The Greatest
Generation." Regrettably today, very few of
these elderly veterans have the funds, knowledge
or strength to complete a conventional trip to
Washington D.C., via commercial airline, car or
bus.
It is our mission to honor as many of
these selfless "ordinary people who saved the
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world" as we can by providing them an all
expenses paid trip to visit their memorial in
Washington D.C.
Our program operates only on donations
from local civic organizations and individuals
from around the state.
Our volunteer guardians pay their own
way for the pleasure of personally
accompanying the veterans throughout the day,
including escorting them on and off the aircraft
and buses as well as to the WWII Memorial,
Arlington National Cemetery, and any other
stops along the trip.
We have safely and successfully, made
many trips to DC with our veterans. The flights,
deluxe tour bus service, t-shirts, scooters, wheel
chairs, oxygen and meals are FREE to our
Veterans. We pledge to continue to do this as
long as funds and volunteers are available.
Our flight dates are planned April
through November each year. With nearly 900
veterans waiting, your support can help us
increase the number of flights each month so all
our waiting veterans make the trip before it is
too late.
MISSION ALMOST ACCOMPLISHED
From: Honor Flight Michigan Website
Effort to Get Michigan Veterans to
World War II Memorial Still Seeking Funding
Royal Oak, MI - Honor Flight Michigan, Inc.,
has nearly completed its mission to take
Michigan's World War II veterans to their
national memorial in Washington, D.C.,
but there are still many waiting to go.
Honor Flight Michigan, Inc., is a
non-profit organization that arranges
flights for World War II veterans who
have waited more than 60 years to see a
memorial to their fallen comrades. Nearly
1,500 World War II veterans die each day.
For many, prohibitive health care costs have
wiped out their savings, preventing them from
visiting the site.
We would like to express our
appreciation to all of the fighting men
and women in the United States Military.
Thank you for your service to this county.
p. 5
 To date, the Michigan organization has
taken more than 1,200 veterans on 28 flights to
visit the memorial. The cost to cover the round-
trip flight per veteran is $350. Funds raised by
Honor Flight through various community
activities and donations have paid for the flights.
Thousands of volunteer hours have made the
flights possible.
However, there are about 200 veterans
who courageously served their country waiting
to visit the World War II memorial. But a
shortfall in donations due to the downturn in the
economy has left the group with fewer funds
than needed to support all the necessary flights.
These veterans can't wait. The need for funds to
support the flights is urgent. Aging and health
concerns require that the veterans take the trips
sooner rather than later.
Honor Flight Michigan is dedicated to taking the
remaining WWII Veterans who have
applications on file and are waiting for their trip
to Washington D. C. in 2010, should funding
allow. The first flight of 2010 is scheduled for
early April.
Due to a shortage of funding no new
applications are being accepted.
Groups and individuals interested in honoring
our World War II heroes can support the
upcoming final flights by sending their checks to
Honor Flight Michigan, P.O. Box 237, Royal
Oak, MI 48068.
For further information, contact Fund
Raising Coordinator Melissa Downey at 248-
541-4388 or visit them online at:
http://honorflightmichigan.com
“HELP FOR OUR HOMELESS”
By: Larry Harr Msgt, USAF Ret
You‘ve finished a hard day at work and
then head for home. AAAHHH! Home Sweet
Home! Something most of us take for granted.
Unfortunately, many of our veterans don‘t have
that option. Regardless of the circumstances
that created a ‗homeless veteran‘, the fact
remains that they are without a place to call their
own and struggle day to day to find food and
shelter.
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A large factor regarding homeless
veterans is their increasing numbers living with
PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and
substance abuse. According to a study by the
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans,
veterans are twice as likely as other Americans
to be homeless and figures from a 2007 study
indicate veterans comprise 26% of the entire
homeless population. One can only imagine
what the numbers would be if the study were
conducted today. Shortages of affordable
housing, difficulties in acquiring health care and
a less than desirable reintroduction to the job
market are some of the concerns in assisting
veterans.
The United States Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) started events called
‘Stand Downs’ in
1988 to provide food,
shelter, clothing,
counseling services
about VA and Social
Security benefits, and
many other areas to
assist local vets. These events are usually joint
efforts among local government and community
agencies who serve the homeless. The VA
estimates nationally nearly 196,000 veterans are
homeless on any given night. DOLVETS, Dept
of Labor/Veterans Employment and Training
Service, has provided a great deal of guidance
and financial support for our veterans. This
service has requested for 2010 an amount of
over $35 million for the Homeless Vets
Reintegration Program.
