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Zampieri Makes Parachute Jump for All Blinded Vets

Tom Zampieri spent most of his summer days cooped up in Capitol Hill offices and committee hearing rooms.

Tuesday, August 1, was at least one notable exception.

One of ten individuals from a pool of some 40 applicants from military organizations and VSOs selected by the Golden Knights U.S. Army Parachute Team to make a tandem jump in nearby Stafford County, Virginia, the BVA Director of Government Relations decided to defy reason and take the plunge. Tom had less than a week to prepare emotionally.

“With the summer Congressional recess approaching and an opportunity to give the stunt a storyline, my only response could be ‘What the heck, why not?’” Tom said.

Tom’s storyline was that his jump was being made on behalf of all blinded veterans, especially OIF and OEF service members, and most particularly those that would attend the BVA 61st National Convention as part of the Operation Peer Support initiative.

Tom Zampieri in the free fall phase, the drop beginining at 13,400 feet with a velocity downward of 125 miles per hour. Tom's tandem partner in the jump is Sergeant First Class Michael Elliot, Golden Knight 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

“What I hoped to convey is that if I can do something like this, anyone can,” he said. “In interviews with the Military Times magazines, Army News, Army Magazine, and publicists from the Golden Knights, I told them all about BVA and Operation Peer Support, and they loved the idea that I wanted to do this for our most recently blinded vets.”

Tom’s jump with the Golden Knights was similar to those of former President George H.W. Bush with the same organization beginning in 1997. The elder Bush made subsequent jumps on his 75th birthday in 1999 and again for his 80th birthday in 2004, feats that reportedly made former First Lady Barbara “none too happy,” a sentiment reportedly shared by Ginger Zampieri.

FSP Staff Grows

Newly appointed Region II Field Service Representative Claudia Perry.

The BVA National Field Service Program has a new full-time Representative for Region II. As has been the case in the past, the position will be based in the Nation’s Capital.

Claudia B. Perry, a service-connected blinded veteran, began working on May 22. She took over the duties assumed by Stephen Matthews, who was previously performing dual roles as both FSP National Director as well as the Representative for Region II.

Claudia joined the United States Air Force in 1995. She served for five and a half years before being medically retired as a Staff Sergeant. Claudia attended the Eastern Blind Rehabilitation Center in West Haven, Connecticut, in 2001 and graduated from the Computer Access Training course the same year. As an accredited National Service Officer, Claudia covers a region that includes Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, North Carolina, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico.

Claudia and Troy, her husband of 11 years, live in Silver Spring, Maryland, with their 10-year-old daughter Alicia.

New Yorker Enters State Hall of Fame

Ralph L. Chinelly, a member of the New York Regional Group and a native of East Rochester, was one of 64 charter inductees selected for a newly created New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame. The induction occurred in the autumn of 2005.

Ralph was nominated by State Senator Jim Alesi in coordination with the East Rochester American Legion. The basis for the honor was Ralph’s courage in the Armed Forces and his vigorous, consistent advocacy on behalf of veterans in the State of New York.

A special ceremony on May 18, hosted by the East Rochester Memorial Legion Post 1917, celebrated the induction.

Ralph was assigned to the Thomas M. England Army Hospital in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during World War II. While there, he assisted with the care of more than 7,000 amputees and paraplegics, an experience that solidified his deep commitment to help fellow veterans.

For the past 17 years, despite his own blindness, Ralph has helped veterans obtain basic life necessities such as guide dogs, portable lung machines, walkers and canes, and prescription medications. He has performed many of the functions of a VA Veterans Benefits Counselor without the title or salary.

Ralph is a recipient of the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. He was chosen as the 2005 Humanitarian of the Year at his Legion post and received the same designation from the Monroe County and District 7 posts this past summer. He was also the 2002 Man of the Year in Post 1917.

Cornell, Hutcherson Log Long Hours

Two blinded veterans from the South Texas Regional Group were recognized on May 3 for their perseverance and dedicated volunteer work at the Audie Murphy VA Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. The recognition resulted from an unusually high number of hours the two have logged as volunteers.

