News – Page 86 – Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063

From the Commander (July 2018)

By Pete Krawitz

First, I’d like to thank you all for voting to have me stay on as the post commander for another year. I’m very humbled by the privilege to serve you and the community in this capacity. The rest of the leadership team and I look forward to continuing to work with you to build off the momentum that we’ve been building over the years.

I’d like to take a minute to reflect and celebrate some of our successes in the 2017/2018 term. It’s been a busy 12 months for Ballard Eagleson, but our hard work has paid off. This was evident at the Department of Washington convention when were informed that we achieved 111% of our membership goal, which now makes 3063 the largest post in the District. We also achieved the coveted “All State” status for the second year in a row. We even earned 1st place in the Department’s newsletter competition. We have a long list of successes this year and needless to say, I’m very proud to be a part of this post. Many thanks to all of you who helped get us here.

As our post community continues to grow, so will the challenges. Ballard, like the rest of the Seattle area, is changing rapidly. If we want to continue to be relevant in the community and serve veterans, we need to adapt and change with the city. “Change or Die” was the message that the VFW national rep delivered to us at the Department Convention. Thankfully, Post 3063 is in much better shape than some other posts around Washington State, but we still have a lot of work to do if we want to ensure our relevancy and long-term existence in Seattle. Over the next month, I’ll be working with the post leadership team to draft up our strategy, goals, and initiatives for the 2018/2019 term. We will need your help to make this next term just as successful as the last. I look forward to working with you all for another year!

Quartermaster’s Update (July 2018)

By Harold Rodenberger

Having recently returned from taxing my body physically while climbing in the Himalayas, it’s back to taxing my brain while serving as your post quartermaster.

Those of you who followed along on my blog are aware of the rigors entailed in climbing to Everest base camp. If you didn’t follow my reports, I can assure you that it was one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced.

While the trekking pretty much was a solitary quest, the tasks and burdens of quartermaster are shared by many of you. Our Commander and Adjutant have picked up parts of the load, many volunteers have stepped up to share the day-to-day jobs that need to be done to keep our post operating. All of you, whether sharing a word of encouragement, signing up a new member or renewing your own membership early, have helped keep our post alive and growing.

At the recent Washington State VFW Convention in Bremerton, Commander Pete and myself were awarded white hats as All State Commander and Quartermaster. These honors reflect well on us, but, to continue the trekking comparison, they reflect the great job you, as members and volunteers, have done to keep the heart of this post throbbing and its blood pumping.

This month marks the beginning of the new VFW year. Again, we are starting from ground zero to help veterans and their families in our post, in our community and wherever we find them.

As veterans of foreign wars ourselves, we are uniquely positioned to reach out to our fellow veterans of all generations. Having been there we alone can understand their problems and their achievements.

To get this new year of to a good start, please keep an eye out for new recruits to our post. Invite them to join with our veterans in comradeship and a community effort to help themselves and others in an ever-widening circle of influence.

Finally, as the year progresses, please help us get the credit we are due for helping in our community by reporting any of the good things you do. We are making the feeder forms easier to send in and, if each us could find the time to complete the report we will help our post, state and national organization get the credit we deserve as Veterans Helping Veterans.

Post 3063 In the News

“Singapore summit offering hope to Korean war veteran, Korean-Americans, too.” Comrade Al Simpson spoke to KIRO 7 News about his thoughts on the U.S.-North Korean summit. He reflected on his service during the Korean War and his hope for a brighter future. Check it out at https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/singapore-summit-offering-hope-to-korean-war-veteran-korean-americans-too/768641285.

“Seattle war memorial to lose battle guns, drawing criticism even as city cites safety, costs” The Seattle Times reported on the removal of the Dewey gun batteries from Woodland Park. The parks department said that Post 3063 suggested the city place a plaque in place of the guns. Read the article at https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-war-memorial-to-lose-battle-guns-drawing-criticism-even-as-city-cites-safety-costs/.

Post Achieves “All State Post” Status

By Alyson Teeter

Post delegates attended the VFW Department of Washington’s 2018 State Convention in Bremerton June 21-23. The convention started with a joint session with the auxiliary that featured numerous guest speakers, including Governor Jay Inslee and VFW Auxiliary National President Dee Guillory. During the joint session, awards were also presented, and our post newsletter, the Ballard Eagleson Patriot, won first place in the Class I category.

Various committees met for business, by-law changes were voted on, and department leadership was elected and installed for the new year. Our very own District 2 comrade, Linda Fairbank, was installed as the 2018-2019 VFW Department of Washington Commander.

Friday evening there was a banquet and more awards were presented. Commander Krawitz and Quartermaster Rodenberger received white hats for achieving All State Post status, which was achieved by completing various reports on time, reaching membership goals, attending district meetings/workshops, participating in community activities, and other factors. Post 3063 achieved approximately 111% of the post’s membership goal for the year. Around 10% of commanders and quartermasters in the state receive the white hat.

VFW Past National Commander Jim Mueller represented national leadership at the convention and read a speech on behalf of VFW Commander Keith E. Harman at the banquet. The overarching message of the speech was survival. The VFW’s numbers are dwindling and posts must evolve or they will disappear. VFW Auxiliary National President Dee Guillory also spoke and she announced a new strategy to allow auxiliaries to stay open if a post closes its doors. Overall the convention was a great success and Post 3063 was well represented.