Vietnam Veterans of America Pinellas County Chapter 522 Five Double Deuce

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1 Vietnam Veterans of America Pinellas County Chapter 522 Five Double Deuce Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another. Serving Veterans and the Community December, 2015 Volume 24 Issue Number 12 Mailing Address PO box 551 Indian Rocks Beach, FL Meeting Location VFW Post Gulf Boulevard Madeira Beach Florida The Chapter 522 Color Guard (members Brian Keane, Dan Neumann, and Dick Ammon) was honored to display the colors at the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game on Saturday, October 31st. The entire Lightning staff was fantastic and we were all impressed with their organization.

2 PAGE 2 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 Downtown Orlando, November 14th Three members of the Chapter 522 Color Guard (Dan Neumann, Dick Ammon, and Mike Bousher) participated in the Orlando parade as part of the contingent representing the VVA Florida State Council. Four chapters were present (Pinellas County, Tampa, Kissimmee, and Melbourne). The Chapter 522 Color Guard lead the contingent. A total of 92 organizations marched in the parade. The parade started promptly at 11 a.m. under almost ideal weather conditions. A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don t necessarily want to go but where they ought to be. Rosalynn Carter Hello seeker! Now don t feel alone here in the New Age, because there s a seeker born every minute. Firesign Theatre

3 V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E PAGE 3 Important Dates December Monthly Meeting Monday, December 7th, 1900 hours Gulf Boulevard, Madeira Beach, FL Grouper Tuesday Sponsored by Chapter 522 and VFW Tuesday, December 8th, 1200 hours VFW Gulf Boulevard, Madeira Beach, FL VFW Post 4256 VFW Auxiliary Lunch Invitation to Members Chapter 522 Wednesday, December 16th, 1230 hours Christmas Day Friday, December 25th Have A Great Christmas Season Happy New Year Friday, January 1, 2016 January Monthly Meeting Monday, January 4th, 1900 hours Gulf Boulevard, Madeira Beach, FL Chapter 522 Silver Anniversary Raffle The winning tickets for the Chapter 522 Silver Anniversary Raffle were drawn by members present after concluding the November monthly meeting. The winner of the first place prize of $1, was Carol Andorfer, an AVVA member of Chapter 522. The winner of the second place prize of $ was Bob Norbeck. Congratulations to both winners. We would like to thank everyone who participated in the raffle and for supporting our organization. From Congressman David Jolly Ensuring firearms are owned and operated responsibly, safely, and lawfully is of utmost importance to Pinellas County families, and providing our residents with the tools and resources they need to safely secure their firearms can help save lives. That is why on Tuesday, I was pleased to help announce that free gun locks are available at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Clearwater Police Department, Largo Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies. The gun locks are being distributed through the National Shooting Sports Foundation s ChildSafe campaign.

4 PAGE 4 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 Chapter 522 received two awards at the Florida State Council meeting in Orlando on Saturday, November 7th. First, we received the 2015 FSC Newsletter Of The Year award. This is the second time we have received this award. The previous award was in The second award we received was the 2015 FSC Website Of The Year award. This is the first such award from the FSC. Chapter 522 received the VVA National Award for Website Of The Year in 2011 and again in 2013.

