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| Volume 8 - August 2021 |
| PRESIDENT'S NOTES |
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Jim Monroe
AVHOFS President
Class of 2014 |
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Jim Monroe
VICE PRESIDENT
Pat Little-Upah
SECRETARY
Nancy Fassbender
TREASURER
Jerry Wojtas
DIRECTORS
Pat Farrell
Peter Kloeber
Kathleen Laurier
Joe Little
Christine Mahon
Tom Sheets
SERGEANT AT ARMS
Roy McClymonds
CHAPLAIN
Vacant
PAST PRESIDENT
Gerry Berger
PRESIDENT EMERITUS
Ron Perkins
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Wanda Wright (ADVS)
Lea Seago (UAV)
LEGAL COUNSEL
Richard Erickson-
Snell & Wilmer LLP
PATRIOT EDITOR
Tom Hessler
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Let me begin by telling you that it is good to have the 2021 Patriotic Awards Luncheon complete. Ron Perkins and Pat Little-Upah, along with their committee members, did a phenomenal job of putting the PAL together under very trying circumstances. Be sure to see Pat’s Notes on this subject. We have had an unprecedented number of very positive comments from those who attended, and I certainly see the PAL as a total winner for AVHOFS.
Please be advised that the 2021 Induction Ceremony will be held on October 15th at The Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale. The 2021 Inductees have been selected and they have now been notified of their selection and the plans for their induction. Sixteen (16) outstanding veterans will be inducted. They are:
Dennis Murray Bash, Navy veteran, Surprise
Carl Douglas Commenator, Air Force veteran, Green Valley
James Daniel Cullison, Air Force veteran, Scottsdale
Richard Gonzales Fimbres, Army veteran, Tucson
Joe Donald Frame, Navy veteran, Buckeye
Anne Elizabeth Gartner, Navy veteran, Tucson
Kenneth Dale King, Navy veteran, Phoenix
Martha Ann Kuhns, Army veteran, Phoenix
John James Macrone, Jr., Army veteran, Scottsdale
William Ronald Norwood, Air Force veteran, Mesa
Herschel Eugene Patterson, Air Force veteran, Yuma
Paul Andrew Smiley, Air Force veteran, Goodyear
Patrick Claude Stolze, Army veteran, Chandler
Christeen V. Verchot, Air Force veteran, Phoenix
Billy Lamar Ward, Army veteran, Mesa
Joseph Axle Wood, Army veteran, Sierra Vista
The Induction Planning Committee is now active and additional details will be shared with you as they become available. I note that this is a luncheon event, and it is historically a “Packed House”. The Talking Stick Resort is a fabulous facility and they have supported the Induction Ceremony for several years. I certainly hope to see many of you there as we recognize each of the 2021 class and welcome them into the Society.
The Society has three Director seats open for 2022-2023. Gerry Berger is chairing the Nomination Committee and she is actively looking for members who would like to get more involved. Please reach out to her if you are interested -- bergergerry@hotmail.com. In addition to three Director Seats, we are still seeking members to fill the position of Chaplain and the position of Assistant Treasurer. Please contact me directly if you would like to discuss these positions. 480-363-0044
Be advised that the Board of Directors will be dark next month, taking a short break before diving into planning for the rest of the year. Many of them have been very active in Society matters and a short break is certainly called for.
As a last item, I note that the Veterans Treatment Court and the Maternity Outreach for Mothers programs are ramping up. There is new activity in both, and you can look forward to updates from Sam Young and Kathleen Laurier next month.
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VICE PRESIDENT'S NOTES
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Pat Little-Upah
AVHOFS Vice President
Class of 2014 |
The 14th Annual Patriotic Awards Luncheon sponsored by The Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society was held on June 18, 2021 at the Doubletree Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. Due to COVID, the 2020 event was cancelled; therefore, this year’s awards were presented for both the 2020 and 2021 recipients. There were 257 registered attendees. Numerous dignitaries were in attendance, including Governor Doug Ducey, several city mayors, various legislators, and Veteran VIPs from WWII.
