AMVETS Department of CT Minutes
9-25-17
CommanderJames Neeland called the meeting to Order at 1900 hrs.
Invocation given by Chaplain Robert Pickett
POW/MIA Chair Cover Placed by Provost Marshall Christopher Paulhus
Pledge of Allegiance led by Provost Marshall Christopher Paulhus
AMVETS Preamble was read by all.
Motion was made by Albert Duff to suspend the normal of business so that the Commander could make his appointments. 2nd by Douglas Newell. Motion passed.
Appointed Were:
AdjutantAlbert Duff
Provost MarshallChristopher Paulhus
ChaplainRobert Pickett
Membership DirectorDouglas Newell
Assistant ChaplainRay Chaput
PROAl Meadows
Ast PRODana Dillon
VAVS Rocky HillDouglas Newell
ROTC ChairmanJerry Baggish
By-Laws ChairmanAlbert Duff
Convention ChairmanAlbert Duff
Convention Co-ChairmanChristopher Paulhus
Legislative OfficerDan Thurston
Woman’s Veterans RepDana Dillon
Communications OfficerDana Dillon
No Appointments made to the following
VAVS Newington
National Guard Liason
Motion was made by Albert Duff that the SEC Approve the Commander’s Appointments. 2nd by Douglas Newell. Motion passed.
Motion made by Albert Duff to revert back to the Normal Order of Business. 2nd by Douglas Newell. Motion Passed.
Roll Call of Officers:
Commander James NeelandPresent
1st Vice Commander / Adjutant/ By-Laws Committee Chairman/ Convention Chairman Albert Duff Present
2nd Vice Commander/ Provost Marshall/ PDC / Convention Co-Chairman Christopher Paulhus Present
3rd Vice Commander Darlene BerubeExcused
Finance Officer / Alternate NEC / VAVS Rocky Hill / Membership Director Douglas Newell Present
Judge Advocate / Foundation President / Legislative Officer
Dan ThurstonPresent
NEC / Ast PRO / Communications Officer / Woman’s Veterans Rep
Dana DillonExcused
Public Relations Officer Al MeadowsPresent
Surgeon General / VAVS West Haven
Nick DeCerboExcused
Chaplain Robert PicketPresent
Assistant Chaplain Ray ChaputPresent
ROTC Chairman Jerry BaggishAbsent
Post Commanders:
Post 1 Commander Donald LockeryAbsent
Post 2 Commander Lou SmithAbsent
Post 9 Commander Nick DeCerboExcused
Post 12 Commander Al AgolioAbsent
Post 13 Commander Dana DillonExcused
Post 18 Commander Brian DustyAbsent
Post 24 Commander Dan ThurstonPresent
Post 43 Commander Carl MooreExcused
Post 45 Commander Richard BonneauExcused
Post 47 Commander Darlene BerubeExcused
Post 50 Commander Christopher PaulhusPresent
Post 83 Commander Carl GriffinAbsent
Post 911 Commander Stan SandersAbsent
Post SEC’s:
Post 9 SEC Nick DeCerboExcused
Post 12 SEC Al AgolioAbsent
Post 13 SEC Jerry BaggishAbsent
Post 43 SEC Fred BenhamAbsent
Post 45 SEC Richard BonneauExcused
Post 47 SEC Albert DuffPresent
Post 50 SEC John NaumecPresent
Post 83 SEC Robert JacquesExcused
All other Posts have Vacant SEC Positions
Guests:
Major Daniel Eddinger
Sherri Vogt Veterans District Aide to Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty
Juliet
Sar Pottasac
Sevieng Kimmy
Motion made by Albert Duff to dispense with the Norman Order of Business to allow our guests to speak. 2nd by Doug Newell. Motion Passed.
