vol. 2016, no. 3 post 1 newslegionseattle1.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/post1news...the american...
TRANSCRIPT
Here we go again, same old stuff again… This is the start of a Jody Cadence that drill sergeants sang to sol-diers/trainees as they marched them in formation back in the 1970s. The idea was to put pride in their stride, while relating to them in the words and thoughts of their peers. Nineteen seventy might be a long time ago, but those words never leave you once they’re ‘drilled’ in.
The point is, if you can make something routine like marching feel special, that’s a win. Which begs the question, why should we feel special about belonging to Seattle Post 1. In our case, it’s because there are on-ly about 420 of us. That makes us the tip of the spear. We’re among the few who are actually ‘on the record’ as caring about what happens to veterans.
According to government statistics, there are about 600,000 veterans in Washington State. About 113,000 of them live in King County. That’s our AOR. We have only about 420. So, it’s not like we’re running out of targets.
The truth is there are a lot of vets out there who care. They just need a reason to join us. You’re the reason. If you care enough to solicit them, that sends them the message. The message is ‘nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care’. If you care, they will listen to your ‘whys’.
Nobody is going to help vets unless we keep our message out there in front of them. Can you imagine what we could accomplish if we recruited only one of every twenty local vets?
A couple of weeks ago, Jeanette and I went to Philadelphia for a business meeting of the 25th Infantry Divi-sion Association. I’m on the Board of Directors and Jeanette is President of the Heritage Society. After the meeting, we stayed a few extra days and toured three Civil War battlefields: Harpers Ferry, Gettysburg, and Antietam. The presentations that described the battles, the tactics, and the killing were stomach churning. The carnage was hard to fathom.
Most people simply don’t want to know. War is theoretical to them. And only those of us who ‘know’ about war can help the rest understand how to minimize war’s impact in the future.
We have work to do.
POST 1 NEWS
The American Legion May Vol. 2016, No. 3
COMMANDER’S CORNER
PO BOX 66949 Seattle, WA 98166 * 206 623-5967 * www.legionseattle.org
Commander Charles Murrell 206 854-7931 Sgt. At Arms Al Simpson 206 234-7208
Vice Commander Debra Wood 206 283-8991 Chaplain John Breen 206 783-5582
Finance Officer Jerry Biddle 206 367-4591 Service Officer Frank Albin 206 322-1253
Adjutant Don Mills 206 878-2401 Historian Jim Landerdahl 360 722-7147
Judge Advocate Clark Silliman 206 527-4464 Legion Riders Rod Baker [email protected]
Newsletter Editor: Mark Parenteau 206 321-3319 [email protected]
Administrative Assistant : Caroline Holmes 206 246-2934 [email protected]
Web Master: Bob Edwards [email protected]
POST 1 NEWS {Page 2
AUXILIARY UNIT 1 by Carolyn Wiley-Frasier
ADJUTANT’S REPORT
President: Carolyn Wiley Frasier 206 937-1197 Treasurer: Marian Thompson
Vice-President: Gerry Egner Chaplain: Lillian Stevenson
Secretary: Dianne M. Salmonsen Sergeant-at-Arms: Lucy Mack
Historian: Jeanette Murrell
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE: DUES $45.00 SEND YOUR DUES TO:
Post Goal…………………………..….420 Seattle Post 1
Paid Members to Date…………….424 PO Box 66949
Mail your dues today Seattle, WA 98166
Think you might have a new prospective member? Call Don Mills 206-878-2401
The American Legion Post 1 vehicle plates are available from the Post, for $10.00, Contact Adjutant Don Mills to get yours today. Good for when traveling to give/trade with other Posts you may visit. See photo to the right ——>>>
2016-2017 Officer Nominations
PRESIDENT: Carolyn Wiley-Frasier TRUSTEES
VICE PRESIDENT: Gerry Egner Grace Fortier
SECRETARY: Dianne Salmonsen Linda Landerdal
TREASURER: Marian Thompson Carol Medema
CHAPLIN: Glenis Pereboom
SGT.-AT-ARMS: Lucy Mack
HISTORIAN: Jeanette Murrell
JR. PAST PRESIDENT: Glenis Pereboom
PARLIAMENTARIAN: Venita Holthaus
POST 1 NEWS Page 3
(Continued from previous page, Auxiliary Unit 1)
POPPY
The purpose of the Poppy Committee is to educate our membership and the public concerning the Pop-py’s significance and the financial benefit realized by our nation’s veterans as a result is its distribution.
Since the Unit’s Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation and Children & Youth funds are derived from the annual poppy distribution, it is essential that it be a success.
