News

This will be my last contribution to the Post newsletter in my soon to end capacity as Post Commander. After the changeover officially takes effect after the VFW state convention in June, you can look forward to the dynamic prose of new Commander Nestor Tamayao. In the interim, I want to provide you with a few updates and special recognitions.

Our Honor Guard has now received three surplus M1 Garand rifles, thanks to the effort of our colleague Bill Hoeller. Bill has devoted considerable time getting our Honor Guard off the ground and researching proper drill and ceremony and Honor/Color Guard etiquette. Thanks Bill, for your hard work. In addition, among the many of you that assisted with our District 2 fundraiser on May 1, I want to offer particular appreciation to Russ and Kay Seelig, who contributed a significant amount of the food preparation, ticket sales and auction items. I’m pretty sure they were the first to arrive for set up and the last to leave. My thanks also to the many of you that did your part to make our fundraiser successful.

On May 18, I represented the post at the military honors service for recently passed 1st Lt. David Bauders, who died in Iraq on May 6 while serving as a platoon leader in the 176 Engineer Company of the Washington National Guard. The service at Tahoma National Cemetery was heavily attended and featured an impressive turnout of Washington State Patrol Troopers (the late Lt. Bauders’ day job) and a contingent of Seattle police officers, one of whom is the brother of the deceased. The death of Lt. Bauders reminds us that the conflict in Iraq continues to absorb American resources, and sometimes lives, even as our media seems to have lost interest in the story the second former President George W. Bush left the White House for the ranch in Crawford, Texas. I offer my thanks to citizen soldier Lt. David Bauders for his efforts to keep us all safe from the ISIS animals spawned by what has become a largely underreported war. I urge all of you to keep Lt. Bauders and his surviving family in your hearts and prayers.

By Aaron Stoltz

Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063’s June newsletter is available for download here. Highlights of June’s issue include:

• Post hosts Spaghetti Feed and Raffle Fundraiser.
• An explanation of how the VFW is a non-profit entity.
• How medical marijuana may soon be an option for vets.
• A look at an important engagement that preceded two battles so decisive, they could have changed our present.

Our new Ballard Eagleson Color Guard started things off by posting the colors. They looked sharp and performed with precision as they brought the colors to the stage.

Kay Seelig, as our Executive Chef, cooked up 230 servings of her tasty spaghetti sauce. Volunteers from her family and our post helped prepare salad ingredients, spaghetti and garlic bread.

Chuck Tuft, a 48-year member of our post, and his family along with other volunteers, manned the serving line. Volunteers from our post and Auxiliary baked delicious home-made cakes. More volunteers set up the hall with tables and chairs.

Kudos to Russ Seelig and his team for setting up the raffle prize tables and efficiently managing the raffle and thanks to Jesse Basher for serving as Master of Ceremonies.

After dinner Barbara Moore, District 2 Senior Vice President, gave a Loyalty Day presentation.

In all, more than 40 volunteers set up the hall, cooked and served the dinner, tended bar, raffled prizes and cleaned up. Grandma used to say, and John Heywood recorded in the sixteenth century, “Many hands make light work,” and the old saying was once again proved true on this occasion.

By Harold Rodenberger

As reported on KXLF.com (Butte, MT) by Jared Dillingham, based on a release from Phoenix, AZ, “Veterans could soon talk to their doctors at the VA about medical marijuana, at least in the 23 states where it’s legal” (which includes Washington).

This development came about as part of a budget bill that was passed by wide margins in the U.S. House and Senate chambers on Thursday, May 19. Up to now, the VA has had a very long-standing policy of not treating veterans with cannabis. The new bill forbids the VA from using funds to enforce this rule.

The pertinent section of the bill (H.R. 2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 in the House version) and specifically the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 2016, in Section 246, which reads, “Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to: interfere with the ability of veterans to participate in a state-approved medicinal marijuana program, deny services to veterans participating in a program, or interfere with the ability of a VA health care provider care to comply with a program.”

This has not been signed into law yet, so nothing is certain at this point. Since it is part of the complete appropriations bill, there is some hope it will become law.

There are a number of studies confirming the efficacy of marijuana on such things as post-traumatic stress, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and other illnesses. Groups of veterans like the Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access have been working for this option for years.

Halfway through the calendar year we are just ending the VFW year.

Our new officers were elected in April and installed during our May meeting. They will assume their duties at the end of June after the installation of our Department (Washington State) Commander. A list of our new officers, both elected and appointed, may be found elsewhere in this paper.

During our new VFW year, we will see further progress on several fronts.

Our new Color Guard performed flawlessly at the District 2 spaghetti dinner and raffle. We anticipate more occasions when they will serve our post and community with their special skills. Incidentally, Chairman Bill Hoeller has been working tirelessly to obtain M1 rifles from the Army. We should see those arrive later this month. With the addition of the blank-firing rifles our Ballard Eagleson Color Guard will be equipped to fire salutes during funerals and other formal occasions.

As word gets out via our website, Facebook page, etc. about our new office hours, we are seeing an uptick in visitors to the office. We serve our community better when people know the doors will be open when they come to our post.

People sometimes ask about our experience with the tent camp next door. So far the positive experiences have far outweighed the negative. The chef for one of our renters hired two of those homeless to help in the kitchen, and they received accolades from all. To help sustain the camp residents we regularly donate left overs from our kitchen resulting in good food for them and less waste for us.

This coming year will be a period of continued growth in the membership of our post. Come to meetings or socials or join with the volunteers to help make our post a more active and vibrant organization.

By Harold Rodenberger