JAMES R. HICKEY AMERICAN LEGION POST 120 …palmyraamericanlegion.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/American... · 2nd Vice Commander: Dave Borland (331-7545) Adjutant: Dave Jankowski

JULY / AUG / SEP T 2014 SUMMER EDITION

JAMES R. HICKEY AMERICAN LEGION POST 120 132 CUYLER STREET, PALMYRA, NEW YORK 14522

(315) 597-2412

[email protected]

www.palmyraamericanlegion.com

SUMMER EVENTS AT

JAMES R HICKEY POST 120!

Saturday, August 9, we will be holding

a Hawaiian Luau Jam at the Post Home

from 5-9pm. Tickets are available at the

club for $25.00 for the festivities. Your

ticket includes smoked pig with all the

fixings, rum tasting, live music by Roland

and Tony, tickets for 5 draught beers or

3 mixed drinks - all with a Hawaiian

flare. Please call the Post Home to

reserve your tickets! Wear your tropical

garb! It's going to be a blast!!

Monday, August 11, is opening day at

the Wayne County Fair. Stop by our

booth for pull tab fun, raffles, Cash Bash

tickets and more. Bring your family and

friends as we also will have membership

applications available. We would love to

see some new faces at the Post Home

to join in all the wonderful things we are

involved in!!

September brings us into Palmyra Canaltown Days – September 13 & 14! Come join the annual activities of food, crafts, and music! We will have live entertainment Saturday night from 7-11pm!

LEGION OFFICERS Commander: Ann Guest (597-9243) 1st Vice Commander: Crofton Celentano (597-2412)

2nd Vice Commander: Dave Borland (331-7545)

Adjutant: Dave Jankowski

Chaplain: Peter Campbell (597-6059)

Historian: Jim Arthurton

Finance Officer: Raymond Jenkins (597-4262)

Sergeant-at-Arms: Bob Trox (597-4672)

Service Officer: John Schlafer

AUXILIARY OFFICERS President: Kathleen York 1st Vice President: Dorothy Sobus

2nd Vice President: Pat Goodness

Secretary: Deborah Price-Murray

Treasurer: Heidi Jarvis

Chaplain: Linda Tome

Membership: Kathleen York

SAL OFFICERS Commander: William S. Campbell 1st Vice Commander: Paul Hamilton

2nd Vice Commander: Jim Murray

Adjutant: Jeff Vanderwege

Treasurer: Mark Nye

Chaplain: Jeff Jarvis

Historian: Tim York

Sergeant-at-Arms: Bob Pease

Advisor: Robert Trox

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Raymond Jenkins (597-4262)

Vice President: Bob Eagley (597-1689)

Secretary/Treasurer: David Jankowski (597-2412)

Directors: Pete Campbell (597-6059)

Jim Arthurton (597-5275)

SPECIAL FEATURE

1st Class Petty Officer, Shod Williams (SW) reported to the US Navy in Great Lakes (Chicago) for boot camp in July 2006, followed by C School and A school where he specialized in Fire Control. He is currently on an 8 month deployment in the Middle East aboard the USS O’Kane (DDG-77). This is Shod’s second deployment aboard the USS O’Kane to the Middle East, which is stationed out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Shod has also served for 3 years aboard the USS McCain (DDG-56) where he was part of the VBSS team (visit, board, search and seizure team) stationed out of Yokosuka, Japan. In addition, he served 20 months in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as a prison guard. Shod is planning to re-enlist during this deployment. He will return to Pearl Harbor in November of 2014 where his wife, Irish, and son, Silas will be waiting. His wife and son are currently residing in Palmyra, NY with Jeff and Linda Williams during his deployment. Shod’s grandfather, Donald Pappert, is a member of James R. Hickey Post #120. His father, Jeffrey Williams, is a member of SAL and mother, Linda, a member of the Auxiliary Unit 120.

Greetings Post #120 Members! This newsletter is our “Summer Issue” covering July, August, and September. There are no Post meetings in July and August, resuming on September 8 at 7:00pm. Don’t be a stranger to the Post all summer though! Sometime in July or August, we will have a flag retirement ceremony. The date will be in the Post and Times, so watch for it. It is an impressive ceremony. We will continue to be an active Post this summer. A Hawaiian Luau is planned, as well as the Wayne County Fair, Palmyra Canaltown Days, and more! Congrats to 1st Vice, Bob Coleman, on 100%. Bob is stepping down this position, but will still chair the Cash Bash. Welcome home to Joe Mack. Joe is a Post member and D-Day Survivor. He went over for the 70th Anniversary observance and will be speaking at our Veterans’ Night Dinner in November. Please welcome Crofton Celentano as our new 1st Vice Commander! Crofton is a Veteran of the Iraqui War. He owns his own body building business and looks forward to learning as much as he can about the Legion. Crofton is the only change is officers this year. If you need to get in touch with him about membership, call (315) 597-2412 (Post Home) and leave a message. Ray Freyn has also been re-elected as 7th District Chaplain. Congratulations, Ray! Please remember our Post members who are ill or infirmed. They are still part of our Post Family and should be in our thoughts and prayers. We celebrated the Army’s Birthday on June 14 (also Flag Day). We hosted Veterans from Parkwood/Macedon on June 16. I gave out our Dollars for Scholars scholarship awards on June 12, and attended the Eighth Grade Citizenship Awards on June 18. We’ve had 11 military funerals so far this year. Not all of them were Post members, but they are Veterans and as long as we are here and are asked, we will render them this final salute.

I had a conversation this past month with a

Veteran of Korea. He was in a wheelchair and still

suffers from shrapnel he received in combat. This

man, in his pre-service days, was a basketball star

and football legend at his school. He had more

dates than ZaZa Gabor and worked two jobs to help

his family. Have you ever thought what these

Veterans were like before they were struck down?

Have you ever pictured in your mind what they

looked like and how their lives were? They have so

much to tell us; we only have to listen! As he rolled

away, I could see him in that basketball uniform,

surrounded by cheerleaders and fans – and I

thanked God I stopped to talk with him.

Have a safe and wonderful summer! Yours for the Legion

Ann

Ann F. Guest, Commander

PLEASE BE SURE WE HAVE YOUR CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS AND MAILING ADDRESS!

Sons of the American Legion

Now that Summer has arrived, here are a few updates in regard to the Sons of the American Legion Post 120. PalMac High School graduation is upon us and at this year’s Dollars for Scholars awards ceremony, the SAL awarded two students. This year’s recipients are Susan Sutberry and Morgan LaDue. Susan was awarded the SAL Scholarship and Morgan was awarded the John Truitt Scholarship. I would also like to welcome our new Commander of the Sons of the American Legion Post 120, Mr. William (Billy) Campbell. We wish everyone a wonderful Summer. Stay tuned for upcoming SAL Legion events in the Fall. Kind Regards,

Paul

Paul Hamilton, Commander Sons of the American Legion

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

I would like to take an opportunity to thank the Palmyra Community Center for inviting us to participate in the Gus Macker Basketball Tournament again for its second year. We assisted in various tasks throughout the weekend with an emphasis on the food booth. It was a beautiful weekend and fun was had by all!!! Thank you to Billy Campbell, SAL Commander for sharing this great event with us to benefit our community! Our specials have now come to an end. Thank you to everyone for coming out to support the Post Home. If you have any suggestions for something new and exciting that you would like to see, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Amber

Amber Jenkins Director of Operations

YOU SHOULD KNOW . . .

July is a pretty quiet month, but other upcoming events that are currently being planned for your involvement are listed below. July:

July 1 – Palmyra Canaltown Days sign-up sheets available (All increments of time will be one (1) hour long. Everyone can share one hour on a weekend to help the Post. There are 400 people in the Post - one hour is not too much for anyone. Sign up for as many of the one hour slots as you so desire. We will need: Cooks, Servers, “Go-Forʼs”, and Cashiers.)

