OFFICERS
PRESIDENT: Gregory Beck
VICE-PRESIDENT: John Carmeli
SECRETARY: Sarah Behringer
TREASURER: Raymond Burns
AVVA REP: Merle Morris
CHAPLAIN: Herb Davison

BOARD of DIRECTORS
William Brockett
Fisher Plymale
Robert Row

EDITOR: Gregory Beck

The meal will begin at 1:30 pm and will consist of smoked brisket, baked beans, potato salad, soft drinks and coffee, all supplied by the chapter. We ask members to bring a covered dish and/or dessert to share.

The business session will begin after the meal is finished. Topics to be discussed will include: Critique of Veterans Information Fair; Critique of "Support the Troops" rally; Upcoming Memorial Day Services; 20th Annual POW/MIA Vigil and 14th "Ride to Remember"; 25th anniversary of the "Wall"; Updates on veterans' issues; Committee reports; Chapter website; Upcoming Texas State Council and National Convention; Fundraising project(s); etc., etc.

REMEMBER: Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 1:30 pm at 525 East Broad St. We hope to see you there!

The meal will begin at 1:30 pm and the menu will be pot luck. We ask VVA 278 members to bring a covered dish and/or dessert to share. The business session will begin after the meal is finished. Topics to be discussed will include: Veterans' issues updates; Committee reports; Fundraising; Upcoming set-ups and events; etc., etc.

REMEMBER: Sunday, June 24, 2007 at 1:30 pm at 525 East Broad Street. We hope to see you there! We want you, we need you!!

We reviewed the annual financial reports which have to be sent to National and State VVA. This has been taken care of. We discussed fixing the baggage cart, and that is being looked into. The wreck at the Korea/Vietnam Memorial was discussed; the city has repaired it.

The upcoming "Support the Troops" rally, "Veterans Information Fair", and Memorial Day Services were discussed. Committee reports on membership, veterans benefits, government affairs, POW/MIAs, TSC and National Convention were given. And then we held our election of officers. The results are:

President: Gregory Beck; Vice-President: John Carmeli; Secretary: Sarah Behringer; Treasurer: Raymond Burns.
Board of Directors: William Brockett, Fisher Plymale, Robert Row.
National Delegates: Gregory Beck and Raymond Burns; Alternates: John Carmeli and Sarah Behringer

An AVVA report was given, they elected to hold their chapter Representative election every two years. AVVA held their election and Merle Morris was elected as Chapter Representative.

All the election report forms and financial reports have been completed and mailed to National and State VVA and AVVA.

The Talking Book Program will have a presentation on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 9:00 am at the Texarkana Public Library at 600 West 3rd Street. RSVP Lesly Sandlin at 903/794-2149.

For more information please call: 1-800-252-9605 or visit the website at: www.TexasTalkingBooks.org

VVA # 574
P.O. Box 26904
El Paso, TX 79926-6904

Project A.M.I.G.O. to benefit the Rescue Mission. Needs are underwear, socks, men's jeans, work boots and shoes, toiletries, etc., etc. Gift cards from Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target.

We have five members whose memberships have lapsed. They are Charles Attaway, Ronnie Brewer, Sidney Cooper, Mary K. Lindsey and Michael Stolba. We hope this was just an oversight. We truly want these folks to remain in the VVA # 278 family.

We want you, we need you!

Lately there has been quite a bit of activity concerning the POW/MIAs from World War II. There has been 15 identified recently, one of these was from Leary, Texas. There are over 78,700 Americans unaccounted for from World War II. There are still 8,177 Americans unaccounted for from the Korea War; 120 from the Cold War; 1 from the first Persian Gulf War; two from the ongoing War on Terrorism; and 3349 from World War I.

On Friday and Saturday, August 31 and September 1, 2007, VVA # 278 will host our 20th annual POW/MIA Vigil and our 14th annual "Ride to Remember" to honor and remember the American POW/MIAs from all wars.

We will spend one minute for each American unaccounted for from the Vietnam war, one minute for each of the Korean POW/MIAs whose name is engraved on our local Korea/Vietnam Memorial and one minute for each American military personnel unaccounted for since Vietnam. As of right now, this adds up to approximately 30 hours and twenty minutes. We hope you will come down and spend a little time with us in honoring and remembering those Americans that the government, for the most part, has seemed to forgotten.

We will never forget!!

This is where VVA members make adjustments to the VVA Constitution thru the amendment process. Also various Resolutions will be discussed and voted on. These two procedures, Resolutions and VVA Constitution amendments, are what guides this organization through rules, guidelines, and goals. VVA members will also elect their officers for a two-year term. These officers will assist and direct the regions, the state councils, the chapters and the National Committees and Task Forces and members and keep us on the straight and narrow path working for veterans. President, Vice- president, Secretary, Treasurer, and Board of Directors will be elected. There are two types of Directors - Regional Directors, who represent their respective region, and at-large directors, who will represent all VVA members.

We ask VVA # 278 members to read all of the candidates biographies and statements, proposed Constitutional amendments and proposed resolutions in the VVA "Veteran" and elsewhere and advise the chapter delegates on who and what to vote for and against. We will be going over all of these at the next VVA Texas State Council meeting in El Paso at the end of June. Luckily, our National delegates and our state delegates are the same: Gregory Beck, Raymond Burns; Alternates: John Carmeli and Sarah Behringer. Let them know your thoughts.

I might mention that the VVA National Convention is a closed floor event, only delegates and authorized press are allowed on the convention floor while in session. You can't just wander around if you are not a delegate or authorized in some way. I look forward to these conventions but there is a lot of work involved.

Also during this VVA Convention, the Associates of the Vietnam Veterans of America will be having their Leadership Conference. As I mentioned, at the Texas State Council meeting in El Paso on June 29-July 1, delegates will be reviewing the proposed amendments and resolutions and meeting some of the candidates for national office, so I suggest that all national delegates from Texas plan to attend this El Paso meeting if possible. Besides, I'm sure VVA # 574 is going to show us all a great time.

See you in El Paso and Springfield, IL!!