On Member Monday we highlight our members involved in their communities. Today we highlight Eva Smith, an active member of MN DAV Chapter 39. The Sauk Center resident served in the U.S. Air Force from 1982 to 1985 as an airman 1st class communications and crypto repair specialist. This year she was elected as the Chapter’s senior vice commander and as a committee member of the Leo Luskey 5th Annual Golf Tournament, raising funds supporting area veterans in Anoka and surrounding counties.
Smith has served as the Chapter’s adjutant and treasurer and continues to volunteer her time transporting veterans to and from VA medical appointments, annual DAV Forget-Me-Not campaigns, clothing drives, and reaching out to legislators, the community, and fellow veterans about the mission of the DAV and membership benefits. She enjoys spending time with her family and loves cheering on her favorite Minnesota sports teams. Prior to the COVID pandemic, Smith was recognized by the Minnesota Lynx as a “Homegrown Hero.”
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and the Veterans Administration is raising awareness on how vaccines protect your health and the health of your family and community! Immunizations or vaccines are medical preparations given to individuals to help improve the body’s resistance to a particular disease. Getting vaccines will prevent outbreaks of many types of diseases and can also save lives.
Learn more from the Veterans Health Library about types of infection and the associated vaccine at https://www.va.gov/QUALITYOFCARE/education/National_Immunization_Awareness_Month.asp
A few facts about vaccines:
• Vaccines eliminated smallpox and polio in the U.S.
• Vaccines are one of the safest medical interventions we have
• People 6 months and older should receive a flu shot every year
• People age 65 or older need a one-time shot to help prevent pneumonia
• Once you get a vaccine it also protects others around you from getting that disease
• All adults need a booster shot every 10 years to protect against tetanus and diphtheria
• Measles and other diseases have been significantly reduced in the U.S. because of Vaccines
On Member Monday we highlight our members involved in their communities. Today we highlight Dan Lynch, an active member of Minnesota Disabled American Veterans Chapter 39. Lynch, a resident of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, is a U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran. The boatswains’ mate served as a cook and baker, returning to Minnesota with a career as a water pump engineer until he retired in 2011.
He currently serves Chapter 39 as the elected chaplain and an active volunteer for fundraising events supporting area veterans to include grocery bagging, clothing drives, and the annual Forget-Me-Not DAV campaign. Lynch is also a lifetime member of the VFW and active in his church as a trustee and a choir member. He has a passion for music, is a sports enthusiast, and loves spending time with his family, especially in the outdoors.
Chris Forbes, a member of Scouting Troop 582, Rogers, Minnesota, is reaching out to the golf community to help refurbish 20 sets of golf clubs and accessories for Veterans in need. The project is part of his quest to achieve Eagle Scout and to get Veterans involved in the outdoor sport which he’s discovered can have significant therapeutic value. The 9th grader now has the support of the PGA of Minnesota foundations, PGA Reach and PGA Hope.
Forbes, who has a passion for the game of golf, is the son of a disabled veteran. He’s leading a group of volunteer scouts and is looking for additional volunteers to help refurbish donated golfing accessories and sets of clubs at the PGA Tour Superstore in Minnetonka, 12380 Wayzata Blvd., Minnetonka, MN 55305 on August 29, 2021. The clubs and golf accessories will undergo general repair, cleaning, and regripping. Contact Chris Forbes if you’d like to help in the refurbishing process by emailing him at [email protected]
Used golf club and accessories can be dropped off no later than August 28 at the scout’s home located at 13568 Oakwood Dr., Rogers MN 55374.
If you know of a veteran that would be interested in a set of refurbished golf clubs and accessories, have them email [email protected].
Today is Member Monday, highlighting some of our MN DAV Chapter 39 members. Tom Boling, an active member of DAV served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve from 1959 to 1985. He served as an enlisted Soldier as a pole lineman and an armor commo chief and following graduation from Officer Candidate School served as an armor and infantry officer, serving two tours in Vietnam. Major Boling retired from his military career in 1985. A Coon Rapids resident, Boling served the DAV as a National Service Officer, Assistant Adjutant, and in 1995 organized MN DAV Chapter 39, with 60 members. Years later he was elected as the Chapter Commander.
