In this Issue... From the President Page 1 Madison Outreach Page 3 Volume 1 Issue 3 From the President Hank Lewis virgill15@aol.com March 2017 Financial Report Page 4 Luke AFB Volunteers Update Page 5 Food for Kidz Page 6 Veterans Furniture Center Page 7 Meet the Vet Page 8 New Membership Page 9 Humor in Uniform Page 9 Field Trip to Luke AFB??? Page 10 Board of Directors Page 11 Bricks, Coins & Shorts Page 12 I have the honor this month of providing the Farewell to Butch Schumacher as he leaves our community. As in any farewell there is sadness, but we know he is in the neighborhood and will always help out when he can. I let Butch tell you his thoughts in his own words: I married my high school sweetheart and we have 5 children and 6 grandchildren. I have a business degree from the University of Kansas (go Jayhawks). My 25 years in the Army was spent as a helicopter pilot, in command and staff positions in aviation units and with my Armor Officer experience, finished as a Program Manager at the Detroit Army Tank Plant. After the Army, I worked for 3 years managing a furniture factory and 11 years as the Production Manager at AMSAFE Aviation in Phoenix where we made aviation seat belts and restraints. I retired in 2008 and have been busy ever since. Recently, Kathi and I sold our home in Trilogy and are having another built in Vistancia. In the interim, we are off to travel in our camper and visit those 6 grandchildren (and spoil them). Because of the move to Vistancia, I have to drop out of the Vets Club. I will still be associate with the Veterans Furniture Center and fortunately, able to inter- (Continued on page 2) Soldier s Best Friend Agenda for March Meeting Page 13 Page 14 Dates for monthly meetings (Meetings start at 4:00 pm) March 28, 2017 August 29, 2017 is a monthly newsletter for the members of the Trilogy Veteran s Club. If you have an article that you would like published, please send to Scott Duke at sid.duke@gmail.com April 25, 2017 September 26, 2017 May 30, 2017 October 31, 2017 June 27, 2017 November 28, 2017 July 25, 2017 December 26, 2017
Page 2 (Continued from page 1) act with many members in the club that I have shared so many Friday and Saturday memories and lunches at Mel s. I flew an AH-1G Cobra gunship (see picture on the right) in Vietnam and I m still surprised that the Army gave so much responsibility to and had confidence in a 20-year-old Warrant Officer. I like to think I lived up to the Army and my country s expectations as I always did my best to support and protect my fellow soldiers on the ground. Looking back at the last 3 years in the Trilogy Veterans Club, I also like to think that I continued that spirit and commitment to support my fellow veterans when and where help was needed. From the first meal we served to MANA House veterans on Veterans Day in 2013, our 3 years with the Veterans Furniture Center and to last month s StandDown effort, I have been very proud of my association with Trilogy Veterans and the service we have provided to our country s veterans. I remember that the club was formed as an organization to help serve veterans with special attention to the homeless and at risk veterans in the Phoenix area and without a doubt we have accomplished the mission over the years. Knowing the caliber of the men and women in the Trilogy Veterans Club and the Trilogy neighbors that support club efforts, I know the club will continue to serve our country s veterans and am very proud that I can say that I was a Trilogy Veterans Club member. Keep up the good work. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Butch for the past year. He is indeed a gentleman with a giant heart. Although he is Army, my Naval farewell is heart-felt. Fair Winds and Following Seas, my Brother, and may your Jib sail always be full As to another thank you, it was a great honor to participate in the Food for Kidz packaging event led by Scott Duke (Table Captain) and Larry DiGiovanni. (see related article on page 5). Crew chiefs named all the aircraft, so Butch thought this crew chief was from Arizona. This was the main bird that Butch flew in Vietnam.
