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VETERANSReporter News

September 1, 2020VOL. 21 No. 13

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Honoring Those WhoHonoring Those Who Have So Bravely ServedHave So Bravely Served This CountryThis Country

WE ARE WE ARE BIMONTHLY NOW!BIMONTHLY NOW!

Ramiro “Ram” Parocua

MOAA LUNCHEON

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LOCALPOSTAL CUSTOMER

PRSRT STDECRWSS

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

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Purple Heart Day city of Henderson Mayor DEBRA

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ELECTIONTIME AGAIN ■ Richard D. Keirn COL RET AG CA MIL DEP, CARNG

It is that time again that every four years we look forward to. We get regis-tered, we listen to what each party says then we go to the polls to make our deci-sions and vote. We are not sure at that time who will win, but we had a chance to have our say.

The question always on our mind is what my party can do for the coun-try. Each has its own agenda on what it plans to do or what it will do. Politics is a strange thing and people who vote for

one side or the other feel that theirs is the correct one. So, let us look at what they can do.

The Republican Party wants to help America by supporting their Presidents first agenda. They have what they call their land of programs. And that is the Land of Heroes, the Land of Promise, the Land of Opportunity, and the Land of Greatness. And when it comes to veter-ans the younger ones are more likely to be Republicans, that is a change from the

1970s and 1980s into the early 1990s. The Republicans tend to want larger military budgets.

It seems that the plan for the Repub-licans will be a blanket support of the President which in turn would help the country. They want to forgo their other ideas and issues to help America. They have scaled back due to the coronavirus so they may not have any specific poli-cies or goals. This is highly unusual for a major party.

The Democratic Party Plans on help-ing our country with their policies for a fairer and brighter future, the empower-ing of grassroots voters and to organize everywhere. When it comes to veterans the Democrats want the government to cut military spending and increase wel-fare and planned parenthood. They also want to cut VA spending.

The Democrats have based its set of common beliefs upon a whole lot of people. Their vision to help America is to give all Americans the chance to live out their dreams. They also want each American to achieve their God-given po-tential. It supports social and economic equality. They favor greater government intervention in the economy, but oppose it in private non-economic affairs of the citizens of this nation

Either way both parties need to em-brace the veteran community because these men and women can lead with pro-gressive politics by using their personal experience with Domestic issues as well as Military issues, then add the political skills learned and they become lifelong leaders in their party.

When it comes to what the Democratic or Republican parties want to do for our nation the lines are blurred. You must re-member that they are only a party. The real power is the American voter. And they should vote for what they feel is right with all the love for a nation that they can have.

2 VETERANS Reporter News www.VeteransReporterNews.com September 1 • 2020

Ramiro “Ram” Parocua, Disable American Veterans

(DAV) Obituary ■ By: Richard D. Walker, Jr., DAV Nevada State Adjutant

Ramiro “Ram” Parocua, DAV Honor Guard Commander, age 76, of Hen-derson, Nevada, passed away on

Tuesday, August 4, 2020. He was born on March 31, 1944 in the small town of Tlazazalca, Michoacan Mexico to his parents Antonio and Soledad Parocua. At an early age, the family relocated to the United States to East Los Angeles where he would grow up with his two brothers Robert and Tony, and his sister, Victoria. Ram was very proud to grow up in East Los Angeles. He graduated from Garfield High School in 1962, where his greatest achievement was earning the rank of Colonel of his R.O.T.C group. He went on to continue his education at-tending East L.A. College.

Ram enlisted in the U.S. Army in April of 1964. He was initially deployed to Ko-rea where he trained as a combat medic, and was later deployed to serve in Viet-nam during the war. Ram was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in April of 1967.

Ram was a hardworking and diligent about keeping busy. He initially starting working as a Contracting Officer for the County of Los Angeles, before becom-ing a Purchasing Agent for Mexicana Airlines running Co-Mat. He worked for the airline for 19 years until retiring in 1997. After retiring, he then relocated to Seoul, Korea, where he various posi-tions from working as a mail room clerk at the U.S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand; Club Manager, U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, and at the U.S. Armed Forces Currier Station Mail Room in Seoul, Korea.

On September 17, 1988, Ram married

the love of his life, Lolita Kazuko Rios at the New Otani Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The couple would be blessed with two sons Phillip and Paul. Ram was a loving husband, father, and grandfa-ther, who centered his life around is fam-ily and supporting his country. He was a season ticket hold for the Los Angeles Raiders, loved deep sea fishing, travel-ing, and staying in touch with old friends while enjoying a good scotch. He was also a lover of animals and cherished his pets. His four-legged companions in-cluded Brownett, Happi and Toki.

Ram was very proud of his nation and supporting his fellow veterans. Ram was a member in good standing with the Dis-abled American Veterans for over eleven years.

