Members of Edmonds VFW Post 8870 & Auxilliary, along with American Legion Post 66, families and friends participated in the first ever “Beach Crawl Cleanup” at Edmonds Marina Beach Park on Saturday, May 6. This event was conducted as part of VFW National Day of Service.
Taking a break in the action
This first such event was held on a relatively small scale, but we hope to expand our efforts to include more of the beach and park area at the south end of Edmonds Marina in future years.
In the photo at right we see Commander Carl Kurfess wielding his trusty trash grabber, trash bag in hand.
At right is the entire contingent of trash collectors to whom we off er a hearty “well done.”
Our first Buddy Poppy distribution effort will take place on Friday May 26 and Saturday May 27 at the same three locations we used for last Veterans Day, QFC at Edmonds, Westgate, QFC at Mukilteo Speedway and Town & Country Market in Mill Creek. We need as many members as possible to participate in order to make the most of this fund raising opportunity.This of us who are regular Poppy distributors find it to be a fun and rewarding experience.
Remember: we don’t sell poppies, and we don’t ask for money; we simply ask the people to wear a poppy to remember the fallen. That they are generous in donating in the process is their own decision.
You can sign up for one or more shifts on either or both days at at the May Post meeting, or online the “sign-up genius” link set up by Sr. Vice Commander & Poppy chair Duane Bowman, which was sent to all of you via email earlier. (You can copy and paste the link below to your browser if need be.)
On Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, we have our usual two events on the agenda, starting with the ceremonies at the Edmonds Memorial Cemetery which begin at 11 :00 AM. We will need to gather at the cemetery at 10:30 to form up our color guard. A White Table ceremony will be performed and various speakers will observe this solemn event.
Following the morning ceremonies, we will gather again at the Edmonds Veterans Plaza where that event will begin at 1 :30 PM. If you can help with moving chairs and the flags from the American Legion Hall to and from the Veterans Plaza, all available help will be appreciated.
On Saturday, April 22, four representatives of VFW Post 8870 attended the Eagle Court of Honor for new Eagle Scouts Wyatt Adams and Andrew Young. The Eagle rank is the highest in Scouting and represents several years of hard work on the part of the Scouts to earn the necessary 22 merit badges and complete other requirements, including the Eagle Project.
From Left above are Wyatt Adams with his mother and Andrew young with his parents.
Adams and Young are members of Scouts BSA Troop 312, which is sponsored by the Edmonds United Methodist Church, where the ceremony was held.
In this photo, Commander Kurfess has presented the new Eagles with VFW certificates and Eagle Scout buckles.
Commander Carl Kurfess, and Post members Pamia Parvini, Mike Denton and Jeff McKinney were there to witness the proceedings and present the new Eagle Scouts with VFW certificates and commemorative belt buckles recognizing their achievement.
Also known as the CINC. The elected head of our country, the President of the United States, is also the Commander in Chief of all the Armed Forces. The President has this power from Article II, Section 2, Clause I of the Constitution, ” … the President of the United States is commander in chief of the United States Armed Forces”. The President possess the ultimate authority, but no “rank”, maintaining civilian control of the military.
Starting with George Washington in 1789, a number of Presidents have had military experience, but this is not a requirement. As of 2016, no member of the U.S. Marine Corps or U.S. Coast Guard has yet been elected President. The most frequent military experience is Army/Army Reserve with 15 presidents, followed by State Militias at 9, Navy/Naval Reserve at 6 and the Continental Army with 2 presidents serving. Eight presidents served during World War II, while seven served in the military during the American Civil War. 16 presidents have served in the rank of 0-6 or higher. Three, George Washington, Ulysses Grant, and Dwight Eisenhower, have served as Generals of the Army. President-Elect Donald Trump graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1964. He was not drafted as he received several deferments and a high draft lottery number.
The Goldwater-Nichols Act in 1986 codified the default operational chain of command: running from the President to the Secretary of Defense, and from the Secretary of Defense to the combatant commander. While the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other military officers, he does not have operational command authority over the Armed Forces. However, the chairman does assist the President and the Secretary of Defense in the exercise of their command functions.
Following yet another excellent meal put together by our favorite USN culinary expert, Parnia Parvini, Jim Armstrong, one of our newer members, was our speaker.
Jim gave us an overview of his service in Iraq and Afghanistan, as an NCO of a bridge building engineer unit. It is always interesting to hear of the experience of veterans who served in different capacities, times and places from our own.
At this meeting we welcomed a new transfer member, Navy veteran Jeff McKinney. McKinney recently moved here from Pennsylvania. Welcome aboard Jeff!
Election of Post Officers
Nominations will be taken from the membership present and elections held for Post Officers for the 2023-24 VFW year at the April Post Meeting.
