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Chapter Board Meeting: 1st Tuesday, 7:00 PM Chapter Membership Meeting: 3rd Tuesday, 7PM, Juanita DeLuna, VA Medical Center Volunteer Coordinator ROSEVILLE MEMORIAL HALL, Royer Park ***AWARD WINNING NEWSLETTER*** |
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CAPITOL CITY |
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Newsletter for Sacramento Valley's Chapter 500 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. |
| "We remember!" JANUARY, 2005 "Be Proud" |
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2005! Boy, I never
thought of this year being here so soon. As far as that goes for me
in 1969 in Vietnam, 2005 never crossed my mind, and this year probably
didn't cross your either. I know that 2005 will be even better than
2004 which was a great year, because it brought back old members to
Chapter 500 as well as many new members. Chapter 500 invited entries
for scholarships, registered voters, with the VAC and the city of
Sacramento, helped put on parades, as well as our annual "Reading of the
Names" at the Vietnam Memorial. For ourselves and other Veterans
Organizations, we had an Oktoberfest, a Veterans Picnic, post parade
parties, the Get-A-Way and a Christmas Party. That's quite a bit to
surpass in 2005, but we not only can do it, we will do it. Get on
board and watch Chapter 500 do it. What the heck, help us do it.
2005 will be a great new year for Chapter 500 to be alive. STARTING THE NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT!
Two ways we are starting the
New Year off right are some community service by helping WEAVE paint some
parts of their facility. Old time members will remember B.T. Collins
involvement in WEAVE and how VVA helped them with some work at that time.
So, spend a few hours helping this worthy organization to spruce up their
office. All you have to do is paint a little. All equipment,
materials, etc. will be provided as well as food for the volunteers. |
CURRENT NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2005 Juanita
DeLuna, Coordinator of the Volunteer Services at Mather Hospital will
tell the members about the Volunteer Program at the VA Medical Center at
Mather.
In Memory of.... We are saddened by the news that Congressman Matsui passed away late on New Year's Day night in the National Naval Medial Center in Bethesda, Md., due to complications from a rare blood disorder. See more on page 6. |
THE CAPITOL VETERAN.........JANUARY,
2005....Page 2
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VETERAN BENEFIT UPDATES AND
ANNOUNCEMENTS MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEES WAIVED
The Benefit - Waiver of registration fees and free
license plates for one passenger motor vehicle, or one motorcycle, or one
commercial motor vehicle of less than 8001 pounds unladen weight. DENTAL CARE BY THE VA??? A question that has been asked many times by Veterans is "Will the VA will pay for my dental care?" From the VA website, here is the information on who qualifies for dental care:
VA Medical Care Fact Sheet
Outpatient dental benefits are provided by the Department of Veterans
Affairs according to law. In some instances, the dental care may be
extensive, while in other cases treatment may be limited. |
DENTAL CARE BY THE VA, cont............ Those who are participating in a VA
vocational rehabilitation program under 38 U.S.C. chapter 31 are eligible for dental
care necessary to: enter into a rehabilitation program, achieve the goals of
the veteran’s vocational rehabilitation program; or prevent interruption of
a rehabilitation program; or hasten the return to a rehabilitation program
of a veteran in interrupted or leave status; or hasten the return to a
rehabilitation program of a veteran placed in discontinued status because of
illness, injury or a dental condition; or secure and adjust to employment
during the period of employment assistance; or to achieve maximum
independence in daily living. NEW FACES IN THE GOVERNMENT ARENA!
Some new faces have been sworn in here in our locale for positions on
the City Council, as Sacramento County Supervisors, Senate and Assembly.
And some old faces have new positions. Here are a few that we are most
familiar with and how to contact them: See page six for some new faces on the National level.
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THE CAPITOL VETERAN...........JANUARY,
2005.........Page 3
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ANNOUNCEMENTS HELP SUPPORT OUR SCHOLARSHIP FUND ******** CHAPTER INFORMATION
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PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
Rebecca Lee
916-501-8788
43rd & Folsom Blvd., P.O. Box 19334,
Sacramento, CA 95819
HELP YOUR BUSINESS AND SUPPORT THE
VVA |
THE CAPITOL
VETERAN CALENDAR................JANUARY, 2005........Page 4
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DIRECTIONS to the Roseville Veterans Memorial
Hall. From I-80. Take the Douglas West exit. Go to the third
light which is Folsom Rd. Turn right, go to the second stop sign, which is
Sutter, turn left, follow the curve, you will see a sign on the right and left
that says "Royer Park", turn left there. You will immediately see the hall
to the right and the parking lot. That's it. In the hall, from the
main door, follow the VVA sign to the meeting room. When you leave, the street
is one way, so you will go to the right. You will then come up to Douglas Blvd.,
left will go back to the freeway and whichever direction you need to go from
there.
THE CAPITOL VETERAN................JANUARY, 2005........Page 5
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ANNOUNCING THE EAST LAWN FAMILY A SPECIAL
DISCOUNT PLAN IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS OF THE
The East Lawn family of
Memorial Parks and Mortuaries has served the Sacramento Community for many
years. East Lawn Memorial Park on Folsom Boulevard has in fact just
celebrated its 100 year anniversary. Their personal, caring
celebrations of life that match the wishes of families and honor the loved
ones is well known throughout our area.
