HONOR FLIGHT : STARTING SOON. SEE BELOW--LET S GET OUT TO DAYTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND WELCOME THEM HOME. BE THERE BY 10:00PM.

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1 VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA MIAMI VALLEY CHAPTER 97 PO Box 2707 Phone: (937) ************************************************************************ President-Steve Ratcliffe 1 st Vice-Dave Fuchs 2 nd Vice- Steven Cox Secretary-Mike Vanderveen Treasurer-OPEN 3 Year Director-Gary Nunn 2 Year Director-Robert Smith 1 Year Director-Rick Cummings Past President Director-OPEN AVVA Liaison-Madeleine Istvan ************************************************************************ February 2018 March 2018 Never again shall one generation of veterans abandon another BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS: The Board of Directors Meetings is held on the first Thursday of every 5PM at the Chapter Home. CHAPTER MEETINGS: The Chapter Membership Meetings are held on the third Thursday of every 7 PM at the Chapter Home located at 5657 Rosebury Dr. Huber Heights Ohio. UPCOMING EVENTS: First Saturday Every Month: FREE PANCAKE breakfast for Longhorn Steakhouse on Miller 9AM. Try to arrive by 9AM., as time and space is limited. Please call the Chapter the Monday before the event and let us know how many will be attending so we can give them a head count. HONOR FLIGHT : STARTING SOON. SEE BELOW--LET S GET OUT TO DAYTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND WELCOME THEM HOME. BE THERE BY 10:00PM. FROM THE PRESIDENT: I hope everyone had a good Christmas and is staying warm in this new year. The chapter home did not do so well over the New Year Holiday. I checked in on it and found the furnace had stopped working and the temperature was 27F degrees. The pipes were frozen and when we had

2 the furnace fixed on Tuesday, there were a few broken pipes that had to be repaired. We hope the furnace is fixed and we should not have any more problems with it. The Christmas Dinner at Golden Corral, I hope was a good time for those that attended. The weather wasn t the best, and I was not in the best of health. There was a 50/50 raffle and a lot of door prizes, I think everybody got at least one of them. Honor Flight Dayton provides a great trip to the Wall and other Memorials in Washington D.C., If you haven t taken one of their trips yet, you need to apply now. It is well worth it. See their contact information in this newsletter, and trip dates for Chapter 97 has also started a new Web Page. It just went on-line and is a work in progress. Check it out, the address is: HELP WANTED! We need a Computer Tech. Somebody that can help set up the web page and maintain our computers. It is time to start planning for the upcoming year, with budgets, events, and elections just around the corner. If you would like to run for an office or serve on a committee, now is the time to get involved. We could use the help. TREASURER NEEDED! COMMITTEES NEED STAFFED! THE MORE PEOPLE THAT GET INVOLVED MEANS MORE GETS DONE AND THERE IS LESS WORK FOR THE FEW. If anybody would like to fill any of these positions, please let me know. I can be contacted at or sharks6970@att.net IN HONORED MEMORY OF THE HELICOPTER PILOTS AND CREWMEMBERS WHO GAVE THE FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION TO THEIR NATION IN THE VIETNAM WAR A Vietnam Helicopter Pilot and Crewmember Monument will be dedicated at 4:00 PM, April 18, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Amphitheater. Following the service, wreaths will be placed at the monument located nearby on Memorial Drive, Section 35. The ceremony is open to all who wish to attend, at your own expense. The VHCMA board encourages as many members as possible to attend. *********************************************************************** It is with heavy heart with the passing of Bucks Braun. We were blessed to have him as our Master of Ceremonies all these years. He always set the tone, covered our gaps, and was always real. He loved our park & the Vietnam veteran, Bucks, we salute you and honor your dedication. There will be a void at the Memorial Day and Veterans Day services, however, we will hear your retreat, "Isn't it great to be an American..." and do our best to carry on. These shoes will be hard, if not impossible, to fill. We love you. God Bless you. May you rest in peace. STEVE RATCLIFFE, PRESIDENT AVVA LIAISON COMMENTS: See you next newsletter! Madeleine

