Volume 18 - Issue 3 In Honor of Michael “Bat” Masterson Spring2015

area was held on February 28 at VFW 10267 (thanks to them for allowing this). Time was short to get the word out, but there were 22 in attendance, including on PhD student. Ed Ryan, PhD, Chap-ter 47 PTSD Chair (and many other), was the organizer of this event. Considering the short time we had to get presenters/panel members and to get the word out, the event went well. And, to show how that is true, Dr. Ryan has been asked to do a similar event at numerous places around the area.

We do plan to do this again, and we’ll definitely do better in getting the word out and get more panel members. One of note, from our very own California State Council, Nina Schloffel, who has taken an idea at the council - Secondary PTSD - and has be-come one of the more well attended committee breakout meetings there. I have only attended one of the early ones, and they have blossomed to a usual standing room only room. The idea of Sec-ondary PTSD is unique to the CSC, no other council is doing such a thing. There have been requests for help in assisting councils/chapters/etc. to set these up. It will be a challenging job, but well worth it (in this editor’s mind). Look for more information here and at the council (remember to ask your CSC Chapter Repre-sentative to the Council about this - and tell him (if your chapter agrees) that he participate in order to bring the information home.

A note was sent to Nina Schloffel that is worth reading:“I want to thank you on behalf of the Board of Directors and

members of VVA Chapter 47 for your presentation along with Ed Ryan at last Saturday’s PTSD Symposium. Although only a small group of people attended the event, it still appeared to be a suc-cess. Aside from the healthcare professional and the Ph.D. student in attendance who were taking notes during your presentation, I observed several others in the room taking notes also.

While Ed makes regular reports on PTSD and Secondary PTSD at our chapter meetings, I think some of our members came away from the symposium with an even greater understanding of the impact of PTSD on the family, friends and associates of those who suffer from PTSD. Your presentation contributed greatly to their enhanced understanding of the issue.

Thank you very much for helping to enlighten and educate our members and the public on the Secondary PTSD issue.

It was a pleasure to have you and Barry visit our chapter.Mike KennedyVice PresidentVietnam Veteran of AmericaChapter 47, Inland Empire”mike3sps@verizon.net

theForwardObserver

VVA Chapter 47 PO Box 4277, Riverside CA 92514-4277 http://www.vva47.com

AnnuAl Meeting & elections

All, Chapter 47 elections are coming up in April. We will be meeting on Friday April 17, 2015 at 5:00 PM for our annual meeting and elections. We will meet at the VFW in Jurupa Valley. This is a Friday, a little different than our usual Saturday meetings. Because we all have so much going on in April this was the best choice for the annual meeting.

All positions are open, President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer or Secretary/Treasurer, and all Directors. The ByLaws allow us 12 members of the Board - four officers and eight direc-tors; or if the Secretary/Treasurer position is filled there can be nine directors.

So if you want to run for a position on the board just get your letter of intent to run (see page 3)- or you can download it from our web site - http:www.vva47.com there is a link to it at the top of the page) in to the election chair, Elayne Mackey. You can e-mail it or send it by USPS (suggest you go to the web site to get the form).

The elections are outlined in our ByLaws. There have been some questions about how this all happens. These are also on our web site (bottom of the page in the links area), specifically a ques-tion was asked about proxy voting - one must be present to vote

Once the meeting and elections are over we can enjoy the Fri-day night dinner they serve at the VFW. Every Friday night the VFW serves dinner for a minimal cost. We can all enjoy each others company after the meeting. The chapter will pay for each member at the meeting who chooses to join in on the dinner.

This is a drastic change in our meeting time, due to the Salute To Veterans Parade on Saturday, April 18. We were going to try and do in following the parade but thought it would be a bit much for one day. So, since the VFW has a “dinner night” on that Friday we’re going to see if maybe an enticement of free food might bring you out to join in on this very important process of the chapter.

Who knows, maybe we’ll like this so much we’ll visit doing these dinner/meetings more often. We’ll see. As always, please contact me with any questions about all this - nebhuskfan@aol.com or my cell: 951-231-6872 - or even the chapter phone: 951-781-2316.

Steve

PtsD - Mst syMPosiuM

Our FIRST EVERY SYMPOSIUM of this type here in our

page 2

“Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another”

cAMP AnzA trAnsforMAtion

Above: Construction work reveals the original wood siding of the historic Camp Anza Officers’ Club building, which is being re-habilitated for use as a community center for Home Front at Camp Anza residents.

Dear Community Members,It is with great excitement that we announce construction has

begun on Home Front at Camp Anza, a community of 30 afford-able homes designed for veterans and their families in Riverside’s Arlanza neighborhood. Set on the former site of the Camp Anza WWII Army training camp, this development will also rehabilitate the camp’s historic Officers Club and convert it into a multi-use community center for residents, bringing former servicemen and

servicewomen together for recreation and meals just as it did in its heyday.

Our team has planned construction to minimize impacts to the community as much as possible. However, there will be some temporary changes in the surrounding area during construction. We anticipate the following to take place in these first weeks of construction:

Elevated noise levels and truck traffic at and around the site as construction crews move equipment for grading and the pouring of foundations Some slowing of local vehicle traffic

as crews p e r f o r m s t r e e t improve-m e n t s S t a r t i n g on Jan. 29, a por-tion of Wohlstet-ter St. that runs adja-cent to the site will be closed. P l e a s e note that all resi-dents on Wohlstet-ter will

still be able to access their homes and driveways via Cy-press Avenue, and access to the Arlanza Library will not be affected. The red line on the map below shows the area of the road closure, which will last until December 2015. We recommend residents and busi-nesses plan ahead to accommo-date these changes.