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| Governor Ducey and Society President James Monroe at the 14th Annual Patriotic Awards Luncheon |
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The prestigious Copper Awards go to individual non-veterans and businesses that have gone above and beyond to support Veterans. The Society presented the 2020 Copper Eagle to Hospice of the Valley and the 2021 to APS. The 2020 Copper Sword went to Kristine Huskey and the 2021 to Dr. Michael Marks. Unified Arizona Veterans presented the 2020 Copper Star to Drew Trojanowski and the 2021 to Jennifer Harris. The 2020 Copper Shield went to Mark Cardenas. A total of twelve student scholarships totaling over $36,600 dollars were awarded to Veteran Heritage students and veterans. Several TV news stations were in attendance and aired segments during their newscasts. The event was highlighted in the Governor’s weekly review as well as several local newspapers. Overall comments were extremely positive- “This was the first Patriotic Awards Luncheon I have attended. The event was total class from start to finish. Outstanding in every respect from venue to planning and execution, to awardees, to bring out a true patriot spirit. I will attend the next PAL for sure.” We hope that all of you will mark your calendars to attend the 15th Annual Patriotic Awards Luncheon on April 1, 2022. The deadline for submission of nominees for the Copper Sword and Copper Eagle awards is August 30. Nomination forms and criteria can be found on the avhof.org website. All of you who have attended the Patriotic Awards events in the past know what an honor it is for those selected. As Veterans, we all know patriots who have not served in the military, but have gone above and beyond to help veterans and their families. Many of you belong to Veteran organizations that have been helped by companies supporting veterans, and they are deserving of being nominated. If you have any questions about nominations, please contact patupah@gmail.com. |
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| TREASURER'S NOTES |
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Jerry Wojtas
AVHOFS Treasurer
Class of 2011 |
We have begun our new fiscal year with a bang. I’m pleased that so many Society members want to contribute at the beginning of the year to our Century Club. It was also gratifying to see that as soon as the class of 2020 was inducted, some of them began contributing to our Century Club. Welcome to our, and YOUR SOCIETY, and thank you for your contribution.
Below you’ll see the current list of contributors for the month of July as we were going to press.
One item I haven’t mentioned in some time is our Hall of Fame Society Bequest Program. We currently have four Society members who have made bequests totaling $130,100. In case bequests are new to you, let me take a moment to describe what is involved. A member would fill out our Society bequest forms that state that an amount of money, which is the member’s choice, that would be payable to the Society after his or her death or even after their death and that of their spouse. The bequest can be cancelled at any time simply by requesting the bequest forms back. A copy of any bequest form should be filed with the member’s will or living trust. A member can even specify how he wants the money used.
Please remember that anytime you are mailing anything to our Society, use the full address to ensure that your letter/check gets to the right place. If any part of our complete address is omitted, your mail will not reach us.
Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame
4980 S. Alma School Road, Ste, A2-619
Chandler, AZ 85248-5545
CENTURY CLUB DONATIONS (FY Goal is $10,000. Total to date is $1,110)
Black - up to $100 GREEN - $101-$199 BLUE - $200-$299 RED - $300 and above GOLD - $400 and above
Listed below are those who have contributed so far in 2021.
Peter Kloeber |
Tom Hessler |
Michael Wold |
Jerry Wojtas |
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Pam Wojtas |
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COUNTRY STORE |
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Roy McClymonds
AVHOFS Quartermaster
Class of 2017 |
The Country Store is now closed for the season. It will reopen in September. The Society challenge coins will be available now for $10 each, although they are not shown in the Country Store yet. The Country Store catalog can be found on the AVHOF Website. If you have a problem finding what you want, please feel free to contact me at (480) 694-2425 or my email at ramnpt@cox.net.
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| CHARLES BYERS (CLASS OF 2018) RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION |
LOCAL PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT CHARLES BYERS TO BE HONORED WITH
TRIP TO THE NATIONAL PURPLE HEART HALL OF HONOR, WEST POINT
Gilbert Army Veteran Chosen to Represent Arizona’s Purple Heart Recipients
as Part of the 2021 Purple Heart Patriot Project
(NEWBURGH, NY) – A local Purple Heart recipient has been chosen to be one of the nation’s 2021 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees. U.S. Army Specialist (SP5) Charles Byers Jr. will represent his fellow Purple Heart heroes as Arizona’s representative at a multi-day tribute to the courage and sacrifice of America’s combat wounded. The Purple Heart Patriot Project is a program of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. The all-expenses-paid trip includes visits to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, historic Washington’s Headquarters, a special tour of the newly renovated National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and other tributes to service.