3 BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT ARE IN NEED OF OUR SUPPORT: To those of you who are silent in their time of need, we are here for you, and are thinking of you. Sometimes just a phone call helps show that someone really does care. Let s remember our men and women defending our FREEDOM as they are away from family and friends for months at a time. GOD BLESS THEM AND KEEP THEM SAFE! MEMBER NEWS: THOUGHTS & PRAYER S: Please keep our brothers and sisters and their families in your thoughts and prayers: Remember to let Ron, Steve or Kris know about any hospital, death or sick members. When we know, cards are sent to let them know we are thinking of them. VVA CHAPTER 97 NEWSLETTER: Is now on the Buckeye State Council VVA Buckeye State Council. PRODUCT SALES: All Chapter vehicle decals, hats and shirts continue to be available. If you would like other items for our inventory, please let us know. LET S GET THE WORD OUT: Commemorative 50 th Anniversary pins are available to any Vietnam Era Veteran. Eligibility All active duty armed forces personnel who served from November 1 st 1955 to May 15 th These 50 th Anniversary pins can be obtained Monday the Chapter any membership meeting. Dues, dues, dues If you pay your membership yearly, don t forget to your due date on your membership card and if you have let your membership expire, it s never too late to reinstate. LET S GET OUT THERE AND SIGN UP SOME NEW MEMBERS Remember as veterans, the only way to make a difference is to get involved! SCHOLARSHIP NEWS: 2018 scholarship applications will be mailed to every area high school in March. Students may get an application from their guidance counselor. Applications will be available at the chapter office if you wish to pick up one in person. SPECIAL THANK S : To the members, their families and friends that is able to participate in this great organization, whether physically or in spirit. OUR NEWSLETTER: Be sure to let the Chapter know if you have a change in address, phone number or address so we can get the newsletter to you. You can call the Chapter Home, (937) weekdays from noon to 4 PM. We also have several copies available at the chapter.

4 ADDRESSES: We would like to have everyone s address so when things come up on short notice we can send information in a timely manner. ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS: If anyone has anything they would like posted in the newsletter please contact us via , President Steve Ratcliffe, sharks6970@att.net, associate member, Kris nursenick@woh.rr.com or through the chapter Home. Newsletter content has to be Board Member approved. We look forward to your input to the newsletter. FACEBOOK: Did you know VVA Chapter 97 has a facebook page. If you would like to join VVA Chapter 97 Facebook Page, while in Facebook, search for VVA Chapter 97 - Dayton, Ohio. Send a request to join, and we will add you. Keep in mind that this is a CLOSED group for Chapter 97 Members and their families ONLY. Read the rules and request to join, Bob Smith and Steve Ratcliffe are the Administrators. HONOR FLIGHT: Honor Flight is a great program that helps veterans heel from the wounds of war and embrace the brotherhood they shared. They have a wonderful group of people in the Miami Valley that makes it come together for the veterans in our area. Applications are available on their website: honorflightdayton.org. or VVA Chapter 97 or you can call their office, or hfdoffice@woh.rr.com. Please mail completed applications to the address listed on the application. Flight dates: April 14 th May 19 th September 8 th October 27 th RV dates: TBD **************SPECIAL ATTENTION************* TO ALL MONTGOMERY COUNTY VVA MEMBERS There will be an opening for the Veterans Service Commissioner representative for the Purple Heart, Vietnam Veterans of America, Korean Veteran Assoc. Chapters, due to a resignation from the commission effective March 31,2018. The Montgomery County Common Pleas Court is currently soliciting names of individuals to be considered for the Veterans Service Commission to represent us. The commencement date of this term is April 1, 2018, and the termination date is January 14, A Job Description and an application is can be picked up at the Chapter Home. Under provisions of the Ohio Revised Code, we can submit only three names. If you are considering this position, please contact me Steve Ratcliffe at or Sharks6970@att.net. PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOU WANT TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION.

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