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(Continuing the Hinton Daily News & The Weekend Leader)
Home of "W. Va. Water Festival"
Volume 113 No. 41
Hinton, West Virginia Tuesday Feb. 23, 2016
50 Cents
Edited by Frederick D.
Editor's note: This review was posted on the VVA Veterans website on Feb. 16 http://vvaveterans.org.
Vietnam from 1967-72. Some
other chapter titles are "I'll Never
Do That Again," "Hanging By A
Thread," and "How to Kill a Water
Buffalo."
Arranged chronologically, the
flying events parallel the course of
the war. Pilots talk about the good,
the bad, and the ugly. They recall
dangerous and heroic deeds; they
explain the utterly stupid ones.
Honesty prevails.
The nine-by-eleven-inch book is a
work of love and art. Its large format
includes hundreds of photographs,
maps, and illustrations. The A-37
Association published Dragonfly in
2014, with a second edition in 2015.
Editor Fred Long's Introduction
records theaCransformation of the T-
37 from a trainer into an attack
aircraft.. He also explains the
development and deployment of
other A37 squadrons, starting with
the 604th Air Commando Squadron
up to the time when the USAF
turned the fleet over to the South
Vietnamese Air Force.
"The A-37 was called on to take
out missile sites, artillery anti
supply sites, bunkers, t~fl'Cks,
sampans, buildings and support
ground troops while under attack,"
Long says. "They flew day and hight,
dropped napalm, bombs, fired
rockets and the minigun under
every conceivable condition. They
went on FAC missions, dodged
antiaircraft fire, and performed
escort operations. A successfull
mission was the rule, not the
exception."
Associate Editor Lon Holtz, the
President of the A-37 Association,
adds historical perspective with
"Prologue 1945-1966: The Beginning
of an Unpopular War." Holtz flew the
Dragonfly in Vietnam during his
1968-69 tour of duty.
The editors included a section
that honors thirteen Dragonfly
pilots killed during the war.
Appendices include a Vietnam War
Photo Album, Dragonfly Combat
Pilot Roster, and Glossary, along
with an extensive Bibliography and
Index highly personalized and
relatively spectatorless endeavor.
Rarely are people standing around
to watch and report it. Mainly, the
people that see it are those engaged
in it. Consequently, John Q. Public
relies on guys from the arena to tell
it like it was. This book performs
that duty through the voices of a
specialized group of'warriors.
The same logic applies to any war
memoir. I made four trips to
Southeast Asia in four different jobs
and thought I knew a lot. But since
August of 2014, I have read and
reviewed nearly seventy Vietnam
War memoirs and each one has
taught me something new about
that conflict.
For more info' go to www.a-37.org/
news/news_page.html
--Henry Zeybel
Wednesday February 10, we had
on second reading the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act (lIB4012).
The bill brought forth much debate
and many amendments were
offered. The bill was passed on to
third reading for Thursday the llth.
On Thursday debate on the bills
passage began. Delegates Moye and
Arvon made impassioned speeches
in support of the bill while delegates
Turnbuckle and Pushkin and others
spoke in opposition.
However the floor speech by
Delegates Azinger was the most
pointed and passionate as he spoke
in favor of the bill. We passed the
bill on a vote of 72 to 26 with 2 not
voting.
We also spent two days in the
education committee on HB4014.
That bill would have eliminated
Common Core standards from the
states education system. Much
questioning and discussion was
endured during that time and the
committee now seems unwilling to
go forward with the legislation. The
members of the committee
expressed concern about the chaos
and disruption that would result
from changing so abruptly and
completely as the bill would have
required. I don't anticipate the bill
advancing further unless something
concerning testing can be salvaged
from it. Hopefully some form of my
testing bill will be considered.
The governor, as expected, has
vetoed the repeal of the Prevailing
Wage law ahd the Workplace
Freedom Act (Right to Work). The
House has overrode his veto on both
bills. The result of this action is that
there will be that the marketplace
will determine what the labor rate
will be on state funded project. In
addition, membership in a labor
organization (Union) will now be
voluntary and cannot be used as a
condition of employment in West
Virginia.
