By Alyson Teeter
Post delegates attended the VFW Department of Washington’s 2018 State Convention in Bremerton June 21-23. The convention started with a joint session with the auxiliary that featured numerous guest speakers, including Governor Jay Inslee and VFW Auxiliary National President Dee Guillory. During the joint session, awards were also presented, and our post newsletter, the Ballard Eagleson Patriot, won first place in the Class I category.
Various committees met for business, by-law changes were voted on, and department leadership was elected and installed for the new year. Our very own District 2 comrade, Linda Fairbank, was installed as the 2018-2019 VFW Department of Washington Commander.
Friday evening there was a banquet and more awards were presented. Commander Krawitz and Quartermaster Rodenberger received white hats for achieving All State Post status, which was achieved by completing various reports on time, reaching membership goals, attending district meetings/workshops, participating in community activities, and other factors. Post 3063 achieved approximately 111% of the post’s membership goal for the year. Around 10% of commanders and quartermasters in the state receive the white hat.
VFW Past National Commander Jim Mueller represented national leadership at the convention and read a speech on behalf of VFW Commander Keith E. Harman at the banquet. The overarching message of the speech was survival. The VFW’s numbers are dwindling and posts must evolve or they will disappear. VFW Auxiliary National President Dee Guillory also spoke and she announced a new strategy to allow auxiliaries to stay open if a post closes its doors. Overall the convention was a great success and Post 3063 was well represented.