Author Archive: Editor

Post Honors Civil Air Patrol Cadet

Post Honors Civil Air Patrol Cadet

On May 1st, a representative of Post 8870 participated in an awards program that honored cadet members of the Northshore Civil Air Patrol.  The cadet program has over 30 members, and members attend weekly training sessions that are conducted by members of the Civil Air Patrol.  The cadet program is led by Charles Jackson, CAP Commander.

Senior Vice Commander Fred Apgar represented the Post and presented the VFW Cadet NCO Award to Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Aaron Johnson.  Aaron has achieved a GPA of 3.52 during his high school years and serves as the Squadron’s First Sergeant.  Throughout the years in which he has been a Cadet, Aaron has demonstrated a high level of integrity and leadership skills.  His military bearing has served as an inspiration for the younger members of the Squadron.  Aaron has taken an active role in organizing and leading the Squadron’s color guard.  He hopes to attend the Naval Academy next year.

Jim Traner and Les Abel Elected to District 1Positions

For the first time in the 30 year history of Post 8870 a member has been named as District Commander.

Jim Traner will take over the leadership of the District following the Department Convention in June.  In addition, Les Abel was elected Judge Advocate.  Don Whedon was appointed to be the District’s Service Officer while Fred Apgar will head up the Teacher of the Year committee.  Last year, his selection of the Elementary Teacher of the Year, Debra Howe,  went on to win the National competition.  Bob Crawford will be the District Poppy Chair and Jim Collins, the District Safety-Law and Order Chair.

Fourth Post Member Participates in Honor Flight Program

Fourth Post Member Participates in Honor Flight Program

Muriel Jean Whalley took her Honor Flight during the first weekend in May.  She is the fourth member of Post # 8870 to participate in this nation-wide program, joining Erv Schmidt, Robert Otto, and Harry Miller.  Honor Flight flies veterans of World War II to Washington, D.C. so they can visit the WW II Memorial.  In addition to visiting the Memorial in their honor, Honor Flight participants also visit many other memorials including Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Post #8870 underwrote a portion of the expenses to fly Muriel and her son, Jack, who served as her Guardian, to our nation’s capitol. Muriel was one of twelve area WW II veterans who participated in the most recent flight.  They left Sea Tac on Friday (May 4) morning and returned Sunday afternoon.  Several members of the local Honor Flight Hub were joined by other veterans and active duty personnel to welcome the group home.

Fourth of July Parade to Honor Global War on Terror Veterans

The Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, the VFW, and the American Legion invite you to march in the City of Edmonds Annual Fourth of July Parade honoring service men and women returning from deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism, such as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. If you have earned the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal or the Afghanistan Campaign Medal or the Iraq Campaign Medal, we want to honor you for your service by inviting you and your family to participate in patriotic fun and fireworks on the 4th of July in Edmonds. There will be a special reserved seating area for military families for the evening concert and fireworks show. For more information and details, and to register to participate, contact Master Chief Koenig at [email protected] or by phone at 425-232-6244. You must register before June 15th to secure a place for your family in the festivities. To register, submit the following information:

Rate/Rank, Name

Branch of service

Unit

When and where you served (include all deployments)

Number of family members who will be attending

Email address and phone number

Visit the Post’s Virtual Award Wall

Like a majority of Posts today, 8870 does not have a Post home.  However, we have been the recipients of a number of awards, the latest being named as the Post of the Year for District 1.  Since we don’t have any physical structure, we decided that we needed a “virtual wall” to “hang” them on.  When you have an opportunity, stop by and take a look at our website www.vfw8870.org.  These are your awards and they recognize the achievements of the entire Post.  If you have any that you’ve received and wish to have them posted, let me know.

Post Announces Freedom Scholarship Winners

VFW Post #8870 recently announced the four winners of its newly established Freedom Scholarship.   In addition to their transcript and a resume, students were asked to write a 500-750 word essay in which they explained the meaning of freedom to them and how our Constitution establishes and maintains a culture of freedom in our country.

Representing the Edmonds School District are Katarina Nguyen and Robert Willcock, both of whom attended Edmonds-Woodway High School.  During her four years of high school, Katarina maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA and established an impressive record of involvement in school activities, community service, and varsity sports.  She has held leadership positions in more than ten school organizations, and has devoted countless hours of her time to volunteer for a variety of school and community organizations.  Katarina is also a past winner of Post #8870’s Voice of Democracy audio essay contest.

Robert has received numerous awards for his participation in varsity football and wrestling.  He is a member of the National Honor Society and has volunteered his time to tutor fellow students and provide services to a variety of Edmonds youth organizations.  Robert plans to pursue a degree in engineering.

Two students, Jay Bennett and Madison Azim, attended high school in the Mukilteo School District.  Jay maintained a near perfect GPA while participating in varsity sports and playing in the school orchestra at Kamiak High School.  He is president of the Academic Coaches organization and has devoted countless hours as a volunteer peer tutor.  Jay will attend the University of Washington next year to pursue a degree in chemical engineering.

Madison will be graduating from Mariner High School where she achieved an impressive record of accomplishments and service to her school.  In addition to being a varsity cheerleader, Madison participated in the jazz and wind ensembles and was a member of the drama club.  She has been awarded the “Nestle’s Very Best in Youth” award in recognition of outstanding leadership and community service.