Page 3 Madison Street Outreach Program Don Borland donb173@cox.net w e did corned beef and cabbage for the March 15 meal. Our last month was very well received as always. We get so much gratitude from all. It truly is the best heart warming thing to do. Everyone should really try it. Please contact me for more information on what we do and how you can help and support. When you make the meal and they tell you that it was the best with a smile, well friends you just don't get any better than that. If one does bring food please home made whenever possible and follow receipt if possible
Page 4 Financial Report Jim Long jimlong13058@gmail.com W e have not ordered any new Challenge coins this past month but have received $60 for coins previously purchased and sold this last month to members. We have ordered and placed 35 bricks and an additional five (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Vets Club) filler bricks. Price remains at $30 per brick covering our cost. Members have purchased six and three shirts on separate orders. Due to price increases and in order to cover costs, we have had to increase our price to members: Polo $40 (from $32) and Tee $20 (from $18). Honor recipients. More news will be forthcoming in future issues of American Legion A t last month s meeting, a motion was made and approved to change the hours of the monthly club meeting from 1700 to 1600 hours. The date of the monthly meeting will remain on the last Tuesday of each month. The new time will allow club members not only the opportunity to attend the meeting, but also give them time to be with their spouse and friends and enjoy Happy Hour at the Kiva Club, or dinner plans for the evening. On the Secretary side, Minutes are now posted on our web site. From general news, the March issue of American Legion published an article that effective on November 11, 2017, Veterans Day, the Armed forces PX system will become available for all Honorably Discharged Veterans will extend the field from previously eligible Active, retired, 100% disabled from service-connected injuries, or Medal of
Page 5 Luke AFB Volunteer Program Update Richard Brown rbrowntrilogy@cox.net L uke Air Force Base (AFB) continues to provide essential support to our club s Veterans Furniture Center (VFC) mission. A mission that provides full apartment s worth of furniture to the dwellings of once homeless veterans and greatly assists them as they transition back into society. This mission, which we undertook in early 2015, has had incredibly positive results far exceeding anyone s expectations. Our club can truly be proud of the fact that with assistance from the Luke airmen, our group of senior veterans have delivered furniture to just shy of 600 veteran s residences. That is simply a staggering number, and an amazing accomplishment, which we can all be very proud. The reaction of many of these once homeless veterans as the furniture arrives is special to see. It varies between very happy to so happy that the veteran breaks into tears. I ve been on several missions and have seen this up close and personal. We have the support of Luke Airmen every Friday and Saturday, which means our club membership will have no heavy lifting to do during Friday deliveries or Saturday pickups. I have foot-stomped this several times during our monthly meetings, but it is important to repeat it once again. Luke AFB provides us with an average of five volunteers each Friday and four each Saturday. Their reliability, vitality, dedication and desire to help at-risk veterans is as remarkable as it is amazing. Statistically, to-date 208 Luke personnel have provided us with 664 man days of furniture moving support. I m personally convinced that two to three hundred once homeless veterans now sleep on beds which is directly attributed to the support we get from Airmen at Luke AFB. Frankly, when we took on this VFC furniture moving mission in early 2015, I had my doubts about its sustainability. No more! I was wrong. We have tenaciously dedicated (and damn strong) veterans in our club that just wouldn t let it fail. When we added Luke s support, well that just confirmed we d be successful. We ve accomplished something that I consider above and beyond what any of our Club founders could have imagined. It was a bold undertaking, but with our dedication and the Luke assistance, we re doing amazing things. Our Club s mission is for us fortunate veterans to help the needy veterans. Clearly this mission underscores how successful we ve been at doing this. I m impressed. You all should be. These young Airmen from Luke AFB are fun to be with and you get time to chat with them and get an idea of what today s military life is For those club members who haven t been out on a furniture mission, that s a like. pity, and quite frankly, you are really missing out. Why? Because you re missing out on touching moments and enjoyable experiences. These young Airmen from Luke AFB are fun to be with and you get time to chat with them and get an idea of what today s military life is like. We have discovered they love hearing stories from our grand old military days, They are genuinely interested in what we re about and what we ve been through. It s my hope that members who haven t been out might give it shot, and share your sagas with these young Airman, who really enjoy interacting with you. They care as much about helping needy veterans as our club does. Besides all this good stuff, we generally stop for lunch and that just adds to the fulfillment of the day. Not only can you socialize more with the Luke Airmen, you also get to know your own club members better. It s really a fun day. If you haven t done it, really, give it a try And, no heavy lifting, I personally guarantee that, unless you behave like Don Bor- (Continued on page 6)
Page 6 (Continued from page 5) land or Bob Henry who insist on lifting whatever is in front of them. WHAT S NEW AT LUKE AIR FORCE BASE?: A number of members have asked me about the Air Force plans with the F-16 fighter, in general, and specifically at Luke. Let me offer some thoughts. Luke Air Force Base is now training pilots on the new F-35, (The base just received their 100th aircraft this past month). Eventually, this platform will replace the F-16 Falcon, but not for awhile. The Air Force began using the F-16 in 1979 and plans to keep the aircraft in service for at least another decade. The planned replacement for the F-16 is the F-35 Lightning II, which is the military s new and improved fighter jet. Luke AFB is being established as the second training base for this airframe. Eglin AFB, FL is the first. Regarding Luke AFB s current training mission, the Air Force has not released a specific date yet as to when the F-16 will be retired from the base; however, it is possible that Luke will continue to have some F-16s until 2025 or beyond in order to continue supporting the training missions of other allied countries that have purchased F-16s from the U.S. Veteran s Support I t was an amazing day on March 7th when nearly a dozen members of the Trilogy Veterans Club showed up to the Kiva Club to support the Food for Kidz charity. Food for Kidz is a fundraising and volunteer opportunity that has taken place in Trilogy at Vistancia for 10 years. The event raises money, donated by residents, for food packages that will be assembled by our community volunteers A portion of the food stays in Arizona and the remainder is distributed to needy families by the Food for Kidz organization in Stewart Minnesota. Someone asked our club President, Hank, what is the connection between our Veterans Club and the Food for Kidz charity? Hank Lewis (club president) looked at him, smiled and noted, I think nearly all veterans were once kids. Thanks to ALL that volunteered! Special thanks to Paul Bernard who said it only took 10 seconds of conversation with the charity leadership about joining forces. Also, thanks to our table captain, Scott Duke for ensuring the veterans table was staffed and working efficiently throughout the day. According to the Food for Kidz Chairperson, Susan DiGiovanni, the event packed a 10 year record of 141,300 meals! When you do the math, there are 6 meals in each pack, so a total of 23,500 packs were sealed for delivery!
