NEXT POST MEETING: TUESDAY August 9, 2011

PLACE: THE SIZZLER, 1401 N. HARBOR BLVD.

TIME:  DINNER 6:00 PM, MEETING 7:00 PM

Dr. Stephen Tsai

 

Our speaker will be Dr. Stephen Tsai.  He has practiced acupuncture in Fullerton for over 20 years.  He will discuss this alternative form of treatment and answer any questions you may have about acupuncture.

 

Chaplain’s Message to the Members:  “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, New Living Translation)  If I can be of service to you, please give me a call.  Jim Howland

 

This month we transferred Raymond L. Hazard to Post Everlasting.  Also, please keep John Riegel and his family in your prayers as John’s wife Joann passed away.  She was a regular meeting guest and will be missed.

 

Commander’s Corner:  The new American Legion 29th District commander is Bill Sandlin.  The National Convention will be in August.  Our Girls and Boys State students have come home.  Be sure to put the September meeting on your calendar so that you can meet all the kids we sponsored for special programs this year.  Planning for Veterans Day has begun. Please come join us at our meetings.  We have a great group.

 

Problems at District Level Continued:  There is a challenge to the election results.  The latest news seems to be that District leadership has decided to hold an election for the 1st Vice Commander again.  I am not alone in thinking that this option is not acceptable.  My position will be that the re-election should not happen, with the previous one validated, or if that doesn’t work, vote for the guy who was duly election the first time.  Not fun at all, but it must be done.

 

Upcoming Events:  The Post meetings are always (well, almost always) on the second Tuesday of the month.  The officer meeting is the Wednesday prior to the meeting.  The next few monthly meetings are:  September 13, October 11 and November 8.  Please mark your calendars.

 

Notice to Veterans: There is a senator trying to modify the presumptive status for veterans exposed to Agent Orange.  The American Legion is fighting hard to get his amendment thrown out.  Only time will tell how this story unfolds.  The proposed amendment will make it harder for those exposed to prove service connection for the medical problems they have.  Please consider this an item to contact our elected officials about.

 

Special Note:  Those of you who were stationed in Korea near the DMZ, the USS Pueblo, and the UN Joint Security Area, from April 1, 1968-August 31, 1971, are eligible to apply for compensation based on exposure to herbicides.  The lists of units are within the 2nd ID and 7th ID specifically.  The Veterans Service Office can help you with your claim.  See contact information on the next page.

 

The 2012 membership year began 1 July.  If you have not paid your 2011 dues, you need to send it in ASAP.  If you pay for 2012 without paying for 2011, your Continuous Years will start at one (1) year again. (You can make up previous year(s) lost with paying past dues.)  If you have paid your 2012 dues, you should receive your card prior to the meeting as we will send in the first set to Department the last week of July.

 

New Renewal Option:  This year you may pay online to National if you wish to.  The Legion has been conducting a trial run with a few states around the US.  After payment, national will take out their per capita, then send the rest of the money to capita, then send the rest of the money to Department, where they will have to separate out the per capita and return to the posts what money is theirs.  That will be difficult, but not impossible, since the posts have different dues.  It turns around the sequence with money, i.e. the post will be the last to have the money, and the member won’t get a card until their renewal is verified by national level. OR you can do your dues directly to the Post as you always have, get your card from us then, and the delay will be transparent to you except that you may get a second notice even though you have paid your dues and are current in every way. J

 

DD 214/Discharge Papers:  Do you know where your discharge papers are?  Does your family know where they are?  We often hear from families that they don’t know where they are.  Without this important document your burial benefits will be delayed several weeks unnecessarily.  If you plan to be buried in a national cemetery, it won’t happen, until proof is given to the cemetery.  Please give a copy to someone or let your next of kin know where to find it.

