Newsletter Articles

Chaplain’s Corner—Rock Roth

We are more than half way through Lent, the Church season during which Christians are encouraged to prepare through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial for the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, which then culminates in the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence. The Stations of the Cross, a devotional commemoration of Christ’s carrying the Cross and of His execution, are often observed. Many Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches bare their altars of candles, flowers, and other devotional offerings, while Crucifixes, religious statues, and other elaborate religious paraphernalia are often veiled in violet fabrics in observance of this event. In certain pious Catholic countries, grand processions and cultural customs are observed, and the faithful attempt to visit seven churches during Holy Week in honor of Jesus Christ heading to Mount Calvary.

According to the Synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent forty days fasting in the desert before the beginning of His public ministry, where He endured temptation by Satan.  Thus, Lent is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. In many of the Christian churches, Lent is regarded as being forty days long, but the Sundays between Shrove Tuesday and Easter Sunday are not typically regarded as being part of Lent; thus, the date of Shrove Tuesday will typically be 47 days before Easter.  Christians are permitted to recognize Lent and celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord on Easter as they choose.  These religious rights are a salient and integral part of our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.

The United States of America was founded on Christian Judeo principles.  That does not mean that our citizens must be either Christians or Jews.  The First Amendment to the Constitution states clearly that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, on prohibiting the free exercise thereof…..”  We are thereby guaranteed the freedom of religion not the freedom from religion.  Each citizen shall be afforded the right to worship – or not – as he or she believes.  I may not agree with how you choose to worship but I shall not have the right to interfere, obstruct, or prohibit how you worship.  Also, you have no right to interfere, obstruct, or prohibit how I worship.  Many within this great country of ours seem to have forgotten or never perceived this fact.

I wish each of you a very Happy Easter or Happy Hanukkah or not.

The Last Word

The Post has grown this past year if you hadn’t noticed.  We’ve added 23 new members which is over 10% of our membership of 201 members last year.  Unfortunately, during that same period, we have lost members who have passed and some who simply disappeared so we stand at around 107% of last year’s membership.  A number of the new members are Vietnam veterans like myself but we have a fair representation of veterans from every conflict from WWII to Afghanistan.  How do we get new members?  We have had a fair number of new members reach us through our website but I would say the largest percentage are friends and acquaintances to whom we have reached and invited them to join us.  I know I have and it’s interesting that a majority were simply waiting to be asked.  I hope you will all reach out to our fellow veterans that you know and extend an invitation to have them join us.  As you all know, we don’t have any secret handshakes, code words, or other clever initiation secrets.  All we ask is that the member be eligible by way of his or her service overseas and maintain allegiance to the United States of America.  Pretty darn simple.  So the next time someone says something that indicates they are an eligible veteran, extend an invitation to them to attend our next meeting.  We will pick up their lunch tab.  One other note for you “old timers” and that is reach out to the newer members and get to know them.  We don’t have any cliques in our Post and most everyone just finds a seat at a table but at the next meeting look for an empty seat next to a new member.  We can add new members but it’s up to all of us to make them feel welcomed.

St. Paddies Day Parade

Post Member Mike Reagan will be the Grand Marshall for the parade in Seattle on March 17th at 12:00AM.  Mike would like veterans to march with him to support the Fallen Heroes Project along with Gold Star families.  The parade starts at 4th and Jefferson.

Post Announces the Freedom Scholarship for local High School Students

Our Post will sponsor a new activity in our community high schools; the Freedom Scholarship program.  The scholarships, two for the Mukilteo School District and otwo for the Edmonds School District, will be awarded to a deserving senior who will be attending college or trade school in the fall semester.  The $1,000 scholarships shall be paid directly to the student’s school account to help defray tuition costs, fees, and expenses.  Criteria for awarding the scholarship will be rigorous.  The scholarships will require an essay to be submitted explaining what freedom means to the student and how our Constitution establishes and maintains a culture of freedom in our county.  The applicants will have to furnish a high school transcript from their Junior and Senior years and a resume that includes school sponsored activities they in which they were involved, leadership positions, jobs held, and service related activities in which they have volunteered.  To emphasize the price of Freedom, each scholarship will be made in the name of a local service member who died in Iraq or Afghanistan defending our freedom

Consider Including VFW Post 8870 in Your Estate Planning

If you’re like most folks, dealing with wills and estate planning is far down the list of things you like to do.  However, regardless of age, we should all have a will prepared to direct your final affairs.  If you would like to leave something to our Post, the easiest is a direct bequest naming our Post.  It could be a percentage of your estate or a residual amount after your loved ones have been taken care for.  There isn’t room here to describe all the options available in estate planning, but your legal advisor can assist you in the many different methods to assist our Post and accomplish it through strategic estate planning.

Auxiliary President’s Corner Valerie Ehlers

Hi! Unforeseen health problems caused a cancellation of our February meeting. We would like to try again for the Breakfast Bar ingathering to benefit Northshore Nourish. It is a program designed to help kids in school that don’t get breakfast at home. If a child is hungry there are no questions asked, they just go and get a breakfast bar. So, if you are coming to the March meeting, please bring a box of breakfast bars with you. If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to help, either mail in a box of breakfast bars or send a check made out to “Ladies Auxiliary VFW #8870” that we can use to purchase some breakfast bars. You can mail them to me, Valerie Ehlers, at 912 N 143rd St. #6, Seattle, WA, 98133.

