Gerry Berger AVHOFS President Class of 2016

Dear Patriots,

I am so very proud of all Inductees I meet during my times attending functions and events in Arizona and I hope to visit many more as time goes on.  I always appreciate the volunteerism of veterans in our state.  YOU all inspire me.  Thank you.

As you may note in an article in this issue, I also attended the ADVS Women’s Summit recently and I was so impressed with all the Women veterans I met.  It was truly an awesome event.  I hope every community will use this idea to contact women veterans in their area.  Many events during June just made the month go by so quickly.

Please continue to send me or Tom Hessler articles with photos about how you are volunteering in your community. We will do our best to include them in the Patriot.

Vincente Sanchez, Sr has taken over as the overall Class Leader contact, so please consider being a Class Leader of your Induction Class if someone has not already volunteered.  You may email him at:  csmsanchezarmy@centurylink.com  We want to be sure to be in touch with all of our inductees.

As information, the Arizona Director of Veterans Services has forwarded the nominees for Induction into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2019 to the Governor so now we await decisions on who will be inducted on October 18, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort.

Gerry Berger
AVHOFS President
Class of 2016

Aspire to Inspire before you Expire

Recently we learned that the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services (ADVS) has among their various donation programs, one that is solely for ‘ADVS Employee Recognition’. 

Since the earliest days of the founding of the AVHOF, and subsequently this Society, we have been indebted to the ADVS for not only their support, but the very creation of the AVHOF.  Your assistance recognizing this dedicated group of men and women whose efforts are focused exclusively upon veterans is encouraged.  All of Arizona’s veterans have benefited from the work of individual and unnamed ADVS employees who quietly go about their work supporting us. The various veterans license plates that we display are an example of their ability to move comfortably through the halls of bureaucracy, another is the personal guidance rendered by ADVS Veterans Service Officers (VSO) to individuals quietly, one on one.  The list of services and support is plentiful.   

As we reach out to you, allow us to first acknowledge your personal generosity to houses of worship, charities and multiple organizations.  The purpose here is to inform you of an additional worthy opportunity that ultimately recognizes individuals.   As Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen – we know the value of individual recognition, and now is another very good opportunity to acknowledge those who have our backs.

Donations can be made by individual check or online. 

1. To donate by Check: (Mail your check to):

Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services
3939 North 3rd Street
Phoenix, AZ, 85012

A donation by personal check MUST include the words “ADVS Employee Recognition” on the memo line.  We encourage an additional optional comment such as “AVHOFS Member”.

2. To donate Online:

1. Access the ADVS webpage at: dvs.az.gov
   
2. Click on the ‘DONATE Tab’
3. Select the ‘ADVS Online Donation Portal’ (It will inform you that you are leaving the ADVS site – click ‘OK’.
4. Complete the CHARITABLE DONATIONS page.  At the bottom you must check the button for ‘ADVS Employee Recognition”.
5. Be sure to print out a copy of your donation page.

Donations made online currently do not allow annotations such as “AVHOFS Member”.  We have suggested a donor page edit to allow brief comments such as shown above, or any other type of personal “In Memory of…” comment. 

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING OF THE MEMBERSHIP

Gary Fredricks AVHOFS Vice President Class of 2010

Our Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society Bylaws require an Annual Business Meeting of the Membership annually for the purposes of organization, the election of directors and officers and the transaction of other business.  As noted in an earlier Patriot, that meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 9, 2019, at the American Legion Post 44, 7145 E. 2nd St, Scottsdale AZ.  The meeting will start at 10:00 AM and should conclude about noon.  The Post has a dining area with a fairly extensive menu open for lunch that members may wish to take advantage of and continue socializing with fellow Society members while enjoying your lunch selection.  If you have not already done so, please mark your calendars and plan to attend. 

We are an organization of people who served honorably in the military and went on to subsequently serve our communities in ways that were highly significant.  Our Society was formed not only to be a place for its members to interact, but also to take advantage of the demonstrated servant leadership already exhibited by its members in furthering to serve our military, our veterans, their families and survivors.  Your input is vitally needed to ensure the Society has the right priorities, is properly engaged in those priorities, is looking for the right new engagement opportunities and has a comprehensive plan to acquire the necessary resources to meaningfully participate in those priorities and engagements.

A detailed agenda is in work and will be shared with you prior to the meeting.  Sure to be included will be reports on our significant activities and engagements such as our work in establishing a meaningful Foundation to help us in gaining financial resources, reports on causes we actively support such as Maternity Outreach 4 Moms (associated with the VA), and the Unified Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame program, as well as election of officers for 2020 and an invitation for comments from the floor.

Our Nominating Committee is hard at work developing a recommended slate of officers and directors to assume Society leadership in January.  That will be presented at the meeting and nominations will be accepted from the floor.  If you are interested in serving as an officer or director, please contact one of our present officers or directors.  Also, while we will not need to vote on committee membership at the meeting, committees are what make our organization work.  The details and your participation is also invited.  Our standing committees include our Finance Committee and Foundation Committee and our special committees include a strategic planning committee as well as the nomination committee.  If you have any expertise or interest in any of these, also please let one of our officers or board members know.  Without participation, we can accomplish very little.

