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Newsletter of the Carson Area Chapter - 388 of the Vietnam Veterans of Americacommobunker388@charter.net

388TH

JANUARY 2017

ARE TE V

MANTEIV

On 20 March, 1967 in an area surrounded by a tree line of sparse woodland that had been scarred by defoliants, American helicopters landed the 3rd Battalion of the 22d Infantry and the 2nd Battalion, 77th Artillery, as part of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. Their objective was to establish Fire Support Base Gold, which would be used to support search and destroy missions of Operation Junction City. The Americans did not anticipate heavy action.

The landing area was an elliptical clearing close to Suoi Tre, near the center of 55 miles northwest of Saigon. Only 2 miles away, during Operation Attleboro a few months earlier, the Americans had defeated the Communists at the Battle of Ap Cha Do. The 272nd Regiment of the 9th Viet Cong Division had been involved in that battle, and had recovered since then.

On March 19 as the three sets of helicopters landed, five heavy remote-controlled charges were set off by the Viet Cong in the landing clearing. Three helicopters were destroyed and six more damaged, leaving fifteen killed and 28 wounded. A Viet Cong claymore-type mine was also detonated against C Company of the 3rd Battalion, wounding five infantrymen.

Company B of the 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, was assigned the east portion of the defensive perimeter, Company A the western half. Later that day the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry landed at Fire Support Base Gold and moved to the northwest. Its final airlift attracted Communist fire, and another seven helicopters were damaged.

On 20 March work was done to improve the fire support base's perimeter defenses, which turned out to be fortunate for the Americans as the Battle of Suoi Tre was to begin the next day.

THE BATTLE OF SUOI TRE

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The latter part of January of each year, Carson City conducts its annual “Point in Time” Homeless Count. The Point in Time Count is intended to provide a snapshot of a community’s homeless population. It is one way to understand the scope and breadth of homelessness in our nation and our individual communities. The count is an important effort that ensures the voices of people experiencing homelessness in your community are heard and efforts are made to provide appropriate services. It also helps communities develop more effective plans and measure progress toward ending homelessness. This year’s PIT Count will be held on January 24th and 25th.

The annual count is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for communities across the country in order to receive funding. During the last 10 days of January, thousands of volunteers canvass communities, as well as count and survey individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Service providers nationwide choose one day during the 10-day period to count people in their communities who are living on the street and in emergency shelters, transitional housing, or domestic violence shelters.

Chapter 388 has participated in this project for several years now. A training session is provided, after which, on the day of the count, teams will be sent out to various specific areas to count the homeless in Carson City. An additional opportunity for our Chapter is a chance to reach out to possible homeless veterans. If you would consider participating, please watch your email for further information.

Contact Information:

Newsletter Email: commmobunker388@charter.net Chapter 388 Website: http://vva388.com/

Chapter Facebook Page: VVA Chapter 388 Carson City Nevada

Chapter President: Tom Spencer: vva388@gmail.com

Chapter Meetings:Veterans Hall - 2nd and Curry Streets, Carson City, NV 89701

1st Thursday of each month - 5:30 pmBreakfast Meetings

Grandma Hatties Restaurant - 2811 So. Carson St., Carson CityMid- Month - email vva388@gmail.com for specific date and time.

TH388

388th is a monthly publication of the Vietnam Veterans of America - Carson Area Chapter 388 and is published solely for the education of and communi-cation with it’s membership and other interested parties. Not for Sale.

CHAPTER ORGANIZATION

AD HOC COMMITTEES

Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day

** Membership established by Chapter By-LawsChapter President is a member of all Committees

Scholarship Darrol Brown/Bruce Bertram

Health/Transportation Neal Davies

Darrol BrownGovernment Affairs

STANDING COMMITTEES: CONTACT

POW/MIA Darrol BrownCommunications Verne Horton

Membership Affairs Outreach Verne Horton

Finance Committee** Vacant

Executive Committee**

Women’s Affairs Lee Jackson

Adopt-a-Vet Dental Program Brenda Horton

Tom SpencerTom Spencer

Larry Sauer

Community Services Committee

Rick Arnold

Special Events Jack McQuirk/Larry Knack

Verne R. Horton, Editor/Publishere

As Called for by the President

ELECTED OFFICERS

Tom Spencer PresidentLarry Sauer Vice PresidentJack McQuirk Treasurer

APPOINTED POSTS

Lee Jackson Secretary

Members of the Executive Committee

Sgt - at - ArmsGriz Rogers

ChaplainBruce Bertram

ParliamentarianDarrol Brown

AVVA Coordinator Vacant

NEW CHAPTER VICE PRESIDENT AND SERGEANT-

AT-ARMS APPOINTED

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR2017 “POINT - IN - TIME”