Sar spoke about the hardships that his people (SGU) have faced and are still facing today. How most of them have passed. He spoke about the missions and responsibilities that they faced during the Vietnam War and still today they are not recognized and cannot receive VA Medical Treatment or Burial rites. Doug Newell explained how the SGU went into the Jungle and brought out American Airman (Pilots)that were shot down and brought them to safety while sustaining a large loss of lives themselves. They were trained and directed by the CIA on their missions during the war. After the war America forgot about these men and women and left them to POW Camps. They suffer from the same sicknesses that the Americans suffer due to Agent Orange. Frank Dlugokinski Explained what has been happening over the last 4 years and all efforts seem to have fallen on deaf ears. He talked about the SGU Memorial that is in progress in Bristol CT. Doug Newell introduced Sherri Vogt Veterans District Aide to Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty and he explained that he asked Sherri to come to our meeting and explain how we can go about getting Congress and the House to introduce a Bill that would help the SGU Veterans VA Benefits. Sherri is also a Member of Post 24. Shesaid we have 2 years this Bill to the Floor. Sherri explained that in order to make this work we need to get support from both the Republicans and Democrats. We need to have the support of and representation from different states across the country. She explained that we need to start calling friends and other AMVETS across the Country and start gathering support if this has any chance at making the floor. This Bill needs to be well balanced. She suggested that we should meet monthly and she what progress we are making and what we need to do next. She explained that storming the hill is not the way to get things passed as time is spent in meetings. We need to get other Veterans Organizations onboard. There is already a Bill in the Senate so we need to get a Companion Bill in the House introduced. Dan Thurston Said that he believes the Problem with the SGU is that the Government says they were not direct support and did not report to the military as they were under the command of the CIA.
Motion made by Doug Newell to revert back to the Normal Order of Business. 2nd by Albert Duff. Motion Passed.
Minutes of the Previous Meeting: (6-17-17) Accepted as sent and passed out.
Motion made by Douglas Newell to accept the Minutes. 2nd by Christopher Paulhas. Motion Passed
Communications:
- List of Suspended Posts as of 9-14-17
- Navy Band Concert to honor Veterans 9-18-17
- Military Appreciation Day Durham Fair 9-24-17
- Free UCONN Football tickets for Veterans on 9-24-17
- AMVETS News Letter
- National Veterans Small Business Engagement Dec 5-7, 2017 at America Convention Center St Louis MO.
- AMVETS Executive Report
- AMVETS Membership Information
- AMVETS List of Post Nationwide.
- Veterans Day at the Air Museum onSaturday November 11, 2017. Veterans get in for Free. AMVETS normally sets up a table.
Bills:
- Al Duff – Copies of Minutes - $24.78
- Post 24 – Membership Reimbursement from Nat -$35.00
Reports of Officers:
Commander’s Report
Motion to Accept the Commanders report made by Doug Newell. 2nd by Albert Duff. Motion Passed
1st Vice Commander’s Report
Al reminded all about our Active Military and Hardship Dues Programs. Reported that membership continues to trickle in each week. Commented that it would be nice to complete renewals by December 31, 2017. Then we can put all our attention on recruiting new members. It was also reported that we have 5 posts that are under suspension for failing to properly revalidate. These 5 posts are going to have their Charters pulled if they do not meet the requirements of Revalidating. Post that need to contact National and get this completed are. Post 1, 2, 9, 12, and 50. When revalidating, make sure to include a copy of you IRS Acceptance Letter for your 2016 Filing. Also make sure a copy of the revalidation gets sent to the Department. Send Copies to Albert Duff or Douglas Newell.
Al moved for the adoption of his report. 2nd by Doug Newell. Motion passed.
2nd Vice Commander’s Report
Chris reported he met with the Commander to go over Programs for the Department.
Motion by Al Duff to accept the report. 2nd by Robert Pickett. Motion passed.
3rd Vice Commander’s Report
No Report
Adjutant Report
Continued to be busy over the summer with Paperwork and getting things ready for the 2017 -2018 year.
Al moved for the adoption. 2nd by Doug Newell. Motion passed.
Finance Officer Report
Motion made by Al Duff to accept the Finance Report as handed out. 2nd by Al Meadows Motion passed.
Judge Advocate Report
We are in the process of looking for meeting and Office space at Rocky Hill. Nothing solid yet. Hope to have more information by next month’s meeting.
Motion to accept the report made by Doug Newell. 2nd by Al Duff Motion passed.
Provost Marshall Report
No Report
NEC Report
2017 NEC Convention Report
Waterside Marriot Hotel, Norfolk, VA
Commander Neeland, fellow AMVETS,
I had the privilege of representing us at our National Convention in Norfolk VA at the Waterside Marriot Hotel. I attended the event with my alternate NEC Doug Newell. We were able to attend many of the meetings and gleaned some useful information.
The budget was discussed and gone through in the national service foundation committee meeting but no questions were brought up during the committee meeting. Followed by the finance committee.
I attended the VAVS Committee, which I am a member. We discussed a few items that were up for votes and made our recommendations.
I attended the Suicide Prevention Committee. It was a good turn out We discussed many topics, mostly how to get the word out and how to get with your local VA and get information from them to use at your events. We also talk about how to contact the AMVETS Suicide prevention to get information.
