Hello all....

There is a group that contributes to the Wounded Warrior project. Because of their effort, you can play golf and support our troops. This is another great cause and a great way for you to have fun and contribute to benefit our troops.

The website to sign up http://www.teeitupforthetroops.com/register.cfm 
Here on Long Island, we will be playing at the "Long Island National Golf
Course," a relatively a new course the likes of none other. Rudy Giuliani and Yogi Berra have been seen playing there.

The cost is $150.00 per player or $600.00 for a foursome. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner is included. The Suffolk County Police Bagpipe Band will be there plus a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient is scheduled to attend. Also via satellite President George Bush (the first) will address the group during dinner.

This will be a wonderful event and, most of all, your entry fee will go toward supporting our wounded troops...
The event will be held Saturday Sept 11, 2010 This opportunity is a great way to kick start the weekend. Get a few friends together, play some golf and put your hard earned money to good use. Give it up. You know you'll only waste it on flowers that will become a feast to the deer on the East End.
Bob Bittner

Hicksville Vietnam War Era Memorial

Ten names were added in August for a new total of 552.  We want to thank all of you who continue to contribute names and information to this project.

Jay Tranchina, of the Project Team, will coordinate our fundraising efforts in Hicksville .  We still intend to announce Fundraising plans in the near future.  Memorial design and site selection discussions also continue.

Memorial Qualifications:  A person must have been on active duty in one of our Armed Forces during the Vietnam Era.  The person did not necessarily have to serve in Vietnam , because by being in service at that time he or she faced the possibility of being sent to Vietnam and was an integral part of strengthening our Armed Forces during a time of war. 

Overall qualifications include:

• must have been a resident of Hicksville at some time before entering our Armed Forces
• must have attended a public, private or parochial high school while living in Hicksville (attendance at HHS not required)
• must have served on active duty anywhere in the world during America 's Vietnam Era (1961-1973 per the www.vietnamwar.com history timeline)
• Both men and women qualify (We're stating this as we still have very few women on the current list)

Even with 552 names, we know there are many more that served who meet these qualifications, but have yet to be identified by the Project Team.  Rough estimates indicate we should be able to collect between 2 and 3 thousand names.  We have access to official records in Washington , D.C. but have found that many people left Hicksville before entering the service and show a different town or city as their home at the time of entry.  So, we need to continue this grassroots effort and will also continue to use official records as a means of confirmation of all personnel on the list. 

Our Project Team consists of the following members:

·        Ken Strafer, Founder (HHS '62)

·        Joe Carfora, Master List (HHS '62)

·        Carl Probst, Input Data, Class of '59 & Others (HHS '59)

·        Tony Plonski, Input Data, Class of '64 & Others (HHS '64)

·        Tommy Sullivan, Press Release Editing (HHS '63)

·        Walter Schmidt, Hicksville Local Coordinator & Town of Oyster Bay Veterans Services Officer (HHS '65)

·        Joe Ingino, Veterans Advocate, Hicksville & Long Island (HHS '67)

·        Jay Tranchina, Input Data, Class of '64 & Others, plus local press contact (HHS 1964)

·        Bill Walden, Commander of Hicksville VFW Post (HHS '65)                                                    

Here's what we continue to need from each person reading this to do:

Please click on the following link and review the current list of names:  

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmMG_lUq31y2dDBUOTJMTnp3U3VEM25sNlE3TzNua1E&hl=en&authkey=COTF4Bk

If you know of someone who is not listed, or if you have information to clarify/correct data shown in red and/or with a question mark, please send what you have to Joe Carfora at jcarfora1@nc.rr.com.  Please use the information contained on the current list as a guide for the data we need.

Thank you!

The Vietnam War Era Memorial Project Team

Footnote extracted from www.vietnamwar.com:  During 15 years of military involvement, over 2 million Americans served in Vietnam with 500,000 seeing actual combat. 47,244 were killed in action, including 8000 airmen. There were 10,446 non-combat deaths. 153,329 were seriously wounded, including 10,000 amputees. Over 2400 American POWs/MIAs were unaccounted for as of 1973.