Table of contents Gildo T Consolini Page Contents 2 Commanders Notes VFW POST 3272 3 Chaplains Corner Avon, Connecticut 3 Comrades in distress 4 Notes from around the Post 5 March 2018 Meeting 6 POW / MIA Report 8 News from around the Web 10 Upcoming Events Newsletter Vol II Issue 08 – April 2018 April 25th Post Meeting Post 3272 Meetings Prince Thomas of Savoy Society 4th Wednesday each month. 32 Old Farms Road, Avon, CT Next meeting is 25 April Special Guest: Major General Le Minh Dao, ARVN The monthly meetings of the Post are General Dao was the commander of the 18th ARVN Division, held at the Prince Thomas of Savoy which destroyed three North Vietnamese divisions at Xuan Loc Society (Italian Club), 32 Old Farms as South Vietnamese forces made a heroic, last stand from 8 Road, Avon, CT. April to 21 April 1975. General Dao endured 17 years in Communist “Re-Education” camps. Post Address Video: The Shadows of Men AVON CT VFW Post 3272 Over 40 years after the Vietnam War a group of Army PO Box 297 veterans talk about their experiences while flying in the Avon, CT 06001 Razorback gunship platoon. Their stories reflect the changing face of the war as it progressed, the Post Website exhilaration and tragedy of battle and the friendships http://www.avonvfw.com/ that endured. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VFW3 272/ Post Officers Commander James C. Hutton [email protected] Sr. Vice Commander Agenda Roy V. Walton 5:30 Social Hour [email protected] 6:15 Dinner Jr. Vice Commander 7:00 Program Robert J. Nardiello 8:00 Business Meeting [email protected] Commander’s Notes Poppy Drive: We have achieved the first goal for our 2018 Poppy Drive. The 15 Post Officers have committed to doing 60, 2-hour shifts, for an average of 4 shifts each. In addition, 9 other Post members have committed to 25 shifts. We need a total of at least 30 members to commit to doing an average of 4, 2-hour shifts each, in order to fill all of the weekend slots (i.e., Thursday through Sunday) at Walmart and ShopRite. If we get more volunteers we can then fill weekday slots (i.e., Monday through Wednesday) first at Walmart and then ShopRite. Don Perreault The 2018 Poppy Drive is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 17th and end Sunday, May 27th. Bill Finances Newman is now signing up volunteers for Walmart, and Tom Voorhees for ShopRite. The lists will be available for you to sign-up at the Thursday morning breakfasts at Truffles, and the April 25th Post Meeting. In addition, you can email or call Bill or Tom at any time with the dates and times you wish to volunteer. We are spreading out the work associated with the Poppy Drive as much as possible this year. We currently have 8 members who have volunteered to fill positions in our Poppy Drive organization. However, we still need someone to volunteer to be the Walmart Coordinator. The Coordinator will be responsible for singing up volunteers and assuring that the people, signs, promotional material, etc. are in place each day. Bill Newman is filling that position on an interim basis but will away during the Poppy Drive itself. You can email or call me if you are interested in being the Walmart Coordinator. Bill Newman Memorial Day: We will celebrate Memorial Day on Monday, May 28th this year. All of the key positions Nathan Grove on our Memorial Day Committee have been filled. However, Don Perreault could still use some St. Ann Contributions additional help with the placement of the medallions and flags in the cemeteries. Bill Newman will again organize the cemetery visits. Bill Samol has had letters sent requesting the Governor’s Horse Guard participation in the parade, and for a flyover by the Connecticut Air National Guard. Bob Nardiello has obtained the permits for use of the Town Green, and Senior Center in case of rain, for the ceremony. Mort Katz has volunteered to be the keynote speaker at the ceremony. And, Roy Walton has reserved the pavilion at the Italian Club for the post-parade picnic. The Committee will meet at the Italian Club prior to the April 25th Post meeting to review the 2018 Memorial Day Plans. James C. Hutton Commander Chaplain’s Corner APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Lorraine Cemetery, near Colmar, France. Patton’s Memory and desire, stirring buried here. Dull roots with spring rain. Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow, feeding A little life with dried tubers. So wrote the poet T.S. Eliot in his poem The Wasteland, back in 1922. Reflecting the despair and hopelessness that characterized his generation’s post-WW I experience, it’s hardly the kind of poem 2 you’d read to cheer yourself up. There’s something about post-war experiences though that seems to make us want to remember and forget all at the same time. For us veterans, April can have that kind of effect. It’s a time when new life starts to emerge from winter’s earth, and we’re filled with hope and energy. All it takes is one cloud to pass in front of the sun though, and we find ourselves remembering our buddies who saw their last Spring many years ago. They will no longer feel the warmth of the sun on their faces, and a certain sadness or even depression can come over us for a while. In these moments, it can help to reach within and touch the ground of your faith, whatever that happens to look like to you, and take some consolation in the knowledge that you’re not alone either in your recollections, or in your current community of family and friends – especially your veteran friends who know what your feelings feel like. If it gets bad, get help. If it’s just something you’d like to share so you can move on, do that. Whatever you do, don’t push it down inside you. It will grab your soul like a junkyard dog and not let go. April may be the cruelest month sometimes, but it never has to have the last word. Members who would enjoy a call or visit from you! Comrade Phone Update Tom 860-408-9313 Up at McLean in Simsbury; Tom joined us recently for coffee Chrosniak at Truffles and said he really enjoyed catching up with folks very much! Rich Ecke and I have reached out a couple of times, now. He’ll be back. Don Griswold At home, according to Dick Hill. If you wish to visit, sooner rather than later would be a very good idea Richard Nista 860-673-9556 In Apple Rehab, room 12; Bill Newman stopped by recently and got treated like a king. Stop by some time! Raymond D-Day participant, Scott Thomas’ father-in-law; you can write to “Charlie” him if you wish. Goyette John Kostrisak 860-693-2094 Daughter Joan takes care of him Bob Galliete 860-673-9324 Bob has been in and out of the hospital and Cherry Brook, but should be home by the time you’re reading this. He’s a good conversationalist and would appreciate your visit. Bob Hunt Bob hasn’t been at Truffles for a while now; trying to get information about him. Don Perreault Recovering from hip surgery If you hear of someone who has passed away, please let me know so we can get a sympathy card out to the family. 3 Notes from around the Post Slate of Officers Commander: Roy Walton Sr Vice Commander: Bob Nardiello Jr Vice Commander: Nathan Grove Quartermaster: Frank Guth Chaplain: Tim Healy Trustee 1: Grant Hagedorn Trustee 2: Tom Shannon Trustee 3: Jim Hutton This slate will be formally presented to the membership at the April meeting after which any nominations will from the floor will be received. Once nominations are closed election of officers for 2018-19 will take place. April Guest Speaker This is from the March 2014 Post Newsletter ARVN MAJOR GENERAL LE MINH DAO Lê Minh Đảo (born c. 1933, Saigon) was a South Vietnamese Major General who led the 18th Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in the last major battle of the Vietnam War. During this battle the vastly outnumbered 18th Division stood and fought at Xuan Loc, 38 miles north of Saigon, where the 18th earned the name "The Supermen". As its Commander, General Dao was a passionate and inspirational leader who was famous for his emotional battlefield interview broadcasted around the world during the fighting in which he stated that, "The communists could throw their entire Army at Xuân Lộc, the 18th will stand fast". His division made a defiant apocalyptic last stand against communist forces in Xuan Loc, a city strategically important for intersecting five main routes. The fierce fighting raged for two weeks. The 18th Division, outnumbered 7:1 by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces, destroyed all but three PAVN divisions and was on his way to defeating two more divisions before his troops ran out of supplies and ammunition. The division was ordered to evacuate Xuan Loc on April 21, 1975, nine days before the fall of Saigon. General Đảo withdrew from Xuân Lộc and his retreat was just as masterful as his advance, which required much daring and intellect to outmaneuver the Communist forces. Sadly, the success story ends with Le Minh Dao’s successful retreat back to Saigon as South Vietnam President Dương Văn Minh surrendered then to the communists on April 30th.