Ram was the Chapter Senior Vice Com-mander of DAV Black Mountain Ch. 12, May 2012 thru May 2013, responsible for growth of the chapter membership, during that time the Chapter moved on-ward and upward, he showed them how to raise funds, engage the community in our activities, such cookouts, Hawaiian Luau’s, Christmas Parties at Sunset Sta-tion were they held raffle’s with prizes like 14 day cruises to Hawaii, comput-ers, large screen tv’s and rifles which brought the membership and their guest out for a great time.

Ram was elected Chapter Commander in May 2014 thru May 2016 with Chap-ter growth continuing about mid 2015 Ram had the idea for Chapter Honor Guard, and he would not let go. He was concerned that final military honors were presented for officers and senior en-listed members of the military branches but not for military members under the rank of Specialist 5th Class and below and wanted to correct that long standing practice.

He started with three members today the Honor Guard is ten strong and has performed over 370 final honors in Ne-vada and California. Ram was elected Department Commander in May 2016 and performed the duties of the Dept. Commander with courage, devotion, authority, and showed compassion in all areas of the office, he was also a mem-

ber of the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery Committee and on the committee that planned all Memorial Day Activities at the Cemetery.

Ram will always be remembered as a hardworking, devoted patriot who served his country, his community; while remaining devoted to his family and friends. He will truly be missed.

Ram was proceeded in death by his parents Antonio and Soledad, and his wife, Lola. He is survived by his son: Philip and Paul (Denise); sister, Victo-ria (Louis), brothers: Robert (Betty) and Tony (Susie); and one grandson: Paul Jacob Parocua.

A visitation for “Ram” was held Thursday, August 13, 2020 from 5:00

PM to 8:00 PM. Funeral services was on Friday, August 14, 2020 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM, both at Palm Boulder Highway Mortuary, 800 South Boul-der Highway, Henderson, NV 89015. Graveside services with military honors will be Friday, August 14, 2020 from 10:40 AM to 11:10 AM at the Southern Nevada Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, 1900 Veteran’s Memorial Drive, Boul-der City, NV 89005.

Due to COVID-19, government re-strictions will be in place, and all guests in attendance was wear a mask.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palm-boulderhighway.com for the Parocua family.

3 VETERANS Reporter Newswww.VeteransReporterNews.comSeptember 1 • 2020

VETERANSReporter News

ESTABLISHED 1989Published monthly by:

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North Las Vegas, NV 89036Phone: (702) 642-7028

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Veterans Reporter News solicits Veteran relat-ed articles, letters, press releases, and photos with captions. Advertisers may submit stories about their business. The views and opinions expressed on these pages by others do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions of the Veterans Reporter News. Vet-erans Reporter News reserves the right to edit down any material sent to us due to space requirements and limitations. The Veterans Reporter News does not endorse any candi-dates that place advertisement in the paper.

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www.fycdnv.org(702) 998-9713

Tien Pu TempleTien Pu Temple Las Vegas Las Vegas

NevadaNevadaA brief introduction to

Yi-Guan Dao (I-Kuan Tao)We revere our own elders and extend a simi-We revere our own elders and extend a simi-lar reverence towards the elders of other fami-lar reverence towards the elders of other fami-lies; we treat our own young with kindness lies; we treat our own young with kindness and extend a similar kindness to the young of and extend a similar kindness to the young of other families. other families.

Arms Control Addiction ■ By Dr. Peter Vincent Pry Tuesday, 25 August 2020

Talks extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which expires in 2021, apparently failed — Thank God!

U.S. negotiators tried to persuade Moscow to improve New START veri-fication provisions, expand the treaty to include tactical nuclear weapons, and possibly make the treaty trilateral by in-cluding China.

But Moscow and Beijing rejected U.S. conditions for continuing New START.

Why Washington gambles national se-curity on arms control with Russia and China, who consistently cheat, defies common sense.

Arms control is a long record of fail-ure, constraining only U.S. capabilities, while adversaries cheat, gaining strate-gic advantages:

· In 2020, the State Department finally acknowledged Russia and China have been violating the 1996 Compre-hensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), clan-destinely conducting low-yield tests for

advanced nuclear weapons for 25 years. The U.S. has faithfully ob-served the unratified CTBT unilat-erally, conducting no nuclear tests since 1992.

· Russia cheated on the 1991 Presidential Nuclear Initiative, wherein Moscow and Washington agreed to abolish tactical nuclear weapons. The U.S. dismantled its Cold War inventory of 15,000 tac-tical nuclear weapons, reducing to 180 operational weapons today, while Russia retains at least 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons — an ad-

vantage of at least 10-to-1.

· Russia cheated on the 1988 In-termediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The Obama Administration cov-ered-up Russian testing and deployment of prohibited intermediate-range nuclear missiles, compelling President Trump to withdraw from the INF Treaty in 2019.

