THRIVENT FINANCIAL WANTS TO GET INVOLVED IN ASSISTING VETERANS
Messrs. Rick Baldwin, Community Engagement Coordinator, Tom Knauer and Michael Colson, the regional point of contact, of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans addressed the Council at its 26 September business meeting. Although there is no chapter specific to the Lehigh Valley, there are about 107,287 members in 53 chapters throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Consequently, it might play a huge role to the benefit of veterans in our valley. This is what their talk centered around. (more…)
You are invited to join the Band of Brothers, Northampton Community College’s (NCC) veterans organization, for the dedication of the recently completed Veterans Plaza in the Susan K. Kubik Tribute Garden at 11:30 a.m. on 1 November 2012. The Tribute Garden is between Penn and Commonwealth Halls on the NCC Main Campus at 3835 Green Pond Road in Bethlehem. A free luncheon hosted by the NCC Alumni Association will follow the dedication. (more…)
Register for the Latest Lehigh Valley PHWFFI Event Trout Unlimited Hokendauqua and its partner, LVMAC, are again sponsoring a Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Outing. It is scheduled for October 7th 2012 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.at Bob Saks’ Pond (a private pond). Donuts and coffee, full picnic lunch Read more…
Lehigh Valley’s Health Care Executives Met July 19 Regarding Military/Veteran Health Care
On July 19, 2012, after six months of collaboration with representatives from all the major health care providers in the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council (LVMAC) hosted a luncheon meeting at Northampton Community College to present a “Health Care in Our Community” project status report. The following chief executive officers of the Lehigh Valley’s hospitals attended this historic gathering: (more…)
DAVE VENDITTA AND HIS WAR STORY PROJECT
Dave Venditta, Content Editor for The Morning Call newspaper, spoke to the Council at its business meeting on 18 July on the subject of war stories and why they matter.
He got interested in the subject in the mid-1990’s while trying to find out how his cousin, Nicky, a twenty year old helicopter pilot, had actually died in Vietnam within eleven days of his arrival. Venditta was a 15 year old at the time of the funeral, but memories of his cousin haunted him. In the end, he discovered the official version of death by enemy action was untrue. Instead, Nicky had actually died at the hands of his own while undergoing an in-country orientation. Whether or not the sergeant pulling the pin of the grenade in a demonstration of its safe use actually new it was a live grenade or thought it was a dud or practice grenade was never determined, but three died as a result. One of them was Nicky. However, in the process of relaying the news to the family, his cousins and uncles began recounting their own war stories. (more…)
Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council to Update on “Health Care in Our Community” Initiative
On July 19, after six months of collaboration with representatives from all the major health care providers in the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council (LVMAC) will host a luncheon meeting to present a “Health Care in Our Community” project status report. The chief executive officers of all the Valley’s hospitals will attend this historic gathering. [Editor’s Note: This is not an event open to the public but a business meeting for those who have partnered through LVMAC.] (more…)
LVMAC Continues to Expand Its Reach in the Valley
The Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council continues to add members who support its causes — proving a community of both veterans and non-veterans organizations can come together to address important issues and to help, if provided a means to work together. (more…)
LANG EMPHASIZES ROLE OF THE STUDENT VETERANS OF AMERICA, INC.
On 16 May 2012, Mr. Joshua Lang, Vice President, National Leadership Council, Student Veterans of America, spoke to the Council at its business meeting on the topic of “Student Veterans of America and Returning Veterans.”
Mr. Lang served in the 82nd Airborne Division from 2005 to 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan. Subsequently he has served in the National Guard. He is one from the youngest generation of veterans.
At the beginning of his talk, he highlighted the process of “getting out.” In his experience, many veterans, especially the younger ones, are not set up for success when their term of service expires – both financially and mentally. The Department of Defense has acknowledged this and begun taking steps forward. The Student Veterans of America, Inc. (SVC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is all about “setting up veterans prior to their getting out and sending them on the path to success.” (more…)
SENATOR MENSCH SAYS STATE MUST PAY MORE ATTENTION TO ITS VETERANS
State Senator Bob Mensch, 24th District, spoke to the Council at its business meeting on 18 April 2012.
A Valley Forge Military Academy graduate, he served in the Army Reserve as a platoon sergeant of a heavy engineer equipment platoon during the Vietnam Era. Currently, among other committees, he serves on the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, headed by Senator Lisa Baker. He is on the only legislator in the valley to so serve on a veterans affairs related committee.
He began by stating he recognizes that the Vietnam War veterans often returned with unattended problems and with little due respect from their society. He has had buddies who suffer from Agent Orange diseases and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Consequently, he feels strongly we must do better by our veterans.
Things are significantly different now, he related, and we have learned to respect our troops, no matter our disagreements about the current war. Nonetheless, our state legislature is not doing as good a job as it should in helping to catch returning veterans who need help, particularly in the area of mental health and PTSD. (more…)