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Poulsbo Post 245
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Version of News Letter
MEETING CHANGE NOTICE
!!
Our next General Meeting will on held on Friday, Oct. 22 at the
Poulsbo Fire Station at 19:00.! |
COMMANDER’S
CORNER
By- Bill Bogardus
Comrades,
Our
first news letter for this year.
As most of you know, we have decided to sell the Post Hall. It was getting too much
for us; the money and upkeep. We
have an offer and approved it. We should be having
settlement around the first of Sept.
We have been looking for a new meeting place, somewhere in
town and we have some leads.
We
are also looking for an office for the Service Officers for we
have to move from our city hall location in a couple weeks. We need help with that if
anyone can.
If
you were not able to attend our July picnic, new Department Commander
Ken Lee was there. The
Post was recently contacted by the Suquamish Tribe before their Chief
Seattle Days celebration in Suquamish.
At that celebration the Post was awarded a plaque for our
support in the community. I
was able to attend to receive the award for the Post.
I will be presenting to the USCG Auxiliary
Flotilla on Bainbridge Island a certificate of appreciation for their
part in our Memorial Day Ceremony.
For
God and Country,
Bill
Bogardus
SERVICE
OFFICER REPORT
By- Terry Inman
The Service Office continues to serve between 5-8 clients a
week, with a lot of newcomers. Vets that are just now submitting the
required paperwork for their compensation, with a lot of them being
Viet Nam vets.
We still have no word on where the office will be moving at the close
of the City Hall and the Mayor has quietly requested that we not be
there longer than the end of the month. Without an office, this service
that we provide will be stilled. I believe that I can speak for both
Earl Jones and myself, we do not want this to happen. With that in
mind, I have made myself a portable office of forms that are nec-essary
for claim submittals and will continue to assist our brother vets as I
can from wherever I can.
PAST
COMMANDER'S UPDATE
By- Bob Theal
I recently had the
opportunity to visit Spokane and attend the American Legion Baseball
World Series. The weather was great and the tournament was spectacular.
Before the games started I attended the opening banquet where I had the
honor of sitting next to “Gunny Lauve”, a highly
decorated Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant and veteran of sever-al World
War II and Korea battles now residing in Wenchatee. The guest speaker
was Hall of Famer George Brett, who provided the players and the
audience with an excellent motivation speech. All of the games were
played in warm but not hot temps and nice low humidity, which all of
the teams enjoyed. The new national champions are the Mid-City Oklahoma
Outlaws team who beat the Eden Prairie Minnesota team, twice on the
last night.
During the numerous breaks between games, I had the opportunity to have
several talks to chat with National Com-mander Clarence Hill and Mr.
Bill Haase, the Senior Vice President from the Cooperstown Baseball
Hall of Fame.
I look forward to speaking with as many of you in the months to come as
we progress into our new Legion year. A Past Commanders job is never
done.
LADIES
AUXILIARY
By- Marilyn Teal
Well, it’s hard to believe that summer is closing
and we’re about to enter into a new season. Personally,
I’m still hold-ing out hope that my tomatoes will ripen.
I’ve got a lot of them on the plants, but they’re
still a very distinct shade of green. While I know we didn’t
have a summer of fabulous weather this year, it could have been worse.
I spent two weeks on the east coast in temperature of 90 degrees with
85% humidity and no air conditioning. I felt like I needed gills to
breathe. Not great for sleeping, however, their gardens are
flourishing. So there’s good in everything, you just may have
to look a little harder. Who knows maybe we’ll have a dry and
mild winter. Keep the faith!
I do not have a lot to report at this time, but I did want you to know
about some upcoming Auxiliary Events.
Membership
September 29th is our first membership goal date. So if you
haven’t done so already, I offer a quick reminder to get your
dues to Joan Watte.
District
Conference
October 23rd is the 3rd District Conference at the Bainbridge Island
Post 172.
Department
President Visit
November 20th Department President Jane Montaney will visit our
district. The details have not yet been worked out. More to follow.
Retsil
Gift Shop
November 29th – December 2nd is the Retsil Gift Shop. They
can use mailing boxes, wrapping paper, cards, gift items and cash for
shopping and mailing costs. Most years we have a group that goes down
for a day. If interested give me a call. We can usually set up a car
pool.
Unit
Officers for 2011
President: Marilyn Theal
Vice President: Barbara Sather
Membership Secretary: Joan Watte
Chaplain: Clara Smith
I look forward to a great year with all of you.
