Our Military & Veterans

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Written by Connie Sarnowski

St. Augustine Elks Lodge #829 used their $2,000 Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant at Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home in St. Augustine, Fla., to help build two concrete pads with covers. In addition, the lodge procured special personal and recreational items for residents without financial support. The pads were needed in the outdoor areas for residents who use wheelchairs to enjoy the outdoors especially around their pond. The pads will also allow family members to spend time with residents outdoors. The home currently serves 109 male and 11 female residents. Eleven Elks volunteered over 60 hours to complete this project April 5.

Pictured with donated items from St. Augustine Lodge for Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home are Richie Inman-Holmes, Lassen Veterans' Home Activities Representative, and Connie Sarnowski, Leading Knight.

Preparing to work on the concrete project are St. Augustine Lodge members Joe Pappillia, David Everhardt, Denelle Everhardt, Mike Barfoot, Judy Patrick, Tim Holt, Cindy Holt and Anna Stodolink. Not pictured are Connie Sarnowski, Andrew Patrick and Tom Lander.

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Written by Tracy Stockel

On May 26, Ocala Elks Lodge #286 participated in the Flags for Fallen Veterans program at the national cemetery in Bushnell, Fla. Scout Troop 100 joined lodge members in placing flags at the graves of veterans. Pictured in the back row are Kim Nicholson, Vince Bonomo, C.J. Duplechin, Rod Duplechin, Ernestine Porter, Wayne Bettis, Lazaro Abuin, Glovanny Salvador, James Chapman, Trystin DeBase, Michael Bil, Noah Pitts, Larry Callaway, James Simons, Chris Chappell and Cary Ray. In the front row are Concendia Duplechin, Carol Watkins, Jen Bettis, Ryan Streb, Jules Ryan, Bonny Ryan, Braydon Mitchell, Barb Rogers and Pam Van Ness Kinard.

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Written by Diane Ellison

On June 5, Zephyrhills Lodge donated beautiful crocheted afghans and caps to Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes, Fla. The yarn was donated by members and the afghans were lovingly made by the Happy Hookers, a group of women from the housing community Highlands of Scotland Yard who are members of the lodge. Pictured are Johanna Snee, Activities Director, and PER Ken Fabiani, Veterans Committee Chairman.

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Written by Richard Kampf, PER

Cape Coral Elks Lodge #2596 combined its Elks National Foundation Spotlight and Gratitude grants and is providing much-needed help to homeless veterans transitioning to permanent housing. The $4,000 is being used to provide bedding, blankets, flatware, dishes, bath towels, bath tissue, laundry detergent and kitchen utensils to veterans who are being placed into housing by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The lodge partnered with HUD and the Veteran Administration Hospital in Cape Coral, Fla., to identify veterans in need. In addition, Lodge members donated gently used furniture and clothing to the veterans to further help them in starting their new lives. 

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Written by Vero Beach Elks

Rose Tufano, project leader of Vero Beach Lodge’s Cookies for Soldiers program, received the following email from Lt. Col. Robert B. Fore. He is the Commander of the United States Air Force’s 817th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron – a combat support unit located in Afghanistan.

Rose and Vero Beach Elks Lodge 1774 friends:

We received your box sent to the 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force located at Headquarters Resolute Support in Kabul and we thank you from the bottom of our heart. I would say keep sending them here because the mail room distributes them to different sections.

The country (USA) is focused on many strategic threats, and Afghanistan has been going on for so long that it just seems mundane. However, just to give you some insight on the progress here, the Afghan Army and Air Force are taking more and more ownership of their country. There are some real Afghan heroes and patriots fighting as hard for their country as we do — and often puts them and their family at great risk. It’s been a long road, and there’s still a long ways to go — but there are exciting signs that progress, though glacial, is being made.

We thank you for your thoughts and prayers. There is a direct tie to the great work the men and women are doing here to securing your safety back home. But you also have a direct tie to their resilience day in and day out, helping them stay focused and motivated.

A little bit about the 817th EASOS. We are the most diverse Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) in the world. We have Staff Weather Officers (SWO) scattered across Afghanistan which own/maintain 80% of the weather sensors in the country. Afghanistan, due to topography, has six very different weather systems which they have to interpret and provide weather forecasts to the many Attack and Airlift Helicopters and the Unmanned Intelligence assets in the country. This allows our Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Liaisons (ISRLO) to help the Army gather and develop target information. That information is passed to the pilots which are command and controlled by our Air Support Operations Center (ASOC). With all the different fighter aircraft provided by the USAF, USN and USMC, the ASOC makes sure the right aircraft gets to the right mission at the right time. Then finally, we have Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACS) who are on the ground observing the target area. They work directly with the pilots overhead to make sure the right bomb gets to the right target at the right time. As you can imagine, they have a very important job making sure that fast-moving jets and the bombs they drop are deconflicted from helicopters flying around and the friendly troops on the ground.

The 817th EASOS is involved in every level of tactical operations in Afghanistan. I’m a proud papa and wanted to give you a better idea of who we are and where your care package ended up.

Have a good one, and we love all our supporters. Little things make such a big difference here and we are eternally grateful.

Vr, LOVE

ROBERT B. FORE, Lt. Col., USAF

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Written by Joanne Hepner

On May 25 using $1,200 from the Elks National Foundation Freedom Grant, the Veterans Committee of West Citrus Elks Lodge #2693 purchased some mattresses, bedding, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items for Mission in Citrus Inc., a shelter for veterans who are homeless. Pictured with three residents are Jim Sleighter, manager of the Mission; and Frank and Carol Hayes, members of the Veterans Committee.