April 30, 2009

DIVISION COMMANDER DEPARTMENT % OF GOAL

I Francis Yestramski Massachusetts 100.83 II Dean R. Ascheman Minnesota 102.31 III Al Grimmer Louisiana 101.80 IV James Robbins Rhode Island 102.36 V Gary A. Lucus Wyoming 100.78

Every generation When World War II returned from the front and took up membership in the DAV, it is a quiet fact that there was a noteworthy generation gap that separated them from the veterans who served in the “Great War.” Korean veterans served in the “forgotten war.” Vietnam veterans came home to three generations who had served in “real wars.”

And if the preceding generations didn’t have enough challenges, the veterans who served during periods of conflict after Vietnam and before Iraq and Afghanistan rarely get their just dues. While it’s true that Persian veterans were welcomed home with parades, it took the better part of two decades for Gulf War syndrome to be formally recognized.

The veterans of operations with names like Earnest Will, Eagle Claw, Nimble Archer, Evening Light, and others in Asia do not resonate with most veterans who weren’t directly involved or serving during the time of the actions.

U.S. involvement in Central America is jumbled up in most Americans’ minds. From Just Cause in Panama to Urgent Fury in Grenada, most other conflicts take precedence when most of us think of our community. Somalia, Bosnia, Liberia and Serbia are locations some of us will never forget and many of us never think of whatsoever.

Southern Watch, Northern Watch and other military actions to contain Iraq after Desert Storm/Shield and before our invasion of the country in 2003 put U.S. troops in danger.

We haven’t mentioned every military operation that put our fellow veterans in harm’s way or the military training evolutions and service-connected injuries that put some of our lives in jeopardy. But it’s important that we think of every generation when we look at our membership.

This is especially true as we bridge a major generation gap that separates and Korean War veterans from the veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan today. In addition to providing these veterans with our services, we really need to groom them as leaders to bridge the gap that divides us.

A 22-year-old Marine of Afghanistan who is suffering through PTSD on his own could sure use the mentorship of a 46-year-old survivor of the Beirut barracks bombing. A 24-year-old Airman who was exposed to dioxins at Balad Air Base in Iraq is going to need her fellow veterans who suffered Gulf War Syndrome to be going to bat for her long before a doctor might tell her the spot on her is probably service-connected.

We need each other and every one of us has a role to play in the leadership of our organization. The more you know about these different conflicts, the more you can relate to the men and women we’re recruiting who will help us maintain our services and advance our cause for future generations who will need our advocacy.

SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOL OF THE MONTH: TWITTER On April 14, 2009, history was made. Paris Hilton, the famous-for-being-famous millionaire, fresh from her romantic vacation trip to Europe with her boyfriend, informed her blog fans from MySpace that she was now available on Twitter. Her identification name is “BabyGirlParis.” And on the day you read this, thousands of people will tune in to hear what’s going on straight from Paris…

If this seems trite to you, you’re probably not alone. Fortunately, Ms. Hilton is not alone. From Karl Rove and Oprah Winfrey to John McCain and President Obama, people of influence are voicing their opinions through this social networking phenomenon.

Twitter is a free networking and micro blogging service that allows users to answer the question, “What are you doing?” by sending short 140 character or less text messages called “tweets” to friends who subscribe to the site.

For disabled veterans who are brave enough to share their life experiences with interested friends, Twitter provides the unique opportunity to share personal insights on what is happening in our lives. Using this site to advertise DAV events helps us remind our fellow members and supporters of our activities and mission.

Messages can be sent through the Twitter website, or through third-party applications like our web browsers or even mobile devices. For more information, visit www.twitter.com.

MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS Indianapolis 500 DAV will be honored by a special flyover of two vintage B-25 Mitchell bombers at the 2009 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on ABC on Sunday, May 24. The flyover and event will be covered on ABC in high definition where available.

National Memorial Day Concert With longtime partner Golden Corral, the DAV will again co-sponsor the National Memorial Day Concert on May 24. The event will be carried nationally on PBS stations. It is slated to begin at 8 p.m. EST. Check local listings for show times in your area.

Will to Ride Starting May 22, cyclist Will Adams will attempt a 485-mile trek across four states in four days. His ride across the heartland will raise awareness and funds for the DAV.

Will is a third-generation veteran. He served in the first Gulf War as a combat engineer in the U.S. Army and works as a material engineer for Procter & Gamble in Ohio. His ride will kick-off at DAV National Headquarters in Cold Spring, Kentucky.

For more information, visit https://www.dav.org/AWill2Ride.