Several cities across the country hold
Stand Down events. If you visit the web site,
www1.va.gov/homeless/standdown.asp, you
will find a list of the events being held all across
the nation throughout the year. Another site,
www.nchv.org, (National Coalition for Homeless
Veterans) can also provide information on
homeless veterans and additional information on
“Stand Down” in Michigan
May 26th-Lansing
August 13th-Grand Rapids
August 27th-Battle Creek
October 8th-Kalamazoo
p. 6
DOLVETS and many other helpful
agencies/events.
Some ways in which you can help varies
from locations and access to veteran‘s center.
You can start by determining what is needed
in your community and contacting homeless
veteran providers to see how you can be of
service. See if your community has a
homeless coalition. Work with them to ensure
veterans receive their fair share of resources. If
a coalition is not available, perhaps you can
educate the community and organize one.
Donations are always a great way to help!
Contact your local homeless veteran provider
through the NCHV to find offices in or around
your area. And involve your local and state
elected officials. Make sure they know what
you want to accomplish. The local media can be
a great resource to get the word out about the
importance of helping the homeless veterans.
Use the links above and search the Internet for
homeless veteran programs.
There are many ways we can help and
help we must. We are members of the same
military family regardless of what branch we
served. Getting our veterans the assistance they
need to again become a viable and valuable
asset to a community will reap many rewards.
We cannot let them down. They want a place
to call home too!
My Grandfather, Sergeant
Vincent Paul Esposito, US Army,
Memorial Day 2010
Part I
By: Claude McManus Command Master Chief
(Surface Warfare), USN Retired
Vincent Paul was born March 27,
1895 in Brooklyn, NY. Vincent Paul comes
from a family that has served their country
proudly. His four Uncles, John, Charles, Louis
and William Messing had served in the
Seventh Regiment (Brooklyn, NY) during the
Civil war. They saw service in the Battle of
Gettysburg for the Grand Army of the
Republic. Uncle Charles, John, and William
took the land grants issued for their service and
relocated to Florida in Deland, Volusia County,
what is now the Daytona Beach area. One Uncle
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volunteered again for service with the 201st New
York Volunteer Infantry, for the Spanish
American War. Unfortunately, he was killed in
action during battle against the Spanish forces in
Cuba.
Vincent Paul enlisted in the New York
National Guard on April 24, 1916 (age 21). He
was given Serial Number 1,207,591 and was
assigned to the 14th Regiment, Company F, at
the Armory in Brooklyn, NY. His record of
service (index card) is on file in the NY State
Archives, now part of the Cultural Education
Center at Albany, NY. No doubt his enlistment
into the Guard was part of the patriotic emotions
that were sweeping the country in response to
the aggression (killing of civilians) of Pancho
Villa. The war in Europe was already going full
blast and had settled into the trench warfare
stalemate by 1915. His brother Louis Esposito
also enlisted in the U.S. Marines and saw service
in France in the Argonne Forest.
On June 18, 1916, the President ordered
the activation of the Guard to active duty for
punitive raids into Mexico. General ―Black
Jack‖ Pershing was tasked to command the
army, find, and suppress the bandit Pancho
Villa. Gen. Pershing was
called Black Jack
because of the sudden
loss of his wife and
children to disease. It
reflected his lack of
happiness, but not his
professionalism. In June
1916, Vincent Paul was
finishing his basic
training for the NY
Guard in Peekskill, NY.
On June 27,
1916, Vincent Paul, a
private in the Army, left
NY by train for Mexico
with the 14th Regiment.
By July 19, 1916, the 14th
Regiment was on the
border at Hidalgo
County, Texas. They had
3,377 horses and mules with them and the
relatively new modern machine called a truck.
The 14th was camped in the desert like area of
Camp Mission, Camp McAllen, and Camp
p. 7
 We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United
States Military. Thank you for your service to this county.

