Category: Commentary

Here we are at the start of another VFW year. The new officers have taken their positions and committee members are appointed and anxious to go to work. I know you’ve heard and read it before but I’ll say it again. We have our regular business meeting on the first Thursday of each month and a social every third Thursday. Help kick off the new VFW year by planning to attend regularly.

 

With the beginning of a new year we are starting from last year’s calculated base to make one hundred percent of our membership again. Every year we lose members due to some moving out of our area, some passing on to their reward and some deciding not to renew their membership. I know that last is hard to believe, but it actually happens once in a while so look around and see if you can bring in at least one new member this year to help get our membership back up to one hundred percent.

 

Your post is getting more and more active in the community. The newly formed Color Guard is practicing marching and drilling with our new M1 Garand rifles. Interested personnel should email the Color Guard Captain, Bill Hoeller, at [email protected] or call him at 206-632-3173.

 

Our redesigned website (vfwseattle.org) is up and running. When you have time give it a look. It is interesting and you may find some information you can use.

 

We are visiting more hospitals and nursing homes. If you would like to volunteer to participate in these visits shoot us an email, contact us via our website or call the office, 206- 782-8618.

 

Our new Service Officer, Gail Engler, attended the Washington State VFW Service Officer school last week and is ready to provide assistance to veterans and family members in our community who need help applying for benefits or who would like more information about what’s available. Contact her via the Web page or email at [email protected].

 

Two weeks ago on Flag Day, for the first time in over 35 years, we held a flag retirement ceremony in our parking lot. It was an impressive ceremony.

 

On Memorial Day some of our members visited the patients at the Seattle VA Hospital. We plan another visit on Independence Day, the Fourth of July, to visit with patients and pass out treats. If you are interested in attending, please call me at: 206-972-2135 or email [email protected].

 

By Harold Rodenberger

Halfway through the calendar year we are just ending the VFW year.

 

Our new officers were elected in April and installed during our May meeting. They will assume their duties at the end of June after the installation of our Department (Washington State) Commander. A list of our new officers, both elected and appointed, may be found elsewhere in this paper.

 

During our new VFW year, we will see further progress on several fronts.

 

Our new Color Guard performed flawlessly at the District 2 spaghetti dinner and raffle. We anticipate more occasions when they will serve our post and community with their special skills. Incidentally, Chairman Bill Hoeller has been working tirelessly to obtain M1 rifles from the Army. We should see those arrive later this month. With the addition of the blank-firing rifles our Ballard Eagleson Color Guard will be equipped to fire salutes during funerals and other formal occasions.

 

As word gets out via our website, Facebook page, etc. about our new office hours, we are seeing an uptick in visitors to the office. We serve our community better when people know the doors will be open when they come to our post.

 

People sometimes ask about our experience with the tent camp next door. So far the positive experiences have far outweighed the negative. The chef for one of our renters hired two of those homeless to help in the kitchen, and they received accolades from all. To help sustain the camp residents we regularly donate left overs from our kitchen resulting in good food for them and less waste for us.

 

This coming year will be a period of continued growth in the membership of our post. Come to meetings or socials or join with the volunteers to help make our post a more active and vibrant organization.

 

By Harold Rodenberger

This will be my last contribution to the Post newsletter in my soon to end capacity as Post Commander. After the changeover officially takes effect after the VFW state convention in June, you can look forward to the dynamic prose of new Commander Nestor Tamayao. In the interim, I want to provide you with a few updates and special recognitions.

 

Our Honor Guard has now received three surplus M1 Garand rifles, thanks to the effort of our colleague Bill Hoeller. Bill has devoted considerable time getting our Honor Guard off the ground and researching proper drill and ceremony and Honor/Color Guard etiquette. Thanks Bill, for your hard work. In addition, among the many of you that assisted with our District 2 fundraiser on May 1, I want to offer particular appreciation to Russ and Kay Seelig, who contributed a significant amount of the food preparation, ticket sales and auction items. I’m pretty sure they were the first to arrive for set up and the last to leave. My thanks also to the many of you that did your part to make our fundraiser successful.

 

On May 18, I represented the post at the military honors service for recently passed 1st Lt. David Bauders, who died in Iraq on May 6 while serving as a platoon leader in the 176 Engineer Company of the Washington National Guard. The service at Tahoma National Cemetery was heavily attended and featured an impressive turnout of Washington State Patrol Troopers (the late Lt. Bauders’ day job) and a contingent of Seattle police officers, one of whom is the brother of the deceased. The death of Lt. Bauders reminds us that the conflict in Iraq continues to absorb American resources, and sometimes lives, even as our media seems to have lost interest in the story the second former President George W. Bush left the White House for the ranch in Crawford, Texas. I offer my thanks to citizen soldier Lt. David Bauders for his efforts to keep us all safe from the ISIS animals spawned by what has become a largely underreported war. I urge all of you to keep Lt. Bauders and his surviving family in your hearts and prayers.

 

By Aaron Stoltz