Category: Post Business

Quartermaster’s Update (October 2020)

By Harold Rodenberger


What a summer it’s been! Pestilence, fire, smoke, it seems almost Biblical. No swarms of locusts or floods yet, but the year’s not over. The fires and smoke have gone, but the pestilence remains, and will for who knows how long. Mask up, wash up and space out. Best practices for you and your fellow humans.


The highlight of the summer quarter was our fundraiser. As of this writing, the net gain to our Relief Fund is approximately $4,350. We are still receiving donations so I don’t know what the final figure will be. Whatever it is, it will be much appreciated by the needy recipients of our Relief Fund donations. Many thanks to all of you who contributed items for the auction; those who purchased items from the auction; Chef Kay and helpers; all those who helped put on and serve the spaghetti dinner; and the drivers who delivered to our members who were unable to attend.

This year, in nursing homes and hospitals across the country, the disabled veterans who normally assemble our VFW Buddy Poppies have been unable to do so. As a result, VFW Posts throughout America have been asked to help out by assembling Buddy Poppies. To encourage participation, we will earn $0.02 for our Relief Fund for each poppy assembled. If you would like to help out, please email me at [email protected] or call or text 206-972-2135 and I’ll get you started.


Our Post has mementos of past events that need to be preserved for future generations of members, ergo we need a person (Post Historian) who is interested in organizing, documenting and posting photographs and documents to the online History Room on our website. If you would like to help out in this way, please contact me, and let’s get important post history preserved.


This year disabled veterans, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, and primary caregivers for qualified veterans were added to the list of patrons at the military exchanges and commissaries. If you have a Veteran Health identification Card (VHIC), you can shop there. If you qualify but have no ID card, you can apply for one at https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/vhic.


At some time, we all did our patriotic duty by serving in a war zone, defending our country and its allies. Soon it will be time to do our patriotic duty again. In this year’s general election, we will be choosing our leaders from local city, county and state officials all the way up to members of congress and the president. The right to vote is embedded in our constitution and is a patriotic duty of all Americans. Exercise your rights and vote! You can check your voter registration info at voter.votewa.gov.

Officer Spotlight: Sr. Vice Commander Bryce White

This is a recurring column that highlights the 2020-2021 post officers.


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

As the second most senior official in the post, I will assist the Commander in his duties and in preserving order.  I will preside over meetings in the absence of the Commander.  I hope to work with our post members and identify and or initiate programs needed in our community.  Reaching out into our communities is crucial to our organization.  This will help in developing relationships with community leaders and local civic groups.  We must find the ways and means to be more active and visible within our local community.  Finally, I would like to recruit new members to our post.


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

I joined Post 3063 a few years ago.  At first, I would just come every once and a while to connect with other veterans, but lately I have been trying to get more involved and helping in any way possible.  I just recently served as the Junior Vice Commander last year.  I also joined the post’s Honor Guard last year.


What do you enjoy most about belonging to the VFW?

I like belonging to the VFW because the VFW advocates for veterans. If someone needs assistance or wants the camaraderie, the VFW is a great place. If a veteran is having issues with mental health, there is always a helping hand.  I have a purpose to serve, and most Marines have a place in their heart to serve as well.  It’s a better way to serve and better the community by doing things such as helping veterans and your community.  We volunteer to make a difference in our community, and we get to meet new people.

Update on Covid-19 and Don’t Forget to Wear Your Mask!

By Robert Lehman, M.D., Post 3063 Surgeon


As a physician, public health officer, and member of this organization, I offer this brief update of where we are with COVID-19.


There are 7 corona virus strains that affect humans.  Four of them we have all experienced, as 25% of the common cold is a corona virus.  In 2003, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) killed 800 people in China and 3 other countries.  With very tight isolation and wearing masks, and with the luck that the virus was less contagious than the flu, the disease was controlled, and disappeared before a vaccine could be created.  In 2012, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) affected 27 countries, primarily in the Middle East.  Although 900 people have died from this, (one-third of those infected), it has not easily been passed from human to human.  And now we have SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the disease COVID-19.


This virus is rapidly spread because 40% of those infected NEVER have symptoms, and thus continue to infect others, often for weeks.  This is a respiratory virus spread by an infected person when breathing out.  That is why EVERYONE needs to wear a mask when around others, as the person without symptoms does not know they are infected and thus can infect others.  It is breathing that infects others, and that is why it is vital that the NOSE and MOUTH be covered.  Face shields are NOT approved as there is no filtering when that person exhales, and bandanas have been shown to be worthless.


To emphasize this, masks are primarily worn to protect OTHERS; although there might be a small amount of protection to the person wearing the mask.  [Wearing a mask should remind people to wash their hands whenever they remove their mask, before they touch their face.].  People who stand out at rallies without masks and say “if I die, I die” don’t understand this.  They need to wear a mask as they can never tell if they themselves are infected and thus passing it to others.  It isn’t their lives at risk when they don’t wear a mask; they pose a risk to the rest of us.


This has been a confusing virus as 40% of people infected have no symptoms, and yet others become extremely ill and die.  I’ll skip the long scientific explanation, but a protein named ACE2 might be a key.  It appears that ACE2 receptor is a magnet for the virus.  Those with higher levels of ACE2 might get ill easier and far more severe than someone with a low level.  ACE2 is higher in chronic lung and heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, smokers, and pregnancy.  Genetically, it is higher in some families than others.  It does appear that it tends to be less in children.


