While most people who didn't serve in Vietnam picture soldiers being dropped via helicopter and fighting their way through the jungle, the reality is that far more served in crucial roles that didn't take them into combat. Rotarian Jim Buck was among those who worked behind the lines, during his tour of duty from 1969 to 1970.
Jim joined the Army for two years to avoid being drafted into the Marines (he didn't think he'd get over the wall on the obstacle course); he was assigned to serve as a Preventive Medicine Specialist, and trained to help prevent the spread of disease by treating water and spraying for mosquitoes.
He was stationed at Camp Viking on the South China Sea, spending much of his tour checking water to make sure it was properly chlorinated. But in spite of his efforts, at least one soldier came down with hepatitis -- Jim himself.
He was sent to Cam Ranh Bay for recovery, but was well enough when he got there to be put on a work detail -- where he wound up working harder than he did with his own unit.
Jim says his tour in Vietnam was relatively pleasant and uneventful...and when he returned to the U.S.A. he didn't encounter the disrespect that so many other Vietnam veterans did.
As the home club of District 6420 Governor Steve Kuhn, the Sycamore Rotary Club will be the hosts for next spring's District Conference -- and people are needed to help plan the event.
The event will be held at Faranda's in downtown DeKalb on Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th; Friday will mostly involve meetings by the District Strategic Planning Committee, with a buffet dinner for the Rotary Foundation that evening. Saturday will see the bulk of the events during the Conference, with guest speakers and presentations during the day...and a gala awards dinner that evening.
Right now, the club's Planning Committee needs more help; we are in search of a treasurer and/or registrar, to manage the money and registrations for the event. Persons with connections to the Chamber of Commerce, the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau and other such entities are also welcome. Rotarians will also be needed to work on the day of the event; they will be sought as we get closer to the event.
If you have any questions, please contact Steve for more information.
Make a Difference DKC is again preparing for its annual food packing event on behalf of Feed My Starving Children...and Rotarians are being asked to help, by supporting their annual raffle.
Tickets are now being sold for $20 each, with $8 going back to the organization which sells the ticket; the grand prize is $10,000, to be drawn on November 12th at the conclusion of this year's food packing event.
Volunteers will be needed for the food packing itself, to be held from Thursday, November 9th through Sunday, November 12th at The Suter Company in Sycamore. Our Rotary Club will again be sponsoring the event, and providing volunteers to help pack food for distribution to needy children in areas around the world.
If you would like to buy or sell raffle tickets, tickets are available now and at upcoming Rotary meetings; sales will continue through November 9th. Please contact Heidi Wright or more information.
On Saturday, September 9, 2017, Andy Grammer will be headlining a concert at River's Edge in Aurora to help raise awareness for SUDC.
Joining Grammer will be musicians Ali Morgan and Marty Casey; gates open at 6 p.m. with the show beginning at 7 p.m.
Answers4SUDC is an innovative charitable effort to honor the memory of Emmett Frank while raising awareness and funds toward research and family support for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood.
By hosting Answers4SUDC, his parents Jeff and Kristy Frank hope to someday prevent the tragedy of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) so that no other family might have to endure this loss. Proceeds benefit the SUDC Foundation.
Barry Rassin, of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2018-19. He will be declared the president-elect on 1 September if no challenging candidates have been suggested.
Rassin’s nomination follows Sam F. Owori’s death in July, just two weeks into his term as Rotary International president-elect.
Rassin earned an MBA in health and hospital administration from the University of Florida and is the first fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in the Bahamas. He recently retired after 37 years as president of Doctors Hospital Health System, where he continues to serve as an adviser.
A Rotarian since 1980, Rassin has served Rotary as director and is vice chair of The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees. He was an RI training leader and the aide to 2015-16 RI President K.R. Ravindran.
Rassin received Rotary's highest honor, the Service Above Self Award, as well as other humanitarian awards for his work leading Rotary’s relief efforts in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake there. He and his wife, Esther, are Major Donors and Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation.
from Rotary.org
Attendance Report -- August 23, 2017
Attendance: 59.70%
Visiting Rotarians: Bob Pritchard (Kishwaukee Sunrise)
