Newsletter Articles

Post 8870, City of Edmonds Partner in Design Competition for Future Veterans Plaza

The article below was published on July 25th in the local newspapers. As you know, we dedicated the Plaza on Memorial Day this year. The hard part is coming up, design, fund raising, and completion. Everyone in the Post will have to help with one or more aspects of the project.

Edmonds Post 8870 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of America is partnering with the City of Edmonds to hold an open design competition for the future Edmonds Veterans Plaza in downtown Edmonds.

The VFW Plaza Committee decided to conduct an open design competition to promote local participation and pride in the new memorial, which will be located next to the Public Safety Complex at 250 5th Ave. N. in downtown Edmonds.

“Edmonds is one of the few cities of its size without a tribute or memorial to veterans,” said Ron Clyborne, VFW member and Veterans Plaza committee member. “The plaza is meant to reflect the bravery, sacrifice and strength of the service members who will be recognized and remembered in this special spot in Edmonds.”
The City of Edmonds dedicated the future Edmonds Veterans Plaza on Memorial Day, May 26, 2014. Edmonds City Council member Strom Peterson, a member of the volunteer committee, spoke at the dedication and worked with the committee to establish the open design process.

“The citizens of Edmonds are grateful for all who have served our country,’ Peterson said. “A great way for our local community to feel a part of this special tribute is to create an open and collaborative process with the public in the design of the Edmonds Veterans Plaza.”

The design competition will be open to individuals and groups, students and professionals. You can download the guidelines here or can request a copy by sending an email to [email protected]. Preliminary designs will be reviewed and selected by the VFW committee and then go through a formal design and approval process with the City of Edmonds.

Veterans Plaza committee members include: Ron Clyborne (VFW), Jim Traner (VFW, Past Post and District Commander), James Blossey (VFW Commander), Jim Collins (VFW & Legion), Jack Hall (Edmonds Museum), Strom Peterson (Edmonds City Council), and Maria Montalvo (Corvias Foundation).

New Member Profile—Lyle Branchflower

Lyle Branchflower enlisted in the Navy during the summer of 1961 and reported to duty as a Naval Aviation Cadet for Pre-Flight in Pensacola, Florida the following September. During that first week of active duty he learned two things right off. First, do not smile when the drill instructor asks you if your mother sent you here to screw up the whole damned Navy, and second, he knew he was getting out as soon as his 6 year military obligation ended.

Actual flight training began in T-34’s at Saufley Field Florida in January 1962. From there he went to Meridian, Mississippi to begin jet training. During that time, the Navy was transitioning older fighter squadrons in-to Phantom II (F4H later designated F4B) squadrons. That meant they needed to fill the training pipe line with Radar Intercept Officers immediately. Lyle was in the first class sent to Brunswick, Georgia for Radar Intercept Officer Training. The urgency of the training was ramped up a notch with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Lyle received his wings and commission and went to Miramar Naval Air Station (California) for further training in the Replacement Air Group (RAG) and then to VF-142 for deployment on the U.S.S. Constellation to the Western Pacific.

Enroute from San Diego to Yokosuka in May 1964, the Constellation received new orders. Go to Point Yankee (coordinates in the northern portion of the South China Sea). Remain on station. During the next couple of months the Constellation went from Point Yankee to the Philippines and back and forth and back. The Air Group trained and made occasional sorties over Vietnam.

On August 4th, the ship’s Claxton horn sounded and the loudspeaker came on, “GENERAL QUARTERS. GENERAL QUARTERS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. GENERAL QUARTERS.” The U.S.S. Maddox and the U.S.S. Turner Joy were under attack. Fighters were launched into the night skies. Lyle was in the aircraft that was vectored to the Maddox and Turner Joy. They were flying at 50 feet. Lyle had three radar contacts. High anxiety voiced from Combat Information Centers on the destroyers. Inky black night. No visual contact of a PT boat. Lyle was unwilling to launch a missile without a visual even though there were three radar contacts and only two U.S. ships in the area.

President Johnson and Congress acted. A retaliatory strike was planned. Aircraft were launched on a raid against PT boat bases and supply depots in Hai Phong Harbor in North Vietnam. War had begun. Everett Alvarez began his 8 ½ year stay in the Hanoi Hilton.

The next several months merged into one continuous day and night of Combat Air Patrol (CAP), occasional photo escort missions into North Viet Nam and Laos, and bombing escort missions. They didn’t lose another aircraft for the duration of the cruise.

In February 1965, Lyle returned to Miramar Naval Air Station and began training for a new deployment to the Western Pacific in 1966. His active duty obligation was due to end in July of 1966, but he applied for an “early out” in order to go back to school in January 1966. His request was forwarded up the chain of command with a recommendation of “disapprove.” In Pearl Harbor, aboard the U.S.S. Ranger Lyle’s request came back approved. Had the approval arrived a day later, the Ranger would have passed the International Date Line and the admiral would have put an operational hold on him.

