Disabled
American Veterans
Blind
Veterans National Chapter #1
WEB SITE: http://www.davbvnc.com/
"IF I CANNOT SPEAK GOOD OF MY
COMRADE,
I WILL NOT SPEAK ILL OF HIM OR
HER."
OFFICERS
OF THE BLIND CHAPTER
Commander
Dennis O’Connell
Phone 516 328-3438
Email: bvnc1@verizon.net
Senior
Vice Commander Richard Bugbee
1st Junior Vice Commander Eddie Humphrey
2nd
Junior Vice Commander Joe Wallace
3rd
Vice Commander Junior Farley
4th
Junior Vice Commander William Burgess
Judge Advocate Dave May
Chaplain Rev. Tony Martino
Phone 847 736 2111
email: Deaconmart@wi.rr.com
Phone
904 291-0576
email: pkjax@kaminsky.com
Immediate
Past Commander Eddie Humphrey
If you
know of any member who is sick or deceased please inform one of the officers
whose contact information is listed above.
REST
IN PEACE
Ken
Davis, Malvern, AR
James
Harris, San Antonio, TX
Gerald
Kinkade, Oakdale, NY
William
Parker, Hazel Crest IL
Richard
Pedder, Willowick OH
Herman
Smith, Saint Marys KS
WELCOME
ABOARD
Ronald
Mackie, Jacksonville, FL
Gerard
McDonnell, Garden City, NY
MESSAGE
FROM THE COMMANDER
As you
read above, we are losing many members due to the grim reaper. Many times you
hear the words, Membership is the life blood of our order, and it is so true.
We all should do our part and find at least one new member to join our ranks. If
our decline of membership goes on we might be dwindled down to just 3 delegates
allowed to go to the 2011 National Convention in New Orleans in August.
On
February 26 Paul Kaminsky & I will be travelling to Washing DC to represent
our Chapter at the DAV Mid-Winter meetings.
Stay
well and please go out there and sign up a new member.
Patriot Day
On
December 18, 2001, President George W. Bush signed into law designating
September 11 as Patriot Day. This is an annual observance to remember the
nearly 3000 people who died during terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC
and Shanksville, Pennsylvania during the terrorist attacks in the United States
on 11
SEP
01. Many Americans refer Patriot Day as 9/11 or September 11 day. On the
direction of the President, the flag of the United States of America should be
displayed on the homes of Americans, the White House and all United States
government buildings in the whole world. A few steps you can take to make the
most of this important day of
remembrance are:
. Fly
the American Flag at your house on11 SEP. And if possible, fly it at half-staff
to remember those who died. If your flagpole doesn't allow a half-staff
display, just displaying the flag is a good way to show respect for those who
have died both during the attacks and in the wars that have followed. Don't
have a flag? Perhaps you can go out and purchase red, white & blue bunting
to hang from your porch or red, white & blue decorations to use to display
your patriotism on Patriot Day.
.
Light a candle (or use an electronic candle) in memory of those who died on
9/11 as a way to celebrate Patriot day.
.
Observe a moment of silence at 8:46 AM Eastern Standard Time. This marks the
time the first plane flew into the World Trade Center.
. Take
time to remember the heroes in your life. You can use Patriot Day to thank your
local firemen and local police officers for the hard work they do. Thank the
teacher who inspired you to work just a little bit harder. Thank the men and
women in uniform who fight to protect you.
. Take
a moment to call family and friends and let them know how much they mean to
you. The events of 9/11 remind us of the uncertainty of our future. Use this
day to celebrate the important people in your life.
.
Celebrate life. Take a walk on the beach or through a park. Enjoy the sunset.
Gaze at the stars. Use Patriot Day to remember that every day is a gift.
Patriot
Day is not a federal holiday and schools and businesses do not close. Public
transit systems run on their
regular schedules. Many people and
organizations take some time out to hold prayers for the victims of the
attacks,
but these do not usually affect public
life for more than a few minutes. Patriot Day should not be confused with
Patriot‘s Day, also known as Patriots Day (19 APR) which commemorates the
battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, which were two of the earliest
battles in the American Revolutionary War.
More
from last issue: Flag Presentation
Update 06:
The
flag in mourning
To
place the flag at half-staff (or half-mast, on ships), hoist it to the peak for
an instant and lower it to a position half way between the top and bottom of
the staff.
. The
flag is to be raised again to the peak for a moment before it is lowered.
. On
Memorial Day, the flag is displayed at half-staff until noon and at full staff
from noon to sunset.
. The
flag is to be flown at half-staff in mourning for the death of designated,
principal government leaders.
. The
flag is to be flown at half-staff for thirty days in mourning for the death of
the current or former President of the United States.
. The
U.S. flag is otherwise flown at half-staff (or half-mast, on ships) only when
directed by the President of the United States, a state governor (within that
state), or the mayor of Washington D.C. (within the district).
. When
used to cover a casket or coffin, the flag should be placed with the union at
the head and over the left shoulder. It should not be lowered into the grave.
