GIG LINE
By Marsha M. Brown
It is an honor to announce that in recognition of all the Dare County Veterans who have served the United States military service branches, the Dare County Board of Commissioners, on Monday, May 7, 2012, officially established a Veterans Advisory Council.
The Council is comprised of seven members with staggered terms from one to three years and Appointees as follows: “Punk” Daniels, Clarence Skinner, Joe Pope, Frank Draper, Clarence Lewis, Pete Groom and to my absolute surprise and honor…me. (I’m so happy). The first meeting of the new Council will take place on Thursday, May 24, 2012 and we can’t wait! The Commissioners have already established BYLAWS and they’re expecting the Council to work within our communities “coordinating services and activities benefiting Dare County Veterans and their families”.
I cannot adequately express the gratitude I feel to the Commissioners for recognizing our Veterans in this way. Their official support to further acknowledge our Veterans dedication and sacrifice is appreciated beyond words. There is no doubt the Council will work hand-in-hand, not only with our local Veterans Officer – Rhonda Creef, but with Veteran agencies across the state to bring better awareness, outreach, education, activities and services to our Veterans overall.
With patriotic holidays around the corner, this is a big deal folks! If you are willing to help our new Council by working on a committee, helping us advertise or by showing your support in some other capacity, please let us know. This Council is very important and we want everyone to see our gratitude and determination to show off our men and women Veterans. We’ll spark a new spirit of smiles, hugs and most importantly…American pride. Please contact one of the Council members personally or email me at editor@giglineheroes.com at your earliest convenience to offer your help. Future events will support our Veterans and hopefully contribute greatly to our local economy. Besides that, we all love and appreciate our service men and women, so let’s show them that in a big way!
The May – June, The North Carolina Legion News, Vol. 75, No. 3, featured an article related to an announcement by Gov. Bev Perdue about “a statewide effort to recognize North Carolina service members and their families on the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War”. It went on to say that per Gov. Perdue, it is believed that “more than 72,000 of these veterans are still living in North Carolina today” and that Tim Wipperman, NCDVA Assistant Secretary, per the article, has placed a link on the Division website http://www.doa.nc.gov/vets/KoreanWarForm.aspx which invites a Korean War Veteran, family member or friend to submit a request for a “Certificate of Appreciation” online. Also, it further stated that you can download a request and mail it to: Korean War Veterans Certificate, N.C. Division of Veterans Affairs, 1315 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1315 if you so wish. Thank you Korean War Veterans!
In the same issue, the…Legion News stressed the importance of women Veterans stating they “make up 8% of the Veteran population”. The article reminded a reader that women have served “honorably and with distinction since the founding of our nation”. It further encouraged women to seek “gender specific health care” and to get in touch with VA representatives for assistance in finding out about the programs created just for them through the VA. What can I say? Women have played a major role in and for our military going way back into the 40’s even including the fictional character “Rosie the Riveter”, remember her? We appreciate all who have served – on the battlefields, in the foxholes, on the ships, in the air, in the submarines, in the hospitals – when it comes to love and respect for all of our military, thank you!
Yesterday morning Billy, our Pastor Steve Smith (Manteo – First Assembly of God) and I met the representative of the U.S.A.F. – Langley “Rhythm in Blue” Band who has been helping us co-ordinate the event we’ll host at the church on Friday, June 8 at 7 PM. It was a productive meeting and it was his first visit to the Outer Banks, which he fell in love with at first sight…but then again, who doesn’t? He also had a surprise for us…instead of them featuring a twelve piece ensemble that night; it will be a twenty piece ensemble. Big band music is on the agenda that night and it will be FUN! Isn’t that great? WOW! I can’t stress it enough – save the date! Until next time, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY, be happy, be proud and stay tuned!