INDUCTION OF CLASS OF 2018
According to the leadership of the Unified Arizona Veterans, all the planning for the 26 October Induction Ceremony has been finalized.  Early Bird registration deadline ended on 30 September.  All registrations must be received by 1630 (4:30PM on 12 October).  Registration instructions can be found at www.azuav.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS
I have been a little sloppy in using the titles of our two annual meetings.  The one in October is our Annual Business Meeting, the one in January is our annual General Membership Meeting.  Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.  I have taken the liberty to update all articles in this issue to reflect the proper titles. 

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING
Our next Annual Business Meeting will be held at the Arizona Capitol, which is a first.  VP Berger has all the latest details below.  Our VP requests your attendance at the meeting on the 10th of October.  Please RSVP to her with your selection for lunch.  RSVP's must be received no later than 8 October.  Among the several business items to be addressed at this meeting is the election of officers and directors for installation at the 9 January meeting of the Board.  The Nominating Committee will present the following slate for two-year terms:

NOMINEES

I addition, the following listing is provided here just for your information. 

CURRENT DIRECTORS AND APPOINTED POSITIONS NOT AFFECTED

Tom Hessler
AVHOFS President
Class of 2007

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

LAST CHANCE!

Now that sounds like a name of a song but I’m talking about attending the Annual Business Meeting on the 10th of October at 10AM at the State Capitol.  If you plan to attend, please RSVP me at bergergerry@hotmail.com before the 8th of October.  When you send the email, please select either Pot Roast or Grilled Chicken for your lunch at $18 inclusive.  You pay for the lunch at our meeting either with cash, check or credit card.

Agenda topics include the Strategic Plan update, the proposed changes to our By-Laws, the AVHOF Nominations and the Induction Ceremony at Talking Stick Resort on the 26th of October. There will be a superb opportunity to talk with your classmates as well as learn more about the Society.

I hope you also make the time either before or after our meeting to visit the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame kiosk on the first floor and tour a bit of the Arizona History Museum.  Of course, there are plenty of special tributes to our veterans in Wesley Bolin Plaza to view too.

If you have questions, please email me.  Thank you and I look forward to greeting you at the Meeting.

Separately, there are occasions when we are not informed when some of our members move homes, so here is a reminder that we appreciate knowing your new address and phone number so we may be in contact.  In addition, if you have an email address change, we want to be sure our communication does not stop.

Gerry Berger
AVHOFS Vice President
Class of 2016

12 SEPTEMBER 2018 AVHOFS BOARD BRIEFS

1. The newly formed Society Finance Committee met on August 30 and outlined new procedures and forms which will greatly facilitate the board's fiscal oversight responsibilities and at the same time making financial reports easier to understand.
   
2. VP Gerry Berger urged all members to register for the Annual Business Meeting at 10AM on 10 October at the Capitol as soon as possible. RSVP to bergergerry@hotmail.com with choice of lunch (Pot Roast or Grilled Chicken).
   
3. The 2018 Induction Ceremony on October 26 is expected to draw close to 500 attendees.  Members and guests are encouraged to register soon to ensure a seat!  Go to the http://avhof.org/ website and click on EVENTS for more information.
   
4. All current Society members are highly encouraged to meet as many of the new inductees as possible and make they feel welcome.
   
5. When President Tom Hessler's term is completed in December, he will step down from the President’s position and will not assume the Past President position on the board. Ron Perkins will accept that role.  Tom will continue to publish THE PATRIOT.
   
6. More COPPER SWORD and COPPER EAGLE Society award nominations are needed.
7. The Nominating Committee composed of Chuck Schluter (Chair), Ron Perkins, Rick Romley, Judy Beischel, and Jim Monroe will be presenting a slate of officers at the October General Business Membership meeting.
   
8. Reggie Yates, representing the UAV reported that Dylan Dalzotto had replaced Jim Katzenberg as President.  Jim resigned due to illness.
9. Ron Perkins has been working feverishly with Jill Shepherd to bring a new version of the Society website up to date.
   

