Author: ateeter

Quartermaster’s Update (December 2021)

By Harold Rodenberger


We are nearing the end of another year. Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas and other year-end holidays are on the near horizon.


Our Thanksgiving social was a successful merging of in-person and take-away dining. The reservation system that is now necessary, worked well and Chef Kay’s dinner was superb, as usual. As long-ago social editors used to write, “A good time was had by all.”


Our traditional Christmas social will be held on the third Thursday, 12/16/21. Menu will be Beef Tenderloin with other dishes, similar to last year. Santa will be there along with some musical entertainers. Please remember that reservations will be required for this and all future dinners, whether dining in or to go. To make those reservations email ([email protected]) or call or text me at 206-972-2135. Deadline for reservations is Monday (12/13) evening at 6 pm.


Our December business meeting is the first Thursday, as usual. Please see our Commander’s message elsewhere in this paper for an urgent invitation to attend in person. If you can’t or aren’t able to attend in person, please join us on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5057012075?pwd=K1ppc3RCNHRaYkhyNjFhb0w2dkdlQT09 (Password: Ballard306). Meetings start at 7 pm and usually last an hour or so.


As a special treat this meeting, we will hear our Voice of Democracy winner, Nina Kieserman, give her speech. Nina also won the competition at District 2, so will advance to our Washington State level competition. Good luck, Nina!


Our Patriot’s Pen winner, Rylan Calica, and Youth Essay winner, Leela Baker, will read their essays at our Christmas Social. Rylan and Leela also won at District 2 level. Rylan won the eighth grade level but came in second for the overall 6, 7 & 8 grade title. Leela won in the 3-5 grade level and will advance to state competition. Good luck Leela! Please plan to attend and support these young people. Oh, and have a great dinner in the bargain. 


Our dark rainy weather makes outside activity more hazardous. Please watch out for others, especially the little ones this time of year. 

Scouts Learn About Service at Post 3063

Comrade Aly Teeter, also an officer in the Washington Air National Guard, speaks to Navigators Troop #309 about service, the military and the VFW, Nov. 3, 2021 at VFW Post 3063. The children then decorated posters for Post 3063 veterans and worked on a service project to collect donations for the charity Birthday Dreams.
The children work on their service project. They are collecting toys and candy at the post for the charity, Birthday Dreams.
Comrades Rodenberger and Curtis pose with the posters from the Navigator scouts.

Service Throwback: Bill Griffith

While in the U.S. Army Comrade Bill Griffith served in South Korea for the entire year of 1964 as a Crew Chief on a De Havilland U6A Beaver (pictured below).


He said he did that most days, except for one day a week when he had to drive to Seoul and pick up steaks for officers from the only butcher who was inspected by the USDA.


He goes on:


The route was complicated and had to be memorized because the street signs were in Korean and their was no GPS. After a couple of training runs with the current driver who was rotating back to the states I was qualified and on my own. Each Tuesday morning I would have breakfast and then check out a jeep or if none was available I would use a Dodge Power wagon.


The picture of the Dodge Power wagon below was taken during my lunch break on this drive. I would wire cans of C rations to the exhaust manifold and when I got hungry I would pull over and eat a warm lunch. I would spend the entire day exploring Korea, my only concern was getting the steaks back to the Officers Club on time.

After Korea I was retrained as a Flight Operations Specialist and served at the Presidio of California Crissy Army Airfield in 1965-66. The arrow on the attached picture shows my office. I don’t think that any window in the US Army had a better view than mine. In August of 1966 after three years in the Army I headed my red Fiat sports car north to Seattle.

We’d love to see your photos too! Submit them to Aly or drop a copy off at the office.