Vietnam Vet Helps New Connecticut Local Raise Dollars

Front row from left: Local 4629 fire fighter Brian Anderson, fire fighter Christopher Clark, George Burk, Local 4629 President Robert Swansen and Vice President Jeffrey Lathrop. Second Row from left: Local 4629 fire fighters Mark Parker, Erik Pawlak, Spencer Bauch and Steven Dubicki and Local 4629 Secretary-Treasurer Thomas Martin.

January 7, 2009 – After joining the IAFF just one year ago, the members of Waterford, CT Local 4629 are ready to get more involved in their community. Local 4629 recently hosted a pasta dinner at the Waterford VFW Post featuring motivational speaker and Vietnam Vet George Burk. The event raised $1,250 for local community causes.

“We organized this fundraiser to increase our visibility within the community and to raise money to donate to worthy community charities,” says Brian Anderson, event organizer and a Local 4629 fire fighter.

Speaker George Burk told guests his amazing story of survival during the Vietnam War as the sole survivor among 14 passengers in a military plane crash. He suffered extensive injuries and spent 18 months in the hospital. More than 35 years later, he has learned to live with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and use his story to inspire others.

Also of note, actor John Travolta donated a signed Ladder 49 poster for auction.

Area fire fighters, citizens and VIPs -- the family of a local Marine killed in Iraq and a soldier who survived a roadside bomb –attended the fundraiser.