Promotional Poppy materials are available at www.ALAforVeterans.org and through American Legion Emblem Sales at www.emblem.legion.org.
Publicity for Poppy Days
Because our poppy is an emblem of sacrifice, those who love it must make every effort to teach the true meaning of the flower. The success of the poppy distribution depends upon the advance publicity.
The public should also be reminded that the disabled men and women in hospitals, and their families are assisted by our poppy funds. The public will then know that The American Legion and the American Le-gion Auxiliary are continuing to keep faith with those who gave their all for our freedom.
Poppy Facts
In the spring of 1919, amidst complete devastation, the poppies bloomed u abundance n the battlefields of France where so many of our men had fallen in battle, and that a replica of this poppy has become the Me-morial Flower of the American Legion Auxiliary.
The American Legion as the first national organization to adopt the poppy as its Memorial flower, having taken this action at the National Convention in Cleveland, September 27-29, 1920.
The American Legion Auxiliary adopted the poppy as its Memorial Flower at its organizing convention held in Kansas City in October 1921.
At the time the American Legion Auxiliary adopted the poppy, it pledged 100% of the profits from the poppy distribution to welfare relief for servicemen and servicewomen and their families, thus fulfilling the true meaning of the poppy, an emblem of faith; faith which is being kept with all who died through service to the living.
The American Legion Auxiliary, in order to protect the memorial poppy fro the inroads of commercialism, adopted a national poppy program at the St. Paul Convention in 1924 which eliminated the commercial poppy.
Through the American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Program, more than $300,000 is paid annually to needy and disabled servicemen and servicewomen for making the poppies.
Proceeds from the distribution of over 25,000,000 poppies annually under the guidance of the American Legion Auxiliary amount to more than $2,000,000, every penny of which is devoted to Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation work by both The American Legion and Auxiliary, which includes aid to needy veterans and their families. The method of distribution varies in each Department, depending upon the nature of the demands for help. Each of our 9,000 Units in communities scattered all over the United States, its territori-al possessions, and in foreign countries where veterans reside, maintains a Veterans Affairs & Rehabilita-tion Committee working under a chairman, and a Children & Youth Committee with its chairman.
The public is given an opportunity each year to help in the significant work of The American Legion and the American Auxiliary, as well as an opportunity to pay tribute to all who died in service, by wearing a poppy on Poppy Day.
POST 1 NEWS {Page 4
POST 1 LEGION RIDERS by Rod Baker
DEADLINE FOR NEWSLETTER article
submissions is the 3rd Tuesday of the
month, the regular Post Meeting date.
The American Legion Riders, on their "Riders Events" webpage, have a list of up-coming rides for American Legion members, across the states, and some are here
in the Northwest. To learn more, please visit www.legion.org/riders/events .
THE UNFORGOTTEN, RUN TO TAHOMA VII, Celebration of Life Ceremony: The Unforgotten, Run to Tahoma VII will be held on Saturday, May 28, 2016 of Memorial Day weekend at the Outdoor Plaza, Kitsap County Administration Building, 619 Division Street, Port Orchard, WA. The 2015 video of the event will be shown at 9:30 a.m. and the ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. For addi-tional information, please contract the Veterans Assistance Program Coordinator, Stacey James at 360-440-7037 or [email protected]. The Kitsap Veterans Advisory Board webpage (with links to slide slows and videos of previous rides), is at www.kitsapgov.com/hs/veterans/RunToTahoma.htm .
2016-2017 Nominees For Post Officers:
Commander: Charles Murrell
Adjutant: Don Mills
Vice Commander: Debra Wood
Finance Officer: Jerry Biddle
Sergeant-at-Arms: Al Simpson
Judge Advocate: Clark Silliman
Chaplin: John Breen
Service Officer: Frank Albin
Historian: Jim Landerdahl
Want to be nominated for a Post Officer position contact Adjutant Don Mills. Every position is open for nominations.
Director: Rod Baker [email protected] There are 4 members now, looking for more.
In Golf Where Did The Term
“Caddie” Come From?
When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a
young girl, Louis, King of France, learned that she
loved the Scots game of ‘golf”. So he had the first
course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment.
To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and
guarded) while she played. Louis hired cadets
from a military school to accompany her. Mary
liked this a lot and when she returned to Scotland
(not a very good idea in the long run), she took the
practice with her. In French, the word cadet is
pronounced “ca-day” and the Scots changed it into
“caddie”.
POST 1 NEWS Page 5
From the Editor’s Desk by Mark Parenteau Happy today to you all!
