After more than a year of COVID quarantine, we met in person for our April meeting and will once again be meeting at the Edmonds American Legion Hall on May 19 at 6:00 pm. We are still in the phase of needing to keep the hall at 50 percent capacity, but do not anticipate a problem, since our regular Post meetings rarely approach that number of attendees.
We expect members attending in person to be masked and to maintain social distancing. We are not yet able to serve meals again, so plan on supper before or after the meeting.
If you are not yet vaccinated, or just not comfortable attending in person, you are welcome to sign in to participate via Zoom. ( https://zoom.us/j/99297913528 ) The Post has invested in new equipment to better facilitate the Zoom option and we expect to continue to provide it. We look forward to seeing all of our comrades once again.
The installation of Post Officers for the coming 2021-22 VFW year will take place this monthe. The new officers, elected at the April Post meeting are shown below.
Commander: Carl Kurfess Sr. Vice Commander Duane Bowman Jr. Vice Commander Rose Gilliland Quartermaster Dennis Peterson Chaplain Dan Doyle 1st Year Trustee Kerry Watkins 2nd Year Trustee Donald Stapleton 3rd Year Trustee Mike Denton
Appointed Positions Adjutant: Nathan Wortinger Service Officer: Alden Gilliland Surgeon: Open
Our surgeon position for fiscal year 2021 to 2022 is open for nominations. If you or anyone you know, would like to fill that position please contact Commander Rose.
The Surgeon takes care of all of our community service and hospital reports to state and will also continue to take care of our membership records.
You may recall from the February 2020 Post meeting, hearing of Post 8870 member Dan White’s appointment to the OCS Hall of Honor. Induction is automatic for any OCS graduate who has received the Medal of Honor or attained general officer rank. Other nominees are selected based on their distinguished service in their civilian and military careers. A computerized kiosk provides photos and biographies of all inductees.
Dan recently told us that the induction ceremony will be held in person at a gathering at Fort Benning in Georgia this summer for which he will be traveling east. Congratulations once again to Dan.
Trivia: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) slang, Part 1
Some terms commonly used in OEF, specifically in Afghanistan.
At the top of the spear. Describing the leading unit in combat.
Charlie Mike. Continue Mission.
Indigs. Indigenous people; local natives.
Optempo. OpBmum tempo.
Oscar Mike. On mission.
Pop smoke. Let’s get out of here.
Works cited: Dickson, Paul. War Slang: Fighting Words and Phrases of Americans from the Civil War to the Gulf War. New York: Bristol Park, 2007. Print.
Yes, we’re back. After more than an year of COVID quarantine, we will once again be meeting at the Edmonds American Legion Hall. We are still in the phase of needing to keep the hall at 50 percent capacity, but do not anticipate a problem, since our regular Post meetings rarely approach that number of attendees.
We expect members attending in person to be masked and to maintain social distancing. We are not yet able to serve meals again, so plan on supper before or after the meeting.
If you are not yet vaccinated, or just not comfortable attending in person, to sign in to participate via Zoom. (A link will be sent to your email) The Post has invested in new equipment to better facilitate that option and we expect to continue to provide it going forward. We look forward to seeing all of our comrades once again.
We have one very important item of business on the agenda for this meeting; the annual election of Post Officers. The current officers have proposed a slate of officers for the coming year, which is shown on the following page and, of course nominations from the floor will be accepted.
If you are interested in serving in any of these positions, you may place your own name in nomination. Please do not nominate anyone else unless you have obtained that person’s permission to do so in advance. If you wish to serve in an appointed position, there may be some currently listed who would be interested in a relief. See the new Commander after elections if you would like to offer your services.
The photo above is of the swearing in ceremony of the 2018-19 officers at the May 2018 Post meeting. A reminder of the both the job at hand and how we normally do things. Let us all look forward to doing it this way again, rather than virtually.
Complete the VFW’s 2021 COVID-19 Health Survey: Last April the VFW tallied responses to our COVID-19 survey and used that data to advocate for veterans with Congress and VA. The VFW has developed a follow-up survey to evaluate your health care experiences, how your health care may have changed in the last 6 months, and your perceptions of your overall physical and mental health over the past 30 days. Your feedback is vital to our advocacy efforts and to compile a report on this important topic. Help the VFW hold VA and Congress accountable by taking this short survey regarding your experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Take the survey: (enter this address in your browser) https://blogs.va.gov/VAntage/86196/covid-19-vaccine-questions-answered-need/
Sign Up For COVID-19 Vaccine at VA: Veterans, spouses, caregivers, or CHAMPVA recipients need to sign up to let VA know you would like to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Once signed up, you will be contacted by VA as soon as a vaccine is available for you. Be advised that availability will differ by location. VA encourages everyone to take the first opportunity you have to receive the vaccine. (Whether from VA or state and local providers)
March 29 is set aside to honor the men and women who served and sacrificed during the longest conflict in United States history. Involving five U.S. presidents, and over five million American service men & women, it left an indelible mark on the American psyche. This year we were not able to gather for an observance of the occasion that means so much to such a large group of Post 8870 members, but we remember it here and remember to tell these veterans they are “Welcome Home”.
The annual Department convention will be held in Spokane this year, presently scheduled for June 23-27 at the Centennial Hotel in Downtown Spokane. Dept Commander Tracey Williams advised that the agenda is still somewhat tentative, so we suggest members check the Department web site for updates: https://vfwwa.org/di/ vfw/v2/default.asppid=91966.
It appears that the Memorial Day events at the Edmonds Cemetery will not be held again this year due to the ongoing pandemic. The Post will conduct its own small ceremony at the Edmonds Veterans Plaza on Monday, May 31, so mark that event on your calendar. Check next month’s edition of this newsletter for more detailed information.