HOMELESS COUNT

With the resignation of Chapter 388’s previous Vice President - Dan Diridoni (who moved back to California) the Chapter was faced with a vacancy. At the monthly meeting on January 5, 2017, member in good standing - Larry Sauer was appointed to fulfill the balance of the term of Vice President. Larry accepted the appointment and was unanimously accepted by the membership. As Chapter Vice President, Larry will be responsible for all membership issues, serve on the Executive Committee and assist the Chapter President when called upon. Larry will also stand in for the President during his absence.

At the same meeting, member in good standing - Griz Rogers was appointed to fulfill the balance of the term for Sargeant-at-Arms. As Sergeant-at-Arms, Griz will assist the Chapter President with issues relating to the maintenance of order during all meetings and functions of the Chapter.

Larry served in the US Army and Griz served in the Marine Corps. Both are life members of the VVA and are active participants in many of the Chapter’s activities.

Thanks, Gentlemen for stepping up!

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At 04:30 a night patrol from Company B, operating outside the perimeter, reported movement near its ambush site. However no further movement was detected for two hours. At 06:30 the patrol prepared to return to camp. One minute later, explosions were set off in the area as the U.S. base came under heavy attack from enemy 60 mm and 82 mm mortars. Simultaneously, the patrol was attacked by a Viet Cong force. Within five minutes, the patrol had been overpowered, and all of its men were killed or wounded.

The first Communist mortar round landed on the doorstep of a company command post; seconds later another exploded outside battalion headquarters. An estimated 650 mortar rounds fell while the Viet Cong advanced toward the perimeter. As they moved closer, machine guns and recoilless rifles joined the attack as the Communists prepared to assault the position.

Minutes later, the entire perimeter came under attack by waves of Communist infantry emerging from the jungle and firing recoilless rifles, RPG-2 rockets, automatic weapons, and small arms. The heaviest attacks were concentrated on the northeastern and southeastern portions of the base. As the Communist offensive intensified, the three US artillery batteries began to return mortar fire at their Communist counterparts. During the first assault, Company B reported that its 1st Platoon positions on the south-eastern perimeter had been penetrated and that a reaction force from the 2nd Battalion, 77th Artillery, was needed to reinforce them. Artillery was sent to the perimeter to help repulse the continuing attacks.

At 07:00 the first "USAF Forward Air Controller" arrived to direct American air strikes against the Communists. At the same time, two batteries of 105 mm howitzers located at nearby fire support bases were brought within 100 m of the battalion's perimeter. At 07:11, Company B reported that its 1st Platoon had been overrun and faced by an infantry charge. Air strikes were called in all along the wood line to the east to ease the pressure on the besieged company. Then, the air controller directing these strikes was shot down by automatic weapons fire. At 07:50 the Company B commander requested that the artillery fire beehive rounds (canisters filled with hundreds of metal darts) into the southeastern and southern sections of his perimeter. At 07:56 Company B reported that complete Communist penetration had been made in the 1st Platoon sector and ammunition was depleted there. Ammunition and twenty men from Company A were sent to assist B Company. At 08:13 the northeastern section of the perimeter was overrun by another infantry charge. At 08:15, elements of Company A which had established an ambush just outside the perimeter the previous night charged into the camp's perimeter and assumed defensive positions, managing to evade the surrounding Viet Cong.

Company A reported that the Viet Cong had penetrated the northern perimeter. Ten minutes later an American quad-.50 machine gun located there was hit by RPG-2 rocket rounds and overrun. As the attacking Communists reached the weapon and attempted to turn it on the Americans, the gun was blown apart by a round from a 105 mm howitzer crew from their position 80 yards away. By 08:40 the Americans on the northeastern, eastern, and southeastern perimeter had withdrawn to a secondary defensive line around the artillery. The northern, western, and southern defenders were

managing to hold despite large numbers of Viet Cong who had come within 15 yards from the defensive positions, and within hand grenade range of the battalion command post and only some 5 yards from the battalion aid station. The American howitzers, now pointing almost horizontally, began firing beehive rounds into the Viet Cong at point-blank range. Each round had 8,000 finned steel missiles directed at their target.

