bridges - september 2011

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L I T H U A N I A N A M E R I C A N N E W S J O U R N A L

s e p t e m b e r 2011

bridges


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BRIDGES (ISSN: 87508028) is published10 times per year (Jan./Feb. & Jul./Aug.combined) for $20.00, by LithuanianAmerican News Journal. Issue: 358Address of publication is:

LAC, Inc./BRIDGES,78 Mark Twain Dr., Hamil ton Sq., NJ 08690

BRIDGESis the official publication of the

Lithuanian American Community, Inc.National Executive Board

2715 E. Allegheny Ave., Phila., PA 19134Tel: 800- 625 -1170Fax: 856-428-6014

E-mail: Lithuanian [email protected] Consultants

Jeanne Dorr EditorGema Kreivenas Art Director/ProductionRimas Gedeika Treasurer & Subscription

ManagerCopyright 2011 Lithuanian American Community, Inc. All rightsreserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced without writ-

ten permission of the publisher. All statements & opinions, includingproduct claims, are those of the organization/advertiser makingthose statements or claims. The publisher does not adopt, or putforth, any such statement or claim as his own, & any such statementor claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher.

Address all editorial correspondence to:BRIDGES

Jeanne Dorr4 Shrewsbury Yard,Riverton, NJ 08077-1038E-Mail: [email protected]

For subscription & advertising information,please contact:

LAC, Inc./BRIDGES,Rimas Gedeika

78 Mark Twain Dr.,Hamilton Sq., NJ 08690

Subscription rate is $20.00 annually, 2 full years for$38.00 (US Mail serviced subscribers). Subscrip-tions to other addresses are (US $35.00), payablein advance (US funds). Periodicals postage paid atTrenton, NJ & additional locations.

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Postmaster: Send any address correction &/or changes to:

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c o n t e n t s

*BACK COVER: Samburis fromBoston in Lithuania

Come experience this celebration ofLithuanian dance and culture!

Lithuanian AmericanCommunity

CONTACT INFORMATION:

WEBSITE

W W W . L I T H U A N I A N - A M E R I C A N . O R GTELEPHONE

800-625-1170

in this issue

2 editorialLetter from the EditorJeanne Dorr

4 from lithuaniaAn Interview withAmbassadorAnne E. DerseJeanne Dorr

7 reflectionsLITHUANIA---

PENNSYLVANIA---

A STUDY OF EXCELLENCE!!

Rimas Gedeika

10 reflectionsThe Procession ofPilgrims to SiluvaRev. Peter Burkauskas

11 cultureMEET THE LITHUANIAN

FOLK DANCE GROUP

OF BOSTON- SAMBURIS

Gloria Adomkaitis

12 photo album"Samburis"Boston, MA

14 traditionsTHE BRIGHTESTMOMENTS SCHOOLTRADITIONS

Laima Paceviciene

16 fairy taleTHE SWAN QUEEN

17press releaseWorld Lithuanian

Youth Community

18 reflectionsPART II

What I RememberAbout CousinVytautas PetrauskasVanda Fabijonaviciute Sliupas

20 calendar

*FRONT COVER:Amber Lithuanian GoldPhoto by Julie Skurdenis, Bronxville, NY

******Amber, that marvelous creation of nature,attracted man since prehistoric times.Glorified in songs and legends, made famous

by poets and scholars of Antiquity, it becamepart of the history of human culture.Having fossilized and preserved in itself

bits of flora and fauna which existed tens ofmillions years ago, amber is prized not only

by beauty lovers but also is an object ofscientific studies.

Found in many parts of the world, amberis nowhere else so deeply rooted into every-day life, folklore and art as in Lithuania. Thusit was not accidental that the opening of thePalanga Amber Museum in 1963 was metwith great enthusiasm. The opening of themuseum was a significant event not only forthe people living on the Baltic coast. It was amajor event in the cultural life of the wholecountry.

Amber was mentiond for the firsttime in the Assyrian cunciforms in the 10th

century B.C. Ancient myths and legendsreflect man's attempts to solve the mystery ofthe origin of amber. The Lithuanian legendabout sea-goddess Ju- rate and a fishermanKastytis is the first attempt of Lithuanians toexplain, the origin of amber. According to

the legend amber pieces are fragments ofgoddess Ju-rate's underwater castle struck byPerku-nas (the Thunder god) and her tears.