“Chuck and his fellow Patriot Project honorees are true American heroes,” said Richie Lay, a Purple Heart recipient and chairman of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. “America’s Purple Heart veterans have given so much to defend freedom and that sacrifice must always be remembered. We are privileged to be able to provide this unique salute to service for our Purple Heart heroes.”
“Our Purple Heart recipients have made enormous sacrifices for America, and this is our opportunity to say ‘thank you’ on behalf of a grateful nation. For some, this will be like the homecoming they never had. We received hundreds of nominations from across the country and we look forward to honoring Chuck for his sacrifice and lifelong service to the community,” said Col. Russ Vernon (Ret.), executive director for the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.
Asked what others should know about his service, SP5 Byers said, “I served in combat from 1966 to 1968, but my service continues today. I serve my fellow veterans and their families because I have made a life-long commitment.”
Byers enlisted in the Army in 1966 and served for a total of six years, including two years in Vietnam. During the Second Tet Offensive, on the first of June 1968, Byers was working with the Battalion Surgeon when they received a call that one of the companies had been ambushed and was engaged in heavy fighting. The company needed extra medical support and Byers volunteered to go and begin administering medical support. Byers was tending to his third soldier when he was hit by small arms fire from the NVA. Byers continued administering aid to fellow soldiers over the course of the next four hours, before being evacuated himself that evening.
Along with his Purple Heart, SP5 Byers was awarded numerous medals and commendations during his service, including a Silver Star, Combat Medical Badge, Air Medal and more. Byers, who married and became the father of three, continued to work in the health care field after completing his military service. He became a strong advocate for veterans’ benefits and was inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame in 2018. That same year, he was invited to the White House and was on hand when President Trump signed the MISSION ACT, which was described by the Veterans Administration (VA) as the largest transformation in veterans' health care since the end of World War II. Byers currently serves as the National Legislative Director for the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH).
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located just north of West Point, New York, near the site where General George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit, forerunner of the Purple Heart, in 1782 during the Revolutionary War. The badge, shaped like a purple heart was the forerunner of today’s medal. In addition to creation of the museum, the National Purple Heart Honor Mission was instrumental in the creation of the Purple Heart Forever stamp now issued by the US Postal Service, and the organization was the driving force behind bipartisan legislation establishing the nation’s first official Purple Heart Commemorative Coin, which will be minted in 2022.
Those wishing to learn more about the National Purple Heart Honor Mission or donate to support the Purple Heart Patriot Project should visit www.PurpleHeartMission.org.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL PURPLE HEART HONOR MISSION
The National Purple Heart Honor Mission is an approved 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which supports a variety of programs to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, pay tribute to our Purple Heart recipients, and educate all Americans about our combat-wounded veterans to ensure those who sacrificed for freedom are never forgotten. Learn more and support their efforts at www.PurpleHeartMission.org.
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| WEBSITES YOU MIGHT LIKE TO VISIT |
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| IN MEMORY OF |
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 Jim Monroe at j.c.monroe@cox.net.
Known members that have passed in 2021.
James Johnston (Class of 2013) passed 14 January
Joe Briggs (Class of 2020) passed 15 January
Helene (Billee) Culin (Class of 2017) passed 19 January
William Christopher (Chris) Spicer (Class of 2020) passed 1 May
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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
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30 Aug 21
Deadline for submitting nominations for the Society’s Copper Sword and Copper Eagle awards.
30 Sep 21
Deadline for submitting nominations for the UAV’s Copper Shield and Copper Star awards.
15 Oct 21
2021 Annual Induction Ceremony at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale.
1 Apr 22
2022 Patriotic Awards Luncheon. |
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| EDITOR'S NOTE |
Many of our Society members are very active in their communities. You are invited to send me copy-ready articles with good quality pictures of our “members in action”. Be sure to identify the people in the pictures.We will select articles as space allows. Please send to me (Tom Hessler) at tjhessler@cox.net. |
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