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j September                                                                    2007 7

The next meeting will be Oct. 7th at 3p.m.. Come early and eat/socialize with us for the hour before the meeting. Lunch will be from KFC, but desserts are always welcomed! Contents: PLEASE NOTE: The meetings are now in a different location than the one we've been meeting at for the past 8 years. The meetings will be at the American Legion in Troutman through the end of the year while we decide if we like the location and want to make it our new home. Directions to the American Legion are:    From I-40 East or West:  from I40, take exit 144 (Old Mountain Rd.) like you were going to the old meeting place, go about 7 1/2 miles, turn right (south) on Hwy 21, go about 1 1/4 mile the American Legion is on the right just past the school. If you're coming up from the south, you may want to just get off I-77 at exit 42, go over to Hiway 21, turn LEFT, that is North, and go a few miles into Troutman; you'll see the American Legion on the west side of the road. If you get to the elementary school, you've just barely passed the American Legion post; if you get all the way into Troutman to the traffic light, you've gone even further too far, so turn around and come back south on 21 until you get back to the elementary school and just past that, you've found it. Mission Statement: ROLLING THUNDER INC. Major function is to publicize the POW/MIA issue; to educate the public that American Prisoners-of-War were left behind after ALL past wars; to help correct the past and to protect future veterans from being left behind should they become Prisoners of War/Missing in Action. Second, we are committed to helping all disabled veterans from all wars. Chapter Contact List: Mike Keller, President 704-876-1584 moomoodog@bellsouth.net David Sherrill, Vice President: 828-241-9204 ffsherrill1@aol.com Rick Johnson, Chairman: 828-728-8072 tawodi@charter.net Lee Ann Johnson, Editor:    kiyuga@charter.net Chapter Website Address http://webpages.charter.net/rtnc2 Minutes From September Meeting: Invocation: Bill  Devaughn Pledge of Allegiance: Cody Moore Mission Statement: Ross Moore Introduction of Guests: Mike Keller Introduced Rodney Green, our newest member and his brother Todd Green of Charlotte who rode with us on run to the wall 2007. Reading of the Minutes: Marion made a motion to accept the minutes for August, and seconded by Casey. Motion Carried Financial Report: Joyce Sherrill; Bill mad a motion to accept the report as read: seconded by Casey. Motion Carried. BOD Report: Expenses for family picnic needs to be discussed as to how much we are putting out for this event. We need to make sure we are keeping our books straight and how much is being put out. VA Report: Gerald and Ross were the only two that participated in the Bingo Bldg. 10 at the VA on Tues. August 28th. We were also told by the new director that our day needs to be changed again. Gerald or Mike will get with the director to set up a new day at the end of each month. Will let Chapter know later in the month to which day this is. Education Report: None. However, we have a volunteer that has come forward after this past meeting and is willing to take this program on, on a temporary basis provided everyone agree. He currently only has his boot patch but should be receiving his Rocker/Eagle in January. Richard has said that he will set up programs for the Chapter and will let everyone know when we have some schools to go to. He has already talked to three schools and is waiting on reply’s from them. VFW Report: Casey stated that the VFW Post 2031 goes to the VA the last Wednesday of every month and proposed that we consolidate our Chapter with the VFW to go do Bingo together. This is still up in the air. Also she stated how mad she was about the circumstances surrounding us getting kicked out of the VFW and is asking for us to reconsider coming back to hold our meetings now that the former Commander has been removed from office and the new Commander is Jimmy Aldridge. He is willing to make amends for the past mistakes of the old commander. This is something we as a Chapter need to take a long look at at a later date. Table Ceremony: Paul and 5 volunteers. Paul does it right and the way it was originally designed at it's outset. Old Business: Joyce read a letter sent to her grandson Nick from an Iraqi Veteran. It was a very emotional letter and we need to keep up the good work on keeping track of our Troops abroad. Elections: Motion made by Mike to keep Ross on as Secretary pro-tem seconded by many. Motion carried. Motion made by Tommy London to nominate Casey for President; Bill nominated Mike as President; Tommy London was also nominated for President, he declined. Rick was asked to hold the election as Chairman of the Board. Casey and Mike were asked to leave the room so that a vote could be taken. On the initial vote it was deadlocked. After some lengthy discussion and on a revote Mike Keller was elected President for the next 2 years. Congratulations Mike. Run to the Wall 2008: Mike made reference to the 50 rooms that Ross had Blocked off for next years run. Ross also stated that these rooms are being held up to April 15th 2008. By the way these rooms are for Chapter 2 members only. If your not a Chapter 2 member you will not get a room. However, Mike made reference that sometimes that some of our Chapter members may bring other personnel with them that could potentially become members down the road. That's fine and well but we