The first Forward Air Controller returned to control additional American air strikes were brought in within 55 yards of their compatriots and supporting artillery pounded areas around the perimeter to stop the Communist influx. When the artillerymen had exhausted their supply of beehive rounds, they began to fire high explosive rounds at point-blank range. By 09:00 the northern, western, and southern sectors of the perimeter were holding despite ongoing Viet Cong pressure. The positions on the east had withdrawn inwards, but were still intact.

The 3rd Brigade headquarters had already alerted its other units conducting operations to the west. They were the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry, the mechanized 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, and the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor. When word of the attack reached these forces, they returned immediately to base. The 2nd Battalion of the 12th Infantry moved from the northwest and the mechanized infantry and armor battalions moved from the southwest until they reached the stream, where they were held up while finding a feasible crossing site, of which there was only one.

At 09:00 the relief column from the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry broke through the Communists and linked up with the depleted Company B. With the replenished forces and firepower, the two units were able to counterattack to the east and reestablish the original perimeter. The Viet Cong continued attacking, using wounded soldiers who had been bandaged earlier in the same battle. The Americans reported that they were advancing, even though some could not walk and had to be carried into offensive positions by colleagues.

Twelve minutes after the first US relief unit arrived, the mechanized infantry and armor column broke through the jungle from the southwest to reinforce the American defenders. With their 90 mm guns firing canister rounds and machine guns raking the Communists, they moved into the advancing Viet Cong, cutting them down and forcing them to withdraw. By 09:30 the base perimeter had been re-secured and thirty minutes later, helicopters had arrived to evacuate the wounded Americans. By 10:45 the battle was over, except for various armored cars and tanks that pursued the retreating Communists, who were also targeted with artillery and air strikes. This continued until noon.

The Americans counted 647 bodies, took seven prisoners and 65 crew-served and 94 individual weapons. Of the weapons captured, fifty were RPG-2 rocket launchers. The Americans lost only 36 killed and 190 wounded.

Documents captured in the area showed that intensive planning had been made by the Viet Cong before the attack. The attacking force was identified by the Americans as the 272nd Regiment of the 9th Viet Cong Division, and elements of U-80 Artillery. The 272nd was considered by the Americans to be one of the best organized and equipped Communist units and was one of the few that dared to make daylight attacks.

Cont’d. from Page 1

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The venerable F-4 Phantom, the workhorse for the U.S. military for over 50 years, could be described as one those aircraft that was a jack of all trades, but master of none.

The ‘Final Flight’ retirement ceremony for the F-4 occurred December 21 at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. It memorialized the versatile airplane, which was prominent during the Vietnam War and was employed for decades for anti-missile electronic jamming and reconnaissance.

The Phantom wasn’t the best at anything, but it could take on multiple roles, said retired Air Force colonel, Craig Schorzman, a resident of Tucson, Arizona. He trained there to pilot the F-4 in the 1960s while stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base before shipping off to Europe and then Southeast Asia.

It wasn’t the best in air-to-air combat, but it could be done. The Phantom could provide air support for ground troops. It could bomb. It could execute any role including deploying nukes, he explained.

The remaining F-4s still active in the U.S military took on a different persona, acting as test aircraft and serving as aerial targets during training in New Mexico. They are either flown remotely as drones by ground controllers or flown by pilots. They’ve been used as target practice for missiles in addition to testing new radars and other assignments. After the ceremony last December, the warbirds will be used exclusively as ground targets.

McDonnell Douglas, absorbed into Boeing Co., assembled over 5,000 of the airplanes for the Navy, Marine Corps., and Air Force. Production ended in 1985, approximately 35 years after it first flew in the late 1950s.

Because of its powerful engines, two-man crew, and large size, that is a testament to its range of roles and longevity, explained Jeff Duford, a research curator at the National Museum of the Air Force. While other aircraft could accomplish some of the same missions, none were as flexible as the Phantom.

In a dogfight, the Phantom wasn’t spectacular but could contest North Vietnam’s agile Mig fighters by using its powerful engines to gain altitude, Schorzman said.

While other aircraft such as the F-15 took the F-4’s fighter-bomber place, it still flew for years as a camera-carrying reconnaissance vehicle, in addition to electronic warfare variants that blinded an opponent’s guidance systems to anti-aircraft systems, Military Times reported.

The remaining dozen QF-4s at Holloman are piloted by a section of a squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. Dozens of the target planes have been shot down either over the Gulf of Mexico or the White Sands Missile Range near Holloman.