I attended the Women Veterans Committee where I am the vice chair. We discussed how to be more accessible, how to communicate better, how to have more visibility and what's going on within our states for women. We also talked about our Facebook page.
I attended the legislative roundtable. It was a good informational session, we talked about how to submit a CBL change. Know when the number of the document needs a change.
We held our District meeting where Leon Proctor from MA was voted in as our new District One Commander.
During the last business session we held our elections of officers they are as follows:
Commander Marion Polk Rege Riley 2ndJan Brown 3rdGreg Huen FinanceRon Dillon
Provost / Art MajorsCliff Fitsimmons
Dep JA / Barry Remmington
Chaplain / Gary Salade
Trustee A / Jerry Hotop
Trustee B Appointed: / J.P. Brown 111
VAVS / Bill Kilgore
Terry Corbon
Dep JA / Berry Remminston
Chaplain / Gary Salade
I attended all the business sessions as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.
2018convention Caribe Royale, Orlando Florida
2019Convention Springfield, IL 2020 Convention Greenville, NC
Next NEC Dec 7-10
Unfortunately, this year, they did things a little differently, they decided to run meetings simultaneously. Which meant unless you had four people there, you could not attend all of the meetings. Also, we had people staying in several hotels, and some of the events took place in one of the other hotels so it made it inconvenient. But, that being said it was a good convention, there were no executive sessions called! so that was a VERY GOOD THING!
Dana Dillon, NEC
Motion made by Doug Newell to accept the NEC Report. 2nd by Chris Paulhus. Motion Passed.
Alternate NEC Report
Doug reported that he attended most of the meetings at the National Convention. Doug said not much new with membership. National is only looking for your IRS Acknowledgement Letter with Revalidation, not the whole filing. It was a good Convention. No Problem or fights.
Doug moved for the adoption of his report. 2nd by Albert Duff. Motion passed.
Past Department Commander’s Report
Attended the VJ Day Parade in August where I was one of the judges along with Past State Commanders from the VFW and American Legion.
Motion to accept the PDC Report made by Al Duff. 2nd by Ray Chaput. Motion passed.
Legislative Officer Report
Dan Spoke about CT wanting to get rid of the CT Veterans Affairs Committee and making them a Sub Committee of another Full Standing Committee. The problem with this would be Sub Committees cannot introduce Bills. They must be presented to the full Standingcommittee that they are a subcommittee of and it is the choice of that committee to introduce or not introduce that bill. Whereas now the Veterans Affairs Committee is dedicated to the interest of Veterans, if they become a subcommittee of another committee, that committee may not have the best interest of our Veterans at the top of their list.Need to contact you Reps and Senators and tell them you do not support dissolving the CT Veterans Affair Committee.
Dan moved for the adoption of his report. 2nd by Douglas Newell. Motion Passed
Membership Director’s Report
142 / 231 / 459 / 14978/31/2016 / 8/31/2017 / National's
Old / Annual / Annual / Life / Total / List
Not / Not / Paid / Paid / Paid / dept
Renewed / Renewed / 2329
dept / post
32 / 13 / 16 / 69 / 85 / 130 / CT-0000 Total
2 / 7 / 1 / 51 / 52 / 61 / CT-0001 Total
0 / 0 / 0 / 18 / 18 / 18 / CT-0002 Total
0 / 11 / 1 / 89 / 90 / 101 / CT-0009 Total
0 / 0 / 0 / 10 / 10 / 10 / CT-0012 Total
5 / 15 / 18 / 5 / 23 / 43 / CT-0013 Total
4 / 12 / 36 / 913 / 949 / 965 / CT-0018 Total
56 / 81 / 301 / 40 / 341 / 478 / CT-0024 Total
16 / 45 / 6 / 25 / 31 / 92 / CT-0043 Total
0 / 8 / 7 / 53 / 60 / 68 / CT-0045 Total
24 / 28 / 48 / 85 / 133 / 185 / CT-0047 Total
1 / 5 / 0 / 63 / 63 / 69 / CT-0050 Total
2 / 6 / 19 / 69 / 88 / 96 / CT-0083 Total
0 / 0 / 6 / 7 / 13 / 13 / CT-0911 Total
142 / 231 / 459 / 1497 / 1956 / 2329
Frank Dlugokinski commented that the numbers on this report include members that have not renewed.
Doug moved for the adoption of his report. 2nd by Al Duff. Motion passed.