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6 PAGE 6 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 VA Voluntary Service s mission is to provide a structured VolunteerProgram under the management of VA compensated employees in cooperation with community resources to serve America s veterans and their families with dignity and compassion. VAVS supports VA and VHA (Veterans Health Administration) strategic goals by recruiting, supporting and retaining a knowledgeable, diverse and engaged supplemental workforce of volunteers. The volunteer programs throughout the country assist management in the delivery of VA health care by improving access to care, assisting with long-term care, improving patient satisfaction and much more. The VAVS plan is unique in government operations. I know of no other plan by which the national voluntary organizations participating in a government program advise with the government agency and in turn, are advised by the agency on a continuing basis for the effective and purposeful use of the volunteer resources of the organizations in the agency s programs. Volunteer definitions THE VAVS MISSION WOC (Without Compensations Volunteers) Volunteers accepted in the VAVS Program are considered WOC employees. WOC precludes monetary payments, or any form of compensation by VA not authorized by policy. RS ( Regularly Scheduled Volunteers) RS volunteers are individuals who participate in the VAVS Program on a regularly scheduled assignment under VA supervision. Frequency of participation is determined locally. Occasional Volunteers Occasional volunteers are those individuals serving under VAVS Programs who do not meet the requirements of RS volunteers. Individual frequently volunteer with a group or organization on an occasional basis. Student Volunteers Student volunteers under the age of 18 must have written parental or guardian approval to participate in the VAVS Program. The minimum age for volunteers is determined by facility management. What do volunteers do? Some of the traditional assignments are: Patient Escort Clerical Positions Ambassador Program Pharmacy Guest Relations Program Patient Meal Assistance Volunteer Drivers (DAV & Parking Lot Shuttle) Information Desk Chaplain Service Nursing Outpatient Assistance New assignments based on need Why is recruitment Important? Analysis of volunteer participation by age groups. List of age group participation in order of percentage at Bay Pines 11 to 20 years old: 10.67% 21 to 30 years old: 6.45% 31 to 40 years old: 3.07% 41 to 50 years old: 6.77% 51 to 60 years old: 12.14% 61 to 70 years old: 29.78% 71 to 80 years old: 20.13% 81 to 90 years old: 8.88% Over 90 years old: 2.11% At this time VVA has volunteers at Bay Pines and Lee County as well as some of the satellite clinics under the Bay Pines umbrella. While Chapter 522 has had participation in the VAVS volunteer program in the past, we currently do not have any active volunteers other than the VVA Representative and Deputy. C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center and VARO St. Petersburg and VVA need your help. Please consider signing up to become a volunteer. Contact the VAVS office at Bay Pines for further information. Alan G. Thompson VVA Representative VAVS Bay Pines VA Healthcare System Bay Pines Blvd., P.O. Box 5005 (135) Bay Pines, FL O M

7 V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E PAGE 7 Memberships: You only have until December 31st, 2015 to take advantage of the $ flat fee for a life membership in VVA regardless of your current age. Year Pins: Some time ago Chapter 522 agreed to start issuing year pins to those members that fall in the 5 year time frames from the date of joining VVA. Starting in December we will be awarding thr first group of year pins to those members who have been continuous members of VVA for 25 years. Since this is our first endeavor we will only issue the pins to the last 5 year increment of membership. For example, if you have been a member for more than 25 years but less than 30 years you will only get one pin at this time and that will be the 25 year pin. We don t have the 30 year pins at this time but we do have 2 members who are eligible for that pin. We will notify those members when we have the 30 year pins. Those members who are eligible for the 25 year pins as of December are: Jay Dreschnack Steven Kanaar Alan Thompson Barry Murante James Cargill Herbert Miller Ronald Brown Ewald Kunzek Francis Michael O Meara You must attend the December General Membership Meeting in order to get your 25 year membership pins. Pins will not be mailed. We will have a list of the 20 year members for the January newsletter. If you have any questions please give me a call. Alan Thompson Membership Chairmen, VVA Chapter 522 H(727) C(727) Life Memberships and Year Pins Honesty is the best policy, A dollar saved is a dollar earned, Look before you leap, A bird in hand is worth two in the bush, The laborer is worthy of his hire, may be scoffed at by some intellectuals as trite copybook rules, but nonetheless they sum up the elementary experience of the race in creating and consuming wealth.people may change their minds as often as their coats, and new sets of rules of conduct may be written every week, but the fact remains that human nature has not changed and does not change, that inherent human beliefs stay the same; the fundamental rules of human conduct continue to hold. Lammot de Pont Life is like a game of cards. Reliability is the ace, industry the king, politeness the queen, thrift the jack. Commonsense is playing to best advantage the cards you draw. And every day, as the game proceeds, you will find the ace, king, queen, jack in your hand and opportunity to use them. Edgar Watson Howe I know I m not dead, but am I alive? Frank Conroy

