Professional Documents
Culture Documents
VIETNAM
May 2017 VETERANS OF
AMERICA
CHAPTER 776
Meeting at Garfield Park, Davenport Never Again Will
May 24 at 1800 hours 6:00 P.M. One Generation of
Veterans Abandon
Another.
Volume 21 Issue 5
Veteran
Service Officers
&
Service
Coordinators
Clarke Barnes
309 944-3674
Ed Gaudet
563 343-9456
David Woods
563 326-8723
Ernest Ledjte
563 785-6182
Tom Lemon
563 359-3201
Gold Star Family Luncheon 5/2017
Honor Guard On Armed Forces Day, the chapter hosted a luncheon for
John Lavelle local Gold Star Families at American Legion Post 26. We
had invited 75 family members of Vietnam War KIA to
563 355-4213
the luncheon and all but one family were in attendance at
the event that was organized by Lyle Peterson, chairman
Web Master of the 50th Commemoration Committee. We were able to
Roger Granbois honor the families of 21 who did not return home. Great
roger@granbois.net Job, Lyle and all those who assisted with this event!
Pictured above is the board created by Bruce Cheek that contains the names of all the
local KIA from the Vietnam War, the table containing the pins with the pictures of
those forever young men and name tags for the family members in attendance. Col.
Zust, chaplain of the First Army, shared a pre-meal prayer with us and later spoke to
those in attendance concerning his own experience with the loss of his comrades.
On May 20 Vietnam Veterans Chapter 776 of veteran Huey pilot who is currently paddling
Bettendorf, Iowa held a luncheon for the down the Mississippi River to bring attention
families of those KIAs within 150 miles of the to the Gold Star families from the Vietnam
Illinois and Iowa Quad Cities. Lyle Petersen, War in an effort to recognize that during the
the chairman of our 50th Commemoration controversial war little was done to honor
Committee organized this luncheon to honor those family members. Jim was contacted by
those family members as part of our chapters one of the chapter members who saw that he
commitment to create events to bring had already begun his journey down the river
recognition to the 50th Commemoration of the and invited him to attend the luncheon and he
Vietnam War. made the effort to leave his location up river
We had list of twenty-one local KIAs and drive to the luncheon so that he could meet
and two MIAs from the area and invited their these family members and speak to them. He
family members to attend the luncheon where was in Vietnam in 71 and 72 and during that
their ultimate sacrifice would be honored. time worked mostly with Republic of Korea
Originally the list of those invited that Marines and ARVN troops transporting them
accepted the invitation was seventy-five family in his huey. He related the story of losing his
members that included two mothers, one wife, friend and then escorting his remains home for
and several brothers, sisters along with burial and meeting with his first ever Gold
children grandchildren and cousins. Chapter Star family. Forty-seven years later this
President Greg Paulline created a slide show memory is still crystal clear in his mind and he
with pictures of the departed warriors along began to see that something needed to be done
with information garnered from the Virtual to bring everyday Americans the need to
Wall and family members were Presented with recognize that these families all lost something
certificates from the Commemoration very important and that today we need to
Committee that were adapted specifically for remember who they were and what that cost
this event. On the day of the event over fifty these families, He brought along challenge
family members attended the event at coins that were created in the image of the
American Legion Post 26 in Davenport, Iowa. Gold Stars that were presented to the families
Members of Vietnam Veterans of during the war and handed them out the those
America Chapter 776 Honor Guard posted the family members in attendance. Jim has written
colors and Jim Bell of Vietnam Veterans of a memoir of his time in Vietnam and also
America Chapter 299 sang the national about his efforts to bring greater awareness to
anthem. Colonel Jeffery Zust, Chaplain of the the sacrifice of those families of the brave men
First Army provided the prayer and then and women who gave all in defense of their
everyone took part in the lunch. After the country. The book is entitled Mission of Honor,
lunch, Col. Zust was the guest speaker and he A Moral Compass for a Moral Dilemma. More
shared with the group his experiences during information can be found at his web site
the war in Iraq by relating stories of the men www.missionofhonor.org
and women who he had encountered that were David Woods a silver star recipient also
lost in his battalion. He related that they were spoke of his experience in Vietnam with the
sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, 196th Infantry brigade and the day that he and
brothers and sisters. They all had lives and fifteen other members of his unit were
family back home and they all gave their lives wounded and were two of those member died
in service of their country. of their wounds and how important it is to
We serendipitously had the opportunity recognize the losses that these families endured
to have Jim Crigler, a 67 year old Vietnam because of the war.
Honor guard captain, John Lavelle, read
the letter from Chuck Hagel, former secretary
of defense and the chairman of the 35th
anniversary of the Vietnam Wall committee.
The letter referenced how family members who
visit the wall all experience various emotions
much like the veterans themselves who visit the
Wall. In the letter he also speaks of the pride he
has as a Vietnam veteran and how much the
Wall means to him and also to all of those who
answered the call to serve.
In April, Chapter 776 commemorated
Jim Bell of Chapter 299 sings the National Anthem
twenty years. In all the years that the chapter
has taken part and created events to honor our
service and the service of all who serve today
and have served in the past, perhaps this event
marks the most important thing this chapter has
done since its inception. Those family members
who attended have not received any recognition
since the burial of their loved ones and at least
two of those in attendance have not even had the
opportunity to lay to rest their loved ones.
Presenting the certificates and shaking hands
with these family members was an important
and soul satisfying experience for all.