St Mary s Chapter NO. 26 and Auxiliary Unit No. 26, P.O. Box 788, Hollywood, Maryland 20636

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1 St Mary s Chapter NO. 26 and Auxiliary Unit No. 26, P.O. Box 788, Hollywood, Maryland Chapter #26, Chartered April 25, 1974 Auxiliary Unit #26, Chartered September, 1976 Monthly Newsletter of the DAV St. Mary s Chapter #26 and Auxiliary Unit No. #26. April 2017 DAV Chapter 26 Contact Telephone Number (available 24/7) Web Site: Comrades COMMANDER s MESSAGE As your soon to be Past Commander I want to thank all for your support in all our activities, including; the Forget Me Not campaign, Golden Corral, Camp Corral fund raiser (this year was great), and each of your support on other chapter efforts. I will always be ready to support veteran activities and you as long as I m able. Our chapter has been able to support all our activities only with each of your volunteer efforts. I m sure it will continue with your new leadership team. Our on-line newsletter has been a great improvement in getting out the word and remember, it contains links to more information of importance to you, your family and your fellow veterans, please pass it on to others. Sincerely, Vaughn McCall Past commander, Chapter #26

2 CHAPLAIN S CORNER Pastor Donald G. Geller, Jr. Community with a Cause (A mission congregation of the United Methodist Church) Lexington Park, Maryland Hello fellow Comrades! Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! Today, March 26 th, marks the fourth Sunday in Lent, which means that Easter is just around the corner. This week s theme is all about Who is this Jesus who confronts a blind man and heals him? Who is this Jesus who confronts the skepticism of the Jewish authorities? Who is this Jesus who confronts each one of us and asks us to take up our cross and follow Him? Dr. Larry Gilbert wrote an article called, Your Special Place. In his article, he tells the story of Sir Michael Costa, a celebrated conductor, who was holding a rehearsal. As the mighty chorus rang out, accompanied by scores of instruments, the piccolo player thought perhaps he could quit playing without being missed since there was so much music in the air at once. Suddenly the great leader stopped and cried out, Where is the piccolo? The sound of that one small instrument was necessary for the full harmony of the piece and the conductor s ear had missed it when it did not play. So it is with every individual s spiritual gift. Every part must be played, every gift must be used or the whole will suffer. Billy Graham happens to be one of the Christian leaders that I have looked up to my entire life. We all have heroes like Billy Graham another person who comes to my mind is Beth Moore whom I have mentioned on more than one occasion. Beth Moore says, When the stakes are high, bow down low! These are people we consider great men and women of faith. Stop for a moment when you are reading this article and think of the most outstanding Christian leader or teacher you know. When you have thought of that person, consider this: God has called you to do something he or she cannot do. God has called you to do something that your favorite evangelist can t do, regardless of how great he or she is. Comrades, as we continue our Lenten journey with Christ, remember that God needs you. And your church needs you in order for it to fulfill its mission in the community where God has planted each one of us. Did you know that the Archdiocese of Washington is home to Cardinal Donald Weurl. Inside this very large and very beautiful Roman Catholic Church is a large mosaic depiction of Christ as a shepherd made up of little pieces of colored tile, each depicting individual members of the body of Christ. Even if one of the smallest pieces was missing, it would be noticeable to the entire body. Christ himself would say, Where is the piccolo? if one member of the body was not present. You don t have to do big things in the church but you have to do what God has called you to do. There s nothing life can throw at us that God can t use to draw us nearer to Him! One of the scripture readings for this Sunday was 1 Samuel 16. When Samuel finally went to the house of Jessie, as the Lord had directed him to do, he discovered the next king. But Samuel was impressed with Jessie s eldest son. Eliab was tall and handsome. Surely, this must be the Lord s anointed one. But Samuel was warned by God not to judge by external appearance, as humans do, but to penetrate to the inward qualities, as the Lord does. Samuel was ready to choose Eliab as king because of his good looks. David was initially rejected because he was too young, too short, and was just a shepherd boy. Our society judges people based on their external qualities beauty, strength, and status quo. But God sees the heart. Not what we appear to be but what we are on the inside. Not even what we are, but what we can become with God s help. God is always leading us if we are listening for Him. Please remember that in addition to being your Chaplain, I am also a seminary trained United Methodist Pastor! So, if you find yourself in need of spiritual help or you just need to talk to someone, pick up

3 the phone and call me. I would love to pray for you and with you. No matter what your personal need might be, I am here to serve you. But none of us can help you if we are unaware of your spiritual or physical needs. So please, pick up the phone and call me, or if you prefer, call one of the other service officers and let us know how we can help you. I am certain that you will find us to be good listeners. And don t forget that you can always send me an or send me a text; my contact information is at then of every one of my newsletter articles. Please help me get the word out that God has not forgotten our Disabled American Veterans and their families or those who care for children and adults with disabilities! I am honored to be your Chaplain and I am honored to be a part of the Disabled American Veterans organization! Please don t forget our fellow veterans at the Veterans Home in Charlotte Hall! Happy Easter; He is risen! He is risen indeed! I am and always will be, Your Brother in Christ! Pastor Don

