December 2025 Newsletter

Our Fall Benefit Concert on November 1st was a tremendous success! The evening featured live performances by Crazy Crooners and Proud Country, bringing together an enthusiastic crowd in support of the Women in War Exhibit at the National Vietnam War Museum.

A special thank-you goes out to our amazing food vendors, community supporters, and everyone who attended and contributed to the event’s success. Your participation directly helps bring this exhibit to life.

Pictured: The Crazy Crooners withDennis Schlemmer (National President),

Suzie Pate (National Secretary),and Suzy Messinger (National Treasurer).

The night before the concert, the same officers represented SDVW at Spooky Wells, handing out candy and spreading the word about the concert and our mission. We had a wonderful time seeing all the kids in their costumes — and there were a lot!

This Veterans Day, several of our members had the profound honor of participating in the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF).

Thanks to the generosity of our Wreath Guardians, our organization was once again able to place a wreath at The Wall in honor of all Vietnam veterans and their families. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who contributed to this meaningful opportunity.

Members Pictured (Left to Right):Ashley Mankin, National Treasurer Suzy Messinger, Jim Messinger, National Secretary Suzie Pate, and Krystal Giordano.Wreath Layers: Suzie Pate & Krystal Giordano

It was an extraordinary privilege for us all to stand on that sacred ground.

On November 14th, the Sons and Daughters of the Vietnam War proudly presented a donation of over $4,000 to the National Vietnam War Museum to support the upcoming Women in War Exhibit.

This contribution represents a year’s worth of dedicated fundraising efforts, led by Suzie Pate, National Secretary and Chair of the Fundraising Committee. We are incredibly grateful for her leadership and for everyone who participated in our fundraisers throughout the year.

The funds will first go toward securing an interactive touchscreen kiosk, which will display the interviews of the women we recorded several years ago. Any remaining funds will support building out the exhibit structure. The museum estimates the full exhibit cost to be approximately $40,000, and with this donation, we have now reached about $6,000 toward that goal.

If you would like to contribute, you can donate here:https://tinyurl.com/SDVW-WomenInWar

Pictured: National Treasurer Suzy Messinger presenting the check toEan Tillett, Director of the National Vietnam War Museum.

On November 14th, the Sons and Daughters of the Vietnam War proudly presented a donation of over $4,000 to the National Vietnam War Museum to support the upcoming Women in War Exhibit.

This contribution represents a year’s worth of dedicated fundraising efforts, led by Suzie Pate, National Secretary and Chair of the Fundraising Committee. We are incredibly grateful for her leadership and for everyone who participated in our fundraisers throughout the year.

The funds will first go toward securing an interactive touchscreen kiosk, which will display the interviews of the women we recorded several years ago. Any remaining funds will support building out the exhibit structure. The museum estimates the full exhibit cost to be approximately $40,000, and with this donation, we have now reached about $6,000 toward that goal.

If you would like to contribute, you can donate here:https://tinyurl.com/SDVW-WomenInWar

Pictured: National Treasurer Suzy Messinger presenting the check toEan Tillett, Director of the National Vietnam War Museum.

This year marks the first time SDVW will be taking part in Giving Tuesday, a global day focused on generosity and supporting meaningful causes. Many of you are already familiar with our weekly “$2 Tuesday” posts, but this will be our first time joining the national Giving Tuesday movement.

We’ll be sharing our official campaign link and image on social media tomorrow. If you’d like to support the effort — whether by sharing the post, engaging with it, or simply helping spread the word — we would truly appreciate it.

We’re excited to try something new this year and continue finding ways to grow our mission of honoring Vietnam veterans and their families.

As we head into a new year, we’re finding more and more opportunities to connect, create, and celebrate the stories of our Vietnam veterans. And honestly… we could use a few more friends to help us keep the momentum going.

If you’ve ever wanted to be a little more involved — even in small, easy ways — we’d love to have you join one of our committees. No pressure, no big time commitment, and you can participate from anywhere. It’s simply a great way to meet other members, share ideas, and help shape the projects we all care about.

A few of the committee areas you can plug into:

• Fundraising (creative ideas welcome!)

• Membership & Outreach (connecting with people)

• Communications & Social Media (light, simple tasks — we promise!)

• Events & Programs (our fun stuff!)

• Women in War Exhibit & Museum Support

If you’re curious — even just a tiny bit — let us know. We’d love to have your voice, your ideas, and your personality in the mix. Together, we can continue honoring our veterans in meaningful, enjoyable ways.