Special Forces Association Chapter 73

Welcome

"Uniting SFA members in Wisconsin and the surrounding Great Lakes region."

The Great Lakes Chapter encourages all persons currently assigned to or have been a member of a US Army Special Forces active, guard, or reserve unit to join our association and enjoy our comradery through membership meetings and social events.

Meeting Dates

11 Feb 2012	Green Bay, WI, Dinning Out
May 2012	Oshkosh, WI
8 Sep 2012	Ft McCoy, WI, Camp Schofield

Chapter Officers

President	John Gianos
Vice President	Bill Schafer
Secretary	Mike Giles
Treasurer	Les Beam

Next Meeting

11 Feb 2012 at Mackenaw's Grill in Geen Bay,WI. Business meeting will start at 1430, dinner at 1800. Election of officers to be held during business meeting.

Last Meeting

Chapter 73's last meeting was held on 15 Oct 2011 at Ft. McCoy, WI. Meeting dates for 2012 were set and the nominating committee submitted their report. Officers moninated for 2012 are, Bill Schafer, President, Bernie Jene, Vice President, Steve Leopold, Secretary, Les Beam, Treasurer.

Sick Call:

It is with great sorrow that I inform the chapter that Chapter member Paul Galan passed away 3 Jan 2012

Website:

We continue to update the website, any suggestions or comments, would be appreciated.

Also, the Chapter has a presence on Facebook. If anyone has an account on Facebook do a friend search for John Gianos and become a SFA member. If you do not have a Facebook account it is free and easy to join.

Change of addresses:

Please submit any change of address to the National Association directly. The Chapter Treasurer or the Chapter Secretary does not submit these changes. Contact Les Beam for more information.

Minutes from Previous Meetings

Note: The minutes are posted in Adobe PDF format. Adobe Reader software is required to view the minutes. Most computers have the Adobe Reader software installed by default. If you need it, click here to download this software for free from Adobe.

1st Quarter 2010 Minutes

3rd Quarter 2010 Minutes

4th Quarter 2010 Minutes

2010 Winter Newsletter

2011 Spring Newsletter

President's Message

To The Members of Chapter 73:

This will be my final message to you, the members of Chapter 73, as your President. My how the past two years have flown by. It just seems like yesterday that I was elected to the office. It has truly been an honor to lead the Chapter. I am very humbled to have my name added to the list of our past Presidents. During my membership, since 2002, we have had the following leaders: Steve Leopold; Craig Halpert; Jim Anderson; and Tim McGillis. This is a very esteemed group !!! A sincere thank you to these men for their guidance.

As most of you know, we have lost two members of the Chapter during the past couple months. Donald Schrack of Janesville passed on 11 November 2011, and Paul Galen of Caledonia, Illinois died on 3 January 2012, The Chapter was represented at Paul's funeral by Jim Anderson, Craig Halpert, Bernie Jene, Ruben Littman, Tim McGillis, Jim Trimby and myself. Paul's contribution to the Chapter will be missed.

As we look forward into 2012, there are a couple events of note. First, the next Chapter meeting will be on 11 February in Green Bay. A tip of the beret to Les Beam for his efforts in organizing our annual meeting where the ladies of Chapter 73 are honored. During the business meeting, we will elect the next officers to lead us for two years. This is one of the most important meetings we will have.

Second, on 24 March, we have been invited to join with the Royal Lao Armed Forces of Wisconsin to celebrate their 62nd Anniversary. Due to the close relationship between Special Forces and the Royal Lao Armed Forces, this will be a special event. There will be at least four SFA Chapters in attendance. I encourage you and your wife/significant other to join us in Milwaukee for this celebration. More information will be forthcoming. In conclusion, I look forward to seeing you all in Green Bay on 11 February.

De Oppresso Liber
John Gianos, President

The Drop

As some are painfully aware there are a number of issues with the National Association, one of which is the Drop. They are still having problems getting association members their issue of the Drop. Honestly, we are not sure how to handle this other than hoping that they will resolve these issues in the near future. We know that it is frustrating, but it is what it is and none of us like it.