· North Korea cheated on President Bill Clinton’s 1994 Agreed Framework, that gave Pyongyang economic support in exchange for supposedly abandoning development of nuclear weapons. Today North Korea has the H-bomb and nucle-ar missiles capable of striking any city in the United States.

· Iran is cheating on President Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) that gave Tehran bil-lions of dollars, a pass for being the world’s leading sponsor of international terrorism, and even a legitimate pathway toward the “Islamic Bomb.” Yet Iran probably already has nuclear missiles (see “Underestimating Nuclear Missile Threats From North Korea And Iran” National Review February 12, 2016).

Although the State Department as-sesses Russia is in compliance with New START (which limits both sides to 700 long-range strategic bombers and mis-siles and 1,550 nuclear weapons), the verification provisions are grossly inad-equate to ensure Russia is not cheating. Experts like Dr. Mark Schneider and Dr. Stephen Blank warn that Russia is cheating on New START (see Schneider “Does Russia Have 2-to-1 Advantage In Deployed Strategic Nuclear Weapons?” RealClearDefense January 12, 2019).

Given Moscow’s long record of cheat-ing on arms control agreements, it is highly unlikely Russia is in compliance with New START.

The U.S. keeps getting suckered, and national security increasingly imperiled, because Washington is addicted to arms control.

Arms control is a great vulnerability in Western strategic culture. Democratic polities have blind faith that all differ-ences can be negotiated, all negotiations can become “win-win” outcomes, and national security guaranteed by treaties (see “The Case Against Arms Control” RealClearDefense January 12, 2019).

Unlike Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, in the United States the ideol-ogy of arms control is deeply embedded in our foreign policy and defense estab-lishments.

Universities teach that “strategic stud-ies” and “arms control” are virtually synonymous. State Department arms control negotiations are their bread and butter, and ratification of another treaty the acme of a successful career. Presi-dents and the press mistakenly equate maintenance of past and conclusion of new arms control agreements with bet-terment of national security and the ulti-

(Continues on page 7)

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Taiwan to ban Chinese media apps over security concerns

Authorities in Taiwan are set to fully ban Chi-nese streaming platforms iQiyi and Tencent from operating on the demo-cratic island, removing a final loophole that had routed their content via Hong Kong-listed partner companies.

The economic affairs ministry said it will prohibit Chinese media companies from sending their content to Taiwan via subsidiaries, with effect from early next month.

Taiwan’s communications regulator said it will ban individuals, companies, and other organizations from transmit-ting content originating in China via the internet from Sept. 3.

“Violators will be investigated and dealt with by the National Communica-tions Commission,” the economic affairs ministry said in an announcement on its website dated Aug. 18.

iQIYI had formed a partnership with Taiwanese agency iOTT via its Hong

Kong-based subsidiary, while Tencent’s WeTV had been streaming in Taiwan thanks to a deal between its Hong Kong-based Image Future In-vestment and Taiwan’s Ren Feng Media Tech.

But the new regulations weren’t brought in until after Chinese state broadcaster CCTV began exploring sim-ilar avenues to have its content streamed in Taiwan.

Repeated attempts to contact iQiyi’s agent in Taiwan had met with no response by the time of writing on Wednesday.

Lin Ying-ta, professor of information engineering at Taiwan’s National Chiao Tung University, said iQiyi, Tencent’s WeTV and other Chinese platforms are ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

“These platforms could collect users’ personal information on the server side, and may break through information se-curity protocols on the mobile or user

5 VETERANS Reporter Newswww.VeteransReporterNews.comSeptember 1 • 2020Military Officers Association of America

(MOAA) Southern Nevada Chapter August 16 meeting at the Las Vegas National Golf Club ■ By Jent Snyder

Colonel Jim Hanke (left) receives a plaque from MOAA Southern Nevada Chapter President Colonel Swannee Swenson (right).

Major K. Virginia Lee Johnson won the cash raffle prize.

Guest speaker was member Colonel Jim Hanke, US Army Special Forces, who spoke about his Army Attache Duty in Israel from 1986 to 1989. Colo-nel Jim Hanke, US Army (Ret) Special Forces, was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In high school he played basketball and received a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Wisconsin. He joined the ROTC pro-gram at UW and was a distinguished military graduate. Upon graduation he went to Fort Benning, Georgia, and took the Infantry Officers Course, followed by Airborne and Ranger Training. He then requested Special Forces train-ing. He has held many MI assignments in the US and Europe. After 26 years of service he thought of retiring. However, the Third Army Commander wanted him to stay and offered him the Army Attache job in Israel.

Check-in for the Champagne Brunch MOAA meeting at the Las Vegas Na-tional Golf Club (left to right): LTC Gus Von Wolfradt; Carole Donald; Major Mike Young.

