Post 8870 Senior Vice Commander Terry Crabtree spoke to an assemblage of the Chief Petty Officers Association with a moving presentation drawn from his post 9/11 experience in the clean up at Ground Zero in New York City.
Also speaking was Captain Mark Lakamp, USN, Commanding Officer, Naval Station Everett, seated at Crabtree’s left in this photo. (An unidentified Navy Petty Officer stands behind Terry at the podium.)
An opportunity to inspire young people
Veteran’s Day is officially Wednesday, November 11. During the days leading up to that week many of the schools in our service area will have special programs honoring veterans and educating the students about service and sacrifice.
By the time you read this, we will have sent letters to all the schools offering to provide one or more veterans to come to any school requesting them. Some will be asked to speak before an assembly, others to visit a small class, and some to simply be present while the young people honor us and show their appreciation.
At our Post meeting on October 13 those in attendance will be given the opportunity to volunteer to visit these schools. Those who have done so in the past always come away moved and grateful for the remarkable young students and the teachers inspiring them.
If you are unable to be at the October meeting and you would like to sign up, you can do so by emailing Commander Blossey at [email protected].
Watch for further details on start time and logistics in your November newsletter and at the November Post meeting.
VFWs Strength Extends Far beyond AdvocacyOn September 29, 1899, thirteen men – all Spanish-American War veterans – gathered at a small tailor shop in the heart of Columbus, Ohio, to discuss the issues plaguing returning veterans. The men shared personal accounts of what was then, the most popular war in America’s history, but more importantly discussed what they could do for their brothers-in-arms and for the dependents of their fallen comrades.
Banding together, these men created a veterans organization that would outlast themselves, and survive as long as Americans put on uniforms to defend our country.
Their resolve to promote and defend the general welfare of all those who have borne the brunt of battle ultimately laid the groundwork for the multifaceted organization that is the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW) today.
KANSAS 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.”
WASHINGTON (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.”
September 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.
Please 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.
November 6 & 7 at four locations. If you haven’t signed up for a shift, see Bob Crawford. This should be an all hands event.
No 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.
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.
Sacks 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