THE SPIRIT OF 776

OCTOBER 2011 NEWSLETTER VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA CHAPTER 776

N E V E R A G A I N W I L L O N E G E N E R AT I O N O F V E T E R A N S A B A N D O N A N O T H E R .

Service Officers Clarke Barnes

309 944-3674

Ed Gaudet
563 343-9456

David Woods
563-326-8723

R.Ernest Ledjte
563 785-6182

Tom Lemons
563 359-3201

Honor Guard Jett Bork

563 528-0636 John Lavelle 563 355-4213

The Next Chapter Meeting will be held at Bettendorf Public Library on October 26, 2011 at 7:00 P.M
Ofcers and Board of Directors
President Marlene Marolf Vice-President Roger Granbois Treasurer Harold Hansen Secretary John Lavelle Web Master Roger Granbois 391-9621 650-4958 391-7776 355-4213 650-4958 Dir. Gary McDermott Dir. Ed Gaudet Dir. Ed Gilmore Dir. Art Heyderman Dir. Larry Witt 242-0501 343-9456 792-2415 359-4186 388-7179

The meeting was called to order by President Marolf at 1900 hours. Ofcers present were Vice-President Roger Granbois, Secretary John Lavelle. Greg Paulline lled in for Treasurer Harold Hansen. New members present were Bob Flack and Denny Quell. Members in distress this month, Harold Hansen and Larry Witt. Harold is having a procedure done on his heart and Larry will have a aneurism treated on October 12th. Our thoughts and prayers are with these members and their families. The chapter received a thank you letter from Gary McDermott for our assistance in his participation in the WheelChair games in Pittsburgh. We received a thank you letter from NAMI for our participation and sponsorship of the NAMI Walk. Larry Will informed members that we currently have 162 members, 50 Life members, 143 Active members and 19 AVVA members. The honor guard members participated in an echo re to commemorate the Mexican Independence Day celebration in downtown Davenport, they also presented colors for the NAMI Walk as well as served as guides on the route. We will make an effort to insure that each member has all of the patches required for their uniforms and name tags. On October 22 we will require an honor guard for the 50/50 rafe held at the Col Ballroom for the Good Time Oldies Dance. Time to arrive is VSO News again stressed the importance of getting enrolled in the VA System for all veterans. The VVA will soon begin an on-line certication program for new Veteran Service Ofcers. For more information on this contact Ed Gaudet or David Woods. State Council Meeting. Only three chapters attended the last meeting. There are 951 VVA members statewide and the state council budget is $50,000 per year. Fund raising is a primary concern in DesMoines. The state still does not have its own 5013c and must soon get a lawyer to assist in obtaining that. The state needs to drop out of the phone solicitation program as the money raised is minimal compared with the cost of the program. The On-Line Auction has over 318 items. The items are no longer the issue. We need to have bidders. There has been a concerted effort by the committee to get the word out to the public and the members can assist by getting neighbors and co-workers to enter the bidding. Roger Granbois has been on WYEC 93.9 and on Paula Sands Live KWQC promoting the auction. Books for Soldiers Program by Hallmark Kirlins sent out over 7800 books to deployed soldiers to record and send back to their families for Christmas. Car Show at NorthPark Mall raised $170 for Toys for Tots as well has several toys that the participants of the car show presented to the Marines. Veteran In Need Woody informed the members that a veteran in the Silver Creek Trailer Court suffering with cancer needs help with a heating problem. Jason and Woody also helped a small family in need of housing. The chapter reimbursed Jason and Woody $45 each for the assistance they provided. Iowa City VA Hospital Visits Art Heyderman asked the chapter to consolidate the money that is raised for the items that are given to the patients to clarify the funding. The money amounts to approximately $3,000 each year. The chapter raised its contribution from $150 to $200 and Harold Hansen will create a new line item for the purpose of keeping track of the donations related to the VA hospital visits. The next visit to Iowa City is scheduled for December 23rd. Participants will meet at the Machine Shed at 7:00 AM and will depart for the hospital at 8:00 AM. Chapter Christmas Party will again be held at the Legion on 35th street as it was last year. Timothy House received a $100 donation for food from the chapter. Holiday Food Baskets Ed Gaudet will receive $350 for both Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets. The meeting was adjourned. Minutes submitted by John Lavelle, chapter secretary.

Minutes for Membership Meeting September 2011

McDermott adds to success in Wheelchair Games He breaks record in motorized slalom

By George Kampling Herald Sports Writer CLINTON Each year more than 600 novice and experienced athletes meet for a week of archery, swimming, weightlifting, basketball, quad rugby and more. It's the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, the largest annual wheelchair sports competition of its kind in the world. The largest annual wheelchair sports competition in the world, this event offers 17 different sports to veterans who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries, amputations and neurological diseases. The first National Veterans Wheelchair Games were held in 1981, the International Year of Disabled Persons, at the VA Medical Center in Richmond, Va. Gary McDermott of Clinton competed in this years National Veterans Wheelchair Games in early August in Pittsburgh and came home with three gold (first place) medals and a silver (second place) medal. When I learned there were such games (at a Veterans Hospital center) I did not hesitate about entering the following year at San Juan, Puerto Rico, he said. This was my 13th straight Wheelchair participation, and I placed first for the 13th straight year in air gun competition (a score of 279), McDermott said. There were over 600 veterans in wheelchairs from the United States, Puerto Rico and Great Britain.

GET YOUR INFORMATION IN TO CAROLYN BECK FOR THE CHAPTER DIRECTORY AS SOON AS YOU CAN. THE INFORMATION FORM IS ON THE CHAPTER WEB SITE