Question: Should members always wear their caps at Post meetings?
Answer: The National By-Laws requires that elected and appointed officers wear regulation caps in VFW meetings; it would be optional for other Post members. However, the regulation cap is the only cap approved to wear at a Post meeting.
I met with Erv Schmidt yesterday. That is always a pleasant experience. However, this time Erv wanted to discuss plans for his memorial service. Erv stated quite emphatically that although he feels fine, he tires easily. He misses his wife, June, and is looking forward to joining her in the not too distant future. Erv mentioned fondly his wonderful daughter Katie and son-in-law Bill; he is very thankful for all they do for him. He showed me his apartment including many pictures of family. Family has played and continues to play a very important role in Erv’s life – that is how it should be for each of us. Hanging over his dining table is a wedding picture of a very happy, attractive, and very young couple, Erv in his Navy Blue Jumper and his beautiful wife, June, in a very lovely hat. The picture was taken in April 1944. Erv was home on leave – between ships. The couple glows with youth, excitement, and happiness. Oh that we could capture time returning to an earlier and happier day. Oh that we could, like a picture, remain young. Of course, it is not to be! Time marches on! What was once young fades with time – including us. We are, however, blessed with memories of days gone by. In those memories, we are forever young as are those we remember and love. Although Erv misses his wife, June, and longs to join her, he recognize that life is precious and is a gift from God, meaning that life, all life, from conception to death, belongs to God. We live and die in accordance with God’s plan, a plan not (normally) shared with us. Erv has – here on earth – a loving family, many loving VFW Comrades, and other friends too numerous to mention. For those of us blessed by having Erv as a friend, we want him around awhile longer and know he still has much to give. What I always find most rewarding in my discussions with Erv is his unconditional trust in his Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Erv knows that Jesus has personally told him, though the Bible, that “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” There is no doubt in Erv’s mind that when the Lord calls, he will ‘return home; he will join his Lord and his beloved wife, June.
We hope that Erv remains with us for a long time. . We should each remember that every day is a gift –it is the ‘present’. May God Bless you and may God Bless Our Troops.
Having served in the military is something we all have in common. Regardless of whether we volunteered to serve or were drafted, the fact we wore the uniform means we provided service to our nation. Of course there were many valuable lessons we learned along the way, lessons that have served us well over the years. We all learned the importance of unit cohesion and working together, as a team, to achieve a common goal or mission. The fact we all served in combat zones means we probably all witnessed, first hand, incredible acts of bravery, courage, and sacrifice. Some made the ultimate sacrifice and gave up their lives for their country.
As a child, my grandfather and father were always sharing great wisdom through the use of different proverbs. One that I always remember was “Many hands make light work”. It took time for me to completely understand what they meant, but the message is an important one.
The strength of any organization is only as strong as the willingness of its members to get involved and serve others. This is especially applicable for our Post if we are going to continue to provide wonderful assistance to our fellow veterans in need and maintain the numerous programs in which we are involved. We are fortunate to have a core group of our members who through their willingness to serve maintains the vitality of VFW Post #8870.
For some of our members who are serving in leadership positions, it is time for them to move on. It is vitally important for those of you in our membership who have been blessed with abilities and talents and have not yet taken an active role in our Post to come forward and volunteer to serve. There are a variety of roles in which you can serve, and I look forward to your service.
Another maxim I learned from my father was, “There are some who are willing to work, and some willing to let them”. Please, don’t be one of those who are “willing to let them”.
The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW.
At the recent National VFW Convention, the delegates approved a resolution to increase the amount of its annual dues by $10.00. The increase in dues for Continuous members will go into effect on January 1, 2014. Those Post members who now pay their dues on an annual basis might want to consider paying next year’s due prior to the January 1, 2014 deadline, thus saving $10 in the process.