Surviving Spouse member Alvida Lane (left) and guest Malcolm Singer (right) read the Veterans Reporter News.

LOCAL RESIDENT LEAVES A MILITARY LEGACY

■ Richard D. Keirn COL RET AG CA MIL DEP, CARNG

Ramiro Parouqua (1944-2020) a friend of mine who we buried on August 14th at the Southern Ne-

vada Veterans Cemetery left a legacy be-hind to be remembered by. That legacy is the DAV Honor Guard. Ram as he was known by, was the force behind starting it. He was the Commander of it, and he put most of his time and money into it. Ram was a Combat Medic during the Vietnam War.

The funeral service at the Palm Mor-tuary in Henderson Nevada went very well. Speakers at the service with words of fondness and remembrance were his son, Neil Johnson the President of Viet-nam Veterans of America Chapter 1076 in Henderson Nevada, and Fred Wager the Deputy Director of Nevada Depart-ment of Veterans Services.

The funeral to the cemetery was led by the DAV Patriot Guard who performed traffic control for it. Military Honors, the last rites were given as all soldiers should

receive. The flag was folded and present-ed by the Nevada Army National Guard and the three shell casings from the three volleys that were fired were presented by Richard D. Keirn to his son.

Ram will be remembered by a lot of veteran’s families that he touched with the Honor Guard. But more so by the friends that he left behind. It is extremely hard to talk about a friend that you have just lost. General Douglas MacArthur may have said it the best.

Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. Rest in peace Ram.

ACTIVE DUTY, RETIRED AND FORMER OFFICERS JOIN OUR CHAPTER!

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6 VETERANS Reporter News www.VeteransReporterNews.com September 1 • 2020

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North Las Vegas, Clark County leaders make groundbreaking

education announcementNorth Las Vegas launches new Southern

Nevada Urban Micro Academy

North Las Vegas, Nevada – This fall, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, families in North Las Vegas will have an inno-vative new option to help their children succeed, North Las Vegas and Clark County leaders announced Tuesday.

The new Southern Nevada Urban Mi-cro Academy opens Monday, August 24, coinciding with the first day of instruc-tion for the Clark County School Dis-trict. This groundbreaking public-private partnership between local government and microschool providers offers stu-dent-centered, City-supported K-8 edu-cation options for the fall semester.

“Many of our students do not have the resources needed to be successful dur-ing this learn-from-home time,” North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown said. “As a career edu-cator and administrator, I know that our community has been subject to historic inequalities in so many areas, including education, so it was clear we needed to do something different so that kids in North Las Vegas aren’t left behind.”

“We cannot allow our students to fall behind in their education,” Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly said. “So I’m thrilled to see the Urban Micro Academy being made available to fami-lies in this area so that children can truly learn in a positive and supportive set-ting.”

SNUMA’s innovative approach to ed-ucation will reverse the harmful learning loss our community has experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic by offering children a microschooling ex-perience tailored to their specific educa-tional needs. Students in grades 1-8 will receive live classroom instruction from a teacher blended with online lessons, along with enrichment and extracurricu-lar activities during a highly-structured school day. Class sizes are capped at 18 students per teacher. Students can attend for $2 per day. Need-based scholarships

are available.

“So many families are wondering what they’re going to do with their chil-dren this fall,” Clark County Commis-sion Chairman Marilyn Kirkpatrick said. “This is a wonderful option for families who want to ensure that their children are being provided learning opportuni-ties in a structured and enriching envi-ronment.”

“This is an economic crisis unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes,” North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee said. “Now more than ever, our families need support and assurance that their children are being more than just supervised.”

SNUMA also provides support to CCSD students in grades K-8. This op-tion provides a place for students to go to attend CCSD online classes with in-person instructor support in a classroom setting. Students will also receive en-richment and extracurricular activities during the school day. Class sizes are capped at 18 students per teacher. Stu-dents can attend for $20 per day. Need-based scholarships are available.

Additionally, the City of North Las Vegas will provide learning space for homeschooling co-ops, commonweaths and other education groups.

Safekey programming and care before and after school hours is also available.

The Southern Nevada Urban Micro Academy follows SNHD and CDC best practices, and abides by all directives from the state, including mandated face coverings, socially-distant classroom seating, and frequent cleaning and sani-tizing of classrooms and facilities.