NEW DAV PARTNER A new partnership between DAV and Country Kitchen International will benefit DAV. Starting this month, the “Help a Hero” campaign will generate donations at participating Country Kitchen restaurants nationwide. Donated funds will support DAV service initiatives.

Country Kitchen International is a leader in full-service family restaurants, with locations in 26 states.

IN CLOSING In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.” -- John McCrae

ANTHONY L. BASKERVILLE National Membership Director

Membership Standings

As of 04/30/2009

Present Life Member Life % of Goal Standing State Population Goal Goal Variance

Division I - Over 35,000 Members 1 MASSACHUSETTS 31,093 30,837 100.83% 256 2 CALIFORNIA 70,248 69,679 100.82% 569 3 NEW YORK 49,724 49,606 100.24% 118 4 FLORIDA 56,968 56,919 100.09% 49 5 VIRGINIA 23,450 23,433 100.07% 17 6 PENNSYLVANIA 34,263 34,263 100.00% 0 7 TEXAS 55,273 55,293 99.96% -20 8 OHIO 32,260 32,301 99.87% -41 9 MICHIGAN 25,802 25,854 99.80% -52 10 NORTH CAROLINA 29,901 30,040 99.54% -139

Division Totals 408,982 408,225 100.19% 757

Division II - 18,000 To 34,999 Members 1 MINNESOTA 16,849 16,468 102.31% 381 2 COLORADO 16,708 16,461 101.50% 247 3 OKLAHOMA 15,882 15,786 100.61% 96 4 NEW JERSEY 19,011 18,904 100.57% 107 5 KENTUCKY 17,868 17,774 100.53% 94 6 WASHINGTON 17,935 17,843 100.52% 92 7 MARYLAND 13,529 13,468 100.45% 61 8 WISCONSIN 15,217 15,183 100.22% 34 9 MISSOURI 16,105 16,074 100.19% 31 10 INDIANA 14,649 14,639 100.07% 10 11 TENNESSEE 14,283 14,299 99.89% -16 12 SOUTH CAROLINA 12,786 12,823 99.71% -37 13 ARIZONA 16,689 16,742 99.68% -53 14 ILLINOIS 17,361 17,461 99.43% -100 15 ALABAMA 14,804 14,935 99.12% -131 16 GEORGIA 16,170 16,438 98.37% -268

Division Totals 255,846 255,298 100.21% 548

Division III - 10,000 To 17,999 Members 1 LOUISIANA 8,937 8,779 101.80% 158 2 CONNECTICUT 8,291 8,205 101.05% 86 3 NEW MEXICO 9,906 9,864 100.43% 42 4 ARKANSAS 11,380 11,387 99.94% -7 5 PUERTO RICO 6,966 6,995 99.59% -29 6 OREGON 8,011 8,069 99.28% -58 7 WEST VIRGINIA 8,097 8,163 99.19% -66

Division Totals 61,588 61,462 100.21% 126

5/1/2009 Page 1 of 2 10:30 am Membership Standings

As of 04/30/2009

Present Life Member Life % of Goal Standing State Population Goal Goal Variance

Division IV - 5,000 To 9,999 Members 1 RHODE ISLAND 4,861 4,749 102.36% 112 2 UTAH 4,631 4,553 101.71% 78 3 SOUTH DAKOTA 4,408 4,351 101.31% 57 4 NORTH DAKOTA 4,188 4,143 101.09% 45 5 NEVADA 5,352 5,297 101.04% 55 6 HAWAII 4,681 4,638 100.93% 43 7 IOWA 6,933 6,885 100.70% 48 8 NEW HAMPSHIRE 5,324 5,300 100.45% 24 9 MONTANA 3,877 3,864 100.34% 13 10 MAINE 6,908 6,895 100.19% 13 11 NEBRASKA 6,149 6,141 100.13% 8 12 IDAHO 4,487 4,483 100.09% 4 13 KANSAS 6,816 6,837 99.69% -21 14 MISSISSIPPI 6,000 6,020 99.67% -20

Division Totals 74,615 74,156 100.62% 459

Division V - Less than 5,000 Members 1 WYOMING 1,677 1,664 100.78% 13 2 D C 1,967 1,972 99.75% -5 3 DELAWARE 2,179 2,188 99.59% -9 4 ALASKA 2,419 2,432 99.47% -13 5 VERMONT 2,447 2,464 99.31% -17

Division Totals 10,689 10,720 99.71% -31

National Totals 870,911 867,118 100.44% 3,793

5/1/2009 Page 2 of 2 10:30 am