Greetings, comrades! Reflecting back, May was a month of service and remembrance. From our Day of Service event at the post, to staffing Buddy Poppy tables at community spaces, to receiving a City of Seattle Memorial Day Proclamation, we were connecting with our community, spreading the word about the VFW mission, and reminding folks of the importance of honoring the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. Thank you so much to the post members and families who spent their free time to connect and serve.
We’ll continue to connect and serve our community as the summer months progress. We have the Fremont Solstice and Fair first up June 22-23. The Fremont Rotary and Seattle Police Department will share a booth with us and we need to volunteers to help staff it! Let me know if you’d like to help out. Around the corner we also have the Ballard SeafoodFest July 13-14. These are important opportunities to raise awareness and also recruit new members. This is a team effort so volunteer if you’re in town and available.
Another way to build connection is the Post Social. We’re having a different type of social for June….drinks at The Sloop June 21. The first round of beverages are on me! We’re planning a breakfast social for July and save the date of August 10 for the Annual Post Picnic at the Seelig’s. More to come but please share if you have ideas for future socials.
We spent Memorial Day weekend at various locations in Ballard, to include the Ballard Farmer’s Market, QFC and Trader Joe’s. Our efforts raised awareness about Memorial Day, Buddy Poppies, and VFW Post 3063. We also collected donations for the Relief Fund. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community and they were happy to see us. A huge thank you to all our amazing volunteers, including family members, for their dedication and support!
We had a blast at Ballard’s Syttende Mai Parade on May 17 with Post 3063 members, families, and friends! Thanks to everyone who came out to support us. Let’s keep the tradition alive—mark your calendars for May 17, 2025!
May 18 we combined our annual Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW and One Seattle Day of Service into one big event! In addition to post members and their families pitching in, we had local citizens volunteer to clean up the outside of the post and surrounding area. We also recycled unserviceable flags. We were all united in service to our community and enjoyed making new connections during our barbecue lunch. Thank you to the Fremont Rotary Club for their support too!
On May 21 Commander Teeter and Comrade Ellingboe, along with Comrade Jesse Palacios from West Seattle VFW and Dale Watanabe from the Nisei Veterans Committee, received a City of Seattle Government Memorial Day Proclamation.
Comrade and Councilmember Robert Kettle sponsored the proclamation, along with Councilmember and veteran Rob Saka.
This is the first City of Seattle Memorial Day Proclamation in recent history and we commend the veterans on the council for spearheading it. Their recognition honors the bravery and sacrifice of our fallen heroes, and together, we ensure their legacy endures and their service is never forgotten.
City of Seattle PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, Memorial Day has been observed since 1868, and recognized in its more familiar form as we know it today, since the end of World War I, yet before that, it was celebrated on different days and even sometimes referred to as Decoration Day; and WHEREAS, our country honors this day with parades and ceremonies, which is in keeping with General Order No. 11 of Headquarters, Grand Army of the Republic, signed in 1868. The order stated: “no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit”; and WHEREAS, the intent of the order was: “to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades”; and WHEREAS, each year in May, Americans pause to observe Memorial Day, a National holiday since 1971 set aside to remember with dignity and admiration those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our great nation; and WHEREAS, our predecessors who shaped the structure of our government and defended our freedoms so that future generations would be free to live their lives as they chose, set forth the groundwork for higher discoveries in science, exploration, and democratic values, also started long-lasting traditions that enrich our heritage, and fought in wars so that future generations, both near and far, would be free to live their lives; and WHEREAS, on Memorial Day, it is of the utmost importance to hold dear the memories of our friends and family members who have served and gave their last full measure of devotion for our country to help preserve the freedoms and rights guaranteed to all people under the U.S. Constitution; and WHEREAS, on this day, we all pay tribute to those who have given their lives in service of our nation, our fathers, brothers, sons, now also mothers and sisters and daughters and family members, or our neighbors and our friends, and our community whose participation in such events provide a “fitting testimonial of respect” to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation; NOW, THEREFORE THE MAYOR AND SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL RECOGNIZES MEMORIAL DAY, MONDAY, MAY 27TH, 2024 Mayor Bruce A. Harrell Council President Sara Nelson Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth Councilmember Robert Kettle Councilmember Cathy Moore Councilmember Tammy. J. Morales Councilmember Maritza Rivera Councilmember Rob Saka
