Military Order of the Purple Heart plans August gathering

Staff report

SPRINGFIELD, VA.

The 2013 national convention of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) is hosted by the Department of Arkansas MOPH from Aug. 5 to 10 at the John Q. Hammons Embassy Suites Convention Center, Rogers, Ark.

Eric K. Shinseki, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a recipient of two Purple Hearts, is the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony Aug. 6.

On Aug. 7, Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack will address the convention, and retired Army Lt. Gen. Claude M. Kicklighter, director of the Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Commemoration, will brief members on the Department of Defense plans for the ceremony. On Aug. 8, the Department of Arkansas MOPH host a charity golf tournament to benefit veterans and their families at the Fayetteville VA Hospital; and at the Aug. 10 closing banquet, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Bernard K. Skoch, a leading national cyber-warfare expert, is the guest speaker.

For information, call John Bircher at 352-753-5535.