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].
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.
Website: The post’s official page at http://vfwseattle.org/ was revamped in the past couple years and it’s a resource for Post 3063 members. You can also use it for recruiting or for hall rentals.
The post’s Google calendar is available at http://vfwseattle.org/index.php/resources/event-calendar/. You can add this calendar to your own calendaring system if you always know what’s going on with the post. The hall rental calendar is also posted on the website.
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.
As Ballard Eagleson Post 3063 Service Officer I am here to educate and inform veterans and their family members about their benefits, assist them in requesting military records, and submitting applications for benefits such as for disability, compensation and burial benefits. I can also provide a resource or referral for additional needs. Since I am not an accredited service officer, I cannot sign off on the forms as a veteran service organization (VSO) representative or submit the claim.
I can, however, help you request military records and obtain and complete the correct forms for submission to the VA. Claims are submitted by accredited VSOs located on the 10th floor of the Jackson Federal building at 915 2nd Avenue, Seattle. Any of the VSOs at the VFW, DAV, VVA and American Legion can submit a claim to the VA. An accredited VSO will review and submit the claim, and make sure it is well documented and that you have a fully developed claim. This ensures that your packet is not returned for minor things such as missing or incomplete form or missing documents. They can also track your claim once it is submitted to the VA.
An important part of submitting a claim, especially for a service connected disability claim, is having all the required documentation prior to meeting with the service officer. Do you have a copy of your discharge papers from the service (DD 214 or equivalent) and your medical records from military service (which may document a service connected injury)? Do you have civilian medical records from your physician or other civilian medical professionals that further supports a service connected injury or illness?
Military discharge papers, personnel and medical records can be requested online by going to the VA website (http://www.va.gov) and completing an SF 180. Depending on your branch of service and when you served will determine where you send the request. If you do not have your discharge papers, do not procrastinate in getting a copy of it because it provides proof of eligibility for your veteran’s benefits. Your spouse and/or family members or Power of Attorney should also know where you keep this important document.
Another important thing for veterans to keep in mind is making sure their loved ones are taken care of and that they know what benefits they are eligible for when the veteran passes away. For instance, if a veteran has filed a disability claim with the VA and passes away before the claim has been approved or disapproved, a “substitution of claimant” can be submitted that allows the VA to process the claim that was filed before the veteran’s death.
Also, the veteran’s widow is not automatically entitled to the veteran’s disability check. They must apply for a survivor’s pension, which is based on the veteran’s wartime service and must meet the income threshold of $80,000 in assets. The primary residence is not included but checking/savings accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real property are included. Some expenses, such as unreimbursed medical expenses, may reduce your countable income. The VA will determine if there are any accrued benefits are paid to the surviving spouse.
If a veteran is age 85 or older, or if the veteran has a terminal diagnosis, a request for the claim to be expedited will be included. A surviving spouse may also be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) if the veteran died from service connected disability (SCD) or the SCD contributed to their death. The SCD must be listed on the death certificate.
It may seem overwhelming to file a claim or you may think you are not eligible for any benefits but it is important to discuss this with a service officer and get their assistance in filing a fully developed claim. The VA must then do their due diligence to determine the eligibility of the claim. The claim process can take months but it may be worth your time.
I can be reached at [email protected] to set up an appointment to meet with you.
Shortly after our move from Seattle to Butte, Montana, I began to understand why Montanans cherish the phrase “The Last Best Place” to describe their state. Montana is the fourth largest state in the nation, but the 2017 estimated population is only 1.05 million. Butte’s density is 74 people per square mile. By comparison, Seattle’s density in 2016 was 7,962 persons per square mile. The spaciousness and size of the wilderness areas is part of Montana’s charm, but there is so much more we find attractive about life here.
The hunting, fishing and hiking culture is so widespread in Montana that it may be one explanation for the reason so many businesses are closed on Fridays year-round. This includes contractors, electricians, plumbers, painters, furnace/AC installers, roofers, and even many medical and dental practices. Consequently, skilled workers are in high demand and heavily scheduled. Things we planned to have done this year are now on the list for Spring 2018.
Montana has the highest per capita number of veterans of any state in the U.S., and the degree of patriotism here reflects this. From the crowds at various memorial functions, both national and local, it is clear many residents honor and support veterans. Many houses display the flag on holidays and a fair number are visible on homes and businesses year-round. There are monuments in cemeteries for the Korean War and the Vietnam War and many VA grave markers in special veteran’s sections. If you can prove veteran status, you can get license plates including the word “Veteran” and your choice of service branch emblem. Your driver’s license can read “Veteran” as well, helping get discounts in many stores offering veteran discounts. I see multiple ball caps with various veteran logos on them. The American Legion and the Marine League are the big things in Butte; the VFW has a much smaller profile.
Parking is a pleasure in Butte. The streets are wide and parking lanes have probably four feet or more clearance by the street lane if you park against the curb. There are very few places, even in the center of town, with paid parking spots, although there are some two-hour limits at places like the Court House. There is no parking garage, although one is under construction in the central business district. So far, parking has never been a problem. Even in residential areas we find the same very wide streets with wide parking lanes.
