News – Page 13 – Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063

Post Adjutant Outlines Communication Initiatives

By Alyson M. Teeter, Post Adjutant

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.
- Submit meeting agenda items at http://vfwseattle.org/index.php/resources/meeting-agenda-item-submission-form/.
- Do you volunteer, fly a flag, recycle, give blood, donate goods to charity, or any other activities that improve the community? The VFW wants to know this information! Submit community service info to http://vfwseattle.org/index.php/resources/community-service-reporting/.

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.

Greetings from the Newly-Elected Auxiliary President: Donna Limric

Hello, my name is Donna Limric and I’m the newly elected VFW Post 3063 Auxiliary President. Thank you to the members of the auxiliary for your votes of confidence. I would also like to introduce our newly elected Sr. Vice President Margo Clutter and our newly elected Treasurer Elizabeth Guncay. I would like to express our gratitude to the past officers for their service and hard work.

Last summer I became a member of the auxiliary to support my husband, Norman Limric. I took the position of president to support the post, which has become such an important role in his life.

There is a great deal of work to be done to make this a functional auxiliary that fulfills its mission to support our veterans and our community.

We need to attract new members. With that goal in mind I have started to build a Facebook page. My next idea is to have a presence at many community events this year.

We are currently working on a project to serve our community. We are collecting prepackaged snacks for social services agencies who outreach to homeless mentally ill people in our community; many who are veterans. We will be handing out a flyer with more information at the next business meeting and social. The collection box is on the table across from the front entrance of the hall.

If you have a family or friend who is interested in joining the auxiliary, please email me at [email protected].

Herb Leake: Engineer, Aid to MacArthur & Devoted Husband

By Gail Engler

It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Post 3063 Life Member Herb Leake who passed away on Nov. 21, 2017 at the age of 97.

Herb was born on April 8, 1920 in St. Charles, Illinois. Herb was a Veteran of WWII and served in the U.S. Army, a member of the 101^st Airborne. Herb attended ROTC at University of Washington, and studied Aeronautical Engineering. He was working at Boeing when he received a letter from the Army saying he had been selected for the service. He wanted to join the Navy but was told he could join the Army and transfer later. That never happened, of course.

Boeing tried to keep Herb working there instead of going off to war, saying he was a critical employee to the aeronautical industry. Herb was initially a riveter on the B-17 program at Boeing, then a few months later he transferred to Material as an estimator. He remained there until he entered the U.S. Army on June 14, 1944. He had received a deferment for a few years but eventually joined the Army and was sent to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA. He was wearing PFC stripes on his uniform and was asked where his stripes were. He was given corporal stripes and told to sew them on right away. He was eventually commissioned a second lieutenant after completing OCS.

Herb was sent to the Pacific Theater, which he felt guilty about as he spoke German and thought his language skills could be used in Europe. Many of his OCS buddies went to Europe and they were all killed in the Battle of the Bulge. As his wife said, “Herb’s life seemed to be charmed.” He wasn’t sent to Europe and survived the Philippines. In the Philippines he served as an aide to General McArthur. He was told that his unit would be a part of the invasion of Japan and that there would be no survivors. Luckily, Herb survived his WWII service.

Herb Leake — Herb and Anne Leake at a post holiday social.

Sometime during the war Herb met his first wife but soon after he returned home from the war his wife asked for a divorce. A few years later he and Anne met in Seattle. Herb was dating Anne’s sister when they first met; she was attending Cornish College. After she graduated and went on with her career in commercial art, Herb started calling Anne. Anne was teaching dancing in Westlake Center at night. She also was working a job in Port Angeles. She said she had to quit that job to marry Herb due to the long distance between the two cities. Eventually they married on Feb. 14, 1953. They would have celebrated their 65th Anniversary in 2018.

Herb was in the National Guard at the time they met. He retired as a lieutenant colonel after serving 40 years in the National Guard. One of his duty stations was at the old Armory at Seattle Center. He and Anne had three children together and they each had one child from previous marriages. Herb also worked for Boeing at the same time and retired after 40 years. After retirement Herb served as a volunteer at the Museum of Flight and helped restore the Boeing Model plane 247D, which was United Airlines flagship plane for many years. Herb had a private pilot’s license and was allowed to help fly the 247D partway from Tucson to Seattle. Herb also belonged to the Highline Flying Club and was active in the Boeing Seahorses scuba diving club where Herb was President.

Anne Leake has been an active member of our post auxiliary and has played Santa Claus for our Christmas parties. Her father used to play Santa Claus for many years.

In November 2016, Bill Griffith, Post 3063 Chaplain, organized a remembrance to honor all the WWII Veterans in our Post. Herb attended the celebration.

We will all miss Herb and greatly appreciate his service in World War II. We extend our sincerest sympathies to Anne and her family. A Celebration of Life will be held April 8, 2018, 1-3 p.m. at the Museum of Flight, 9404 E. Marginal Way. Internment of ashes will be April 9, 2018 at Acacia Memorial Park and Funeral Home, Lake Forest Park.