VVA Clermont County Chapter 649 July 2019 Newsletter

July 11th Membership Meeting - 7:30 PM

Our guest speaker for July will be Elizabeth Hils, Staff Attorney at Pro Seniors, a non-profit organiza-tion dedicated to providing advice, representation and justice for seniors in Ohio. Their services include a Legal Hotline, Long Term Care Ombudsman and Ohio SMP (Senior Medical Patrol) which provides advice on how to avoid Medicare fraud and identity theft. Founded in 1975. Pro Seniors’ mission is to enhance the independence and quality of life of older adults by empowering them, by protecting their interests and by facilitating their access to resources through the above mentioned three programs.

VVA 649 Meetings

VVA 649 meets the second Thursday of every month.

NEXT MEETING: July 11th

LOCATION Union Township Civic Center

Senior Center

4350 Aicholtz Road Eastgate Exit of I-275

Food served at 7:00 PM Meeting at 7:30 PM

Guest speaker immediately following the pledge of allegiance.

AVVA Membership

Associates of Vietnam Veterans Members actively participate and work in supporting VVA.

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The mission of Chapter 649 of the Vietnam Veterans of America is to provide fellowship, advocacy, education about veter-an benefits, as well as financial assistance, as appropriate, to veterans of all eras, pursuant to the founding principle of the Vietnam Veterans of America, “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”

Chaplains Corner

Hello Everyone. I can’t believe it’s July and summer is almost half over. One event I look forward to is Christmas In July at the Veter-ans Home In Georgetown. It’s a great time for the residents and for those who participate. Come out and join us on Monday July 8th at 10:30 A.M.

Keep our brother, Rick Habenstreit and family in prayer. Prayer does work! Until next time, God bless all. Chaplain Bill Graybill 513.316.5515

Clermont County Veterans Picnic Free Food and Drinks

Plan to attend the First Annual Veterans & Family Picnic to be held on Saturday, July 13, 11AM to 6 PM. The picnic will be sponsored by Clermont County Veterans’ Service Commission and is FREE to all veterans & their families. The picnic will be held at the Batavia Township Community Cen-ter & Park. Come join the fun for games, food, live music and more!

1st Annual Veterans & Family Picnic

Saturday, July 13th, from 11am - 6pm

1535 Clough Pike, Batavia, Ohio

***FREE TO ALL VETERANS & THEIR FAMILIES***

Fun Events For Children and Grand Children

Free Food & Drinks

Sno-Cones

Cotton Candy

Bounce House

Corn Hole Tournament

"Shroom" from WEBN 12-4

Live Music 4-6

Dunk Tank

Kids Fishing Tournament

Soccer Kick Game

Free Giveaways for the Kids

For further information please contact the Clermont County Veter-

ans' Service Commission Frank Morrow@ phone-513-732-7363 or email-fmorrow@clermontcountyveterans.com

VVA 649 July 2019 PAGE 2

Business of The Month Fairway Independent Mortgage

The July 2019 Business of the Month Award was presented to Fairway Independent Mortgage for their continued sponsorship of the Vietnam Veter-

ans Chapter 649 Annual Golf Outing. Accepting the certificate was Lori Boswell, Sales Manager.

14th Annual Golf Scramble Saturday, September 7th

Elks Run Golf Club

NOT A GOLFER? You can still help.

We need hole sponsors and door prizes. You or a business you patronize can become a hole sponsor for $50.

Door prizes are easy to ask for. We need discount coupons, gift cards to restaurants, tools, gift items, etc.

Of course, we need golf teams. Golf Flyers and forms are on the chapter website, available at the membership meeting or call Ken Williamson at 513-260-6501.

VVA Life Membership $25.00

Almost 100% of our members are now Life Members. There is no more annual membership category. Life Membership is now $50. Because of a small anony-mous group of donors, VVA 649 is offering a Life Membership for $25.00 until JULY 31st. If you have not converted yet or know someone who is not a mem-ber, contact Michael Newman, President or Gene Wilt, membership Chairman. 513-513-607-9309 or 513-200-8485. We will need a copy of your DD-214.

There are over 8,000 bricks under our me-morial with no names. Order yours today! Order forms

At: www.vva649.org and click on the PURCHASE A MEMORIAL BRICK button.

Flag Retirement Ceremony Our annual Flag Retirement Ceremony had to be moved indoors because of the “monsoon”. The event was well attended and several people exchanged old flags for new ones thank to Bill Graymill and Ohio Valley Flags for donating new flags for the ceremony.

