Region II — Midwest Region
Greetings the Midwest!
We held our Airborne/Special Operations Luncheon on 13 Dec at the Lost Spur Golf Course in Eagan MN. For a change, the weather was wonderful and we had a great time with a silent auction, lots of friends reacquainted, great food and festive venue.
On 27 Dec there was a gathering to honor CSM(R) William "Bill" Bray on his 100th birthday. Friends and family attended and had a great time. Bill served as a Navy crewman on a torpedo bomber and was shot down in WWII near Palawan. He served as a Ranger School instructor with John "Ranger" Roy at Mountain Phase in Georgia. He then served in Korea with UNPIK and later was the operations sergeant for the 5th SFGA in Vietnam and other operations.. Still sharp as a tack he helped lay the foundations for what it was like to be a Ranger and a Green Beret. What a history!
We will be looking forward to seeing Dan Kaiser up and about after getting his hip worked on as we plan for Memorial Day in May and Heritage Days in Two Harbors MN in July.
Greetings from Chapter 27, the St. Louis Missouri Martha Raye Chapter.
This past August at the the Eureka Elks Lodge, our Chapter held its 20th annual “Green Beret Casualty Fund” event. Soldiers from 5th Group at Fort Campbell raised the flag for the opening ceremony and provided a static equipment display.
We had a variety of attractions including a silent auction, barrel of booze raffle, and static display provided by 5th Group. The annual event has consistently drawn a big crowd and raised funds that are forwarded to Chapter 38 at Fort Campbell. We have too many sponsors to list here, but we want to thank everyone for their annual support in providing items for auction, donations, and marketing the event.
$10,000 Donation
Donation - $10,000 donation presented to Chapter 38 representative by Troy Colson, Mike Stocker and chapter 27 President Casey Grau. In conjunction with the event, our Chapter Members have manned a Beer Tent at the Washington Town and Country Fair in Washington Missouri, the proceeds of which are donated to the chapter.
Greetings to our SF Brothers from NE Ohio Chapter XXXV.
This past August at the the Eureka Elks Lodge, our Chapter held its 20th annual “Green Beret Casualty Fund” event. Soldiers from 5th Group at Fort Campbell raised the flag for the opening ceremony and provided a static equipment display.
We had a variety of attractions including a silent auction, barrel of booze raffle, and static display provided by 5th Group. The annual event has consistently drawn a big crowd and raised funds that are forwarded to Chapter 38 at Fort Campbell. We have too many sponsors to list here, but we want to thank everyone for their annual support in providing items for auction, donations, and marketing the event.
Chapter XXXV Christmas Party
Chapter XXXV Members at the Aviator Pub and Restaurant in Cleveland held on 6 December 2025.
L-R Front Row: Lustig, Tisone, Schwachenwald, Carter, Collins, Zurawski, O’Grady, Koch and Taylor
L-R Back Row: Krompecher, Kiehl, Dr. Perera, Pritash, Karttunen, DiCesare, Guidry, Godshall, Buck and Pearce.
Never listen to your Medic
Bit of Christmas humor when announcing Uniform: Berets, Blazers and Boots Pants Optional And our own LTC (R) Howard “Man Down” Pearce followed the instructions to the T!
Chapter 37 Member Group Christmas Party
Greetings to all our SF Brothers from Chicagoland Chapter XXXVII
On the 12DEC25 our Chapter held its annual Christmas party at the Great Escape in Schiller Park Illinois. Our turnout was larger than previous years with a special visit from our National SFA President Chris Wilkerson. Chapter XXXVII was well represented by the younger members and the “Vintage” members of various Special Forces Groups and their families. A fine mix of dinner, drinks, swamping stories and overall camaraderie. The winner of our 50/50 raffle was our Ladies Auxiliary President Marsha Krzyzak, who generously donated the proceeds back to the Chapter. A Tip of the Beret to Marsha for that selfless gesture and all the outstanding work and commitment you provide that make this Chapter run smoothly. We had a successful exchange of gifts run by Kathy Patterson, thank you Kathy. Our Treasurer Mike Tuman presented a donation to Veterans Path to Hope, a local group who assists homeless veterans who want a chance to rebuild their lives. It was encouraging to see an increased attendance and overall, a successful event. We hope to see everyone again in December of 2026.
Upcoming Events:
29th Annual Military Ball
Our annual formal event will be held on 18APR26, at the Fountain Blue Banquets & Conference Center in Des Plaines, Illinois. This year’s guest speaker is Chaplain Steven Rindahl, a 12th SFG(A) alumnus and current Chapter XV member. Chaplain Rindahl will deliver a presentation regarding his ministry, Warriors on the Way https://warriorsontheway.org/. Please check the Teamhouse calendar for more information and prepare your uniforms or blazers.
Scholarship Program
The Scholarship Committee, co-chaired by John Olson and Chris Lucie, has been working hard revamping our program. After reviewing nearly a dozen applications, they will select three cadets to receive scholarships at the Military Ball. Qualifying cadets will also receive the SFA Award of Excellence at their respective universities. We extend our gratitude to the committee for their efforts in organizing this program.
Benefit Golf Outing
After a seven-year hiatus, we are pleased to announce the return of our Benefit Golf Outing. Please save the date for 25JUN26, at Cantigny Golf Club https://www.cantignygolf.com/. This event is vital for raising funds for our charitable causes. Special thanks to Chairman Chris Lucie, Mike Wiedmaier, and Bill Stach for bringing this fundraiser back. Further details will be posted on the Teamhouse calendar soon.
For updates on all future events, please visit our webpage at www.sfa37.us and follow our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SFAch37.