VENTURING
CREW 1042
By- John Zantec
We Have A Venturing Ranger
It came as a complete surprise. At the closing ceremony for
this year's National Youth Leadership Training course at Camp Pigott,
BSA Scoutmaster Phil Sohn announced that the Chief Seattle Council had
approved the award of the Venturing Ranger Medal to the course's Senior
Patrol Leader...Crew 42's Jeff Zantek.
The Ranger award represents years of work for Jeff, who is an original
member of the Crew, chartered to the American Legion Post 245 in
Poulsbo. To earn Ranger, a Venturer must display skills in 8 core areas
and in at least 4 of 18 elective specialties. The core areas include
First Aid, Wilderness Survival, Emergency Pre-paredness,
Communications, Leave No Trace, Cooking, Land Navigation, and
Conservation. The electives include Backpacking, Cave Exploring,
Biking/Cycling, Ecology, Equestrian, First Aid, Fishing, Hunting,
Lifesaving, Mountaineering, Outdoor Living History, Physical Fitness,
Plants & Wildlife, Project COPE, Scuba, Shooting Sports,
Watercraft, and Winter Sports. All requirements must be accomplished as
a Venturer and are quite challenging.
The presentation of the Ranger Award came just as Jeff was preparing to
depart the Council and start his freshman year at the University of
Montana. Congratulations, RANGER Jeff!
EDITOR'S
NOTES
By- Don Spinar
Breidablik Hall Sold!!
As mentioned in the Commander’s article, by the
time you read this, the sale of the Post’s Hall should be
finalized. This
means that the September meeting date and location has changed to
Friday 9/17 at the Poulsbo Fire Station and that subsequent
meeting dates and locations will change but are undetermined at this
time.
We’ll have a lot to do when the sale is finalized so we will
need extra hands to move stuff (e.g. equipment, tables, etc.). If
you’re able to help, send me an email to dspinar@comcast.net
and when I’m sure of our schedule, I’ll send you an
email letting you know the date(s)/time(s).
Hope you can help,
Don Spinar
Monopoly
Here & Now
Starting in 1941, an increasing number of British Airmen found
themselves as the involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the Crown
was casting about for ways and means to facilitate their escape...
Now obviously, one of the most helpful aids to that end is a useful and
accurate map, one showing not only where stuff was, but also showing
the locations of 'safe houses' where a POW on-the-lam could go for food
and shelter.
Paper maps had some real drawbacks -- they make a lot of noise when you
open and fold them, they wear out rapidly, and if they get wet, they
turn into mush.
Someone in MI-5 (similar to America 's OSS ) got the idea of printing
escape maps on silk. It's durable, can be scrunched-up into tiny wads,
and unfolded as many times as needed, and makes no noise whatsoever.
At that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that had
perfected the technology of printing on silk, and that was John
Waddington, Ltd. When approached by the government, the firm was only
too happy to do its bit for the war effort.
By pure coincidence, Waddington was also the U.K. Licensee for the
popular American board game, Monopoly. As it happened, 'games and
pastimes' was a category of item qualified for insertion into 'CARE
packages', dispatched by the International Red Cross to prisoners of
war.
Under the strictest of secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible
old workshop on the grounds of Waddington's, a group of
sworn-to-secrecy employees began mass-producing escape maps, keyed to
each region of Germany or Italy where Allied POW camps were located.
When processed, these maps could be folded into such tiny dots that
they would actually fit inside a Monopo-ly playing piece.
While they were at it, the clever workmen at Waddington's also managed
to add:
1. A playing token, containing a small magnetic compass
2. A two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together
3. Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German, Italian, and
French currency, hidden within the piles of Monopoly money!
British and American air crews were advised, before taking off on their
first mission, how to identify a 'rigged' Monopoly set -- by means of a
tiny red dot, one cleverly rigged to look like an ordinary printing
glitch, located in the corner of the Free Parking square.
Of the estimated 35,000 Allied POWS who successfully escaped, an
estimated one-third were aided in their flight by the rigged Monopoly
sets. Everyone who did so was sworn to secrecy indefinitely, since the
British Government might want to use this high-ly successful ruse in
still another, future war.
The story wasn't declassified until 2007, when the surviving craftsmen
from Waddington's, as well as the firm itself, were finally honored in
a public ceremony. It's always nice when you can play that 'Get Out of
Jail' Free' card!
