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State News - Veterans & VVA in Texas
[Page updated on: 1-20-2019]

The VVA Texas State Council (TSC)

The Texas State Council [TSC] was organized in 1987 as a non-profit veterans organization under Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code. TSC is comprised of 38 member chapters in the State of Texas and 22 committees. Texas members are men and women of the Texas community that served our nation proudly, with dignity and honor during the Vietnam Era. Membership is open to U.S. Armed Forces veterans who served on active duty in the Republic of Vietnam between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975 and Vietnam-era veterans who served in any duty location between August 5, 1964 and May 7, 1975. Click here to visit the TSC Website

Next TSC Council Meeting Set For April 26-27, 2019 - Texarkana

We have received information from TSC that the April 26-27, 2019 TSC Meeting will be held in Texarkana, TX hosted by Chapter 278. Use the link below to visit the TSC website for more information. The TSC is looking forward to seeing you all in Texarkana! Click here to visit the TSC Webpage for More Information

TSC Announces Special Election for April 2019 Meeting

We have received information from TSC President, Kerwin Stone, that the Texas State Council Bylaws and the VVA Constitution, require that two recently opened TSC Officer positions must be filled and elected at the April 2019 TSC meeting, being held in Texarkana. The two open positions are Vice President and Secretary. Below is additional information from TSC Election Chair Greg Beck, about the April special elections. His email also contains directions about submitting your name as a candidate for either position.

From Gregory Beck (TSC Elections Chairperson)

As notified by Kerwin Stone (TSC President), the VVA Texas State Council will elect a TSC Secretary and a Vice President at our April 27, 2019 meeting in Texarkana, TX. Any VVA member in Texas who is in good standing (dues paid, DD 214 filed) is eligible to run for this position. As Elections Committee Chair I am requesting that whomever wants to run for these positions please send me a "Letter of Intent" and a signed SF 180 by April 18, 2019. As this is a special election it will be the first order of business after opening ceremonies per VVA National Constitution.

Note that a "Standard Form 180" (SF-180 - the Request Pertaining to Military Records), is a one-page authorization form (plus 2 pages of instructions) of the U.S. military. The form may be filled out by veterans of the U.S. military or their surviving next-of-kin to view and/or release a person's military record. Use the link below to View or Print the form (a PDF document).

SECTION 5 – OFFICERS (As per VVA Constitution)

A) The delegates to a state council shall elect from the membership within the state, whether chapter or otherwise, a president, a vice president, a secretary, a treasurer, or secretary-treasurer, and such other officers as may be deemed necessary or proper by the state council. Election of officers of the state council, shall, upon nomination, be by vote at a meeting of the state council to be held the 2nd calendar quarter of each even-numbered year. Officers shall serve for a term of two years or until the seat held by such officer shall be deemed vacant pursuant to the provisions of this Constitution.

B) Except as provided in Paragraph B of Section 6 of this article, a vacancy in any office of the state council shall be filled, for the unexpired term, by a vote of the delegates to the state council. The first order of business at the meeting immediately following such an event shall be the election of a member to fill the office so vacated. If no candidate runs to fill the vacancy at the next state council meeting, the president may fill the position by appointment subject to approval by a vote of the delegates to the council at the state council meeting following the appointment.

ARTICLE XV - Texas State Council By-Laws:

The "Biennial Meeting" election of officers shall be conducted prior to the "Unfinished Business" section of the meeting agenda. All Nominees and Candidates seeking office in the Texas State Council must be in attendance at the State Convention at the time of the elections to be elected to any State office. All Nominees and Candidates must submit a letter of intent identifying the office seeking, a copy of their DD 214, sign an SF 180 and files these forms with the Election committee before the elections to have their names on the ballot at the election convention. Any nominee from the floor must sign and SF 180 prior to the elections for that office, and provide a copy of their DD 214. Once a verified DD 214 for Council Delegates and Officers is on file with the council Secretary, those persons need not produce further documentation. Inactive Delegates or Officers documentation will be placed in a suspense file for a period not less that three (3) years. There will be no absentee voting allowed.

Below are the expected Duties and Responsibilities of the TSC Vice President and the TSC Secretary...

ARTICLE II - STATE PROVISIONS - SECTION 6 - DUTIES OF OFFICERS:

B) TSC VICE PRESIDENT DUTIES:
The state council vice president shall assist the president, shall perform the duties of the state council president in the event of his or her inability or refusal to act, and shall perform such other duties as the state council may from time to time determine. In the event of the death, removal, or resignation of the state council president, the vice-president shall assume the position of president for the remainder of his or her term.