Amber (Lat succinum) is fossil pineresin of the Eocene period (i.e. 45 or 40million years old), changed by microorgan-isms, oxidation, polymerization and other

processes. It formed in the forests of conifer-ous and broad-leaf bearing trees which grewin Fennoscandia. The warming of the climatecaused increased resin excretion. The

processes of amber formation are well

reflected by the shape of its pieces.From "Palangos gintaro muziejus"

******


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f r o m l i t h u a n i a

Lithuania, like so many nations throughout the world, isfacing financial problems. It is also working to establishaustere measures to help with the recovery. Do you feelthese measures are working?

Lithuania is projected to be the fastest growing econ-omy in the EU this year. This is remarkable consideringthe slowdown in 2008 and the GDP contracted by 15%in 2009, which was the second worst contraction in theEU after Latvia. It was very severe and the governmentworked with social partners such as the trade unions andemployers federation and they reached a national accord

stating they would take domestic measures to turn thisaround. They didnt devalue and they didnt go to theIMF and they succeeded by taking austerity meas-ures.They went from a 15% declining GDP in 2009 to 1%growth in 2010. The projected growth for this year is 6%.

It was very tough. I travel throughout Lithuania andin the countryside I saw how hard it was for the people.This is an area where Lithuania can be very proud. With-out a huge social explosion the people pulled together in

a crisis, for which Lithuanians are famous. They couldbear up in light of the great declining GDP and now theturn around has happened. It is quite remarkable. A turnaround in economic growth is positive, but as economistswill tell you, employment often lags behind economicgrowth. It takes a while for unemployment to decline and

job growth to pick up. There is still about 13% unem-ployment, but it was up to 17 or 18% in the worst mo-ments.It is improving, but lags before Lithuanians willfeel it in their lives.

Was Secretary of State Hilary Clintons visit to Lithuaniasuccessful?

The Secretary had a very positive message. It was pos-itive in all senses from the mood of the visit. She wasimpressed, I believe, with Vilnius. She saw Vilnius as abeautiful city and all the progress that has been made herein the past twenty years. Secretary Clinton had excellentmeetings at the official level. One of the main topics was

energy cooperation. After she met with Prime MinisterKubilius we issued a joint statement on energy coopera-tion. Its a very strong statement for Lithuanias effortsto diversify its energy sources so that it can have betterenergy security. What I mean by that is right now Lithua-nia is dependent on a single source of supply for most ofits gas, a lot of its oil and electricity. No country shouldbe dependent on only one source. We all have to diversifyour sources so we can be assured we have the energy sup-ply when we need it. Lithuania is working on a nuclearpower plant, LNG National Gas terminal, on electricityconnections to Poland and Scandinavia, and looking into

shale gas possibilities. All of these projects are part oftheir national independence strategy which the Secretaryof State has urged as a balanced and sustainable approachto energy security. She once again expressed our strongsupport for that.

When do you feel Lithuania will switch to the Euro? Irecently read that some economists feel that Lithuaniawould benefit by remaining with the Lita. What is youropinion?

My understanding of the current governments policyis they are committed to the Euro, its important to theirEuro-Atlantic integration and their growing stature in the

EU. I believe the goal is to use the Euro by 2014 and todo that Lithuania has to meet certain criteria and the gov-ernment is managing its finances very astutely to reachthat goal.

Are there incentives for American businesses to invest inLithuania and what are those incentives?

Thank you for asking that question. Improving oureconomic ties, both trade and investment between Lithua-nia and the United States is a big goal of this Embassy.

An Interview with

Ambassador

Anne E. DerseJeanne Dorr

Photo by Joanne Antanavage


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f r o m l i t h u a n i aWere working very hard on that because shortly after Iarrived in Lithuania I went to visit American businesseswho have worked here for many years to talk to themabout what its like to do business in Lithuania and to geta sense about the environment about doing business here.I heard a very consistent story about how the government

is supportive of US businesses, investment and trade. Thegreatest advantage the country has is its work force whichis highly educated. The number and percentage of peoplewith higher education degrees is among the highest in theEU. I think that for women it is the highest number in theEU. There is a high emphasis on education, multilingualand a solid work ethic. It really is a remarkable workethic. I heard this across the board from the Americancompanies. Lithuania is still reforming its economy andthe government is trying to rid itself of excessive sovietera regulations and bureaucracies. Theres still work tobe done there, but I know the government is working very

hard because they established the Investment AdvisoryCouncil of international business people who provide ad-vice to the government on what needs to be done on doingbusiness here to be competitive with other countries.

