Volume 15 Issue 08 VFW Post 7356 February 2, 2017 FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER. Page 1

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1 FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER Page 1

2 Commander s Corner February greets us with a new paradigm. As a country, our forces are now guided by Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who is injecting both military expertise and common sense in a Washington environment that is welcoming a lot of newcomers learning how to govern while doing it. Our forces remain engaged in the fight against terrorism, and we remain committed to supporting our warfighters as their ranks continue to grow. As a VFW Post, we are continuing to welcome veterans of our most recent conflicts and we are providing an environment where they can feel safe to share their experiences. We stand ready to support them when they are challenged. To a member, we recognize that, regardless of the era during which we served, our shared bond of service in hostile environments is more similar than most Americans realize. From jungles to deserts and from the mountains of Afghanistan to the yamas of Korea, we shared the same fears, dangers, pride and comradeship. Our organization is at a transition today, and we are ready for what s next. During our January meeting, our post membership committed to continuing our breakfast service. This activity gives us a chance to gather and share comradeship over a cup of coffee and the best breakfast in town. For many years, veterans from the Vietnam era have led this effort, and their voices highlighted the many reasons we need to continue this tradition. But the small team of veterans who has led us cannot continue to be the sole source of volunteers in a 500+ member Post. It is difficult for our younger veterans, many of whom are still juggling multiple parental duties on weekends and weekend job requirements, to serve as a member of the breakfast crew. But we need to figure it out. I intend to be there at least once a month once we start operations again in March despite a lot of other requirements. Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan can learn a lot from our veterans who served in the 60s and 70s, and we still need your mentorship and leadership. Service on the breakfast crew is another opportunity for that interaction, mentorship and learning. If only 10% of our membership commit to one weekend a month, we will take the burden of service off the backs of a small but committed team of guys who have carried the load for our post - literally - for years. Bob Eckerle will be posting digital signup forms for service on the Breakfast Crew; please seriously consider helping out. In mid-february, Spring Training will begin and our city will again look forward to sunny days at the ballpark. Hope is alive for all teams, and our home town Royals look poised for an exciting year. Our Post is in a similar place. Between February and April, our opportunities include the annual Auxiliary St. Patrick s Day Dinner, an fellowship and recruiting event for which we ve received funding (but still need some volunteers), and several regional and national VFW gatherings. We have the chance to share these events with our fellow veterans to provide them the continued sense of comradeship and support we all enjoy as members of Post We have several youth activities that are continuing to grow; we directly support over 200 youth in our community every week through mentorship of youth organizations or use of our facilities. I m excited to see what Spring will bring to our community. Page 2 Bob Bennett, Commander Post Officers - Commander Robert Bennett Judge Advocate Larry Maher Sr. Vice Commander Jeff Fox Chaplain John Bugg Jr. Vice Commander Tara K. Arteaga Surgeon Mike Vogt Quartermaster Robert Eckerle year Trustee Jerry Felker Adjutant Tara K. Arteaga year Trustee John Hoffman Post PSO Philip Duncan year Trustee Rick Butler

3 The Gardens Come on out and spend time with our veterans who can t join us at our post. This month, we re meeting on February 13th at 6 pm. The Gardens at Barry Road is located at 8300 NW Barry Rd, Kansas City, MO Check your for a reminder! Spread the word! We re starting back up our weekly breakfast! Starting again on March 4th from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. we will serve our traditional breakfast at a new low price of $6 for adults and FREE for children 10 and under. Please advertise at your churches, local businesses, with friends. Let s pack the house! Flyer attached to the newsletter for easy distribution. The VFW knows how important community service is to America, with volunteerism benefiting education, the environment, health sciences and civic projects. That's why VFW members volunteer nearly 9 million hours to community service projects annually. Are you a member of the post who has an idea for a local community service project? Come to our next meeting on January 26th at 7 p.m. to share it with us. We d love to make an even greater impact on our community! Need help with VA Claims? Veteran Service Information Officer Philip Duncan is available to assist any veteran with VA claims. Order your VFW Uniform Cap today! To place your order today, go to or call VFW Post Quartermaster Bob Eckerle also has some sizes available. See below. Currently in stock at the Post, are sizes : 7 = 4 each, 7 1/8 = 2 each, 7 3/8 = 1 each, 7 ½ = 1 each, 7 5/8 = 5 each, 7 ¾ = 3 each, and 7 7/8 = 3 each Page 3

