Greenville, S.C.

We all made it back safely from the National Leadership Conference. I think if you ask any of the officers that attended we all learned one thing for sure. Chapter 172 is doing it right. With all organizations there is a certain amount of in fighting or pettiness. What the conference did was bring a bunch of this out in the light, some of it was amazing but, it didn’t exist with the delegation from Chapter 172.

As we listened to the lectures and suggestions

We all sat there thinking we’ve done that, we do that, or that’s our normal operating policy.

I took a bag of our “wooden nickels” and placed a big double handful on the table outside of the conference area everyday and as soon as they went out they disappeared hundreds of VVA members from all over the country know who we are, look for other Chapters to be putting out their own ‘nickels.” We also put out a box of the “Reflections” pins they were gone in about 30 seconds. All in all it was a good conference and well worth the money spent.

On a closing note; Greenville is in many ways a big version of Cumberland, friendly people and lots of trees and some of the best bar-b-que places I have ever over indulged in, and lots of great music, blues and jazz a fine southern experience.

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 STEAK FEED

The Chapter Steak Feed is Saturday, September 20^th at the Mount Savage Fire Hall starting at 6pm

CHRISTMAS DINNER

The Chapter Christmas Dinner will be held on Saturday, December 6th at Rocky Gap Lodge & Resort

Happy Hour is from 6pm to 7pm

After 7pm drinks will be $3.00 each

Dinner starts at 7pm

Queen City Funk and Soul will play from 9pm to midnight

Each member can bring one guest

The cost is $20.00 per person

Reservations and payment for dinner must be made at the Chapter Office no later than November 16^th

If you would like to stay at Rocky Gap you must call them to make reservations at 301-784-8400 no later than November 5^th.  The cost for a room this year is $99.00

PLEASE NOTE

NEXT YEARS FAMILY PICNIC HAS BEEN MOVED UP TWO WEEKENDS TO SATURDAY, JUNE 6^TH AT THE ALI GHAN PICNIC GROUNDS

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August 6

Wednesday, August 6 at 2:15pm the Chapter will host a town hall meeting with United States Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD). Senator Barbara Mikulski has also been invited but, she has as of yet to confirm. This will be a great chance for you to come ask the tough questions directly to your senator(s). We ask that all attending to b please be respectful and not to get into your personal situation with claims or the VA. This event is not open to the public  

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25^th Anniversary

In 2009 Chapter 172 will celebrate its 25^th Anniversary and as always we will do it in grand style with lots of panache. The president is asking for suggestions from the membership. Write them down, email them to the Chapter, bring them to the meeting get off your hands and put a pencil in them and get to work, what do you want to see, do show off with???

c

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Chapter Store

Haven’t been in the Chapter Store lately?

You don’t know what you are missing. We have the biggest supply of military and patriotic items in the area. Hats, pins, belt buckles, ties, decals jewelry and even those hard to find coast Guard items all at a price you can live with.

The Late Great

Editorial Opinion

I was sitting in the reading room the other day reading what was available “Vanity Fair” magazine.  On the last page was one of those 20 questions interviews with Bette Midler. The last question was. “What is your greatest fear?” Ms. Midler answered.

            “I am afraid that the greatest days of my country are behind us.” This kind of rattled my chain more than a little bit. Not because she is a celebrity or even that it was in “Vanity Fair” but, because I have been think along the same line myself lately.

            Is America in demise? Are our best years behind us? Are we on our way to becoming a second class nation?

I can only imagine how the citizenry of Great Britain (England) must have felt when the British Empire started to unravel. Admittedly America is not an empire in the classic sense. We were the creative empire the empire that thrived on freedom, the place where dreams come true, where anybody willing to work hard could make it. What has happened to that dream? Our main export to foreign lands for the past several years is war and money, and our returns have been another shattered generation.

For you antique collectors here is a tip for the future. Start collection anything that has those vanishing words “Made in the USA” these items will be harder and harder to find in the future if not right now.

Who’s taking care of America? Every week we hear about something being taken away from us. Our rights as citizens continue to diminish in the name of keeping us safe from some unseen enemy.

We, the country that fell in love with the automobile and sold it to the entire world have sold many of our logos to foreign countries. At the Daytona 500 this year (The Great American Race) the only American made car was the Toyotas.

The principle product now seems to all be on paper. We do investments, and speculations. We cheat each other out of our life savings and retirements (ENRON). We cheat each other out of our homes (Sub-Prime mortgages). Then we ‘America’ point our collective fingers at other countries and wonder how they can live like that. Now that we have given everything away and squandered our legacy what is the best move that our esteemed leaders’ can come up with to save us? Slot machines! Yes that evil that a few generations ago we put in the closet because collectively we thought it was evil, now we want to bring it out to save our asses, or at least the horse racing business. And what will these slots produce; just another way to cheat us out of our savings and on top of that the slots will probably be made in China or Vietnam.

I thought it was bad when Miller Beer was sold to a South African Company. Now Budweiser is being sold to a Belgium company aren’t they kind like the step child of France? Didn’t we have to save their ass during WWII. As you already know “Wild Turkey” is owned by a French Company I can’t even drown my sorrows in an American made product anymore.

When is someone going to stand up  for America and stop the downward spiral now is the time for some good old fashioned nationalism.

The next thing you know there going to tell me moonshine is illegal.

Steve Parsons

August 2008