News – Page 48 – Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063

Service Throwback: Wally Michl

Comrade Wally Michl, then a U.S. Army soldier, is pictured second from the left here in a photo from North Korea in the fall of 1950. The truck was a 3/4 ton Weapons Carrier with C Battery, 8th Field Artillery Battalion, 25th Infantry Division. It hit a mine and Wally was right behind the vehicle when it happened. He notes that someone gave him this photo during a reunion many years after it was taken!

*We’d love to see your photos too! Submit them to [email protected].*

Commanders Corner and Auction Recap (October 2020)

Well Done Comrades!

The raffle that wasn’t – actually was pretty much of a successful Owl!

It was obvious to the fundraising committee that this year our usual sit down Spaghetti Dinner and Raffle was not going to happen due to the restrictions and limitations of Covid-19… and so, the raffle would not happen either.

It began to look like we would just have to make do with the Spaghetti dinner ala take out that Chef Kay Seelig has perfected, and that would be it for this year.

But wait a minute… Comrade Aly Teeter to the rescue! She introduced the committee to the “Bidding Owl” – an online auction she had recently been involved with for a different concern. Maybe the raffle could be replaced by the Bidding Owl!

And so it was….

With a lot of work primarily on the shoulders of Comrade Aly who set it up, and Comrade Harold Rodenberger who implemented the Bidding Owl, we had an online Auction that became, “The raffle that wasn’t.”

Some of the items featured in the virtual auction.

Comrade Harold will be submitting all the financial particulars that will be showing that in spite of Covid (or maybe because of Covid) this year’s fundraising effort was very much a success!

Certainly there are many people who contributed in various ways with the fundraiser effort, and without them it would not have happened, but I do want to recognize these people in particular who really stepped up for us to help make this year’s fundraiser a success.

· Comrade Aly’s family who provided the main “Hot Ticket” item for the raffle.

· Richard and Pat Murray for their continuing support of all our post activities.

· The Burien Highline Kiwanis Club who provided the five gift baskets totaling over $500 in value, and another $300 in dinner tickets that were gifted right back to the Post!

I will speak to all of this again later, but for now I just want to thank these people and all of you for your contribution to this year’s fundraiser effort!

Joe Fitzgerald

Post 3063 Commander

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.