Staff Commemorates 15 Years on H Street
Members of the BVA National Headquarters staff took a short break
from their schedules on June 25 to commemorate the 15-year anniversary
of the Association’s occupancy of the historic building in
the Nation’s Capital’s Chinatown district (see May-June
Bulletin and this issue’s Final
Thought).
Fare for the momentous occasion included hot dogs, baked beans,
tossed salad, and ice cream cake.
BVA Membership Manager Alyson Alt was among the five current
BVA staff members who were working for the Association on June
25, 1988, and could recall the move to the present location.
"I just remember how the building itself and its history
impressed me," she said. "The fact that we now had our
own place said something about BVA and how the organization had
progressed."
Alyson also reflected on the dramatic changes she has witnessed
in the area surrounding 477 H Street, NW, over the past 15 years.
She remembers the Chinatown area as being isolated from the rest
of the city, consisting of little more than Chinese restaurants
and an old People’s Drug Store two blocks from the office.
"This neighborhood is now one of the attractive ‘in’
places to be, day or night, in DC, and that also makes it an attractive
place for BVA and its employees," she said. "That was
not at all the case when we first moved here."
Other current staff members, present for the move 15 years ago,
are Executive Director Tom Miller, National Director of the Field
Service Program George Brummell, Bookkeeper Yvonne Preston, and
Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Field Service
Program Vira Hong.
BVA Wreath Decorates Tomb of the Unknowns
BVA Executive Director Tom Miller attended a Memorial Day White
House breakfast on May 26 and later in the morning joined personnel
from other VSOs in presenting a BVA wreath at Arlington National
Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknowns.
The ceremonial wreath laying also followed the traditional Memorial
Day ceremony at the cemetery, which on this occasion featured
a wreath laying by President George W. Bush and speeches by Bush,
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, and Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff General Richard B. Myers.
"We come to this Memorial Day with deep awareness of recent
loss and recent courage," said Bush. "Today, we honor
the men and women who have worn the nation’s uniform and
were last seen on duty, those who help us recall that liberty
is always the achievement of courage."
Bush made reference to families who had lost loved ones in Afghanistan
and Iraq, and to the family relationships that had recently changed
because of such losses.
"Americans like these did not fight for glory, but to fulfill
a duty. They did not yearn to be heroes, they yearned to see mom
and dad again and to hold their sweethearts and to watch their
sons and daughters grow. They wanted the daily miracle of freedom
in America, yet they gave that up and gave life itself for the
sake of others."
Myers also referred to families as he paid tribute to the soldiers,
sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coastguard personnel who recently
died in the Global War on Terrorism. "It is equally important
that we remember the families of our fallen servicemen and women,
that we keep them in our hearts, prayers, and thoughts on this
day—and every day."
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