From the President
GSW 2010 National President for December Newsletter
I have enjoyed being your National President, meeting and talking with so many of you. Your thoughts have been positive and the work you all do to further Gold Star Wives is truly amazing. The ladies who participate in the Government Relations Committee have done a wonderful job of keeping our name in front of the legislative body and working so hard to keep bills current.
Recently I was awarded a special honor, I was made the first honorary national member of the National Korean War Veterans Association. I have also been made an honorary member of the local Korean War Veterans Association here in Orlando, FL. These gentlemen and ladies who served us so well in the Korean War have made me feel so welcome and I thank them all for their service.
Unfortunately we had another chapter close, Jacksonville, FL. We all need to put on our thinking caps and see what we can do to prevent any more of our older chapters from closing due to lack of participation and also see what we can do to attract new members and start up new chapters.
I also have a gentle reminder to you all – please fill out and return the Community Service and VAVS forms in the newsletter. It is very important to complete these and return them for incorporation into our national report. They go to your chapter president if you are in a chapter, or to your Region President if you are an MAL.
Veterans Day in DC was lovely this year. The trees were in their full autumn dress and were gorgeous, the speeches were excellent, and the turnout for all the events seemed to be especially large. Martha Didamo, our Board Chair, and I were together for several of the events. We started out with lunch with some of the Potomac Chapter ladies, Rose Lee, Edie Smith and Kay Witt, then met with Jin-Sook Lin and Kathy Sluck of the Survivors Outreach Services. That evening we had dinner with Helga Knapp, Potomac Chapter President. Wednesday Jody Nyalko, our Washington Representative, drove Marty and me to Dover AFB for the dedication of a Fisher House which will be used by families waiting to receive their loved ones at the end of their final journey home. The American Gold Star Mothers had raised money for this Fisher House and were honored for their dedication to this worthy project. I met with Molly Morel, AGSM National President, and Marty and I were invited to be in the official photographs and toured the house with the Mothers. Thursday Jody took me to Ft Myer to meet the buses taking the Veterans Service leaders and their guests to The White House for breakfast. My guests were Lemelle Studevent and her daughter Cookie Studevent-Rivers. Lemelle and Cookie have carried our Gold Star Wives flags at all the official events for so many years. I was delighted they could come with me. It is always interesting to mingle with other VSO members and to meet the VA leaders and of course the Vice President. I am including a good picture of us taken with Secretary Shinseki. After breakfast we boarded the buses and headed to Arlington National Cemetery for the wreath layings. Marty and I joined the other leaders and guests on the steps to watch VP Biden lay his wreath, then went to our boxes for the ceremony. The sun was shining and the flags looked wonderful blowing in the breeze. After the program concluded we went out to join the other wreath layers. Following lunch we then went to WIMSA (Women in Military) memorial for their wreath laying. Five women from the five military services gave very moving speeches – this is one of the loveliest ceremonies of the day. And to cap a good visit to DC, we had dinner that evening with some of the ladies of the Potomac Chapter, plus Charlotte Tsoucalas and Jody Nyalko. Jody was a good sport and took Marty and me to all the events and made certain we made it to the airport for our flights home.
I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, a blessed Christmas, and a wonderful New Year.
Kit Frazer
National President
phone/fax: 407-834-4864
896 Claydon Way
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701-683
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