Page 7 Veterans Furniture Center Bill Connor wconnor50@yahoo.com T he Veterans Furniture Center, VFC, is a place where veterans who have newly acquired a place to live can get free furniture and household items for their residence. Most of the veterans have either come off the streets, from transitional housing (MANA house, US Vets, etc) or from a rehabilitation facility. Unfortunately, some are fresh out of prison. Whatever the circumstances, these are veterans that need a little help. The VFC can supply, when available, beds, sofa, chairs, tables, silverware, pots and pans, etc. The majority of these veterans have NOTHING. The VFC is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9am to 3pm. During this time, we have vets come in to apply for furniture by bringing in their DD214 and a lease which is less than 30 days old. We work with the veteran to determine their needs (not wants) and see what we can supply. Some of the vets have the ability to get a uhaul or friends pickup and take some the furniture with them. We usually have 4-5 vets pickup furniture directly from the warehouse. We also take phone calls and schedule donation pickups for Tuesday to Thursday. It's a great chance to meet these less fortunate veterans and see how much good the VFC does. The VFC is located at 2319 W. Holly St. in Phoenix. It is right off the I17, north of McDowell. Club members and Luke AFB volunteers pack the truck. We love our Volunteers!!!! This picture was not photoshopped! Proof positive, Richard Brown DOES work!! Time for a lunch break at Mel s!
Page 8 veterans. He enjoys the camaraderie with fellow members and the volunteers from Luke AFB. In addition, he has helped at the last two Arizona StandDowns, and helps make lunches for the monthly luncheon at the Outreach Center in Phoenix. Serving the meals is a great experience and says everyone in our club should help serve a meal at least once. An experience you will truly enjoy. While Mike and his wife Nan are currently preparing for their daughter s wedding in October, he does find time to wack a golf ball around local golf courses. They also have a son, Lt. USN, currently stationed at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC. Editors 'note: Next edition will include our Communications Director T his month s Meet a Vet is our Membership Director, Mike Ponting. He served in the Army from October 1967 to October 1970. As a Viet Nam veteran, he earned the Army Commendation Medal along with the Good Conduct Medal. After he was discharged he returned home to Southern California and attended college thanks to the GI Bill. Upon graduation, Mike was hired by a regional retail chain and began a series of moves and promotions. Eventually the family ended up in Santa Fe, NM where the children grew up and attended college. Mike and his wife moved to the Boston area, (for her job this time.) and spent almost ten years before retiring back to Arizona and settling in Trilogy. Mike has been involved in the VFC mission and finds great fulfillment in delivering furniture to our A s we continue to keep El-Mirage (gas station to the end of the street alongside Trilogy), clean, we are getting a bit more help with the litter control effort. We are now cleaning the street twice a week (Tuesday and Saturday). This month, the following veterans took the walk and supported Adopt-A- Street: Paul Bernard Debra Walker-Lewis Bruce Murray Larry DiGiovanni Scott Duke Adopt-A-Street Scott Duke Sid.duke@gmail.com If you would like to be part of the Tuesday/Saturday team, send me an e-mail and I will update our schedule to include your name. If you are cleaning up the street on your own, at your own time, let me know that as well. Paul continues to be our rover, who goes out the main gate and down the street to El Mirage, then on El Mirage itself.
Page 9 New Membership Mike Ponting Michael.ponting99@gmail.com Veterans Club Membership 134 O ur current member total is now 134. At the time of this writing, paid members total 108. For the 26 members still not paid, I will be sending another email to you. Please respond to this email, either way. You will be removed from our member roster if we do not hear from you. Thank you to all who have been proactive in paying your dues. We have been discussing a change to the by-laws to include veterans from our allied nations that live in Trilogy. As Membership Director, I support this change as it is inclusive to all and acknowledges the assistance they and their countries gave us when asked. A small way to say thank you to those who supported us. Final thought for this month is: You are the agent of change for our club. Your involvement is what keeps us together and creates a meaningful experience for all. A fter 6 weeks at sea on the U.S.S. Shangri La, there were some complaints about the food served in the galley. Some of us were taking our trays to the scullery after a meal and there was a junior officer taking a random survey of our opinion of the food. He asked my buddy Jim from Missouri his opinion and Jim told him in a slow Midwestern drawl, "Well, sir, the only difference between this and a bucket of sh*t ---- is the Bucket!" I just about wet myself. Story submitted by Veteran Club member, Paul Bernard (Navy). Real stories from members of the Trilogy Veterans Club Do you have a funny story from your military career? Send it to sid.duke@gmail.com and each month we will pick one to share with the club.
