Gerry Berger AVHOFS President Class of 2016

Dear Patriots,

Once again, we continue to stay safe and well as this pandemic continues.  Please stay mentally and physically strong as you practice social distancing.  It also helps if you find something to laugh about each day! 

Further information on our Scholarships is provided here by our Vice President, Jim Monroe. Please note your contributions to our Century Club support these scholarships.  We hope to provide a series of photos in the next Patriot.

If you are supporting Veterans and Non-Veterans either as individuals or through organizations during this Pandemic, please provide me with that information and a photo so we can highlight your contribution in the Patriot.  I know so many members are going above and beyond reaching out to others, making masks, volunteering at the VA, donating food, collecting and distributing food etc. 

I encourage you to send Tom Hessler an article and photo on what you continue to do for veterans in your community.  I would like to feature your volunteer activities, so please make the time to submit these important notes.

As always, please keep us informed of any changes in your contact information. 

Gerry Berger, President
Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society
Aspire to Inspire Before You Expire

Jim Monroe AVHOFS Vice President Class of 20164

I am sure you will agree that the past few months have been challenging and we have adjusted our activities in many ways to comply with the various guidelines and remain safe.  With these changes in place, we have still managed to make progress on several important issues.

Patriotic Awards Luncheon:
This event, originally scheduled for May 8, 2020 was cancelled.  We have been working on setting a new date for the event; effectively pushing it out into 2021.  We have recently made arrangements with DoubleTree in Scottsdale to produce the event on April 9, 2021.  A contract has been signed with DoubleTree and the date is firm.  Ron Perkins has accepted the position of Chairman for the 2021 PAL and he has already begun planning.  The four Copper Awards planned for presentation this year will be presented at the 2021 PAL, in addition to four new Copper Awards that will be selected this year.  Consequently, we will be presenting a total of eight copper awards, as well as the high school student and veteran scholarships that will be selected in early 2021.

2020 Scholarships:
AVHOFS has selected three Veteran Heritage Project high school students and three Veteran scholars for scholarships this year.  Once again, we have been striving to find a situation that would allow us to present these scholarships soon.  I am sure the recipients would like to have the scholarship money now.  Working with the Veteran Heritage Project, arrangements have been made to present the scholarships at Pro One Media Production’s studio on Saturday, June 6.

Christine Mahon will be presenting the scholarships to the following three high school students at noon:

• Carla Rock  >  $2,000 scholarship
• Alina Joseph  >  $2,000 scholarship
• Lauren Kobley  >  $2,000 scholarship

Scott Essex will be presenting scholarships to the following three veterans at 1220:

• Armondo D. Escalante  >  $4,000 scholarship (UAV funded)
• Donte’ Day  >  $3,000 scholarship ($1,000 funded by UAV / $2,000 funded by AVHOFS)
• Thomas A. Brown  >  $3,000 scholarship (AVHOFS funded)

In addition to these scholarships, the Unified Arizona Veterans will be presenting the inaugural Lori Ann Piestewa Family Scholarship to the two children of Specialist Piestewa of Tuba City, Arizona, who was KIA in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom on 23 March 2003.

We are pleased to get these scholarships into the hands of the deserving students.  Photos of the presentation will be in next month’s Patriot.

Jerry Wojtas AVHOFS Treasurer Class of 2011

Recently I was comparing the list of those Society members that had contributed to our Century Club last year, but not this year.  I was surprised by how many names I found. 32 to be exact!  Two members must have been reading my mind and quickly donated.  I hope those other 30 members haven’t contributed because they simply forgot.  Our Society needed your contribution when you made it last year and we need it again NOW.

If each of those 30 members contributed $100, and many contributed more last year, we would be very, very close to reaching our goal of $7,500.  When you finish reading this article, refer to your check register and see if you have written a check this year to the Century Club.  If you find you haven’t, then now would be a great time to do it.

All of you must have thought that it was the right thing to do last year. It still is the right thing to do!  Our scholarship program cannot exist without your contribution and that of so many other Society members.

We want to be certain that your money gets to where you want it to go.  The mailing address to use is always:

Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame
4980 S. Alma School Road, Ste, A2-619
Chandler, AZ 85248-5545

Black - up to $100  GREEN - $101-$199   BLUE - $200-$299   RED - $300 and above

The Country Store closed as of April 30, 2020. The Country Store will reopen this coming fall, please look for the actual opening date in your AVHOFS newsletter.

Roy McClymonds
AVHOFS Quartermaster
Class of 2017

Lee Lange AVHOFS Director Class of 2018

Arizona State Legislature Ends Session – Or Not?

After passing an $11.8B 2021 budget, the Senate adjourned May 1.  But the House remained in session and is now considering legislation related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  What will happen next is unknown, but legislation passed by the House will need the Senate in session to act on it before it can go to the Governor for signature.  While all this plays out, what we do know is that the important veteran’s issues for this year did not move forward.   

Veterans Benefits Counselors (VBC’s)
 
Supporters had hoped to see at least six new VBC’s funded this year to meet a pressing need in the state.  But this initiative did not get into the budget passed on March 23, so the issue is very much in doubt. 

Tax Exemption on Military Retired Pay

Governor Ducey’s call for full exemption of military retired pay from state taxes did not get traction in the Arizona legislature.  A major factor is the $45M price tag which is proving to be a heavy lift for supporters.  This initiative is now stalled while the legislature turns its attention to countering impacts to the state economy from COVID-19.

Pat Upah AVHOFS Director Class of 2014

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we had to cancel our 2020 Patriotic Awards Ceremony.  Our 2021 Patriotic Awards Luncheon will recognize both our 2020 awardees as well as those selected for 2021.  We have extended our nomination deadline for our 2021 nominations until September 30th, 2020.

Most of us in the Veteran Community know of a non-veteran or a company that consistently supports this country and the Veterans who have served.  Just as we recognize Veterans who are giving back through the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, we also need to recognize those non-veterans.   The Copper Sword and Copper Eagle awards are designed to do just that.   Each year at the Patriotic Awards Luncheon the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society recognizes an individual non-veteran whose personal actions contributed significantly to the benefit and well-being of our military, our veterans, their families and their survivors, their communities and their neighbors with the Copper Sword award.  They also recognize a deserving private or public institution, organization or corporation whose actions warrant high recognition for services rendered to the Arizona veteran or military community with the Copper Eagle award.   You can nominate someone for 2021 awards by going to the avhof.org website, click on Awards and Scholarships and fill out a nomination form.  Do not let this opportunity pass to recognize those who have helped you and the Veterans organizations that you belong to.  While we are restricted right now from participating in many activities it is the perfect time to work from home and nominate that special person or company you have wanted to nominate in the past but just did not find the time.

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 Gerry Berger at bergergerry@hotmail.com

Known members that have passed in 2020:
None

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.

I am planning to end my career as editor effective the end of 2020.  If anyone is interested in taking on the editor position, please email me or call (520) 227-0545 so we can discuss the position.  There is no travel involved.  I have done this out of my home in Sierra Vista.