Category: Post Business

Commander’s Corner (June 2024)

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.

In comradeship,
Aly Teeter, Commander

Memorial Day Weekend 2024 – Buddy Poppy Outreach

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!

2024-2025 Officer Installation

At our May 2 business meeting, Post 3063 officers were installed for 2024-2025. They will begin serving in their positions after the Department of Washington Convention in mid-June.

Congratulations to our officers and thank you for volunteering to serve your fellow veterans and the community! Thank you also to Past Commander Nestor Tamayao for presiding.

Here are the elected and appointed officers serving for the next year:

Commander: Alyson Teeter
Senior Vice Commander: Gabe Whetsel
Junior Vice Commander: Harold Hamilton
Quartermaster: Joseph Mesa
3-Year Trustee: Gail Engler
2-Year Trustee: Harold Rodenberger
1-Year Trustee: John Ellingboe
3-year House Committee: Mike Hicks
2-year House Committee: Jesse Basher
1-year House Committee: Bob Lehman
Adjutant: Harold Hamilton
Service Officer: Joseph Mesa/Harold Hamilton
Judge Advocate: Dan Stokke
Chaplain: Joe Fitzgerald
Surgeon: Bob Lehman
Officer of the Day/Guard: Russ Seelig

Quartermaster Update (May 2024)

By Harold Hamilton

Hello comrades! We have made it through another VFW year. It’s had its share of ups and downs. Comrades who have moved on to new opportunities and adventures, as well as comrades who have crossed into the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns. Through it all, our constant core has continued to move the post forward. I want to thank Aly for her leadership. I want to honor our trustees and senior members who have been the heart and soul of our post. Let’s also give a special shout-out to our Scottish Swiss army knife, Jan! We may not appreciate how crucial Jan is to the post’s operation.

We are facing a challenge of relevance in the lives of our veterans. We can be at the forefront of addressing this here at the post. We have the membership mix capable of achieving great things. How do we activate it? Yes, the problem is significant but we must not go gently into that dark night of irrelevance. We have work to do. In this coming year, let’s all commit to spreading our mission. In July, we will ask our members to commit to eight hours of service per month and to bring one guest to a social event per quarter.

Service Officer Update (May 2024)

By Joseph Mesa

In 2023, several critical issues concerning veterans have come to the forefront. Some of the key areas:

Disability and Retirement Pay:
1. Last year, Congress passed a significant benefits expansion for veterans affected by toxic exposure injuries during their service.
2. However, the focus this year is on ensuring that veterans who suffered injuries while on duty receive all the compensation they deserve.
3. The issue revolves around concurrent receipt and the Major Richard Star Act.
4. Currently, veterans with a disability rating of at least 50% receive both their full military retirement pay and disability benefits. But those with a disability rating below 50% face dollar-for-dollar offsets, resulting in reduced payments.
5. The Major Richard Star Act aims to allow combat-wounded veterans medically discharged before serving 20 years to receive both retirement and disability pay, without any offsets.

Mental Health Crisis:
1. Veterans experience high rates of mental health conditions, including PTSD, depression, and substance use.
2. Suicides among veterans increased significantly from 2006 to 2020.
3. Innovative treatment strategies are urgently needed, and addressing mental and metabolic health simultaneously may lead to better outcomes.

VA Workforce Challenges:
1. The Department of Veterans Affairs faces a flood of new cases due to the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act(PACT Act).
2. Claims processors are strained, leading to workforce challenges and impacting veterans’ access to services.

Finally, all veterans, including those exposed to toxins and hazards during military service, are now eligible for VA health care. Veterans who are exposed to toxins or hazards during training or active duty in the United States are also eligible. Eligible Veterans can enroll directly in VA health care without needing to apply for VA benefits.