Foundation President’s Report
The Foundation met Prior to the SEC tonight. We are working with Rocky Hill to get shared office space and storage. Our Solicitor has not been doing well with donations and is below what we have projected. If this continues we will not be able to support the SEC Requirements.
Dan moved for the adoption of his report. 2nd by Al Duff. Motion passed.
Public Relations Officer’s Report
AMVETS (American Veterans)
Derby/Shelton Post 43
Al Meadows, State Public Relations Officer
17 Cedar Hill Rd., Huntington, CT 06484-2627
(203) 988-2792
Monthly Report for State Public Relations Officer Al Meadows - Sept. 25, 2017
Projects: 1. Public Relations and Communications:.
A. Attended a presentation ceremony along with Commander Neeland at the Masonicare Facility in Wallingford.
B. Updated the 2 page AMVETS Projects Summary flyer.
C. Represented the AMVETS at 2 summer meetings of the Military Community Coalition in Middletown.
2. CT Heroes On Wheels:
A. Since last meeting delivered 5 electric wheelchairs and 2 electric scooters. Have picked up 10 electric wheelchairs and 1 electric scooter.
B. John Chan from Avon has been helping us replace batteries.
3. Operation Gift Cards
A. Returned from 148th presentation of thank you kits to the wounded troops.
B. 320 representatives of 74 groups and individuals have presented over $1,265,830 in PX gift cards, corporate donations, and wish list items.
C. CT AMVETS remains the largest contributor to OGC for the last 7 years.
Al Meadows
State Public Relations Officer
Motion to accept the report made by Doug Newell. 2nd by Dan Thurston. Motion passed.
Assistant Public Relation Officer Report
No Report
Communication Officer Report
No Report
Woman’s Veterans Rep Report
No Report
Surgeon General’s Report
No Report
Chaplain’s Report
No Report
Assistant Chaplain’s Report
No Report
National Guard Liason Report
Position Vacant
ROTC Chairman’s Report
No Report
Convention Report
We did not select a place for the 2018 Convention at the 2017 Convention. Due to the limited people that attend and the extremely high price that it cost to put on the Convention at a hotel, it was suggested that we look into putting on a 1day Convention. We asked people to think about this and bring back ideas and or possible place to hold this event and present them at the October SEC.
Al moved for the adoption of his report. 2nd by Douglas Newell. Motion passed.
1st District Report:
Doug reported that they did not hold a meeting at the National Convention. The new 1st District Commander is Leon Proctor. Doug Newell is the Finance Officer.
Doug Moved for the adoption of his report. 2nd by Al Duff. Motion passed.
Bylaws Committee Report
No Report
VAVS West Haven
No Report
VAVS Newington
Position Vacant
VAVS Rocky Hill
Had to cancel Septembers BINGO as we had no one available to run it. Our next Bingo will be on Sunday October 8, 2017 at 2pm in the Hospital.
Motion made by Al Duff to accept the VAVS Reports. 2nd by Chris Paulhas. Motion passed.
Post Reports:
Post 1
No Report
Post 2
No Report
Post 9
No Report
Post 12
No Report
Post 13
No Report
Post 18
No Report
Post 24
Post 24 held its first meeting on the 2nd Thursday of the month. This past Spring Post 24 participated in the Torrington Market Place. Turnout was good. Brought in 2 new members.
Post 43
Very busy with Operation Heroes on Wheels, Operation Gift Card, and Yacht Club activities with Veterans.
Post 45
No Report
Post 47
AMVETS Post 47 Report to The SEC
9-25-17
AMVETS Post 47 has had a busy summer. Some of the activities that have been held include a spaghetti & Meatball supper, Chicken Barbecue, and a Fish Fry. We have also had live entertainment on our deck every Sunday. We have recently started a Friday Night DJ. We are in the Process of starting up KENO at the club. We had a very successful White Clover Drive and had a great 4 days at the Brooklyn Fair. One of the Items that brought us a lot of attention at the fair was our new Map Displays that we had made and displayed. These maps included Vietnam, Desert Storm / Desert Shield, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Many had the opportunity to show family and friends where they served. We are currently looking for a map of Korea. We plan on displaying these maps at future White Clover Drives and other events.
We have recently had a change in our Bar Manager. The new Bar Manager is Brandy and she has been doing a great Job. Amy had an opportunity to take on another job. She will be greatly missed and we wish her the best at her new job.
We continued holding meetings over the summer and had good attendance at these meetings.