If you get this newsletter in time and if you are available, there will be a memorial service in the courtyard of the Memorial Building on Friday morning, June 10 at 10:00 A.M. for Ed Dewitt, an army Vietnam veteran who was badly wounded within a month or so of arriving in country, a wound from which he never fully recovered. Any Chapter members who are available to attend will be appreciated. Ed occasionally marched with us in parades.

We debriefed the Moving Wall on May 9, a successful and well attended meeting. We adjourned to Moby Dick’s. The chapter meeting on May 10 was somewhat lengthy and debriefing continued. Consensus was that the meeting was productive and that the Wall visit was a wonderful success. Dinner ensued though sparsely attended in light of dinner the prior night.

Regarding Chapter support for the Wall, I submit in no particular order the following list of Chapter contributors of money, time, labor and/or presence: Dennis Hartman; Domingo Nunez; Maria Perkins; Bill Frieburg; John Kerr; Tom Elliott; Robin Anderson; Mario Pintor; George Ogle; Gerry Roberson; Stephanie Salata; Elizabeth Truesdail; William Stewart; Jim Britton; Homer Sheffield; Dan Oriz; Peter Bie; Robert Blackstone; Hap DeSimone (& Paul and Daniel); Ed Foster; Fred Golin ; Robert LaPrad; Malcom Hamilton; Bill Griffin; Don Matter (& Andrew); Make Mazur; John Parsons; Leon Reginatto; Ben Roberts; Henry Delgado; Charlie and Cathy Franco; Patricia Rumpza; Christopher Shemet; Jack & Cheryl Silveria; Keith Perkins; Hugh Thompson; Reid Tompkins; Kathie DeWitt; Woody Wilde; Spencer Winston; Pattie Murdy; Matt Thomas.
Please let me know if I inadvertently missed you.

June meeting coming up on the 14th. Gary M. Colletti, Southern District Director, will be attending our meeting to install officers. He’ll be joining us for dinner after the meeting. We’ll also begin tackling Fiesta.

In that regard, the following was submitted from member - and Fiesta Booth coordinator extraordinaire - Don Matter for publication:

Fiesta 2005 is just around the corner. It will run from August 3rd through August 6th this year. The Fiesta Mercado booth is our principle source of income for the year. After having the Wall here in April/May, we are really going to need participation this year. I am going to be calling all members around the 3rd week of July, perhaps earlier, to get commitments to work. While we are on this subject, if you DO NOT want or CANNOT work at the booth, please call me at 962-1688 or Keith at 682-0550, that way I don't waste your time or mine by calling.

Note: as always we really need people to work the late afternoon time slots (3PM to 7PM). It always seems to be tough to get people to work that shift, so if you can do it, you are very appreciated.
We will be loading equipment from Hillside House onto the truck on Friday July 29th, time TBA. The booth will be set up on Saturday July 30th at 7AM and it will be taken down on Sunday August 7th at zero dark thirty (6:30AM). The sooner we start, thereby minimizing the possibility of having our truck being blocked out or in by others, the sooner we finish.

Tom Palmeri may have some table top fryers on line by this Fiesta. That means no more lugging that heavy ancient thing around. Another plus is that we are hoping the new fryers will run on gas which is good since our booth is well known for blowing the fuses down there. Also Mike Mazur has been working on some new additions as well.

If there are more ideas, please bring them up at our June and July meetings or call me at 962-1688 or email me at: dmatter@cox.net.
Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day.

The Chapter’s message board is back up and running at our web site. I will try to keep it up to date regarding upcoming activities. Check there to see what’s going on, and to post your own messages.

Proudly representing and serving noble warriors with noble intentions,

Keith

Meet the members:
Hap DeSimone (Army E-5 Radio Operator Long Binh `69-`70) Hap enlisted in August of 1968. A HAM operator as a civilian, he was assigned instructor duty at Fort Ord. Dissatisfied with his position and prospects there, in November of 1969 he requested transfer and gladly accepted a Vietnam assignment. He served with 2FFV (2nd Field Force Vietnam), 53rd Signal Battalion. Welcoming field assignments, Hap was wounded by mortar shrapnel in April of 1970 near the Cambodian border. Since his discharge in August of 1970 Hap has basically been a radio repair man. He made sure that Santa Barbara Sheriff and Santa Barbara Fire departments had top notch communications capabilities. Hap has also served as a development engineer for Hughes.

Addendum:

Chapter 54 of the Veterans For Peace meets weekly on Mondays at 5pm in the Harbor Room of the Veterans Memorial Building at 112 W. Cabrillo on Santa Barbara’s waterfront. Chapter 54 includes members from Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria and Oxnard. The monthly membership and business meeting is normally the first Monday of the month. On all other Mondays, visitors are encouraged to join the chapter in Monday film showings. The films are shown at 6pm following refreshments and social hour from 5-6pm. For more information contact Lane Anderson at 564-269

 

Proudly representing and serving noble warriors with noble intentions,

Keith

 

 

 

The Santa Barbara Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America is a tax exempt, non-profit organization. Our members are Vietnam era (you need not have served "in country") Veterans and Associates (individuals from all walks of life who may or may not have served in the military). Our Chapter is successful because of the efforts of Vietnam Veterans, Vietnam Era Veterans, and Associates, all of whom are equally welcomed and prized. The Chapter’s Vance Committee distributes funds to qualified disabled American veterans.

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June, 2005

 

SERVING VETERANS AND THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1983

 

For all those soldiers, sailors, airmen, coast guardsmen and marines, past, present and future, who have taken, are taking, or will take their turn on duty, recall a couple of lines from

A Few Good Men (1992):

"Why do you like them so much?" {Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollak)}

" 'Cause they stand on a wall and they say: "Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch."" {Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore)}

"Proud To Be
A Vietnam Veteran"

 

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