Since Ive been here Ive had a chance to see that there

seems to be a consensus across parties that Lithuania

knows its an exporter- 60% of GDP comes from exports

and that in order to succeed they need foreign invest-

ments. Foreign investments can bring skills, training and

access to global markets. They can help local companies

learn how to do business in the international markets, so

there is a welcoming of investments today.

Lithuania is very unique in its location. They are on

the edge of the EU and NATO. But because they are

members of the EU they can reach the enormous market

of 560,000,000 people and they can also reach East to

Ukraine and Belarus. There are political problems but

hopefully, they will be solved. Trade is also available

with Russia. Lithuanians speak the languages and they

know how to do business in these environments.

Its a great place for Americans to consider joint ven-tures or a staging area for cottage industries. Since Ive been here weve had major investments by Western

Union, IBM and Thermo Scientific Fisher which is one ofour leading bio tech firms. We have two American companies competing for the nuclear plant. The FLUORCompany from Texas has the contract to be the consult-ants for LNG. We have many energy companies lookingat opportunities here.

The government has its eyes focused on making

Lithuania a knowledge economy, a high tech services hub

for the Nordic Baltic region. The government and the

president have put a focus on developing Lithuanias

identity as a Northern Baltic country by building rela-

tionships with the Scandinavian countries even more than

they have and looking at their standards of business ethics

and regulations.

We are going to have the first ever US Dept ofCommerce Certified Trade Mission to Lithuania on Sept.25-27. We are recruiting American companies to join thetrade mission and hope well have a senior congressionalleader to lead it.

What success has Lithuania had in exporting goods to theUnited States?

Lithuania can do more to break into export markets.They have the Chicago Trade Office and working onsetting up an arrangement on the West coast. They have es-tablished Invest Lithuania and Enterprise Lithuania. Theseare two different government agencies who are working to

promote investments, entrepreneurship and exports. Theseare very promising partners for us to work with.

Lithuania and the United States are close partners on anumber of mutual interests. What do you feel benefits themmost?

We are very strong partners on security and are NATOallies. We are both very serious about our commitmentsand see that nowhere more clearly than our partnershiptogether in Afghanistan where Lithuania, although it isthe smallest country in the EU, is running a provincial re-construction team in Ghor province.They are the smallestmembers of NATO to have taken on that very significant

responsibility. When President Obama put the emphasison training the Afghan security forces so they can takeover their own security, Lithuania stepped up to theplate.With the US PA National Guard they are offeringpolice trainers. Lithuania is sending helicopter pilots whowill soon be helping to train the Afghan National Army,who will take over the security in Ghor province whenLithuania will leave.

I think the security end of our relationship is veryimportant, but we cant discount people to people ties.The official relationship is based on very strong ties that

have existed for years between our people.

Is there one area that would be mutually beneficial withmore effort extended by both countries?

I would love to see our exchange programs expanded.Last year ExCEL got off to a successful start and will beexpanded this year. In my final year in Lithuania I want

to give it a real boost. The American Councils for Inter-national Education are very committed to Lithuania. Iwant to see the program grow and I want to start bring

Americans to Lithuania. I think maintaining people to


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people ties, particularly between our younger generationsis very positive. But is also means the United States mustwork harder to maintain ties.

I know the policy calls for the four students who just returned to Lithuania after a year in America to volunteer. Is itworking?

They just got back, but last year we established anew alumnae association of all American exchange pro-grams and we found huge enthusiasm from people whohave been to America on any number of government ex-change programs. These students will be our first fourExCEL students and we are going to engage them rightaway. One young lady wrote to me from the US beforeshe returned to Lithuania that she wants to work with thealumnae and recruit students because she had such a greatexperience.

The PA National Guard has a close working relationship

with the Lithuanian military. Have other states partici-pated in this type of activity?