need to keep in mind if you bring other than Chapter 2 members then it takes away from our membership from having a room so let's take care of our Chapter first. You will need to get a confirmation number from Ross in order to book a room in your own name. You will then be given your own confirmation number. State Picnic: Sept.15th. Mike has lined up a band to play in the early morning portion while we are on the ride to the VA and to the Thomasville Wall to play for those who are staying behind at the American Legion Post in Cleveland. This is a former Desert Storm Vet. and they play mostly southern Rock. However, Stan Clardy will also be there for the afternoon and evening sessions. Stan also will be bringing CD's with him of the music he and his second have written and published featuring the hit song Memorial Day written and produced by Stan. A motion was also made to up the amount of money for the catering service to feed 100 people to $750.00. Motion made by Casey and seconded by Tommy. Motion Carried. POW/MIA Recognition Day: Dianne and her committee have set this program up and is ready for our solemn day on Sept.22nd. This is to start at 1630 until ending. We do have a round table and Dianne has a podium already for this event. MVVA to do a 21 gun salute and Pope AFB to do the table ceremony. Meet at the Shell Station exit 150 off of I40 at 1430 we will leave 15 minutes later. The National Convention is coming up Nov. 2-3 in DC. Mike and Ross will be attending and anyone else from the Chapter who wants to go can. However, being the cheapies that we are, we will save the Chapter some money for this as we will stay at the same Quality Inn in Falls Church, Va for only one night and we will be back in time for the meeting on 4th Nov. Rick stated that HR111 is back on the floor of Congress about reestablishing the POW/MIA back to its original form instead of this Missing Captured. Contact your representatives immediately and tell them this is the right thing to do. New Business: Hospice in Statesville/Mooresville will be holding a couple of events on Veterans Day Nov.11th Sunday. The first event will be at the Mooresville NG Armory from 1230-1300 hours and at the same time at Fort Dobbs in Statesville there will be a considering event. Then at 1500 hours at the Statesville Civic Center there will be a program to honor our Hometown Heroes from Iredell County. Ross will contact Col. Tillman in reference to this event for next meeting. Carried over till next meeting. Our Meeting Place: Gerald made a motion to keep the American Legion Post on a temporary basis until December. Seconded by Bill D.. Motion Carried No Patch Presentation 50/50 Drawing won by Tommy London. We sent approx.$269.00 dollars to the new Vietnam Memorial Wall being constructed in Jacksonville, NC. Meeting Adjourned at 1705 Airman missing from World War II identified WASHINGTON (AFRNS) -- The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced Sept. 5 that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Second Lt. Harold E. Hoskin of the Army Air Forces from Houlton, Maine, will be buried Sept. 7 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Representatives from the Army met with Lieutenant Hoskin's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army. On Dec. 21, 1943, Lieutenant Hoskin was one of five crewmen on board a B-24D on a cold-weather test mission that departed Ladd Field in Fairbanks, Alaska. The aircraft never returned to base and it was not located in subsequent search attempts. The following March, one of the crewmen, 1st Lt. Leon Crane, arrived at Ladd Field after spending more than two months in the Alaska wilderness. He said that the plane had crashed after it lost an engine, and Lieutenant Crane and another crewmember, Master Sgt. Richard L. Pompeo, parachuted from the aircraft before it crashed. Lieutenant Crane did not know what happened to Sergeant Pompeo or the others. In October 1944, Crane assisted a recovery team in locating the crash. They recovered the remains of two of the crewmen, 1st Lt. James B. Sibert and Staff Sgt. Ralph S. Wenz. Lieutenant Hoskin's remains were not found and it was concluded that he probably parachuted out of the aircraft before it crashed. In 2004, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command received information from a National Park Service historian regarding a possible World War II crash site in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve in Alaska. The historian turned over ashes believed to be the cremated remains of the crew; however, it was determined they contained no human remains. In 2006, a JPAC team excavated the site and recovered human remains and other non-biological material, including items worn by Army officers during World War II. