SFC RANDALL SHUGHART SF MEMORIAL CHAPTER LXIV

Happy New Year to you all. I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season. I can't believe it is the middle of January 2008 already. Our next meeting will be at the VFW on Trindle Road, Carlisle, P A on Saturday, February 2nd at 17:30 hours. Art Johns told us at the January meeting that if you haven't paid your dues for 2008, you owe $40.00 because you will need to be re-registered. Don't forget, send your dues C/O Art at the Chapter address on the cover page of the news­letter.

Since it's the beginning of a new year, we need to start over again with donations to the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank. We need 18 donors. Dick Shilling suggested that if you hear of a blood drive in your area, you could go there and ask people donating if they would mind giving on behalf of SF. He said he and Joe Flickinger (Joe was a dear friend of Dick's and a Chapter member who passed away several years ago) tried it several years ago and it worked. Let's give it a go! It can't hurt to try.

If you want to give blood yourself, call the Blood Bank at 717-566-6161 to make an appointment.

Dick Shilling told us that the Lewistown Elks took 4 truckloads of personal care items to the Holidaysburg Veterans Home on December 22nd• They had a party for the Veterans and distributed the items during that time. Dick's wife Nancy is the Exulted Ruler of the Elks and she was in charge of the project. Great work! We can never do enough for our Veterans.   .

General Potter told us about The Special Operations Warrior Foundation during the January meeting. The Foundation provides college scholarships, grants, based on need along with financial aid and counseling to the children of Special Operations personnel who were killed in an operational mission or training accident.

General Potter had a sample bottle of wine, which will be sold to raise funds for the Foundation, and the label read "A Muster for the Children of America's Fallen Heroes, Warner Hall, Gloucester, V A.October 2007 - 2003, California, MERLOT. The MOH is pictured with the names of Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon, with Mogadishu, 10-3-1993 on the label. General Potter said that the children of our fallen heroes are tracked from the day their parent is killed, some as early as the womb. There are currently in excess of 120 students in some form of education through the Foundation. There are various events held to raise funds for the Foundations' work and Stephanie Shughart is on the Board. This is a fantastic organization and you can find out more about it by going on line under Special Operations. Check it out.

Thanks General Potter.

Bill Shearn's son, Josh, was with us at the January meeting. Josh went to Ft. Benning, GA the week of Januay ih for BOLC. In September, he will be going to Texas for Train Up for three months. Josh will be deployed in January, 2009, most likely to Telephar, Iraq. Josh is with I-12th, 2/112 Stryker Brigade. He is the XO currently. Josh has been with us many times at many events. We wish Josh the best and we look forward to seeing him upon his return home.

Frank Deyo's son Daniel was also in attendance at the January meeting. Dan is a PFC in the P A National Guard Stryker Brigade. He is with 13th BRAVO Artillery and he is heading to Ft. Sill, OK for basic in AlT. He will go on to further training after that but he is not sure where. He will be deployed to Iraq, October 2008 with the Brigade. Dan gave up his golf pro statis to join the Guard. He has always been inspired by his father's service and feels that serving his country is more important then being a golf pro. Best wishes and a safe return from all Chapter members.

Josh and Dan are two fine young men and it was my privilege to be able to speak with them.

Joe has been attending our last few meetings and I had a chance to talk with him at the January 5th meeting. Joe is with the Patriot Guard and he is from Hagerstown, MD. In 1964, he was with the 8th Division. In 1967, he was with the 82nd Airborne, 1967 - 68, he was in Vietnam with the 101 st Airborne and then went back to the 82nd at Ft. Bragg. Joe was back in Vietnam in 1969 -70 with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He went back again to the 8th Division, 12th Engineers who formed up 1 st of the 509 ABCT in Italy. In 1976, Joe was in Germany, BAD-TOLZ with 10th SF, 1st Battalion. In 1979, Joe was still with 10th Group, 3rd Battalion at Ft. Devens, MA. He went back to Germany in 1981 with the 10th Group and then returned to Ft. Devens in 1984. Joe retired in 1985 while still at Ft. Devens.

Joe drove truck cross-country until 2006. He is now retired and driving with the Patriot Guard. He is married to wife Waltraud and he has a daughter, Daniela, who is FOB, Delta, 44th ESB in Iraq.

It's good to have you at our meetings, Joe. We hope to see you there every month. (Hope I got all your info right)

It will be here before you know it.

Dutch Byers is working on getting aircraft for the convention. He has to make his requests through the Pentagon. Dutch always does a great job for us. We need to sell ads and raffle tickets for the 9mm Browning and the M 1 Grand. It's not too early to get your registration in or to book a room at the Hilton. Let's make this a great convention.

Eric Welke is doing a great job with our Quartermaster sales. The new Chapter trailer is really nice. If you haven't seen it yet, you will definitely get to see it at the convention. Eric has new shirts with the convention coin design on them. He has several varieties of shirts in a good selection of colors. Convention coins are available and remember, they are numbered.

Don't forget to check out our web site. Bob McDowell (www.bobmcdowell.com)  does a great job with all the information and pictures he puts out there for us to enjoy.

That's it for this time,

See you at the next meeting,

Until then,

God Bless America, God Bless our Troops, God Bless you all,

CAROL CARTER

 

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