Category: Commentary

Comrades:

Success in spite of adversity.

As we come to the end of 2020 and hopefully what will become the beginning of the end to the pandemic, I want to wish all of you a Happy and wonderful New Year, surrounded by those who mean the most to you.

This has been a difficult year especially since March, for all of us, but I am most confident that with the ever increasing availability of the vaccinations, happy days will indeed be here again sooner than later! We will eventually be moving beyond the Covid restrictions, but for now there is still a need to stay the course with masking, social distancing, etc. for what will hopefully be just a bit longer. I never thought the comment, “I wouldn’t touch them with a six foot pole” would become a national policy – but here we are!

The pandemic, as difficult as it has been, has served to make us look at new or different ways for the Post to meet or exceed the goals that are set at the beginning of each VFW year.

Zoom has enabled us to continue with our business meetings, The Bidding Owl resulted in our fundraiser being far more successful than anyone thought, the Honor/Color guard has successfully pursued a grant that will allow it to “march” right along (sorry) better than ever, and Kay and the kitchen staff have developed a system that keeps the operation in compliance with the Governor’s requirements and still serve tremendous meals to 80-100 people each month. Through the efforts of many, the post successfully assembled in excess of 90,000 Buddy Poppies that will generate another $2,000 for the post. And these are just some of the main accomplishments!

Lastly, with regard New Year’s Day, Mark Twain once said, ”Now is the accepted time to make your annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.” For me, my New Year’s resolution list usually starts with the desire to lose between 10 and three thousand pounds! Hopefully you all can do better!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU! Here’s a special message from our command team: https://tinyurl.com/y9wx92dn.

Joe Fitzgerald

Post 3063 Commander

By Harold Rodenberger

Due to the holidays, I wrote this update during the winter equinox, the shortest day of the year. Here in northwestern Washington, there were only about eight hours and twenty-five minutes of daylight. Our typical winter weather of overcast skies made the day seem even darker. Like this short day, most of this past year has seemed dark and dreary. Despite those dark days we carried on with our mission, knowing that the days ahead would be brighter and warmer.

During this past quarter, we continued our business meetings via Zoom. If you haven’t connected on that platform, please join our meeting on January 7th. See Zoom instructions elsewhere in this newsletter and on our website.

Chef Kay and helpers made wonderful dinners for our social nights. The Thanksgiving dinner set a record at 85 dinners prepared, but the Christmas dinner smashed that record with 102 dinners for members and guests. A special thanks to 1SG Britt Anderson, of our adopted unit, who donated three whole tenderloins and to Hope who donated 25 dozen farm-fresh eggs. 

Because of the virus, our hall has been empty, but during December members of Seattle Stand Down assembled and wrapped Christmas presents for needy veterans and their families in our community. Members of the leadership team from our adopted National Guard unit (A Co, 181st BSB) did the same for needy unit members and their families. It was good to see our hall being used for such worthy causes.

It’s been a difficult year for VFW programs, but your post honored students who competed in the VFW Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen programs. Our first-place winners advanced to District level for further competition. We also submitted our entries for Police Officer of the Year and Firefighter of the Year for judging at higher headquarters.

Our Relief Fund contributed funds to the SeaTac USO, Fisher House at the VA Medical Center, members of our post in distress, and to needy personnel in our two adopted National Guard units.

Another hearty “Thank You” to all who assembled poppies. We shipped back to headquarters about 95,000 completed poppies.

As we look forward to the Year of the Ox and brighter times, please join me in applying lessons learned from these dark days by resolving to treasure relationships, show more patience and kindness and further support our fellow veterans and their families.

Happy New Year, 2021!

COMRADES! DON’T WAIT FOR THE STORM TO PASS!

I hope as we pass through the turbulent times of the election process and into the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, that you have managed to find or create ways to keep yourselves safe and mentally fresh amid the COVID pandemic.

(It really is the virus from hell that just seems to hang around like every other NFL team’s offense when pitted against the Seahawk’s defense.)

In spite of that, I do believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. Social distancing and masks certainly seem to be beneficial and positive controls. But hopefully we will soon have a vaccine in place as well, and several promising remedies for coping with the virus should any of us become infected. They are coming for sure.

But in the meantime, It can be very easy to become lethargic and get caught up with just waiting for the storm to pass. Most of us have never had to deal with anything like this before and it has been a bit of a learning process for sure. So I do hope you all are continuing to remain positive and moving forward with your lives. Embracing the spirit of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons certainly provides us with many positive feelings that can help us immensely to do this. Also, just finding different ways to help others can actually help us!. Dusting off the old project that “I never have time to do!” and so on. These are just a few of many ways to avoid lethargy from settling in.

Remember….”The sun never quits shinning, it’s just that sometimes clouds get in the way”.

As any true Seattleite knows, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…. It’s about learning to dance in the rain!”

Continue to stay safe. 

Our country and the world will survive this pandemic.

Commander Joe Fitzgerald