Yearly Archive: 2013

I made a report to the Post Commanders of pertinent information that I learned at Mid-Winter but I thought I would pass along information that may be of interest to individual Post members.

We had a fair representation from District 1 at Mid-Winter this year.  Don Wischmann, Post 2100; Denise Watkins-Calosso, Post 9417; Ron Haley and John Beam, Post 1040; Jim Traner and Don Whedon, Post 8870;  and Danny Houghton and Elmer Johnson, Post 921,  It was actually and enjoyable conference.  One day long, concise (for the most part) reports by committee chairs, and, of course, recognition of the Voice of Democracy winners and Teachers of the Year including Susan Newman from District 1.

The big news is a proposed $10 increase in annual dues which will be voted on at the National Convention in July.  The motivating factor is to increase support of the Departments’ Service Officers.  I have mixed emotions on the increase and will need a lot more facts before coming to any conclusion.  However, once an increase is on the table, you know it will eventually pass in some form at some time.  They simply don’t go away.  It may be time to to sign up for a Life Membership.

There will be another “Heroes in the Ballpark” game at Cheney Stadium in July.  VFW is trying to bring 500 Wounded Warriors and their families to the park free of charge and asks each Post to consider a $100 contribution to the project.   If you want to participate, send your donation check made payable to VFW Heroes in the Ballpark and Department HQ’s in Fife and for $15 bucks you can attend the game.  If we have enough interest we could form a carpool.  Since it’s a day game it may be a fun outing.  I haven’t been down to the stadium in Tacoma since it was renovated a few years ago.

The new themes for VOD, PP, and Youth Essays are published.  VOD will be “Why I’m Optimistic About our Nation’s Future”, PP is “What Patriotism Means to Me”; and the Youth Essay is “My American Hero is …….”  The essays don’t need to come from the schools.  If you have children or grandchildren who would like to participate, let Rock Roth know and he can help you with the paperwork.

Ted Streete, our incoming Commander for 2013-14, has some very nifty blue denim shirts with the Marine Corp monument as a patch.  I have to admit, even though I am Army, it isn’t a bad looking shirt and I would expect a lot of you Marines want to order one.  The cost is $28 with $4 if you wish your first name to be added.  Let me know if you have an interest and I’ll get the flyer to you.

A good program not being supported this year by VFW, is Special Olympics.  The past Committee Chair can no longer be involved due to health issues.  If anyone has a desire to take the position, contact Department.

Consider becoming a Life Member of VFW National Home for Children.  It’s relatively inexpensive ($35) and is certainly a great cause.

Last, and not least, is membership.  The goal in membership is to achieve 95% by Mid-Winter.  Only one Post, 7511, has done that and as a whole, our membership numbers are down from last year.  As I watch what Congress is doing (or, more specifically, not doing), organizations like VFW and American Legion need to be protecting benefits earned (no given) to veterans.  They can only do that through strength in numbers.

I realize that most members will never attend Mid-Winter but the highlight of the conference is the introduction of the District Voice of Democracy winners and the selection of the Department’s winner from the 16 candidates.  Without exception, these are the leaders of tomorrow.  Three candidates were missing.  One was trying out for the U or W Varsity Soccer team, another was attending a banquet at Seattle Pacific where she was being awarded a scholarship, and the third individual was playing the violin with a Symphony Orchestra in Tacoma.  The other 13 candidates were equally impressive.  I always walk away with the feeling that America is in good hands for the next 40 or 50 years.

Ten time Emmy Award winner, Bryan Johnston, attended the January 11 meeting of VFW Post #8870 to provide Post members with a preview of his newly published book, Man With a Gun.  For nearly three decades, Bryan was a television and video writer/producer, and he is the author of three books.  In his latest book, which was just released in December, Bryan weaves several historically accurate military operations and events into a compelling modern day mystery/thriller.  A disgraced Marine Corps sniper, Web Weller, attempts to start a new life in a small Minnesota town, made up by a disproportionately large number of veterans.  Gradually, Web begins to uncover clues that just might identify John F. Kennedy’s assassin.  Bryan has performed an incredible amount of research into the life of a Marine Corps sniper, military history, and the Kennedy assassination, and woven that information into a spell binding novel.

To honor our active duty military personnel, Bryan will donate $1.00 from every sale of his book to the Fallen Heroes Project (www.fallenheroesproject.org) .  Bryan lives in Lake Forest Park with his wife, two children, and two large dogs.  To learn more about Bryan and his book or to purchase a copy of this exciting thriller, you can visit his web site www.bryanrjohnston.com .

On Sunday, January 13, members of Post #8870 presented an educational experience for the members of a local Girl Scout Troop.  At the invitation of one of the Troop’s leaders, Elena Gordon, Commander Fred Apgar and Officer of the Day Jim Collins spoke to the girls about the symbolism of the American flag, flag etiquette, and explained the flag folding ceremony that is performed at the funerals of veterans.

