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VOL. 3/ISSUE 52
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015
1st veterans picnic a smash in Indian River
Southeast Honor Flight veterans visit Imo Jima
Mary Kemper STAFF WRITER
mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com
In a first of its kind, and sure to become a beloved tradition, a Veterans and Family Picnic was held Oct. 17 at Gifford Park, Gifford, sponsored by the Veterans Council of Indian River County. Hundreds attended the event, which included plenty of good barbecue-style food, music, a bouncy slide for children and representatives of the Indian River Sheriff’s Office and West Palm Beach VA Medical Center, among others. The Honor Guard was provided by VVA Chapter 1038, which is active throughout the year providing Guard services at many county events. Pat Dyer, who is a consultant and grant writer with the Veterans Council, was excited by the turnout. “We’ve served more than 400 dinners (as of 2 p.m.),” she said. “The entire county was invited, so it’s really great to see such a big crowd. “The goal was to provide a fun social event to get veterans together.” Dyer said she was gratified that the West Palm Beach VA sent representatives all the way to Indian River County to assist veterans and their families in learning about benefits and other matters. Curtis Paulisin, 1st vice president of the Veterans Council and outreach coordinator, noted that “every conflict is represented here today. “It’s so nice to see the whole community come together to honor veterans, and just enjoy a day of fellowship,” he said. American Legion Post 181, Gifford, assisted in facilitating the large gathering, Paulisin said.
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Photo courtesy of Phil Galdys On Saturday, Oct. 24 Southeast Florida Honor Flight flew local veterans to Washington, D.C. Pictured above are the 77 veterans who flew; 68 are WWII veterans and nine Korean War veterans. This was thier first stop Imo Jima Memorial. ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima,’ is a historic photograph taken on Feb. 23, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. It depicts five United States Marines and a United States Navy hospital corpsman raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi, World War II. The image was later used by Felix de Weldon to sculpt the Marine Corps War Memorial, which was dedicated in 1954 to all Marines who died for their country past and present.
No place like home — vets helping vets Mary Kemper STAFF WRITER
mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com
Frank and Pam Lima are both Vietnam-era Army veterans who live quiet lives in Spanish Lake Village, Port St. Lucie. They have health issues, like so many. A couple of months ago, the roof of their home was caving in. They didn’t have the money or the strength to fix it.
That’s when their brother veterans stepped in, and, in Frank’s words, something “unbelievable” happened. Someone who lives in the community heard about the Limas’ situation, and contacted Roy Brewer of Chapter 566, Vietnam Veterans of America. Brewer alerted Joe Lusardi, chapter president, and the ball started rolling. The United Veterans of St. Lucie County,
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