Lyle joined a reserve squadron at Willow Grove Naval Air Station outside of Philadelphia. Invariably, a pa-per or a test was due after serving his reserve weekends, so as soon as his reserve requirements were over, he separated from the Navy. A squadron mate chided him for foregoing the “easy money” reserve pay. Two weeks later, the squadron was called to active duty.

Lyle tells his friends who served as grunts that they just don’t understand how difficult service as a naval officer was. He would tell them that even though the stewards made the beds daily, they only put on fresh sheets once a week. Baked Alaska was only served on Thursdays in the ward room. And movies in the ready room could be interrupted by flight operations.
Lyle is pleased to join the VFW.

Commanders Column By Jim Blossey

As we enter a new VFW year, we continue to face many of the same problems that prior administrations have. Most notable among them is membership. Membership Chair Pete Farmer and his committee have been doing a splendid job and many of our newer members will be definite assets to the Post. However young veterans still in their working years continue to find it difficult to attend our meetings. For most, a two-hour break in the middle of a workday is wholly impractical.

On the other hand, occasional suggestions to change our meetings to an evening hour have encountered resistance because many of our current members are of an age where driving after dark isn’t a good idea. Re-member that during much of the year the sun goes down before the dinner hour. The result for us is that younger veterans have effectively been shut out.

Further compounding the problem is the location of our meeting place, the Edmonds Senior Center. These folks have been wonderful hosts with nourishing and affordable meals, however by definition the Senior Center is for older people. It is not the sort of place where active young VFW members feel at home. We have heard from several that they feel out of place here.

So what is the answer? Let me tell you about an option that we are exploring. Our by-laws require us to have “at least” one regular meeting each month, but nowhere does it say that we can’t have more than one meeting a month. What we’re looking into is having two meetings each month—one at noon and one in the evening—with members having the option to attend whichever one they prefer. That way those who can’t drive at night (or who prefer to meet at noon) can continue to do so and members still employed can attend a meeting after working hours.

We have not yet discussed locations and meals, etc., but we will be looking into our options soon. Mean-while, let me stress that the two-meeting idea is only being explored right now; nothing is yet to the point where it might be brought to the membership for action.

However we are very interested in your opinions. My personal email is [email protected]. Let me hear from you.

THE JULY MEETING LOCATION IS MOVED

Hopefully, everyone will get the word that we will not be holding our meeting at the Senior Center on July 11th. That facility will be having renovations to its HVAC system and will not be open to the public.   American Legion Post 66 has extended an invitation to us to hold our meeting at their Post home on 117 6th Ave. S. For those of you who not familiar with Edmonds, That is a block up the hill from the “fountain”, take a right and the building is on the left. A couple of key landmarks, a sign that is about 15 feet long on the lawn say Frank Freese Post 66 and a flag pole flying the US and POW/MIA flags. Hopefully, most of you can find it. We will be serving lunch—either subs or pizza.

4th of July Parade

Believe it or not, the 4th of July is here again. As in the past, we will be forming up at 6th and Main at 1130 hours and stepping off at 1200. For those of you who haven’t attended the parade, if you wish to park anywhere close to the rally point, you’ll need to be there by 1030 at the latest. We will have the American Legion Hall open so you can have a seat there if you arrive early. This year we will have 4 Jeeps (hopefully) and 3 Humvees so there should be room for all those who wish to ride. The route is .9 miles so a lot of us will walk. Unlike prior years, our annual picnic will be the following day, July 5th. We found that it was too difficult to navigate across town when 10,000 people were leaving at the same time. For those of you who haven’t participated in the past, I would urge you to do so, The crowd loves the veterans and we love the crowd. Be sure to bring your cover.

5th of July Picnic

For most of you, all you have to do is show up with an appetite at the Edmonds City Park at noon on the 5th of July. The American Legion and VFW are hosting our annual picnic and we have reserved a large shelter (#2) should the weather be on the dicey side. We have a number of Comrades picking up the necessary food and drinks and there are enough hot dogs and hamburgers to feed a crowd. Your family is welcome as are any veterans you may wish to invite. The easiest access is to turn into the park on the south entrance off of 3rd Ave. S. The road in the park will lead you directly to our shelter.

Aquasox Game

District 1 is organizing a VFW outing to the Aquasox Game on August 16th. The District has reserved 65 seats (all together) for VFW Night. The cost is $10 per ticket. Following the game will be a fireworks show. Bring your spouses and enjoy the camaraderie of members from the other 7 Posts in District 1. One of the best fringe benefits of being a Past District Commander was meeting and getting to know really excellent folks from all over Snohomish County. This is a good opportunity for you to meet them as well. We need a head count so I will pass around a signup sheet at the July meeting. Since District will need to buy the tickets prior to our August meeting, please bring cash for the tickets. We will distribute the tickets at our August meeting or leave them at Will Call.