Page 10 Field Trip to Luke AFB???? Scott Duke Sid.duke@gmail.com W e are in the infancy of this plan, but wanted to get some information out to you, so you can plan on taking this field trip to Luke AFB and seeing the F-35 Lightning II. I am working my Air Force connections and with the Public Affairs Office at Luke AFB to plan a field trip to go see the F-35 and hear from a pilot on how the aircraft flies, as well as a tour of the base. Details are few and far between right now, but possible dates are in late September or early October. We will be working with Gregg Snyder (Trilogy) to rent a bus to get us there. Tickets will go on sale around the August timeframe and will be worked just like any other Trilogy trip. Our only cost will be for the bus and if all goes to plan, lunch at the All-Ranks Club on base. Right now, I am being told we will need to limit the number to between 35-40, so keep that in mind when we formally announce the trip and tickets go on sale. As our Club President always reminds us, we are a community-based organization where veterans help veterans. Very true, but sometimes we need to have a bit a fun too, and going over to Luke AFB to see how the Air Force Flies, Fight, and Wins is a fun thing...even for our Army, Navy, and Marine Veterans! O ur Club s Communications Director, Scott Duke will be out of the country, 3 Apr - 10 May. In his absence, we will not have a newsletter next month and will need a volunteer to attend Coffee Talk each Friday in April (1000 at Kiva Club), write an article for the My Trilogy Life (MTL) newsletter (due each Wed by noon), and help clean El Mirage each Tuesday morning. If you can help in any of these areas, please make contact with Scott. As of this newsletter, Les Kessler and Larry DiGiovanni have volunteered to cover El Mirage.
Page 11 PRESIDENT Virgil Hank: Lewis Virgill15@aol.com VICE-PRESIDENT Mark Grindle jetsetter05@msn.com SECRETARY/TREASURER Jim Long jimlong13058@gmail.com Membership Director Mike Ponting michaelponting99@gmail.com Communications Director Scott Duke Sid.duke@gmail.com Social Director Robert Meizinger zingers@gmail.com Madison Street Outreach Donald Borland Donb173@cox.net VFC/Luke AFB Liaison Richard Brown rbrowntrilogy@cox.net Member-at-Large Les Kessler kesslerleslie@yahoo.com
Shirts and coins may also be purchased at our monthly meeting. Page 12 Bricks, Coins & Shirts Mark Grindle jetsetter05@msn.com T rilogy Veterans Club (TVC) shirts and coins are for sale. Polo shirts are $40, tee shirts are $20, and coins are $10. To order a shirt, please complete and submit order via the TVC website and make payment to: Trilogy Veterans Club Jim Long 13058 W. Eagle Talon Trial Peoria, AZ 85383 Shirts and coins may also be purchased at our monthly meeting. W e continue to have members join the Veterans Club and we are so proud of the 134 membership we currently hold as a club. With the new members, you might be wondering how the branch of service numbers might have changed? If so, you ve come to the right place. Here is the latest breakdown of Service affiliation: Two (2) members did not identify to any specific branch
Page 13 P aul Bernard is our Mission Leader for Soldier s Best Fried (SBF) and wanted to pass on an opportunity for any of our clay shooting enthusiasts to support this worthy organization. To sign-up, just go to their website: https://soldiersbestfriend.org/sportingclay/ Join Soldier s Best Friend on Saturday, March 25, 2017 for our 6th Annual Clay Sporting Event at the Ben Avery Target Center. Shotguns are available for use. There will be fun, food, and prizes! Participant Registration includes clay pigeons, shells, lunch, and a t-shirt. There will be prize drawings and a lot of fun! Soldier s Best Friend provides U.S. military veterans living with combat-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with Service or Therapeutic Companion Dogs, most of which are rescued from local shelters. The veteran and dog train together to build a trusting relationship that saves two lives at once and inspires countless others.
Page 14 H ere is a look at the agenda for this month s meeting of the Veterans Club. We hope to see you there. Please take note of our new time for all future meetings.1600 or for some of you...4:00 pm. Meeting comes to order at 1600 Pledge of Allegiance President s comments Financial report mission Leader s report OLD business New business Good of the Club Adjourn