We have a ton of new members. I know when I first started attending meetings, I had a lot of questions (well, perhaps 3 or 4) but didn’t want to show my ignorance to the crusty old vets in my first Post. One of my questions was the significance of the White Hat that a few of the members wore. The answer is that every year Department selects Commanders and Quartermasters that have met certain criteria and gives them a White Hat as an award. Only a handful are given each year so it is a significant achievement. However, as far as the Commander goes, it is a Post award as much as an individual award. Without a lot of people doing their jobs correctly the Commander would never get a White Hat. The Quartermaster, on the other hand, really earns their hat based on their individual performance. The Quartermaster is the bookkeeper of the Post and is audited by the Trustees every month. In addition, there are a variety of reports they must submit throughout the year, and the VFW keeps the QM very busy. Elizabeth Mather has more White Hats then anyone in our Post for her excellent work and we hope Tom Hallums gets his this year. Along with different colored covers, there are different colored braids on those covers. Silver means the wearer holds a National position, Red is for Department officers i.e. Washington state, Green for District Officers, and Gold is for the general membership where the real work of VFW is done.
