News

Introducing: Rotary 5030 Veterans Affairs Task Force Committee

Mission: Redeem Homeless Veterans from the streets of our communities, and assist Veterans for their Total Recovery, regardless of time.

RD=5030 Veterans Affairs Task Force Committee is a joint partnership with Rotarians, Veteran Service Organizations, Local Government, Health Experts and Citizen-Patriots who wish to improve the quality of life for US Veterans and their families. We will speak out on veterans’ issues and influence public policy to positively resolve an important community crises affecting all in our society.

We would like to invite interested Rotarians to participate in this new Partnership Task Force. Please, RSVP to reserve your seat as soon as possible.

Rotary District 5030 Veterans Affairs Task Force Committee

RD-5030 Veterans Affair Task Force Committee meeting:
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
7-9 pm
Shoreline Community College
Student Union Building (SUB) Small Dining Room
Address: 16101 Greenwood Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133

For additional information, please, contact Committee Chair: Army Veteran Raymond W. Coffey, Shoreline Rotary Club via phone: 206-510-8428 and/or email: [email protected]

Note: Several of our comrades in Post 8870 are active Rotarians. Our Post expects to have a representative at the Feb 22 event. 

Edmonds Veterans Plaza Bid Accepted!

Edmonds City Council Unanimously Approves Contract

Edmonds Veterans Plaza Bid Accepted!At the December 13 meeting of the Edmonds City Council, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Carrie Hite announced the low bidder as K-A General Construction for $290,967.92. (This number does not include the seats, pavers etc, contacted separately)

The audience, including veterans attending the meeting, broke out in applause after the construction funding was unanimously approved.

Construction is scheduled to start in January, to be completed in time for a Memorial Day dedication ceremony.

VFW – Legion Christmas Party a Smashing Success!

VFW - Legion Christmas Party a Smashing Success!

More than eighty Legion and VFW members and guests attended this year’s Christmas party on December 10. Those in attendance enjoyed an abundance of turkey, ham and assorted goodies and, at the same time collected a record number of toys for disadvantaged children.

VFW - Legion Christmas Party a Smashing Success!

Buck Weaver and Terry Traner were clearly enjoying the festivities.

VFW - Legion Christmas Party a Smashing Success!

The ladies behind the party: Terry Traner, Becky Murdock, Jay Abel

It Happened at the December Post Meeting

It was a busy, if efficient December Post meeting, with a fascinating speaker in the person of Col. Bill Reeder and presentations as shown below, following which a sizable contingent retired to the Edmonds City Council Meeting in support of the Edmonds Veterans Plaza vote, details of which are covered on another post. We should all be very proud of our active and dedicated membership.

Representatives of VFW (Terry Crabtree) and American Legion (Jim Collins) present checks to Mike Reagan to support Mike’s Fallen Heroes Project. Mike has drawn portraits of well over 4,000 of our fallen comrades to date.

December Post Meeting

Sarah Browne presented a check from Spaulding Ski Bus in memory of Jim Harkness. Jim’s wife Dorothy has long been part of the ski bus project and the Post long a beneficiary.

December Post Meeting

Our December Speaker, Bill Reeder, author of Through the Valley, in which he related his experience as a POW held captive in jungle prison camps as well as the “Plantation” and the “Hanoi Hilton”. At left, Bill receives a drawing of his Cobra attack helicopter from our resident artist, Mike Reagan.

December Post Meeting

Mike Reagan presented a portrait of Ken Hicks to his daughter, Melissa Hicks at the December Post Staff Meeting. Ken, a Vietnam Veteran, passed away in July. (Ken and your editor were inducted into the post at the same meeting)

December Post Meeting

 

Holiday Spirit from VFW Post 8870

Holiday Spirit from VFW Post 8870To Benefit Active and Retired Military

Chris Edwards presented gift cards to Chaplain (Col) Marc Gauthier at JBLM. The Post donated $500 in gift cards to the Chaplain’s offices at JBLM, Naval Base Everett, and Coast Guard Station 16. In addition, $1000 in gift cards to Fred Meyer were donated to the Washington State Veterans Homes in Orting and Retsil.

Welcome New Member Joseph Camden

New Member Joseph CamdenJoe is an Edmonds native. He is a transfer VFW member and a retired Regular Army LTC. He served from 1967-1988 as a Military Intelligence Officer. Vietnam service was Jun 1968-Jun 1969. He was an Assistant Professor of Military Science for 2 years at the University of Washington. Joe’s awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal. Joe has a degree from Seattle University and a Masters from Clark University. Joe and Margaret reside in Edmonds and have 2 children.

Post Honored With Flag Flown Over U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan

Pictured below is the mounted and framed flag presented to the Post by member Josh Crabtree, currently a Special Agent with the State Department, assigned to the Kabul embassy, along with a certificate certifying that the flag was flown over the Embassy in honor of our Post. (The flag is shown cropped from the original photo and reduced in size. Click images to view in larger size.) 

Post Honored With Flag Flown Over U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan

Post Honored With Flag Flown Over U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan

From the Book Shelf

Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption Of Stonewall Jackson By S. C. GwynneRebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption Of Stonewall Jackson
By S. C. Gwynne

This is a wonderful biography, exhaustively researched, that provides an intimate look at one of our nation’s most celebrated warriors, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

For anyone with an interest in the history of the Civil War, this is a must read.

From the Bookshelf” is a recurring series of book reviews that will appear in the VFW Post #8870 newsletter from time to time. This review was written by Fred Apgar. 

USS Shoup In Action

USS Shoup In Action

No doubt our members who participated in the Shoup Tour recently will enjoy this photo of her firing a missile from her forward battery during the Pacific Rim Naval exercise (RIMPAC) off Hawaii this past summer. A relatively small ship compared to the big carriers, but she packs an impressive punch! Her sailors tell us that a missile launch leaves a heck of a mess on her foredeck!

Veterans Day Poppy Distribution Yields Record Revenues!

Jim Adams seems to have had no difficulty drawing a crowd of youngsters and attractive ladies at the Central Market location in Mill Creek.

Jim Adams seems to have had no difficulty drawing a crowd of youngsters and attractive ladies at the Central Market location in Mill Creek.

Jim Adams seems to have had no difficulty drawing a crowd of youngsters and attractive ladies at the Central Market location in Mill Creek.

The weekend of November 4-6 proved very successful for our semi-annual “Buddy Poppy” fund raiser. Members of Post 8870 staffed four locations in Edmonds, Mukilteo and Mill Creek and raised over $ 15,000 for our Veterans Relief fund, a new record by around $ 2,000!

As the bar graph below reflects, Central Market in Mukilteo pulled away this time around, handily exceeding the results from both QFC locations, with Fred Meyer in Lynnwood a distant fourth.

We have been experimenting with a Saturday/Sunday session at Central Market and it seems to be paying dividends. Perhaps we will want to consider moving some of our other locations into the weekend market?

For the first time we were able to staff both doors at the Edmonds QFC which resulted in an increase in revenues there. Post 8870 is grateful to all who participated and, of course to our generous citizens of South Snohomish County. Chaplain Fred Apgar and his Relief Committee will no doubt be able to find good uses for those funds!

Veterans Day Poppy Distribution Yields Record Revenues