March – April 2015 - Springfield Vietnam Veterans

2nd Quarter Issue
March - April 2015
Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter 952
Springfield, Missouri
Publication of VVA Chapter 952
Presidents Corner
VVA Board of Directors
Harlan Bristol (Army) President
bristolharlan@Gmail.com
Page 1
John Walker (Army)
Vice-President
johnnwalker@hotmail.com
Dan L. Igou (USN)
Past President
dan@marathonbenefitsgroup.com
Dan, Tom, Jim, Susan, Harlan
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The Moving Wall will arrive in Springfield on July 7 through July 13 . For more
information contact: Mike GoForth at the Legion 417-882-8639.
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The Moving Wall will be in Jefferson City from September 24 through September
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28 . For more information contact: Bill Kiefer kiefervva794@yahoo.com
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The VVA National Convention will be held in Springfield, Illinois July 21-25 . For
more information contact: Bill Kiefer kiefervva794@yahoo.com
nd
April 22 there will be a Dedication of the Wall at College of the Ozarks.
If interested in attending contact: Harlan bristolharlan@Gmail.com
Courtney Brown, Lt. in the Army Reserve and History teacher from Ash Grove High
School and would like Vets to speak with her H.S. students on the military. Several
chapter members volunteered and will participate. If interested contact: Dan
dan@marathonbenefitsgroup.com
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August 15 will be a night out with the Cardinals vs. Miami Marlins in St. Louis. For
more information contact: Bill Kiefer kiefervva794@yahoo.com
The Outreach Coordinator has set up Fundraising dates; so be sure to look at the
calendar on the last page. Contact Charles charhoppy59@gmail.com
Are you interested in writing articles for the newsletter? If so, contact Susan
revsp19@gmail.com
Susan Phillips (USAF)
Secretary revsp19@gmail.com
Tom Blubaugh (USN)
Treasurer, Chaplin
tom@tomblubaugh.com
Rex Krasche (Army)
Sgt. at Arms
rexdk10@sbcglobal.net
Sam Hudson (USN)
Board Member
samhudson44@aol.com
Charles Hopkins (Army)
Outreach Coordinator
charhoppy59@gmail.com
Mission Statement:
To foster, encourage and
promote the physical and
cultural improvement, growth
development, self-respect, selfconfidence, and usefulness of
all
military
Veterans
to
improve their overall quality of
life.
Harlan Bristol, President
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
Federal Stolen Valor Act
Stolen Valor is everywhere
By Mary Schantag
As the number of reports suspecting fake warriors and wannabees increases, more and more news is being made by
individuals confronting those they doubt are real military or veterans. Several instances can be seen
here:http://trektothetroops.org/category/stolen-valor/phony-veterans-of-the-week/
"While leaving from a class I saw this guy in a U.S. Navy things weren’t right..."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/u-s-marines-confront-man-call-fake-veteran-video-article-1.1877400
"The heated exchange started when one U.S. Marine asked where the potentially phony vet earned one of his
medals. The man in question didn’t have a military ID on him and couldn’t recite the military’s uniform regulation
codes...." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HC0DGMfrnw
"Two Veterans call out fake soldier wearing Ranger, E.O.D., and 101st airborne tab. While wearing an E-8 rank..."
FAIR WARNING: confronting an individual whom you do not know may not end as you think it will!
It is one thing to pose for a picture, offer a handshake, get a name and license plate, and then report the individual to
any of the "fake warrior" sites for investigation. It is another to confront, harass, bully, assault or intimidate an
individual because you assume he is bogus.
In society, you have no idea if the individual is ill, on drugs, has anger issues, or is carrying a weapon. The
confrontation can easily turn into a fight, the person questioning getting hurt or charges being filed by law
enforcement against the good guy, especially if the phony is not about to have his "hero status" blown!
Think before acting. Cell phones can take pictures from afar. Time and date, where it occurred, will help in
identification. A handshake (honey and not vinegar) may get you the name.
This epidemic is getting worse. Think smarter when questioning a uniform, story, discount or document. We only
want truth - phonies and wannabees exposed for the liars they are. We want no casualties in this fight.
For more information on Stolen Valor http://www.fakewarriors.org
Mary Schantag, Chairman
http://www.pownetwork.org
http://www.fakewarriors.org/donations.htm
Advertise Your Business Here
Business Card: $25 year.
Call: Dan (417) 234-3501
Email Dan: dan@marathonbenefitsgroup.com
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We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices
of All Veterans And Their Families.
Tom Blubaugh
Christian Author
Tom Blubaugh
http://tomblubaugh.net/
God’s Answer to Stress
As long as I can remember I have been a workaholic. Many times working long hours kept me
away from home where there were relational problems I didn’t want to face. Work can be as
addictive as alcohol, drugs, food, sex, spending, or any other addiction. They are all a means
of medicating pain and suffering.
