Category: Post Business

Quartermaster Update (April 2023)

By Harold Rodenberger

The VFW was formed by volunteer veterans of earlier wars seeking to help and socialize with other veterans of those wars. As the organization grew, many local posts were chartered with the same goals.

Our post was chartered in 1926 by volunteers who felt strongly about helping and socializing with their fellow veterans. Those men (only men in those days) of the post, and ladies (only women in those days) of the soon to be founded auxiliary, worked long and hard to raise money to keep the post vibrant and eventually to build a building that became their home away from home. Those dedicated volunteers started the race and carried the first baton.

As the years passed, those members passed on and others stepped up to keep our post alive and well. In the forties and fifties we had baseball and bowling teams, a drill unit and an honor guard. There were weekly bingo games and other fundraisers. In the late sixties, we even had a bar and lounge for a few years. All of those activities required many volunteers to support the post.

In addition to those volunteers, there are many other members who are volunteers in spirit. They help by keeping their dues paid or moving up to life or Legacy Life memberships. As the old saying goes, “There is strength in numbers” and those members, local and remote, keep us strong through their memberships.

As the deadline neared for me to submit this final quartermaster’s update to our editor, I reflected on the more than forty years that I’ve been a member of the post. I have played only a small part in keeping the post going forward. It was the synergism of many people working together that kept us alive and well.

Now it is my time to pass the baton. I have been honored to serve as your quartermaster for the past ten years, and even though I’m stepping down as quartermaster, I will continue to help out in any way I can, for as long as I’m able.

I salute those who came before, all of you current members, and all of our new volunteers who will continue to run the race and carry the baton into the future for Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063.

Post re-branding update

While we’ve been working on updating the inside and outside of our post home, we’ve also been updating our digital presence. Our membership approved the new post logo at our February business meeting, which is now featured on our website and Facebook page. (We’ll start having swag made with the new logo too.) You’ll see that our website look was updated to reflect our new branding, along with this newsletter. Based on feedback from new members, we also created an Instagram account. Be sure to follow, like, share and engage with our social media accounts! 

Commander’s Corner (March 2023)

Greetings comrades! There’s a ton of action happening at our post and we need this to be a team effort. Have you wondered what our VFW post actually does? Well, I created this “Mind Map” of our post to outline what we do at the operational level. Did you know Harold Rodenberger was performing a bulk of this work while Quartermaster? This is unacceptable and as he “retires” from the position we all need to do our part to meet our mission requirements. On that note, we’ll be starting the 2023-2024 nominations process at our March 2 meeting. Thank you to everyone who volunteers to take on a leadership position.

This weekend, March 4-5, a local boy scout troop — led by an Eagle Scout applicant — will paint the lounge. We’ll then get to work placing and hanging memorabilia. Eventually we’d also like to replace the lighting, furniture and freshen up the bar area. For more details about the redecorating plan, check out this document.

Our March 16 social is going to have a twist: it’s doubling as a fundraiser for District 2 (our next higher VFW organizational element). Tickets are $20, which is an awesome deal considering the food, entertainment and camaraderie you’ll reap.

Also in March we’re hosting our first ever flag recycling event on the 25th at 2 p.m. at the post. We’ve collected more than 300 discarded flags. We used to dispose of the flags by burning them but neighbors complained and we agreed: this is not an environmentally friendly solution. We did our research and discovered that discarded flags can be properly disposed of by shredding and recycling the fabric, which is a win-win! If you have a pair of fabric shears and would like to help shred, please join us! Also feel free to drop off your unserviceable flags.

 March is a month to honor our veterans of Vietnam and Operation Iraqi Freedom. On March 20, 2003, President George W. Bush officially launched Operation Iraqi Freedom so this year is the 20th anniversary. The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 was signed into law by 45th U.S. President Donald J. Trump, designating every March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

Lastly, I want to commend our Service Officer, Comrade Joseph Mesa. He embodies the VFW Motto, Nobody Does More for Veterans. He volunteers his time to help veterans and family members with the VA claims process. He is sought after far and wide due to his commitment to service and excellence. Thank you Joseph for your continued service! You are the best of the best.

In comradeship,
Aly Teeter

Commander’s Corner: February 2023

By Alyson Teeter


Greetings comrades! I’ve been back for a few days from our state’s Mid-Winter Conference and the fresh ideas I heard from VFW comrades near and far (and even our own post) were inspiring. It renewed my motivation to press ahead on our post interior refresh.

  • The Boy Scouts will paint our lounge soon and we’ll need to thoughtfully decorate in a way that is inviting to members and potential recruits. Tell me if you can help with this.
  • We must eventually address the recommended infrastructural upgrades in the 2019 architectural review but also quickly take action on low-cost/easy upgrades. 


New members — Comrades Randy Brock and Jon Thurman — had insightful thoughts about our recruiting and retention efforts from a new member perspective. His main point: we need to improve our vibe and attract post-9/11 veterans if we want to stay relevant. I totally agree. Let’s stay focused on this goal.

Speaking of recruiting, we must build off our year last year and increase our participation in local events. In addition to the Seafood Fest, we should consider staffing booths at the:

  • Fremont Fair 
  • Ballard Farmer’s Market
  • Grocery stores


Buddy Poppies, benefit information and applications are a must at all these events. Most of all we need folks willing to put themselves out there to recruit and show the community that we’re here and have a mission to help veterans.

 
Lastly, none of these plans can come to fruition without the hard work of volunteers. Our steadfast super star volunteer, Comrade Quartermaster Harold Rodenberger, would like to fully enjoy retirement and has asked that we replace him during the next election cycle, which starts in March. If the prospect of being QM scares the crap out of you, I get it. Harold has been performing duties for various post positions over the years, which isn’t sustainable. The plan is to spread the duties amongst others so that our future Quartermaster can focus on their core volunteer duties. If you enjoy business management and administration, the QM gig would be your jam. Please let Harold know if you’d like more information.

See you at Thursday’s meeting!