American Legion Post 305

American Legion
Post 305

American Legion Auxilliary

Citizens Flag Alliance
P.O. Box 9336
The Woodlands, TX 77387

The Post 305 Bugle
March 2006
Volume 1, Issue 12

COMMANDER'S CORNER

We are running in a string of bad luck, what with our some of our officers having to resign. The latest is the Adjutant, Everett Ison. What is bad luck for us is good luck for Everett because he received a promotion in his job. The new job calls for him to supervise the hardening of Sprint network to withstand the next round of hurricanes. He will be traveling over 11 states and Puerto Rico, gone over 60 percent of the time. He did not believe he could carry on the day-to-day functions of Adjutant when absent that much, so he felt he had to resign. We appreciate his contribution to the Post over the last two years and hope that he can continue being active in the Post in another capacity. The Nominating Committee, chaired by Chuck Suhr nominated Brad Wall to be the next Adjutant. We will open the floor up for additional nominations at the March meeting and then hold and election to elect a new Adjutant for the post. All members of the Post are able to vote in this election. I urge you to come to the meeting and participate in this important event.

There is also a primary election in Montgomery County for the Republican Party in March. If you are of that persuasion, you should get out and vote in that election also.

We have another good fundraiser for the Post going on in addition to Birdies for Charity. It is entirely different, so there hopefully won’t be any overlap. The newest one is sale of coupon books similar to the ones we sold last year. All the coupons are for local establishments and you can easily recoup the purchase price of $29.95 by using just one or two coupons. The books will be available at the next Post meeting. Everyone will want one, and we only have 60 to sell, so get there early.

Remember our comrades in your prayers still protecting our Country around the world.

For God and Country, Jim Bolin

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MEETING NOTES

The meeting was open with a ceremony commemorating the Four Chaplains who gave up their life jackets to men on a troop ship which had been hit by a torpedo and was sinking.

We had two interesting speakers in Jim Gieger and Ms. Cara Wood. Jim Gieger is heading up Literacy Volunteers of Montgomery County and Ms. Cara Wood is running for Judge in the March election. We also nominated Brad Wall to run for election as Adjutant at the March meeting. The membership also approved a motion to purchase an American Flag, pole, stand and eagle for the top of the pole. The current flag we have is an indoor flag with a fringe. Because we take it outdoors and let the wind whip it around, the fringe is fraying. So, we decided to get one suitable for outdoor use before we ruin our pretty indoor flag. We also presented and award to Emery Heuermann as Legionnaire of the Year for outstanding service to the American Legion. Pat Turner received an award as the winner of the Chili Cook-off. We presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Everett Ison for his outstanding service to Post 305 and the American Legion.

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VETERAN'S ADVOCATE

From the American Legion National Commander Bock…

The President’s proposed budget for 2007 does add approximately $3 billion for veterans’ healthcare, but that includes the recommended plan of the Administration, the Pentagon and DOD to charge an annual enrollment fee for VA Healthcare, nearly doubling drug co-payments and eliminating Priority 8 VA Healthcare. It also takes $13 million from VA research and fails to provide funds for needed staff and training to eliminate the VA backlog for veterans to receive medical care. It does include an increase in funds for the healthcare of the newest veterans and for more mental health care.

MY OPINION:  These items are greatly needed however, it pits the newest veterans against the older veterans for healthcare funds. That is something that’s not needed. By law, the VA must treat the new veterans for two years after their discharge, and with one in four Iraq and Afghanistan veterans requesting PTSD treatment and one in ten requiring major wound treatment, the funds will be short again this year and in 2007. It will take emergency funding to get through those years, just as it did in 2005. It’s a rocky road ahead for the Veterans’ Healthcare Programs.

From the Department of Veterans’ Affairs…

The Secretary of the VA, Nicholson, announced on 6 February 2006 that President Bush had submitted his proposed NDAA 2007 budget. It will include a request for $80.6 billion for the VA, mostly for health care. That’s 12.2% over the budget just approved for NDAA 2006. This amount is expected to provide healthcare for 5.3 million veterans, including at least 120,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Seventy-nine percent of the VA patients are expected to be high priority (Priorities 1 through 6). Also included is the provision that Priority 7 and 8 veterans pay a $250.00 annual enrollment fee and a raise in pharmacy co-payments. It includes $3.2 billion for prosthetics and sensory aids and $78 million for National Cemetery expansion and construction.

MY OPINION:  It sounds good and I hope the funding comes through. However, I’m not in favor of the enrollment fee and almost doubling the drug fees. In the past Fiscal Year (2005 there were two emergency funding bills that had to be approved due to lack of VA healthcare funds). I expect there will be a need for extra funding in both the 2006 and 2007 Fiscal Years.

Dutch Dettinger, Veteran’s Advocate

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ABOUT THE AMERICAN LEGION

The Americanism Program is strongly supported by this Post. Its purpose is to further a strong sense of patriotism and loyalty. The elements of the program are: American Legion Baseball, Boys State/Boys Nation, High School Oratorical Competitions, Scouting Sponsorship, Flag Education, Scholarship Information, School Awards, Junior Shooting Sports, and Patriotic Holiday Observances. If you are interested in helping in one of these areas, contact one of the Post Officers for more information.