For a no cost
consultation appointment, call |
AFTER ACTION REPORT
With everyone getting ready for
the holidays, it was a fairly quiet month. MEMBERS...DON'T FORGET VVA500 has Chapter 500 T-Shirts and Hats for sale. They look great, as evidenced below. The shirts and hats are reasonably priced at $10. for the T-Shirts and $12. for the hats. All sizes are available from small to really big. They are always available at the General Meetings or send your check and order, and we can ship to you, but must add $5. for postage and handling. Note: The VVA500 Board has voted that only VVA, AVVA members may purchase VVA500 logo items. As to presentation of honorary items, the Board will decide that on an individual basis.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS RIBBONS We also have both yellow and red, white and blue "Support Our Troops Ribbons" for sale. Once again they are available at the General Meetings or we can mail them to you, but must then add $2.00 for postage and handling. For members, the ribbons are $3.00 each, for non-members, they are $5.00 each. |
THE CAPITAL
VETERAN............JANUARY, 2005........Page 6
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CONGRESSMAN MATSUI PRESIDES No matter what what
your political leanings are, it was a sad day when we lost Congressman Matsui.
He was a supporter of Veterans, and as many people have called him, "a man of
the people". He, unlike many of our government representatives did not
forget his roots in Sacramento. There are many stories of him taking a
personal interest in the various issues of individuals and solving their
problems with the government. Matsui also held townhall type
events to listen to his constituents views and complaints. Just a few
months ago, he invited the members of several Veteran Organizations to do just
that at the Sacramento Veterans Resource Center. He would also notify
Veterans organizations of events and issues we might be interested in.
Both Republicans and Democrats had a high level of respect for the Congressman
that spent 26 years of public service in the House. Previous to
that, Matsui was a Sacramento City Councilman. |
WHO'S WHO FOR VETERANS On the National level, there are a few new faces. Jim Nicholson was appointed Secretary of Veteran Affairs by President Bush. Nicholson was previously serving as Ambassador to the Vatican. A graduate from the United States Military Academy, Mr. Nicholson served 8 years as an Army Ranger and paratrooper, then 22 years in the Army Reserve, retiring with the rank of full colonel. As a ranger in Vietnam, he received several awards. Mr. Nicholson succeeds outgoing Secretary Anthony Principi. House Veterans Affairs Chair Christopher Smith, R-N. J. has been replaced by Steve Buyer, R-Ind. Smith has frequently clashed with Republican leaders over funding levels for Veterans' programs. While Buyer is a Gulf War Veteran, It is thought by several Veteran groups that Smith was replaced because he did not toe the Republican leadership line on less funding for Veterans programs. Smith had two years remaining before term limits would have necessitated his departure from the Veterans Affairs Committee. We'll see what the new year brings. FROM THE VVA500 WEBPAGE Earl Donald Williams writes: Vietnam Vet, 1969-70, 62 Engineers, 984 Landclearing. Would like to talk to Agent Orange Vets with Lung Cancer. His e-mail address is: midnight_man52@yahoo.com. PHONE CARDS TO SERVICEMEN & WOMEN VVA500 is sending phone cards to servicemen & women who are in VA hospitals because of injuries and those serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. If you know personally of any serviceman or woman that can make use of a phone card, please contact the office with their full address at 916-481-6020 or vva500@sbcglobal.net. STAND DOWN 2004
Here are the statistics for the Veterans served at the
2004 Stand Down: |
THE CAPITOL
VETERAN................JANUARY, 2005........Page 7
RECENT ACTIVITIES OF VVA CHAPTER 500 AND FRIENDS
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Member Jerry Quint accepts trophy for
1st place for the Veterans Category in the 2004 Veterans Day Parade from
Assemblyman Dave Jones
Members enjoying the food and
themselves at the VVA500 Christmas Party |
Karen Winnett's "Leader", Janny dressed for the holidays
and wishing for a snack at the Christmas Party
George Bouchard showing off his gift, Joe Cavanagh thinks
it pretty funny
Grace Calles and President McNeill dance to a little bit
of the Era Music |
THE CAPITOL VETERAN............DECEMBER,
2004........Page 8
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THE WALL THAT HEALS "Easy" Smith our resident "Wolfhound" forwarded on this message. Tired of your job, or need a new one, see this.....
"The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is seeking site
managers to transport and manage its traveling half-scale replica of The
Wall and mobile museum. This is a rewarding job for the right couple
or individual.
The Wall That Heals travels ten months per year to approximately 25 communities throughout North America. The exhibit is transported by a 53-foot, fifth-wheel trailer that converts into a museum chronicling the Vietnam War era and the unique healing power of The Wall. As site managers, you will be responsible for transporting the exhibit, and manage on-site activities with assistance from the host organization and its volunteers. You will lead volunteers with set-up and breakdown of the exhibit, as well as with aiding visitors during the public display period. Continued in the next column►►►
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THE WALL THAT HEALS, CONT. Candidates should
have general electrical, carpentry and other maintenance skills. Good
people and communication skills essential. The job requires heavy
lifting of up to 100 lbs and a Commercial Driver's License. An
interest in or a connection to the Vietnam War era a plus.
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Vietnam
Veterans of America, Inc.
Chapter 500
P.O. Box 255484
Sacramento, CA 95865
916-481-6020
vva500@sbcglobal.net
"NEVER AGAIN WILL ONE GENERATION OF VETERANS ABANDON ANOTHER"
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