POST & AUXILIARY MEETINGS 3RD Thursday, both 7 p.m. Benson VFW Post 2503 SEPTEMBER 2017 www.VFWPost2503.org POST 2503 OFFICERS 2017- 2018 Commander: Ricky Johnson Sr. Vice Commander: Duke Humphrey Jr. Vice Commander: Ross Winn Quartermaster: Ryan Sudbeck Chaplain: Dennis Kerr Surgeon: Terrence White Judge Advocate: Tom Penke Officer of the Day: Bill Fead Adjutant: Tom Penke Guard: Ron Karn AUXILIARY OFFICERS 2017-2018 President: Lynn Krause Sr. Vice President: Pat Dembowski Jr. Vice President: Judy Erb Treasurer: Sue Stark Secretary: Pat Dembowski Chaplain: Nora Van Cleave Conductress: Jan Brown Guard: Jan Davis Patriotic Instructor: Geri Brown From the Commander Greetings! August has been a busy month for all our volunteers. And we are still in need of volunteers to become Honor Guard members. Any VFW Post 2503 mem- ber who would like to join the Post Honor and Color Guard, please contact Tom Penke at 402-330-6860. Kudos to the Honor Guard for attending the funeral of Marilyn Podany, wife of fellow Honor Guard member Bob Podany. The Hamburger Nights on Wednesdays are still doing well, thanks to the hard work of the Post’s Volunteer of the Month and new VFW Post 2503 Kitchen Manager, Linda Humph- rey, and by the outstanding work of our kitchen volunteers. Rave reviews are still coming in about Kathy and Dan Raabe’s Thursday Taco Night. However, the Post is still in need of kitchen volun- teers for Hamburger Night and Taco Night. Also a big THANK YOU goes out to our wonderful Post 2503 Auxiliary membership who purchased the new ten foot curtain for the kitchen window in the north dining room. VFW Post 2503 has received three VFW State Awards for selling poppies, and for par- ticipation in Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen. Finally, we are going to see some improvements around the Post soon. Please sign-up for our September 30th Post workday at the canteen bar. And our F-84F Thunderstreak Jet out front is going to be re-painted and get new decals. Ricky L. Johnson, Commander ATTENTION! Carpenters, Brush Cut- ters, Painters, and Folks with just a generous amount of Elbow Grease! Please turn out for VFW POST 2503 Clean Up Day Saturday, 10A.M. September 30th —NO HUSKER GAME— Honor Guard Meeting 2nd Thursday every month 7:00 pm From the Auxiliary President Hello Auxiliary Members, We are getting dues paid, which is great! We still have some members who have moved and not given us their new address. If a member of your family gets the news- letter via E-mail and you haven’t received a dues reminder yet—we may not have your address change. Please let us know by dropping a note in either the Auxiliary Treasurer or the President’s box at the Post with a note on your address change. Concerning paying dues, our Auxiliary cannot take debit or charge cards when paying your dues. We are again having our annual Craft Fair, along with a bake sale and a lunch. If you would like to have a table, drop a note in the President’s box at the Post, and I will get the information to the chairpersons. The date for the Craft Fair is Saturday, November 18, 2017 from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. Contact Geri at 402-943-9067 or Linda Humphrey at [email protected] for more information. Lady VFW Members, the Auxiliary now welcomes your spouses to join our Auxiliary. We are no longer the Ladies Auxiliary, but the VFW Auxiliary, so gentlemen you too can be a member of this great organization that honors our Veterans. At our last meeting we had a guest from an organization called JAVE- LAN. This organization provides service dogs enabling life and independence for Veterans. If you know of a Veteran in need and like more information, the web- site is www.javelan.,com., or contact bob.dean@!javelan.com. To donate or request a service dog call 402-850-3420. Lynn Krause President Zeta Anderson Auxiliary ACTION NEEDED! Volunteers are needed for the kitchen crews to assist in the kitchen and the dining room for a few hours each month. To volunteer please contact Tom Penke at 402-330-6860
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Transcript
POST &
AUXILIARY
MEETINGS
3RD Thursday,
both 7 p.m.
Benson VFW Post 2503 SEPTEMBER 2017 www.VFWPost2503.org
POST 2503 OFFICERS 2017-2018
Commander: Ricky Johnson Sr. Vice Commander: Duke Humphrey
Jr. Vice Commander: Ross Winn Quartermaster: Ryan Sudbeck
Chaplain: Dennis Kerr Surgeon: Terrence White
Judge Advocate: Tom Penke Officer of the Day: Bill Fead
As the Hospital Chairwoman for 2017-2018, I need the following
information by meeting night each month: Volunteer Hours at the
VA Hospital, Non-VA Hospitals, the Open Door Mission, Victory
House, and other places. Dollar Amounts of donated money or
donated items; e.g., store-bought cookies. Please call me prior to
meeting night to provide any of the above information at 402-391-
2292. Or better yet, get involved—ATTEND A MEETING!
Connie Dohse Ross
Hospital Chairwoman
Like to Play Poker?
Post 2503 hosts a group of people, men and
women, who play every Tuesday from
4:30—9:30 pm.
Please call Mary Ryder,
(402) 614-5111 (Cell ) or
(402)-332-6086 (Home)
LABOR DAY
SEPTEMBER
4th
PLEASE FLY YOUR FLAG
AUXILIARY MEMBERS!
If you have any news regarding an Auxiliary
member’s illness or death, please notify the Auxiliary
Chaplain, Nora Van Cleave at 402-571-5213.