Dennis DeFrain
AVHOFS Secretary
Class of 2013

If you would like to make a donation to one or more of the Society charitable activities please make your check payable to the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society and mail with this form to: Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society, 4980 South Alma School Road, Suite A2-619, Chandler, AZ 85248.

Please note on the form if you would like to allocate the funds and how much to the following: Century Club Scholarship Fund, Other Patriotic Donations, or Specific Project (if applicable)
The Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, EIN 83-0481331

During the past few months, under the direction of board member John Ady, a new program has been initiated to better serve and engage the membership of the AZVHOFS.  This program is called the Class Leaders Program.

Designated Class Leaders will serve as a link between the individual members and the board of directors. Using their data bases for their individual classes, the Class Leaders will periodically send out important information and also field comments, concerns, and questions that may arise from members in order that information can be passed on to the board or proper party.  The program should better engage all Society members.

Currently, the following Class Leaders are on board:

Class of 2015 - Jim Sylvester - jsylvester2002@msn.com

Class of 2016 - Vincent Sanchez - csmsanchezarmy@centurylink.net

Class of 2017 - Harvey Bershader - sedredrox@centurylink.net

A Class Leader for the Class of 2018 will be selected immediately after the induction ceremonies on Friday, October 26.

Anyone from any other classes who would have an interest in serving as a Class Leader can contact John Ady (john.ady80@gmail.com) for further details.

John Ady
Director
(Class of 2015

Most of our Society members are very active in their communities.  Veterans Day will be upon us shortly.  You are invited to send in pictures of our “Members in Action”.  Be sure to identify the members in the pictures.  We will select a few of the best for publication.  Please send to me (Tom Hessler) at tjhessler@cox.net. 

Awhile back we included this topic in the Patriot.  We will restart this practice.  I need the help of all members to keep this up to date.  Request you let me know as soon as you know of a member’s passing.  If available, I would like to know the member’s name, date of passing, funeral and memorial service details, and a copy of the obituary.  We have lost several members so far this year.  In this issue of the Patriot I will just list the names of those that passed so far this year.  They are:

Individual ticket sales and table sales are now open for Veterans Heritage Project's "Saluting Stories of Service" Celebration fundraising dinner.  Organize a table of your friends and save $50 per person.  At the March 9 event you will get to meet special guest, Medal of Honor Recipient Sammy Davis, known as the "real Forest Gump", dance to big band swing music, perhaps win a trip to Washington DC, and most importantly, support the connection between veterans and students through VHP's oral history program.  Click here to purchase your ticket, learn more, or contact VHP at 602-218-4036 x 101. 

By Lea Seago - Class of 2013

The World War or Great War was absolutely correctly named.  The war touched almost every country in the world, almost every family and almost every race and gender.  WWI was the first war to use airplanes in combat, rapid fire machine guns, tanks, chemical weapons, submarines and flame throwers.  There was extensive use of blimps, airships, zeppelins, barrage balloons with barrage nets and steel mine barrages in the North Sea.  All used by enemy and friend, for the good and for the bad.  One is to wonder regarding lessons learned, as WWI was just the prelude for the greatest generation and WWII.

12 October 1915, forty-nine-year-old British nurse, Edith Cavell is executed by a German firing squad in Brussels Belgium.  She, to the British, is the 20th century St. Joan of Arc.  Edith is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers in Brussels from all sides, harboring no animosity.  She, with Belgium and French colleagues, helped over 200 allied soldiers escape from German occupied Belgium.  Some even stayed in her home.

Because of the British government’s decision to use Cavell’s story as propaganda, she became the most prominent British female casualty of WWI.  A statue in London near Trafalgar Square is inscribed with her words “Patriotism is not enough.  I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone”. Read the full article

10 Oct 18         
Annual Business Meeting at the State Capitol.  RSVPs due by 8 Oct.

26 Oct 18  
Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Induction at the Talking Stick Resort, Scottsdale.  Reservation deadline is 12 Oct.
11 Nov 18 (Tentative)
Re-dedication of the Arizona WWI Monument at the Capitol.
9 Jan 19            
Annual General Membership Meeting at the Arizona State Veteran Home, Phoenix.
9 Mar 19
“Saluting Stories of Service” celebration dinner, Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas.