JOIN VVA and AVVA

The meal will begin at 1:30 pm and will consist of: potluck, soft drinks and coffee.. We ask all members to bring a covered dish and/or dessert to share.

The business session will begin immediately after the meal is finished. Topics to be discussed will include: Veterans' issues updates; Committee reports: Replacemnt DAV van (local); Fundraising ideas; Upcoming events (Fairs, Festivals, etc); Chapter vests; etc., etc..

Remember: Sunday, October 19 at 1:30 pm at the American Legion Post at 525 East Broad Street. We hope to see you there!

At our July meeting we voted to make Greg Bischoff an Associate member. The Texarkana VA Clinic requested VVA # 278 to do a flag ceremony to replace the US & POW/MIA flags at the Clinic. Ernest King (Vice-President) & Freddie Weathers (Senior Assistant) took care of that job.

We have a fairly successful fundraising event (the Henry Golden Boy 22 and the Remington 870 20 gauge give-away) We have set up at four gunshows and the Four States Fair & Rodeo and made approximately $4000 on this. Ernest King won the Henry Golden Boy and Andy Anderson won the Remington 870. Congratulations! And thanks to all who made donations to this cause!

We will start a new raffle immediatley, looks like a $500 cash prize with a $100 cash prize for 2nd place. Drawing to be held Sunday, November 15 at the VVA # 278 meeting.

While at the Fair, Hurricane Ike struck South Texas. It came up through Texarkana with high winds and lots of rain. Electricity was out and even the Fair was postponed one day, but this area evaded major damage as a whole. South Texas did not! We had an Board meeting while at the Fair and decided to send $500 to the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Foundation of Texas to be used to help our fellow VVA chapters that was hit hard by Ike - Galveston, Orange, Beaumont, Houston, Baytown, Palestine, Victoria and several others in Ike's path. It's not alot, but I hope it helps some. Our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters hurt by Ike.

At our August meeting we voted to purchase a large brick at the Fouke Memorial Park and to sell cook-books for them. We have sold 33 so far. I will try to get some more before the October meeting and our next set-ups. They are $10.00 each.

Again this year we have handed out close to 600 2008 VA Benefit books. We have placed an SF 180 and a VVA application in each of these books.

We ask all members of VVA to check their membership cards. Look at the expiration date. Keep your membership current. If you are a Life Member, make sure your card states that. If there is any problems let us know and with documentation we can take care of it.

We have members whose dues have lapsed: Michael White. We hope this is an oversight or that these will let us know why they haven't renewed. If it's due to financial constraints, please let us know, we can work something out. We want you, we need you!

As you may know our little Stacey and Don had their baby on July 10, a little boy, 7 pounds, ounces, named Thomas Quinn. Another veteran supporter? Congratulations Don & Stacey!!!

Join VVA & AVVA.

Next meeting to be held in Houston, June 5, 6, & 7, 2009 hosted by VVA #353

There is one American unaccounted from the ongoing war in Iraq, There is one American unaccounted from the 1st Iraqi war - Desert Storm. There are 120 Americans unaccounted for from the Cold War. There are 8136 Americans unaccounted for from the Korean War, 78,634 Americans unaccounted for from World War II and 3349 Americans unaccounted for from World War I.

We had a very successful POW/MIA Vigil over the labor Day weekend. We had the biggest "Ride to Remember" we've ever had and we received good media coverage on all the activities.

We would like to thank all the various organizations that participated in the "Ride" - American Legion Riders, Patriot Guard, Blue Knights, Solldiers for Christ, H.O.G.s, Banshees, Iron Pigs, USMC MC, and all others. We also want to thank the Department of Public Safety, Texas State Troopers, Bowie County Sheriff's Department and Texarkana, Texas Police Departments and Helicopters Southwest for the escort on the ride!!! And we would like to thank Ernest King who arranged most of the Ride participants. Thanks to all!!

We thank all of those who participated in the other events also and those who publized this Vigil. A big part of these Vigils are to raise public awareness and the ride and the media did this for us. THANKS!!!

We mail the "News & Views" to all current VVA # 278 members, all VVA chapters and State Council Presidents in Region VII (AR, LA, OK, & TX), all local veterans organizations (for about a 50 mile radius of Texarkana), AR & TX U.S. Senators, several AR & TX U.S. Representatives, local AR & TX State Senators & Representatives, several other local organizations (Red Cross, Salvation Army, USMC Reserve, National Guard, etc., etc.), some National organizations (National League of Families, National Alliance of Families, Sons & Daughters in Touch, VVA, etc.), local supporters , local veterans, and others. We mail around 420 newsletters and place another 30 or so at the VA Clinic. We believe that is part of our function, to get information out to those who want it and to who it may pertain to. Help us do that without wasting to much time and money please!

Also, I would like for all VVA # 278 members, both VVA & AVVA, to e-mail me their e-mail address so I can e-mail you this newsletter and I can get you on the list for the one from Texas, and if something comes up I can get information to you asap. Send it to: USMCgreg@aol.com.

VVA # 278 took over this Memorial project in December 1987, from local dignitaries who had worked on it for about 5 years. After a redesign (Dan Nicholson done most of this) and some extensive fundraising, VVA 278 members, along with a few other volunteers, went into a labor of love physically building this Memorial. Blood, sweat and tears literally went into this construction. We would like to see all of those that actually worked on this memorial to be at this ceremony if at all possible! Several of these have passed on sadly.

Remember: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 7:00 pm at the Korea/Vietnam memorial at Seventh Street and State Line Avenue. The public is invited and encouraged to attend, especially the families of our fallen brothers those killed in action and those prisoners of war and missing in action. And of course those who participated in the first dedication in 1988.

VVA # 278 has been participating in this program for several years now by collecting and forwarding stamps to the VNSCC. And we are still doing this. We ask you to save your cancelled (used) stamps from the mail you receive and send them to us and we will get them to the VAVS. Just cut the stamps off of the envelopes leaving a little (1/4 inch) on each side and save and either bring to a meeting or mail them to us. We have several members, Stephanie Raney, Shirley Hefly, Homer Harvin and Bailey Beck who regularly gets us packets of stamps and we thank them for helping veterans!!

Items needed: U.S. and foreign stamps both on and off paper, post cards (old & new), first day covers, foreign covers, catalogues, albums, accumalations of stamps & coins, etc., etc..

Items not needed: damaged stamps, meters, postmarks, greeting card publications and meters are of no use to the veteran patients.

The projects being worked on at this time include: Obtaining a DAV van; Planning the Veterans Day Parade (Nov. 8); Planning the trip to Shreveport VA for the "Salute to Hospitalized Veterans" week (Feb 9, 2009); Planning for the annual Chili Cook-off (Feb 13, 2009); and planning for the 2nd Annual Fish dinner fundraiser (March 28, 2009).

At our June meeting we discussed and approved working with the people of Fouke to help bring this project to reality. At the present time we have some of the cookbooks they are selling to help raise funds. They are $10 each. See us at the next meeting to get one.

They will also be selling engraved bricks, which will be placed in this Veterans Memorial Park. They have three types: (1). Veterans, (2). Civilians, & (3). Businesses. Type 1 & 2 are $40.00 each, type 3 is $400.00 each.

LEST WE FORGET

I don't believe anyone has the right to complain if they don't take the time to vote.

If you don't want to take the time to vote for your own conscience, then vote for the 58,000 names on the Wall, most of whom never had the opportunity to vote! They died protecting your right to vote. Make sure they, and the others who died in service to this country, did not die in vain! VOTE .

The Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform (www.fundingforvets.org), which worked closely with the bill sponsors in drafting the legislation, is comprised of AMVETS, American Legion, Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Jewish War Veterans (JWV), Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA).

The new legislation, called the "Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act of 2008, would authorize advance appropiations for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care programs one year in advance of the start of the fiscal year, an idea favored by more than 80 percent of American voters, according to a survey released by the DAV. This legislation would also require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit VA's budget forecasting model and report to Congress and the public on the integrity and accuracy of the model.

Now, we ask you to contact your elected Representatives and Senators in Washington and ask them to support and cosponsor this legislation.

October 2:Sulfur River Waterfowl Banquet

October 2:TAVC meeting

October 4:DeKalb Oktoberfest

October 11 - 12:Quadrangle Festival

October 19:VVA # 278 meeting

November 1:Bloomburg's Cullen Baker Day

November 1:"Comin at Cha" SASS shoot

November 1:USMC Birthday Ball*

November 6:TAVC meeting

November 8:Veterans' Day Parade

November 12:Korea/Vietnam Memorial's 20th Anniversary

November 16:VVA # 278 meeting

December 1:Christmas Parade

December 4:TAVC meeting

December 21:VVA # 278 meeting

January 18:VVA # 278 meeting

AND so do we resolve that the true measure of our worth as citizens, as veterans, and as patriots be found in our willingness to draw from and abide by these strengths and convictions born of heritage and experience.

TO HOLD that a sacred and binding contract exists between governors and governed, with the latter recognizing an obligation of compulsory foreign or domestic service equitably shared by all, and the former morally obligated to implement foreign and domestic policies that are clear, consistent, and reflective of the will of the people.

TO HOLD further, that the contract extends to post obligatory service with the Nation, bound whenever and wherever appropiate to the prompt delivery of compensation to individuals or survivors in direct propportion to sacrifice and service rendered.

TO HONOR with dignity the sacred memory of the war dead, and so in dignity, ensure that the lasting legacy of the fallen is responsiblity toward, not exploitation of their sacrifice.s

TO STAND for cooperation, dialogue, and friendship among the nations of the world community, with full respect and support of those principles central to our national life.