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Lieutenant Hoskin's remains. (Courtesy of Air Force Print News.) Marine Missing From Korean War Is Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Pfc. Carl A. West, U.S. Marine Corps, of Amanda Park, Washington. He will be buried Oct. 4 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. West was a member of Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment, of the 1st Marine Division deployed near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. On Nov. 27, 1950, three Communist Chinese divisions launched an attack on the Marine positions. Over the next several days, U.S. forces staged a fighting withdrawal to the south, first to Hagaru-ri, then Koto-ri, and eventually to defensive positions at Hungnam. West died on Dec. 8, 1950, as a result of enemy action near Koto-ri. He was buried by fellow Marines in a temporary U.N. military cemetery in Hungnam, which fell to the North Koreans in December 1950. His identity was later verified by the FBI from a fingerprint taken at the time of the burial. During "Operation Glory" in 1954, the North Korean government repatriated the remains of 2,944 U.S. soldiers and Marines. Included in this repatriation were remains associated with West's burial. The staff at the U.S. Army mortuary in Kokura, Japan, however, cited suspected discrepancies between the dental remains and West's dental file as well as discrepancies between the biological profile derived from the remains and West's physical characteristics. The remains were among 416 subsequently buried as "unknowns" in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (The Punchbowl) in Hawaii. In May 2006, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command exhumed remains from The Punchbowl believed to be those of West. Although the remains did not yield usable DNA data, a reevaluation of the skeletal and dental remains led to West's identification. Americans Recently Announced As Accounted For: There are now 1,773 US personnel listed by the Department of Defense as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Since the last newsletter (pre-38th Annual Meeting), 13 Americans previously missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War have been announced as accounted for. Lieutenant Colonel James H. Ayres, USAF, MIA, LA, 1-3-71, RR 12-11-01, TX Sergeant First Class Ernest F. Briggs, Jr., USA, MIA, LA, 1-5-68, RR 3-15-02, TX Sergeant First Class John T. Gallagher, USA, MIA, LA, 1-5-68, RR 3-15-02, CT Chief Warrant Officer Dennis C. Hamilton, USA, MIA, LA, 1-5-68, RR 3-15-02, IA Lieutenant Colonel Michael J. Masterson, USAF, MIA, LA, 10-13-68, RR 8-4-05, WA Corporal Jim E. Moshier, USMC, KIA/BNR, SVN, 7-11-67, RR 8-15-05, CA Lieutenant Michael R. Newell, USN, KIA/BNR, NVN, 12-14-68, RR 8-15-05, NY Technician Chief Roland R. Pineau, USN, KIA/BNR, SVN, 10-8-67, RR 8-15-05, MI Lieutenant Colonel Alton C. Rockett, Jr., USAF, MIA, NVN, 6-2-67,RR 7-31-89, AL Chief Warrant Officer Sheldon D. Schultz, USA, MIA, LA, 1-5-68, RR 3-15-02, PA Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Stratton, USAF, MIA, LA, 1-3-71, RR 12-11-01, TX Major Donald E. Westbrook, USAF, MIA, LA, 3-13-68, RR 9-3-98, TX Sergeant First Class James D. Williamson, USA, MIA, LA, 1-5-68, RR 3-15-02, WA The identification of the remains of these Americans brings to 810 the number of US personnel returned since the end of the VN War in 1975. An additional 63 US personnel were accounted for between 1973 and 1975, for a grand total of 873. These Americans were accounted for by unilateral US effort in areas where the US could gain access at that time, not due to government-to-government cooperation with the post-war governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia. Over 90% of 1,773 still missing and unaccounted for were lost in Vietnam or in areas of Laos and Cambodia under Vietnam’s wartime control. Support our Soldiers! New Name on the List! We have a new name on the list this month. TSgt Ashley Roney is former members (now members of RTSC1) Ralph & Glenda Broome. Let’s support Ashley as she serves her tour in the "sandbox" and make the experience a little easier for her. Tech. Sgt. Ashley Roney 379 EMDG/CSS APO AE 09309 Ashley, stay strong, and know that we are behind you all the way. Msg. Watts, Thomas 1 - 1 - 1 Commando NPTT APO AE 09390 Tommy has been a member of chapter 2 for about as long as we’ve been a chapter. Personally, after knowing Tommy for the past 7 years, I can, in all honesty, say that I (almost) feel sorry for the bad guys! Keep your head down and watch your 6 Tommy. Come home safe. Airman stationed in Korea for one year. We supported TSgt Nelson Ortega on his 2 deployments to Iraq, and his wife Kathy when she made her first deployment last year. I’m sure Nelson would appreciate hearing from Rolling Thunder while stationed so far from home. TSgt Nelson Ortega 8 AMXS/ 80th AMU PSC 2 Box 2432 APO AP 96264-0025 TSgt Ortega is the Airman who had a flag flown on a mission over Iraq in honor of RTNC2. Support our Veterans! Veterans Wish List: In the past, we as a chapter have taken up a collection of items to take to the V.A. hospital in December. We  are still going to take up a collection, but instead of waiting until the end of the year, we will take up a collection every month. Since a lot of the residents are taken to the V.A. hospital nursing home and forgotten, they (residents & staff) really appreciate our visits and gifts Item of the Month: Toothbrush & Tooth Paste Socks needed every month. A Bit of Humor: When I was Assigned to the K-9 Corps of the 260th MP Company, a picnic was held celebrating the 45th anniversary of the MP Corps. Several companies and their top brass attended the event, which included demonstrations of police-dog work. I stood proudly by my dog King, a 95-pound German Shepherd as fierce as any in the Corps. When it was our turn, King performed perfectly – each command precisely executed. I called King back to my side as the audience clapped. But the applause soon turned to laughter. Looking at my dog, I saw why. There was King, merrily running through the field chasing butterflies. --Contributed to "Humor In Uniform" by Alan Burnett Food For Thought: All those soldiers belong to somebody. They got moms, they got wives, they got kids....they got somebody who loves them. Liz Allen, Vietnam nurse