Email
tom@tomblubaugh.net
Website
http://tomblubaugh.net/
In my case, urgency came along with the addiction. Everything had to be done right now and
fifteen hour work days were not uncommon. I remember the years I was in insurance sales. I
would let the paperwork go while I was in a selling cycle. Then when it came time to do the
paperwork I would work until 2 or 3AM. One night I was too tired to drive home and I slept on
my office floor. As I am typing this I am thinking of a fellow sailor when I was in the Navy; how I saw him
sleeping on the floor of the men’s room using a filthy mop for a pillow. You might be thinking there is no
comparison and I am say there definitely is. Neither incident is healthy, clean, or positive. Both were the
result of an addiction – mine work – his alcohol.
I have to work at my workaholism one day at a time. It can consume me and take away my common sense.
I started writing this at 6:30 this morning to get it started. It has been a long, strenuous day and it’s now
10:10PM. I’m writing to relax and clear my mind so I can sleep. As I’m processing thoughts, the reason for
this letter emerges.
Last week when I was doing my writing to the Lord we were discussing this addiction. He gave me a
concept that is helping me slowly change my compulsion. He told me to consider this; the sun never rises
nor sets. It only appears to do so as the earth is turning 1,000 miles an hour. He asked me to consider
looking at my life as one long day intercepted by naps. He told me if I would do this it would take off the
pressure of getting things done in this particular rotation. It would help me do what I could before my nap
and then I could wake up and work on it or finish it before my next nap. He made me smile and I think I
laughed because it seemed so simple. Still does, but it is effective.
I’m going to take a nap now. Tom
Bear
Belief produces emotions.
Emotions produce thoughts.
Thoughts produce Actions.
Actions produce Results .... author unknown.
Think about where you are in your life. Where you are is the result of your actions. Go backwards to think through how
you got where you are. Can you see this?
What actions got you here?
What thoughts produced those actions?
What emotions produced those thoughts?
What belief produced the vision?
You can change your actions for a while without changing anything else, but sooner or later you will cycle back and
ultimately repeat your performance. You may have already tried this. (If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll
keep getting what you've been getting. It's insane to keep doing the same things over while expecting different results.)
If you want to change your actions permanently, you must change your belief system. What you believe is the driver.
Do you have confidence? Confidence means "with faith". Tom
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Veteran’s Memorial at Scenic Legion Post 639
Purchase a brick in memory of a Veteran. Placement will be by the submarine and memorial area.
The brick are Granite squares 4 X 8 - Engraved with name, service branch, war, and year of service
For more information contact: Mike GoForth or Ron Paluska at the Legion 417-882-8639
Government Links:
Agent Orange Update: http://www.vva.org/Committees/AgentOrange/index.html
Education: http://www.vva.org/Committees/Education/index.htm
Employment: http://www.vetjobs.com/
Friends, Family, and Associates of VVA: http://www.avva.org/
My HealtheVet is the VA’s online individual well-being and healthy records. Sign up to manage health care online and
review health team visits. https://www.myhealth.va.gov/index.html
A Misunderstood Statistic: 22 Military Veteran Suicides a day December 20, 2013 By Alan Zarembo
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/dec/20/science/la-sci-sn-veteran-suicide-statistics-
We salute all the Armed Forces
who have given so much to
enduring freedoms.
Taps Audio File mp3
http://www.vva.org/Media/TAPS_
Audio.mp3
http://208.86.252.130/~veterans/
Advertise Your
Business Here
Business Card: $25 year.
Call: Dan (417) 234-3501
Email Dan:
dan@marathonbenefitsgr
oup.com
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We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.
Chapter 952
! Calendar 2015
March
19
March
28
April
April
April
May
May
June
18
22
25
16
30
20
June
July
July
August
August
September
September
October
October
November
November
December
27
18
25
15
29
19
26
20
31
tba
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Joining Community Forces National Guard Armory, 1400 N. Fremont Ave. 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
VVA Meeting Guest: Colleen Neill 417-863-7700 (United Way 211-tentative)
Guest: Dr. Rita Spilken “Our House”
Golden Coral on South Glenstone Fundraiser 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Dedication of the Wall at College of the Ozarks
VVA Meeting
Ryan’s Steakhouse Fundraiser 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
VVA Meeting
Golden Coral on South Glenstone Fundraiser
7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
VVA Meeting
Ryan’s Steakhouse Fundraiser 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
VVA Meeting
Golden Coral on South Glenstone Fundraiser 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
VVA Meeting
Ryan’s Steakhouse Fundraiser 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
VVA Meeting
Golden Coral on South Glenstone Fundraiser 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
VVA Meeting
VVA Meeting (November 21 or 28)
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Veterans Day (VVA Booth in Branson November 5-11 - set up 4 )
No VVA Meeting (Christmas Party only)
Advertising
Newsletters, Membership Directory,
Or General information flyer
Business Card: $25 per year.
Call: Dan (417) 234-3501
Email Dan: dan@marathonbenefitsgroup.com
Join Us
Scenic Lodge Post 639
April 25, 2015
Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Meeting 10:00 a.m.
We Will Never Forget The Courage, Honor and Sacrifices of All Veterans And Their Families.