We also dealt with the issue of
drug testing for welfare recipients
in the Health Committee. The bill
passed in Health Committee and
was passed on to the Finance
Committee for further
consideration. Our next big issue in
the Health Committee will likely be
the Herdshares Bill. That bill, when
passed, will allow folks to jointly own
a cow for the purpose of being able
to have raw milk in their diet.
Currently there is no limit to the
number of cows allowed in a
"Herdshare". I intend to offer an
amendment that will do so.
Please continue to contact me as
you see fit. My phone here is 304-
340-3119 and my email is
roy.cooper@wvhouse.gov
House Democrats Propose Solution
to PEIA Crisis
'['he Democratic Caucus in the
House of Delegates has proposed
legislation that will fully fund PEIA
and avert the draconian cuts to the
health insurance benefits of our
state's teachers, law enfbrcement
officers; public employees and
retn'ees.
The House Democratic Caucuo
plan includes a tax that applies to
all tobacco products and includes for
the first time electronic cigarettes.
The initial cigarette tax increase is
a $1 per pack increase with a 10
cents a year increase each year
following until 2021 for an overall
$1.50 per pack increase on
cigarettes.
Research provided by the
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
and the American Cancer Society
Cancer Action Network states that
"a significant increase in the tax on
tobacco products, and subsequently
the price, is one of the most effective
ways to reduce tobacco use and its
associated public health harms and
health care costs, while also
generating considerable new
revenue".
Raising the barrier to entry to
begin or continue smoking will make
West Virgfinians healthier," Minority
Leader Tim Miley (D-Harrison)
stated. "An increase in the tobacco
tax will result in fewer smokers,
which will lead to fewer smoking-
related health issues, which result
in lower heaithcare costs associated
with those illnesses."
"West Virginia also has a high~
number of women who smoke during
their pregnancies," Delegate Mick
Bates (D-Raleigh) added. "This plan
will hopefully decrease those
numbers and encourage healthier
mothers and babies."
In addition to the positive health
impact from increasing the tobacco
tax, the tax will bring an additional
$120 to $125 million in revenue to
the state which will sufficiently fund
PEIA and prevent the proposed
benefit cuts for the next plan year
from being enacted.
The plan includes provisions to
direct any additional monies from
this increase as well as from taxes
imposed on smokeless tobacco and
e-cigarettes to substance abuse and
drug prevention programs which are
sorely needed across our state. This
newly-created special Drug
Addiction Interdiction and
Treatment Fund would be used to
assist persons with drug addiction
treatment and divert those charged
with drug use crimes into treatment
thcilities away from the criminal
justice process.
The diversion program wiLt be
designed to provide long term care
and in-community supervision of
these individuals until they are drug
free.
House Bill 45~4, Relating to the
taxing certain tobacco products, was
introduced on Tuesday, February 16~
and referred to the Health and
Human Resources Committee with
a second reference to the Committee
on Finance.
The legislation is sponsored by~
Delegates Tim Miley (D-Harrison),
Nancy Guthrie (D Kanawha), Mick
Bates (D-Raleigh), Larry Rowe (D- ,
Kanawha), Rick Moye (D Raleigh),
Don Perdue (D-Wayne), Barbara
Fleischauer (D-Monongalia), Denise
Campbell (D-Randolph), Frank
Blackwell (D-Wyoming), David
Perry (D-Fayette) and Stephen
Skinner (D-Jefferson).
THE MARY ]AMES MEMORIAL METHODIST CHURCH
This week's Summers County Church church is from 1953, submitted by Donna Brown Brewster
with photo by Vicky Maddy.
The tbllowing article was taken
from Tbe Iiistory of Summers
County West Virginia 1984 on page
115 .
This little Country Church
located at the base of White Oak
Mountain on the Streeter Road in a
small village known as White Oak
lack.
The land was donated by Jasper
and Lottie Plumley in honor of his
mother Mary Jane Plumley.
lie had envisioned a church there
but she died in 1943, (10 years)
belbre it became a reality.
For several years l)rior to 1953,
services were conducted in the one
room school house at White Oak
Lick. However, due to an ordinance
passed by the Board of Education
services could no longer be
conducted there.
This left ten people without a
place of" Worship, yet it inspired
them to seek donations to erect a
church of their own.