Pharr; sixty miles from Brownsville, near the
mouth of the Rio Grande River (Mission,
McAllen and Pharr are presently established
towns in Texas from what was the original
camps). This area of Texas was known as the
―disputed‖ area. Since the Mexican War of
1846, the boundaries of the US and Mexico was
disputed (the US claimed the Rio Grande as the
boundary, Mexico claimed the Nueces River as
the boundary). Water in this area was in
extreme short supply. The heat in the summer of
1916 often reached 120F during the day. The
mission of the NY Guard was to be in reserve
for Black Jack Pershing and to guard the Texas
border areas. It was anticipated that there would
be a large-scale invasion of Mexico.
Vincent Paul was promoted to Corporal
on July 24, 1916 while on the border. At this
time, he was assigned regular infantry duty. As
such, he drilled in rifle, horses, bayonets, terrain
navigation, and participated in sports. Baseball,
boxing, and rodeo events were the common
forms of sporting events. In the area the
inhabitants consisted of 800 Mexicans (of local
Indian decent, none spoke Spanish) and 300
Americans. While on the border, General Order
7 was drafted and enforced, there will be no
consumption of alcohol, all saloons, bars,
brothels were off limits, and armed guards were
posted.
The Commanding General expected the
14th Regiment to be Spartans in their soldiering.
It is this training and isolation from a civilian
population that is credited with developing the
seasoned discipline that would needed during
the Belgium and French campaigns. The Spartan
ideal was predominant in the National Guard
leadership at the time. Part of the Spartan way of
the Guard included not wearing ceremonial
uniforms, not displaying medals or ribbons,
rugged training, and sparse living conditions.
General O‘Ryan pointed out that Spartan
qualifications required physical dexterity, self-
sacrificing and dependable men, men who will
suffer and endure without reasonable complaint
and that these qualities are not grown overnight.

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 In January 1917, the Zimmerman
Telegram occurred. This was a telegram from
the German Government asking the Mexican
Government to join the battle against the Allies.
In return, the Germans promised to give the
Mexicans the return of territories lost during the
Mexican War and the Texas War of
Independence. This greatly alarmed the new
President, Woodrow Wilson. He sought
immediate treaties with Mexico to ensure the
peace, and ordered the Guard home from the
border.
Meanwhile, back in NY, the concern
over sinking of ships in the Atlantic by German
submarines, and the potential sympathy of
German Americans towards the war in Europe,
the Governor called out the Guard. Vincent Paul
was still in Texas, when the Governor directed
the Guard to patrol and guard the water supplies
of NYC (Catskills), the electrical power
generation sites in Buffalo, NYC and protect the
bridges around the city. Vincent Paul returned
from Texas on February 19, 1917 to the Armory
in Brooklyn. His Company was not tasked with
guarding the bridges, so he was returned to in-
active NY National Guard status. He was
promoted to Mess Sergeant on April 16, 1917.
What this means is he was no longer a ground
pounder infantry man, he was now in charge of
cooks in the Mess (A Mess is where the troops
ate, think tables and chairs, wood or coal fire
ovens, hand pumped water. The ―kitchens‖ were
wood wagons with stoves on the back).
The United States declared war on
Germany April 6, 1917. Again, the NY Guard
was called to active duty for fighting in Europe.
The Order was received on July 15, 1917,
calling all National Guard Units into Federal
Service effective August 5, 1917. Vincent Paul
was ordered to assemble at his Armory in
Brooklyn on July 20, 1917.
On August 23, 1917, his Regiment was
directed to proceed by train to Camp
Wadsworth, South Carolina (SC), near
Spartanburg, SC.
Vincent Paul departed October 3, 1917,
for Camp Wadsworth. During the month of
October, the US War Department was
attempting to find experience troops and re-
structure the Army for training prior to
deployment to war. A result of this was the
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520 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933
Another good source to send issues facing
veterans is the VFW of MI page called
―Sound Off‖
http://www.vfwmi.org/soundoff.htm
"Sound Off"
The editorial page of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars Department of Michigan
website.
The purpose of this page is to serve as a
platform or a tool that can used to help us
improve the way we all do business in the
VFW. This forum will allow our readers, our
members, our Posts, our Districts and our
Department to gain an insight on how others
view us as veterans.
Please email your comments, opinions,
problems and even compliments to
vfwmi@att.net & please use "Sound Off" on
the subject line and we will publish your
comments on this page. The VFW reserves
the right to edit or return, unpublished, any
postings submitted. Please include your name,
phone number & email address in your email.