Boy that was a tough April newsletter to get out! My first official newsletter for this Post. I sure did miss not using Tom Knudsen’s (former editor) experience and expertise. Tom would have been right there to assist if I asked but I wanted to give it a go by myself so I could get the hang of it. Nothing like jumping in feet first and hitting the ground running. I am in the learning curve in pulling all of this information and put-ting it together so the publication can get printed and out in the US Mail on time (almost on time, not even close). Even sending out the newsletter attached in emails was not without it’s moments. From a link not working to the file size being to large for some to open and way too large for publishing on the Post website. It looks like I have some of the kinks worked out, now I need to do extra slow proofreading, grammar and spell checking. Thanks to the Webmaster, Bob Edwards, the most up to date newsletter will be posted on the website under More; Newsletters & Links, at www.legionseattle.org . Hang in there with me. The latest and most current (corrected) newsletter will always be on the website and on the Facebook page as a link to the website.
And then there is the new Facebook page for the Post, Auxiliary and the Legion Riders. Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/SeattlePost1/. I will post the most up to date newsletter on Facebook with a link to the website.
Great Story….
Owen John Baggett was born in 1920 in Graham, Texas. By 1941 he graduated from college and went
on to work on Wall Street. But, by the following year, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps (now USAF) when
the United States entered the war.
A studious man, he graduated from pilot training in just five months and was sent to Burma, flying a B
-24 Liberator. What he happened the following year is one of those stories we just described.
On March 31st, 1943, Baggett and his squadron were sent on a mission to destroy a bridge of strategic
importance. On their way, the B-24s got intercepted by Japanese Zeros which hit the squadron hard. Bag-
gett's' plane was riddled with bullets to such an extent that the crew was forced to bail out.
While parachuting, a Japanese pilot decided that downing the plane wasn't enough. He circled around
and started shooting at the bailed out pilots, killing two of the crew. Seeing this, Baggett did the only
thing he could. He played dead.
Not convinced Baggett was dead, the Zero pulled up to him at near stall speed, the pilot opening his
canopy to check on his horrendous work. Not wasting any time and thinking on his feet (no pun intend-
ed), Baggett pulled out his pistol and shot the pilot right in the head.
This is considered the best shot by a Caliber .45 M911 pistol of ALL TIME.
The last thing he saw was the Zero spiraling toward earth.
When he landed, he and the other bailed out crew members were captured and sent to a POW camp
where they remained till the end of the war. They were liberated by OSS agents (World War II version of the
modern CIA) and Baggett was recognized as the only person during the war to shoot down a Zero with a
pistol.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_J._Baggett
POST 1 NEWS {Page 6
Taken from the Charter of The American Legion
National Constitution and By-laws
UNITED STATES CODE ANNOTATED TITLE 36 CHAPTER 21701-21708 THE AMERICAN LEGION Cre-ated by Act of Congress Washington, DC on September 16, 1919
§ 21706. Political activities
The corporation shall be nonpolitical and may not promote the candidacy of an individual seeking public office.
Constitution of The American Legion
ARTICLE II
NATURE
Section 1. The American Legion is a civilian organization; membership therein does not affect nor increase liability for military or police service. Rank does not exist in the Legion; no member shall be addressed by his military or naval title in any convention or meeting of the Legion.
Section 2. The American Legion shall be absolutely nonpolitical and shall not be used for the dissemination of partisan principles nor for the promotion of the candidacy of any person seeking public office or preferment.
Taken from The American Legion BurnPit Blog
The wearing of the cap and usage of The American Legion emblem, facilities and political donations
According to Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution of The American Legion, “The American Legion shall be abso-
lutely nonpolitical and shall not be used for the dissemination of partisan principles nor for the promotion of the candi-
dacy of any person seeking public office or preferment.” The National Charter, approved by Congress, also stipulates
The American Legion as an organization is nonpolitical* which has been interpreted by the National Judge Advocate
as “nonpartisan” in modern lingo. Therefore, The American Legion as an organization is prohibited from contributing,
helping or endorsing a candidate. However, a member, as a private citizen, and not representing the organization, can
employ whatever legal and ethical means to advance his or her candidate.
The Legion cap is considered the official Legion uniform (see p. 42 of The American Legion Officers Guide and Manu-
al of Ceremonies). It is not an individual Legion member’s decision on the appropriate usage of the cap and emblem. If
attending a political event, The American Legion cap, or any clothing with the emblem visible, should be removed so as
not to imply endorsement by The American Legion. The problem is the assumption of endorsement by those who see the
emblem or name worn at in improper location, such as a partisan rally.
