I am pleased to advise you that Ford Motor Company has donated two Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to the National Organization. One of the vehicles will be put in service at National Headquarters in Cold Spring, KY, while the second will be stationed at our National Service and Legislative Headquarters in Washington, DC. These vehicles were donated under a two-year lease agreement whereby Ford will assume the entire financial commitment regarding lease payments.

It is gratifying that Ford, through its long association with DAV, considers DAV such a vital partner and that it remains committed to our mission of building better lives for our nation's disabled veterans and their families. Ford's close partnership is exemplified by the donation of 64 vans since 1996 supporting DAV transportation, homeless, and respite care projects, as well as the recent $50,000 contribution to the National Commander's Youth Volunteer Scholarship program, which will allow that program to be expanded significantly in 2001.

The SUVs, which will be used in support of official DAV programs, are wonderful gifts from Ford contributed at no cost to the DAV. We are very proud of our close association with Ford and look forward to continuing that relationship well into the future.

FROZEN TOOTSIES OF ANOTHER KIND

Do you know about the Tootsie Roll - Chosin Reservoir Connection? Staff Sgt. Kathleen Rhem, USA American Forces Press Service, ran it down. Here's what she wrote:

Joseph Smith, a veteran of the Korean War, just laughed and shook his head when asked what Tootsie Rolls had to do with the Korean War.

He was a Marine Pfc. when the Chinese swooped down and surrounded him and 10,000 of his compatriots on Thanksgiving Day 1950. "The Chinese had sprung a trap," he said. "So someone got on the phone and said, 'We need ammunition.' And do you know what happened?"

At this, Smith picked up a handful of Tootsie Rolls and let them fall to the table. "We asked for barbed wire," he went on, and again dropped a handful of Tootsie Rolls.

"We asked for grenades," and the Tootsie Rolls came down again. It turns out, the officials in charge of resupplying those trapped troops had decided Tootsie Rolls would provide energy without having to cook anything.

Those Tootsie Rolls would come to mean more to those men than any of them could have imagined." Smith said. "There wasn't a lot of food available, so everyone just took as many Tootsie Rolls as they could and stuffed them in their pockets.

"This was the only food for a lot of people coming through the battle of the Chosin Reservoir," Smith said. He also said he doesn't eat Tootsie Rolls any more, except for one at each reunion "to bring back memories."

Al Rasmussen, a corporal at the time, said it was good to have supplies dropped in, but those needed items brought their own hazards. He explained that the parachute bundles of Tootsie Rolls were loaded on sheets of plywood in the planes to make it easier for them to slide out. So as the bundles would be floating down on parachutes, the troops in the area had to watch out for falling sheets of plywood.

Rasmussen also said the vicious cold during the battle was both good and bad for the Tootsie Rolls. "They broke into pieces easily when they were frozen," Rasmussen explained, but being frozen made them harder to eat as well.

"You had to suck on them for 20 minutes before you could even begin to chew on them," he said.

In fact, Tootsie Rolls have become such a symbol of what this group went through that the Tootsie Roll Company sent a representative to the 50th Anniversary reunion of the "Chosin Few."

COULD YOU HAVE A SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEM?

Are friends and family concerned that you drink too much? Do they worry about your drug use? Do you brush them off and insist that alcohol and/or drugs are not a problem for you (even; though a voice inside your head says otherwise)? Are you having difficulty handling duties at work or at home? Do you tend to pin the blame for your troubles elsewhere on bad luck, a stubborn boss or an insensitive spouse? Anywhere but on yourself, that is?

It may well be that alcohol and/or drugs are a problem for you after all.

To help you find out, check the statements that apply to you:

• You can't predict whether you will use drugs or get drunk.
• You believe that in order to have fun you need to drink and/or use drugs.
• You turn to alcohol and/or drugs after, a confrontation or argument, or to relieve uncomfortable feelings.
• You drink more or use more drugs to get the same effect that you got with smaller amounts.
• You drink and/or use drugs when you are by yourself.
• You remember how last night began bur not how it ended, so you're worried you may have a problem.
• You have trouble at work because of your drug use.
• You make promises to yourself or others that you'll stop getting drunk or using drugs.
• You get annoyed when people criticize your drinking or drug habits.
• You have had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of hangover.