THE RELIABLE, MULTI-PURPOSE F-4 PHANTOM

HAS BEEN RETIRED

2017 VIETNAM VETERAN REMEMBRANCE DAY

APRIL 1, 2017

COMANCHE TRIBAL MEMBER, VETERAN INDUCTED INTO

ANCIENT ORDER

Vietnam Veteran Remembrance Day is planned for Saturday - April 1, 2017. As in the past, Rick Arnold chairs the committee for this event. It is planned to have the banner across Carson Street again this year and flyers will be printed and distributed prior to the date.

A decision hasn’t been made as to “Reading of the Names” in conjunction with the event. In that reading of all the names on the Wall would be a monumental endeavor, it was suggested at last month’s meeting that a reading of just the Nevada names might be more realistic and could be done prior to the actual Remembrance Ceremony.

Once again, a reception is being planned at Gold Dust West Hotel Casino afterwards.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

A Comanche warrior who has earned the Silver Star for bravery in Vietnam has been recognized by Saint Barbara — the patron saint of the artilleryman.

George Red Elk was inducted into the Ancient Order of Saint Barbara Military Honor Society at a ceremony Jan. 7 during the 45th Field Artillery Brigade Dining-out in Oklahoma City. The honoree didn't know what to expect. He said he left feeling humbled and more blessed than ever.

"To be truthful, I didn't really know anything about that award," Red Elk said. "It kind of blew my mind."

Sgt. Maj. William Blasingame nominated Red Elk for the award without telling him, according to The Lawton Constitution. A week before the event, Red Elk said he wasn't going. That's when he was told he was being honored and had to go.

A lot of people knew of the renowned Comanche warrior and wanted to meet him. He's the son of Comanche Code Talker Roderick Red Elk, and both are members of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame.

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DEMOGRAPHICS OF HOMELESS VETERANS

MARINE MISSING FROM VIETNAM

WAR IDENTIFIED Marine Corps Reserve 1st Lt. William C. Ryan, missing from the Vietnam War, has now been accounted for.

On May 11, 1969, Ryan was the radar intercept officer of an F-4B aircraft, for the Marine Fighter Attack Force 115, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force Pacific, on a combat mission over Savannakhet Province, Laos. While pulling out of a bombing pass, the aircraft was hit by enemy fire. The pilot lost control and called several times for his radar officer to eject, but received no response. The pilot ejected before the aircraft crashed, and other members of the flight only witnessed one parachute leave the aircraft. The location of the crash site precluded a search and recovery effort, but the pilot was rescued. Ryan was declared deceased as of May 11, 1969.

William C. Ryan

Ÿ 11% of the homeless adult population are veteransŸ 9% of homeless veterans are femaleŸ 20% of the male homeless population are veteransŸ 68% reside in principal citiesŸ 32% reside in suburban/rural areasŸ 51% of individual homeless veterans have disabilitiesŸ 50% have serious mental illnessŸ 70% have substance abuse problemsŸ 57% are white males, compared to 38% of non-veteransŸ 50% are age 51 or older, compared to 19% non-veterans

As a 19-year-old infantryman, Jim McGough was with his unit near the Laotian border in 1971 when they came under fire. A grenade exploded nearby, tearing up his feet and lower legs.

McGough was evacuated to Okinawa, where he underwent surgery, including a blood transfusion. He was discharged because of his injuries and shipped back to the States, where he married his high school sweetheart.

Twenty years passed before Jim learned that he had hepatitis C, a blood-borne viral infection that attacks the liver. He had never been an intravenous drug user or gotten tattoos, two common routes of infection, so the he figured he must have contracted the virus when he had the blood transfusion in Japan.

Veterans are more than twice as likely to have hepatitis C as members of the general population, studies have found. The virus is significantly more common among Vietnam-era veterans than among other service members.

McGough went to a liver specialist, who found no damage. The standard treatment at the time, a combination of the drugs interferon and ribavirin, had debilitating side effects, so the McGoughs, who had two daughters, decided not to do anything.

In January 2014, shortly before his 63rd birthday, the virus did kill him. Although Jim had gone through the interferon treatment but couldn’t shake the disease and finally succumbed to liver cancer.

To have their names added to the Wall, Vietnam veterans must meet criteria established by the Department of Defense. Many of the 376 names that have been added since the memorial was completed in 1982 are people who died during the war or shortly afterward but whose records were misplaced or who were overlooked for other reasons. Their deaths generally must be the result of injuries sustained during the war in Vietnam or a related combat zone. A number of causes of death don’t qualify, including exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange or similar chemicals, illness or suicide related to post-traumatic stress disorder, diabetes, cancer and heart attack.