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Coming Soon -VVA 649 Events

July 13: Veterans & Family Picnic 11AM – 6PM Batavia Twp. Community Center Park.

July 16-20: 2019 National Convention in Spokane Washington. See www.vva.org for con-vention details or call Ken Williamson, BSC District 3 Director. 513-260-6501

July 21: 6:30 PM Clermont County Fair Salute to Vietnam Veterans in the Multi-Purpose Building. Hosted by Former Commissioner Bob Proud.

July 27: Meet and Greet Walmart Milford 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

July 28: Meet and Greet Walmart Eastgate 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

August 15: Union Twp. Police Night Out 6 - 8 PM at the Union Twp. Veterans Memorial Park.

August 17: Bingo at Georgetown Veterans Home. (See below)

September 7: VVA 649 Golf Outing at Elks Run. Contact Ken Williamson 513-260-6501

Note: Our chapter sponsored Bingo games at the Georgetown Veterans Home are scheduled for the following Saturdays: August 17th, and October 12th. VVA Chapter 649 volunteers should arrive by 1:30 and plan to stay until 3 PM. Sign up at our next meeting or call Mark Brandon at 513-309-3568. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring your teenage grandchildren to help them fulfill community service projects for their school projects.

Chapter 649 - Mission Support Fundraiser

This year we are drawing for a Ruger 5.56. Donation is $5.00 per ticket or 5 tickets for $20.00. If you want to help sell tickets, call Michael Newman at 513-607-9309. Tickets will be available at our membership meetings and at our next Meet and Greet. The drawing will be held on December 12, 2019.

Photo May Not Be Exact

Drawing Rules: You do not have to be present to win. The winners will be notified by telephone. The winning ticket num-ber will be posted on www.vva649.org. A winner who does not pass the background check will be disqualified and a new winner will be drawn. The winning ticket and/or the weapon is not transferable, the person designated on the ticket must claim the prize. You must be 21 to participate.

July Birthdays

Birthday Information If your birthday has not appeared here this month or anytime this year or if the date is not accurate, please contact Ken Williamson with the correct information. 513-260-6501

07 / 01- Pamela Stevens - AVVA

07 / 02- Bob Gustin

07 / 03- David Murrell

07 / 06- Ray Hutchinson

07 / 07- Ray Day

07 / 09- Thomas Olenick

07 / 10- Thomas L. Schuerman

07 / 11- Louis Hornberger

07 / 11- Ron Miller

07 / 13- Dale Thompson

07 / 14- Ralph Adkins

07 / 15- Roy Weatherspoon

07 / 17- Charles Pratt

07 / 20- Bobby Sluss

07 / 21- Richard Stobbs

07 / 21- Terri Daugherty – AVVA

07 / 24- James Comello

07 / 24- Jim Wilson

07 / 24- Ken Cook

07 / 25- Brenda Smith - AVVA

07 / 25- Tim Schmidt

07 / 26- Dave Conley

07 / 31- Bruce Chitwood

VVA 649 July 2019 PAGE 4

Got News ? Ideas for news related to chapter events or veterans issues may be sent to Ken Williamson or Michael Newman. Deadline is the 22nd of each month. kenw1@fuse.net or mnewman.vva.649@gmail.com

From the President Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 Signed into Law HR-299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 was signed into law by President Trump on June 25, 2019. This law was needed to clarify Title 38, United States code regarding Agent Orange, and had been interpreted by the Bureau of Veterans Affairs to require “boots on ground,” thereby excluding U.S. Navy veterans aboard ships in the waters of Vietnam. This new law gives the same presumptions of exposure to those veterans referred to as Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans.

For further information, or to file a claim, contact your Veterans Service Office. There is also a Facebook group, Blue Water Navy Association, which can provide unofficial help answering questions. Financial Information for Survivors Most of us are aware of the need for Wills and Powers of Attorney for our survivors after we pass, but there are other factors to consider. Those include your current affairs, such as insur-ance, loans, credit cards, mortgages and other properties. These are the kinds of things that can become a headache for survivors if they are unaware of them.

Make a list noting these items and the organizations involved. Include on-line accounts, invest-ment firms, automatic bill payment, and automatic renewal programs that might charge a bank or credit card. Automatic payment accounts can easily be be overlooked; two that come to mind are ancestry.com and website hosting sites, such as GoDaddy or any other accounts that you have paid automatically from your bank accouuts.

Another thing to consider is a list of user names and passcodes to prevent survivors from get-ting locked out of managing on-line accounts.

Your loved ones will thank you.

New Brochure Holders

Last week Mark Brandon and Ken Williamson installed new brochure racks at the memorial.