In other news:
We are working on the details for the proposed raffle of one of Mike Reagan’s signed celebrity portraits as a fundraiser for the post. We anticipate that the raffle will be held and the prize awarded at the annual Christmas party in December. Details such as the timing of ticket sales and how best to promote it are under discussion.
We will have beach clean-up event on Saturday May 6 as our contribution to the VFW National Service dayof Service. The plan is to meet on the Edmonds waterfront @ 9 AM.
The new MIA/KIA banner “proofs” have been approved by Jim Traner. We expect to have them available for Memorial Day.
The Memorial Day Ceremony at the Edmonds Memorial Cemetery will recognize all Purple Heart Recipients.
A “Heroes in the Ball Park” event is scheduled in Tacoma later this spring. Anyone who is interested can contact Carl Kurfess for details.
We have a new lounge area in the back of the Legion Hall opposite the entrance.
Two sofas and two lounge chairs, (all leather) along with a coffee table, provide a relaxed environment American Legion and VFW members and their guests.
Many thanks to the assistance provided by Charlie Gaul and his wife in making this happen.
Edmonds-Woodway High School Senior Moses Martin and his dad and granddad, present a check for $9,999.99 (a nod to Moses’s football number) to Heroes Cafe!
Edmonds-Woodway High School senior and defensive linebacker Moses “Mojo” Martin is combining his respect for war veterans and his passion for football into a creative fundraiser aimed at supporting the Heroes’ Cafe.
The Heroes’ Cafe provides a place where veterans can share common experiences and open up and get things off their chests in a safe environment. By doing so, the cafe addresses the sense of isolation many veterans feel and ease their transition from active duty back to society.
“I really love our veterans,” explained Martin. “I learned about them growing up, and feel they are underappreciated and underloved for what they do. Sadly, many of our hero veterans are not thriving and are struggling with homelessness, hunger, mental health, suicide risks, and basic living needs. So I contacted Snohomish County to ask how I could help.”
That’s where he learned about the Heroes’ Café, and after a bit of thought and discussion with his dad, came up with a plan to link his performance on the field to raising funds to support this effort.
“Dad and I came up with the idea to allow people to pledge a certain amount per tackle or sack, with every cent going to the Heroes’ Café,” he explained. “I’m eager to get out there this season and ring up a good string of tackles and quarterback sacks, and this will give me even more motivation. Heck, if just one person pledges a dollar for each and I complete a hundred by season end, that’s a hundred bucks for the Heroes’ Café.” He had a terrific season and ended it by donating far more than $ 100.00 to Heroes’ Cafe!
At the March Post meeting, Quartermaster Jim Traner put out a call for volunteers to help the Rotary Club of Edmonds Daybreakers in putting on the club’s annual Easter Egg Hunt at Frances Anderson Playfield. Traner, as well as several others of our Post, is also a member of the Daybreakers Rotary.
On Saturday, April 8, Commander Carl Kurfess and House Committee Chair Parnia Parvini, joined Past Commander Mike Denton to support this event. (Jim Traner was on the sick list that day.)
Plenty of candy and prizes were collected by three age groups of children on Saturday, April 8.
The Easter Bunny joined the festivities as well! (Photo courtesy MyEdmondsNews)
On Friday May 26 & Saturday May 27, members of Post 8870 will be distributing “Buddy Poppies” at QFC stores at Westgate in Edmonds & at Mukilteo Speedway as well as at Town & Country Market in Mill Creek. Stop by. Sign up at the April Post Meeting or online.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row…
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Things are going well at 8870, we have some new members (we can always use more) and we are staying busy. Post elections are coming up. Anyone who is wanting to become a post officer, please let me know.
VFW National Day of Service is May 6. We are planning a Beach cleanup “crawl”, as a Joint effort of VFW & Auxiliary with American Legion. We will start at Marina Beach Park and walk North along the Beach picking up trash.
Memorial Day will be here before you know it. Our Buddy Poppy Drive is set for Friday and Saturday (May 26 & 27). We always need volunteers. If you can’t work a morning or afternoon shift or more, volunteer an hour or more. Contact Duane Bowman, our Poppy Committee chairman for more details.
On Memorial Day itself, we will participate in annual Memorial Day ceremonies at the Edmonds Memorial Cemetery. This year’s theme is honoring Purple Heart recipients.
We need someone to act as our for a Public Servant/Safety Chair to contact Police and Fire departments to recognize outstanding public safety personnel. If interested, please contact the Post Commander. Some new MIA/KIA Banners are on order for Memorial Day and for the Fourth of July parade. The Post is on track for getting All State/All American recognition for the year. Thanks to all our Post members for your work.