We will only publish your email address with
your permission. Feel freely to speak out on
anything you think that we need to address,
improve or change that could help other
veterans, members, Posts, Districts or the
Department of Michigan.
members of the Guard who had been on the
Mexican border were considered extremely
valuable. Vincent Paul was demoted/promoted
to combat infantry as a private in Company F, in
the newly formed 106th Infantry Regiment
(formerly the 14th Regiment of NYC).
Training at the Camp consisted of
forced marches lasting three to ten days. There
was rifle training, trench training, gas drills,
grenade training and bayonet drills. When the
Brits arrived, Sergeant Major William Tector
taught the Regiment gymnastics. They were also
taught by British Major Sharp to obey orders by
playing ―O‘Grady‖ games. The troops were
p. 9

ordered to follow instructions similar to ‗Simon
says‘. The goal of this being to teach the men to
think and act, critical during gas and artillery
attacks.
During the winter of 1917, rumors
began to circulate in NYC that the men were
freezing to death in the training trenches. This
was untrue, but the training had begun in the art
of trench warfare. That meant the troops were
training how to conduct warfare in the freezing
trenches. General O‘Ryan took this opportunity
to explain to the Division that trench warfare
had been going on in Europe since 1914 with
huge loss of life. The goal of the 27th Division
was expressed to break through the Hindenburg
Line. The war had deteriorated to a stalemate at
the Hindenburg line, which extend from France
through Belgium. The Allies seemed to believe
the Line was impregnable. Literally, millions of
French, Belgium, Australian, and British troops
had died on this line, as well as the Germans
defending it.
On May 6, 1918, the 106th Regiment
was ordered to entrain (board a train) at Camp
Wadsworth for Hoboken, NJ. Once there, they
immediately boarded the USS President Lincoln.
It took several days to get the Regiment aboard
ship, sailing for France on May 10, 1918.
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520 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933
LZ MICHIGAN–JULY 3, 2010
WELCOMING HOME
MICHIGAN’S VIETNAM
VETERANS
A wide-reaching statewide effort to
honor Michigan Vietnam War Veterans
culminates in a day of recognition and
celebration of their service and sacrifice for
veterans and their families at Fifth Third Ball
Park in Grand Rapids.
All veterans, family members,
friends and other Michigan residents are
invited to attend. Find event details, local
information on the statewide kick-off at
LZMichigan.org.
LZ Michigan is a partnership of
Grand Valley State University, WGVU and
the West Michigan Whitecaps, along with an
extensive group of organizations statewide.
Please log onto www.lzmichigan.org for
more information about the event.
They arrived in Brest, France on May
23, 1918. It took the Division two days to
unload. Vincent Paul was then assigned with his
regiment to the tent camp at Fort Bougen, Brest,
France. On May 28, 1918, they entrained for
Noyelles sur Mer to begin training for battle
with the Bosch (Germans).
The Germans had launched a spring
offensive in Belgium (Flanders) with the goal of
capturing the ports before the Americans began
to arrive. This offensive was somewhat
successful and the Germans were stopped short
of the ports near the Belgium town of Ypres.
The salient known as the Lys Salient or bulge in
the line established by the Germans demanded
that 10 American Divisions or about 200,000
men were assigned to re-enforce the British and
Belgium troops. It was determined that the 27th
and 30th Division would be assigned to the
British to replace the badly mauled units of the
British Army. For the duration of the war, the
27th and the 30th remained assigned to the Brits.
They were supplied by them, issued British
rations, weapons, and trained in British tactics.
Training began with the British Army,
66th Division, under the Third British Army,
commanded by General Sir Julian Byng. The
p. 10

66th Division was badly mauled by the Germans;
only 2,000 remained of their original 30,000
men. The 27th Division lived on British rations,
issued British under clothes and shoes until the
Armistice was signed. Ultimately, the 27th and
39th Divisions were considered the Second
American Army Corp.
Vincent Paul was taught that there were
two kinds of soldiers in the war, the quick and
the dead. If he did not learn to recognize the gas
defense alarms, then death would come quickly.
The 106th Regiment with Vincent Paul
was then moved to a new training area at
Canchy, Millencourt, Oneux, St. Requir, north
of Abbeville and River Somme. This moved
them closer to the front. St. Requir was the
village where St. Joan of Arc was held prisoner
before her trial and execution at Rouen. They are
still in France as this point.