Story verification:
http://blogs.wsj.com/informedreader/2007/11/19/wwii-pows-perk-monopoly-with-real-money/
Federal rules published for Tricare Retired Reserve
(From: Air Force Retiree News Service)
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AFRNS) -- The interim final rule for the Tricare
Retired Reserve, or TRR, program has been pub-lished. That brings the
opportunity for members of the Retired Reserve who are not yet age 60,
the so-called “gray-area” retirees, to purchase Tricare
Standard coverage one big step closer to a planned program launch
expected as early as September 2010.
At that time, instructions about how to qualify for and purchase TRR
coverage will become available. If purchased, TRR cover-age is expected
to go into effect as early as Oct. 1.
The statute that established TRR requires that qualified retired
reservists pay premiums equal to the full cost of the coverage without
government subsidy. According to the interim final rule, monthly
premium rates for 2010 will be $388.31 for TRR member-only coverage, or
$976.41 for TRR member and family coveage. Rates will be adjusted
annually.
This year's premiums are based on the actual costs during 2007 and 2008
for providing Tricare benefits to people in the same age categories as
the retired reserve population. The 2011 premiums will be adjusted
based on 2008 and 2009 costs.
Beneficiaries can read the entire interim final rule on line at
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-19313.pdf. A 60-day comment
period will allow for public input before the final rule is issued.
Those interested may submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking
Portal -- www.regulations.gov -- or by mail to the Federal Docket
Management System Office, 1160 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC
20301-1160.
Retirees who may want to purchase TRR coverage should make sure their
eligibility information is correct in the Defense Enroll-ment
Eligibility Reporting System.
To get more information about TRR as it becomes available, visit
www.tricare.mil/subscriptions and sign up for "Benefit Chang-es" for
“Retired National Guard and Reserve Member.” (Courtesy of
Tricare)
Needs for VA Hospitals/Facilities
All Posts/Units/Squadrons and Chapters:
Our VA Medical Centers, as well
as the Soldiers' Home & Veterans' Homes are in continuing need of
the following "Comfort" items.
Please note: Because of the level of care given by the VA Medical
System and the requirements which have been established, they are
requesting that all items be Name-Brand quality, and all products need
to be alcohol-free.
Shower Slippers - Size: Large
Shaving Cream
Tooth Brushes
Combs/Hair Brushes
Nail Clippers
Deodorant
Denture Cleanser
Denture Cream/Adhesive
Razors
Emery Boards (No metal files, please).
If you are unable to take or
send these to the VA Hospital/Facility of your choice, please notify
the De-partment VAVS Coordinator, Jim Broe via e-mail at:
jimbroe@earthlink.net. If you do not have e-mail, please ask a friend
or relative to send it, so that there is a written record of the
donation or re-quest - or, contact your Post to relay the information.
We will attempt to provide collection/delivery of these goods.
The greatest need for these products is at the Seattle and American Lake Facilities.
Thank you,
Jim Broe
Department VAVS Coordinator
The American Legion,
Department of Washington
15600 NE 8th St. Suite B1-678
Bellevue, WA 98008-3900
206-999-6502
jimbroe@earthlink.net
The Value of Grass
Look at the picture of this
Army soldier in Iraq with his tiny 'plot of grass' in front of his
tent. Here is a soldier stationed in Iraq, stationed in a big sand box.
He asked his wife to send him dirt (U.S. soil), fertilizer, and some
grass seed so that he can have the sweet aroma, and feel the grass grow
be-neath his feet.
When the men of the
squadron have a mission that they are going on, they take turns walking
through the grass and the American soil -- to bring them good luck.
Notice he is cutting the grass with a pair of a scissors.
Sometimes we are in such
a hurry that we don't stop and think about the little things that we
take for granted. Say a little prayer for our soldiers that give and
give (and give up) so unselfishly for us.
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS:
9/11 Poulsbo Freedom Walk (10:00-See flyer on 'Home' page)
9/13 Veterans get in free at the Puyallup Fair
9/17 Post General Meeting (19:00) at Poulsbo Fire Station
9/20 Veterans get in free at the Puyallup Fair
9/30 Crew 42 Meet (19:00) at Poulsbo Fire Station **
10/6 Auxiliary Meet (Sian Palace-17:00)
10/21 Post General Meeting (19:00) **
10/23 Aux. District Conf. at B.I. Post 172
10/28 Crew 42 Meet **
** Because of the move, check the web site to verify the date & location