They met with much success in
their endeavor and because of the
generosity of so many people their
dream became a reality with
donation of money, materials, labor
and i)rayers.
The church was finished and
dedicated August 23, 1953.
The Rev. Willie Wills was
instrumental in getting this building
created, He also pastored the church
as long as his health permitted.
He was tbllowed by Rev. John
Moss then by Rev. Reno Richmond,
the present I)astor.
Tiffs church has been a place of
refuge tbr the little flock that has
found their way there.
The doors are always open to the
members and friends alike and there
always a warm and friendly
atmosphere tbund there.
Area Student's Named to WVU President's/Dean's List
West Virginia University in
Morgantown has released its
President's and Dean's list for the
fall 2015 semester.
Area students named to the
President's and Dean's list are as
follows:
Summers County President's List
Linda Combs, Hinton, Regents
Bachelor of Arts; Avery Pivont,
Itinton, UG Studies: Nursing; Evan
Pivont, Hinton, UG Studies,
Occupational Therapy; Shelby
Smith, Hinton, Pre-Athletic
Training.
Dean's List
Taylor Scott, Hinton, Psychology;
Laura Tabor, Wayside, Biologw.
STATE TREASURER REACTS TO WV HOUSE BILL 4473
Perdue says proposed legislation
regarding insurance policies is
irresponsible; takes advantage of
widows, children and loved ones.
State Treasurer John D. Perdue
adamantly opposed West Virginia
House Bill 4473 at a press
conference today, saying the bill
would irresponsibly amend State
Code as it pertains to insurance
policies and citizens' rights under
the Uniform Unclaimed Property
Act.
"This is a blatant attempt by
insurance company executives and
special interest lobbyists to
manipulate the law to benefit their
pocketbooks," Perdue said. "The
State Supreme Court clearly
addressed ttiis issue last summer
with a unanimous ruling that says
insurance companies have a duty to
review policies and determine if the
insured died."
HB4473 attempts to reverse the
Supreme Court decision and change
the law to say that a life insurance
company does not have an obligation
to pay out on a policy until a claim
is made and the insurer receives
proof of death.
While many insurance companies
argue they should not be required
to proactively or retroactively search
Social Security's Death Master File
(DMF) or a similar list to determine
proof" of death, Perdue points out
that most insurance companies
already conduct similar searches to
• suspend annuity payments.
"People purchase life insurance
with the expectation that their
family will be taken care of after
they are gone. This bill will deeply
and negatively affect those survivors
solely with the intent of benefiting
insurers," Perdue said. "This is an
egregious abuse of power."
On June 16, 2015, the West
Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
unanimously ruled that the death of
the insured triggers the duty to pay
out proceeds. The ruling said
insurance companies must make
reasonable efforts to determine
whether their insureds have died,
and if they are unable to locate
beneficiaries, must report those
proceeds to the State as unclaimed
property.
Insurance companies around the
country have been audited and
found to owe millions of dollars to
beneficiaries and state unclaimed
property funds. Among those audits,
up to 20-percent showed evidence
that there was prior knowledge of
the insured's death in the company's
underlying records.
While State Treasurer Perdue
turned to the court system to hold
insurance companies accountable,
various other states have reached
settlements with insurance
companies.
At this point, 19 states have
passed legislation that requires
insurance companies to search the
DMF or a similar file. Similar
legislation is pending in six other
states. West Virginia HB4473 is a
complete contrast to those recently
passed laws by stating insurance
companies have no responsibility to
verify a beneficiary's death.
It also contradicts the West
Virginia's Supreme Court ruling
that says the insurer's obligation is
already clear in West Virginia's
State Code.
"This is about a commitment
insurance companies made to people
long ~go. They said they would be
there for families during their time
of need, at the time of their loved
one's death," said Perdue. "We owe
it to the people of this state net to
pass legislation that undermines
this commitment."
As the legal custodian of
unclaimed property, Treasurer
Perdue continues to advocate for the
rights of unclaimed property owners
and their beneficiaries.
Since taking office, Treasurer
Perdue has returned approximately
$150 million in unclaimed property
funds to rightful owners.
For more information on West
Virginia's Unclaimed Property
program, visit www.~wtreasurv.com.