News – Page 11 – Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063

Recap: VFW National Convention 2018

By Nestor Tamayao

The 119th National Convention Veterans of Foreign Wars convened July 21 – 25 at the Kansas City, Mo. Convention Center. The attending post delegates to the convention were Quartermaster Harold Rodenberger, Junior Vice-Commander Joe Fitzgerald, Trustee Aaron Stoltz, Junior Past-Commander Nestor Tamayao, and Comrade James Williams.

On Saturday and Sunday, the exhibition hall had many vendors’ and sponsors’ exhibits, a health fair, an auction, “Buddy” Poppy Contest featuring entries constructed of poppies, a veterans walk-in claims clinic, Southern, Big Ten, Eastern and Western Conference Caucuses as well as various committee meetings. On Sunday, in addition to various workshops and National-level meetings, there was a Joint Memorial Service and a Welcome Concert featuring Trace Adkins.

At the Joint Opening Session on Monday, July 23, VFW and Auxiliary members attended the formal opening of the 119th National Convention by VFW Commander-in Chief Keith E. Harman. A video recapped the many successes of the VFW in 2017-2018. Many VFW awards were given to individuals and organizations.

After the lunch break, the VFW and Auxiliary went into their respective business sessions. The VFW business session usual room seating configuration was grouped by state departments. Each department’s commander placed a placard bearing his or her state on a pedestal. Department, District and Post officers and delegates were all seated within their particular state’s area. Proposed by-law, manual of procedure, ritual amendments, finance and internal organization, general resolutions, national security and foreign affairs, veterans’ service resolutions, and convention rules were introduced by respective committees and approved or disapproved by the membership.

Tuesday’s highlight was the appearance of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Among other subjects, he spoke on issues with favorable direct bearing for the military, veterans, military personnel and their families. The president acknowledged the importance and need for the Veterans of Foreign Wars as a congressionally-chartered veterans organization. Prior to the president’s appearance, Marine Lt. Col. (ret.) Oliver North was introduced and given the VFW Distinguished Service Award. Also on Tuesday afternoon was a patriotic celebration for all delegates attending the convention.

The final day of the convention culminated in the election and installation of the national officers for the

Joe Fitzgerald and Harold Rodenberger stand in front of the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.

ensuing VFW year 2018 – 2019 complete with the usual pomp and circumstance. It’s quite the scene observing many delegates parading throughout the hall to celebrate each national officer’s election.

The old adage of “All work and no play…” did not apply at this convention as delegates were afforded many opportunities to eat, drink and be entertained. Kansas City, Mo. is noted for its great cuisine, local breweries and distilleries. Barbeque is one of the “food groups” of this city!

Yearly, thousands of VFW and Auxiliary delegates gather to represent the organization’s total membership of nearly 1.6 million at the National Convention. The convention gives the organization’s membership the opportunity approve national priorities, elect new leadership, recognize prominent individuals and organizations and work on issues important to veterans, service personnel and their families. The 120th convention will be in Orlando, Fla. July 20 – 24, 2019.

From the Commander (July 2018)

By Pete Krawitz

First, I’d like to thank you all for voting to have me stay on as the post commander for another year. I’m very humbled by the privilege to serve you and the community in this capacity. The rest of the leadership team and I look forward to continuing to work with you to build off the momentum that we’ve been building over the years.

I’d like to take a minute to reflect and celebrate some of our successes in the 2017/2018 term. It’s been a busy 12 months for Ballard Eagleson, but our hard work has paid off. This was evident at the Department of Washington convention when were informed that we achieved 111% of our membership goal, which now makes 3063 the largest post in the District. We also achieved the coveted “All State” status for the second year in a row. We even earned 1st place in the Department’s newsletter competition. We have a long list of successes this year and needless to say, I’m very proud to be a part of this post. Many thanks to all of you who helped get us here.

As our post community continues to grow, so will the challenges. Ballard, like the rest of the Seattle area, is changing rapidly. If we want to continue to be relevant in the community and serve veterans, we need to adapt and change with the city. “Change or Die” was the message that the VFW national rep delivered to us at the Department Convention. Thankfully, Post 3063 is in much better shape than some other posts around Washington State, but we still have a lot of work to do if we want to ensure our relevancy and long-term existence in Seattle. Over the next month, I’ll be working with the post leadership team to draft up our strategy, goals, and initiatives for the 2018/2019 term. We will need your help to make this next term just as successful as the last. I look forward to working with you all for another year!

Post 3063 In the News

“Singapore summit offering hope to Korean war veteran, Korean-Americans, too.” Comrade Al Simpson spoke to KIRO 7 News about his thoughts on the U.S.-North Korean summit. He reflected on his service during the Korean War and his hope for a brighter future. Check it out at https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/singapore-summit-offering-hope-to-korean-war-veteran-korean-americans-too/768641285.

“Seattle war memorial to lose battle guns, drawing criticism even as city cites safety, costs” The Seattle Times reported on the removal of the Dewey gun batteries from Woodland Park. The parks department said that Post 3063 suggested the city place a plaque in place of the guns. Read the article at https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-war-memorial-to-lose-battle-guns-drawing-criticism-even-as-city-cites-safety-costs/.

Post Achieves “All State Post” Status

By Alyson Teeter

Post delegates attended the VFW Department of Washington’s 2018 State Convention in Bremerton June 21-23. The convention started with a joint session with the auxiliary that featured numerous guest speakers, including Governor Jay Inslee and VFW Auxiliary National President Dee Guillory. During the joint session, awards were also presented, and our post newsletter, the Ballard Eagleson Patriot, won first place in the Class I category.

Various committees met for business, by-law changes were voted on, and department leadership was elected and installed for the new year. Our very own District 2 comrade, Linda Fairbank, was installed as the 2018-2019 VFW Department of Washington Commander.

Friday evening there was a banquet and more awards were presented. Commander Krawitz and Quartermaster Rodenberger received white hats for achieving All State Post status, which was achieved by completing various reports on time, reaching membership goals, attending district meetings/workshops, participating in community activities, and other factors. Post 3063 achieved approximately 111% of the post’s membership goal for the year. Around 10% of commanders and quartermasters in the state receive the white hat.

VFW Past National Commander Jim Mueller represented national leadership at the convention and read a speech on behalf of VFW Commander Keith E. Harman at the banquet. The overarching message of the speech was survival. The VFW’s numbers are dwindling and posts must evolve or they will disappear. VFW Auxiliary National President Dee Guillory also spoke and she announced a new strategy to allow auxiliaries to stay open if a post closes its doors. Overall the convention was a great success and Post 3063 was well represented.