Category: History

Tell us about your new position and what you hope to accomplish during your term.

Last year our chaplain was unable to complete his responsibilities and I was asked if I would be willing to fill in. This year I was asked if I would like to continue as chaplain and I said yes. A concern I have as chaplain is connecting with those in our post who are unable to attend our meetings. Several people in the post have joined me in reaching out to these non-attending members. Our World War II vets are of special concern to our committee. We would value any information that you might have concerning a compatriot who is sick or perhaps for other reasons  is finding it difficult to attend our meetings. We would like to send them a card of encouragement and pay them a visit if possible.

 

How long have you belonged to Post 3063 and did you previously serve in an officer position?

I have been a member of the post for almost four years and this is my first officer position.

 

What is your military background?

I was enlisted in the Army starting off as an aircraft mechanic in Korea and then as a flight operations specialist at the Presidio in San Francisco. I was temporally drafted to do clerical work at Sixth Army Headquarters working for a Colonel Lee. Colonel Lee decided that I looked like a fine upstanding soldier and thought that somehow I would do, so he entered me into the Sixth Army soldier of the quarter competition which I amazingly won. The picture in this post adorned the walls of the Sixth Army Headquarters for three months in 1966 as part of this recognition.

 

What do you enjoy most about belonging to the VFW?

I enjoy the community of vets at Post 3063 and like the comradeship of connecting with the vets at the VA Hospital  on an on-going basis.  I also enjoy the work of supporting our quartermaster and guiding the giving and fundraising aspects of post activities.

 

Is there anything else you’d like to tell Post 3063 members?

Although the post does many worthwhile events like visiting the VA and helping veterans with claims for service connected disabilities, I find that just hanging out with the members of the post is the most enjoyable aspect of membership. They are a great group!

 

After a lifetime in aviation I’m now retired. I am currently a docent (tour guide) at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. I am there most Wednesdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and I would love to give any post member a personal tour.

 

By Alyson M. Teeter

 

Post 3063 members, friends, and family gathered with some of the post’s World War II veterans to honor their service at the post’s monthly social on Nov. 17, 2016.

 

Five of the post’s 14 living World War II veterans, along with two World War II veteran guests, were present at the ceremony. Members included Oscar Borchelt, Genaro Garcia, Herbert Leake, Al Linden, and Orville Mall, and the two guests were Richard Smith and Kristian Nielsen.

 

During the course of the night, members and guests mingled, recounted war stories, dined, and then participated in the recognition program. Commander Nestor Tamayao started the program with welcoming remarks and the Pledge of Allegiance.

 
“Freedom isn’t free and what you did kept our freedom,” said Commander Tamayao. “Our thanks extends from the World War II veterans to all veterans. Thank you to those attending.”

 

Commander Tamayao also noted that his father was a survivor of the Bataan Death March so he especially understood how important it was to recognize their sacrifices.

 
Certificates that featured an illustration of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and membership longevity pins were presented to every World War II veteran in attendance.

 
Post 3063 Chaplain Bill Griffith then narrated a slideshow that included photos provided by the veterans and a historical overview of World War II.

 
“’Old soldiers never die, they just fade away,’” Chaplain Griffith said, recounting General Douglas MacArthur’s famous quote. “The VFW doesn’t want our veterans to fade away. But we noticed that World War II veterans weren’t attending meetings anymore.”

 
He went on to explain that they hoped to devise a program to track veterans closer. Part of this effort was the nexus for creating the night’s recognition program.

 
After the slideshow, the night ended with group photos, words of gratitude, and farewells. These veterans will not be forgotten.

 

This is the first profile in a series of profiles of the 2016-2017 Post 3063 officers. 

 

Tell us about your new position and what you hope to accomplish during your term.

The position of Post Commander encompasses numerous duties and responsibilities in addition to its leadership role. A primary responsibility is to preside at all monthly meetings of the post and ensure that they are conducted in accordance with regulations, by-laws and applicable parliamentary rules. The commander appoints officer positions that are not elected positions, and appoints committee chairmen and committees as necessary. The commander approves all disbursements of funds properly authorized by the post, ensures all reports are processed and forwarded to the department and certifies that post trustees audit the post’s books and records.

 

A goal I have is to encourage many members who have not been or no longer attending meetings and socials, to participate when possible. With the help of the membership committee, I think we can reach out to those members and inspire them to be an active member of our Post. I also want to make sure our membership remains at 100 percent or better and concentrate on recruiting new members to help mitigate membership losses in the future.

 

How long have you belonged to Post 3063 and did you previously serve in an officer position?

I joined Ballard Eagleson Post 3063 in 1999 at the urging of a post member who I knew at work. Since that time, I’ve held the positions of trustee, surgeon, judge advocate, adjutant, quartermaster, junior vice-commander and senior vice-commander. I was going to continue with progression to commander the first time I was senior-vice, but had to relinquish that position when I took over as quartermaster when the quartermaster at the time unexpectedly passed away.

 

I have also been a District 2 Trustee and Junior Vice-Commander. In 2012, I was appointed as the  WA State Inspector by the WA State Commander.  That position involved a lot of traveling throughout the state’s 17 Districts which I had to inspect.

 

What is your military background?

I was drafted on March 23, 1971 and was directed into the Army.  After basic training in Ft. Lewis, WA and then Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, I became a combat engineer with the 5^th Engineer Battalion at Ft. Leonard Wood. In December, 1971 I was given orders to report to a Replacement Company in Korea for duty in Vietnam. For some reason, those orders were flagged and I was reassigned to report to the 16^th Engineer Battalion in Furth, Germany. Towards the end of my two-year enlistment, I asked for an early release from active duty to return to college.  Although out of active duty, I still had six years remaining of inactive Reserve duty. Two summers in a row I was called to Reserve duty and in 1976 decided to enter the Army Reserve.

 

In the Reserve, I began as a photojournalist with the 124^th Army Reserve Command 304^th Public Information Office at Fort Lawton, WA which was later re-designated as the 304^th Public Affairs Detachment. Besides a military journalist, other positions within the Reserve included administration specialist, editor of the Command’s Three Star Final newspaper, detachment sergeant, and first sergeant, combat medic and 70^th Regional Support Command Public Affairs Chief for the Command with units located in Washington, Oregon, Northern California and Utah.

 

I traveled extensively while in the Reserve and besides being deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina, had duty in Korea, Germany, Panama, Hungary, Croatia as well as numerous military installations in the Continental U.S. and Alaska. My final active duty was at the Pentagon in 2002 as an NCOIC at the Army Operations Center.  In November 2003, I retired from the Army Reserve with 32 years of active and Reserve duty.

 

What do you enjoy most about belonging to the VFW?

Although it was not by design that I would be in the Army, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would not trade it for anything. Belonging to the VFW gives me a chance to still be a part of the military experience through the camaraderie I enjoy with the members of our Post as well as other Posts. The VFW is a large fraternal organization and its members have a common bond which members relate to.  The “war stories” never get old.

 

Is there anything else you’d like to tell Post 3063 members?

I admire how our post has evolved into, once again, active participation by members. I recall when I was initiated, there were many in attendance and thought that was the norm.  However, over time, the attendance at meetings began to dwindle to a point where we could not even have enough to constitute a quorum. Today we have many active participants in several committees, various activities and events, and members with new ideas and perspectives.