VVA Chapter 1071
Vietnam Veterans of America - Chapter 1071    Denver, Colorado
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ARCHIVES 2017

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World War II "Last Fighter Pilot"
​ Capt. Jerry Yellin on War and Survival

Last Fighter Pilot Video

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Veterans Day Poppy Fundraiser 2017
Veterans Day Poppy Donation Fundraiser photos above are of the Green Mountain, Thornton, Arvada, and Ken Caryl King Soopers stores. 

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DoD to Open Online Exchange Shopping to Veterans
The Army, Air Force Exchange Service and all other Branches will start allowing all honorably discharged veterans to shop online, (think Amazon, but only cheaper with no taxes.)  The target start date is Veterans Day, November 11, 2017 but, you must register first.  Registration begins June 1, 2017.  You must call 1-844-868-8672  after June 1 to register. 
Exchange Website
Link to Online Exchange Info

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AGENT ORANGE NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2017

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The Vietnam War by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
The Vietnam War 10 part, 18 hour documentary film was shown on PBS.  It took 10 years for Ken Burns and Lynn Novick to make this documentary.  Links to the Program Home Page, or watch each episode on line buttons are below.

Program Details
Watch Episodes

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Green Mountain High School Veterans Day Assembly & Breakfast Wednesday Nov 8, 2017

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Oct 27, 2017 Congress heard your voices, 357 Members Of Congress now support The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act. 314 in the House and 43 in the Senate
Blue Water Update

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Ben Franklin Academy is invited Veterans
to be a Guest of Honor for Veterans Day, Friday Nov 10, 2017

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COATS, BOOTS, BLANKETS & SOCKS DRIVE

Our Chapter will be collecting all cold weather clothing at our October Chapter meeting 10/21/17.  Our Member Richard Winfrey, will take everything we collect back to the mountain towns and areas.  He will be at our October members meeting.  He knows many vets that live up there, with some of these vets living in abandoned cabins and they need our help.
 
Please check with your family and friends and clear your closets of all those too small or too large items of clothing that you just don't use anymore.

Thanks for your help and generosity!!

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Veterans Day at Jefferson Academy Elementary School
Member Tom Simpson at Jefferson Academy Elementary School in Westminster.  There were 25 to 30 veterans present representing all conflicts and branches of service from WWII to present (2 current active duty servicemen). One picture is of Tom and the young lady who invited him.

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October is Depression Awareness Month
Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad, but it passes. When a person has depression, it interferes with normal functioning and causes pain for friends and family. The good news is that depression, even the most severe cases, is a highly treatable disorder. You may be wondering if you have symptoms of depression. One way of determining that is to a this brief, confidential, and anonymous screen.

Take the Screen Here...

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Prairie View High School Henderson, CO
Salute to Service Oct 16, 2017



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Mike Thompson funeral At Fort Logan
​VVA1071 Chapter Members attending the funeral of Mike Thompson at Fort Logan Cemetery on 10/6/2017

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HERO APPRECIATION MONTH
The DeCino Family Dentistry for September is offering a very special "Hero Appreciation Month" for Veterans which is 50% off everything and anything we offer to a hero and their family. See link below.
Dentistry Link
We are very excited having Liver Health Connection participating this year providing 20 minute Hepatitis C testing as well as the VA eastern Colorado Health Care System providing flu shots – both of these services are free of charge.

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Green Mountain High School Pregame Recognition Ceremony 

Green Mountain H.S. invited our chapter to a tail gate party to be recognized before their home game on 9/22/2017 at the Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood.  We thank all the students, football players and staff for their “Thank you for your service” greetings at this game. 

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West Metro Veterans Fair 2017

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      ​​Click on each text
     below to read more

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VVA to Partner with WWP and Taps to Address Military Toxic Exposures  11/28/2017

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Agent Orange: The Wait for Justice Continues  11/03/2017

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Blue Water Navy Vets Foiled Again, House committee Tables H.R.299  11/03/2017

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RAND Study Finds ACA Repeal Will Strain VA; Any ACA Repeal Must Invest in VA Infrastructure

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VVA Applauds DoD’s Progress on Bad-Paper Policy; Renews Call for Presidential Action 

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Forever GI Bill Now Law of the Land

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VVA Lawsuit Challenges DOD's Leaking of Personal
Information Belonging to Active Duty and Veterans

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VA Clinical Research Study
The IMAGE research group at the University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus is conducting a VA clinical research study exploring the effects of different exercise on bone strength and architecture. The results of this study will help design exercise programs for osteoporosis prevention and therapy. We feel this research can provide valuable insight for older veterans who are at risk of having low bone density.
Research Study Information

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June is PTSD Awareness Month
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The National Center for PTSD invites you to ​Raise PTSD Awareness during the month of June to help those with PTSD. We encourage everyone to learn, connect, and share with others. Give support. Get support. You can make a difference today in someone's life. For many people, it can be hard to reach out for help. Read tips on how to overcome barriers to care and know that there is support for family and friends, too.

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View Press Release as a PDF

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Memorial Day Poppy Fundraiser 2017
The weather did not dampen the spirits of our chapter members at the Green Mountain and Thornton King Soopers stores to surpass our biggest ever donation collection.  Thank you for the member support for this event.

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Member John Thompson uplifting speech about being proud to be a Vietnam Veteran from our April 2017 Members Meeting
Text of John Thompson's Speech

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Town Hall Meeting April 29, 2017

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​Colorado Chapters 1071 and 1106 invited all Veterans and Guests to the Agent Orange and Hep-C Town Hall Meeting held at the American Legion Post 161 in Arvada.  Topics included Agent Orange, Hep-C, PTSD and VA Benefits.  Testing for Hep-C was also provided, along with a free breakfast and lunch.
Town Hall Program

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Green Mountain High School Visit April 16, 2017
Our members Al Roettger, Bob Wyatt, Jose Gonzales, Marty Chavez, and Steve Newton, talked to the students of Green Mountain High School about their experience in Vietnam on April 16, 2017.