Lastly, the world seems to be putting its hope on a vaccine.  But to use the annual flu vaccine as an example, flu vaccine is recommended to prevent people from DYING from the flu.  As we all know, some people will continue to get the flu despite having been vaccinated.  I hope that I am wrong, but I doubt a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine will prevent all cases of COVID, but hopefully it will dramatically decrease deaths and the need for hospitalization.


In the meantime, please wear your mask whenever around others to prevent infecting others if you happen to be one of those infected and without symptoms (and who may continue to shed the virus for 14 days or more).  AND, wear a mask to also remind yourself that your hands might be contaminated and might infect yourself.  ALWAYS wash your hands or use sanitizer whenever you remove your mask, particularly for eating, drinking, and smoking.

Considerations for Wearing Masks

Hi everyone.


 
I’m Bob “Maddog” Lehman, your post surgeon; which is also literally true in my case as I am a physician and surgeon.


I want to offer my congratulations on a wonderful “social” takeout dinner on Thursday night. However, I also need to express my concerns as a physician and public health officer.


I observed one person with their mask below their nose. This is wrong on so many levels.

 

1.  The Governor’s decree (and CDC, and everyone else) is that “facial covering” means NOSE and mouth. Violating this is violating the State rule, which puts the Post at risk to be fined by Public Health as well as being shut down for doing take out while “staff” are not following the rules.

 
2.  But more seriously, Covid-19 is a respiratory virus. If you have had a Covid test or know someone who has, you realize the sample is taken from inside the nose. Not covering the nose with a mask means that person is potentially contaminating everyone around that person with every breath they exhale. 

 

3.  REMEMBER, we are not wearing masks to protect ourselves, but to protect others. It is like driving a car and depending on the other cars to stay on their side of the yellow line.  We wear our masks to protect others in case we are infectious and are not aware of it. And in so doing, we trust that everyone else is wearing their masks appropriately as well. There might be a slight protective filtering advantage to wearing a mask; no one knows this for sure or not. But obviously this advantage is gone if the nose is not covered.

 

4. The reality is that a huge percentage of the Post members are in the high-risk category for serious illness should we get infected due to being in the more mature age group. We have to protect each other.

 

We have a saying in the military, which fits here as well. “If you see something, say something”.  Unfortunately, in this case I was social distancing off in a far corner awaiting my order while the person wearing the mask below their nose left before I could say something. There were other people present. I’m surprised that no one noticed.  But perhaps people did notice; it is human nature to be afraid to say something. But a person not covering their nose is a potential danger to you. You would honk your horn if you saw someone driving on your side of the road. We all need to say something if someone is not wearing their mask or wearing it incorrectly.

 

I was in QFC the other day and the overhead announcement stated that the nose and mouth must be covered to be in the store. If the shopper is unwilling to keep the nose and mouth covered, QFC recommended that they leave the store and take advantage of shopping online instead.

 

We all need to say something when someone is not wearing their mask or wearing it incorrectly. My standard line is “excuse me, but your mask has slipped below your nose.” Do people get angry?  Yes.  Do I care?  NO!

 

And while I am on this subject, let me remind everyone that a face SHIELD is not an approved face covering. When you watch the news, you will see those wearing a face shield are also wearing a mask. There obviously is no filtering with a face shield.

 

Stay safe. If you have any questions, feel free to ping me.

 
Bob Lehman
Post 3063 Surgeon

Commander’s Corner (August 2020): WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH THE FUNDRAISER!

By Joe Fitzgerald


In past years this has been a spaghetti dinner coupled with a raffle. COVID has changed things a bit. This year we are still having the spaghetti dinner via curbside pick-up! (with limited home delivery for those in the vicinity of our post). The dinner will be available on Sept 12th from 4:30-6:00pm, and the usual $20.00 ticket price remains the same. The number of dinners is limited to 150 so be sure and get yours early! Tickets are available from post officers, online at EventBrite (details TBA), or at the office during business hours 1:00-5:00 pm, Thursdays and Saturdays in August and early September. 


To replace the raffle, the Committee has developed a fantastic Virtual Auction! 


The auction items will range from books to boats to baked goods, and also will include some very special items. All bidding will be handled via BIDDING OWL!  Go to vfwseattle.org and click on the virtual auction scrolling across the page to see how it works. It will be simple and easy to do, and a lot more fun than you can imagine!  Quartermaster Harold Rodenberger (206-972-2135), Jr Vice Aly Teeter-Baker, and Committee Chair Russ Seelig will all be available to answer any questions.


***Here is the rub though, and where we need all your help to make this fundraiser as successful as possible! 

Several of our benefactors who supplied many raffle items in the past, just are not able to financially support us this year or have even gone out of business! 


WE ARE IN NEED OF ADDITIONAL AUCTION ITEMS! and – we need all your help on this. Like: 


1) Reaching out to persons or entities that would be willing to donate an item to the Auction. (I recently contacted a butcher I know, and they agreed to donate a meat gift certificate!). This sort of thing is easier than you think! Tell yourself: JUST DO IT! The worst they can do is say NO!!! 


2) Also, handcrafted items, artwork, or homemade baked goods, can all make nice auction items.


3) Tap into your creative inner self and come up with things like Comrade Stokke who dusted off his fishing boat and is providing a fishing expedition as an auction item!  Maybe you welders out there could offer up some type of welding as an item to be auctioned off, and so on. You get the picture.


IF WE ALL PULL TOGETHER ON THIS, OUR SPAGHETTI FEED AND AUCTION WILL BE THE BIG SUCCESS THAT IT’S ALWAYS BEEN IN THE PAST.


COMMANDER JOE