“They reject far more than they accept,” said Tim Tetz, director of outreach for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which created the memorial and is responsible for adding new names to it.

But in McGough’s case, he and Sheryl had found a handwritten note from a nurse in Okinawa ordering a blood transfusion for him on the day after he was wounded. That documentation proved that his disease was service-related and qualified him for veteran’sdisability benefits. After his death, the note — found at the bottom of a box in the couple’s basement — helped realize his goal of having his name added to the memorial.

In addition to McGough’s, seven names were inscribed in 2016. There’s not much room left to add more, Tetz said. There’s space for one more long name, he said, fewer than 20 medium-length names and a basically unlimited number of short ones. It’s an issue that the National Park Service is wrestling with, he said.

In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first of a number of new drugs that cure hepatitis C quickly and with few side effects.

It was too late for McGough, though, who died just weeks before the drug came on the market.

AFTER 45 YEARS, SOLDIER JOINS COMRADES

ON THE WALL

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Adopt a Vet Dental ProgramAAVD

Brenda Horton, HLMVVA-388/Adopt a Vet Dental Program - Volunteer Case Manager

As we start a New Year and look forward to continuing the program

our original goal to provide dental care to low income veterans

continues to remain our priority.

Linda Haigh, AAVD founder received from Governor Sandoval

the Veteran Supporter of the Month Award for the month of

January. Dispite the snow, the Award ceremony was well attended

and some of our VVA veterans who have received dental care under

the AAVD program were in attendance. Linda is preparing to go

and testify before our State legislators for financial support for the

Adopt a Vet Denta l Program. Whi le there a re 119

dentists/specialists currently participating in the program by

providing pro-bono dental treatment, the program has developed to

the degree that any further continuation needs monetary backing.

Backing which will provide for adequate staffing, administrative

supplies along with the cost of dental expenses which are paid for

by the AAVD.

The Carson Area continues to thrive, as does the number of

veterans who need dental care. It is often difficult to meet the

immediate needs of a qualifying veteran. There is still a ‘Waiting

List’ and the manpower demands necessary to maintain the

program are increasing. As a result, I am searching for a volunteer

assistant to help with this program. Also, I have recently been

faced with a number of patients who are having difficulty getting to

their appointments for a variety of reasons and require

transportation. If you can help in either capacity, please let me

know.

We are looking at scheduling the Annual Poker Run in June this

year, as the latter part of the summer seems to have always created a

conflict with other scheduled events resulting in a low participation

in our run. Once scheduled, we will, as in past years, look to the

Chapter membership to man the stops, solicit raffle prizes and most

importantly get the event information out to potential riders.

Presently we have 15 veterans in some stage of treatment and 3

awaiting their acceptance by a dentist. There are 3 which have

recently concluded their treatment and 29 on the Carson Area

waiting list. In 2016 it is noted that 35 Carson Area veterans were

processed through the program from ‘start to finish”. Add that to

the 87 previously completed veterans, gives the Chapter 122

veterans processed since our involvement in 2012. Good job

Chapter 388.

If you can volunteer for any aspect of the program and/or Poker

Run please contact me. As always I appreciate your support in this

AAVD endeavor.

Vintage military surplus small arms have always been popular among the shooting community. Small arms from both world wars are old enough to classified as “curio and relics” by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, making them easier to obtain. In particular, weapons pivotal in U.S. military history like the M1 Garand and M1903 Springfield still command interest from gun owners; and the Garand can even still be purchased directly from a government-sponsored program. But now the M16A1 is being brought back by its original military manufacturer, Colt’s Manufacturing Company.

Colt is calling this release the “M16A1 Reissue” and that’s a testament to how detailed this rifle is to the original weapon issued in Vietnam. It’s also an indication of how much has changed in the AR-15 platform since it was introduced. Unchanged is the 7075-T6 hard-anodized aluminum receiver, which has remained the mil-spec standard. The reissue features what was the standard barrel configuration at the time: 20 inches, chrome-lined, with a 1:12 rifling twist rate (Twist rate is the distance the rifling takes to make one complete revolution; in this case once per 12 inches). 5.56mm bullets have gotten heavier since the original 55-grain M193 round, so the rifling has gotten “faster” to stabilize heavier ammo: The M4 carbine features a 1:7 twist rate barrel. Barrel length has changed as well, with the long 20-inch barrel of the M16 family falling out in favor of shorter carbines.