C) TSC SECRETARY DUTIES:
The secretary shall attend all meetings and shall be the custodian of the minutes, correspondence, and other documents relating to the business of the state council. The secretary shall record the minutes of the regular and special meetings of the state council, and shall provide each chapter in the state with a copy thereof within a reasonable time after such meetings.

You may send all letters of intent to Greg via mail or email:

MAIL: Gregory Beck, P.O. Box 6608, Texarkana, TX 75505-6608
EMAIL: Click here to Send email to Greg Beck (USMCgreg@aol.com)

Thank you!
TSC Elections Chair
Gregory Beck

TSC Announces 2019 Awards List and Guidelines - Awarded at April 2019 Meeting

We just received information from our VVA Texas State Council (TSC) President and Secretary about the upcoming TSC Awards project for 2019. The 7 Awards being presented for 2019 are listed below: Pointman of the Year Associate Member Friend of VVA Heart of Patriotism (actually two distinct Awards - read below) Legislator of the Year Veteran Incarcerated of the Year Texas VVA Chapter Website

The descriptions of the Awards are as follows:

• (1) Pointman of the Year:
  Presented to the Individual Member who in the opinion of the chapter membership has stepped forward to take the lead in achieving the goals and ideals of VVA and the chapter, exemplified outstanding leadership qualities, hard work, and/or dedication to chapter projects and community activities or events.
• (2) Associate Member:
  Presented to the Associate Member who, in the opinion of the membership has done the most to assist the chapter in advancing the goals and ideas of VVA and your chapter.
• (3) Friend of VVA:
  Presented to a person, organization, or business that is not a member of VVA who in the opinion of the chapter membership has best assisted the chapter in improving the condition of the Vietnam Veterans.
• (4) Heart of Patriotism: (2 Separate Awards)
  Award 1 Presented to an educator of grades K-12 or university professor, faculty or administrator of any institute of higher learning ; who promotes and encourages patriotism among his/her students. Award 2 Presented to a school or university that promotes and encourages patriotism among the student body and the community.
• (5) Legislator of the Year:
  Presented to an elected city, county, state, or government official who has enhanced or contributed to the improvement of lives and conditions of Vietnam Veterans of Texas.
• (6) Veteran Incarcerated of the Year:
  Presented to a Veteran or Veterans Group that is incarcerated behind the walls of Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The Veteran or Group must show commitment to making a difference in the lives of other Veterans incarcerated with them or other Veterans on other units. It is up to the group sponsor to verify the nomination and submit the nomination to VVA TSC. If there is no Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter group sponsor, then the nominator must supply a DD214 along with verification of commitment.
• (7) Chapter Website: (New Award for 2019)
  Presented to the Chapter who has an active website that is NOT professionally maintained. The website must contain pertinent information and easy to navigate.

BEGIN - Special email message and clarification from TSC President, Kerwin Stone:

The following clarification is provided: Today, December 7th, "Buddy Farina asked me to point out to everyone that there will be TWO awards for Heart of Patriotism; One for an individual, and one for a school or other organization. Please forward this email to all of our chapters. Thank you."

Attached are the forms for nominating someone for our annual VVA Texas State Council awards. Our committee chairs (Sandra Womack and Buddy Farina) have provided them in both Word format (for those who want to fill in the forms online) and PDF format (plain scan). Please note the DEADLINES for submission of nominations! These awards will be handed out at our April 2019 meeting in Texarkana.

END - Special email message and clarification

The deadline for turning in Awards Nominations is February 15, 2019!

Use the link below to VIEW or PRINT the rules, guidelines and Nomination form for the Awards project (resides on our chapter's website). Also, the information is provided in easily readable PDF document format.

TSC Announces 2019 Scholarship Program - Awarded at April 2019 Meeting

We have just receive an email from the VVA Texas State Council, announcing their annual Scholarship program/contest. Last year, one of our chapter member's grandson was a Scholarship winner and received $1000 from the TSC - see link further below. Again this year, there will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. Note that the associated dollar amounts awarded for each winner are not specified in the application. Also note, the awarded scholarship money must be applied toward tuition, books and other fees. This year's subject/topic for the essay is: "TET 1968 - Battle of Hue City".

--- Begin TSC Announcement snippet ---

Dear Texas VVA Members:

The Vietnam Veterans of America, Texas State Council, wishes to award the Alberto Rodriquez, Robert Spencer and Don Carlos Kennedy Memorial Scholarship to a Vietnam Veteran, current spouse, his/her child or grandchild.

Applications will be given to the Texas VVA Chapters at the TSC meeting in October, 2018 and be sent via email and mailed to chapters without an email address in January 2019 as an additional reminder. If the applicant’s essay is sent by email or mail to any chapters or VVA TSC members before the TSC meeting in April 2019 then the application is disqualified. All essays will be given to several professionals (including a college professor). They will select the top three essays and VVA Texas Chapters at the TSC meeting in April 2019 and will select 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. The integrity of the essay is done by removing the applicant’s name from each qualified essay. Please do not pass out the essays before the meeting and do not disclose the name of the applicant. This scholarship belongs to the Texas Vietnam Veterans of America and each chapter has a vote. The winner’s essays are judged by content, grammar, appearance, originality, and punctuation.

