This page is devoted to photos of recent Meetings, Reunions or Social Gatherings, participated in, by Members of Chapter XXI.


Anyone having any photos of the last  Chapter meeting, or any prior internment's, please send  them to me, Frank Fowler,  by email at [email protected] for inclusion on this web page.

Places We've Been

SFA Chapters XXI and 85 attend the Gulf War Ceremony

On Saturday 20 April, members of Chapter XXI and their families attended the Gulf War on Terror

Memorial Ceremony in Port Saint Lucie. The Chapter XXI members are pictured below and were (L to

R) Dylan Clukey (Dave’s daughter), Collin Clukey (Dave’s son), and Dave Clukey. John Vislosky, Shawn

“Goose” Geisler (new member to Chapter XXI), Betty Vislosky, Robert Beasley, Billy Schultz, and

Jimmie Summerville.

While it was a warm Florida day, we found the Ceremony and the Memorial very moving. We were

complimented by SFA Chapter 85 also shown in the picture below. But John V snuck in the back of

their picture. We included some other photos from the ceremony provided by Dave Clukey.


Also, given the fact we had 6 voting members attending, we held an impromptu Chapter XXI meeting.

Minutes included: Approval of the December 2023 meeting minutes, no old business discussed, and

no financials presented. Only new business was discussed, which was the potential

Meeting/Luncheon on 15 June. The meeting adjourned...short and sweet. Suzie Gaspard has a copy of

the minutes if anyone is interested.

​



 

 

 
Chapter XXI Florida JROTC Certificate and Medal Ceremony

COL (RET) John Erskine and his wife, Gayle, represented Chapter XXI at the West Port High School JROTC Awards Program, and he presented the Special Forces Association Award of Excellence to Cadet Gregory Mack. The outstanding J ROTC Program is led by LTC (RET) Robert Irick and has over 300 cadets.
John Erskine quoted afterward, “This is one of the finest programs that I have had the opportunity to observe. Patriotism, dedication, camaraderie, precision, and enthusiasm, coupled with their community service, scholarship, and athletics is what picture these cadets as future leaders. It was an honor to be able to participate in the ceremony”.

Chapter 21's Annual Christmas Meeting, 2023
​at Lakeland, Florida

February, 2020
​
Hi All,
 
I was honored to have been one of 6 veterans presented a "Quilt of Valor" by the

Quilt of Valor Foundation and the Khaki Quilters, here in The Villages. As a

Vietnam vet, it really meant a lot to me and I am grateful to the ladies of the

Khaki Quilters.  The quilt is something that I will always treasure and it was a very

humbling experience.
 
I don't know if this is something that would make the newsletter or website, but

I've included some photos of the event.
 
DOL,
 
John Erskine 

5K Walk/Run at The Villages, October, 2018
Chapter 21 Members, John and Gayle Erskine and Brian and Natalie Vines and her service dog, Bugg all ran the Villages for Vets 5K on Saturday to raise funds for disabled Vets.  Fun day and a very worthy cause!  

Christmas Meeting, 2017, Avon Park, Florida

At the Jacaranda Hotel
​

A great time was had by all, due to the planning and hard work, of Joette & Phil

Devon. And a big thanks to the Wives & Members of the Chapter, for all the food

& Christmas “goodies” they provided.

Also, a special thanks to Russ Cummings, for gifting a Gurkha knife replica,  to

each Member present. A cool letter opener.

The Villages Texas A&M Club

The Villages, Florida, 32162

SFA Chapter XXI
 September, 2017
The Texas A&M Club is a small club but we had faith and belief in the people of The Villages to help.
We were grateful for the donations and help given by SFA Chapter XXI members who stepped
up to show their support! Countless other Clubs, individuals and businesses also stepped up to help.
We are determined Texans and we believed that we could help and make a difference. We can not
begin to thank all of you who donated your time and talents to help us with this project.  We raised
over $7000 to send to the Salvation Army in Houston and we are TEXAS PROUD.
 God Bless you each and every one!
 John Erskine
John Erskine ’60
President
December, 2016: David Bussone, President of The Villages Chapter of The Sons of the American Revolution, presents the War Service Medal to Retired Colonel John F Erskine, for his combat service in Vietnam.  COL Erskine served with both the 1st and 5th Special Forces Groups in Vietnam in 1964 and 1966.  He is a Charter Member of The Villages Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and a member of SFA Chapter XXI
. 
Special Forces Chapter XXI's Christmas Meeting, 2016 at The Comfort Inn & Suites, Lakeland, Florida,
​December 9-11, 2016
The Villages,  Florida August 6th, 2016
l to R:  Gayle Erskine, John Erskine, Natalie Vines (and Captain), Brian Vines, Sheila Whitman, Richard Whitman, Sandy Lara, Bob Lara, Mary Fagan, Hal Fagan, Anna Tucker, Bob Cherry and Marianne Cherry.
​
​A great time was had by all.
"Run, Forrest, Run 5K" October 22nd, 2016
John & Gayle Erskine ran the "Run, Forrest, Run” 5k on Saturday, Oct. 22nd, 2016, at The Villages. The Run benefits the Gary Sinise Foundation support for severely wounded Vets. John was the oldest runner, and finished 7th in the “over 75 age group”. John is also the President of The Villages Texas A&M club.
Go John!
The young vet shown in the photo with John is SFC Jared (Red) Bullock.  He served with 3 Bn. 7th SFGA, and was severely injured in 2013 when his ATV ran over an IED in Afghanistan​. The Gary Sinise Foundation is building him a "smart home"