Externally, the gun features the iconic “furniture” of the M16A1: the triangular handguards, three-prong “tuning fork” flash hider, integrated carry handle, A1 butt stock and pistol grip, and the “teardrop” forward assist. The forward assist is the most infamous addition to the M16A1, and was part of an attempt to resolve the reliability issues that severely dogged the original M16 in Vietnam. If fouling prevented the bolt from fully locking forward (known as going into battery), troops could hit the forward assist to ensure a round was chambered. A modified version of the A1 forward assist is still present on most military and civilian AR-15 style rifles, though its usefulness in the modern era is still matter of debate. There is notably no brass deflector, so left-handed shooters will experience some close encounters with ejecting casings.

The reissue has excellent attention to detail. The rifle will feature fully period accurate markings, right down to AUTO being marked on the fire selector, although the rifle remains capable of semi-auto fire only. Perhaps the biggest throwback is that the gun weighs just over six pounds.

All this historical realism isn’t cheap, though. The reported manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the gun when it reaches distributors in early 2017 will be $2,499. Given how crowded the AR market is, why would anyone pay that price? The same reason people want to own any historical firearm. opportunity to see where that legacy began.

COLT IS BRINGING BACK THE ICONIC VIETNAM WAR SERVICE RIFLE

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2017 TENTATIVE CALENDAR

JANUARY FACTOIDThe 1972 Easter Offensive was the largest conventional invasion since 300,000 Chinese forces crossed over the Yalu River to support North Korea during the Korean War.

Bob McLean Jan 5Gary Armstrong Jan 6Eric Lydic Jan 7Dennis Wooton Jan 7Frank Carpenter Jan 8Doug Harvey Jan 14Terry Potter Jan 22Bill Brazil Jan 24Paul Desormier Jan 28

Verne Horton Feb 1Mike Mader Feb 4Bob Zajonc Feb 7Arlo Miller Feb 18Roosevelt Reed Feb 18Jim Whiteside Feb 22Rick Arnold Feb 23Curtis McLachlan Feb 23Gerold Bowers Feb 28

Date Event LocationJanuary 5 Chapter Meeting Carson CityJanuary 21 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sFebruary 2 Chapter Meeting Carson CityFebruary 18 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sMarch 2 Chapter Meeting Carson CityMarch 18 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sApril 1 Welcome Home Mills Park Vietnam Veterans DayApril 6 Chapter Meeting Carson CityApril 22 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sMay TBA OutreachMay 4 Chapter Meeting Carson CityMay 20 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sMay 20 ARMED FORCES DAYMay 29 MEMORIAL DAYJune TBA OutreachJune 1 Chapter Meeting Carson CityJune 10 Carson Valley Days Parad e MindenJune 14 FLAG DAYJune 17 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sJuly 4 INDEPENDENCE DAYJuly 6 Chapter Meeting Carson CityJuly 22 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sJuly TBA 388 Summer Sizzler BBQ Carson CityAugust TBA OutreachAugust TBA Adopt a Vet Poker Run Carson CityAugust 3 Chapter Meeting Carson CityAugust 19 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sSeptember TBA Dayton Valley Days DaytonSeptember TBA OutreachSeptember 7 Chapter Meeting Carson CitySeptember 15 POW/MIA Recognition Day Carson City September 23 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sOctober 5 Chapter Meeting Carson CityOctober 21 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sOctober 28 Nevada Day Parade Carson CityNovember 2 Chapter Meeting Carson CityNovember 11 Veterans Day Parade Virginia CityNovember 18 Breakfast 9AM Grandma Hattie’sDecember TBA Christmas Party December 7 Chapter Meeting Carson CityDecember TBA Christmas Shopping for Carson City Families Walmart -Topsy L.nDecember 16 Wreaths Across America Fernley

Note: This Calendar is Tentative and events, and/or timing may change as the year unfolds.

Some 70,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched the Tet Offensive (named for the lunar new year holiday called Tet), a coordinated series of fierce attacks on more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. General Vo Nguyen Giap, leader of the Communist People’s Army of Vietnam, planned the offensive in an attempt both to foment rebellion among the South Vietnamese population and encourage the United States to scale back its support of the Saigon regime.

REMEMBERING TETJanuary 30, 1968 – September 23, 1968

KIA WIA MIA 1,536 7,764 11