News

We had a lot of folks in a lot of schools during the weeks before and after November 11th.  I think the unanimous consensus is the we got more out of it than the kids did.  Anyone who says patriotism is dead in the public schools hasn’t visited a school in the Edmonds or Mukilteo school districts.  Anyone who visited schools in those districts can confirm it is alive and well from the administration, the staff, to the students.  Each year I walk away with the feeling that our country will be left in good hands when the next generation comes of age.

Missing in action this month.

The District meeting will be held on November 17th at the Alderwood Boys and Girls Club.  Lunch is at noon and the meeting starts at 1:00PM.  This is a great opportunity to see what is happening elsewhere in the District and meet some folks form the other Posts.

I just know that a few Comrades won’t get the message, but the November meeting has been changed to November 16th, same place, same time.  Our usual meeting date will be consumed with Poppy distributions and speaking engagements in the schools.  Make sure you make a note on your calendar.  This is a one-time change and we will be back to our normal meeting date—the second Friday of every month.

We are now officially about 9 days from handing out Poppies.  Like any organization, the heavy lifting is done by 10% (or less) of the folks.  If you haven’t signed up yet for Buddy Poppies, Bob Crawford has the signup sheet and can be contacted at 425-741-3916 or [email protected].  We do well every year but a couple of folks pull all day shifts because of a shortage of help.  If you are physically able, please consider pulling at least one shift.  Remember, all the good we do for our fellow veterans, promoting democracy, and supporting students through scholarships comes from 4 days out of 365 days of the year.

Like Poppies, we are now getting down to the wire on needing speakers (or just attending) the various school functions in the Mukilteo and Edmonds School Districts.  Rock Roth maintains the list of members willing to speak to schools and classrooms.  This year will be particularly busy so we need to get our ducks in order earlier than usual.  His email address is [email protected] or catch him at 206-356-8869.  Rock’s list will indicate if you just want to show up and look pretty, will speak to a classroom, or will speak to an entire student body.  Not everyone is comfortable with public speaking so we can fit your comfort level.  If you do go out to a school, wear your VFW cover.

Comrade Irv Schmidt is scheduled to speak at the Ballard Rotary Club on November 13th.  As many of you know, Irv was on the USS California which was sunk on December 7th at Pearl Harbor and went on to become a submariner whose boat sunk the last two Japanese warships in WWII making Irv the only sailor to hear the first and last shots of the Navy war in the Pacific.  If any of you are Rotarians and want to make up a meeting in Ballard, it would be a good opportunity to hear Irv discuss what he did on December 7th.

We will have a special treat at November’s meeting.  Commander Apgar’s son and musical group has written a song remembering veterans and used pictures submitted by veterans to accompany the music.  A lot of the pictures were submitted by Post member Harry Miller.  We hope you can all make it.

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 official on delinquent 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.  It’s a small amount to belong to the VFW.

By the way, there is a rumor going around that National will be increasing dues $10 to $45 for members at large.  I am sure this increase will have to be passed down to our continuous members.  So if you’ve been thinking about purchasing a life membership, now may be the time to act.  If you need financial assistance, feel free to let the Post know.