When using post facilities to host candidates, post should remove emblem and Legion flag to avoid any impression of
endorsements. Candidates for all parties must be presented equal opportunity at the same time to use the facilities on
the same terms and conditions as other competing candidates.
If financial contributions are offered by candidates for political office, campaigns, political action committees or politi-
cal parties, The American Legion should politely decline. Accepting these contributions may be perfectly legal, but The
American Legion must avoid any perception of supporting any candidate or political party.
The American Legion values its independence and effectiveness on veterans’ issues. This stance is best maintained by
neutrality on individual candidates or political parties. The American Legion by legal definition is non-partisan and
supports only issues which impact your Four Pillars. * This means “non-partisan” in today’s society. The American Legion is allowed by Congress to lobby for veterans benefits and a strong United States of America. (NJA, October 25, 2012)
POST 1 NEWS Page 7
Service Officer Report from Frank Albin
Coins Left on Tombstones
While visiting some cemeteries you may notice that headstones marking certain graves have coins on them left by previous visitors to the grave.
These coins have distinct meanings when left on the headstones of those who gave their lives while serving in America’s military, and these meanings vary depending on the denomination of the coin.
A coin left on a headstone or at a grave site is meant as a message to the deceased soldier’s family that some-one else has visited the grave to pay respect.
Leaving a penny at a grave means simply that you visited. A nickel means that you and the deceased trained at boot camp together, while a dime means you served with him in some capacity. By leaving a quarter at the grave, you are telling the family that you were with the soldier when he was killed.
According to tradition, the money left at graves in national cemeteries and state veteran cemeteries is eventual-ly collected and the funds are put toward maintaining the cemetery or paying burial costs for indigent veterans.
In the US, this practice became common during the Vietnam War due to the political divide in the country over the war. Leaving a coin was seen as a more practical way to communicate that you had visited the grave, rather than contacting the soldier’s family which could devolve into an uncomfortable argument over politics relating to the war.
Some Vietnam veterans consider leaving a coin on the grave of a fallen comrade as a ‘down payment’ on buy-ing them a beer when they are finally reunited. The tradition of leaving coins on military men’s headstones can be traced back as far as the Roman Empire.
The New Veterans Parking Garage Is Open! Located on the Seattle Campus, the new Veterans parking garage has 1,000 stalls for parking and is conveniently located next to the Main Entrance and Emergency Department. http://www.pugetsound.va.gov/images/Seattlesimplifiedsmall.jpg Parking Free parking is available to all patients, family and visitors of VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Seattle Division is pleased to offer free Valet Parking to its patients. Please enter from the South Columbi-an Way entrance and follow the blue & white signs all the way to the valet booth now located in the South Parking lot. The valet service is designed for patients ONLY. Available Monday—Friday excluding holidays,
7:00 am—6:00 pm. As a reminder, no tipping is allowed. Disabled Parking The first couple of rows of parking closest to the fa-cility are reserved for disabled parking. If you need to drop off a disabled passenger, you may drive up to the front of the facility. The maximum time that you may remain in this area is ten minutes.
Outpatient Parking Free parking is available at all of their outpatient clin-ics. Remember—VA Puget Sound Health Care is fed-eral property. All persons and bags are subject to search. No weapons, alcohol or illegal drugs are permit-
ted.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
MAY 8 SUN. ALL DAY MOTHER’S DAY
10 TUES. 11:00 AM EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
17 TUES. 11:00 AM POST MEETING , Ballard VFW Hall, 2812 NW Market St, Seattle
17 TUES. 11:00 AM VOTE FOR POST OFFICERS
21 SAT. ALL DAY ARMED FORCES DAY
24 TUE. 2-4 PM ROTC COMBINED SERVICE CEREMONY, UNIVERSITY OF WA.
28 SAT. THE UNFORGOTTEN, RUN TO TAHOMA VII LEGION RIDERS
30 MON. ALL DAY MEMORIAL DAY
30 MON. 12:00 PM WASHELLI, MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY
JUNE 2-5 THUR, - SUN. R.O.M.P. SEASIDE, OR
14 TUE. 11:00 AM EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
14 TUE. ALL DAY FLAG DAY
16 THUR. USO GOLF TOURNMENT
18 SAT. 11:00 AM POST MEETING, BALLARD VFW Hall, 2812 NW Market St, Seattle
19 SUN. ALL DAY FATHER’S DAY
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Organization U.S. Postage Paid Seattle, WA
Permit No 4667
American Legion Seattle Post 1 PO Box 66949 Seattle, WA 98166
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