Parents can enroll their children now on NLVCares.com or by calling (702) 202-3490. Be safe, The City of North Las Vegas

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RESIDENT 65 YEARS—MARRIED 48 YEARS FAMILY, 4 CHILDREN AND 10 GRANDCHILDREN PAST FIRE CHIEF, LAS VEGAS FIRE & RESCUE AS FIRE CHIEF, PROVIDED LEADERSHIP FOR 600 STAFF PERSONNEL, MANAGED $100 MILLION FIRE DE-PARTMENT BUDGET, ACCOUNTABLE FOR ALMOST 600,000 RESIDENTS RETIRED, AFTER 33 YEARS CITY OF LAS VEGAS PAST CHAIR, NEW VENTURES APPROVED OVER $350 MILLION IN FINANCING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, ALSO SECURED OVER $900 MILLION IN CONTRACT FOR MINORITY CONTRACTORS PAST OWNER, TURTLE STOP CONVENIENCE STORE VETERAN, U.S. ARMY

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The Southern Nevada Health District continues

to recommend widespread testing for the community,

including close contactsLAS VEGAS – The Southern Nevada

Health District continues to recommend testing for symptomatic and asymptom-atic people in Clark County. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention re-cently issued new guidance stating that close contacts of confirmed cases may not need to be tested. However, it is up to each jurisdiction to make judgments about the best course of action for its community. Because many people in-fected with the virus that causes COV-ID-19 can be asymptomatic, the Health District considers it important to ensure testing is readily available to the public.

Community collection sites and access to testing play an integral role in miti-gation efforts, along with directives to wear face coverings and social distanc-ing. More information on testing sites

is available on the Health District web-site at www.snhd.info/covid-19-testing-sites.

mate test of statesmanship.

America as a free and open society is unilaterally vulnerable to disinformation operations designed to persuade U.S. policymakers and the public to swallow “poison pill” arms control proposals that are increasingly outrageous and danger-ous.

For example, Communist China’s “analyst” Tong Zhao recently published an article for an American audience “Managing the Sino-American Dispute Over Missile Defense” and an English-language book on the same theme “Nar-rowing the U.S.-China Gap on Missile Defense: How To Help Forestall A Nu-clear Arms Race” published by the Carn-egie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. Very well written propaganda, crafted to appeal to the “logic” of the U.S. arms control community.

Zhao’s modest proposal is that the U.S. Space Force should never deploy space-based missile defenses, which U.S. “threat” is supposedly driving Chi-na and Russia to greatly build-up their offensive nuclear missiles.

Beijing has also proposed that, if Chi-na joins New START, the U.S. should reduce its nuclear deterrent from 1,550 weapons to 300 weapons, supposedly the size of China’s strategic nuclear ar-senal (according to the U.S. arms control community.)

However, only Beijing knows how many nuclear weapons China really has — some estimate not 300, but 3,000.

Another recent article, “Democrats and Republicans Agree: Phase Out Land-Based Nuclear Missiles” Forbes (August 12, 2020), describes a poll by the University of Maryland designed to persuade 80,000 Americans that U.S. ICBMs are unnecessary.

Russia and China would love elimina-tion of U.S. ICBMs. They can destroy all U.S. bombers and two-thirds of missile submarines with just five warheads, but destroying all U.S. ICBMs requires at least 400.

Let’s hope New START negotiations are dead, since Washington’s arms con-trol establishment is dumb enough to trust the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy.

(Continued from page 3)Arms Control Addiction

8 VETERANS Reporter News www.VeteransReporterNews.com September 1 • 2020

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New COVID-19 assistance program available for small

businesses in North Las VegasNorth Las Vegas businesses can apply now on NLVCares.com,

the City’s new centralized COVID-19 assistance portal

North Las Vegas, Nevada – The City of North Las Vegas is proud to announce a new COVID-19 relief program target-ed at small businesses, all coordinated through a central, easy-to-use website.

By going to www.NLVCares.com, North Las Vegas residents and business-es can see at a glance and apply for the City’s six assistance programs available for those who have experienced eco-nomic hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The website also includes links to additional programs offered by Clark County and the State of Nevada for which North Las Vegas residents can apply.

The programs now available on NLV-Cares.com are:

• NLVCares Small Business Assis-tance Program

• NLV Temporary Rental and Util-ity Assistance

• NLV Social Seniors Meals 2 You Program

• NLV Emergency Food Assistance Services

• NLV Small Business Stabilization Forgivable Loan

• Clark County CARES Housing Assistance Program (CHAP)

• State of Nevada CARES Hous-ing Assistance Program for home owners, renters, landlords

The website and applications for assis-tance are available in English and Span-ish.

The new NLVCares Small Business Assistance Program is available to small businesses based in North Las Vegas that have suffered financial strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses based in North Las Vegas in good stand-ing with the City that have suffered fi-

nancial strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible expenses include payroll, rent/mortgage, utility bills, in-ventory, COVID supplies, cleaning and sanitation, and expenses related to ret-rofitting in order to comply with social distancing and other health guidelines.

A total of $3.25 million is currently available, with $10,000 grants for ap-proved businesses of 1-20 employees and $15,000 grants for approved busi-nesses of 21-40 employees.