Yes, different states have partnered with different re-publics since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Pennsyl-vania was matched with Lithuania for many differentreasons. There is a large Lithuanian American commu-nity in PA, a lot of history and personal ties. The geogra-phy looks very similar to me. The partnership program ispartly aimed at building our military. The PA NationalGuard has helped to train and mentor the LithuanianArmed Services as they move slowly through a transitionfrom the soviet era to a democratic one.

Have many Lithuanians taken advantage of the droppingof the visa requirement to travel to the United States?

Last year through the Visa Waiver Program our travelto the United States was up by 40%. We also have theSummer Work and Travel Program which allows peopleof early college age, late teens and early twenties to gothe US to work for the summer and many young peopleIve met in Lithuania have done that including my lan-guage teacher who worked in Minnesota.

What is the most challenging part of your job as being theAmerican Ambassador to Lithuania?

I cant think of anything negative. To be honest, its a

great job because we have good relations. Were tryingto build our economic and commercial relationshipsthrough the trade mission and thats very exciting. Imvery committed to increasing people to people tiesthrough such programs as ExCEL, the alumnae associa-tion and increased university partnerships.

We worked a lot with Lithuania in its important roleas Chair of Communities of Democracies. Thatswhy Secretary Clinton came here because President

Obama mentioned several months ago what a great jobLithuania was doing with the Communities of Democra-cies and the Secretary came to attend the closing ofLithuanias Chairmanship and to recognize the work theydid. Lithuania is a real partner and shares our interests indemocratic freedom. They are also the Chair of theOrganization of Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE).This has been an intense year for a smallcountry; all its activities in Afghanistan, Chair ofCommunities of Democracies and Chair of OSCE.

Since the restoration of independence Lithuania has manyNGOs in the country. How are they benefiting Lithuaniaand are they sill needed?

They are very much needed.That was a very impor-tant message that Secretary Clinton brought with her tothe Communities of Democracies. What we call civil so-ciety meaning active, engaged citizens such as NGOs orindividuals who are a crucial part of a strong democracy.Some have been here for many years and have expressedthe view to me that after Lithuania joined the EU andsome of the sources of international funding went away tosupport NGOs activity, that its been difficult for themto raise the funds and sustain the financial bases for theiractivities. They are very committed and the

Embassy works with them. We urged them to unite be-hind the theme of tolerance. The Seimas passed, by alarge majority, a restitution law to compensate the Jewishcommunities. Lithuania was a center of tolerance six orseven hundred years ago when Jews settled here from allover Europe.

This year the Embassy is planning an exhibition ofphotographs and documents, documenting our relationswith Lithuania over the past twenty years. Well presentit to the Foreign Minister sometime in the fall and thenwe plan to have it travel through all of Lithuania.

The Lithuanian American Community is sponsoringan ExCEL student this year and I want to express mydeepest gratitude to the LAC for doing that. Dr. JohnPrunskis has made a matching contribution and hes ask-ing the community to match his contribution. There aresome very good people in the Lithuanian American Com-

munity and I really want to thank them for their support.I would like to leave you with a message. Encourage

Americans to visit the Trade Mission and to look ateconomic opportunities. The Embassy door is open to anyAmerican business person.

Jeanne Dorr is the Editor of Bridges and is a member of the Boardof Directors of Lithuanian Orphan Care, a branch of the HumanServices Council of the Lithuanian American Community, Inc.

f r o m l i t h u a n i a


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r e f l e c t i o n s

In 1993, two years after Lithuania gained her inde-pendence from the Soviet Union, she entered into aState Partnership Program with Pennsylvania. TheState Partnership Program is a Department of

Defense/National Guard Bureau initiative that wasinitially established between the United States andthe three Baltic States. (Since its inception, the pro-gram has expanded to 61 partnerships world wide).

WHY PENNSYLVANIA?

General George Joulwan, who was the Com-mander of the United States European Command atthe time the State Partnership Program wasconceived, grew up in Pottsville, Pa. and thus wascognizant that thousands of Lithuanians were livingin various communities within Schuylkill County,Pa. There is strong evidence that the General'sfamiliarity with the Lithuanian Communities playeda major role in his being able to convince the deci-sion-makers that Lithuania would be a great partnerfor Pennsylvania's National Guard (PA NG).

Pennsylvania's and Lithuania's Partnership hasbeen one of the most active ones within this program. Sinceits inception the Lithuanian soldiers/civic officials and thePA National Guard soldiers have traveled to each other'scountries on more than 275 occasions to participate invarious military training exercises, attend various militaryschools, and to develop stronger military-civilian relation-ships.