Our March meeting will be held on Friday, March 9th, shortly after Noon (depending on how soon we’re done eating lunch) at the Edmonds Senior Center.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Everyone!

Relief Fund Committee Adds New Members

The Relief Fund Committee recently lost a member, Leroy Middleton who passed in January.  As a result, the remaining members, Fred Apgar and Jim Adams, decided to add two additional members to the committee.  Jim Blossey who is a long time resident of Edmonds but fairly new to VFW and Carl Kurfess were named to the Committee.  The function of this committee is to analyze the various requests we have for funds and, after that review, recommend the expenditures from the Relief Fund to the Board and ultimately to the Post for approval.  The system has been extremely effective in allocation of our resources to those most in need and fitting the parameters of allowable expenditures from the Relief Fund.  As in the past, if you come across a worthwhile project you think the Post should support, let one of the committee members know and they will take it into consideration.

Chaplain’s Corner—Rock Roth

As your Chaplain (and we have at least two others far better and more qualified for this job than I – Ed Gray and Dexter Miller),  I would like to very briefly confront our membership with a challenge that I believe is crucial to our country’s future and the education of today’s youth.  That challenge is how our courts and many of our fellow citizens have interpreted the First Amendment, commonly referred to as the ‘establishment clause’, to the US Constitution – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”  To many this means the freedom from religion not the freedom of religion as I strongly believe it is intended and so states.

I am a Christian and I strongly believe that my religious beliefs  play an essential role in my life.  As a Christian, I strongly believe I have a responsibility to practice my religion on a daily basis; I also believe that I have a responsibility to demonstrate and reflect the love of Christ for the benefit of others.  I do not, however, believe that I have the right to force on others my beliefs – nor do I believe that they have the right to force their beliefs on me, whether they are Jewish, Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, or agnostics.  I should be free to practice my religion in the manner I believe; as should others.  I believe this is what the First Amendment to our Constitution guarantees.

As VFW members, I believe we have a continuing responsibility to our Nation’s youth (and others), to serve as examples stressing what made and what continues to make this Country of ours great.  Our Country was founded by men who clearly understood the inherent and God Given Right of Freedom including Freedom of Religion and not Freedom from Religion.  The First Amendment to the US  Constitution guarantees the right to worship (or not worship) our God in the way each individual or group of individuals – a church – freely chooses.

District One Meeting Coming Up

There will be a District Meeting at the Boys & Girls Club on March 10th. Lunch is at 12:00 with the meeting starting at 1:00. In addition, there will be a memorial service for the District’s members who have passed during the last year. This is a good opportunity to honor those members one last time.

New Member Profiles

 

Allen Horne

New Member Allen Horne

Allen is a native of New Hampshire.  In 1966, he enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from high school.  After completing basic training at Lackland AFB, Allen trained as an aircraft mechanic at Chanute AFB.  His first assignment introduced Allen to the Pacific Northwest when he was assigned to Military Airlift Command, which, at the time, was headquartered at McChord AFB.   He remained at McChord for four years after which he was deployed to DaNang Air Base in South Vietnam.  During his one year tour of duty in Southeast Asia, Allen worked in transit maintenance and performed repairs to any Air Force aircraft that made unscheduled landings at DaNang due to battle damage or mechanical problems.  After his tour in SEA, Allen was assigned to the famous 409th Bomb Wing, which was stationed at Pease AFB.  Following his discharge from the Air Force in 1974, Allen worked at Boeing for the next 30 years.  During his years at Boeing, Allen served in the Washington Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves.  Allen and his wife, Sharon, live in Lynnwood.  They have four children and one grandchild.

 

Don Leslie

New Member Don Leslie

During his childhood, Don and his family moved all over the United States since his father was a career member of the Marine Corps.  After graduating from high school in San Diego in 1977, Don joined the Navy.  He was assigned to a destroyer for three years, which was followed by a three year assignment to a mine sweeper.  Following his discharge from the Navy, Don moved to the Seattle area and joined the Washington National Guard.  In 1983, his unit was activated and he served with a tank battalion that was stationed in Everett.  In 1990, he became a Seattle City police officer.  While serving as a police officer, Don joined the Coast Guard Reserve served several years in port security.  He then transferred to the Army Reserves, and it was while he was serving in this capacity, that his unit was activated, and Don served as the Postal Finance Officer for all postal units in Iraq.  While he was assigned to Camp Victory in Iraq, his official duties had him traveling throughout the country.  Don served a total of 26 years in the Armed Forces and continues to serve as a police officer in Seattle.  He and his wife, Kristina, live in Edmonds, and they have four children.

ECC—Vets Resource Center

Thanks to the hard work of several individuals including my old friend George Smith, VP of Student Affairs at ECC, the veterans attending ECC now have their own room with a Veteran counselor to assist them with GI Bill benefits, an area for studying, and for just hanging with other vets.  There’s even coffee.  Thanks to those who made it happen.