JOIN VVA and AVVA

The meal will begin at 1:30 pm and will consist of: hot dogs, beans, and potato salad, soft drinks and coffee. 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: VVA National Convention (Resolutions and Constitutional Admendments, and elections); Report on Texas State Council meeting (AVVA election); 20th Annual POW/MIA Vigil and 14th "Ride to Remember"; Updates on veterans' issues; Committee reports; VVA # 278 website; etc., etc., etc..

REMEMBER: Sunday, July 15, 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: Hamburgers, American fries, macaroni salad, soft drinks and coffee. 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:Report on VVA National Convention; Veterans' issues updates; Committee reports; Fundraising; 20th POW/MIA Vigil; Upcoming set-ups and events; etc., etc..

REMEMBER: Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 1:30 pm at 525 East Broad Street. We hope to see you there! We want you, we need you!!

VVA # 278 will not have a meeting in September due to all of the activities. VVA # 278's October meeting will be held on Sunday, October 21 at the American Legion Post at 525 East Broad Street.

It was a very productive meeting, we will go over some of the details at our next (July 15) chapter meeting. Some of the major topics covered were: Reviewed the proposed resolutions and constitutional admendments to be presented at National and rules and regulations at National Conventions; Covered the major bills in Texas & U.S. Congress pertaining to veterans' issues; awarded three scholarships; Covered new IRS filing requirements for 2008; and covered VVAFT's "Operation Ed-u-cate."

The next VVA Texas State Council meeting will be held in College Station February 1-2, 2008. I also attended the AVVA Texas State meeting where they held their election. We would like to extend our congratulations to the following newly elected officers of Texas AVVA: President-Marilyn Rose, Vice-President-Percilla Newberry, Secretary-Lynda Green and Treasurer-Sandra Womack. Again, Congratulations. We look forward to working with you!

Also on the weekend's agenda was the Vietnam Veterans Foundation of Texas' (VVAFT) meeting. Their elections were also held. Congratulations to the following: Chairman-Bill Meeks, Vice-Chairman-Don Kennedy, Secretary-Dennis Thomas, Treasurer-Jim Boyd and Directors- Greg Beck, Manny Carlos, Herschel Carmichael, Lucio Moreno, Buster Newberry and Hal Thompson.

VVAFT is a foundation set up to assist the VVA TSC, Vietnam veterans, disabled veterans and other entities they deem appropriate. They receive no government funds and are funded by private and corporate donations.

We have five members whose membership have lapsed. They are: Dan Nicholson, 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!

As far as membership in National VVA goes there are 55,155; 27,935 annual or 3 year; 24,710 Life member Paid; 421 Life member, time-payment; 235 Permanently Hospitalized; and 1854 Incarcerated. Texas VVA has 2673 members.

National AVVA membership is 6795; 1855 Life member paid; 42 Life member, time-payment; 4552 annual or 3 year; 61 Other Life Paid; 206 Incarcerated veteran. Texas AVVA has 354 members.

We want you, we need you!

There are over 78,700 Americans unaccounted for from Wordl 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; five 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 (1783 at this time), one minute for each of the Korean POW/MIAs whose name is engraved on our local Korea/Vietnam Memorial (37* at this time) 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-five 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. See attached flyer in this newsletter for schedule of events. We will be having a special dedication at the first candlelight service Friday night.

We will never forget!!

The TAVC recently purchased it's third DAV van to transport veterans to the VA Medical Center in Shreveport, LA. It is in service now. The old van has been placed in service helping local needy veterans get to the VA Outpatient Clinic here in Texarkana. Drivers are needed for both of these vans. You don't have to be a veteran to be a driver! For more information on how to volunteer for these driver positions contact an officer of TAVC or VVA # 278.

We sincerely thank all of those who helped us in getting this van through the TAVC's annual Chilli Cook-off. The TAVC's 2008 Chili Cook-off is scheduled for Friday, February 15, 2008 at the Truman Arnold Center at Texarkana College.

July 17-22: VVA National Convention

August 4: Pine Tree Festival (Dierks)

August 11: Watermelon Festival...........Hope

August 17 & 18: Pioneer Days (New Boston)

August 19: VVA # 278 meeting

August 31 & September 1: 20th Annual POW/MIA Vigil (Korea/Vietnam Memorial)

September 8 & 9: Quadrangle Festival (Texarkana)

September 14-22: Four States Fair (Texarkana)

October 21: VVA # 278 meeting

November 10: Veterans' Day Parade

November 18: VVA # 278 meeting

December 16: VVA # 278 meeting