The completed application must be postmarked no later than March 1, 2019.
The deadline for mailing in the scholarship application is March 1, 2019!
Please send all completed forms to:

VVA Texas State Council
Scholarship Committee
100 Elmwood
Fritch, Texas 79036

If you have any questions, please contact me at home 817-691-5577 or (Percilla Newberry) at home 806-857-0409.

Sincerely,
Jim W. Boyd, Scholarship Chair
jimwboyd@swbell.net
Percilla Newberry, Scholarship Co-Chair

--- End TSC Announcement snippet ---

Use the link below to View or Print the entire 2018 scholarship document that was sent to us. It contains the announcement, scholarship history, instructions, application criteria, contact information and the application form itself. I will also bring some copies of the appliation form to the Christmas party. Good Luck!

Click here to View or Print the TSC 2019 Scholarship Application Form

Use the link below to read the details on Allen Jeffery, the grandson of proud Chapter member Calvin Mahlmann and his wife Mary. Allen was one of the winners of last year's TSC Scholarship and received a $1000 from the TSC! You may also read his essay at this link. The essay subject/topic for 2017 was ""Why the U.S. did not win the Vietnam War"

New TSC Website Announced - 8/30/2018

The newly elected TSC Secretary, Cheryl Van Syckle, has created a new website for the TSC. She has also created new email accounts for all the TSC officers. Shown below is the email announcement that Cheryl sent out on 8/30/2018 to all Texas chapters. Congratulations to Cheryl for doing a really super job on the new website!

See a captured image of the website's home page below.

Use the link below to visit the new TSC website.

UPDATE 4/11/2018 - New TSC Officers Elected!

New TSC Officers have been elected at the April meeting in El Paso - see below.

• TSC President: Kerwin Stone
• TSC Vice-President: Stephen Brady
• TSC Treasurer: Jim Boyd
• TSC Secretary: Cheryl Van Sycle

VVA TSC (Texas State Council) Meeting, April 6-7, 2018, El Paso, Texas

VVA TSC OFFICERS (2-yr term 2016-2018)

The VVA Texas State Council (TSC) is having their next State Council meeting in El Paso, Texas, on April 6-7, 2018 (see TSC Officers in image at left). This is the first of two meetings that the TSC will hold during the year. New TSC Officers will be elected at this meeting. Two Delegates from every Texas VVA Chapter are required to attend these State Council meetings. The VVA Chapter 574 of El Paso , will be hosting this meeting. Use the link below to view or print the TSC meeting registration form. The deadline for Council Meeting registration is March 19, 2018! CLICK HERE to View or Print the TSC El Paso Council Meeting Registration Form

Again note, new TSC Officers for 2018-2019 (2yrs) will be elected at this Texas Council meeting. As of 1/15/2018, the following candidates are running for TSC Officer positions.

• Candidate for TSC President: Kerwin Stone
• Candidate for TSC Vice-President: John Cook, Bobby Rangel, Stephen Brady
• Candidate for TSC Treasurer: Jim Boyd
• Candidate for TSC Secretary: Cheryl Van Syckle

The current TSC Officers are:

• TSC President: Buster Newberry
• TSC Vice-President: Kerwin Stone
• TSC Treasurer: Jim Boyd
• TSC Secretary: Humberto Nevarez

VVA TEXAS STATE COUNCIL (TSC)
Council President: Luther (Buster) Newberry
VVA National Webpage: https://vva.org/what-we-do/our-members/chapters/
Postal Address: PO Box 330245, Fort Worth TX 76163
Council Phone: (817) 691-5577
Council Email: jimwboyd@swbell.net
Council Website: http://www.vvaft.org
Council Bylaws: pdf/tscbylaws-10-17-2015.pdf

VVA CHAPTER #574 - EL PASO, TX
Chapter President: Humberto Nevarez
VVA National Webpage: https://vva.org/chapter/vva-chapter-574/
Postal Address: 10468 Valle Suave Dr, El Paso TX 79927
Chapter Phone: (915) 346-9975
Chapter Email: humbertoneva@aol.com
Chapter Website: NONE

Use the link below to view the TSC meeting Agenda and Itinerary document (updated: 3/17/2018).