8 PAGE 8 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E Agent Orange Law Changes as New Cost Fears Surface V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 By Tom Philpott, October 15, 2015 Two weeks ago, the House and Senate veterans affairs committees quietly allowed a provision of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 to expire. How significant that will be for Vietnam veterans and their benefits is disputed. Committee staff and the Department of Veterans Affairs agree the change has not impacted the VA secretary s authority to decide to expand the list of diseases presumed connected to wartime herbicide exposure. But veteran advocates and at least one lawmaker suggest the change is intended to dampen VA cost risks and perhaps ease political pressure on the secretary and Congress facing a potential tsunami of disability claims. That scenario assumes that a final review of medical science will establish a stronger link between Agent Orange and hypertension (high blood pressure), a condition that the Center for Disease Control says is so common it afflicts a third of the U.S. adult population. VA asked Congress to keep the Agent Orange law intact five more years. Rep. Timothy J. Walz (D-Minn.), a VA committee member, offered a compromise, a bill to leave the law unchanged for two years, long enough so its secretarial review requirements held during VA consideration of a final report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences on health conditions associated with Agent Orange. The VA committees declined to back these delays because, said a House committee staff member, under separate law the secretary already has authority to make such [presumption] decisions, and we felt he did not need to be compelled by [the Agent Orange] law to do so. The provision that sunset Oct. 1 required the secretary to adhere to certain standards and procedures in determining if additional diseases associated with herbicide exposure should be presumed service connected. Vietnam War veterans diagnosed with ailments on the presumptive list qualify for VA disability pay and medical care. The expired provision also set a timetable for the secretary to accept or reject IOM findings and required him to explain in writing if he declined to add IOM identified conditions to the presumptive list. Walz told colleagues at a hearing last week they effectively allowed the Agent Orange Act to expire and it s altogether possible the next IOM report, due in March, will support adding hypertension and stroke to the presumptive list. Consequently, Walz said, literally hundreds of thousands of people will be able to point to scientific data showing they experienced health consequences from exposure to Agent Orange. And the pressure is going to be on, he warned. Turning to VA Secretary Bob McDonald, Walz advised that if Congress doesn t have the courage to respond to the IOM findings, presumably with bigger VA budgets to cover the influx of claims, they re going to ask you. And much like the Nehmer claims, it s going to add to your work. Walz was referring to a federal court ruling, Nehmer v. Department of Veterans Affairs, which forced VA the last time it added conditions to its presumptive list, including heart disease and Parkinson s, to review all previously filed claims for these conditions and make payments retroactive to original claim dates, or the date of the 1985 Nehmer decision, whichever is later. The scope and cost of this requirement surprised then-va Secretary Eric Shinseki, as he later conceded. It also exploded the VA claims backlog. So McDonald told Walz he had made a very good point. Earlier in the hearing McDonald noted that disability claims backlog still stood at 611,000 in May of 2013, but that VA finally had reduced it below 75,000. If we add another pre-condition and we don t get the people to do it, the 80-plus-percent progress we ve made on the backlog will go away, McDonald testified. Walz sympathized, saying he might face a tough decision resulting in many new claims. McDonald said how Congress responds would be key. We prefer to do what s right for the veteran, and then have you help us get the people we need for the job, McDonald said. No one interviewed was certain what the next IOM report will recommend. Regardless of those findings, or the Agent Orange law change, the secretary still will have authority to expand the list of presumptive conditions, said David R. McLenachen, VA deputy under secretary for disability assistance, in a phone interview Wednesday. It s always good to have it straight in the law, set up clearly, what our authority is regarding the Agent Orange Act, McLenachen said. That s why VA didn t want the provision to expire Oct. 1. But the secretary still has general rulemaking authority that allows us, even while these provisions are expired, to add presumptions, he said.