Median income in Butte is about 54% lower than in Seattle. This impacts things such as home prices, where it is possible to find homes on the Flat with three times more space and one-third the cost of similar houses in Seattle. Real estate taxes are significantly lower than Seattle. With the exception of utilities, all the other cost-of-living indices are lower than in Seattle. There is no sales tax, but there is a state income tax.
On the down side, Butte can have some brutal winters. The average temperature in December 2016 was 12 degrees with a mean minimum of -22 degrees. This is somewhat mitigated by lower humidity so you feel less cold at 12 degrees than you would in Seattle at the same temperature. And when you walk out in the morning to fetch the local newspaper, there is a wonderfully clear and clean smell to the air. Although there is a fair amount of snow, because of the lower humidity frequently it is a drier snow which often blows away or melts in between heavier days of snow. So far, it has not been a serious problem for us.
We had a bad weather period this summer due to an unusually heavy period of forest fires, making it the most expensive forest fire-fighting period in history. Even though the burns never approached Butte, the air quality from the drifting smoke fell into the unhealthy level a number of times. I hear Seattle had some similar times from fires in British Columbia. We spent a good part of those weeks indoors. Still, the air didn’t seem to bother most Butte residents. It didn’t prevent them from going to various outdoor festivals.
There are little things that required adjustment. For example, we’ve nearly given up on hard boiling eggs. At this altitude, this is a very random event. You’re never sure what you will get. Other cooking often needs some adjustment in times/temperatures because of the altitude. Primary care doctors are limited and many do not accept new patients. Most specialties are represented in Butte with at least one physician. Some people drive to Bozeman or Helena for more specialist options. Quite a few residents use the “doc-in-a-box” approach at places like ExpressCare.
There are no “big box” stores like Costco or Sam’s Club in Butte. For those you need to drive to Helena, Missoula, or other larger cities. There is a Walmart’s and a fascinating store called Three Bears Alaska. The latter is a combination of small big box, hunting (including guns and ammo), fishing, grocery, wine and beer shop plus pharmacy. So far it fills close to all of our needs and is about five minutes from our house.
Cheeseburger
Eating out in Butte is a real experience. Probably because of its Western history, meals are gargantuan. My first cheeseburger in a Butte restaurant nearly covered a dinner plate.
This Mac & Cheese is a single serving.
Order sausage for breakfast at Gamer’s Café and you get a pancake sized sausage—home grown—definitely not Jimmy Dean. Many main dishes are enough to serve two “foreigners” like us. But the prices tend to be much less than in most Seattle restaurants.
The friendliness of the people struck us almost immediately. It is not uncommon at all for strangers, men mostly, to say something like, “How you doing?”, “Hey there” or something similar when you pass them on the street or in a store. The pharmacist at Three Bears on my second visit not only recognized me but had pulled my prescription from the shelf when he saw me walking up.
Before our move, I was a bit concerned about the change from sea level to the mountains. Butte is surrounded by mountains and our house sits at 5, 516 feet. On my one visit before the move I definitely felt the difference. However, within one day of our move, I had acclimated to the altitude.
Our Lady of the Rockies
This photo is the view from our back deck looking towards the East Ridge on the Continental Divide. The white object is Our Lady of the Rockies, a 90-foot statue dedicated to the Virgin Mary, built by volunteers, lit at night and standing at 8,510 feet above sea level.
There is a wealth of social opportunities—clubs of all sorts, festivals galore, including Evel Knievel Days—and a restored 1923 theatre which gets Broadway traveling stage productions.
Best of all, Butte has a true small-town character, which reminds me in many ways of the small town I grew up in in Missouri. The move was a very good decision for us, and we are having a great time here.
The turn of another calendar year marks the midpoint of our VFW year. As with most of my cohort, it seems the years flow by faster the older we get. I’m not sure what I did last Wednesday but I vividly recall earning my VFW eligibility in Vietnam even though it was over fifty years ago.
The year also passed quickly at VFW Post 3063. Some highlights include:
Many visits to the VA Hospital and other nursing and retirement homes to visit our veteran comrades
Greater activity on our social media platforms
A grand fund raiser dinner
Increasing ceremonial participation by our nicely uniformed color/honor guard
Greater numbers of diners enjoying the menus at our monthly social
New meeting arrangements and format for our monthly business meetings
Looking forward, we see both challenges and rewards. On the membership front, we’ve lost several of our older members, some younger members have relocated or otherwise moved on and recruiting new members is slower than usual; our building continues its relentless march toward old age; our budget revenue stream is outpaced by expenditures and the color guard needs more members to fulfil the many requests we receive for ceremonies.
As for rewards, more of the younger generations of war fighters are joining with us and attending meetings; our administrative procedures are being streamlined and updated and more officers are accepting positions of responsibility to work on the many tasks involved in a growing post. As we meet the challenges our rewards will increase.
Back to the calendar year. A symbolic fresh start inspires me to do more for fellow veterans and my community; to find the bright side where I can and accept the not so bright if I must.
I need to make more pleasant interactions and less of the surly kind or, “wag more, bark less” as the bumper sticker says.
Finally, I resolve sometimes to join my little dog, Kuro, and romp in the snow or otherwise relax and enjoy life.
