Community Outreach

By Harold Rodenberger

Every year we observe milestones along the way to a new VFW year. Last month we had first nominations for office. During the business meeting later this week we will elect officers for the coming year. During the May meeting, those officers will be installed. After the new State Commander is installed near the end of our annual state convention, our new officers will take on their new roles and the new VFW year will begin.

As the days grow longer and the weather warms, we will be scheduling flag retirement ceremonies, shredder truck visits and cleanup days around our post. Memorial Day is coming and with it we will have our usual Buddy Poppy distribution teams working around our neighborhood. Every year we participate in the Memorial Day celebrations at local cemeteries. Please let one of our officers or myself know if you would like to join in any of these events.

All year, but especially as our year draws down, we are reminded that new members are critical to the life of our post. Every year we lose some who pass on to their reward, those who move to different parts of the country and others who simply move on to other pursuits and let their memberships lapse. For our post to replace those losses and grow we need to replace the losses and generate a few extra for good measure.

Please see if you can find a new member among your friends and acquaintances. Sometimes all it takes is to ask a potential new member to join. The critical part is asking. If they aren’t asked most people will never join.

They call it “March Madness” but the participating teams can’t be mad. They must be talented and skillful at what they do but, at this level, they also must be well disciplined team players who share a goal and work hard to achieve that goal. Every year, it seems that we hear about less talented teams winning because they play better as a TEAM.

Just like a basketball team, a successful VFW Post survives on teamwork. It takes many people doing their part for any post to thrive. Our post is blessed with many hard working volunteers who fill the officer positions and others who serve on committees, help with the Honor/Color Guard, help with hall setup and cleanup and otherwise play key roles on our team.

Here’s a big Thank You to those who help make the train run and the post grow.

By Joe Tiffany, Sr. Vice Commander

Nobody does more for Veterans.

That is the VFW’s motto. Our motto. I’d like to impress upon every member of Post 3063 the importance of new members. It is the life force of our organization.

I have some ideas for recruiting new members:

1. Set up a booth at the Ballard Sunday Market where we can answer questions and get our name out to the public.

2. Host an open house at our post with a barbecue of hamburgers and hot dogs this summer. We’d invite not only prospective members but our neighbors and community as well. We could also include a live band performance and a food truck. That will entice younger members to join.

If you have any ideas please contact me at joewelds@yahoo.com or 206-619-9521.

Hello, my name is Donna Limric and I’m the newly elected VFW Post 3063 Auxiliary President. Thank you to the members of the auxiliary for your votes of confidence. I would also like to introduce our newly elected Sr. Vice President Margo Clutter and our newly elected Treasurer Elizabeth Guncay. I would like to express our gratitude to the past officers for their service and hard work.

Last summer I became a member of the auxiliary to support my husband, Norman Limric. I took the position of president to support the post, which has become such an important role in his life.

There is a great deal of work to be done to make this a functional auxiliary that fulfills its mission to support our veterans and our community.

We need to attract new members. With that goal in mind I have started to build a Facebook page. My next idea is to have a presence at many community events this year.

We are currently working on a project to serve our community. We are collecting prepackaged snacks for social services agencies who outreach to homeless mentally ill people in our community; many who are veterans. We will be handing out a flyer with more information at the next business meeting and social. The collection box is on the table across from the front entrance of the hall.

If you have a family or friend who is interested in joining the auxiliary, please email me at auxiliary@vfwseattle.org.

By Joe Fitzgerald

Seven members of the Post 3063 Honor Guard participated in the Wreaths Across America (WAA) Memorial Service at Lakeview Cemetery on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 9 a.m. WAA is conducted on National Wreaths Across America Day every December at 1,400 locations throughout the U.S., at sea, and abroad.

It has been sponsored by the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) at that Lakeview Cemetery the past several years. The service starts at Arlington National Cemetery at noon (eastern) and is conducted simultaneously at every national cemetery across the country in addition to any other cemetery that has servicemen and women buried or interned and wants to participate. Various volunteers from “service type” organizations typically organize this ceremony at the various cemeteries throughout the country with participation of current or past members of the military.

Our connection to this cemetery has been through Comrade Bill Griffith who is a of the local SAR chapter. He asked us to participate last year, which was Post 3063 Honor Guard’s very first event. We did a three gun salute at a very cold, quick, and simple ceremony.

This year we had enough advanced notice (and more honor guard members) to conduct a larger ceremony.

It started with a salute to the Colors and the Pledge of Allegiance by the Honor Guard, followed by opening remarks by SAR, and then the Laying of the Wreaths.

A remembrance wreath was laid for members of each branch of the Armed forces, the Merchant Marines, and POW/MIA - a total of seven wreaths.

As each wreath was brought forward and the branch represented was announced, the bearer stepped between two Honor Guards (Bill Griffith and Harold Rodenberger), who then rendered a hand salute as the wreath was laid at the base of the pole flying the American Flag. Each of the seven wreaths was presented in the same way except for a special moment for the POW/MIA.

At the conclusion of the wreath laying, the Honor Guard rifle detail (Anthony Rose, Dan Stokke and Norm Limric) conducted a three-volley rifle salute.

Taps was then played by Barry Roberts who is a member of Buglers Across America.

Closing remarks by SAR concluded the ceremony.

Color Guard Captain Joe Fitzgerald assisted SAR President Dan Keen with developing the program and called out the various commands throughout the ceremony. Comrade Tiffany Cavin was the honor guard’s photographer.

The Post 3063 Auxiliary is collecting nonperishable portable snack items at the post during the holidays. Cash and gift cards will also be accepted. All proceeds will benefit homeless clients of the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC). For more information, contact Donna Limric at 206-852-5434.