. The
U.S. Flag is to be flown half staff on Patriot Day (11 SEP)
DID
YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?
It
started last Christmas 2009, when Bennett and Vivian Levin were overwhelmed by
sadness while listening to radio reports of injured American troops.
"We
have to let them know we care," Vivian told Bennett. So they organized a trip to bring soldiers
from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital to the annual
Army-Navy football game in Philly, on December 3, 2010.
The
cool part is, they created their own train line to do
it. Yes, there are people in this
country who actually own real trains. Bennett Levin - native Philly guy,
self-made millionaire, is one of them.
He has three luxury rail cars. Think mahogany paneling, plush seating
and white-linen dining areas. He also has two locomotives, which he stores at
his Juniata Park train yard. One car,
the elegant Pennsylvania, carried John F. Kennedy to the Army-Navy game in 1961
and '62. Later, it carried his brother Bobby's body to
D.C. for burial. "That's a lot of
history for one car," says Bennett.
He and
Vivian wanted to revive a tradition that endured from 1936 to 1975, during
which trains carried Army-Navy spectators from around the country directly to
the stadium where the annual game is played.
The Levins could think of no better passengers to reinstate the
ceremonial ride than the wounded men and women recovering at Walter Reed in
D.C. and Bethesda, in Maryland.
"We
wanted to give them a first-class experience," says Bennett. "Gourmet
meals on board, private transportation from the train to the stadium, perfect
seats - real hero treatment. "
Through
the Army War College Foundation, of which he is a trustee, Bennett met with
Walter Reed's commanding general, who loved the idea. But Bennett had some ground rules first, all
designed to keep the focus on the troops alone; No press on the trip, lest the
soldiers' day of pampering devolve into a media circus; No politicians either,
because, says Bennett, "I didn't want some idiot making this trip into a
campaign photo op."; And no Pentagon suits on board, otherwise the
soldiers would be too busy saluting superiors to relax.
The
general agreed to the conditions, and Bennett realized he had a problem on his
hands. "I had to actually make this
thing happen," he laughs.
Over
the next months, he recruited owners of 15 other sumptuous rail cars from around
the country - these people tend to know each other - into lending their
vehicles for the day. The name of their temporary train -
"The Liberty Limited".
Amtrak volunteered to transport the cars to D.C. - where they'd be
coupled together for the round-trip ride to Philly - then back to their owners
later.
Conrail
offered to service the Liberty while it was in Philly. And SEPTA drivers would
bus the disabled soldiers 200 yards from the train to Lincoln Financial Field,
for the game.
A
benefactor from the War College gave up up 100 seats
to the game - on the 50-yard line - and lunch in a hospitality suite. Corporate donors filled, for free, and
without asking for publicity, goodie bags for attendees; From Woolrich, stadium
blankets; From Wal-Mart, digital cameras; From Nikon, field glasses; From GEAR,
down jackets.
There
was booty not just for the soldiers, but for their guests, too, since each was
allowed to bring a friend or family member.
The Marines, though, declined the offer. "They voted not to take
guests with them, so they could take more Marines," says Levin, choking up
at the memory.
Bennett's
an emotional guy, so he was worried about how he'd react to meeting the 88
troops and guests at D.C.'s Union Station, where the trip originated. Some GIs
were missing limbs. Others were wheelchair-bound or accompanied by medical
personnel for the day. "They made
it easy to be with them," he says. "They were all smiles on the ride
to Philly. Not an ounce of self-pity from any of them. They're so full of life
and determination. "
At the
stadium, the troops reveled in the game, recalls Bennett. Not even Army's
lopsided loss to Navy could deflate the group's rollicking mood. Afterward, it was back to the train and yet
another gourmet meal - heroes get hungry, says Levin - before returning to
Walter Reed and Bethesda.
"The
day was spectacular," says Levin. "It was all about these kids. It
was awesome to be part of it." The
most poignant moment for the Levins was when 11 Marines hugged them goodbye,
then sang them the Marine Hymn on the platform at Union Station.
"One
of the guys was blind, but he said, 'I can't see you, but man, you must be
f---ing beautiful!' " says Bennett, "I got a
lump so big in my throat, I couldn't even answer him. "
It's
been three weeks, but the Levins and their guests are still feeling the day's
love. "My Christmas came
early," says Levin, who is Jewish and who loves the Christmas season.
"I can't describe the feeling in the air." Maybe it was hope.
As one
guest wrote in a thank-you note to Bennett and Vivian, "The fond memories generated last Saturday
will sustain us all - whatever the future may bring. "
God
bless the Levins, And bless the troops, every one.
2011
MEETINGS
Mid-Winter
Conference
February
27 - March 2, 2011
Crystal
Gateway Marriott
1700
Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington,
VA 22202
Telephone:
703.920.3230
$197.00
Single/Double Occupancy
2011
DAV NATIONAL CONVENTION
New
Orleans Skyline
August
6 - 9, 2011
Hilton
New Orleans Riverfront
2 Poydras Street
New
Orleans, LA 70140
Telephone:
504.561.0500
$124
Single/Double