ateeter – Page 60 – Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063

Hybrid Approach to Business Meetings

We had our first in-person gathering at a business meeting in more than a year during the April business meeting. It was a hybrid event with some who tuned in via Zoom. There were a couple technical hiccups but going forward we think regularly using Zoom will allow more participation from our membership.

For those members who are vaccinated, they are welcome to attend our business meetings in person starting in May.

Pizzas for Queen Anne Food Bank Guardsmen

Thank you to the National Guard Airmen and Soldiers working at the Queen Anne Food Bank! Jr. Vice Commander Aly Teeter dropped off pizza for the crew this week. There she met Staff Sgt. Jesse Conner, a Public Affairs Airman from the 141st Refueling Wing in Spokane. Also pictured (center) is Carlos Rivera, a Student Flight member from the 141st. He recently enlisted in the Washington Air National Guard and is waiting to attend Basic Military Training. Last year, the Washington Air National Guard authorized new enlistees to volunteer for the food bank support mission. According to Sgt. Conner, Rivera is receiving mentorship from the other servicemembers to help prepare him for training. Overall, everyone is super motivated and enjoying the mission of helping fight food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Service Throwback: Paul Pioli

Comrade Paul Pioli (third from the left), then a U.S. Army Sergeant with the HHC 2/32 7th Infantry Division, is pictured here on a hilltop in South Korea on his birthday, November 15, 1967.

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

New Member Spotlight: Shennae Curtis

Comrade Shennae Curtis in her dress whites with friends shortly after she enlisted in the Navy.

This is a recurring column that highlights new VFW Post 3063 members. Comrade Shennae Curtis joined in October 2020 and volunteered to be the Post 3063 Historian.

What motivated you to join the VFW? After seeing so many of my compatriots struggle as they got out to find purpose and meaning in their lives I realized that what I really wanted was a community. One of the things that is hard to find in civilian life but was easy when I was in the military is finding a network of people all trying to achieve the same positive goal. While the time has passed for me to be on active duty, the VFW is a way to still support both my country and the people that protected it.

What is your military background? In the Navy I was a nuclear Electrician’s Mate. We worked long hours, in the depths of a ship, with little in the way of sunlight or communication to the outside. It was difficult, but by bonding together we managed to make the most of it. Some of the strongest bonds that I’ve made in my life were in the service, and I carry them to this day.

Civilian job, education, family, hobbies, or anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself? Now I’ve taken a much less stressful position as a Field Service Engineer for a lighting control company and spend my off hours pursuing my education or reading.

What do you hope to achieve being a member of the VFW? As Post historian I hope to catalog all the stories that Post 3063 holds. I would like to capture all the memories that we have and preserve them so that new members can see all that we’ve accomplished and all that we’ve experienced. If you would like your stories put to record, please reach out to me: [email protected].