De Oppresso Liber
Greetings from the Buckeye Chapter.
After a cold and snowy winter Chapter 45 looks forward to our 11th annual Freedom Ride that will be held on August 1, 2026. Registration starts at 1100 hours with an expectation of over 150 riders. The event will be hosted by the AMVETS riders of Post 1928 and captained by Gary Euton. The ride begins at W. Broad ST of Columbus and ends at Buckeye Lake’s AMVETS Post 51. Along the way there will be one stop in Circleville, OH at the AMVETS Post 2256 for riders to stretch their legs, get refreshments, and meet and greet Ohio’s green berets. All riders from Ohio are invited to ride with us. Chapter 45 is extremely thankful for all the support Post 1928 has provided over the past year including several generous financial donations. All proceeds from the Freedom Ride will be used to support the soldiers and families of B Co. 2nd BN, 19th SFGA.
Like other chapters, we meet regularly, but we meet twice monthly in two locations, and our average monthly attendance is over 40 members. To see the chapter's latest news, upcoming events, and memorials go to www.sfa45.org.
Michigan Chapter 55 is enjoying a traditional winter with poor driving conditions, lots of wind and cold temperatures, and high snow accumulations. This should satisfy all those who enjoy skiing, ice fishing, tubing, ice skating, hockey, and snowmobiling! If one likes to shovel driveways, it’s his time to shine.
Michigan Chapter 55 is enjoying a traditional winter with poor driving conditions, lots of wind and cold temperatures, and high snow accumulations. This should satisfy all those who enjoy skiing, ice fishing, tubing, ice skating, hockey, and snowmobiling! If one likes to shovel driveways, it’s his time to shine.
Our spring meeting will be on Saturday, April 11, in Owosso at the American Legion Post 57, 201 East Mason St.
Chapter 73: Back in the Day
Chapter 73 conducts three business meeting a year. In 2025 our first meeting was held in February at Mackinaw’s Grill and Spirits located in Green Bay, WI. This meeting is the chapter’s annual dining out and was coordinated by John Nowak and his wife Yun Kyung Lee.
Our July meeting was at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum located in Madison, WI. An excellent lecture and tour was given by museum staff. The meeting was coordinated by chapter secretary Greg Smith.
The September meeting is the chapter’s annual picnic held at Pineview Campgrounds, North Pavilion, Ft McCoy, WI and was coordinated by chapter co-president Rubin Littmann.
In 2026 Chapter 73 will keep the same meeting locations and activities. Visit our chapter webpage for dates.
Chapter 73’s Teamhouse administrator, Jim Trimby, has begun organizing chapter Zoom calls which take place during months without chapter events. These calls allow chapter members to stay in touch between meetings. A formal Zoom call schedule will be discussed at the February 2026 chapter meeting.
The Green Bay Packers ended the 2025 season with a loss to arch rival Chicago Bears in the NFC Wild Card game.
Bluegrass Chapter 99 celebrated our annual Christmas party on 17 December 2025, at Rooster’s in Louisville. It was a really good turnout, and we were fortunate to have members of the ARSOF Group from HRC join us as we celebrated our brotherhood and gave thanks for all the blessings the year provided.
Bluegrass Chapter 99 continues to have in-person meetings on the second Thursday of even months, at 1800 hrs, at VFW Post 1170 in Louisville. We asked VFW Vice Commander, Frank Sokolowski, to share the Post’s calendar of events with us so we can continue to contribute to their success. Frank mentioned that memberships have dropped as WWII members pass away and asked that we consider membership to help this great organization continue to work for veterans, and I encourage you to reach out to your local Posts and see what they have to offer. I hope to see you at our next meeting, and don’t forget we still have bottles of our Woodford Reserve Personal Selection for sale for $50 per bottle to members, and $60 for anyone else; contact John Holevas if you’d like to get one.
As we enter the new year, planning and preparation has started for our annual Memorial Golf Scramble, which will be 1 June 2026, at Woodhaven Country Club in Louisville. Registration runs from 11-12:30pm, putting contest from 12-12:45, and shotgun start at 1pm. Cost is $125 per, and includes green fees, cart, range balls, and a bbq dinner culminating with our silent auction at the club. This year, we are very excited to announce a silent auction item donated by 2024 Oaks & Kentucky Derby winning trainer, Kenny McPeek, as well as items from Brown-Forman, and numerous bottles of some of the best bourbon available. If interested in participating contact anyone from Bluegrass Chapter 99 for more information. We are also approaching the deadline for our JROTC scholarship program and look forward to recognizing more future leaders at the dinner during our golf scramble. Download: Memorial Golf Scramble
Chapter CVII held it’s Chapter meeting Saturday, January 31st at 1000 hrs. Chapter business was discussed and plans made for calendar year 2026. Chapter Vice President Jerry Jochum presented a US flag blessed and given to the chapter by the Sisinowa Domincan Sisters. The flag will be the official flag for the chapter and will be used, as applicable, at all chapter meetings and events. Vice President Jochum graciously agreed to maintain the flag.
After the meeting the chapter members gathered for food and camaraderie.
Newest member of the Chapter Andrew Unland, recent graduate of the Q course hanging out.
Chapter 500 in Indiana has started the year running, with a new addition to our board, and camaraderie opportunities.
Members began the year by renewing connections after the holidays and taking time to remember fellow veterans, a staple of our early-year gatherings that reinforces the bonds of brotherhood that define our chapter. Leadership and volunteers have been working behind the scenes to refine plans for upcoming activities, including range and brotherhood events planned later in the year. As we move to the Spring and Summer seasons, we will increase the opportunities to connect, support one another, and represent the Green Beret legacy throughout Indiana in 2026.