“Our residents and our businesses have been among the most deeply im-pacted during this pandemic, and if they don’t succeed, our city and state don’t succeed,” said Mayor John Lee. “Our NLVCares Small Business Assistance Program is one of the many programs on the NLVCares.com website that offers help to those who need it most and his-torically have received the least.”

This new program is funded by Coro-navirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Se-curity (CARES) Act Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars as part of a sub-grant from Clark County to North Las Vegas. The City of North Las Vegas, Nevada’s larg-est minority-majority city, was one of only four municipalities in the state left out of CARES Act distributions, despite the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on North Las Vegas residents and businesses, particularly those of col-or. The City continues to work with the Governor’s Office and the Legislature to secure equitable funding to reinvest in constituent programs as Congress in-tended and to expand essential services for those in dire need.

Be safe, The City of North Las Vegas

9 VETERANS Reporter Newswww.VeteransReporterNews.comSeptember 1 • 2020

Sparks Mayor Ron Smith Leaves a Legacy as a

Champion for Nevada Veterans

(Reno, Nev.) – Leaving a legacy as a champion for Nevada veterans and their families, Mayor Ron Smith, himself a veteran, was instrumental as a passion-ate, caring leader throughout his tenure at the City of Sparks, and the projects and programs he spearheaded.

From the construction and opening of the Northern Nevada State Veterans Home to the Nevada Veterans Memorial Plaza Project in Sparks and the Truckee Meadows Mayor’s Challenge to prevent suicide among veterans, Mayor Smith will be remembered as someone who supported his team members, his com-munity and his fellow veterans.

“The Nevada Veterans Services Com-mission (VSC) expresses our condolenc-es for the loss of Sparks City Mayor Ron Smith,” said VSC Chairman William “Bill” Baumann. “Mayor Smith will always be remembered as a gentle and kind man who cared about everyone in the city he loved. He was always reach-ing out to support new activities in his community; he will be sorely missed. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his family in this time of sorrow.”

Through the Truckee Meadows May-or’s Challenge Team, Mayor Smith was dedicated to building and keeping his community, surrounding communities and all Nevadan service members, veter-ans and their family members supported, strong and connected. During his work through the Mayor’s Challenge pro-gram, Mayor Smith’s impact extended to more than 1,200 Air Men and Women

of the National Air Guard and the Army National Guard. He never missed an op-portunity to share his experiences, show vulnerability and connect with Guard Members.

The VSC advises the Nevada De-partment of Veterans Services (NDVS) Director and consists of 11 members as outlined in NRS 417.150. NDVS is dedicated to helping Nevada veterans get the services, benefits and quality of life they deserve. In addition to offer-ing benefits counseling and assistance, which includes filing VA claims at no cost, NDVS manages the Northern and Southern Nevada State Veterans Homes and Veterans Memorial Cemeteries. For more information, please visit www.vet-erans.nv.gov.

Sparks Mayor Ron Smith - 1949-2020

10 VETERANS Reporter News www.VeteransReporterNews.com September 1 • 2020

John Warden Recognized as Veteran of the Month and Wendy Simons as Veteran

Supporter of the Month for September(Reno, Nev.) – Governor Steve Sisolak

has selected Mr. John Warden as Veteran of the Month (VOM) and Ms. Wendy Si-mons as Veteran Supporter of the Month (VSM) for September 2020.

Warden, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, has held leadership positions in many veterans service organizations, includ-ing the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Dis-abled American Veterans, Marine Corps League, the American Legion, and the United Veterans Legislative Council (UVLC). He has worked tirelessly to support his fellow veterans volunteering his time as a Certified Public Accoun-tant to prepare their taxes and help many veterans organizations meet IRS report-ing requirements. As a member of the UVLC, he helped shape important vet-eran legislation.

Warden also serves as a leader of his local 4-H Program, Future Farmers of America and Nevada Artist Association Gallery. He volunteers as a Court Ap-pointed Special Advocate and supports the American Legion’s Boys and Girls State Program.

As the recently retired Deputy Direc-tor of Wellness for the Nevada Depart-

ment of Veterans Services (NDVS), Simons spearheaded many initiatives improving the wellness of veterans and their families. Chief among these was her management of efforts to create the new Northern Nevada State Veterans Home (NNSVH) in Sparks, Nev.

The NNSVH is a state-of-the-art residential facility that provides skilled nursing in a home-like environment for veterans and their families. Simons championed an accelerated licensing program for military medics seeking to become nurses. She also created “Bravo Zulu,” a nationally recognized health care training program that helps health care providers understand the connec-tions between military service and be-haviors in aging veterans.

In her retirement, Simons has contin-ued to advocate for veterans, most re-cently hosting a radio talk show on sui-cide prevention activities.

