FRA 137 Shot Line Official Newsletter of the Sierra Tahoe Branch of the Fleet Reserve Association September 2015 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE From the Desk of Rick Athenour Once again Branch/Unit 137 has demonstrated why I am the luckiest guy in the FRA. I requested your support for my cause of Suicide Prevention and you once again exceeded my expectations. For the second year in a row, through donations and our Bingo fundraiser we raised a thousand dollars for the Suicide Prevention Network of Douglas County. This is one of the largest donations they will receive this year and that includes casinos and businesses! Bingo night was fun for me as a first time caller! I hope all who attended enjoyed it as much as Carol and I. The generosity on display as winners donated their money back still warms our hearts. This however was not the only charitable cause we supported in the last month. When the call came in from the Douglas County Food Closet about a desperate need for supplies our group rose up and donated almost five hundred pounds of goods. You make my job as Branch President most rewarding and I will continue in my attempts to be worthy of your trust in being your leader. To those FRA members not in Branch 137 but on our newsletter distribution and those who have called to voice your support in my attempt at regional office... Message Received! I assure you, I am not going away. I caution you however, this cannot be a one person show. We ALL have a voice in this organization. It doesn't matter in which Region your Branch is located either. Just a few years ago Branch 137 had membership numbers in the forties. With dedicated effort your branch will find that "Golden Recruit" and begin the change that only pushing from the "grass roots" can bring about. Always remember WE are the FRA. As many of you are reading this I am on my elk hunting trip. Hopefully I will see some animals this year. You all know what a successful hunt means, elk chili for potlucks, elk at our Independence Day celebration... Wish me luck, and no phone calls for the first week of October! L.P.& S. Rick Athenour. (775) 901-2684 HAPPY HUNTING El Presidente! Branch Officers: President, Rick Athenour... rickathenour@gmail.com Vice President, Verne Horton... vrhorton@charter.net Secretary/Treasurer, John Nosek... jn95133@gmail.com Unit Officers: President, Jan Solberg... JanandLeif@aol.com Vice President, Brenda Horton... bmhorton@charter.net Treasurer, Sue Higgins... gramasu@aol.com Secretary, PJ Nosek... pjnosek@gmail.com
LAFRA UNIT 137 NOTES At September s meeting, needs of the VA Hospital and Guest House were discussed. The Unit voted to spend $250 to shop for items on the VA Needs List and $250 to purchase items needed by the VA Guest House. The National Junior Honor Society students of Carson Valley Middle School joined our continuing project to provide home baked goods for the Marines at Pickel Meadows. Next baked goods for the Marines at Pickel Meadows will be October 26 th. At October 14 th s meeting we will be discussing the possibility of holding a pot luck dinner for November 11 th s Veteran s Day meeting and student sponsoring a Vet for Veteran s Day in local schools. October Fest menu for October s Bingo will also be discussed, as well as Nevada Day Parade & the Veteran s Day Parade in Virginia City. Looking forward to seeing Unit Members at the October 14 th meeting. FRA BRANCH & UNIT 137 SUPPORT THE EMPTY BOWLS PROJECT October is Hunger Awareness month. Our Douglas County Food Closet services over 500+ families a month. In support of the Douglas County Food Closet, Empty Bowls is hosting the Second Annual Empty Bowls Event Sunday, October 4 th. Along with other team members, our very own, Sue Higgins has recruited many restaurants to donate soups, salads, pastas and chili s which several of our Branch members will be serving to the many attendees. Throughout the year many of our Unit members have made bowls for the event. So plan on attending the Empty Bowls event, Sunday, October 4 th at the United Methodist Church in Gardnerville between 4-7 p.m. For your $15 donation you will receive a ticket for a handmade bowl to take home and all the soups, salads and pastas you can eat. There will be door prizes and raffles, too. SEPTEMBER 9 TH MEETING BRIEF Bud Harris discussed the upcoming essay contest, noting he and Max Ravenscroft have distributed essay literature to schools in Carson City and Douglas County. Bob Higgins reported that the sea cadets have made no progress finding a new training home. Bud Harris spoke on the subject of an upcoming bill in congress which addresses cancer and blood disorders due to agent orange. He encouraged the membership to contact their representatives to support this bill. Norbert Monohan reported that a first aid kit is now in the Vet Hall, located in the sound equipment cabinet. Ted Henson spoke to the membership of the need to assist a Vet and his wife of sixty years for funding to take the honor flight to Washington, DC Treasury as of Sept 3, 2015. Total funds, $4,681.65, unallocated funds, $3893.65. BRANCH/UNIT 137 CALENDAR Oct 4 Empty Bowls Event 1600-1900 Oct 14 Monthly Meeting 1830 Oct 17 October Fest Bingo 1700 Oct 26 Meet & Greet 0800 VA Clinic, Gardnerville Oct 27 Navy Day Nov 6 Marine Corp Ball Lake Tahoe Nov 10 Marine Corp Day Nov 11 Monthly Meeting 1830 Nov 11 Veteran s Day Virginia City Veteran s Day Parade Nov 21 Bingo (tentative) 1700 Dec 5 Christmas Dinner Gold Dust West Dec 12 Wreaths Across America TBA Fernley Veterans Cemetery Monthly Meetings and Bingo are held at the Veterans Hall on 2 nd at Curry in Carson City