Next, the regiment was moved to
Beaval, Fr. on June 18, 1918, and assigned to the
British Third Army. The 106th was camped at
Bonneville, Fieffe, and Montrelit.
On July 19, 1918, the 106th entrained for
Candas for transfer to the British Second Army,
they detrained at Arques. This is the Oudezeele
area in Flanders (Belgium). At this point, the
106th had its back to the sea and in front was the
newly constructed defense system of the East
Poperinghe Line. This was a system of trenches
that the British had constructed to defend against
the Germans. The area was ‗ancient‘ farmland
and the trenches cut through the farm‘s fields. At
this point, the 106th is receiving German artillery
barrages and gas attacks. It is also at this time
the hardest rain in 30 years fell on Flanders and
turned the battlefield to mud. It is estimated that
the British lost 40,000 men drowned in the mud
of Flanders during this part of the war.
On July 24, 1918, the 106th was moved
to the front lines (trenches) to relieve the British
6th and 41st Divisions. This occurred at night to
minimize German effective bombing, sniping,
and artillery barrages. The 8th Prussian Division
was brought up to the German line specifically
to maul the new American Divisions.
To be continued…
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Not authorized by any candidate or candidate‘s committee.
520 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933
“We Ride”
By: Sam Cottle Michigan
State Captain Patriot Guard
Riders
The Patriot Guard
began in the fall of 2005 by a few American
Patriots that said, ―Never Again will a Warrior
Come home and be disrespected for their service
and sacrifice abroad for our freedom‖. From
that simple beginning we have grown to a
nation-wide organization with membership in all
50 states numbering over 190,000.
Patriot Guard Rider what does that
mean. Anyone who visits our web-page will
immediately see our mission statement
“The Patriot Guard is a diverse amalgamation
of riders from across the nation. We have one
thing in common besides motorcycles. We have
an unwavering respect for those who risk their
very lives for America’s freedom and security. If
you share this respect, please join us.”
We ride but not all of us. Many would
never attempt to ride or even receive a parking
lot ride from one of us. Have you ever seen us
…? We have beards and dark sunglasses. We
have long and short hair; we have tattoos and
wound scars. We wear funny cloth hats, shirts
from distant Harley Davidson dealerships. We
wear leather vests with Patriotic, military
service, funny, embarrassing, confusing and
some completely out of line patches. Would you
let your kid ride with one of us … you could?!
What brings us all together?
We ride Harleys. Hondas, Suzuki‘s,
Yamaha‘s, Indian‘s, scooters even wheel chairs
p. 11
and walkers but most of all we are all riding to just one lone Patriot standing with his flag.
Victory‘s point that day to be able to say What many think is an insignificant
―Mission Accomplished‖. Our rides are loud process, has the greatest impact on the day that
and many are quiet, they‘re shiny, they‘re dirty, people are sending a warrior to war, or laying
some have every piece of chrome some have their loved one to
none but what is it that draws us together.
We ride, but It is not our politics that
rest. We will be
seen offering our
Up Coming
brings us together; we are Republicans,
Democrats, Independents, Green, Blue and Red
arm to a Senior
Citizen who needs PGR Events
party, we have every political view imaginable assistance getting
and some you wouldn‘t want to imagine. What from their car to the Dearborn Memorial
is it that brings us together? building. Directing Day Parade. The PGR
We ride, but it is not the rank that we traffic, holding a will present a flag-line
achieved in the military. Like myself, many door, driving a flag for Veterans there.
have never served a day in the United States into the hard frozen http://www.cityofdear
Armed Forces but will stand and declare ―God dirt in order that born.org/government/c
Bless America‖ and ―Don‘t mess with America‖ there can be a sea of ity-services/public-
we will send our troops to deal with you‖. Why flags to honor the information/press-
do we ride? one who served so releases/400-laid-to-
selflessly rest-with-honor
We ride, but it is not a club, religious underneath of its
organization or corporate entity that brings us proud colors. Presenting an Honor
together. We are sinner and saint, believer and All across Flag-line for a WWII
non. We have every denomination and biker this land we will be Casualty of the USS
persuasion that stand with us. We are rich and seen riding our Oklahoma
poor, young and old. loud, shiny and http://www.patriotguar
We ride, but what it is that ―Common many times dirty, d.org/ALLForums/tabi
Bond‖ of Patriotism. As members of the Patriot rain soaked bikes. d/61/forumid/11/posti
Guard Riders, we‘ve been honored to be a part Although some d/1364126/view/topic/
of thousands of tributes paid to American heroes think we are tough, Default.aspx
all across this great Nation. We‘ve been there in yet our hearts are
the large cities and small towns offering honor moved to tears of compassion when we see
in whatever manner has been asked of us by the others grieving their loved one lost.
