The Spirit of 776

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!

Officers and Board of

Directors
President Ed Guadet 563 659-5421 Dir. David Woods 563 326-8723
Vice-President Bruce Cheek 563 349-4129 Dir. Sonny Kempf 563 285-9424
Treasurer Harold Hansen 563 505-9674 Dir. Bill Matthews 563 355-5618
Secretary John Lavelle 563 355-4213 Dir. Steve Satre 563 289-1776
Trustee. Lyle Peterson 563 386-1286 Dir. Larry Witt 563 388-7179
 Minutes of the April 26, 2017 Membership Meeting
The meeting was called to order by President Greg Paulline at 1900 hrs. at Bettendorf Public
Library. Officers Present: President Paulline, Vice President Bruce Cheek, Treasurer Harold
Hansen, and Secretary John Lavelle. The members recited the Pledge of Allegiance and
observed a moment of silence for POW/MIA's and all those still serving in harms way. A sheet
was passed for members to sign and each member stated their attendance. The minutes of the
last meeting were approved as published in the newsletter. Harold Hansen shared the current
financial status of the chapter. Members in distress include Jim Dixon, who had a hip
replacement, Larry Witts wife Vicki had her shoulder replaced, Ed Staszewski had hip
surgery, Tony LaMantia had cataract surgery, and Ernest Ledjte lost his brother Charles who
was a member of our chapter. This months coin stories came from Arlen Beck and Tom Taylor.
The bi-annual elections were conducted by Ron Sebastian, election committee chair. The new
chapter president is Ed Gaudet and Sonny Kempf is now a new member of the board of
directors. Greg Paulline will now be a Trustee for the chapter. Greg Paulline set the dates for
our chapter clover sales to be June 30th - July 2nd and it is hoped that all of the times and
locations listed will be filled this year. Ed Gaudet spoke about the VVA National Convention
and the need to have representation at the convention in New Orleans, at this time Greg
Paulline, Sonny Kempf, and John Lavelle have shown interest in attending the convention as
representatives of the chapter. Dave Woods and Ed Gaudet shared information with the
chapter concerning 40,000 books related to the Vietnam War that will be distributed by
country veterans service officers and the manner in which they will be distributed to in-
country Vietnam veterans. The chapter also recognized with some edible treats that we have
become twenty years old this April. Ed Gaudet and John Lavelle spoke about the beginnings
of the chapter as they represented the only two members still active in the chapter and present
at the April meeting. Both rested stories of the chapters growth and some of the events that we
have taken part in over the past two decades. We truly have come a long way in twenty years
and have made in difference in the lives of local veterans and in our community. Larry Witt
and Ed Gaudet shared the information on this years scholarship recipients and stated that the
scholarship committee will be meeting in the future to find ways to enhance the program or
make adjustments to improve how it functions and serves veterans and their families. David
Woods discussed the Honor Flight and reminded members to sign up for this program if they
have not yet done so. The next honor flight will consist of Vietnam veterans as well as Korean
War veterans who still have not had the opportunity to visit our nations memorials in D.C.
The meeting was adjourned. Minutes submitted by John P. Lavelle, chapter secretary.

During the Gold Star Luncheon chapter

members viewed some of the memories of the
family members related to those who gave the
ultimate sacrifice, one that they too shared
because the loss of a loved one. In this picture
Marianne Woods, Larry Witt, Greg Paulline, and
John Lavelle are viewing the Western Union
telegram that broke the news to the family that
they had sustained such a loss during the
Vietnam War. The brother of the soldier from the
25th Infantry Division had kept pictures and
mementos for all these years and like him we too
still and always will hold those memories deep in
our souls.
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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
Bettendorf, Iowa held a luncheon for the
families of those KIAs within 150 miles of the
Illinois and Iowa Quad Cities. Lyle Petersen,
the chairman of our 50th Commemoration
Committee organized this luncheon to honor
those family members as part of our chapters
commitment to create events to bring
recognition to the 50th Commemoration of the
Vietnam War.
We had list of twenty-one local KIAs
and two MIAs from the area and invited their
family members to attend the luncheon where
their ultimate sacrifice would be honored.
Originally the list of those invited that
accepted the invitation was seventy-five family
members that included two mothers, one wife,
and several brothers, sisters along with
children grandchildren and cousins. Chapter
President Greg Paulline created a slide show
with pictures of the departed warriors along
with information garnered from the Virtual
Wall and family members were Presented with
certificates from the Commemoration
Committee that were adapted specifically for
this event. On the day of the event over fifty
family members attended the event at
American Legion Post 26 in Davenport, Iowa.
Members of Vietnam Veterans of
America Chapter 776 Honor Guard posted the
colors and Jim Bell of Vietnam Veterans of
America Chapter 299 sang the national
anthem. Colonel Jeffery Zust, Chaplain of the
First Army provided the prayer and then
everyone took part in the lunch. After the
lunch, Col. Zust was the guest speaker and he
shared with the group his experiences during
the war in Iraq by relating stories of the men
and women who he had encountered that were
lost in his battalion. He related that they were
sons and daughters, fathers and mothers,
brothers and sisters. They all had lives and
family back home and they all gave their lives
in service of their country.
We serendipitously had the opportunity
to have Jim Crigler, a 67 year old Vietnam
veteran Huey pilot who is currently paddling
down the Mississippi River to bring attention
to the Gold Star families from the Vietnam
War in an effort to recognize that during the
controversial war little was done to honor
those family members. Jim was contacted by
one of the chapter members who saw that he
had already begun his journey down the river
and invited him to attend the luncheon and he
made the effort to leave his location up river
and drive to the luncheon so that he could meet
these family members and speak to them. He
was in Vietnam in 71 and 72 and during that
time worked mostly with Republic of Korea
Marines and ARVN troops transporting them
in his huey. He related the story of losing his
friend and then escorting his remains home for
burial and meeting with his first ever Gold
Star family. Forty-seven years later this
memory is still crystal clear in his mind and he
began to see that something needed to be done
to bring everyday Americans the need to
recognize that these families all lost something
very important and that today we need to
remember who they were and what that cost
these families, He brought along challenge
coins that were created in the image of the
Gold Stars that were presented to the families
during the war and handed them out the those
family members in attendance. Jim has written
a memoir of his time in Vietnam and also
about his efforts to bring greater awareness to
the sacrifice of those families of the brave men
and women who gave all in defense of their
country. The book is entitled Mission of Honor,
A Moral Compass for a Moral Dilemma. More
information can be found at his web site
www.missionofhonor.org
David Woods a silver star recipient also
spoke of his experience in Vietnam with the
196th Infantry brigade and the day that he and
fifteen other members of his unit were
wounded and were two of those member died
of their wounds and how important it is to
recognize the losses that these families endured
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.

Notification of the loss of a loved one in Nam

Above left families listen to the Jim Crigler

(pictured to the right) as he explains his
mission of honor to always remember.