4 AUXILIARY COMMANDER S MESSAGE As my term as Auxiliary Commander ends, I would like to say that it has been very rewarding to work with and help a great organization with wonderful members. It has been my honor to serve as Auxiliary Unit #26 Commander. This coming year will bring new members and new experiences. I look forward to our Unit working with the Chapter. Harry and Tela will do an excellent job leading us and helping us all, help our Disabled American Veterans and their families. Please come out and help in any way you can. Don t forget to record any and all volunteer hours. Hope to see you all soon. Miriam E. Boles God Bless America The new slate of officers is as follows: Tela Jones Commander Lavern Wasson Senior Vice Commander Linda Phillips Junior Vice Commander Erin Weers Treasurer Nettie McCall Chaplain Wilma Myers Adjutant Miriam Boles Sgt. at Arms

5 CHAPTER #26 OFFICERS Commander Harry Metzler Senior Vice Commander Raymond Nahrgang st Junior Vice Cdr. Mike Jones nd Junior Vice Cdr. Buck Bucklew Treasurer Nick Gravelle Adjutant Edward Flynn Chaplain Donald Geller Judge Advocate Ralph Gough Sgt.-At-Arms Sam Bakley Officer of the Day (OOD) Charlie Hugg Public Information Officer Vacant Newsletter Lou Dunn Chapter Service Officer Robert Boles Chapter Service Officer Harry Metzler Chapter Service Officer Easther Locklear Chapter Service Officer Terry Singer Chapter Service Officer Tony Newman AUXILIARY OFFICERS Commander Tela Jones Senior Vice Commander Lavern Wasson Junior Vice Commander Linda Phillips Treasurer Erin Weers Adjutant Wilma Myers Chaplain Nettie McCall Sgt.-At-Arms Miriam Boles From the Editor Medical transportation contact person: If you need transportation to a medical appointment the contact person is Mr. Rick Reed, he can be reached at: Veterans Crisis Hotline: , then press 1 Relocation of Religious Services: Our Chapter Chaplain, Don Geller, is a United Methodist Pastor and has his own religious services. Effective April 8 th his services will move to the Loffler Center on Chancellors Run Road. Services will still be at 1600 on Saturdays. Most of his parishioners are people with disabilities, like us, but is open to all. Important dates in April Chapter 26 Installation of Officers Dinner at Ye Old Town Café in Leonardtown 1815 POW/MIA Ceremony, 1830 dinner General Meeting VFW Post 2632 Social Hall DEC Meeting Bowie Chapter 7, 8205 Laurel Bowie Road, Bowie, MD Executive Committee Meeting Ye Old Town Café in Leonardtown

6 Upcoming Important Dates General Meeting VFW Post 2632 Social Hall DAV Mobile Service Van Pax River Museum Veterans Stand Down Day See flyer on the web site U.S. Navy Band Commodores Leonardtown Square Executive Committee Meeting Ye Old Town Café in Leonardtown Memorial Day A time to remember those that have gone before us Service Officer Training Ocean City, Md. May June Convention Ocean City, Md General Meeting VFW Post 2632 Social Hall Flag Day Celebration Govermental Center Happy Birthday United States Army Fathers Day A time to remember our fathers Executive Committee Meeting Ye Old Town Café in Leonardtown **** NEXT CHAPTER MEETING May 3, 2017 at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post Three Notch Road California, MD THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS ORGANIZATION IS CHARTERED TO FULL FILL OUR PROMISES TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED.

7 Distinguished Guests DAV Maryland Department DAV Department Commander: John Patterson and wife Shirley, DAV Department Commander: 2 nd Jr. Vice Commander Joe Swientek and wife Betty, DAV Department Adjutant: Lavonne Price and wife Brenda. DAV Maryland State DAV Auxiliary Senior Vice Commander: Larry Snyder and wife Michelle. DAV Auxiliary Junior Vice Commander: Diane Garofolo, DAV Auxiliary State Judge Advocate and Past Commander: Wilma Myers, DAV Auxiliary State Sgt. at Arms: Miriam Boles, DAV Auxiliary Asst. Sgt. at Arms: Lavern Wasson, DAV Auxiliary Past State Commander: Betsy Myers. Other Officials Commander of St. Mary s Junior Auxiliary: Daniel McCollum Mission22 Every day, 22 American combat veterans commit suicide as a result of untreated or improperly treated Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries. That s 8,000 a year more casualties annually than our armed services have seen on the battlefield since the Korean War. Mission 22 is encouraging awareness. First, they want to expand their offerings of resources for veterans, families and communities to save the 22 veterans who might otherwise take their own lives this year. Secondly, they want to place a memorial in Washington DC to memorialize these home front victims of wars, who gave their lives for their country just as surely as did those killed in action. For further information visit website: mission22.com.

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9 Our kitchen crew Thank you so much for a wonderful meal.