Election of Post officers will be held at the Post meeting on April 12th meeting. Nominations were made at the March meeting and additional nominations can be made at the April meeting prior to election. Remember, lunch is at 11:45 and the meeting starts promptly at 12:30 at the Senior Center in Edmonds.
Our Annual Memorial Service was held on Saturday, March 30th remembering the Comrades and Sisters we lost this last year. Unfortunately, the bell was rung far too many times during the service as each name was read. We had a packed house at the meeting with the Department Commander, Sr. Vice, Jr. Vice, Quartermaster, and Chaplin attending. In addition, we had candidates for the Surgeon and Quartermaster position attend. I hate to see con-tested elections particularly when all the candidates are superbly qualified individuals. It’s good for VFW but certainly hard to cast a vote. I had a sample of Department’s shirt for next year and had a number of folks approach me after the meeting about order forms. I’ll bring it to our meeting along with some order forms. I want to thank Post 2100 for hosting the luncheon. After the 5th or 6th person made a raving comment about the meal, it was apparent that we would be seeing more visitors from Department in the future. I also want to thank Post 1040 for their assistance this year in providing the space for the District meetings and helping in the setup and takedown. Likewise, their Honor Guard did an excellent job at the Memorial Service. Finally, I would like to thank Post 8870 for their tremendous support this year and their help at the meetings.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam Peace Accords. The Accords were signed on 27 January 1973, but it would take two more agonizingly long years before the last Americans were evacuated from Saigon as the North Vietnamese were rolling through the streets of Saigon and breaking through the gates of the American embassy. There were, of course, many legacies of the Vietnam War, but the definitive history of the Vietnam War is yet to be written.
More than forty years later, our view of the war is only slightly clearer. We will probably never be able to identify our nation’s self-interest in that conflict, nor will we ever be able to attach meaning to the over-whelming loss of blood and treasure. Unfortunately, those college professors, whose left-wing ideology crafted the anti-war sentiment at home, are using the same rhetoric to write the historical perspective of the Vietnam War. Similarly, politicians and decision-makers, whose ineptitude prolonged hostilities, project themselves as objective observers.
My perspective is that the men and women in the enlisted ranks and the junior officers did everything that was asked of them. We followed the chain of command, adhered to military discipline inasmuch as we fol-lowed orders, and committed ourselves to our assigned missions. We trusted our military leaders and civil-ian decision-makers to provide us with a mission that was in our nation’s best interest; which was their mor-al obligation to do so. In return for that, we would do our jobs and risk our lives to complete the mission.
The real failures were the Colonels and Generals. They permitted unrealistic competition between the military branches and placed daily statistics ahead of meaningful tactical and strategic operations and missions. By failing to challenge the military’s civilian leadership and our country’s political leaders, the Colonels and Generals let us down. It was their responsibility to protect us by demanding reasonable rules to prosecute the war and tasking assignments that adhered to logical and rational military doctrine. For example, strike flights were consistently fragged for the same time over target (TOT) and ingress and egress routes were rarely changed. At other times, missions were fragged for meaningless and at time, dubious, targets. A foreign pol-icy that sought to minimize the risk of antagonizing Russian and Chinese feelings gave us Rules of Engagement that clearly resulted in the unnecessary loss of American lives.
Since we were never truly committed to victory, we should have never risked defeat. That was the immorality of the Vietnam War.
Old Guard Post 2100 at 2711 Oaks Ave. in Everett will be hosting an open house on St. Paddy’s day, Sunday, March 17th. Corned beef and cabbage will be served from 2 PM to 5 PM. A $10 contribution is requested to cover their food costs. This is a good opportunity for those of you who haven’t had a chance to visit another Post to do so. Also, Post 8870’s Service Officer, Don Whedon, and Post’s 2100 Service Officer will be available to assist any veterans with VA claims or questions.
There will be a District meeting on March 30th at 12 with a memorial service to our comrades who have passed away during the year. We have some good comrades in our Post who are no longer with us. Please join us in remembering them.