Today, with more than 1200 lifetime members, MN DAV Chapter 39 is one of the most active veteran organizations in the United States. He enjoys attending Army reunions and with his wife, Christa, traveling and camping. Boling is also a lifetime member of the American Legion and the VFW. He continues to remain an active DAV member volunteering for clothing drives, Forget-Me-Not campaigns, bagging groceries fundraising, and serving on various committees supporting Anoka and surrounding county Veterans.
Thank you for your donations at the MN DAV Chapter 39 Clothing Drive at the Riverdale Mall in Coon Rapids, August 14 and 15. Two trailer loads were collected and will be processed this week with 100 percent of the proceeds supporting area Veterans. We appreciate our DAV volunteers who took time this weekend to make this fundraising event possible.
Today is Member Monday, highlighting some of our MN DAV Chapter 39 members. Ken Plant, an active member of MN DAV Chapter 39, served in the Marine Corps as a correspondent from 1969 to 1974. A graduate of the Defense Information School and the Senior DINFOS, he joined the ranks of U.S. Army public affairs practitioners in 1983. He retired in 2016 with 36 years of service but continues to volunteer with organizations focused on serving veterans and educating the public about the role of the military. Webmaster for MN DAV Chapter 39, Plant serves on the annual golf tournament committee and is actively involved in promoting fund-raising events through social media and providing photographic and video coverage. Check out the Chapter’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MNDAVAnokaChapter39 and a sample of event coverage at https://anoka39davmn.com/leo-luskey-annual-dav-golf-tournament/.
In addition to the DAV, he is a lifetime member and public affairs officer of the Army Reserve Association and a lifetime member of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association. Since 2014 Plant has teamed up with other veterans of various eras through “The Telling Project,” (https://thetellingproject.org/) sharing service in the military on college stages, theaters, public radio stations, and in 2017 was recruited to be a member of the Twin Cities Public Television and Tell Project’s production of MN Remembers Vietnam, which aired nationally on PBS. A few weeks after the production, cast member, Ken Sholes, had a stroke resulting in paralysis and aphasia. Plant volunteered to become his caregiver and with the help of Minneapolis VA Medical Center therapists and doctors, assisted with his recovery. Ken and Ken became frequent volunteers of local DAV fund-raising events and outdoor sponsored veteran programs. Three years later, In November 2020, Sholes, while visiting his sister in Maryland, had a seizure and passed. Plant orchestrated Ken Sholes’ committal service with military honors at Fort Snelling Cemetery, attended by his family and DAV Chapter 39 honor detail in attendance. For the DAV’s Bicentennial event in November 2020, Plant participated in the Walk, Roll, Run, and Ride 5K, honoring “Ken Sholes” on Veterans Day at the new Veterans Park in Blaine. He also volunteered in 2018 and again in 2019 to help present DAV embroidered blankets to Veterans in Anoka and surrounding county nursing homes.
This Fall, Plant is revisiting the next chapter in his life, seeking employment with a value-based organization, and returning to his passions of painting, sculpting, and bass fishing.
August 6th was National Root Beer Float Day and to celebrate A&W and the DAV gave away FREE Root Beer Floats to all Veterans between 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. MN DAV Chapter 39 Commander, Bill Gordon, thanked the A&W staff and management at 140 Orr Ave. in Buffalo, Minnesota for supporting the annual event. A&W offers a 10 percent discount to Veterans daily.
MN DAV Chapter 39 Clothing Drive coming to Cub Foods, Riverdale Mall parking lot, 12940 Riverdale Drive, Coon Rapids, MN 55448 on Sat. August 14 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Sun., August 15, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Look for our DAV signs and trailer. Proceeds from the clothing drive support area Veterans. Please bag or box your clothing, shoes and small household items.
MN DAV Chapter 39 and Auxiliary Unit 39 will conduct their monthly member meetings on Thursday, August 12 at 6:30 PM at the VFW, Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN 55433. Agenda will include updates from those attending the DAV National Convention and the Leo Luskey DAV Golf Committee. Details to volunteer for the August clothing drive and the September Forget-Me-Not fundraiser will be reviewed. CDC and MN Dept. of Health updated guidance related to the recent COVID variant rise in cases in Anoka County “recommends” wear of masks for indoor gatherings, and “mandates” wear for those unvaccinated.
