Tag Archive: commander

From the Commander’s Desk 

From the Commander’s Desk

A belated Happy Veterans Day to you all and I hope that everyone had a great one. I’d also like to wish all Marines a Happy Birthday and hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Our General Fund is running low. Donations will be accepted by our Quartermaster. Thanks to all those that volunteered to hand out Buddy Poppies during our Veterans Day drive, & contributing to its success. Thanks, as well to Sr. Vice Commander Duane Bowman for organizing it. Our annual Toy drive at Teri’s Toybox in downtown Edmonds runs from Nov. 15-Dec. 15. Drop by and purchase a toy or two for our collection box. 

Report your volunteer activities by phone, email, or text to our surgeon ([email protected].) Please submit before our meetings, to cut down on our meeting time and report by the end of each month so we can report to Department in a timely manner. 

There will be no Post meeting in December. Instead, VFW Post 8870 & American Legion Post 66 will be having our annual Christmas Potluck party on Saturday, December 17. (See this article of this newsletter for details.) There will be an auction with great items to bid upon, so bring money! Also please bring canned food and an unwrapped toy. Earlier that morning, there will be a Wreaths across America event at Evergreen Washelli Cemetery from 0900-1100. 

Have a Merry Christmas! 

From the Commander’s Desk 

  1. Watch the weather. It is Autumn now and it will be getting colder and wetter. Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids, wear sunscreen, don’t be out in the sun too long (while it lasts). 
  2. The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. This is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. It is relevant to Vietnam era Veterans. You can find more information at the following links: 
  1. Consider signing a Veterans Day card for a fellow Veteran. See the link below. The VFW has a special way for you to show our brothers and sisters they’re appreciated as we head toward Veterans Day. The VFW will be sending cards and we want to make sure a fellow veteran receives one from you. We know how much you care, so please sign a card for a hospitalized veteran or service member (at this link) and brighten their day. 
  2. Speaking of Veterans Day, this year it will be Friday, November 11th. We are planning a ceremony at our Edmonds Veterans Plaza at 11am. Our keynote speaker will be Mike Schindler of Operation Military Family. Pins, and a display from the Northwest Veterans Museum will be there. 

We will be be handing out Buddy poppies on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5 at three stores: 1) QFC Westgate, 2) QFC Mukilteo, and 3) Town & Country Market in Mill Creek. As always, we need volunteers. Please attend our October 19th Post meeting for a chance to signup. 

Elections for 2018-19 Post Officers Slated

At the March Post meeting, nominations for next year’s Post officers were held.

As a reminder, the elective officers are: Commander, Sr. Vice Commander, Jr. Vice Commander, Quartermaster, Chaplain and three Trustees. (All other officers are appointed by the commander)

At the March staff meeting, all currently serving elected officers present indicated a willingness to continue serving in their present office and those names will be placed in nomination. Since the March Post meeting, Jim Mc Cann has tendered his resignation as a Trustee.

If you have an interest in serving as an elected officer, or would like to nominate another comrade, be prepared to do so at the meeting when nominations from the floor are called.

Currently serving:

Commander: Michael Denton
Sr. Vice Commander: Carl Kurfess
Jr. Vice Commander: Rose Gilliland
Quartermaster: Dennis Peterson
Chaplain: Dan Doyle

We will need to elect two new Trustees. Don Stapleton has indicated that he would accept that nomination and we need to replace Jim McCann, who has found it necessary to resign from his post. We anticipate that Daniel White will continue in his Trustee role.

White Hats and Other Cover Oddities

by Jim Traner

When I first started attending meetings, I had a lot of questions, one of which was the significance of the White Hat that a few of the members wore.

Every year Department selects Commanders and Quartermasters that have met certain criteria and gives them a White Hat as an award. Only a handful are given each year so it is a significant achievement; however, as far as the Commander goes, it is a Post award as much as an individual award. Without a lot of people doing their jobs correctly the Commander would never get a White Hat.

The Quartermasters, on the other hand, really earn their hat based on their individual performance. The Quartermaster is the bookkeeper of the Post and is audited by the Trustees every month. In addition, there are a variety of reports they must submit throughout the year, and the VFW keeps the QM very busy.

Along with different colored covers, there are different colored braids on those covers. Silver means the wearer holds a National position, Red is for Department officers, i.e. Washington state, Green for District Officers, and Gold is for the general membership where the real work of VFW is done.

From an article first appearing in the June 2012 issue of the Post newsletter.