9 V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E PAGE 9 Barton Stichman, joint executive director of the National Veterans Services Legal Program, a nonprofit group that fights for veterans benefits, said there is reason to be concerned that the secretary no longer is required by law to consider IOM findings on presumptive diseases, that whatever he decides doesn t have to be explained, and he will have no deadline to decide. From a practical standpoint, Stichman added, any secretary will feel pressured from veterans and support groups to act on IOM findings. But IOM did find limited or suggested evidence of association between hypertension and Agent Orange in 2006, and while other conditions with the same degree of association became presumptive, hypertension did not. About 2.6 million veterans served in Vietnam. Most are still alive. Current law presumes that all of them have been exposed to Agent Orange. VA grants disability ratings of 10 to 60 percent for hypertension, depending on severity, and the Center for Disease Control says high blood pressure grows more common as any population ages. So will this secretary, or future VA secretaries, feel at least as much pressure from Congress to hold down disability costs as VA budgets tighten as he does from advocates for Vietnam veterans? The Congressional Budget Office apparently heard the same rumors as Walz about the next IOM report and hypertension. Walz wasn t available to be interviewed but a member of his staff said costs were a committee consideration for not embracing his bill. In informal discussions, she said, CBO analysts had raised the specter of added costs in the billions if the secretarial review provision of the Agent Orange law didn t expire. Asked to comment, a House committee staff member said, CBO has not released an official cost estimate, and we can t speculate regarding potential costs associated with a report [IOM] has not produced. To comment, write Military Update, P.O. Box , Centreville, VA, or milupdate@aol.com or Read more: MilitaryAdvantage.Military.com Editor s Note: From above: About 2.6 million veterans served in Vietnam. Most are still alive. Really? November 8th Fundraiser - Publix at Boot Ranch Four members of Chapter 522 (Wayne Webber, Cindy Montgomery, Joe Ellenberger, and Dick Ammon participated in our annual fundraising event at the Publix located in the Boot Ranch shopping center. We also had a cameo appearance by President Mike Bousher on his way back from the Florida State Council meetings in Orlando. As always, we were well received by customers using the shopping center. Joe will provide a summary of the donations received during the event. We closed the operation a little earlier than normal due to heavy rains in the area.

10 PAGE 10 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 Former Army captain who tackled suicide bomber awarded Medal of Honor Afghan War veteran receives Medal of Honor FoxNews.com, published November 12, 2015 A former Army captain who tackled a suicide bomber in Afghanistan was awarded the Medal of Honor at the White House Thursday, in front of some of his fellow soldiers whose lives he saved. Florent Groberg, 32, was badly injured in the August 2012 attack, which killed four people. During his second deployment to Afghanistan's Kunar Province, Groberg was helping lead an escort for a meeting with a provincial governor when his unit encountered the bomber. Groberg, with assistance from another soldier in the security detail, Sgt. Andrew Mahoney, tackled the bomber to the ground, and his vest detonated. "I m blessed, and just grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve my country." Army Capt. Florent Groberg (Ret.) "On his very worst day, he managed to summon his very best," President Obama said at the White House, adding, "that's the nature of courage." U.S. military officials say the explosion caused a second, unseen bomb to detonate before it could be planted. "It s the greatest honor you can ever receive. And I m blessed, and just grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve my country," Groberg said after the ceremony. He'd spent nearly three years recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and endured more than 30 surgeries. "He showed his guts, he showed his training, how he put it all on the line for his teammates. That's an American we can all be grateful for," President Obama said. The president also recounted a moment during the captain's recovery, when the lead singer of the heavy metal band Korn, Jonathan Davis, appeared at his bedside. Groberg thought he was hallucinating, President Obama said, adding that Thursday's ceremony also was "all real." The ceremony at the White House marked only the 10th time a living service member received the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq. Seven more were posthumously awarded the medal. Groberg was born in Poissy, France. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2001, the same year he graduated from high school in Maryland. He also competed in track and cross country at the University of Maryland before entering the Army in Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald spoke about Groberg during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. He said Groberg is emblematic of the sacrifices made by every generation of veterans. "Captain Groberg acted in a manner that saved the lives of many of his comrades. Tragically, he could not save them all," McDonald said. "When he was informed last month that he would receive the Medal of Honor, he said, and I quote, `This medal belongs to them. It's my mission to tell everyone thank you for recognizing me, but this does not belong to me. It belongs to them. That's how I'm coping with it mentally.' " The Associated Press contributed to this report.

