Disabled
American Veterans
Blind
Veterans National Chapter #1
WEB SITE: http://www.davbvnc.com/
Editor: Dennis O’Connell
"IF I CANNOT SPEAK
GOOD OF MY COMRADE,
I WILL NOT SPEAK ILL OF HIM
OR HER."
OFFICERS
OF THE BLIND CHAPTER
Commander
Richard Bugbee
Phone 480 986-0304
Email:
dadbug37@gmail.com
Senior
Vice Commander Joe Wallace
1st Junior Vice Commander Stephen Moffitt
2nd
Junior Vice Commander William Burgess
3rd Vice Commander James Hogan
4th
Junior Vice Commander Junior Farley
Judge
Advocate Dennis O’Connell
Chaplain Rev. Tony Martino
Phone 847 736 2111
email: Deaconmart@wi.rr.com
Phone
904 291-0576
email: pkjax@kaminsky.com
Immediate
Past Commander Dennis O’Connell
If
you know of any member who is sick or deceased please inform one of the
officers whose contact information is listed above.
HISTORY
OF TOMB OF UNKNOWN SOLDIER ARLINGTON
Ninety
(90) years ago, on the third anniversary of the armistice that ended World War
1, an unknown soldier who died while fighting in World War 1 was re-interred in
a special tomb at Arlington National Cemetery as America’s Unknown Soldier on
November 11, 1921. According to a newspaper at the time, America’s unknown
warrior was “the body of that boy whose very namelessness symbolized 50,000
others who had given their lives for America on the field of battle in the
World War.”
The
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was another custom that America borrowed from
Europe. England first conceived honoring her nameless dead by interring one of
them in Westminster Abbey. France followed suit by burying an unknown soldier
under the Arc de Triomphe. General Pershing journeyed to France to select the unknown soldier from 4 American cemeteries in France in
October 1921.
America’s
Unknown Soldier began the journey back to his homeland on October 25, 1921 when
his coffin left Havre, France and was first placed on board Admiral Dewey’s
historic flagship cruiser, Olympia, departing for Washington. Once in American
waters, the soldier was accompanied by the battleship North Dakota and
destroyer Bernardou, and arrived at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. on November
9th. Salutes were fired from Fort Washington and Washington Barracks as the
Olympia steamed past. As he was brought ashore, a 21-gun salute sounded and a
military band played.
His
flag-draped coffin was then transported to the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol,
where President Harding laid a wreath upon the coffin and the nation was
allowed to pay tribute to him.
On
November 11th, 1921, General Pershing, along with many U.S. and foreign
dignitaries, and representatives from each branch of the military forces accompanied
the coffin and horse-drawn caisson down the streets of Washington, across the
Potomac River, to Arlington Cemetery where the soldier was placed in the tomb
designed for him by Thomas Hudson Jones that has since became a national
shrine.
INFORMATION
BEFORE YOU FLY
On
the quarterly TSA Disability Coalition teleconference held last week, we
informed our members that TSA planned to launch TSA Cares, a toll-free helpline
to provide information and assistance to passengers with disabilities and medical
conditions and their families before they fly. We are excited to announce that
TSA Cares is now available and accepting calls.
Travelers
may call TSA Cares toll free at 1-855-787-2227 prior to traveling with
questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the
security checkpoint. Travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay
service to contact TSA Cares or can e-mail TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov. The hours
of operation for the TSA Cares helpline are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 9
p.m. EST, excluding federal holidays. After hours, travelers can find
information about traveling with disabilities and medical needs on TSA’s
website at:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/disabilityandmedicalneeds/
When
a passenger with a disability or medical condition calls TSA Cares, a
representative will provide assistance, either with information about screening
that is relevant to the passenger’s specific disability or medical condition,
or the passenger may be referred to disability experts at TSA. TSA recommends
that passengers call approximately 72 hours ahead of travel so that TSA Cares
has the opportunity to coordinate checkpoint support with a TSA Customer
Service Manager located at the airport when necessary.
TSA
will issue a press release regarding TSA Cares later today, as well as making
information about TSA Cares available on www.tsa.gov. We will provide you with
the specific link to TSA Cares information when it becomes active, as well as a
link to the official press release.
As
promised in yesterday’s e-mail about the launch of TSA Cares, you can find more
information about TSA Cares on TSA’s website at the following links:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/disabilityandmedicalneeds/tsa_cares.shtm
http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2011/1222.shtm
http://blog.tsa.gov/
We
urge you to spread the word about TSA Cares so that those you represent have
access to information about screening that is specific to their disabilities or
medical conditions. As always, the staff from the Office of Disability Policy
and Outreach will be available to you to assist with disseminating information
about TSA Cares.
Thank
you for your continued participation and support. We look forward to improving the screening
experience for passengers through TSA Cares.
MORE
USES FOR VINEGAR THAT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LITTLE EASIER
Weight
Loss - Vinegar naturally helps to remove fat from the body - apple cider
vinegar is especially good for this. Drink some in a glass of water a few times
a day, and add a little lemon or honey for a nicer flavor. This will also help
reduce your appetite.
Cracked,
dry skin - Smooth a little vinegar on dried skin to help it heal.
Clean
dentures - Soak dentures overnight in Heinz White Vinegar, then
brush away tartar with a toothbrush.
FROM
THE EDITOR
Before
you receive the next issue of this newsletter, you should have received a
letter from Paul Kaminsky asking for delegates to our National Convention in
August. If you intend to attend the convention as a delegate, please return to
Paul all the information he requested in a timely manner to make his job
easier. Unlike last year, ONLY send in your name and bio if you seriously
intend to represent our chapter as a delegate. Please just don’t send in your
name.
Also,
please try to sign up another blind veteran to our chapter. Our numbers are
dwindling and we have had only 1 member join our ranks since the last
convention in August.
Special Ceremony Awards Flag to Veteran in Florida
Michael
Taylor, Life Member of the DAV Blind Veterans National Chapter #1 , and
resident of Fleming Island in Clay County, Florida, recently received a
hand-sewn Braille U.S. flag from local members of the Daughters of the American
Revolution (DAR). The presentation of the flag made of satin and grosgrain
ribbon occurred on Veterans Day at a groundbreaking ceremony for a $40,000
memorial wall project to honor past and present military veterans with local
ties. DAR chose Mike as the first recipient of a Braille flag because of his
service and sacrifice. Mike is a Vietnam veteran who lost his sight and a leg
in an explosion during Vietnam combat operations. The gathering of
approximately 200 persons near the entrance to
Magnolia
Cemetery in Orange Park, Florida, included Blind Chapter Adjutant-Treasurer and
dual member Florida Chapter 38 Paul Kaminsky and Korean War disabled veteran
and former Marine Al Keithan. The idea
for the 2½-foot high granite memorial, supported by DAR, originally came from
the Historical Society of Orange Park. The wall will display inscribed emblems
of each of the nation’s armed forces. Inscribed bricks that sell for $50 each
will be used to create a lighted walkway.
Mike’s
flag was sewn by DAR member Linda Easterwood. To provide a tactile reference,
the flag was sewn using alternating different textured materials to distinguish
the red and white colors for the stripes. The blue field has the 50 stars
individually
embroidered on both sides.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!