Director of District 6 Mark Cornell and Regional Group Vice President Jimmy Hutcherson each received an engraved plaque honoring the benchmarks achieved, which were, respectively, 10,000 and 8,700 total hours.

“What we are all about in South Texas is serving and helping our fellow veterans, especially our fellow blinded veterans,” said Mark. “The hours we’ve worked sound overwhelming, but they’ve accumulated naturally, little by little, as we focus on our work and its importance rather than the hours we are constantly logging.”  

Nick Villanueva, Volunteer Program Manager, personally presented the awards to Mark and Jimmy, the latter of which was also recognized by BVA in 2002 when he received the Irving Diener Award at the 57th National Convention in San Antonio.

Pasquas Recognized for Their Tireless Service

Incoming Rocky Mountain Regional Group President Charlie Smith recently honored his predecessor for 20 years of service as President of the group. He also honored his predecessor’s spouse at the same time.

“Joe Pasqua has done some amazing things in his 20 long years as our leader, but you’d have to say that the most amazing thing of all is his simple endurance,” said Charlie. “This is not an easy job, but, with Dorothy’s extraordinary help, Joe kept working at keeping our group going and the hard work has paid off.”

Charlie Franklin Smith (center) joins hands with Joe and Dorothy Pasqua during the May 19 plaque presentation.

The recognition came in the form of two separate plaques presented to both Joe and Dorothy at the regional group meeting on May 19.

Currey Shares Story of Faith and Hope

Jerry Currey, a combat blinded veteran from Vietnam and a member of the Tennessee Regional Group, recently provided a condensed version of his life story to The Tennessean, the daily newspaper of Nashville, Tennessee.

The story, written by Tim Ghianni, appeared on the front page of the Faith & Values section of the newspaper on April 15, a space reserved for stories of those whose faith has led them to exemplary or unusual actions.

Jerry recounted his encounter with a mortar that blew off one of his legs, blinded him, and left him comatose until he woke up in a hospital in Japan 16 days later. He described the activities of his life that have allowed him to heal, hope, and appreciate life, among which are his marriage to his wife, Dot, and his 11 years of VA volunteer work with other blinded veterans.

The feature revealed Jerry’s plans this past summer to trek to the island of San Andres, Colombia, where he would serve as a Christian missionary and tell his personal story.

BVA Lauds Fallen Heroes

Several members of the BVA National Headquarters staff commemorated Memorial Day 2006 at Arlington National Cemetery.

As is customary, an 11 a.m. ceremony was hosted by the Military District of Washington. Guest speakers were President George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace.

Tom Zampieri attended a White House breakfast with his wife, Ginger, prior to the ceremony. A wreath-laying ceremony for Veterans Service Organizations followed at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

“Here, in the presence of veterans they fought with and loved ones whose pictures they carried, the fallen give silent witness to the price of our liberty—and our nation honors them, this day and every day,” said President Bush in his brief remarks.

Spudinators, Hicks Excel in VA Games

Arriving in Hampton, Virginia, with traditions of outstanding performance, blinded veterans from both the Gem State and Mid-Atlantic Regional Groups racked up impressive winnings at the 20th National Veterans Golden Age Games May 7-12.

The ten legally blind Spudinators, now well-known by name in the VA games community for their first place finishes in Bowlers to Veterans Link competitions, traveled from Boise, Idaho, to compete in bowling, shuffle board, horseshoes, shotput, and air rifle.

Gold medal winners were Gary Gillen (bowling), Marvin Hitchcock (horseshoes), Bob Schaney (bowling), Ken Kraft (bowling), Bert Strom (shuffle board), Jim Near (horseshoes), and Art Motz (horseshoes). The only lady of the group, Caryl Robbins, received a silver medal in bowling. Other silver medal winners included Bill Bishop, Carl Blush, and Al Sedivy.

Vietnam Veteran George Hicks, a BVA volunteer at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, participated in the event for the third time. George received a gold medal in the horseshoe and shuffleboard competitions. George is a seasoned participant in VA-sponsored events, having also competed several times in both the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival and the National Blinded Veterans TEE Tournament in Iowa City.