4 Auxiliary Members, I am very excited today. The Department of Missouri Auxiliary reached 100% membership plus 1 member. We are %. Thanks to all of you who have joined or renewed your dues. We can continue to grow. Keep in mind the Post and the Auxiliary when you meet someone. There are 12 different relationships that qualify for membership in the auxiliary. We do accept males. I attended the District 3 auxiliary meeting. The Voice of Democracy and Patriots Pen winners were announced. The winner of the Post 7356 and the Auxiliary Patriots Pen essay contest won second in the district. I am very pleased. I will be attending the winter conference and the Missouri scholarship banquet this weekend. We are working with Pathfinder Elementary School on some projects. The auxiliary voted to purchase a Buddy Bench for the playground. The order has been placed. We will be having a dedication ceremony when the bench is delivered and in place. The purpose of the bench is to give a student a place to sit if he or she does not have someone to play with and other students and join him or her on the bench and talk or extend an invitation to play. There will be another project in May, which is a relay type event with stations. More information will be made available as soon as the details of how it will be set up are finalized by the school. We hope to sponsor a station and have some of our members and perhaps Post members as well be there to staff it. The Annual St. Patrick s Day Dinner will be Friday, March 17th. We will need help to prepare, set up, serve and clean up. The time is from 4:30 to 7 pm at the post. Please let me know if you can help. We will be decorating tote bags for female Veterans at the VA Hospital for Mother s Day and wrapping socks for male Veterans for Father s Day. If you are crafty and make flowers by crocheting, with buttons or fabric, we will need them for the bags. Please try to get them made by 4/1/17 so we can pick them up and decorate. Thanks for all that you do for Veterans and their families. Cheryl Hainkel, President South Platte Memorial Post 7356 Auxiliary Eligibility for the VFW Auxiliary has expanded! There are now up to 12 people who may join our organization on the eligibility of 1 veteran! Page 4

5 Auxiliary Information Did you know the VFW Auxiliary offers free online training sessions for our members on a range of topics? There are currently 14 webinars for you, our members, to view including: A Virtual Tour of the 2016 Bylaws and Ritual Podium Edition Ask the National Secretary-Treasurer Local Auxiliary Treasurers and Trustees Training 990 Filings VFW Auxiliary Branding Center Engaging Your Auxiliary s Existing Members To access the webinars, Visit Click "Login" Login to the VFW Auxiliary Member Portal. On the left-hand side of the screen, select "Online Auxiliary Academy" A list of webinars will display. Simply click on the webinar you'd like to watch and it will open in a new window. Tickets can be obtained beginning on Wednesday, February 15th by calling Cheryl Hainkel at Page 5

6 Auxiliary Information Auxiliary Welcomes New Members in The auxiliary is still looking to grow. We would like to have at least one auxiliary member for every member of the Post. Membership is open to U. S. Citizens age 16 and older. The following relatives are eligible for membership: Spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, grandmother, grandfather, widow or widower. If you know someone who meets these requirements and is related to a Veteran who served in a qualifying foreign war, please let Cheryl Hainkel or Randy Green know. The qualifying war requirements are the same as for membership in VFW. Annual Dues are $25. Life memberships are available and the amount is based on age. Child Care During Meetings! The Auxiliary wants all Veterans and Auxiliary Members with small children to know that we are offering child care during meetings. If you are interested in bringing your child, please the Auxiliary at southplattevfwla@gmail.com. Please give your name, the first name of your child, age of your child, any special needs and a contact phone number. Auxiliary Officers President: Cheryl Hainkel or Otterhalf@msn.com Senior-vice: Randy Green or randygreen0628@yahoo.com Junior Vice: Jodi Kersten or kerstenjodi@att.net Secretary: Lorie Green or lgreen_59@yahoo.com Treasurer: Judith Green or hwkeye@kc.rr.com Conductress: Jessica Grogan or gothicfary84@yahoo.com Chaplain: Rosemary Karp or rosemrykarp@gmail.com Guard: Mary Lou Wilkinson Or mwilk6378@yahoo.com 3 Year Trustee: Linda Eckerle or lindae8110@aol.com 2 Year Trustee: Ricki Butler or rickibutler17@gmail.com 1 Year Trustee: Sharon Bugg or sycbugg@kc.rr.com Patriotic Instructor Victoria Messick Or Torisphotos_85@hotmail.com Historian Crystal Deshazer Or crysdesh@yahoo.com Page 6

7 South Platte Memorial Post 7356 P.O. Box Tom Watson Parkway Parkville, MO We now have Follow VFWPOST7356 for updates! Wireless Internet is available at Post WPA sign-in: post7356vfw Calendar February Groundhog Day 14 Valentine s Day 20 President s Day 23 VFW Meeting Every Monday Night Civil Air Patrol 7-9 p.m. March Groundhog Day 14 Valentine s Day 17 St. Patrick's Day Dinner 20 President s Day 23 VFW Meeting Page 7

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