News

By Harold Rodenberger

Due to the holidays, I wrote this update during the winter equinox, the shortest day of the year. Here in northwestern Washington, there were only about eight hours and twenty-five minutes of daylight. Our typical winter weather of overcast skies made the day seem even darker. Like this short day, most of this past year has seemed dark and dreary. Despite those dark days we carried on with our mission, knowing that the days ahead would be brighter and warmer.

During this past quarter, we continued our business meetings via Zoom. If you haven’t connected on that platform, please join our meeting on January 7th. See Zoom instructions elsewhere in this newsletter and on our website.

Chef Kay and helpers made wonderful dinners for our social nights. The Thanksgiving dinner set a record at 85 dinners prepared, but the Christmas dinner smashed that record with 102 dinners for members and guests. A special thanks to 1SG Britt Anderson, of our adopted unit, who donated three whole tenderloins and to Hope who donated 25 dozen farm-fresh eggs. 

Because of the virus, our hall has been empty, but during December members of Seattle Stand Down assembled and wrapped Christmas presents for needy veterans and their families in our community. Members of the leadership team from our adopted National Guard unit (A Co, 181st BSB) did the same for needy unit members and their families. It was good to see our hall being used for such worthy causes.

It’s been a difficult year for VFW programs, but your post honored students who competed in the VFW Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen programs. Our first-place winners advanced to District level for further competition. We also submitted our entries for Police Officer of the Year and Firefighter of the Year for judging at higher headquarters.

Our Relief Fund contributed funds to the SeaTac USO, Fisher House at the VA Medical Center, members of our post in distress, and to needy personnel in our two adopted National Guard units.

Another hearty “Thank You” to all who assembled poppies. We shipped back to headquarters about 95,000 completed poppies.

As we look forward to the Year of the Ox and brighter times, please join me in applying lessons learned from these dark days by resolving to treasure relationships, show more patience and kindness and further support our fellow veterans and their families.

Happy New Year, 2021!

Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063’s December 2020 newsletter is posted here. Highlights include: 

Chef Kay and her team of volunteers served up another amazing Thanksgiving meal to post members, families and friends Nov. 19. The meal was served takeout style, which Post 3063 has been doing since the start of the pandemic. As Kay noted on her handout menu, in 2020, we still feast!

By Harold Rodenberger

During pre-pandemic times, veterans in soldiers’ homes and VA hospitals would assemble the Buddy Poppies© that we distribute on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and throughout the year.  Donations from recipients of these poppies go to our Relief Fund, where the money is used to support our mission of caring for comrades in distress and other charitable works.

Because of the virus, this year the normal Old Soldiers’ assembly lines became impossible, so our VFW National Commander in Chief asked local post members to assemble poppies.  Our post was one of many who stepped up. We requested 100,000 sets of poppy parts and our volunteers got busy assembling those beautiful poppies.

We’ve worked hard for a little over a month on those poppies and finished about 86,000 of them. Completed poppies will be boxed up and shipped back to our National HQ ready to be shipped out to even more volunteers who will distribute them nationwide when it is safe to do so. 

Many thanks to our members and friends who spent many hours diligently assembling poppies. A special shout out goes to Sue and Jack Westman who assembled over 22,000 sets. It was a tedious, time-consuming job, and we are so grateful for all you hard working volunteers who did your part. 

As for me, I know I’ll never look at a Buddy Poppy© in the same way again.

By Harold Rodenberger

Our post helped Past Commander Borchelt celebrate his 100th birthday on Nov. 19, 2020. Because of the pandemic, we were unable to visit Oscar to celebrate in person, but we sent a red, white and blue flower arrangement and wished him well.

Oscar said to thank everyone in the post for remembering his big birthday. His grandson, who took the photo, said Oscar was ecstatic that we remembered him and to receive the flowers.

Comrade Borchelt was our post commander for seven years, from 1991-1998, and was active in our post until the past few years when advancing age and retreating eyesight restricted his driving. He lives at his home in Maple Valley where he sometimes (during warm weather) still works in his yard.

Congratulations, Oscar, on your 100th birthday and may you celebrate many more!