VVA Chapter 574 will also be offering a tour of Fort Bliss (located in El Paso) on Thursday, April 5th (07.30am-4.30pm), the day before the meeting starts. If you will be attending the Tour you will need to arrive to El Paso on Wednesday, April 4th. Use the link below to view or print the proposed Fort Bliss tour itinerary. The hospitality room will be open on Thursday, April 5th from 5 PM - 10 PM. More information about the tour resides in the meeting registration form.
You MUST RSVP to Terri Rangel: teresa.r.rangel.civ@mail.mil by COB March 1, 2018!

The TSC is also offering a scholarship program for 2018. The 1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners will be announced at the El Paso meeting. The topic for this year's essay is "Interview a Vietnam Veteran - Your Hero". Use the link below to view or print the scholarship application form. The document also includes all the rules and instructions.
The deadline for mailing in the scholarship application is March 1, 2018!

The TSC is also offering a general Awards program for 2018. This year there are 6 Awards, they are; Pointman of the Year, Associate Member, Friend of VVA, Heart of Patriotism Award, Legislator of the Year and Veteran Incarcerated of the Year. Use the link below to view or print the Awards Nomination and Application form. The document also contains full instructions.
The deadline for turning in Awards Nominations is February 1, 2018!

If you have any questions regarding any of the application forms or any of the TSC 2018 programs, or you have a desire to attend the Council meeting as one of our chapter delegates, please come to our next chapter meeting and talk to any of our chapter officers. Most likely, this upcoming TSC meeting will be on our chapter meeting agenda, and so more information will be forthcoming.

VVA October 2017 TSC Meeting - Bay Town, Texas: [posted on: 7-20-2017]

The next VVA Texas State Council (TSC) Meeting will be held October 27-29, 2017, in Bay Town, Texas. It will be hosted by VVA Bay Town Texas Chapter 922.

Use the link below to View or Print the meeting Registration form.

View, print or download the registration form (a PDF file)

Use the link below to View Chapter 922's webpage:

Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument Dedication Set: [posted on: 6-2-2013]

To all Texas VVA Chapters - Be sure to mark your calendars for March 29, 2014, and start thinking about taking a "Chapter" trip to the TCVVM dedication ceremony. This will be a "Once in a Lifetime" event, and something that all Texas VVA members should attend. Click on the link below for more information regarding this special upcoming dedication ceremony.

Click here - Your invitation to the upcoming TCVVM Dedication Ceremony!

Click here to read more about the upcoming TCVVM Dedication Ceremony

Monthly Newsletters from VVA Texas Chapter #343 (San Jacinto): [updated on: 5-5-2014]

Bill Meeks Jr., member and Treasurer of Texas VVA Chapter #343 (San Jacinto) produces and publishes a monthly newsletter. Stephen Brady, Vice President of Chapter #343, has kindly given Chapter #1069 permission to post their newsletter on our website, so as to allow easy access for our members, and hopefully easy access for their members too. The newsletters contain important news updates for our local area and also includes state event updates. Interesting Veteran and Vietnam War era articles are also available in the newsletters. Use the links below to either view the selected newsletter or print the newsletter to your local printer. Any comments, koodos or questions regarding the contents of a newsletter can be directed to VVA Chapter #343, using the additional contact information shown below. Note - Latest issue is at top of list. Enjoy!

Contact VVA TEXAS CHAPTER #343
PO Box 310306
Houston, TX 77231
Send email to Chapter 343 (mailto:thewarriorvva343@aol.com)
Goto Chapter Website 343 (http://www.vva.org/VVAChapter343.html)
(281) 353-6420

Gov Perry signs Legislation for Veterans and Surviving Military Spouses: [posted on: 6-2-2013]

The following information is being distributed by Kerwin Stone, Secretary of the VVA Texas State Council, to all Texas VVA TSC Chapters, including all VVA Texas Chapter members. In general, the information enclosed came to us via email from Kerwin Stone May 28, 2013. It is in effect an official press release from the Office of the Governor, Rick Perry. It basically states that Rick Perry observed Memorial Day by signing Senate Bill 163, House Bill 97, Senate Bill 1476 and House Bill 1514, which provide important resources and support to veterans and surviving spouses of members of the military who have been killed in action. Click on the link below to read the details of the various Bills that Perry signed on Memorial Day, 2013.

Click here to view Bills that Rick Perry signed

Veteran Related Legislative Results from 83rd Texas Legislature: [posted on: 5-31-2013]

The following information is being distributed by Kerwin Stone, Secretary of the VVA Texas State Council, to all Texas VVA TSC Chapters, including all VVA Texas Chapter members. In general, the information enclosed came to us via email from Kerwin Stone May 28, 2013. It explains the results or outcome for the major Veteran related Bills considered by the 83rd Texas Legislature. Please click on the link below to determine if any of the Senate or House Bills may affect you or your family.

Click here to view results of 83rd Texas Legislature

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