Author: ateeter

From the Commander (April 2018)

By Pete Krawitz

 

As discussed during our March business meeting, I recently had the privilege of meeting with Arni Thomson and Brian Dodd, from Ballard Elks Lodge 827. Brian and Arni are working on a very ambitious project in hopes to pay tribute to some of the 4.7 million U.S. service members that served in WWI. Arni and Brian are embarking on a journey to catalog the names and burial sites of any known WWI veterans. Don’t we have a government agency for that? Well, I was surprised to learn that there isn’t an official list of U.S. service members who lost their lives in WWI. Additionally, finding said service information from the U.S. National Personnel Records agency is extremely difficult, if not impossible. A large amount of WWI veteran records were lost in the 1973 fire at the U.S. National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.

 

November 11, 2018, will mark the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I (WWI). As many of you know, Ballard-Eagleson Post 3063 was named to honor local UW alum, Lt. James Eagleson, of the US Army’s 69th Coast Artillery Corps. Nearly 5 million Americans served in WWI with approximately, 116,516 never making it home. Lt Eagleson was one of those 116,516. He died of Pneumonia on his journey back from France. Sadly, just as many service members succumbed to disease during and shortly after the war (~63,114) compared to actual combat (~53,402). It’s sad to think that some of these names have been forgotten in many hometowns across America. This is where Brian and Arni have stepped in.

 

So far, Arni and Brian have walked through Ft. Lawton Cemetery and photographed 135 headstones identifying WWI veterans, and they have created an alphabetized database with date of birth, date of death, branch of service and designation of WWI service. They have also embarked on similar activities at private and public cemeteries in Alaska.

 

There are a few other cemeteries in the Seattle Area that Arni and Brian would like to survey. This is a big undertaking. As such, they have reached out to Post 3063 to see if we would be interested in assisting with this project. Ultimately, Brian and Arni would like to add to the database and eventually provide it to the WWI Centennial Commission. They hope that the idea will catch on and other VFW posts will join in and help spread the word.

 

I’m very inspired by what Arni and Brian are trying to do and would very much like to assist them in any way we can. Perhaps we can even consider a joint project with Boy Scout Troop 80? We will be talking about this project some more during our April business meeting. If you have any interest in this project and would like to lead or assist in some way, please come on out to the meeting on Thursday, April 5 at 7 p.m. Alternatively, please send me an e-mail to [email protected].

 

Yours in Comradeship

Sr. Vice has Recruiting Plans

By Joe Tiffany, Sr. Vice Commander

 

Nobody does more for Veterans.

 

That is the VFW’s motto. Our motto.
I’d like to impress upon every member of Post 3063 the importance of new members. It is the life force of our organization.

 

I have some ideas for recruiting new members:

 

1. Set up a booth at the Ballard Sunday Market where we can answer questions and get our name out to the public.

 

2. Host an open house at our post with a barbecue of hamburgers and hot dogs this summer. We’d invite not only prospective members but our neighbors and community as well. We could also include a live band performance and a food truck. That will entice younger members to join.

 

If you have any ideas please contact me at [email protected] or 206-619-9521.

Post Adjutant Outlines Communication Initiatives

By Alyson M. Teeter, Post Adjutant

 

When I took on the job as post adjutant last year, I didn’t know what the job entailed besides taking business meeting notes and periodically emailing the post. Eventually I read a job description that said, “The Post Adjutant is a conduit for information between the Post Commander and the members of the Post, as well as between the Post and the general public. Effective communication skills are necessary to maintain a productive harmonious atmosphere among members and help to recruit new members.”

 

Whew, that can mean a lot or a little, since communication can be put to the wayside in our fast moving, noisy lives.

 

On that note, the leadership team is working to streamline and improve communication processes for the post in order to enhance retention, membership participation, continuity, and recruitment. Here’s an overview of what’s we’ve been up to.

 

 

  • Facebook: Our business meetings and social nights are posted as events on our page at https://www.facebook.com/vfwpost3063. Here we also share veteran-related news to our followers.

 

  • Newsletter: Look for our monthly e-newsletter in your email inbox and quarterly newsletter in the mail. If your contact information changes, please notify me at [email protected].

 

  • Email Lists: Post 3063 has two email lists that publicize benefits and volunteer opportunities. Please let me know if you’d like to be included on these lists. After I add your name, click on the confirmation email from Zoho.com to join.

 

I’m just a conduit for information, so if there’s anything you’d ever like to pass along to the rest of the post, please share and we’ll see what’s the best channel for relaying your information. I also appreciate feedback so let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions for improving the post’s communication processes.