family of the troop for which we have We wear dark glasses and seem to be
assembled. There may be 1000 bikes and cars or tough men and women and yet we mourn, we
cry, our heart breaks like
everyone else. We are
tough on injustice, we are
tough on dishonor, and we
are tough on those who
mock the price that has been
paid for our American
Freedoms.
We ride, yes we
ride, that is one mode of
transportation. In MI we
will be seen in our cars,
vans, trucks whatever it
takes to bring honor and
respect to those who have
laid their life on the line for

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520 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933 p. 12
this Nation and our great Constitution.
We ride, when they leave for war. We
ride crying and cheering when they return. We
hold their wives and children and promise that
the same honor that we showed as they deploy
will be here waiting when they return for r/r or
deploying home.
It is indeed an honor for each and every
PGR member to be included as invited guests to
share in these tributes. It is indeed an honor to be
a Patriot Guard Rider.
What is a Patriot - one who has the
greatest love for ones country if necessary even
to the point of ―Them‘s fightin‘ words‖.
In the PGR we have a preacherman,
partnr, kroozr, jimmy k, Marine Mike, jimmy j,
mailman and milk toast, sparky, we have
a grumpy, a chief, a thunderider, a seabee lee,
a sundog, a cigar, boxcar, a taz, a six carbs,
ciddog, a jj, a webby, a sew girl, a t-bone,
a harley rider one, a blondie, a doc, a taildragger,
a possum, a lyn , a shadowfaxx, a marine mom,
a gadget girl, and a 16 year old Gunny Sgt.
A great man once said,
―What you Love is a clue to the gifts,
skills, and wisdom you possess.
What grieves you to tears is a clue to something
you were designed to heal.
What you hate is a clue to something you are
designed to correct.
We love our country and the men and women
who have given their lives to make our
Constitution stand strong today.
We hate injustice by those who think that
because we have freedom they can violate
another‘s life. Freedom of Speech doesn‘t give
one the right to yell "Fire" in a crowded theater.
Staff
Layout- Matthew X. Hauser (mhauser@migop.org)
Writers- Larry Harr Msgt USAF Retired
Denny Gillem Lt. Col., US Army, Retired
Claude McManus Command Master Chief
(Surface Warfare), USN, Retired
Sean M. Furr Specialist 4, US Army Veteran
Sherry Swann Secretary of Fort Custer
Advisory Committee and Event
Coordinator
Sam Cottle Michigan State Captain Patriot
Guard Riders
Publisher- Hank Fuhs Lt. Col., USAF, Retired, ANG
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Not authorized by any candidate or candidate‘s committee.
520 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933
What moves us to tears are men and women who
will stand together to lift another‘s burden.
The Vigilant American Citizen are those with
whom we will crawl through the trench of
mediocrity, run up the hill of opposition, charge
the shore of injustice and stand on the mountain
of Victory shouting "We helped another Stand
today and realize their dignity and worth as a
human being".
Courage is the answer to all of these
thoughts and feelings. A great man once said,
―Courage is when one knows nothing else to do
but just stand there because to sit and watch life
go by is just inhumane.‖ We will not be sitting
and watching only Standing and Honoring!
God bless the families of the fallen who pay the
price of freedom every day!
God bless our Veterans and
Troops serving today!
God strengthen our POW/MIA‘S!
God Bless America!
The greatest reason we ride is our Gold
Star families that must be supported, honored,
cherished and protected. Here is a web-site that
honors each of our Michigan Fallen Warriors.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-
bin/fg.cgi?page=vcsr&GSvcid=20278
In Closing
Thank you for your service to our
country. Men and Women like you are what
make this nation great.
We hope everyone has a great Memorial
Day as we remember those who gave it all to
this nation and its freedom.
If you have anything you would like
share, any questions, or have an article idea
please let me know. You can contact me
anytime at: mhauser@migop.org
Sincerely,
Matthew X. Hauser
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please Click Here.
p. 13