Thanks to the arrangements made by Senior Vice Commander Chris Edwards, two members of the Washington Army National Guard Honor Guard (WAARNG) Program attended the session and provided important information regarding the flag folding ceremony.  Sgt. Ray Hayes and Sgt. Misty McFarlane demonstrated the ceremony, while Jim Collins explained the meaning of each of the thirteen folds.  Following a question and answer period, members of the Girl Scout Troop were given the opportunity practice the flag folding ceremony under the guidance of the two members of the Army National Guard.  VFW Post # 8870 is indebted to the WAARNG and the State Coordinator, Mr. Charles Einarson, for making members of his Honor Guard available to the Post and the Girl Scout Troop.

This is a blatant plea for everyone who is a continuous member to pay their dues.  Dues are $25 for a year and while you are not officially delinquent (and no longer a VFW member) until the end of the year, you would make life much easier on Quartermaster Tom and Commander Fred if you would drop a check in the mail.  If you are unable to pay your dues due to financial difficulty, let the QM know and we will make allowances for your circumstances.  Also, students and active duty members of the military are exempt from dues.  Also, consider a Life Membership if you are a continuous member.  Dues are going to be increasing and it’s a great opportunity to support VFW and remove the burden from your Post to send out reminder notices each year.  Please consider it seriously.

A lot of you are unable to make the meetings and we often forget to point out all the things we do in this newsletter (more than there is room to fit in).  This year, our Relief Fund bought $3,500 in gift cards.  There were distributed to the Veterans Home in Orting ($1,000), the Veterans Home in Retsil ($1,000), and the Chaplains offices at Coast Guard District 13, Joint Base Lewis McChord, and Naval Station Everett ($500 each).  We helped a lot of needy veterans and active military families.  Thanks to everyone who helped with Poppies which provided the funds.

We had a great time at the joint Legion VFW Christmas party.  We had approximately 65 folks show up including some spouses and children.  A special thanks to John Bustard’s son who cooked the turkey and Fred Apgar for bringing the ham.  We certainly had a lot more food than we needed.  Unfortunately a number of members didn’t make the luncheon which was a shame.  It was nice to kick back and find out how things were going with old friends.  A special thanks to Carl Kurfess for brewing up a lot of small bottles of liqueur which we raffled off (I didn’t know officers knew how to make bootleg liquor).  We also raffle a few bottles of wine that Mike and Cheryl Reagan donated and we raised some funds for our Relief Fund with the proceeds.  In addition, we all brought toys and non-perishable food items which went to the Holly House and food bank, respectively.  I delivered the toys on Sunday morning and several hundred folks were already in line so the need was great.

The District will be raffling a 46” HDTV  to support the District’s effort in assisting Posts in membership drives, providing awards for District winners of the Youth Essays, Patriot’s Pen, and Voice of Democracy as well as Teacher and Safety Officer awards.  The tickets are $5.00 each and the drawing will be held January 29th at the Everett Post’s meeting.  That will give you a couple of days to get your new TV set up to watch the Super Bowl on February 3rd.

Why not consider a year end donation to our Post?  It’s deductible for income tax purposes (assuming you itemized) and you know where your funds are going.  Our Relief Fund has zero overhead other than buying Poppies which are made by veterans.  Just something to consider, but don’t wait too long.

At its December 14, 2012 meeting, VFW Post #8870 recognized several area students who participated in the Annual National VFW Essay contest. The Post’s student essay competition is coordinated by James “Rock” Roth who also serves as our Post Chaplain (shown above with Youth Essay participants).

The theme for this year’s Youth Essay contest was “How Do I Show My Love For My Country?”  The contest is open to elementary school students in grades 3, 4, and 5, and this year’s winning essay was submitted by Elijah Pfeifer, a fifth grade student at Mukilteo Elementary School.  Elijah was presented with a $100 scholarship from the Post.  Ms. Sue Idso, is Elijah’s teacher, and she encouraged her entire class to enter the student essay program.  Prior to the presentation of awards, Ms. Idso’s students led the Post members and guests in the Pledge of Allegiance and treated everyone to a wonderful recitation of the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States.

The Patriot’s Pen essay contest is open for middle school students in grades 6, 7, and 8, and the theme for this year’s contest was “What I Would Tell America’s Founding Fathers”.  The winning entry was submitted by Olivia Olson, a seventh grade student at Brier Terrace Middle School, and she also received a $100 scholarship.    Olivia’s teacher is Ms. Ruth Brick who is a former State of Washington VFW Middle School Teacher of the Year.

Three Runners-Up in the Patriot Pen competition were announced by Chaplain Roth, and they were all students from Ms. Idso’s class.  They are Georgia Duke, Ashley Gray, and Grace Koball, each of whom received a $50 scholarship.  Receiving Honorable Mention certificates were fifth graders Elizabeth Crocco, Nicole Faller, Eliza Kirk, Gabrielle Richardson, and Allison Woodbury.

The two winning entries have been forwarded to Washington State VFW for consideration at the district and state levels.  More information about our Post’s activities and programs can be obtained by visiting our web site at www.vfw8870.org