By Harold Rodenberger
The turn of another calendar year marks the midpoint of our VFW year. As with most of my cohort, it seems the years flow by faster the older we get. I’m not sure what I did last Wednesday but I vividly recall earning my VFW eligibility in Vietnam even though it was over fifty years ago.
The year also passed quickly at VFW Post 3063. Some highlights include:
- Another year of membership increase
- Enthusiastic officers filling our organizational chairs
- Many visits to the VA Hospital and other nursing and retirement homes to visit our veteran comrades
- Greater activity on our social media platforms
- A grand fund raiser dinner
- Increasing ceremonial participation by our nicely uniformed color/honor guard
- Greater numbers of diners enjoying the menus at our monthly social
- New meeting arrangements and format for our monthly business meetings
Looking forward, we see both challenges and rewards. On the membership front, we’ve lost several of our older members, some younger members have relocated or otherwise moved on and recruiting new members is slower than usual; our building continues its relentless march toward old age; our budget revenue stream is outpaced by expenditures and the color guard needs more members to fulfil the many requests we receive for ceremonies.
As for rewards, more of the younger generations of war fighters are joining with us and attending meetings; our administrative procedures are being streamlined and updated and more officers are accepting positions of responsibility to work on the many tasks involved in a growing post. As we meet the challenges our rewards will increase.
Back to the calendar year. A symbolic fresh start inspires me to do more for fellow veterans and my community; to find the bright side where I can and accept the not so bright if I must.
I need to make more pleasant interactions and less of the surly kind or, “wag more, bark less” as the bumper sticker says.
Finally, I resolve sometimes to join my little dog, Kuro, and romp in the snow or otherwise relax and enjoy life.