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Dakota Ridge High School Visit April 12, 2017
Our members Al Roettger, Bob Wyatt, Hal Coffman, John Altfeltis, Jose Gonzales, Marty Chavez, Phil Waters and Stan Paprocki, talked to the students of Dakota Ridge High School about their experience in Vietnam on April 12, 2017.

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Channel 4 News coverage
Channel 9 News Coverage
Channel 31 News Coverage
VVA Website News Story

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VVA Calls for Open Debate on “Forever GI Bill”
Link to Forever GI Bill Press Release

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The American Veteran Show
Member Al Roettger was interviewed about our Honors Burial program by Steffan Tubbs from the The American Veteran Show.  This interview will be aired this Sat. 3/25/17 on KOA (850AM) radio at 6-7AM and Sun. 3/26/17 on KHOW radio (630AM) 8-9AM.  Click on button below to visit their website for more information and all past shows that were broadcast.
The American Veteran Show

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DoD Announces New Outreach Efforts to Veterans Regarding Discharges and Military Records

Link to DoD Outreach

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​March 8, 2017                              No. 17-7
No.  17-7

Kris Goldsmith 
516-457-1260
kgoldsmith@vva.org
 
 

VVA Applauds Secretary Shulkin for Announcing Intentions to Provide Care to Veterans with Bad-Paper Discharges
"Secretary Shulkin announced last night that the Department of Veterans Affairs is finally going to start helping our nation's most vulnerable veterans," said John Rowan, National President and CEO of Vietnam Veterans of America. "For far too long the VA had forgotten the intent of the 1944 GI Bill of Rights, which was to make sure that every veteran who set foot in combat was provided the care that they needed to recover from war. With new leadership, Secretary Shulkin is righting the ship, and helping the Department fulfil its sacred promise."
 
Last year, VVA was joined by nearly fifty organizations dedicated to serving the military, veterans and their families in promoting the "Fairness for Veterans Movement." The Fairness for Veterans Act, which ensures that veterans who have experienced PTSD, TBI or MST have a more fair process in appealing unfair discharges, was passed as part of last year's massive Defense Bill. Despite the passage of the bill, the discharge appeal process remains a long and stressful process, and without access to VA care, veterans face extreme difficulty building evidence to support their claims.
 
"President Donald Trump selected a doctor to be the leader at VA, and Secretary Shulkin takes the hippocratic oath seriously," Rowan continued. "Providing mental heathcare is the most urgent step in helping veterans who were unfairly issued bad-paper discharges -- but questions remain about if the VA will treat physical injuries and illnesses, and chronic pain, which can drastically impact mental health. Furthermore, we're still hoping for our Commander-in-Chief to pardon veterans with PTSD who were denied the right to due process." 
  

Vietnam Veterans of America is the nation's only congressionally chartered veterans' service organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA's founding principle is "Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another."

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New VA Secretary on YouTube Q&A with Veterans 2/24/2017
Feb. 24, VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin took questions from Veterans during a town hall-style digital event on YouTube Live.  Shulkin and other VA senior leaders will joined moderator Bill Rausch for a 40-minute discussion online via YouTube Live.
Link for Event

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 30, 2017 No. 17-6 
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VVA Urges President to Make Exception for Iraqi and Afghan Interpreters "We're disturbed to hear that Iraqi and Afghan interpreters who worked alongside our troops through our nation's longest wars are being prevented from entering the United States,” said John Rowan, National President of Vietnam Veterans of America." As a generation, Vietnam veterans have lived with decades of regret from having seen this happen before. We cannot remain silent and allow history to repeat itself." As ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban have persisted throughout the Middle East, they have frequently targeted civilians who have cooperated with Coalition Forces. President Trump's memorandum, placing a blanket ban on immigration from Iraq and Afghanistan makes these men and women easy targets. George Washington once said, “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by our nation.” The same logic applies to our interpreters, who risked not only their own lives, but the lives of their families to protect American troops and support our mission. "America must fulfill her promise to Iraqi and Afghan nationals who served alongside US troops that we promised safe harbor to--not only because it is a moral necessity--but because it sends a message that America keeps its promises to its allies. We strongly urge President Trump to consider the effects that this ban on Iraqi and Afghan interpreters will have on our long-term strategic goals, and to immediately create an exception for foreign nationals who have served alongside our men and women." “Vietnam Veterans of America is the nation’s only congressionally chartered veterans’ service organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA’s founding principle is “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”

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​50TH ANNIVERSARY OF VIETNAM WAR COMMEMORATION
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

Front Range Chapter

​Presentation Ceremony to Honor Vietnam War Era Veterans
at the regular meeting of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1071
February 18, 2017
10:00 am - Noon
Elks Lodge #1777
1455 Newland Street
Lakewood, Colorado
 
Front Range Chapter NSDAR, a Commemorative Partner with the 50th Anniversary of Vietnam War Commemoration, is honored to recognize the service and sacrifice of veterans of the Vietnam War Era at this special presentation ceremony..
 

If you have not yet signed up to participate, and would like to attend and be recognized for your service, please email your full name and military branch, together with a contact phone number, to jkbeiner@att.net before February 12, 2017.

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Event Details

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Chapter 1071 Food Drive January Meeting

We will be collecting non-perishable food items at our January Chapter meeting 01/21/17.  No pressure to bring anything but, if you can, it would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks

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