11 V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E PAGE 11 Message From DAV Over the past few months, the issue of Individual Unemployability (IU) has been both a topic of discussion and one of rising concern for DAV and its members. A hearing regarding IU was held before the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability and Memorial Affairs on July 15, According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), for eligibility to IU, a veteran must be unable to maintain substantially gainful employment as a result of his or her service-connected disabilities. Marginal employment, such as an odd job, is not considered "substantial gainful employment" for VA purposes. In addition to the employment barrier, a veteran eligible for IU must have one serviceconnected condition ratable at 60 percent or more disabling, or two or more service-connected disabilities, at least one condition that is ratable at 40 percent or more disabling, with a combined rating of 70 percent or more disabled. Reports published by the Congressional Budget Office in August 2014 and the General Accountability Office in June 2015 made recommendations for substantial changes to the IU program. If implemented, these changes would cause significant financial harm to wounded, ill and injured veterans, their survivors and dependents. Many of the views expressed within these reports are quite troubling, particularly the notions of restricting, limiting, or eliminating entitlement to IU on the basis of age and offsetting IU benefits when veterans are in receipt of other earned federal benefits such as military compensation or Social Security benefits; concepts that DAV vehemently opposes. No legislation has been introduced to address IU, but discussions are underway. DAV wants the voice of DAV members, the auxiliary and other DAV supporters who are concerned about the preservation of veterans' benefits to be part of this discussion. DAV asks you to contact your elected officials with the letter provided, or please write your own letter for the same purpose. Click the link below to log in and send your message: What Do Coins Left At Grave Sites Mean? A coin left on a headstone or at a grave site is meant as a message to the deceased soldier s family. Below is a summary of what each coin represents. - A penny means that you simply visited the site. - A nickel means that you trained together with the deceased soldier. - A dime means you served with him in some capacity. - A quarter tells the family that you were with the soldier when he was killed. The practice became common during the Vietnam War and was often used as a means of communicate with the family without getting involved in disputes related to political views. According to tradition, the money left at grave sites is collected and used to maintain the cemetery and/or to pay burial costs for indigent veterans. The tradition of leaving coins at grave sites can be traced back as far as the Roman Empire.

12 PAGE 12 F I V E D O U B L E D E U C E VVA Chapter 522 Contact Information V O L U M E 2 4, I S S U E 1 2 Position Name Telephone Address President Mike Bousher mikro76@msn.com Vice President Dick Ammon daranger@verizon.net Secretary Paul Laurence PaulRN7@me.com Treasurer Jack Meyers jackmimiparadise@yahoo.com Chaplain Larry Lee cashequity@aol.com Director Bruce Witham Newsletter Publisher Mike Bousher Director Rick Goodfellow Newsletter Editor Dick Ammon Director Joe Ellenberger Newsletter Photographer Peilian Ammon Membership Alan Thompson Website Administrator Dick Ammon Disclosure Statements 100% of your gift/donation will be used by VVA, Chapter 522 of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., Pinellas County, Florida. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Registration Number CH Registration does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the state. Call HELPFLA ( ) for a copy of the official registration and financial information. Disclaimer The views or opinions expressed within this publication are not necessarily the opinions of the publishers, advertisers, members, National Headquarters or that of Pinellas County Chapter 522. For additional information, please visit our website at