EX-POW BULLETIN the official voice of the American Ex-Prisoners of War Volume 67 www .axpo w .or g Number 5/6 May/June 2010 We exist to help those who cannot help themselves Armed Forces Day Poster 2010 top, L/R clockwise: The Agua Fria Chapter Commander Anita Pitts with National Directors Skip Moore and Lew Sleeper; The Fox River Chapter Holiday Party. 36th Divi- sion alumni/members Ken Blue, Cmdr. Bill Howland, Jack Olhausen and Jerry Andersen; NC Kenny Hanson testifying in Washington, DC; Steel Valley Chapter members and their POW/MIA cake, donated by their local mailman, taken at their annual picnic; Monument erected by the Rocky Mt.Chapter in honor of all ex-POWs. The Advisory Committee on Former Prisoners of War met in Washington, DC in April. The Committee was established by Congress on March 12, 1981, as part of Public Law 97-37, the Former Prisoners of War Benefits Act of 1981 (38 U.S.C. §541 ). The Committee advises the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on the administration of benefits for veterans who were held as prisoners of war. These benefits can include compensation for service connected disabilities or illnesses, health care, and rehabilitation. table of contents May/June 2010 officers/directors 4 commander/HQ 5 Armed Forces Day ~ May 15 2010 outreach/success 6 On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced nso 7 the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, medsearch 8 Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed namPOW 14 from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department — andersonville 15 the Department of Defense. tiger survivors 16 pow/mia/civilian 17 Also in May: The Fall of Corregidor, VE Day, Memorial Day, US broke events, info, looking for 18 the code at Midway, American Red Cross Founded, Liberation of Burma, news 20 Mother’s Day and loads of PNC Birthdays. voluntary funding 22 members forum 24 In June: The US Army was founded, North Korea invaded South Korea, convention 26 Japanese retreat in the Battle of Midway, Flag Day, Father’s Day and biographies 28 the beginning of summer. new members 29 contributions 32 Odds & Ends... taps 33 chaplain 38 It’s hard to believe it’s almost summer. In just over three months, we’ll raffle/Ads 39 be at National Convention in Albany, Georgia. For those of you who quartermaster 41 haven’t made your reservations yet, please look at the convention in- formation pages in this Bulletin and get your reservations and regis- tration papers in. Publisher National Headquarters will be sending out credential packets to all PNC Maurice Sharp chapters and state departments in June. If you have any questions, or 9716 54th Street CT West don’t receive a packet, please contact us. The delegate forms will be University Place, WA 98467-1118 printed in the July/August Bulletin, along with the election informa- (253) 565-0444 tion and resolutions. [email protected] Summer is State Convention time. If you can, please take the time to Editor attend not only your own State Convention, but neighboring conven- Cheryl Cerbone tions as well. It is the place where we can really take the time to get 23 Cove View Drive better acquainted as well as have the opportunity to meet many friends South Yarmouth, MA 02664 that we don’t get to see throughout the year. So make every effort to (508) 394-5250 attend any convention you possibly can. Listen, laugh, learn, have (508) 760-2008 fax fun, enjoy the meals, and most of all, enjoy visiting with old and new [email protected] friends alike. Deadline for the July/August 2010 issue is June 1, 2010. Here’s a great idea: Grab your grandkids and have Please send all materials to the them bring you to the most wonderful convention! editor at the above address. EX-POW Bulletin (ISSN 0161-7451) is published bi-monthly (six times annually) by the American Ex-Prisoners of War, 3201 E. Pioneer Pkway, Arlington, TX 76010. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, TX and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send address changes to EX-POW Bulletin, AXPOW Headquarters, 3201 E. Pioneer Pkwy. Suite 40, Arlington, TX 76010-5396. Founded April 14, 1942, in Albuquerque, NM, then known as Bataan Relief Organization, Washington State non- profit corporation, “American Ex-Prisoners of War”, October 11, 1949, recorded as Document No. 133762, Roll 1, Page 386-392. NONPROFIT CORPORATION. Nationally Chartered August 10, 1982. Appearance in this publication does not constitute endorsement by the American Ex-Prisoners of War of the product or service advertised. The publisher reserves the right to decline or discontinue