News

News from National: VFW Statement on SFC Charles Martland

logoKANSAS CITY, Mo. – Regarding discharge procedures against decorated Green Beret Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland, who in 2011 confronted an Afghan police commander for raping an Afghan boy and abusing his mother, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is questioning if the military is punishing troops for doing the right thing instead of examining Status of Forces Agreements that has them serving and protecting others in foreign lands, yet might force them to ignore local incidents that everyone knows in their hearts to be wrong. “We look forward to hearing more details about this matter,” said VFW National Commander John A. Biedrzycki Jr., “because from the onset, it would appear that Martland is being punished for doing what I would hope anyone would do when encountering a wrong.”

News from National: VFW Report – Veterans Prefer VA Care

logoWASHINGTON (September 25, 2015) — One of the greatest ongoing debates in the aftermath of last year’s allegations of patients dying on secret waiting lists is where America’s veterans should get their care. According to a new report released this week by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, America’s veterans prefer that their care be provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Entitled “Our Care,” the VFW report revealed that where veterans choose to receive their care depends on the number of options they have available. Still, the majority of the 1,847 veterans surveyed prefer to use the VA because they receive high quality care, they regard VA health care as an earned benefit, and they consider VA’s ability to treat service-connected conditions to be unmatched anywhere in the private sector.

“The VFW has been at the forefront of helping all veterans to obtain the timely and quality care they earned and deserve,” said VFW National Commander John A. Biedrzycki, “and we will continue to work to ensure veterans have a voice when reforming a VA that was created to serve them.”

News from National: Deadline for Youth Scholarships Approaching

logoSeptember 22, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The VFW is still accepting entries for the 2015-16 VFW Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen scholarship competitions. The deadline for student entries in both contests is Nov. 1.

The Patriot’s Pen competition is open to students in grades 6-8. This year, students are asked to reflect on the statement, “What Freedom Means to Me.” The national winner will receive a $5,000 award.

Students should submit their entry (along with a completed entry form) to their participating local VFW Post.

Edmonds Veterans Plaza

Edmonds Veterans Plaza UpdatePlease keep this project “front of mind” as we say in marketing. Comrade Clyborne and his fellow members of the fund raising committee will need an effort by the entire Post to meet the financial goals for the Plaza. If you have contacts who may be willing and able to help and don’t wish to approach them yourself, get in touch with Ron Clyborne or Jim Blossey so that someone from the committe can make the contact.

Member Service Photos Wanted

NL1015_Service_Photo_WantedNo doubt you have seen the “Who is this Member” corner on the Post web site. Your editor would like to continue this tradition on the website and in the newsletter. We need photos of you during your active service. They can be formal portraits, but candid photos in the field, aboard, ship or with aircraft are, I think more interesting.

Please email your photo, along with a short description of when and where the photo was taken to [email protected], or bring a print to the Post Meeting. Should your editor not be in attendance, (not uncommon this time of year) Commander Blossey will see that it is scanned and made available. Don’t forget your descriptive text. Here is a pic to get things started. See if you can identify this young sailor who is a current member of Post 8870. Identification and details of where and when will be posted on the web and in the November newsletter.

Purple Heart Night at the Mariners: Our Own Phil Sacks Throws Out First Pitch

Purple Heart Night at the Mariners: Our Own Phil Sacks Throws Out First Pitch

Korean War veteran, Purple Heart recipient and Post 8870 member Phil Sacks had the honor of throwing out the first pitch on Monday night, Aug. 10, as the Seattle Mariners took on the Baltimore Orioles.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Phil served in the US Army, 9t Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division. Serving in Korea, the division was trying to take the aptly-named Heartbreak Ridge, when shrapnel from an enemy artillery barrage tore into his back and took him out of the war.

He received his Purple Heart while recovering in the Osaka, Japan Army hospital, where the large numbers of wounded meant that there wasn’t much ceremony involved. “Some officer in a uniform walked by my bed with a box of Purple Hearts, handed me one, and moved on to the next recipient,” he said. “I was kinda woozy, and didn’t fully realize what was going on till after he left my bedside.”