On Friday, Feb. 8, VFW Department of Washington line officers presented a $25,000 check on behalf of the VFW Foundation to internationally-recognized artist Michael Reagan, who has drawn the portraits of over 3,200 service members who have died serving in Iraq and Afghanistan: L-R: Fred Green, VFW Department of Washington Junior Vice Commander; Ted Streete, VFW Department of Washington Senior Vice Commander; Krist Huseby, VFW Department of Washington Commander; Michael Reagan.
The above was on the homepage of the National VFW website. For all of you who attended the meeting (and we did have a crowd), it was a nice ceremony with Mike receiving a $25,000 (the first of three annual grants) and Mike presenting Department Commander Krist a portrait that has become his trademark, an eagle with the body of an American flag (you can see an image over Mike’s left shoulder). Also attending the meeting was Dave Earling, Edmonds Mayor, and Sally Hintz, the NW director of Senator Marie Cantwell’s office who read a nice letter from the Senator congratulating Mike on the honor. Ms. Hintz also commented that a poster of Mike’s fallen heroes is displayed in her Washington DC office and she rotates the posters monthly so all the fallen heroes can be recognized. Next time we have to get our Post 8870 on the wall behind them.
Edmonds, who I believe considers itself the All American town of Washington state (and it almost is), is lacking one significant thing that pulls it down a notch; there is no park out of the 22 parks listed on the Edmonds Park Departments website that commemorates veterans. I grew up in a town that had war heroes on horses in downtown parks. My high school had a wall with the names of the alumni who were killed in WWII. Sure, there is a rock over at the Edmonds Historical Museum with some names on it but no real park. The last two parks dedicated in Edmonds were named after worthy people but did not recognize veterans. We are now in pursuit of a small patch of grass along Hwy. 104 to have a simple memorial to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. If you are familiar with the ferry holding lanes, it is a small patch of grass adjacent to the public restrooms. The thought is a simple inverted rifle, boots, and helmet with a flag pole for the American and POW/MIA flags and a bench facing the memorial for those who wish to sit. Since hundreds of thousands of vehicles use the ferry each year, this would be the most viewed memorial south of the Peace Arch.
American Legion Post 66 in Edmonds will also be assisting in the project (since the membership between the two Posts are virtually the same). Ron Clyborne who is a member of both Posts has agreed to chair the committee. Hopefully, we can get something done in the near future (two years) on this project.
We are getting ready to present a slate of officers at the next meeting. While anyone can make a nomination from the floor, feel free to contact our nominating committee comprised of Jim Traner, Buck Weaver, and Elizabeth Mather.
If you avoid Post meetings due to hearing, there is good news. The Post has purchased a speaker system and it works great. We put the speaker in the back of the room where everyone who is hard of hearing normally sits, and now everyone can hear what is going on. So come to the next meeting and check it out.
Bob Crawford, Buddy Poppy Chairman, will be passing out sign up lists at the March meeting. Our Post’s Relief Fund is funded by Buddy Poppy donations and it is important to get out and raise money for that cause. In addition, it’s also our PR and membership campaign rolled into one weekend. The dates for Memorial Day are May 24th and 25th so mark your calendars. Even though I say it every six months, it’s not hard work and you end up meeting a lot of nice folks who are glad to see VFW out in the community. If a few more of you who don’t participate (and you know who you are) would help out, the work load would be spread that much thinner making it easier on everyone involved. Like I said, it’s just not that hard.
A number of us attended Erv’s 97th birthday party. As most of you know, Erv is a Pearl Harbor Survivor as well as surviving another ship being sunk and a third severely damaged. Fred Apgar brought the cake and Erv is cutting it. Erv has been a VFW Member for over 70 years which has to put him into rarified company in VFW. Erv hasn’t been able to make the meetings so it was good to see him. I stopped by a couple of weeks ago and the receptionist said Erv is a popular guy so apparently a few of you are making it over there as well. If anyone wants his address, let me know. I don’t feel particularly good about putting it on this newsletter which will be posted online. However, Erv will always welcome his “shipmates” (regardless of your actual service) so feel free to see him.