Jerry Wojtas AVHOFS Treasurer Class of 2011

CENTURY CLUB STATUS

We have had a very poor month for contributions to our Century Club.  We are so close to setting a new record for money received and yet there were NO contributions received in June.  All of the Century Club money goes to our scholarship fund.  Well deserving veterans and students that help veterans are the recipients.

We are going to continue the color coding as a way of recording Century Club contributions.  Those members contributing up to $100 will have their names appear in BLACK, as they always have.  Those persons contributing $101 to $199 will have their names appear in GREEN.  Those members contributing $200 to $299 will have their names appear in BLUE.  Those members contributing $300 and above will have their names appear in RED.  We want to recognize those members that have truly shown a desire to help above and beyond.

My challenge to my class of 2011 continues.  Any 2011 member who contributes, I will add $5 to my $100 already contributed.  If ALL living members contribute, I will round up my figure to $200.

 GREEN - $101-$199   BLUE - $200-$299   RED - $300 and above

Director Christine Mahon (Class of 2017) will be providing further information on the BeConnected program in the next issue of our Patriot.  In the meantime, please check the website at BeConnectedAZ.org. 

Sisto Sandoval (Class of 2018), Board member of the Havasu Freedom Foundation that honors veterans, participated in the Memorial Walkway.  It is a historical event for Lake Havasu City to honor "Native American Hero's" the original Navajo Code Talkers on June 8, 2019. Approximately 35-40 family members attended. Sisto provided the Invocation and the blessing of the bricks and he escorted Native Americans to the Havasu Landing.  Please view the Havasu Memorial Walkway Ceremony with Special Guests from the WWII Marines-Navajo Code Talker Families. 

See the Havasu Memorial Walkway NCT Ceremonies June 2019 video
WWII Marine Navajo Code Talker day in Lake Havasu City, AZ. June 8th, 2019.

We will let you know when the next ordering period
opens.  Meanwhile you can still look at the items on our website

Roy McClymonds
AVHOFS Quartermaster
Class of 2017

Congratulations to Helen Anderson Glass (Class of 2002), upon receipt of recognition by the Purple Heart Auxiliary for her many, many years of volunteerism at the VA Clinic and other locations.

Pictured with Helen are Ron Perkins, (Class of 2012) and Gerry Berger (Class of 2016).

Our Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services and many volunteers hosted a Military and Veteran Women's Summit on Friday, the 14th of June and Saturday, the 15th of June at Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and Conference Center for more than 300 women.  The theme was "Staying Connected" and it served to provide opportunities for networking in many ways.  There were opportunities to meet other veterans and military women while socializing on the 14th of June and on Saturday, several superb guest speakers provided much information.  Breakout sessions in the afternoon provided much needed opportunities to obtain information and ask questions.

Those Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame members are:  From left is Joan Sisco (Class of 2009), Pat Upah (Class of 2014), Jeanne Blaes (Class of 2016), Kathy Laurier (Class of 2012), Gerry Berger (Class of 2016), Toni Grimes (Class of 2018), Shirley Vega (Class of 2012), Judi Beischel (Class of 2012) and not pictured is Rachel Gutierrez.  In addition, many paintings in the background were produced by Kathy Laurier.

Norm Weister, a 22-year U.S. Air Force veteran and hospice patient, recently was treated to an Honor Guard Celebration of Life at his home. Maggie’s Hospice Chaplain Kermit Hunt said Norm’s gratitude touched all of those in attendance. Weister said, “How many men get to meet their honor guard before they die?” “This moment really touched his heart,” Hunt said. (Nanci Hutson/Courier) . Participating in the Honor Guard is Dan Tillmans (Class of 2018) in the lower right.

Request you let us know as soon as you know of an inductee’s passing.  If available, we would like to know the inductee’s name, date of passing, funeral and memorial service details, and a copy of the obituary.  Send notices to me at bergergerry@hotmail.com.

Known members that have passed so far this year are:

Arden Rowley (Class of 2004) passed 14 June
James Seidl (Class of 2006) passed 16 June
Joseph Schneider (Class of 2009) passed 17 June

Gerry Berger
AVHOFS President
Class of 2016

30 Sep 19
Postmark deadline for submitting nominations for the Copper Shield and Copper Star. See azuav.org

9 Oct 19
Annual Business Meeting at a location to be determined.

18 Oct 19
Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Induction at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale (same as last year).  Please note the date.  This is a week earlier than normal.

8 Jan 20
Annual General Membership Meeting at the Arizona State Veterans Home, Phoenix

8 May 20
Patriotic Awards Luncheon at the Hilton Doubletree Scottsdale, 5401 N. Scottsdale Rd. Reception at 1100, Luncheon at noon.  Note that the event has been changed from a dinner to a luncheon!  The date has changed as well.

Many of our Society members are very active in their communities.  You are invited to send me articles with 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.