Due to the pandemic, the Veteran of the Month and Veteran Supporter of the Month monthly ceremonies have been postponed. NDVS will provide informa-tion on re-scheduling once this unprec-edented health crisis is over.

PURPLE HEART CEREMONY ■ Richard D. Keirn COL RET AG CA MIL DEP, CARNG

On August 7, 2020 at the Purple Heart

Plaza in Henderson, Nevada Chapter 730 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart was presented a proclamation by the Mayor of the City of Henderson that proclaimed August 7th as Purple Heart day. Receiving the proclama-tion from Mayor Debra March was the Chapter 730 Commander Daniel Peter-son, also Certificates were received from Andrew Holbert of Rep. Susie Lee’s of-fice and Samantha Bivins from Rep. Ste-ven Horsford’s office. Oher Purple Heart Commanders present were Len Yelnick, Department of Nevada, and Dick Moyer Chapter 711. The Purple Heart Plaza is on the corner of Pacific and Market St and the site of the Purple Heart Monu-ment.

Purple Heart Day on August 7th com-memorates the creation of the oldest American Military Decoration for Mili-tary Merit. The Purple Heart Medal hon-ors the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who were ei-ther killed or wounded by a force hostile to the United States of America.

The Purple Heart Medal is awarded in the name of The President of the United States. The Certificate reads: The United States of America, to all who shall see these presents, Greeting, this is to certify that The President of the United States of America has awarded the Purple Heart. The back of the Medal is engraved with the words For Military Merit.

It was created by General George Washington the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the Revo-lutionary War on August 7, 1782 in New-burgh, New York as the Badge of Mili-

tary Merit. It was a purple silk trimmed in silver with the Merit on it and was first awarded at that time. On February 22, 1932 General Douglas MacArthur had it reinstated, and the United States War Department announced the creation of the Order of the Purple Heart.

There are some famous people who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal. Here are five of them. (1) Charles Bronson, World War Two Army Air Force B-29 tail gunner in the Pacific. (2) James Arness, World War Two U.S. Army at Anzio. (3) Rod Sterling, World War Two U.S Army in the Philippines. (4) James Garner, Korean War U.S. Army. (5) Oliver Stone, Vietnam U.S. Army.

There are three Purple Heart Chapters in the State of Nevada. Chapter 711 in Las Vegas Nevada, Chapter 719 in Reno Nevada, and Chapter 730 in Henderson Nevada. For more information on the Purple Heart you can contact Richard D. Keirn at 702-419-6869.

side,” Lin told RFA.

“It’s misleading to view this as a con-tent issue … The content is fine to broad-cast, but [the apps] may manage to steal personal data by cracking phone secu-rity,” he said.

Lin said the authorities have been forced to update their definition of “Chi-na-funded” to include third-party deals with companies ostensibly domiciled in Hong Kong.

But he said the current political cli-mate during which U.S. President Don-ald Trump has banned Americans from doing business with Chinese-owned vid-eo platform TikTok and is considering doing the same with WeChat, citing data security concerns, likely played more of a role.

“The answer is very simple: because the Americans requested it,” Lin said. “Taiwan is being brought into line to block these apps because the U.S. wants to do this.”

However, Chen Mi-shun of the minis-try of economic affairs said he could see

no connection between Taiwan’s move and the U.S. ban on TikTok when asked by journalists on Wednesday.

Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen has warned that Chinese influence and infil-tration could lead to dire consequences, citing the recent national security crack-down imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong.

‘Taiwan can defend itself’

China’s CCTV broadcast a threat in a commentary earlier this week, remind-ing Taiwan of possible military invasion and annexation of the island, which has never been ruled by the Chinese Com-munist Party, nor formed part of the Peo-ple’s Republic of China.

Tsai said she is confident that Taiwan, which is officially ruled by the 1911 Re-public of China established after the fall of the Qing dynasty, can defend itself.

Soon afterwards, a U.S. guided-mis-sile destroyer transited the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday following an exercise with Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces, U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.

11 VETERANS Reporter Newswww.VeteransReporterNews.comSeptember 1 • 2020

Military Order of the Purple Heart Greater Las Vegas Chapter 711

Were you awarded the PH Medal? Join MOPH Chapter 711 Patriots for camaraderie and service with fellow combat wounded veter-ans. Contact Richard at 702-513-0215.

Do you believe you should have been awarded a Purple Heart and did not receive one? We may be able to help.

MEETINGS 1ST. SATURDAY EACH MONTH 10:00 AM "BREAKFAST 9:00 A.M."