The PA NG played a significant role in preparingLithuania's military forces for acceptance by the NATOAlliance. By helping change its organizational structure, byorganizing various training exercises, the PA NG helped theLithuanian soldiers improve their military skills, helpedtheir officers and non commissioned officers develop higherleadership skills.

Specifically, the PA NG supported and continues tosupport the Lithuanian troops whenever they participate inthe annual Baltic Military exercises, train in the UnitedStates, or are deployed to Afghanistan. It also played a majorrole in enhancing the stature and professionalism of the

non commissioned officer group by establishing the GeneralStasys Rastiskis Non Commissioned Officers Academy inKaunas. (The Academy was modeled after the United StatesNon Commissioned Officers Educational System).

AFGHANISTAN EXPERIENCE

Since 2005, Lithuania, being a member of the NATOAlliance, has been sending a Provincial Reconstruction Team(part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force) toAfghanistan to provide security for the Ghor Province.

To accomplish its mission the Lithuanian Provincial Restora-tion Team has been receiving logistical support from itsPartner-the PA NG.

Seeking ways by which it could accomplish its missionmore expeditiously, Lithuania's Defense Ministry beganlooking into the possibility of involving Ghor Province'sPolice Force. Out of these brain storming sessions, a special

unit came into existence. It was to be an independent unit,having its own mission; coaching, teaching, and mentoringthe Ghor's Police Force, yet, it was still to be part of theProvincial Restoration Team.

As the planning continued, it became apparent that thenew unit would need more soldiers than originally thought.At this point, the Defense Ministry turned to its Partner, PANG for assistance. PA NG agreed that it would augmentthe unit.

However, before the unit could become operational,there remained one major concern to be resolved, namely,who would command the unit; a Lithuanian or an American?

Never in America's military history has a combat unitcomposed of American soldiers and soldiers from othernations been under any command other than an American.

After prolonged discussions, both Partners agreed thatthe unit should be placed under Lithuania's command.However, before this agreement could be put into operation,it had to go all the way up to the Secretary of Defense.Secretary Gates reviewed the proposal, reviewed whatLithuania had accomplished in Afghanistan, reviewed its lead-ership and concluded that Lithuania could do the job. Thus, in

LITHUANIA--- PENNSYLVANIA--- A STUDY OF EXCELLENCE!!Rimas Gedeika

Lithuanian soldiers in Ghor Province,Afghanistan.Photo by Alfredas Pliadis


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November 2010, a new unit, named, The Police OperationsMentor and Liaison Team came into existence having aLithuanian Lieutenant Colonel as its commander. The teamhas been in operation for three rotations.

"This is a first," said Brigadier General Frank Sullivan,the Director of the Joint Staff in the Joint Force Headquar-

ters, PA. "The Lithuanian-PA NG Partnership is the only onewithin the State Partnership Program to have such a PoliceOperations and Mentor Liaison Team."

AMBER HOPE 2011--PABRADE, LITHUANIA

Each year Lithuania continues to maintain its high standardof military readiness by participating in various multina-tional military training exercises. In June of 2011 it hostedthe largest multinational land, sea and air operations held on

Lithuanian soil. The exercise, known as Amber Hope 2011,consisted of nine countries totaling 2,200 troops (1,600 ofwhom were Lithuanian soldiers). Its mission was to improvethe interoperability among the NATO and Partnershipfor Peace countries through a NATO led Crisis ResponseOperation.

To support its partner in this operation, the PA NG senta joint force of 50 Air and Army National Guardsmen. Thetroops, all their vehicles, equipment and supplies were flownto Lithuania via PA Air National Guard planes. According toBrigadier General F. Sullivan, "This was another first. It wasthe first time that a State (Pennsylvania), under the State

Partnership Program, sent a joint force of Air National Guardand Army National Guard soldiers."

(Speaking of firsts, in 2010 the Lithuanian -- PA NG waschosen as the best State Partnership Program.).

PABRADE ORPHANAGE - AN OUTREACH VISIT

Surprising as it may seem, there was a free day during theAmber Hope 2011 maneuvers during which the soldierscould participate in various athletic events, go sight seeing,or just rest.

