ARMED FORCES DIGEST

VETERANS

Invited to attend

John Pariza, newly elected commander of Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 137, is inviting Korean War veterans, including anyone from any branch of the military who served in Korea from 1950 to the present, to attend a Chapter 137 meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Hubbard VFW Post 3767, 710 W. Liberty St., near the intersection of state Routes 304 and 62.

Mock meeting set

CANFIELD — The Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission is conducting a mock meeting, which is open to the public, at 10 a.m. Friday at the Veterans Memorial at the Log Cabin on Canfield Fairgrounds. Because most commission meetings are closed to discuss cases, the commission periodically has a mock meeting at which hypothetical meetings are discussed to allow interested people to see how the organization operates, officials said.

Small-business fund

The International Franchise Association Educational Foundation and the PepsiCo Foundation have established a new fund to help veterans become small-business owners. The fund will provide grants for business development, education, training and technical assistance of up to $10,000 to veterans who have acquired a franchise through the association’s “VetFran” program.

Formally known as the Veterans Transition Franchise initiative, nearly 1,100 honorably discharged veterans have acquired franchise establishments since 2002 by using financial incentives of 336 company participants. Endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the program receives no government funding and partners with the VA’s center for Veterans Enterprise, said Barry E. Landgraver, executive director and county veterans service officer of the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission.

Details of the grant fund are available at www.franchise.org.

Photo

Army Cpt. Haskell "Scott" Robert

MISCELLANEOUS

Recruiting commander

Army Cpt. Haskell “Scott” Roberts of Cortland recently became commander of the Warren Recruiting Co. He is responsible for the recruiting operations in Boardman, Kent, Warren and Mentor. He replaces Major George Kurpe of Hartford.

BASIC TRAINING

Navy: Seaman Recruit Chad A. Gallagher, brother of Kim A. Harp of Youngstown.

XItems of note for the Armed Forces Digest can be sent to The Vindicator, Regional Desk, P.O. Box 780, Youngstown 44501-0780, or e-mailed to alcorn@vindy.com.