*First, I apologize for an oversight on my part. On May 19, 2014 we lost a wonderful supporter of the WAVP project and AMVETS Auxiliary member with the passing of Josephine (Jodie) Iserman. Her funeral was held June 16th, and knowing that I missed this, I want to pass on my prayers and thoughts to the family.
*On June 22, 2014, we also lost another beautiful Auxiliary member, Leota (Lottie) Napiecek. When I first got involved with AMVETS 20 plus years ago, Lottie and Dorothy Walker were my “sergeants” in the kitchen, ensuring everything was a 4.0 grade or better. They were also the ones that when I brought my “then young” children into the old AMVET Post as I attended to business and would “shush” them, be instructed; “oh, they are not bothering anyone, let them be”. At the end of business, hugs for everyone were a requirement. Those are the memories that my family will treasure until our time comes to an end. There is no word or words to express what I thought of these ladies, except that I loved them for being in my life.
*In June, AMVETS held their Department Convention in Marshalltown and our new State Commander is Don Shellenberger of Cedar Falls. Along with Don, I hope that all our Department Officers and representatives step up and do the job and not bask in having a title. AMVETS is not alone in having people that like the “Title” but fail terribly at doing the “Job”. Knowing that you did or tried your best at doing the “Job” is the only pay you will receive.
*Along those thoughts, during the week of June 9th while working at CUNA, a family member of one our deceased AMVETS complimented me on writing some remarks on the KaiserCorson site regarding their father. She will never know the value in those few words.
*The weekend of June 20-22, Jean and I attended a family reunion in Enderlin, ND. To witness thousands of acres of farmland underwater or saturated is just mind boggling. Talking with a couple of my relatives, whom still farm; the lucky ones were the ones that had not planted yet or had planted on the higher ground. If you know anything about the Enderlin area, the ground elevation does not change much and higher ground could be 2 feet. Our reunion was on Saturday and was the first day of sunshine in two weeks.
*The WAVP fourth annual general meeting will be held at the American Legion Hall on Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. This meeting is open to all members (veterans, auxiliaries, sons) of the four organizations and you are encouraged to attend.
*May all of you and your families have a wonderful and SAFE July 4th and enjoy the Heritage Days activities July 18-20. The theme this year is “Saluting Freedom”, so would hope we could have a great turnout of Veterans and floats complimenting Veterans. We will also have RAGBRAI spending the evening of the July 24th here in Waverly followed by the Bremer County Fair starting July 27th. With all this activity, be observant, drive careful and give yourself plenty of space and time. May we all enjoy this summer.
*The City of Waverly in cooperation with the Waverly Area Veterans Tribute (WAVT) board will be doing some work at the Tribute corner. As with most improvements, there will be a period that things may not look the greatest. This project is a two year improvement, with the goal of improving upkeep, cutting expenses and ensuring this corner continues to be one of the centerpieces for visitors to Waverly. Please remember, this tribute is for all Veterans, living or deceased, and not limited to Waverly or Bremer County. My family has dedicated three bricks in this corner, honoring two of my uncles and a brother in law as our way of saying “Thank You” for their service. Applications can be printed off by going to TRIBUTES page or contact me.
*History bits for July: 4th–Independence Day, 5th–Liberation of the Philippines (1945), 9th–D-Day Sicily (1943), 21st–US Marines land on Guam (1944), 30th-US Navy Women’s Naval Reserve established (1942). This by no means is everything, just a few, but as an aside, while serving aboard submarines ported in Guam 1966-69, they were still finding and disposing of land mines along beaches there, with some areas still off limits.
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