Vice President’s Report

BY FRED ELLIOTT

This will be my last report before the National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. I look forward to seeing everyone there.

On April 17 I participated in a meeting at our national office with a new company that is interested in providing VVA merchandise for sale to our membership. The next day I attended an AVVA Board meeting. AVVA has been very busy working to get the In Memory Plaque repositioned. They have one more year to complete the project, and anticipate being able to do so.

At the Conference of State Council Presidents meeting, members discussed Agent Orange Town Hall meetings, the Voices of Vietnam (an oral history project), and other issues of importance to veterans.

At the Finance Committee meeting, members agreed to bring to the BOD for approval a revised contract with Medals of America that will allow VVA to contract with other companies for VVA merchandise, and to write a new contract with VSF to reimburse VVA for administrative services.

Sadly, we were informed at the April Board meeting that several members have serious health issues. We also learned that the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library in California is recreating the POW dinner of 1973; that Ken Rose of Pennsylvania is the new Deputy for the National VAVS Program; that 172 benefits claims were filed as a result of the Agent Orange Town Hall meeting held in West Virginia; that Florida Chief Service Officer Marc McCabe has secured more than three million dollars in awards for veterans in Puerto Rico; and Household Goods revenue is up so far this year.

Texas State Council President Buster Newberry and Alan Oates, former Agent Orange Committee chair, were presented VVA’s Commendation Award for their dedication to veterans.

May 9-11 I attended the Region 6 Conference in Omaha, Nebraska. It was a good event and promises to be bigger and better in the future. In June I attended the State Council meetings of Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, and New Jersey.