Thank you.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP UP YOUR LADDER OF
COMMITMENT. . . . . JOIN THE HONOR GUARD
Call Tom Penke at 402-330-6860
From the Chaplain : Brothers and Sisters, A little over a month ago, I could not attend the meeting
as Chaplain. And I learned that I had better have a few
friends trained up. In case something ever comes up
again, it would be nice to have a backup. With my ran-
dom work schedule, that certainly is possible. If reading
the role of Chaplain feels like something you feel called
to do, please let me know. The reading is not difficult, but
with a little practice, you can make it very nice. A big
Thank You to our friend Brian Vercoe for stepping in!
I think a lot about the post and our mission to serve veter-
ans. One way to think about American life, and that of
our veterans, is sports. The way I figure it, our actual time
in the military is like football. And our time after the
service is like baseball. In football, (in the military) the
other team (the enemy) wants to take our freedom ball
away. We have to take it home! If the other team takes
our freedom ball away, that would be a disaster! In base-
ball, we return home, and there is no guarantee that the
freedom ball will work in our favor. Then the workplace,
your boss, and the market give you opportunities. The
freedom ball now has to be shared with those who want
to compete against you. They pitch to you when they
have to, and it is up to you to make the most of it. When
your opportunity comes and goes… you are out! When
you make the most of it, there is a point in the bank.
When I played baseball as a kid, I returned to the dugout
when I struck out. I waited my turn again to be at bat. I
was not out for the rest of the game. These days it seems
we have turned regular life into a more cruel and hateful
sport. When someone loses a job, they have to lose their
health insurance, too. When a marriage or a business
fails, we make sure that someone loses the home and
savings. When veterans with PTSD are not discharged
perfectly honorably, we punish them too! (of all people,
right?) As a society, it is easier to stir up a crowd to pun-
ish someone, when God is quietly asking us to serve each
other. Our time in the service was like football, and we
brought our freedom ball home. God is watching what we
do with the freedom ball, now that we have to share it.
In faith,
Dennis Kerr
Post Chaplain
Setting the Record Straight on Robert E. Lee
Robert E Lee was married to George Washington's granddaughter. He
worked with Grant during the Mexican-American war and became a dec-
orated war hero defending this country Lee believed slavery was a great
evil and his wife broke the law by teaching slaves to read and write.
After the civil war he worked With Andrew Johnson's program of recon-
struction. Lee became very popular with the northern states and the Bar-
racks at West Point were named in his honor in 1962. He was a great
man who served this country his entire life in some form or other. His
memorial is now being called blight. No American military veteran
should be treated as such. People keep yelling, "You can't change
history!" Sadly you can. This is no better than book burnings. ISIS tried
rewriting history by destroying historical artifacts. Is that really who we
want to emulate? As they tear down this "blight," keep these few histori-
cal facts in your mind. No military veteran and highly decorated war hero
should ever be treated as such. This is not Iraq and that is not a statue of
Sadam.
IN ADDITION: Lee was also very torn about the prospect of the South
leaving the Union. His wife's grandfather George Washington was a huge
influence on him. He believed that ultimately, states rights trumped the
federal government and chose to lead the Southern army. His estate, Ar-
lington, near Washington DC was his home and while away fighting the
war, the federal government demanded that Lee himself pay his taxes in
person. He sent his wife but the money was not accepted from a woman.
When he could not pay the taxes, the government began burying dead
Union soldiers on his land. The government is still burying people there
today. It is now called Arlington National Cemetery. I suppose the next
step will be for the "PC Police" to call for the destruction and removal of
Arlington National Cemetery.
by Thomas Penke
AMVETS, also known as
American Veterans, is the
largest and oldest veterans
service organization that is
open to and fights for all
veterans and their families.
AMVETS Mission Statement:
To enhance and safeguard the entitlements for all American
Veterans who have served honorably and to improve the
quality of life for them, their families, and the communities
where they live through leadership, advocacy and services.
AMVETS is looking for new members.
To join, please contact
Commander Beverly Butcher
At
402-250-2159
SAVE THE DATE
SEPTEMBER 16th Check-in at 12:30p.m.
4TH Annual
VFW Post 2503
HORSE SHOE
TOURNAMENT
VFW Post 2503
SANDFLEAS Volleyball Team
is still playing on Monday nights
through September at
Tanner’s Bar & Grill on 90th Street.
Come on out!
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Non-Profit Org
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #610
Omaha, NE
V.F.W. Post 2503
8904 Military Road
Omaha, NE 68134
NOTICE:
All articles should be in the Newsletter Box, IN WRITING, at the Post no later than September 23rd, for the October newsletter. If articles are not submitted by the deadline, they will have to wait for the next newsletter. Thank you.
From Your Honor Guard Captain
Ricky Johnson
MILITARY RITES: July, 2017
Military Members
Deceased Cemetery # Hours
07/02/2017 David Weaver Post 7 21
07/03/2017 Stephen Kuhry Calvary 11 33
07/10/2017 Jack Mills Omaha National 10 30
07/11/2017 Darryl Gatherite Evergreen 8 24
07/14/2017 Gerald Dahir Omaha National 12 36
07/15/2017 Paul Haws Hillcrest 5 15
07/19/2017 James Cosgrove Omaha National 12 36
07/24/2017 Edward Nielsen New Cassell 7 21
07/25/2017 William Alexander Omaha National 8 24
07/28/2017 *Thomas Miller Morning Star 10 30
07/31/2017 Richard Severson Omaha National 10 30
07/31/2017 Alfred Schiemann Omaha National 10 30
*Post Member
Month Total: 12 Funerals, 120 Member Participation, 330 Hours