Sauls-Bridges American Legion Post 13 News

Transcription

1 Sauls-Bridges American Legion Post 13 News Volume 49, Issue 1 INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Commander 2 Chaplain s Corner 3 Auxiliary President s Report 4 Auxiliary Projects & Membership Report 5 Investigate Before You Donate! 6 Calendar 7 JANUARY 2014 OUR POST 13 is sponsoring a NEW YEAR S EVE DANCE (Tuesday, Dec. 31st) at the Legion Hall. Here are the Details: NEW YEAR S EVE DANCE DOORS OPEN AT 7:00pm; MUSIC 8:45-12:30 DJ MUSIC WITH DICK, VIC AND JEFF GREAT DANCE MUSIC!!! (JEFF ALSO PERFORMING ON DRUMS) LIGHT HORS D OEUVRES CASH BAR COMPLIMENTARY CHAMPAGNE TOAST AT MIDNIGHT TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR!! THE DANCE IS HOSTED BY ALL VOLUNTEERS AND ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE AMERICAN LEGION, POST 13. From the Commander.... HAPPY NEW YEAR LEGIONNAIRES This hopefully finds all healthy and prosperous.... Lots of Activity at Year s End---and you are invited to participate---perhaps you might make a Resolution to get involved in some of our activities or programs,---or even the Honor Guard! See Your Soon? Val Frailey AND THE LIGHTS WENT ON AGAIN Thanks to all those who decorated the Hall November 30th. A small crew enjoyed a good breakfast prepared by Jimmy and Jewel Steele and daughter Kim. The muscle power was provided by Gordon Johnson and Mike Gavin getting the goodies from the attic. The coffee kept coming and Lois Hanna, Louise Williams, Juanita LeCroy, Carolyn Archer with her grandchildren Ella and Jack Hall, Gail Ernsp, Hazel Connell and Vic Hanna arranged the decorations in celebration of the season. It is always pleasant to experience these joys at this time of the year. American Legion Oratorical Contest January 11th A challenge of Oratorical contestants will be held in the Post on January 11 beginning at 10 am. Participants and adults are encouraged to take advantage of this educational process. Assistance is needed for this event. Plan to attend to hear and see our youth excel. For more information or to volunteer yourhelp please call Lynette Halter at FREEDOM IS NOT AN ACCIDENT--IT IS THE PURPOSE

2 PAGE 2 SAULS-BRIDGES AMERICAN LEGION POST 13 NEWS V OLUME 49, ISSUE 1 Veterans Serving Our Veterans in Need Post 13 can still take pride in the fact that we provided a major assist in furnishing and providing consumable supplies for the opening of Vet Village that is now home to about 52 veterans that were formerly homeless. However, the job is on-going as long as this housing project exists! Furniture breaks down and stockpiles of consumables like toilet paper, detergent and tooth paste are depleted routinely, which we can all relate to in our own daily personal lives. The community, Post 13 and Unit 13 can continue to provide support to Vet Village by contributing items listed below: Consumables: New throw rugs & door mats Cleaning supplies - brooms, mops, buckets, dish detergent (liquid) laundry supplies, pledge, sponges, floor cleaners Paper supplies - paper towels, toilet paper Hygiene items - toothbrushes & toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving cream, razors, q-tips, cotton balls Towels - kitchen, dish rags, bath towels, bath mats, wash cloths Furnishings: TV's, DVD players, microwave ovens, couches, end tables, coffee tables, lamps, toasters and kitchen implements Contributions of furniture, appliances and other large items should be delivered directly to Vet Village which is located one mile south of Doak Campbell Stadium on the east side of Lake Bradford Road at 1280 Kissimmee Street. Please contact Sylvester Jones of Vet Village by phone at or at sjones@voa-fla.org to arrange for the delivery of these of items. Consumable supplies may also be delivered directly to Vet Village or you may drop them by our Post Home at 229 Lake Ella Drive where Tom & Cindy Clark have volunteered to routinely deliver them to Vet Village. When leaving these items at our Post, please them into a basket labeled Vet Village that is located in the Unit 13 Auxiliary room. Post 13 Honor Guard Update Our Post is developing an Honor Guard to participate in veterans funerals, Post ceremonies and other related activities. We secured several authentic 1903 Springfield Rifles, a recording of TAPS and several volunteers that included a team leader. Unfortunately, our team leader is no longer able to coordinate this due to illness and our thoughts and prayers are with him. The Post now needs someone else to step forward and coordinate the development of our Honor Guard. This can be a gratifying experience for each participant and for those touched by their performance. We have the equipment---now need troops to form the unit. Please contact Charles LeCroy at if you wish to either coordinate or participate in our Honor Guard. ----Submitted by Tom Clark EVERY DAY IS VETERANS DAY!

