Ted Lanske, Post Commander
319-240-0734
tedsph98@aol.com
*Although they were not active Post 79 AMVETS, they were well known in our family. My condolences go out to the families of William (Bill) Taylor whom passed away on 31 October 2014 and Leland “Red” Metz whom passed on 3 November 2014. Bill served our country and Veterans during the Vietnam conflict, rehabilitating Vietnam Veterans at Fitzsimmon’s Army Hospital in Denver, Colorado before coming to Waverly. Red was a regular at AMVETS fish fry’s and Saturday steaks, and a life-long member of AMVETS Post 30 of Clarksville. Again, it saddens me that the smiles these men shared with all of us will no longer be here; their memories will be and am thankful that they shared a few moments of their lives with me.
*Many thanks to all those that attended the membership dinner. A special thanks to the Ladies that helped serve, made bars, tended bar and just made us all have an enjoyable evening. The question was asked; “Would you (AMVETS) be willing to move our dinner into October or September?” The response so far has been positive that we move it up, possibly share with the Ladies, to start an hour earlier and still open to further suggestions. I will be meeting with the Auxiliary Officers and sharing of thoughts and ideas will continue.
*I wish to give credit to Richard Miller, Legion Commander and AMVET member for a couple of things: a great call moving the Veteran activities from the Tribute to the Centre and an excellent program. The comments I received were all totally positive and will be used to evaluate decisions for next year.
*There are way too many people to thank for the Veterans Day activities at the Centre; greeters, displays, businesses, speakers, refreshment providers, volunteers and whomever I missed, but am going to recognize a few anyway. To Mary Hatala, Lornarae Power, Jean Sable and Neal Jarnagin for hours of work, a special thanks to Cedar Falls Mayor Crews for spending a few hours greeting, and the best was kept for last, Dr. Simon Estes took time to share some life stories along with his glorious voice to end a wonderful day.
*Please Note: A Hors d’oeuvres party is scheduled for Wednesday, December 17th at the VFW Post. This is open to ALL organizations, so bring a dish to share and let us end 2014 and look forward to 2015 with friends and family. The party will start with a social period and dinner to follow.
*Goodbye 2014-Hello 2015: From myself and my personal family to all of you, “May you have a wonderful and glorious Christmas, a safe and healthy New Year, fond memories from the past year and anticipation of a new year filled with great expectations”.
*History bits for December: 4th – P-51 fighters begin escorting US bombers over Europe (1943), 7th – Attack on Pearl Harbor (1941), 8th – Japan attacks the Philippines (1941), 8th – US declares war on Japan (1941), 9th – Guam falls to Japan (1941), 11th – US declares war on Germany and Italy (1941), 15th – D-day New Britain (1943) and Mindoro (1944), 16th – Battle of the Bulge begins (1944), 24th – General Eisenhower becomes Supreme Commander of Allied Forces (1943), 26th – The siege of Bastogne is lifted (1944). Please note that this is not a complete listing, but just a fraction to remind us of the sacrifices of those before us.
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