any such advertisement. © 2010 American Ex-Prisoners of War Ex-POW Bulletin May/June 2010 3 axpow officers & directors 2009-2010 National Headquarters - Clydie J. Morgan, Adjutant 3201 E. Pioneer Pkwy, #40, Arlington, TX 76010 (817) 649-2979 (817) 649-0109 fax [email protected] Officers North East Region Directors Mid-Central Region Franklin R. Koehler National Commander Grover L. Swearingen 243 Torrey Pines Dr. 408 Fair Park Avenue Kenny H Hanson Toms River, NJ 08757 West Union, OH 45693 9401 Lyndale Ave S #228 (732) 244-4629; (732) 505-8702 fax (937) 544-2459 Bloomington MN 55420 [email protected] [email protected] (952) 888-2703 – Voice [email protected] Laura McIntyre Deanie Schmidt PO Box 475 1001 Parkview Blvd. #316 National Senior Vice Commander Hardwick, MA 01037 Columbus, OH 43219 Morris Barker (413) 477-8260 (413) 477-0172 fax (614) 372-0788 710 Chapel View [email protected] [email protected] Waco, Tx 76712 (254) 732-5640 East Central Region South Central Region [email protected] Judy Lee James L. Lollar PO Box 248 292 VZ CR 3727 Madisonville, TN 37354 Wills Point, TX 75169 National Treasurer (423) 442-3223; (423) 442-4702 fax (903) 560-1734; (903) 560-1705 fax Sonnie Bill Mottern [email protected] [email protected] 279 Huckleberry Road Bluff City, Tenn. 37618 Paul E. Galanti Pam Warner Eslinger (423) 542-1824; (423) 542-3469 fax 21 Maxwell Road PO Box 117 [email protected] Richmond, VA 23226 Hammon, OK 73650 (804)389-1668 (580) 473-2783 National Judge Advocate [email protected] [email protected] Dave Drummond 1 Crane Court Southeast Region Northwest Region Manalapan, NJ 07726 Wm “Bill” Jeffers Bonnie Sharp (732) 446-4198 3522 Millbrook way Cr 9716 54th Street CT West [email protected] Greenacres, FL 33463 University Place, WA 98467-1118 (561) 969-6036 (253) 565-0444 National Chaplain [email protected] [email protected] James H. Beaver PO Box 2103 Sid Hecker Southwest Region Abingdon, VA 24212 7730 Laie Place Milton “Skip” Moore (276) 623-0875 Diamondhead, MS 39525 2965 Sierra Bermeja [email protected] (228) 493-7605 Sierra Vista, AZ 85650 [email protected] (520) 459-7295; (520) 533-3757 fax Jr. Vice Commanders [email protected] Charles Susino - Eastern Zone North Central Region 136 Jefferson Street John W Clark Lewis “Lew” Sleeper Metuchen, NJ 08840 1201 S Johnmeyer Ln 6636 E VillaDoradoTucson, AZ 85715 Columbia MO 65203 (732) 549-5775 phone & fax (520) 751-9628 Voice (573) 445-3621 (520) 490-1082 Cell [email protected] Carroll Bogard - Central Zone [email protected] 726 N. Carolina Place Larry Dwyer Mason City, IA 50401 814 Woodlawn Ave. (641) 424-4870 Muscatine, IA 52761 (563) 263-5249 PNC James Cooper - Western Zone Senior Director PO Box 65 PNC Jim Clark Douglas, AZ 85608 Committee addresses appear 214 Oakdale (520) 364-8582; (520) 805-9401 fax with their columns Bastrop, LA 71220-2330 [email protected] (318) 281-5505 phone & fax [email protected] have. I received many congratula- tory messages because of the testi- news mony and I thank each and every one of you who wrote to me about from it. Your response to my letter earlier hq this spring requesting donations was extremely well received and extremely well responded to by the The Convention is coming! fine membership of the organiza- The Convention is coming! tion. Thank you for your generos- Sorry for the Paul Revere allusion, ity, enabling us to live up to our slo- but it’s April as I’m writing my col- National Commander gan: We Exist to Help Those who umn. If you haven’t already made Kenny H Hanson Cannot Help Themselves. your hotel reservations, make them now. The hotel is starting to fill up. We held our MidYear Board of Di- Well, my year as your Commander We’ve got so much planned for this rectors meeting in Arlington, Texas is more than half over. What a ball convention. There will be plenty to again this year. I feel that the meet- it’s been! Our membership is an do for everyone! The Ladies’ Lun- ing was very productive. We can awesome membership and it is a cheon promises to be a big now concentrate on programs to pure pleasure to serve you. It’s like WOW...Opening ceremonies are at benefit the organization, rather I told one person who wrote to ask Andersonville...We’re starting to put than spend most of our time de- me about the organization, “our together this year’s convention fending it. membership is the sole support of booklet and need your ads! You’ll our membership”. find the advertising form in the con- If everything goes well, we should vention information elsewhere in have an IRS classification of 501[c]3 It was my distinct honor to repre- this magazine. next year by this time.