We will continue to provide you with updates on potential

neighborhood impacts as they oc-cur, and look forward to working

with you to address any questions or concerns throughout the con-struction process.

For more information on the Home Front at Camp Anza devel-opment, please click here.

Sincerely,The Home Front at Camp Anza Teamanza@wakelandhdc.com

CHAPTER OFFICERS FOR 2013 - 2015

President Steve Mackey

Vice President Mike Kennedy

secretary/treasurer Tom Hohmann

directors

Zack Earp Alex Candelaria

Jess Gomez Dave Hooper

Gary Kuderman Walter Mendoza

Ed Ryan Jim Valdez

Product sales Steve Mackey

Dave Hooper

state council reP. Ken Porizek

newsletter editor Tom Hohmann

Publisher Steve Mackey

web site Tom Hohmann

aVVa liaison Alice Gomez

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

Chapter 47 meets on the 3rd Saturday of each

month at the VFW 10267 in Jurupa Valley. The

meetings begin at 10 a.m. Board meetings on the

second Wednesday of each month also at the VFW

at 10 a.m. Check our web site for further informa-

tion directions/maps/etc. Meetings dates/times do

change throughout the year, notices will be sent.

Check our chapter web site for details.

Membership is open to all Vietnam Era veter-

ans, regardless of the country where you were sta-

tioned (Feb 28, ‘61 to May 7, ‘75), race, religion,

gender, ethnicity. AVVA membership is open to

anyone with an interest in supporting the goals of

VVA.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are

not necessarily those of the Chapter, its Board of

Directors, its membership, or VVA Inc.

Chapter 47 951-781-6137

Household Goods

Donation Pick Up

909-888-7786

vvadonations.org

Vet Centers:

Colton

Corona

909-801-5762

951-734-0525

County Department of Veteran Services

Riverside 951-955-6050

San Bernardino 909-387-5516

Pettis VA Hospital 909-825-7084

800-741-8387

page 3

Agent orAnge uPDAteThis month’s AO report will include the information below.

I know some of you get these FLASH e-MAIL reports from Paul Sutton and others on a regular basis( I receive them from Paul Sutton & Jim Doyle). I’ve been thinking maybe we could encourage our membership that are interested or affected, to have their names added to Paul’s e-mail list to receive these AO re-ports directly. That way they could stay abreast of AO in general and have the links to various conditions that they are interested in learning more about AO. Give them the directions how to get to or use the links provided and also how to be put on the mailing list.

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/con-ditions/ischemicheartdisease.asp

ischeMic heArt DiseAse AnD Agent orAngeVeterans who develop ischemic heart disease and were

exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their disease

and service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation.

About heart diseaseIschemic heart disease is also known as coronary artery

disease or “hardening of the arteries.”Cholesterol plaque can build up in the arteries of the heart

and cause “ischemia,” which means the heart is not getting enough blood flow and oxygen. If the plaque blocks an artery, a heart attack can result.

Up to 90 percent of heart attacks are due to: smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, abdominal obesity (“spare tire”), not eating enough fruits and vegetables, lack of exercise, drinking too much alcohol, and stress.

Visit Medline Plus to learn about treatment for coronary artery disease, the latest medical research, and more from the National Institutes of Health.

- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/ex-posures/agentorange/conditions/ischemicheartdisease.asp#sthash.4YQnGUqH.dpuf

page 4

page 5

uPcoMing cAr shows

The Car Shows on this and the previous page are being discussed by the Board of Directors as to whether we will bring Producdt Sales/Information Boot to them. Another discussion has been chapter member interest & participation in them. We would like to see many members come to these whether or not we’re having our Product Sales/Information Booth. But espceically if we do. We would like to encourage you to come out and visit us, or even take a bit of your day to sit at the booth and get to know your fellow chapter members.

Please let us know ASAP - contact Steve Mackey, President, either at nebuhuskfan@aol.com or his cell: 951-231-7268

page 6

page 7

VVA Chapter 47PO Box 4277Riverside, CA 92514-4277http://www.vva47.com

NOTE Important Meeting/Event Information InsideANNUAL Elections: April 17, VFW, 5 p.m. <----Note time!Details inside

eBenefits users:,Do you see a Non-VA health care provider? ”Connect Your Docs” through VLER Health (Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record) can help your VA and non-VA health care providers have the best possible picture of your current state of health. (VLER) Health is a program that shares important parts of your Veteran health record between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and participating private health care providers. This sharing of information enables your health care providers to access important information about your health history so they can provide you the best possible care.This exchange occurs over a secure and confidential network known as the eHealth Exchange. This program is free and voluntary for Veterans, but requires your consent to participate. An easy way to do this from your home is through the VA eBenefits website. If you have not already, go to the eBenefits website and register. (It’s free!)

Participating in VLER Health may:• Reduce the need for you to carry paper records between appointments• Give your provider immediate access to more health care information during a trip to the Emergency Room• Reduce your chances of having duplicate tests done• Increase your safety by providing a more complete health record, such as your medications and allergiesAs a Level 2-authenticated eBenefits user, signing up is fast and easy, just follow the steps below:• https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits. portal• If you are already registered, click on the Log-In button in the upper right hand corner• Click on “Access my Documents”• Scroll down to “Health” and look for Manage My Authorizations and Preferences (VLER)• Click on “Manage My Authorizations and Preferences (VLER) ”• Click: “Share your Electronic Health Information with Non-VA Health Care Providers”If you want to use the mail:

You can send in your health care sharing preferences by either completing VA Form 10-0485 andFaxing, mailing or hand carrying it to your nearest VA Medical Center Release of Information Office (ROI).If you would like more information about this program, watch for our “Connect Your Docs” sign and check out the VLER Health website www.va.gov/VLER