Continuous dues paying members might also consider becoming a Life Member of VFW, and in so doing, you will be saving a considerable amount of money in the process. Members, who are considering becoming a Life Member, can obtain more information regarding this option by going to the National VFW web site at http://www.vfw.org/.By clicking on the RENEW link at the top of the page, you will be able to review your membership information, make changes, renew your membership, or select the Life Membership option. The dues structure and the cost of Life Membership are related to you age:
|
Age |
One-Time Payment |
Installment Payment |
||
|
18-30 |
$425.00 |
$38.64 |
||
|
31-40 |
$410.00 |
$37.27 |
||
|
41-50 |
$375.00 |
$34.09 |
||
|
51-60 |
$335.00 |
$30.45 |
||
|
61-70 |
$290.00 |
$26.36 |
||
|
71-80 |
$225.00 |
$20.45 |
||
|
81 and over |
$170.00 |
$15.45 |
Questions regarding these options can be directed to our Quartermaster, Dennis Peterson (425-772-3404).
Donald was a life-long resident of Seattle, and he died in May at the age of 90. He left high school to help support his family by working in his grandfather’s donut shop. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served in the Pacific theatre of operations during WW II. Following the war, Don married his wife of 65 years, Lois. He worked in the real estate business for 40 years, eventually opening Don Paris Realty in Edmonds. In addition to being a member of VFW Post #8870, Don was a member of the Elks Club for over 60 years, he sang with the Sound Singers, and volunteered at the Edmonds Senior Center Food Bank. Surviving Don are his wife, three children (Pam, Don Jr., and Jim), 9 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.
Some years ago I did an article on Muriel for the newsletter. She was recently interviewed by KZOK about her service and her trip to Washington DC on the Honor Flight. Brian Sequin of Post 1040 has been instrumental in getting our WWII comrades back to Washington and resurrecting the Puget Sound hub of Honor Flight. He recently sent me a link of Muriel’s interview. You can go to
http://kzok.cbslocal.com/2013/21/muriel-whalley/
For those of you without computer access, when you get a chance to be with someone who does, have them access the video. It is about 5 minutes long and a great interview.
Can any of us who lived during WWII forget Kate Smith singing God Bless America? Did you know that God Bless America was written by Erving Berlin in 1918 during WWI and revised in 1938 three years before we entered WWII? Did you also know that Irving Berlin was Jewish? The God in whom he believed was the Jewish God of the Torah or Old Testament. Christians believe in the same God as revealed in the New Testament – the Judeo Christian God.
“While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains To the prairies,
To the ocean white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.”
I would suggest that as a nation we need to (re)dedicate ourselves to being “One nation under God, indivisible……” I would further suggest that we are not African American, Chinese American, Vietnamese American, German American, et al. We are one and all Americans. I, as your Chaplain, pray for God’s Blessing on this land, the United States of America. I pray that He stand beside us and guide us, through the night with the light from above.
May we remain one Nation Under God.
Just a reminder that you can find this newsletter along with a ton of information at our website www.vfw8870.org. We post our Minutes from the last meeting and password protect them from unauthorized folks looking at them. If you have forgotten the password, contact the quartermaster at [email protected] and he will get it to you. Along with the minutes, you’ll find contact information for the Post’s officers, membership applications should you run into a prospective candidate and don’t have one with you. There is also a link to order a copy of your DD-214.
On Tuesday, July 16, members of our Post participated in a memorial service that provided military honors to deceased veterans who had not received such honors at the time of their death. Chris Edwards, who serves as our Senior Vice Commander, organized the detail which featured two more of our members, Oleg Chudak and Glenn Jones. They are all members of the 81st Combat Team of the Washington State National Guard. The ceremony was held at Edmonds Cemetery and honored a WW II veteran. Just a note to our members, if you known of someone who is a deceased veteran and did not receive a flag at their funeral, let us know if they wish to attend one of the services in the future. So many families don’t realize their loved ones are eligible to receive this honor.
VFW Post 8870 participated in the festivities Tuesday, July 30th by presenting the colors and having a bean bag toss for the little kids and a spin the wheel (thanks to Post 1561 who lent us the wheel) for the bigger kids. It was a great way of helping in the community and letting them see VFW.
District 1’s School of Instruction will be held on August 17th at the Alderwood Boys and Girls Club. If you are a committee chair or Officer of the Post, you are urged to attend the School. We will try to keep it informative and on point. If you are new to VFW it will be an opportunity to become familiar with the various programs the VFW sponsors. There will be a brown bag (you bring your own) lunch at noon and the School will begin at 1:00PM. Soft drinks will be provided by the District Commander, namely me.