3 VOLUME 49, ISSUE 1 S A U L S - B R ID GE S A ME R IC A N LE G IO N P O S T 1 3 N E W S The Chaplain s Corner PAGE 3 Ray Stallings Annual Chili Cook-off by Bob Wray, A CHRISTMAS STORY One of the most impressive Christmas stories occurred on Christmas day on the western front in WW I was only 6 months old and causalities and property destruction were still not horrendous. Christmas packages from home abound on both sides. The allied governments and the Kaiser also sent state gifts to the soldiers. A spirit of optimism still existed on both sides that the war would end soon. Narratives indicate early on Christmas, British soldiers heard the Germans singing Christmas carols. In some sectors both sides erected signs wishing the other side Merry Christmas. Spontaneously and certainly contrary to orders, many soldiers met in no-mans land, exchanging gifts, sharing greetings and even playing volleyball and football games against each other. The Christmas truce lasted all Christmas Day in most sectors, but extended through New Year s Day in some areas. There were no reported instances of either side taking advantage of the Christmas truce to initiate hostilities. Many of us believe this truce was God s will showing us how goodwill toward men can exist even in the midst of man s inhumanity to man. May we remember, respect and reflect on this Christmas truce, as it occurred on that blessed day 99 years ago. Yes, it is time to change menus. The annual chili cook-off is scheduled for our next social on January 23, Members are asked to prepare their own special chili to bring to the event. Each entry will be judged by our panel of experts, and the winner will be presented with the roving trophy. But the real winners are those of us that can socialize with friends until the cooks labor of love is served up. We have been treated to many pots of delicious chili over the years--some spicy and some not so spicy, so there is always a pot of chili to suit everyone s taste. We will also have salads and desserts. Now--bring your pot and join another pleasant event. We look forward to beginning our socials in 2014, on the 4th Thursday of each month, with Legion enthusiasm. These events are well attended and camaraderie abounds. FLAG RETIREMENT Post 13 held another flag retirement Dec. 7th on the property of Jimmy and Jewel Steele. The event is held twice annually to properly and respectfully retire flags that have become faded or torn. The number of flags deposited in the flag box in front of the Post is well used by individuals and businesses to ensure the flag is always respectfully retired. The Fire Department crews, with their equipment, participated in the ceremony. LEGIONNAIRES AND FIREMEN CONDUCT THE FLAG RETIREMENT CEREMONY WE NOW HAVE FREEDOM---LET S KEEP IT--WHATEVER IT TAKES

4 PAGE 4 VOLUME 49, ISSUE 1 Auxiliary News President s Corner Merry Christmas! Elves from the unit have been very busy during the past month. 150 stockings were filled, with treats and necessities and shipped to the USS Truman. We are pleased to report these arrived Dec. 5th! Members are currently filling bags with dinner items for local veteran families. Bags will contain stuffing, gravy, cake mix, vegetables and a certificate for a turkey. Winn Dixie on S Magnolia was very helpful with our meal items. Please remember them when shopping. For our meeting on Thursday, Dec. 12th, members baked and/or bought holiday treats to fill 17 buckets for those living at Veterans Village. These were delivered to veterans and staff on Dec. 13th! Theresa Briggs, Unit 13 President Auxiliary members fill bags with cookies and goodies for Veterans Village residents and staff! DATES TO REMEMBER: 12/19 Run your errands and bring lunch 11:30 1:00pm Auxiliary Room 1/9 General Meeting 1/20 Joint EC lunch 11:30 Post Wrapping and packing buckets of treats! Santa s Helpers Needed: We are in need of interested members to pass out bags of toys (TOYS for TOTS) on Saturday, December 21st at the Salvation Army building on Jackson Bluff Road from 8:00a - 4:00p. If you can help or have questions about this activity, please contact Liz Black at Sharing the season s joy with local Veterans! NEEDED COMMON SENSE AND CONSIDERATION!