The four scholarship winners will be publicly recognized at the Post’s July meeting and will be reading their Freedom Scholarship essays to our members.

Chaplain’s Corner—Rock Roth

How many of us have considered the poppies handed out on Memorial and Veteran’s Days and the history contained therein?  Poppies draw us to battle fields of Flanders, Belgium, and the row upon row of white crosses found there, a lasting memory of World War 1, The War to End All Wars.  The battle fields of Flanders include some of the bloodiest battles of World War I.  After the war, the citizens of Belgium provided to the United States ground where we could bury our fallen heroes.  Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War I cemetery on the southeast edge of the town of Waregem, Belgium.  This is the only American World War 1 cemetery in Belgium and 411 American servicemen are buried or commemorated there. Many of them fell at Spitaals Bosschen, an action of the Ypres-Lys Campaign by the 91st Infantry Division in the closing days of World War I.

This cemetery is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and occupies a six acre site. As with all Allied war cemeteries, the land was provided in perpetuity by the Belgian government. The headstones are aligned in four symmetrical areas around the white stone chapel that stands in the center of the cemetery. The side walls of the chapel are inscribed with the names of 43 missing American servicemen who have no known graves. The ABMC also administers two American cemeteries in Belgium for World War II casualties: Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial; and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial.

The cemetery is in the area known as Flanders Fields, where fierce fighting took place throughout the war.  A Canadian, Dr. John McCrae, wrote the poem In Flanders Fields on May 3, 1915, after witnessing the death of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, the day before.

 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

 

I had the very great distinction of visiting this cemetery while stationed in Brunssum, The Netherlands, in the early 1980’s.  I can state unequivocally that visiting this and other US Cemeteries in Europe and Asia were humbling experiences.  At each I was reminded that Freedom is not Free.  On this Memorial Day, please remember those who died that we and other Americans might enjoy the fruits of freedom and liberty.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; we give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our county.  Grant to them thy mercy and the light of the presence, that the good work which Thou hast begun in them may be perfected, through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord.  Amen

The Last Word

Wow, what a ride being Post Commander these last three years.  I don’t really need to repeat what we have accomplished during that span as I think everyone has a pretty good idea of those achievements.  Last month I tried to acknowledge a bunch of folks who got us to where we are, but I still managed to overlook a few so I better not try another list this month.  However, let me say that a Post, like a military unit  or athletic team, is better by the whole then by the sum of the individuals.  As a result of the efforts of the entire Post, we have achieved quite a few goals, but there were a number of others that we simply didn’t have time to accomplish.  I suspect that under Commander Fred Apgar we will be taking care of some old unfinished business, and finding new hills to climb.  I’ll be moving up to District Commander which will keep me busy. I will miss the tremendous support I received from all of our Post members over these past three years.  Not once did I look back to find no one following me regardless of the task.  I will remain editor of the newsletter just as I have these past 8 years and Julie will have the coffee ready for our monthly staff meetings at my office.  In the meantime I hope all of you members who haven’t attended a meeting recently will find time to make the June 8th meeting and show your support to the new officers being installed.  The past three years have flown by and been thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding, but now I’m ready to sit back and watch Commander Apgar run the show.

Post Elects New Officers

If the US elections were as smooth as our recent Post election, we would never be disturbed at dinner by some politician calling.  All our Post’s positions were filled through nominations which were unopposed.

Fred Apgar   Commander
Chris Edwards   Senior Vice Commander
Carl Kurfess   Junior Vice Commander
Tim Hallums   Quartermaster
Rock Roth   Chaplain
Ron Clyborne   Judge Advocate
Surgeon   Al Boyett
1 year Trustee   Phil Sacks
2 year Trustee   Les Abel
3 year Trustee   Jim Traner

 

Brad Pieratt—National Military Services

Brad Pieratt, National Military Services

Brad is the Department of Washington’s National Military Services Chairman and a member of Post 3617 in Wenatchee.  Brad was kind enough to come over the pass and speak to us in the April meeting about the various services that VFW provides to our active duty and recently discharged service personnel.  The NMS unites three successful, longstanding programs:  VFW Operation Uplink, VFW Unmet Needs, and the VFW Military Assistance Program (MAP).

Operation Uplink initially began by providing free phone cards to deployed service members.  It has since evolved into providing “Free Call Days”.  To date, it has provided 6.4 million free connections for service members and their families.

Unmet Needs was formed to assist service members and their families who run into unexpected financial difficulties as a result of deployment or other hardships directly related to military service.  Grants of up to $2,500 can be applied for under this program.

MAP is the link between VFW and the active military.  Under this program, Adopt-a-Unit has been a huge success.  The goal of this program is to support units before, during, and after deployment.  Literally hundreds of units around the world have been supported by the VFW.

Buddy Poppies

We will be at several locations handing out Poppies on Friday and Saturday, May 25th and 26th.  This and Veterans Day are the four days out of the year we ask for help  in raising funds for our Relief Fund.  If you have time and would like to help the Post, please call Bob Crawford at 206-909-4893 or email him at [email protected].