Volume 15 Issue 12 VFW Post 7356 June 2, 2017 JUNE NEWSLETTER. Page 1

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1 JUNE NEWSLETTER Page 1

2 Commander s Corner Summer has arrived and we begin a new year as a post. I m proud to remain with the whole leadership team as we begin a new term for We accomplished a lot in 2017, and we represented veterans causes well in both Parkville and the surrounding communities. The Vietnam War Commemoration serves as a vehicle to welcome home a group of veterans who were never appropriately thanked, and our team led by Ron helped us mitigate that wrong. We committed to working to help contain the Veteran Suicide epidemic and ending the stigma associated with PTSD by extending some of our volunteers to support the Warriors Ascent program. We expanded our youth programs and got more kids into the post, thereby meeting our shared pledge to make the VFW an educational organization. I firmly believe that we will continue these successes and add to them in For 2018, we have some more specific goals: All State. This past year we met all the requirements for All State with the exception of membership. I d like to think we focused our activity with members who are willing to continue to serve even though most have taken off the uniform. Each of us needs to re-up (or transition your membership to a life membership) and recruit another member. If we do this, we will make All-State. Increase volunteerism. We have the same volunteers running breakfast, the golf tournament, Buddy Poppy and public event planning for a post of over 400. We need to increase that percentage this year. We will continue to have some programs that require long term commitment and others that can be done in a day (like Buddy Poppy). We can t meet our mission to make veterans issues known in the public if we limit our VFW activity to reading the magazine at home alone.. Continue to grow Youth Programs. This past year, we had great participation in Patriots Pen, Voice of Democracy, Scout of the Year and Teacher of the Year. These programs enable us to meet our Charter goals. Sponsorship of Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Civil Air Patrol and Girl Scout organizations also help kids understand the role veterans play in our community. This needs to continue in Increase fund raising. We spent a lot of money last year helping veterans and getting out the message, and we will do so again this year. Money is our ammunition in this fight, and the ammunition supply point is located at the Golf Tournament in August, the breakfast crew on Saturday mornings and store distribution points during Buddy Poppy distribution days. We need your help to provide us ammunition for the fight. Our post is in a great place right now. I had a chance to visit with veterans at Stonecrest Retirement Community over Memorial Day Weekend, and the unbroken bond that unites veterans of all conflicts was felt from the World War II veterans present all the way to the young Afghanistan veteran who works at the facility. Shakespeare articulated that bond in his St. Crispin s Day Speech over 600 years ago, and it remains true today: whoever sheds his blood with me today shall forever be my brother. I look forward to another year of comradeship and making an impact on our community in support of our brothers and sisters who dared and served Post Officers - Page 2 Bob Bennett, Commander Photo: MAJ Bennett with all of the Commander s Emergency Relief Program (CERP) funds for northern Iraq at Camp Freedom, Mosul, Iraq. December Each blue bag held $1.6 Million. 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 Rick Butler Adjutant Tara K. Arteaga year Trustee John Hoffman Post PSO Philip Duncan year Trustee Jerry Felker

3 Need help with VA Claims? Veteran Service Information Officer Philip Duncan is available to assist any veteran with more information on VA claims. Spread the word! Every Saturday 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. Page 3

4 Auxiliary Members, South Platte Memorial Post 7356 Auxiliary It has been my privilege to serve as the president of this wonderful, outstanding auxiliary for the past 3 years. I will continue in that role until June 12 th, when it will come to an end. I am very proud of everything that we have taken on and the many accomplishments that we have had as an auxiliary. I am grateful to know all of you and consider all of you my friends. It pleases me that we look out for each other and offer our help when one of our members is in need. All of you should take great pride in that. We could not be affiliated with a better the post. There are great leaders in the post. I have learned much from some of them. Quartermaster Bob Eckerle helped me the first year I was treasurer by introducing me to the spouses of post members at weekly breakfasts. He helped our membership grow. Phil Duncan challenges me to produce a better product. He has given suggestions for our recruiting material to make it better and I have embraced them. I want to thank all of you who gave up your time to distribute Buddy Poppies over Memorial Day weekend. You are the face of the post and the auxiliary. Your time is greatly appreciated since you choose to do that when there are family activities and other options available. Thanks to all of you who decorated tote bags for female Veterans for Mother s Day and donated and wrapped socks for male Veterans for Father s Day. Our contributions will be given out to residents of the Kansas City MO VA Hospital. We welcome new officers who will take over on June 12 th. Please give them your support. They are President Anita Crowell, Senior Vice-president Mary Helbock, Junior Vice-president Jodi Kersten, Treasurer Judith Green, Secretary Lorie Green, Chaplain Rosemary Karp, Guard Mary Lou Wilkinson, and Conductor Randy Green. Patriotic Instructor, Historian and Committee Chairs will be announced as soon as possible by Incoming President Crowell. Trustees are Cheryl Hainkel, Linda Eckerle, and Ricki Butler. Please check our Auxiliary Facebook page for information about the Buddy Bench we gave to Pathfinder Elementary School. You can also find information on the National VFW Auxiliary Facebook page. There was an article about the donation of the bench on page 2 of the Platte County Citizen this week. Thanks for all that you have done to support me and the auxiliary. Thanks for all that you do for Veterans, Active Duty Military and their families. Cheryl Hainkel, President Page 4

5 Auxiliary Information Auxiliary Dues are Now Payable for Continuous members of the auxiliary may now remit their dues of $25 for the Auxiliary Year, Dues may be submitted to Judith Green by cash, check or money order. A receipt will be given to you. You may also submit your dues electronically through the National VFW Auxiliary after July 1 st. This is a change this year. There is also a change in how membership cards are issued. They will now be sent by National VFW Auxiliary. This change allows you to request a replacement card online if you should misplace it. If you have questions about this process, please let Judith Green know. She may not have the answers right away, but will get them for you. She is waiting for her training to be scheduled on the new MALTA system. 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 5

6 South Platte Memorial Post 7356 P.O. Box Parkville, MO Follow VFWPOST7356 Calendar June D-Day (1944) 14 Flag Day 14 Army Birthday 18 Father s Day 21 First Day of Summer 22 VFW Meeting 25 50th Vietnam Commemoration Ceremony 27 PTSD Awareness Day Every Monday Night Civil Air Patrol 7-9 p.m. Every Saturday Morning breakfast 8-10 a.m. July Independence Day 9 District 3 SOI 21 Department of VA Created 27 VFW Meeting Page 6

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8 Yoga with Kerry Steuart Parkville VFW Post June The Warriors' Ascent team invites you and your family to attend yoga with us at the Parkville, MO VFW Post 7356 on June 21st from 6:00-7:30PM. The Parkville VFW is located at MO-45, Parkville, MO Did you know yoga can help ease chronic pain, increase mobility, and sharpen mental function? This ancient form of exercise is earning a reputation of being highly beneficial for many of the issues America's veterans commonly face. Join Air Force veteran and yoga instructor, Kerry Steuart, for yoga geared toward veterans and first responders. Page 8