5 PAGE 5 V OLUME 49, ISSUE 1 Auxiliary News WISHING A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL AMERICAN SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN STATIONED AROUND THE GLOBE! Abbey Funeral Home and Tallahassee Memory Gardens supported a project to send Christmas stockings to the USS Harry S. Truman for Christmas. Kimberly Ross, an ALA Unit 13 member, presented the concept to the unit and the unit enthusiastically supported the effort of Abbey Funeral Home & TMG. Abbey Funeral Home & TMG provided ALA unit members with Christmas stockings which were filled and returned to the Post and the funeral home for collection and mailing. At the November luncheon ALA members gathered in the ALA Room to fill several stockings with toiletries and food items. Over 150 Christmas stockings were sent in six boxes, each weighing 70 lbs., to the USS Harry S. Truman. Confirmation has been received that the boxes arrived safely. The Christmas stockings will be distributed to sailors on the ship at the discretion of the Admiral. AUXILIARY CHAPLAIN S PRAYER TEAM WORK IS PRODUCTIVE--TRY IT! MORALE IS ALWAYS A FACTOR

6 VOLUME 49, ISSUE 1 SAULS-B RID GES AMERIC AN L EGION POST 13 NEWS PAGE 6 AMERICAN LEGION POST 13 BASEBALL IS BACK Jan.16th DO YOU KNOW? President Johnson established the Meritorious Service Medal per Executive Order and amended by President Reagan per Executive order on 2 July 1981 to authorize the award to members of the armed forces of friendly foreign nations. Jan. 17th USS Nautilus (SSN- 571), the first nuclearpowered submarine, is commissioned and sends message underway on nuclear power A B-52 collides with KC-135 jet tanker over Spain s Mediterranean coast, dropping three 70-kiloton hydrogen bombs, one in the sea. Jan. 18th John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States was buried in Richmond VA A wartime ban on the sale of pre-sliced bread in the US--aimed at reducing bakeries demand for metal--took effect Tiger tanks are used for the first time at Bau Arada, Tunisia. None of the Allies have anything which can face them on equal terms. American Legion baseball has a tradition in Tallahassee dating to at least the 1930s when it won two State Championships, 1937 and It won two more in 1965 and Coaches Wes Carter, Lane Green, Bill Bellflower and others proudly carried the Post 13 baseball banner into the early 2000s. With Mr. Bellflower s passing, however, the program ceased to exist, giving way to other summer ball, travel teams in the area. In 2012, Wes Singletary, a former assistant under Bellflower, with approval from Sauls-Bridges Post 13 revived the program, earning a trip to the State Tournament in the process. In 2013, year two, the team was named Western Area Champion, and finished third overall in the state. American Legion Post 13 baseball is back in Tallahassee! Founded in 1925, American Legion baseball presently boasts 5400 teams in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and Canada, with almost 100,000 players participating annually. The first American Legion Baseball World Series was held in Philadelphia in 1926, when Yonkers, N.Y, Post 321 beat a team from Pocatello, Idaho. Hall-of-Famers such as Ted Williams, Yogi Berra, Bob Feller, and Frank Robinson all played American Legion Baseball. Teams from Florida have won 5 national championships, Sanford the most recent in In 2013, Post 13 fielded a team of local high school players representing Lincoln, Leon, Maclay, Robert F. Munroe, Malone, Liberty County and Blountstown. The team played tournaments in Tampa, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Sanford, Jacksonville, Tuscaloosa, and Tallahassee. Some of the teams that it faced included Dothan Post 12, the Atlanta Eagles, Shelby, NC Post 82, Sanford Post 53, as well as the North Florida Blacksox, Nextlevel and the TBC of Tallahassee. At the state tournament, Post 13 also played teams from Boynton Beach, Port St. Lucie, Jacksonville, and Fort Pierce. The club was paced on offense by Tootie Wood, Dalton Dugger, Logan Smith, Chase Barineau, Trent Larson, Jeff Barnes and Zac Taylor. On the mound it was led by Garrett Woofter, Brandon Nichols, Kaleb Atkins, Derrick Gearld and Tanner Treadway. With some of these players returning, and many others hoping to latch on, Post 13 looks to field another outstanding club in As it is every year, Tallahassee Post 13 Baseball s goal for these young men is to have fun playing baseball, while getting the innings that many of them will need going into next season. Please feel free to visit the Post 13 Baseball website on Facebook, at Tallahassee Post 13 Baseball for more information. Thank you for your support of Tallahassee Post 13 Baseball, and we hope to see you at the ballpark. Another Honor Flight for WWII Veterans to Washington, DC, is scheduled for an April departure! Let us hear from you. DO UNTO OTHERS AS THOUGH YOU WERE THE OTHER!!