 

Veterans Homes Qualifications: 1) You are age 62 or over, or you have a significant disability. 2) You served in the military and you were Honorably Discharged. 3) You are still able to live independently or you qualify for a higher level of care offered at one of the Homes. (Contact the Home of choice for services available)  4) You are a California resident. 5) You are able to live with and get along with other people in a structured communal environment. 6) You must be participating in a qualified federal, state or private health service plan, a United States Department of Veterans Affairs medical program, or have an application pending for such coverage.  A non-veteran application must be participating in a qualified federal, state, state or private health service plan to be admitted to the Home.  Information: www.cdva.ca.gov 

 

For those with internet access at home or at the city library, (it is open and expanded now) all of our newsletters, and meeting and event pictures are available for viewing at our web page.  (Fullertonpost142.com)  Thanks go to Richard Wakefield and Mike Box for keeping it updated. 

 

Please jot this number down in case someone you know needs it. 800-342-9647 or www.militaryonesource.com.  It is the number that all active duty, Guard and Reserve and their families can call 24/7 for help of all kinds.  Their slogan is “You name it.  We can help.” 

 

To request your DD-214, go to the National Archives and Records Administration at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/.  Follow the instructions.  You can also get assistance from the Veteran Service Office.  If you are not sure what you or your family is entitled to, please call the Veterans Service Office to talk to a claims officer. (714) 567-7450  If you reside outside of Orange County, call your County offices to find the Veterans Service Office location nearest you.

 

Hospital/Rehabilitation Program.   Please continue to bring things to the meetings or call Mike and Pat Hyland (996-8743) to coordinate a home pick up.  For more information about this unique project sponsored by Cloudbreak Development, UC & United States Veterans Initiative, Inc. (a 501(c)(3) organization), call (562) 499-6717 or visit their web site at www.usvetsinc.org.

 

Memory Lane Dates:  August 1, Initial Bombing of Oil Field in Ploesti, Romania (1941), Warsaw Uprising (1944); August 2, Iraq Invaded Kuwait/Operation Desert Shield begins (1990); August 3, Peninsula Campaign ends (1862); August 4, US Coast Guard Established (1790), Defense of Pusan/Naktong Perimeter Began (1950), Vietnam War Began (1964); August 5, Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) Established (1943); August 6, Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima (1945); August 7, Badge of Military Merit (Purple Heart) Medal Established (1782), Shenandoah Campaign begins (1864), Battle of Guadalcanal (1942), Z-Gram #116 Issued (Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women in the Navy) (1972), Operation Desert Shield Began (1990); August 8, Russia Declares War on Japan (1945); August 9, 2nd Atomic Bomb Dropped, (on Nagasaki) (1945); August 10, Battle of Wilson’s Creek (1861); August 12, Spanish-American War Ended (1898), Battle of Bunker Hill (Hill 122) Began (1952); August 13, US Forces capture Manila (1898); August 14, American Forces reach Peking (China Relief Expedition) (1900), Emperor Announces Japanese Surrender, Japan Surrendered, Unofficially Ending WWII  (1945); August 15, Allies Land in Southern France (Operation Dragoon) (1944), Japan accepts unconditional surrender terms (1945); August 16, Battle of Bennington (1777), National Airborne Day; August 17, Axis Forces on Sicily Capitulate (1943), Birthday of US Army Civil Affairs Branch (1955); August 18, Battle of Contreras begins (1847), Battle of Bloody Ridge Began (1951); August 19, Paris Uprising Began (1944); August 20, Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794), Battle of Churubusco/Battle of Contreras ends (1847), Civil War officially declared over (1865); August 24, Battle of Bladensburg; British capture and burn Washington DC (1814); August 25, Paris Liberated by Allied Forces (1944); August 26, Battle of Long Island begins (1776), Women Win the Vote/Women’s Equality Day (1920), Operation Southern Watch Began (1992), Operation Southern Watch Ended (2003); August 28, Quebec Campaign begins (1775), Battle of Second Bull Run (Manassas) begins (1862); August 29, Battle of Long Island ends (1776), Battle of Newtown (1779), Korean War’s Largest Air Raid (1952); August 30, Battle of Second Bull Run (Manassas) ends (1862); August 31, Operation Mountain Viper begins in Afghanistan (2003).