2d Vice Report

April 8, 2006 is our scheduled semi-annual Rummage Sale. Even though it is a couple of months away, I think now is the time to start preparing. I would suggest that all Legion members start taking an inventory of what they or their neighbors or friends have to donate to our sale.

The Rummage Sale and Birdies for Charity are our largest fund raising events.

Please start preparing for this sale. Also, we ask for your volunteer help as always to make this sale possible.

Any questions, please call me at 936-273-2688, or e-mail me at chuckandmarylou@yahoo.com.

Chuck Suhr, 2d Vice Cdr.

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Recipe for S.O.S.

After much research and a lot of time here is the recipe. Retain in your files for future use.

Ingredients: 1lb. ground beef, 1/2cup milk or evaporated milk, 2 teaspoons -lard-butter-margarine-or bacon grease, 1-cup beef stock.

COOKING PROCEDURE

  1. Braise meat (discard liquid and set aside)
  2. Melt lard-butter-margarine-or bacon grease
  3. Add-1 Tbsp flour and brown if desired
  4. Add meat and all liquids to thin then simmer on low heat-approx 30 minutes
  5. Salt and pepper to taste-add curry powder or a dash of sage if so desired
  6. Recommend the S.O.S. be served on toast, eggs to order and southern fried potatoes on the side
  7. Beef broth or beef stock can be found in soup section at supermarkets
  8. This recipe will serve 5 people (If not too many chow hounds are present)

I fully realized many receiving this message have family members that never heard of the famous military breakfast referred to as S.O.S. I leave it to you to explain the Military Slang. The recipe is referred to as Creamed Beef S.O.S. in military cookbooks.

POST ACTIVITIES
DAY DATE ACTIVITY PARTICIPANTS LOCATION
Tuesday Mar 7 Vote at the Polls All Available Members Your Voting
Location
Monday Mar 13 Ex. Meeting 7 PM Executive Committee Legion Office
Thursday Mar 16 Member Meeting All Available Members Rayford Rd.
Monday Mar 20 Spring Begins All Available Members Where You Are
Saturday Apr 15 Turn In
Birdies for Charity		 All Available Members Rayford Rd. or
Legion Office
Saturday Apr 15 Income Tax Due All Available Members IRS Offices
Monday Apr 17 Ex. Meeting 7 PM Executive Committee Legion Office
Thursday Apr 20 Member Meeting All Available Members Rayford Rd.
Saturday Apr 22 7th Dist. Convention All Available Members Livingston, TX

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2006 Birds For Charities

Our Opportunity to Raise Money is Here Again!  Here are some tips for you to use in soliciting pledges:

Know The Facts

  • Purchaser of the Pledge will guess the number of Birdies that the Pros shoot on Thursday through Sunday of the Shell Houston Open Tournament

  • Pledges can be either: A Number of Cents per Birdie (1 Cent minimum) or a Dollar Amount (minimum $20.00)

  • Give Your Customer The Greatest Number of Chances to WIN! If someone wishes to pledge more than the minimum, fill out multiple forms.  EXAMPLES:

    • Wants to pledge 8 cents per birdie - fill out 8 forms at 1cent – 8 chances
    • Wants to pledge $80.00 – fill out 4 forms at $20.00 – 4 chances
  • Pledges will be billed at the end of the Tournament
  • Pledges paid when purchased – Checks must by made out to: Houston Golf Association

  • 100% of Money Pledged Through our Post Will Come Back to Us. The Houston Golf Association pays all the costs for running the program. No Money is paid to PGA Tour players.

Know The Prizes

  • FIRST PRIZE (Must Correctly Guess The Number of Birdies) – 2006 BUICK LUCERNE Since there is normally more than one correct guesser – HGA holds an affair where the winner is selected – Last year each contender got a key, but only one started the car;

  • By random drawing – 2 Continental Airlines Roundtrip Tickets within Continental US; and

  • Over 100 other prizes.

Know How The Money Is Used By The Post

  • Last Year the amount put into the General Funds was enough to send 2 students to Boys State; AND

  • From the money put in the Allocated Funds, the post spent $500.00 on hurricane relief.

Use Your Resources!

  • We All MUST MAKE THIS A POST EFFORT – Don’t count on just a few
  • Contact the people you worked for or with and those who worked for you – ASK THEM
  • Friends who live here – ASK THEM

  • Friends who live out of town – Give then a call, It’s a great opportunity to renew the friendship And ASK THEM

  • Your Neighbors – Maybe you could stop by their home with your American Legion Cap on and ASK THEM

  • Use Your Imagination for others and ASK THEM

SUGGESTION: Don’t mail someone a form and expect them to mail it back, instead STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT - You fill out the form and mail their portion to them

Let's Make This A Record Year!

WITH FULL PARTICIPATION FROM OUR MEMBERS

Click here to download the Birdies for Charities Sign-Up Form

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This page was last updated on 04/17/2006 .
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