Twenty five Pennsylvania Air Force and Army NationalGuardsmen decided to venture down another road. Theywould visit the nearby Pabrade Orphanage. The orphanage(Vaiku Globos Namai) is a home for 72 children rangingfrom ages 4 through 17.

When the soldiers first arrived at the orphanage thechildren were quite apprehensive, shy, timid and reluctant tointeract with them. This, however, did not last too long. Thesoldiers, through their enthusiasm, friendliness, and joviality,were soon able to win the children's trust. Soon the childrenand soldiers became the best of buddies.

Prior to their arrival at the orphanage, the soldiers do-nated money to buy soccer balls, two soccer nets, swings andseveral small gardening tools. Shortly after they arrived atthe orphanage the guardsmen and the children began fixingthe nets and the swings. After completing this task they pro-ceeded to do more enjoyable things--like playing soccer.Two soccer games followed. Need I say who won bothgames?


Orphans form a human road block. "Don't Go!! Don't Go!!Photo by PA National Guard

Lithuania's Military Commander, Major General ArvydasPocius greets PA NG Commander, Major General WesleyCraig - Amber Hope 2011 Exercise.

Photo by PA National Guard

Sharing a drink of water with her new friend!!

Photo by PA National Guard


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Later on in the day the vivaciouschildren took the guardsmen to theirneatly decorated rooms, showed themtheir drawings and other arts and crafts.Many of them gave their pictures to thesoldiers who reciprocated by giving themgifts.

The visit was as great a joy for thechildren as it was for the soldiers.One of the soldiers, Master SergeantMatthew Jones visited the orphanage.Here's what he had to say: "I was veryexcited when we got the opportunity togive back a little by visiting the orphan-age, but our simple visit paled in com- parison to the warm feelings that thechildren left us with. We came there hop-ing to help a little bit and spread a smallamount of joy, but by the end, we were the ones who didn't

want to leave; we were the ones who were truly touched.......... I was taking pictures and got to spend some timeteaching some interested kids how to use a professional cam-era... spent several hour with one child who particularlyenjoyed learning about photography... probably took severalhundred photos.

I spent hours teaching him a complicated piece of equip-ment and we barely spoke a word to each other. Maybe itssilly, but that in itself leaves an impression on me."

Finally the bewitching hour arrived when it was timefor the soldiers to return to their training areas. It was trulya sad moment for both. The children became so greatly

attached to the soldiers that they did not want them to leave.They stood together, joining hands, forming a human roadblock blocking the vehicles. With tears running down theircheeks they kept pleading----- Dont go!!! Dont go!!

This event brought back many memories from myyouthful days living in a Displaced Camp in Germany. Iremembered how we kids waited anxiously everyday for theAmerican soldiers to come for we knew that they wouldalways bring us chocolate candy. We, too, pleaded for themnot to leave.

Can these soldier be the Ugly Americans? Not in mybook!!!

MILITARY -- CIVILIAN INTERACTION

With the passage of time, the military-to-military relation-ship became stronger, more efficient, more effective. Slowlybut steadily, the Partnership began to focus on the civiliansector, that is, it began to focus on the energy, medical,educational and economic sectors. Soon more and morecivilians started to come to Indiantown Gap.

In 2008 a group of 24 fire fighters, doctors and emer-gency relief specialists participated in a two week training

course throughout PA---they trained in Pittsburgh, (invarious trauma centers) and in Indiantown Gap. Here, thetraining was focused on the handling of major disasterscaused by mother nature (fires, floods) and terrorists (bomb-ings, chemical and biological attacks). During the two weektraining period the Lithuanians had an excellent opportunityto observe how the PA NG interacted with various civilianagencies to combat disasters caused by mother nature orby man.

At the conclusion of the training, the LithuanianFirefighters and the PA Emergency Management Agencyand Fire Commission formally signed a collaborativepartnership agreement.

In May of 2011 Lithuania's Vice Minister of National

Defence, Indre Pociu- te-Levickiene , led a delegation ofcivilian and military personnel to Indiantown Gap, Pa. tostudy how the National Guard interacts with the businesseswhose employees belong to the National Guard. Membersof the Employer Support of the National Guard and ReserveOrganization presented to the Lithuanians actual problemsand how they were resolved.

