From the Publisher
Scott@AmVetsMag.com
480-980-6800
/// SCOTT BARTLE
W ELCOME TO THE inaugural issue of American Veterans Magazine ! AVM is the flagship publication of American Veterans, a local multimedia company dedicated to helping Arizona veterans and those who serve them. I’ve been asked what my “why” is in co- founding this company. And there are two — one organizational and one personal. There are countless people, nonprofits and for-profit businesses working every day to provide our veterans the services they need and deserve. Some are well connected, well publicized and well financed. Many others are not. American Veterans Magazine and its complementary digital products can amplify the voices of these do- gooders and increase their reach and effectiveness. In effect, we aim to be the rising tide that lifts all boats captained by people working for Arizona veterans. The genesis of my personal “why” is family. My cousins Katie and Mike served in the Air Force and Navy, respectively. My brother Andy was a TOP GUN F-14 RIO and is now retired from the Navy Reserves. My dad Jeff served in the Army, and while he quips he “protected Detroit from the Viet Cong,” you can read on page 6 his non-combat service had meaning just the same. Uncle John fought in Vietnam and Uncle Bill flew Cobra helicopters. Both of my grandfathers served, one with an Army career that included WWII and Korea in addition to being post commander in Germany during the Cold War. His brother, Uncle Eck, enlisted in the Army Air
Corps and spent three-and-a-half years of his three-decade Air Force career as a prisoner of the Japanese. My cousin Fr. Frank (aka “Paratrooper Padre”) jumped onto the shores of Normandy with the 101st Airborne and was twice captured by the Germans. His career included being the Army’s chief of chaplains, and he was president of the USOpost-retirement. The military is in my DNA, yet I never served. It’s a burr I have not been able to get out of my saddle (though I tried when I unsuccessfully applied for a Navy Reserves PAO position in my 40s). Then the late former Congressman Frank Riggs presented the opportunity to be part of resurrecting (and reinventing) National Veterans Magazine. It felt like a great marriage of my desire to serve, my appreciation for service members — current and former — and my two decades in media and publishing. So, here we are. Selfishly or selflessly, I get to serve the great United States of America and its military by serving you, Arizona’s veterans. As such, it is important for you to know our publications are yours. Whether the magazine, website or social media, we encourage you to contribute and let us know when and how we can improve. Thank you for your readership — and your input. And thank you for your support of our advertisers, without whom this magazine would not exist. It is truly an all-hands-on-deck mission.
Msgr. Francis Sampson
10% Veterans Discount
Edsel “Eck” Bartle
Mike Bartle and Andy Bartle
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Katie Bartle
Andy Bartle
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John Westfall Jr.
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602-551-6221
Frank Bartle
Jeff Bartle
John Westfall Sr.
Bill Bartle
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AMERICAN VETERANS Summer 2024
Summer 2024 AMERICAN VETERANS
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