National convention, october 2-5, 2005, in bossier - Korean War ...

270 Sam Johnson J
(TX)
270
Glen Thompson
The Great Hamburger Cookouts
On the third Wednesday of every month, over a dozen members
of the Chapter, a few members from the local Purple Heart
chapter, and a few members from KWVA Chapter 215 converge
on the TCU dining hall to grill and serve hamburgers to approximately
120 veteran patients confined to the Transitional Care
Unit (TCU) at the Dallas VA Hospital. Veteran patients look forward
to our monthly hamburger cookout, which has become a
tradition in the TCU. The patients enjoy the change from standard
hospital food and the volunteers feel that they have helped
their fellow veterans
President J. D. Randolph usually arrives first to gather the
hamburger patties, the buns, the potato chips, the condiments, the
punch, paper plates, the serving dishes and other supplies.
Meanwhile, member Doyle Dykes fires up the barbeque grill on
the patio in the TCU building.
TCU Patient Comments And Profiles
Thaddeus Le Boeuf, a Louisiana native, currently resides in
Mineral Wells. Thaddeus is a retired veteran with 24 years of
service in the US Army. He was released from the Transitional
Care Unit on June after a three-month stay. Thaddeus, who had
his left leg amputated because of complications from diabetes,
noted that he looked forward to the hamburger cookout..
Smokey Cleveland, a former Navy Corpsman, lives between
Alvarado and Burleson. He spent one four-year tour of duty in
the Navy. Smokey, who was confined to the TCU for five weeks,
went home in June as well. “I appreciate all you’ve done for us,”
he said. “The hamburgers are a lot better food than what they’ve
been serving here.”
Glen Preston, a former US Marine, served from 1969 through
1975. Glen’s knees lock up on him because of an injury he sustained
while in the Marines. Recently, while on an eight-foot ladder,
his knees locked up on him and he fell across boat railings.
The fall sheared off the quad-muscles and tendons on both legs.
Glen reported that, “I’m a guinea pig because they haven’t had
any injuries exactly like mine.” But, he added, “I really appreciate
those hamburgers once a month.”
Preston lives in Haltom City.
289 Mountain Empire e [VA]
289
Carol Shelton
270 member Doyle
Dykes (center) grills
hamburgers, while member
Homer Mundy (left)
and a volunteer from a
local Purple Heart
Chapter (right) assist
289 members at their memorial dedication
The Chapter dedicated a Korean War Memorial in Abingdon,
VA on May 29, 2005 at their Veterans Memorial Park.
Glen Preston appreciates
the food
299 Kor orea
Veterans of America [MA]
299
Jeff Brodeur
The new KWVA Chapter 299 monument was dedicated at
Middleboro, MA, Veterans Memorial Park on Memorial Day
2005, with many Chapter members in attendance. The monument
is the first in the country to have the
dates 1945 to present and all four
Korea Campaign Ribbons affixed.
Over 1,500 people attended the ded-
At left, USFKVO post in Middleboro. Below,
(L-R) 299 members at Middleboro Memorial
Park: Ed Gallant, Paul Fitzsimmons, Brad
Chase, Creator Jack Barnicoat, Jeff Brodeur,
John Gould
53
The Graybeards
July - August A
2005