July 4 - Independence Day

August:

August 3 - Homecoming Luncheon for Linda Tome August 4 - US Coast Guard Birthday August 9 - Pig Roast / Luau at the Post (Watch for more information) August 11 - 15 - Wayne County Fair

September:

September 8 - Next Post meeting September 13 /14 – Palmyra Canaltown Days

(Sign-up sheets will be available July 1)

September 18 - US Air Force Birthday September 20 – POW / MIA Day

Looking ahead to October and beyond will include the US Navyʼs birthday on 10/13, and another Chicken and Biscuit Dinner. Weʼre seeking input into a possible Pot Roast Dinner for a cool fall day.

Officers for 2014-2015

The following newly elected officers took their oath of office on June 2, 2014. From right to left, they are as follows: President-Kathleen York First Vice President-Dorothy Sobus Second Vice President- Pat Goodness Secretary- Deborah Price-Murray Chaplin-Linda Tome Treasurer-Heidi Jarvis Installation Officer-Gina Southcott

Poppies

Thanks to Breen’s once again for supporting yet another community event! Thanks also to the many community members who so gladly and generously donated to the Palmyra’s American Auxiliary’s Unit 120 annual Poppy drive, which totaled $1,328.35! These donations allow the Legion to continue the tradition of honoring those who have died in past and present wars and to those now serving all over the world. Proceeds will be used to support several veterans’ programs. Thanks also to the volunteers who annually give their time and energy to support this worthy cause. We thank Beverly Ingutti, our Chairwoman, for her continued enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment. Thanks to all for a job well done!

Auxiliary Membership We were so close to making our membership goal! We now have 149 members, which means we reached 95% of our goal for the year. We needed 8 more members to reach 100%. Hey, there’s always next year and 95% is excellent! A big thank-you to all who paid their dues . . you’ve helped the Auxiliary continue to do “good things” for vets! Unit Member of the Year

Kathleen York was awarded the Meritorious Service Award as Unit Member of the Year. She joined the Auxiliary in 2005 and has generously volunteered her time for numerous auxiliary activities: serving as President, Vice President, a member of the County Legislature, Department Chair of the Education Committee, Chairwoman of Membership. She is also a great fundraiser, having raised auxiliary funding via Lottery Trees as well as for Girls State. You can always find Kathleen in the kitchen as she helps to prepare the monthly Steak Dinners, the Veterans Day Dinner, and works each year at the Ham & Shrimp, and Turkey Raffles. She always makes time for the Legion’s annual “Christmas with Santa” Party. She works tirelessly

and is truly an asset to our organization. Congratulations, Kathleen! You make us proud!

7th District President Linda Tome’s position as 7th District President ends this summer. On August 3, a “Welcome Home” celebration will be held in her honor at the Legion. This event is in the planning stages so check at the Post for more details! Linda has worked hard in this position and we are happy to have her back full-time! We’re so very proud of you! Girls State Representatives Abby Snelling and Britini Stupin will represent Palmyra and the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 120 at Empire Girls State 2014. This year’s session is scheduled to occur from Monday, June 30th through Sunday July 6th, at SUNY Brockport.

Upcoming Events

7th District American Legion Auxiliary Golf Tournament - July 12 at Crooked Pines in Macedon at 8 a.m. Registration is $70 and includes a golf cart, lunch, and a buffet dinner. Proceeds will benefit Operation Comfort Warriors. For further details, see Linda Tome.

Linda Tome’s “Homecoming” Celebration – August 3

Wayne County Fair – August 11-16

First Auxiliary Meeting for 2014-2015 – Tuesday, September 2, at 7:00 p.m.