I HOP 9651 TRAILWOOD DR, LAS VEGAS, NV 89134

Cortez Masto Presses White House to Restore Full Funding for National

Guard’s COVID-19 ResponseWashington, D.C. – U.S. Senator

Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined 33 U.S. Senators, led by Senator Pat-rick Leahy (D-Vt.), in a letter asking President Trump to restore full funding to states, including Nevada, for the Na-tional Guard forces responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, the President reduced FEMA reimbursement for National Guard units from 100 percent to 75 per-cent, with no explanation, and with the unexplained exception of Florida and Texas. Since March, National Guard units in every state and territory have supported response to help Americans, from distributing much-needed food, to running remote testing locations, to standing up alternate medical care facili-ties.

In the letter, the Senators said, “Con-gress has demonstrated repeatedly that we understand 32 USC 502(f) to include the ability for the National Guard, under command of state and territory gover-nors, to respond with Federal resources

to disasters that endanger Americans…. This new determination to reduce the cost share comes at the worst possible time, as positive cases continue to rise, and food security and other basic needs increase due to the ongoing economic impact of the pandemic… We ask that you re-authorize one hundred percent cost share for all states and territories through at least December 31.”

The letter shares a similar goal to a call from the National Governors Associa-tion Friday.

U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto

12 VETERANS Reporter News www.VeteransReporterNews.com September 1 • 2020perienced chronic pain, pain awareness may be an intellectual concept devoid of emotion, since it is not “our” pain. For those of us who treat acute and chronic pain regularly, pain awareness is part of our daily professional life, our DNA. Every patient in whom I see a reduction or elimination of their pain is a small triumph, “makes my day,” and is worth far more than any financial reward. For members of the lay public who either do not have or are not associated with anyone with chronic pain, however, this awareness is not front and center. You cannot “see” pain, like other common human maladies; traditional measure-ment of pain is indirect and subjective. For this reason, faceless bureaucratic (and pain free) insurance and govern-ment reviewers are able to get away with denying vital treatment to pain patients who are in grave need of assistance.

What does this mean to the Neuropa-thy & Pain Center of America?: we never cease advocating and fighting for our patients. We will educate the public in early awareness of symptoms so that patients can obtain care more quickly, not have wait or suffer consequences of untimely treatment. We will use every medical/technological tool to ascertain the cause of a patient’s pain and treat it as efficiently and cost-effectively as

possible, without regard to any patients’ insurance coverage. Our treatment de-cisions will not be dictated by what is paid for and/or what is most lucrative for our practice, but by what is best for and what will rid the patient of their the pain the quickest. (38) We never stop fight-ing the injustices of insurance company and government payer denials of needed care. Finally, we will continue to combat absurd, unfair government policies fa-voring one treatment, disease and patient subgroup over another. The government constantly picks winners and losers arbi-trarily, and this must be fought.

From the patient’s standpoint, pain awareness is knowing early signs and symptoms, where to go to get effective treatment; it means also knowing that just because you are old does not mean you have to be in pain. As a pain doctor, I hear people complain that they have pain because they are old. Some aging processes, like osteoarthritis, do cause painful conditions. But aging need not be synonymous with living in pain.

Chronic pain is becoming more and more in the forefront of the public’s consciousness. Please support your community’s, your state’s and legiti-mate government efforts to combat this scourge on the human condition.

Pain Awareness Month

■ Dr. Robert Odell, MD PhD

September is Pain Awareness Month. Chronic pain affects over 20 to 40% of Americans and is a leading cause

of health care spending. On one hand, “pain awareness” is easy to comprehend when we observe someone in acute dis-tress – the body is strongly signaling that something is wrong. Pain awareness becomes more difficult when consider-ing chronic pain. Pain itself is a difficult entity – difficult to describe, difficult to measure, difficult to understand and dif-ficult to manage. Crucially its mainstay management options – narcotics – have serious societal issues of their own. The International Association for the study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as “An un-pleasant sensory and emotional experi-ence associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” The pain signal goes from the periphery (the body) to the brain (defined as the afferent direction) and divides: laterally it goes to the ho-

munculus, which allows an individual to identify its precise location; the same signal simultaneously goes to the me-dial side (the body center), where it is processed by the limbic system, giving rise to an emotional reaction to the pain, which is part and parcel of the definition of pain. The quantitative aspect of pain is coded as the frequency of the affer-ent signal. We cannot directly measure this, nor can we measure the emotional response. Herein lies the dilemma: the quantitative measurement of “pain” is impossible since it is so individualized and so subjective.

For those of us who do have never ex-

What is CBDand is it rightfor me?Ask one of our healthcare providers about how

CBD may help reduce your pain and inflammation.

Robert Odell, MD, PhD

Pain Management Specialist

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Barbara Ruscingno

FNP-BC, APRN-BC

8084 W Sahara Ave. Ste B

Las Vegas, NV 89117

702-257-7246

Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm

Sat: 8:30am-12:30pm

info@nvneuropathy.com

www.nvpainrelief.com