VVA Chapter 1069 Meeting Report for: July 7-14-2021
[posted on: 7-18-2021]
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The meeting was held at Mikeska’s BBQ, (located on Hwy 59) El Campo, TX.
A big thanks from the chapter to Mikeska's BBQ for showing the Welcome message for our members, on their new
big business sign (see photo below). It is much appreciated by the membership!
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Newly elected President, Joe McCreary opened the meeting at 7:00 PM (see photo below).
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The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag was recited, led by chapter member, Len Matula.
A prayer was given by Joe and he then recessed the meeting for the evening meal.
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After the meal, Joe re-opened the meeting at 8:00 PM
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Joe then recognized all those members who were having birthdays in July, and Happy Birthday was sung by all.
Happy Birthday to chpater member Ronnie Miller!
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Joe then introduced the chapter's newest member. 22 members & spouses attended this
meeting. The lower attendance was due to the bad weather and heavy rain hitting the Wharton
County area all day. The chapter officers and directors thank all those that attended the meeting.
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The special guest for this meeting was the Wharton County Veterans Service Officer, Jessica Collard.
See photo below. She attended our meeting last month and gave a nice presentation on VA benefits and
the claim process.
To view or print her presentation from last month (a PDF file), click on the link below.
Click here to View or Print Jessica's Presentation
Jessica herself is a 6 year Navy Veteran, having served on the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz.
Jessica is a certifed VSO since January of 2020, and she is also currently in the process of
earning her VA accreditation, which will allow her to have direct access of a Veteran's records,
when filing their claims with the VA.
Jessica will be attending our monthly chapter meetings and will be available for chapter members
who want to discuss any VA issues they may be having or to just ask her any questions the may
have about VA benefits and how to put in a claim. At certain times, she will present any new
information she may have about any changes or updates to VA benefits. The membership thanks Jessica
for coming to our meetings and supporting our our chapter.
To view the Wharton County information webpage that resides on our website, click on the link below.
The page contains contact information, office hours information, and maps showing the location of the
VSO office in Wharton.
Show the Wharton County Service Officer Webpage
Contact Information - Wharton County Veterans Service Officer:
Jessica Collard (VSO)
Frank Shannon Building
1017 North Alabama Road
Wharton, Texas 77488
(979) 532-1311
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Joe then presented chapter member, Bob Supak, with a National VVA Achievement Award (photos below. The award
came down from our VVA Texas State Council (TSC). Bob thanked Joe and the VVA for receiving the award,
and to say that he is honored to be a member of VVA Chapter 1069 and to be associated with a great bunch
of Vietnam Veterans whom he can say without hesitation, are now his friends for life.
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Chapter members, Billy Orsak and Bob Supak then gave a presentation about their recent 780 mile road trip to Fort
Campbell, Kentucky, to attend a special ceremony held on post, hosted by the 101st Airborne Division Association.
The ceremony was to honor all Vietnam Veterans who participated in helicopter air assault missions while
in Vietnam, with an Honorary Air Assault Badge/Wings. Image below shows the set of air assault wings that Billy
and Bob (and every Vietnam Veteran that attended) received at the ceremony.
Photo below shows Billy Orsak talking to the members. Note that Billy drives up to Fort Campbell every year to
attend a reunion of his fellow Vietnam veterans whom he served with in Vietnam.
The ceremony was held at the Sabalauski Air Assault school on Fort Campbell, on Thursday June 24, 2021. 450 Vietnam
Veterans attended the event. The ceremony was held under a huge tent that was setup at the school location. All those
that attended received a certificate and set of Air Assault pins. Photo below shows Bob Supak.
Each Veteran was individually pinned at the ceremony. To view the entire power point presenation that Billy and Bob
showed at the meeting, use the link below to access the file. The presentation has been converted to PDF format for
easy viewing or printing.
The presentation slide set contains a brief explanation of the 101st Airborne Division Association's 2020 Honorary Air
Assault Legacy project for Vietnam Veterans, along with pictures taken at the ceremony on Fort Campbell. Image below is
the first slide in the presentation. Billy and Bob both said it was an honor to be attending a ceremony with 450 other
Vietnam Veterans and to be able to meet and talk with some of them. They hope you enjoy viewing the presentation.
Click here to View or Print Billy & Bob's Presentation
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Next chapter meeting is: Wednesday, August 11, 2021.
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