SHIPS REUNIONS If any of you shipmates have an opportunity to attend ship or other command reunions, please do. Recently two shipmates had an opportunity to attend reunions of ships they served on. Verne and Brenda Horton recently attended the bi-annual reunion of the heavy cruiser USS Helena (CA-75) in Quincy, MA. The USS Helena Organization (http://www.usshelena.org/) represents shipmates from 3 of the four ships bearing the name of the city of Helena, Montana: CL-50 which was sunk at Kula Gulf in WWll, CA-75, a veteran of the Korean War and SSN- 725 currently serving. Thirty-five members and their wives out a membership of 800+ made the reunion. During the 4 day reunion, they visited and were given free rein to wander around the USS Salem (CA-139) - the last remaining heavy cruiser afloat, visited the USS Constitution and the USS Cassen Young (DD-793) and countless New England sites. Verne states, "Always a great experience to see old shipmates and walk teakwood decks again. We returned home via Washington DC where we visited with Brenda's brother, toured the military monuments and Arlington. A highlight for me was visiting the US Navy Memorial with it's "Lone Sailor" statue" John and PJ Nosek hosted and participated in the annual reunion of the USS Westchester County (LST-1167) in San Diego at Liberty Station, the site of the old San Diego Naval Training Center. The hotel in which the reunion was held, was less than 100 yards from the USS Recruit, which is prominently displayed. The "Wesco", as the ship is affectionately called, served with honors in the V i e t n a m conflict earning 15 battle stars, more that any US Navy ship. Highlights of the trip included trips to the Mobile Riverine Force Association Vietnam Memorial at NAB Coronado. Names of 17 Wesco shipmates KIA on November 1, 1968 are inscribed on the memorial. Later they visited Mt. Soledad, where a veteran's memorial has a USS Westchester County plaque displayed. John stated "Seeing the two memorials was very emotional. We of course lightened up getting together in the evenings, re-telling and of course embellishing stories from our time on the ship." FRA BRANCH & UNIT 137 SUPPORT THE FOOD CLOSET Prior to the September 9 th meeting an email was sent to both the Branch & Unit stating our local Food Closet was in dire need of soup, their shelves were almost bare. E v e r y o n e attending the meeting was asked to bring a few cans for Jan Solberg, Unit President, to deliver to the Douglas County Food Closet. You Rock! On Monday, September 14 th, 462 pounds of canned goods collected by Branch & Unit 137 was delivered. Thank you all very, very much.
FRA BRANCH & UNIT 137 SUPPORT SUICIDE PREVENTION WALK & BINGO We as a society continue to deal with suicides, some hitting closer to home than others. 23 veterans per day commit suicide, and that's not to mention active duty personnel who for one reason or another take that final irreversible step. We, Branch and Unit 137 continue to support Suicide Prevention Activities. We had several collection jars out this summer at our recruiting events, participated in the Suicide Prevention Walk for Hope, and lastly held a bingo benefiting the Nevada Coalition for Suicide Prevention. As a result of these activities, for the second year in a row, we will be contributing $1000 to this very worthy cause. We are still accepting donations, and if you are able, please send a check, made out to FRA Branch 137 and send to: FRA Branch 137 PO Box 1342 Minden, NV 89423 IMPORTANT NUMBERS TO KEEP FOR REFERENCE Veterans Crisis Line 800-273-8255 VA Hospital - Reno 775-786-7200 VA Reno Care-Line/Scheduling 775-829-5685 VA Clinic - Gardnerville 775-782-5265 VA Choice Program 866-606-8198 VA Regional Benefit Office 800-827-1000 Reno Vet Center 775-323-1294 Veteram's Resource Center - Reno 775-284-8387 Veteran's Resource Center - Carson City 775-283-4838 Nevada Dept of Veteran's Services 775-321-4880 VSO - Joe Matisohn 775-835-3181 Congressman Mark Amodei 775-686-5760 Senator Dean Heller 775-686-5770 Senator Harry Reid 775-882-7343 Douglas County Sheriff's Office (Non-Emergency) 775-782-9900 Carson City Sheriff's Office - (Non-Emergency) 775-887-2500 Carson-Tahoe Medical Center (Carson City) 775-445-8000 Carson Valley Medical Center (Gardnerville) 775-782-1500 Carson Tahoe Emergent Care - Minden 775-445-7800 Carson Tahoe Urgent Care - Carson City 775-445-7300 Carson Valley Urgent Care - Minden 775-782-1610 Medicare 800-633-4227 Tricare-West (UHC) 800-988-9378