Minister Levickiene stated that KASP (Lithuaniansequivalent to the National Guard) faces a serious problem inthat due to the job related difficulties, 20% of the KASPsoldiers have to leave the service.

The delegation returned home with many new ideas,

many new solutions to military-business problems. Now,to see how and whether Pennsylvania's Model can be put intoeffect.

In 2013 the Lithuanian-PA NG Partnership will be cele-brating its 20th year of working together. What other firstswill be in store for the Partnership?

Rimas Gedeika lives in New Jersey and is a member of the NationalExecutive Committee of the Lithuanian American Community servingas Vice-President for Special Projects. He is also active in theLithuanian Sports Community and is the administrator of Bridges.

PA NG Commander, Major General Wesley Craig greets the LithuanianDelegation led by Vice Minister of National Defence, Indre Pociu-te-Levickiene(fifth from left) visiting Indiantown Gap. Photos by Rimas Gedeika


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Calendar of Events September -October - November 2011Please verify all events as places & times are subject to change.

bridges

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SEPTEMBER

Sept. 20, 2011 -7 to 9 pm

Amber Roots ClubWe will focus on reportsfrom those who have trav-eled to Lithuania.Lithuanian Music Hall,2715 E. Allegheny Ave.Phila, PAPlease use the side door &proceed downstairs.All are invited to attend.Info: 610-497-5469 [email protected]: Amber Roots Club

Sept. 22, 2011(Thursday) Autumn GalaAn evening celebrating theFranciscan SpiritGourmet meal & variousprizes $65 pp. or$350 for table of 6Sisters of St. Francis of theProvidence of God3603 McRoberts Rd.Pittsburgh, PA 15234For details: 412- 885-7232

http://www.osfprov.orgOCTOBER

Oct. 1-2, 2011

Lithuanian Days inLos Angeles, three nights& two days of Lithuanian

CultureLocation:Los Angeles, CAwww.lalithuanians.comSponsor: Los AngelesChapter of the LAC

Oct. 2, 2011 -2-5 pmFall PicnicOur LithuanianCommunitys Fall Picnic isa tradition that was startedmany years ago by our

communitys first families.We now gather at Wyan-dotte County Park to playgames, eat & meet new &old friends.Shelter "J", WyandotteCounty Park631 North 126th St.Bonner Springs, KSSponsor: Kansas CityChapter of the LAC

Oct. 7-9, 2011

Elizabeth-Newark areaConvention of LAC Boardof Directors with interest-ing evening programs to

which all will be invited.

Oct. 8, 2011 -5:00 pm

Annual Fall BallMarine Corps Air StationOfficers Club,Miramar, San DiegoReserve Your ticketuntil Sept. 7thhttp://www.lithsd.org/San Diego Chapter ofthe L AC

Oct. 18, 2011 -7-9 pmAnnual Sing-a-Long.We will also includechildhood songs

Lithuanian Music Hall,2715 E. Allegheny Ave.Phila., PAPlease use the side door &proceed downstairs.All are invited to attend.Info: 610-497-5469 [email protected]: Amber Roots Club

Oct 22, 2011 -6 pmSt. Martin's EveHalloween Party &

FundraiserLatvian Center,11710 3rd Ave. NE,

Seattle, WA 98125Come to the harvestfestivities in your best

dress or disguise.Indulge in the costumeparade, the singing, thedancing, the games.Feast on great food, beer,wine, and soft drinks.Music: Baltic All Star BalticBandFundraiser Admission: $25per person, $70 per family,college students $15Admission includes dinner.Seattle Chapter of the LAC

NOVEMBER

Nov. 6, 2011Lithuanian Fall Picnic inPhoenixBeer Garden opens at 11amPicnic & Food begin at 1 pmSouth Mountain Pavilion,Tumbleweed Park745 E. Germann Road.,Chandler, AZ 85286Details to follow as the date

approaches!http://www.lithaz.org


10/10

PERIODICALPOSTAGE

bridgesL I T H U A N I A N A M E R I C A N N E W S J O U R N A L

V O L U M E 3 5 I S S U E 6

*****The 14th Lithuanian Folk DanceFestival is coming to Boston, MA

July 1, 2012

Members of Samburis from Boston, MA who participated in the

Sokiu Svente / Dance Festival held inLithuania in 2003.

Photo by Gloria Adomkai

bridges - september 2011

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