VFW Stuff—Bugs on Collars

0714_bugs-on-collarsWe don’t have any members of the Military Order of the Cootie in our Post, but for those of you attending District or Department meetings you may have noticed a bug on the back collar of some of the VFW comrades in attendance there. Hopefully, no one swatted it since that may have caused injury to a member of that Order. The Cooties are a Veterans Service Organization dedicated to having fun while entertaining troops and veterans confined to hospitals and VA rehabilitation facilities around the country. The best I can describe them, they are to VFW what the Shriners Clowns are to the Shriners. They do great work. For more information go to http://www.lotcs.org/ Oh, by the way, the bug on the collar is their membership pin.

Department Convention—Yakima

District 1 had a great representation at the Department Convention and Post 8870’s Commander, Jim Blossey, represented our Post. Unlike our Post elections, Department positions are sought after and there were several elections which were hotly contested. We received a number of awards and they will be added to our Virtual Award Wall on the Post’s website. The downside of the convention, there is 2 days worth of material and 3 days scheduled to cover it.

Profile of Comrade Warren Eddy by Fred Apgar

Comrade Warren Eddy

Warren began the war serving with the Coastal Defense National Guard which became a regular army unit following Pearl Harbor. While serving with the Regiment, Warren was selected to attend Officer Candidate School at a base in North Carolina. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in November of 1942. He was assigned to an automatic weapons battalion that was composed of 40 MM Bofers, fast firing anti-aircraft guns, and half-tracks with four .50 caliber machine guns. In addition to the half-tracks, the battalion, which was composed of 800 + men and officers, had numerous trucks and jeeps and was a completely mobile unit. Warren’s battalion boarded ships on the east coast for the two week cruise to England. Once they landed in Liverpool, the battalion was sent to Aintree Racecourse where they lived and trained. Warren’s battalion was attached to the 29th Infantry Division, and once their weapons and vehicles arrived, they trained on the Moors in South Devon, practicing beach landings. On D-Day -1, Warren’s battalion made their way to the docks. His battalion was back loaded onto LST’s; Omaha Beach was their destination. On the morning of June 6, 1944, the armada of all sorts of naval vessels departed the shores of England. The battalion would wait on the LST’s for three days until a road leading from the beach had been cleared. On D-Day + 4, Warren’s automatic weapons battalion dry-landed on the beaches of Normandy, and immediately made their way inland. On the way, his battalion suffered casualties from sniper fire and land mines. When his unit’s Executive Officer was killed, Warren was given a battlefield promotion to First Lieutenant and became second in command of his unit. While their mission was that of air defense, one of the commanding generals on the scene took advantage of the battalion’s fast firing guns to provide ground support for the infantry troops who were engaging the enemy in the infamous hedgerows of Normandy. During the day, Warren’s unit moved from field to field, clearing hedgerows and battling the Germans for control of the inland. At night, they slept in foxholes. On one occasion, Warren was ordered to reconnoiter a road in an effort to assess the enemy’s location and strength. He and two other troops proceeded down a road into a German controlled area when they were subjected to heavy mortar and machine gun fire. They fought their way out of the ambush, safely returned to their unit, and provided information regarding the enemy presence. For his action, Warren was awarded a Bronze Star with a “V” device for Valor. Approximately six weeks after landing in Normandy, the Allied forces were able to seize total control of Normandy and begin its break out. In August of 1944, Warren participated in the liberation of Paris, and the 60 vehicles in his battalion transported U.S. troops through the streets of Paris to the wild cheering of the newly liberated Parisians. Warren’s battalion was ordered to Holland for air defense duty, which was short lived when they were then ordered to support Allied efforts during the Battle of the Bulge. After reaching the Elbe River in Germany, all units were ordered to stop and let the Russians meet them there. While waiting, they were informed about a German POW camp filled with Americans. Control of the camp had been seized by the Russians, and Warren’s unit organized a convoy of 60 vehicles to free the prisoners. With the assistance of an Army Lt. Col. from Headquarters, who had maps of the area, the battalion successfully rescued the prisoners. After the war ended, Warren performed occupation duty for six small villages near Frankfurt. When he returned home, he was discharged from the Army, but remained in the Army Reserve from which he retired as a Major.

He is the Past Commander of American Legion Post #43 in Hollywood, California and a Life Member of VFW Post #8870 in Edmonds.

 

This article is one in a recurring series of profiles that recognize the courageous contributions made by members of VFW Post #8870.
Fred Apgar is the Past Commander of Post #8870