7 V OLUME 49, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2014 PAGE 7 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY New Year s Party At The Legion 1 LEGION CLOSED 2 TIPS 7:30 9a Taco Jam Blues 7:30 - til $5 3 Crooked Shooz 8-12 cover 4 Bedhead Betty 8p - 12a Cover 5 Glory Bound Gospel sing 6 Tallahassee Ballroom Dance w/dj 7:30-10:00p $5 cover 7 Tallahassee Swing Band 7:30-10p $6 cover 8 LEEDS Sue Boyd Country Dance Lessons -6:30p-9:45p ($8/$8) 9 TIPS 7:30 9a ALA Exec Mtg. 6p/ Gen Mem. Mtg. 7p Post Exec Mtg. 6:30p/ Gen. Mem. Mtg. 7:30p 10 Brett Wellman 8p 12a cover 11 Legion Oratorical Contest noon Call Lynette Tallahassee Ballroom Dance w/dj 7:30-10:00p $5 cover 14 Tallahassee Swing Band 7:30-10p $6 cover 15 LEEDS Sue Boyd Country Dance Lessons -6:30p-9:45p ($8/$8) 16 TIPS 7:30 9a Tallahassee Writers Assoc Meeting 6 9p Jimmy s Submarine Group 11a - 2p Tallahassee Ballroom Dance w/dj 7:30-10:00p $5 cover 21 Tallahassee Swing Band 7:30-10p $6 cover 22 LEEDS Sue Boyd Country Dance Lessons -6:30p-9:45p ($8/$8) 23 Ray Stallings Annual Chili Cook-off for POST SOCIAL 7p 24 ACME 8p - 12a cover 25 Jan Decosmo Presents til cover Tallahassee Ballroom Dance w/dj 7:30-10:00p $5 cover Tallahassee Swing Band 7:30-10p $6 cover LEEDS Sue Boyd Country Dance Lessons -6:30p-9:45p ($8/$8) Walin Wolves 8-12 $7 To Book your Event at the Post, please call Debbie at We do not maintain regular office hours. All services performed here are volunteer hours. Generally, the office is open from Noon until late afternoon. If you must leave a message, please make certain to leave your area code as part of your telephone number.

8 Post News Located at: 229 Lake Ella Drive Tallahassee, Florida Mailing Address: American Legion, Sauls-Bridges Post #13 PO Box Tallahassee, FL Phone: Web: FloridaLegionPost13.org Return Service Requested Non-Profit Organization US Postage PAID Tallahassee, Florida Permit No. 21 For God and Country Editing/layout: Carolyn Archer & Charles LeCroy Photographers: Vic Hanna & Joan Taylor AML Post Web page (Face book): Google: American Legion Sauls-Bridges EVENTS BOOKING: Debbi Ramsey Deadline for the FEBRUARY 2014 Newsletter will be JANUARY 15th at 5:00pm Newsletter items can be submitted three ways: (1) Place in the Newsletter Box in the Post 13 office (2) Mail to the return address above, or (3) Submit (with a subject line) to the Post s Address: AML Post 13@gmail.com All Articles published require the Commander s approval. Important Dates: Post General Membership Business Meetings are held on the 2ND Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm. POST SOCIALS are held on the 4TH Thursday of each month (except Nov. & Dec.) at 7:00 pm. THANK YOU ALL FOR ANOTHER GOOD YEAR!!!