Palmyra Canaltown Days – September 13 & 14

Carolyn

Submitted by Carolyn Bradstreet for the American Legion Auxiliary

JULY / AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014 News & Notes

From the 2nd Vice Commander

I really donʼt like to revisit the past when we are focused on the next quarterʼs newsletter, but I feel we had a great 2nd quarter here at the Post and I need to make some comments to thank all those who made it possible. I can list many activities that I consider successful including, but not limited to: the Steak Dinners, Chicken and Biscuit Dinner, Website Development and the “Welcoming” TV Presentations. The Post extended invitations to “Senior” Veterans, spouses and widows from near-by senior communities. The veterans from Parkwood came with questions regarding Veteransʼ benefits, etc. from Maplewood, the Post was able to meet a Normandy Veteran and coordinated his visitation to the Post as well as participation in our Memorial Day Parade. (His story is on the website with a link to the Channel 13 news interview.) At “The Terraces Senior Living Community” in Newark, we met a veteran from WW II, eligible for Honor Flight. This 100 year old veteran is now, thanks to a conversation and several visits, on the list for the Honor Flight this fall. This could not have been done without the work of John Schlafer (USAF) Post Service Officer and George Pierce (USA) previous Honor Flight honoree. The last two Steak Dinners were tremendously successful, both being sell-outs. Amber and I will be investigating the costs so we can hopefully begin them again in October. Our catered Chicken and Biscuit Dinner and Italian Feast nights were acclaimed successes by those who took part. The Motherʼs Day Chicken BBQ was a sell out this year and we hope to continue this tradition. Enough of food, we now have a TV in the bar area that is dedicated to sharing news, notes, thank-youʼs and advertisements for those businesses in the community that support the American Legion and itsʼ membership. If you are in business for yourself or know of someone with whom you have worked or used their services, ask them if they would like to have their business/service on our TV! It is nothing more than a PowerPoint program that is made into a movie that loops continually so that it is constantly before the membership. Contact me with any questions.

Another advertising idea that we would like to promote is possibly printing and offering placemats to local restaurants and for use in our dining room. Centered on the placemat would be the Legion Emblem with the submitted cards/ads surrounding it. All ideas are welcome. During this past year, we have tried to promote a number of activities to get more Legion members interested in participation. Some were not really successful, but we are always open to new and unique suggestions. Our attempt to gain interest in a Rochester Red Wing game didnʼt get a huge vote, nor did Charter Boat Fishing. But, that doesnʼt mean we wonʼt try again if some interest is discovered. The Marine Tattoo in Hamilton didnʼt take off, but the Honor Roll trip is now being re-planned for 2016. Donʼt forget the air shows . . . the Thunderbirds are coming to the Rochester International Airport and there is always the Geneseo air show for those who can walk it. Many of these ideas and activities are on the website (www.palmyraamericanlegion.com) to see. Please visit the site; your comments are always welcome. If you have any ideas (Dinners? Trips? Activities?) you would like to see explored, contact me at the Post or my email ([email protected]), everything will be considered. Remember to check out the website calendar where all the events from all organizations are listed. Hope to see you at the Postʼs functions. Have a great Summer!

Respectfully submitted,

Dave

Dave Borland, 2nd Vice Commander

Here are 13 tips and precautions to follow to avoid firework-related injuries during this year’s holiday!

Teach children to “stop, drop and roll” if their clothes catch fire. Make sure they know how to dial 9-1-1, and show them how to extinguish fires by using water or a fire extinguisher.

Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them. Never use homemade or illegal fireworks. Even legal fireworks can be harmful if not used properly. Ohio law allows non-professionals to use four novelties: sparklers, snakes, snaps and smoke bombs.

Only adults should handle fireworks. Tell children that they should leave the area immediately if they see their friends playing with fireworks.

Read labels and carefully follow directions. All fireworks must carry warning labels that describe necessary safety precautions.

Make sure spectators are out of range before lighting fireworks.

Never aim or throw fireworks at another person.

Never allow a person who has consumed alcohol to handle fireworks.

Never light fireworks indoors or under a covered area.

Never place your face or any other body part over fireworks.

Never try to re-ignite fireworks that malfunction.

Keep a bucket of water or hose nearby.

Never carry fireworks in your pocket.

Light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves and flammable materials.