Membership Notes, September/October 2012

Chapter 1067, Huntsville, Alabama: The Home of Medal of Honor Recipient Col. Leo K. Thorsness

BY MARY BRUZZESE

VVA Chapter 1067 in Huntsville, Alabama: Home of Medal of Honor Recipient Col. Leo K. Thorsness, Life Member has accomplished a lot since January. That’s when a small group of Madison County, Alabama, Vietnam veterans first began thinking about starting a VVA chapter. What began as a committee of six veterans has grown into an extremely active new chapter named for a Medal of Honor recipient. It also has quickly become one of Alabama’s largest chapters.

In January the group formed a committee to plan a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day celebration at the newly established Madison County Veterans Memorial in downtown Huntsville. Led by Warren Harmon, now Chapter 1067’s President, and Billy Prysock, now the chapter’s Board Director, the group drafted a proclamation and presented it to Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finely, and Madison County Commissioner Mike Gillespie. They then collaboratively pronounced March 29, 2012, Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in Madison County.

The proclamation was sent to State Sen. Bill Holtzclaw and Rep. Howard Sanderford, who read the proclamation in the Alabama Senate and House, and to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley. On March 21 Gov. Bentley signed a similar proclamation establishing March 29 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day throughout the state.

The committee met weekly and worked with Still Serving Veterans and AUSA to plan the first annual Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans celebration, which was held at the Veterans Memorial. Nearly one thousand attended the event, which featured speeches by local and state dignitaries, including Sen. Holtzclaw and Rep. Sanderford, a wreath-laying ceremony, the Alabama Patriot Riders, and music by the Army Materiel Command Band.

Keynote speaker retired Lt. Gen. and Marine Vietnam veteran Frank Libutti addressed the crowd, saying: “I ask you to remember the more than 58,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice and acknowledge the men and women still suffering the physical and mental wounds of their service in Vietnam.” Sen. Holtzclaw addressed the Vietnam veterans in attendance, saying: “Thank you for your service to our nation.”

While planning this event, the committee decided to start a VVA chapter. In February Harmon and Prysock attended an Athens, Alabama, Chapter 511 meeting. In order for a VVA chapter to be chartered, it must have twenty-five members. With Chapter 511’s blessing, Harmon, Prysock, Richard Knight, and the rest of the group joined the Chapter and began recruiting members with the intention of splitting off to form their own chapter. Knight began an aggressive membership drive, meeting with veterans throughout Madison County to encourage them to join and setting up booths at an array of locations and special events.

By mid-April forty-one new members signed up through Chapter 511. On June 2 at the VVA Alabama State Convention, National Treasurer and Alabama State Council President Wayne Reynolds presented the new chapter with its official charter as VVA Chapter 1067 Huntsville, Alabama.

The Chapter already has become one of the largest in Alabama, with nearly 130 members and five associate members. At the rate veterans are joining, it will soon become the largest chapter in the state. The Chapter also has a high percentage of life members.

The Chapter is very active in the local community. Among its many accomplishments, chapter members participated in Huntsville Memorial Day ceremonies and a car show put on by Vettes for Vets, helped several area homeless veterans and tornado victims, established a transportation committee that drives local disabled veterans to their medical appointments, and are planning Veterans Day activities.

As the Chapter became more organized, members wanted to honor a veteran in the community. They decided on local Medal of Honor recipient retired Col. Leo K. Thorsness by naming the chapter in his honor. A Vietnam veteran, Thorsness was a POW for six years at the Hanoi Hilton. Thorsness agreed, and the chapter honored him with a luncheon on June 20 and presented him with a life membership. Thorsness and Harmon signed a certificate officially naming the chapter North Alabama Vietnam Veterans of America Huntsville Chapter 1067 “Home Chapter of Medal of Honor Recipient Col. Leo K. Thorsness, Life Member.”

“Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1067 wholeheartedly thanks Col. Thorsness for the honor of having him as a life member,” Warren said at the luncheon’s conclusion, “and we will forever take care of his honored name.”

The Chapter “has accomplished much in such a short amount of time,” Wayne Reynolds said. “Thanks to their efforts, Vietnam veterans will now be honored annually throughout the state of Alabama on Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. In addition to their numerous projects that serve their local community and its veterans, they are quickly becoming the largest VVA chapter in the state. Chapter 1067 not only makes the state of Alabama proud, but exemplifies Vietnam Veterans of America’s dedication to veterans.”