After the war, Sacks enrolled in Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute under the G.I. Bill. He graduated in 1958 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He worked for several employers, ultimately retiring from Lockheed in 1995. He moved to Edmonds the next year. He was quick to get involved in his community, and soon began volunteering with the Edmonds Police Department’s neighborhood crime watch program.

Purple Heart Night at the Mariners: Our Own Phil Sacks Throws Out First PitchSacks was the second Purple Heart recipient to toss out a pitch at a Mariners’ game (last year it was a WWII vet). The event is timed to coincide with date George Washington instituted the Purple Heart, then called the Badge of Military Merit, and awarded it to three Revolutionary War soldiers on Aug. 7, 1782.

“It’s a great honor to be invited to do this,” Sacks said the day before the game. He then added with a grin, “but my right arm has been giving me some trouble the past few years, so I’m not sure my pitch will make it to home plate.” But when game time came, Sacks’ arm was in fine form. Standing between the mound and home, he gave it a nice, easy toss right to the plate where it was caught by Mariners’ pitcher Taijuan Walker.

Excerpted form MyEdmonds news.com article written By Larry Vogel

New Member Inducted

New Member Inducted Rod FritschRod Fritsch

At the August Post meeting, we welcomed yet another comrade to the fold.

Rod is retired Navy having served 1991-2011. He is originally from Jefferson, WI. Rod served two tours in Bahrain, 2009-10 and 2010-11, performing Mine Countermeasure duties for the 5th Fleet.

He also served in Turkey in 1997 as part of Operation Northern Watch enforcing an Iraq no-fly zone.

Rod was an Avionics Technician and performed training, management and logistic engineer duties.

Sea duty included stints on the USS Tarawa, USS Iwo Jima and the RFA Lyme Bay. (RFA Lyme Bay is a Bay-Class auxiliary landing ship dock of the British Royal Navy.)

Awards include the Navy Achievement Medal (4), Navy Good Conduct Medal (6) and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (2). Rod resides with his wife Maureen in Arlington, WA. They have 4 children. He is currently enrolled in college.

Veterans Day: Buddy Poppy Time

Veterans Day: Buddy Poppy TimeBob Crawford, our stalwart organizer of poppy distribution, asks that you be certain November 6-7 are on your calendar and arrange your scheduled hours with him. We will have four locations to staff this time around. Bob can go over the opportunities with you, so be sure you get together with him at the September meeting, or call him to make arrangements. If all of our active membership participates, it will be an easy and productive weekend. There is no more rewarding activity to participate in as a VFW member.

Edmonds Veterans Plaza Update

The Edmonds Veterans Plaza Committee is moving ahead with its work of designing and raising funds for the new community recognition of all Veterans, past, present and future.

 The crucial job at the moent is, of course, fund raising and our craft fund raising committee is hard at work.

 If you have business or organizational contact who might help with donations, large or small, please do what you can to either solicit the donation yourself, or make the organization known to the committee. If you have questions, see either Commander Blossey, or Plaza Committee Chair Ron Clyborne.

Edmonds Veterans Plaza Update

New VFW Auxiliary Now Welcomes Men

HISTORIC CHANGE REFLECTS TODAY’S MILITARY AND VETERAN FAMILIES

August 21, 2015

The former Ladies Auxiliary VFW, founded in 1914, is the VFW’s highly regarded support organization and is considered its “Partner in Service.”

Under its former name, Ladies Auxiliary VFW, membership within the organization was offered exclusively to female spouses and family members of any member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The gender-specific eligibility requirement remained for more than 100 years until July 20, 2015, when delegates to the VFW’s 116th National Convention in Pittsburgh voted to amend the dated by-law to extend the same membership opportunity to eligible males and the name changed appropriately to simply VFW Auxiliary.

“It’s an exciting time to be a member of the Auxiliary,” said National President Francisca Guilford. “Women comprise nearly twenty percent of our nation’s military, and this change allows all spouses, fathers, grandfathers, sons, grandsons and brothers to serve others in honor of their veteran.”

For more information about the VFW Auxiliary, please visit www.vfwauxiliary.org.