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COMMANDER'S CORNER
Well it's been
only two months since installation and things are on the fast track for
me. We participated in the Lorton Community July 4,2006, celebration and
our members passed out one thousand miniature American Flags along the
parade route. I would like to give a special thanks to Dewitt for his
coordination and to Sheehe Ford of Springfield, who provided the Ford
Mustang for the Commander.
I am
extremely proud of our members' participation in the benefit for long time
member and volunteer Steve McCarthy. I spoke with him at the conclusion of
the day's activities and he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support
and asked me to express his heart-felt gratitude for our time and efforts.
While the exact figures were not in at the time we spoke he indicated that
we collected almost $1000.00. We also had a good turnout at the Pool
Tournament and based on my observation all had a great time. For those of
you who couldn't make it down for the afternoon, let me tell you that the
band did its part and played all the old favorites and of course the
members and guest did there part by enjoying the food.
Our
membership drive is now under way and I am sure Bill Strawsburg, 1st
Vice-Commander will have more to say about this in his article. In my last
column I talked about four objectives but after some thought I have
increased those to six. The last two are sponsor more family related
entertainment/activities at the
pos home; and obtain 100% of membership renewals by December 31,2006, and
I would like to add 30 new members to the post roles this year. Ambitious,
maybe, but I will work hard to make that happen. I hope to have my "How
To" plan ready for review and discussion for all six objectives by our
next Executive Meeting.
One of long
time members Charles "Tex" DeMoss, member since 1953, has donated $1000.00
dollars to the Post. He has requested and the Executive Committee has
voted approval that portions of his donation be used to recognize the
legionnaire who recruits the most new members during the year. This award
will be in addition to any other awards applicable. The Award will
be called the Charles "Tex" DeMoss Membership Achievement Award. I will
provide more detailed information on the award in our next newsletter.
Joe, our 3rd
Vice Commander was the lead on our new perimeter fence and it looks great.
Just in time for our annual picnic scheduled this year for September
9,2006. I think this might be our best one yet. However, as usual we need
volunteers to serve as judges, clean up and set up, etc. See you there.
For God and Country
Sam Ramseur, Cmdr
A PERSONAL REQUEST FROM
THE COMMANDER
Since the
installation ceremony I have been thinking of ways we could improve our
services to you the membership. Along with our Operations Manager, House
Committee, and staff we are trying to develop new programs/activities to
increase member and family participation here at the home.
What
programs/activities could we add that would make you consider leaving your
easy chair and joining us for a few hours?
Our annual
picnic is next month, and I look forward to meeting those members I have
not met there.
There is
always plenty of food and fun at the Post Home during the Redskins games
on Sundays. Betty the ABC Manger on duty guarantees you have a great time.
We are
looking at sponsoring a family night, and beginning a limited kitchen
service, but most of all we are interested in what you the members would
like to see.
Please share
your ideas with us at wwvv.valegionl62.org
Look forward to hearing from you.
CLUB
Steve
McCarthy's fundraiser was a lot of fun. Thanks to all of you that came to
support Steve. Thanks to Mikes band Cruise Control, they sounded great.
We even had Oysters on half shell, I even had a few of those. Thanks
Dewitt.
This was our
3rd 4th of July. Every year more people come to join us. Every year we get
better at putting this together. Thanks to all that helped.
On Sundays
Betty (one of our ABC managers) serves food during NASCAR. One Sunday she
will fix a Ham with green beans the next she will have sandwiches.
And her cookies are to die for. She works very hard to put out a spread.
So come on in and join in the fun and food.
Vickie (one
of our ABC managers) is having her 3rd annual Halloween Party on October
28th. Come hi and join the fun, we will have door prizes and a prize for
the best costume. Last year this party was the best. Some people you could
not tell who they were.
Happy
Birthday goes out to:
September
Leona
Jones, Judy Rose, Betty O' Conner, Mahlon Ellell, Bernie Parley, Joan
Surin, Alan Amos, Cindy Maslinski, Linda Salgdo, Rodney Grimes
October
Konni
Zweifel, Jim Spears, Mickey Mohaupt
Tommy Castaldo, Jamie Hayes, Larry Tislow
Operation
Manager Ann
MEMBERSHIP AWARD WINNER NAMED
Sam Ramseur, PAO
Dewitt
Duggar, a member of the Board of Directors, Co-Chairman of Boys State,
Assistant Scout Master, NASCAR Guru, North Florida and Lorton Oyster
shucking King, and Bar-B-Q specialist is the 2005-2006 New Membership
Award winner. He was presented the American Legion Medal and Certificate.
Richmond
NASCAR seats available: The seats are in
Commonwealth Grandstand, Section J, Row 14, Seats 4 and 5. $90.00 each
(face value). If anyone wants to see a seating chart they can go to
www.rir.com and click on seating chart. The date is Saturday, September
9th.
Redskins tickets are also available (2
per game except Vikings and 'Boys). They are in the Club section with
parking. Cost is $255.00 per game. Contact Bill Strawsburg @
703.628.8415 if you are interested. First person with payment gets the tix.
No holding. |
Your Service - Your Benefits
Congress is
moving forward towards the passage of the National Defense Authorization
Act for 2007. Both the House and Senate have passed their respective
versions of the bill and now the two chambers' leaders can start
negotiating to resolve their differences to come up with a final,
compromise defense authorization act. With 2006 being an election year
there is a possibility that a final decision may be reached before the new
fiscal year (October 1,2006). Below are a few key differences affecting
benefits between the House and Senate versions.
Concurrent
receipt:
The only
issue still left on the table this year is the Senate provision
recommending full payment, retroactive to January 1,2005, for the 20,000
disabled retirees designated by the VA as unemployable. There's nothing on
this in the House bill.
Paid-Up SBP:
The Senate
defense bill would implement 30-year paid-up Survivor Benefit Plan as of
October 1,2006, (rather than waiting until 2008 under current law) for the
275,000 retired military career veterans who have aged at least 70 years
and who have made at least 30 years of SBP premium payments. There's
nothing in the House bill on this.
SBP/DIC
Offset:
The Senate
defense bill would end the deduction of the VA's Dependency and Indemnity
Compensation (DIC) from SBP for 55,000 widows when the member's death was
caused by service. There's no such provision in the House bill.
Guard/Reserve
TRI-CARE Coverage:
The House
bill would provide all members and families of the Selected Reserve the
same option for TRICARE coverage, and get rid of the higher premium
requirements for members who haven't been mobilized since 9/11. The Senate
bill would make only a minor tweak to the current three-level premium
system, which is too expensive for most members who haven't been
mobilized.
Guard/Reserve
Retirement Age:
The Senate
plan would reduce the retirement age by 3 months for each 90 days
mobilized since 9/11, but there's nothing on this in the House bill.
Guard/Reserve
GI Bill:
The Senate
bill would authorize portability (benefits carry over when member returns
to Reserve status) of educational benefits earned on active duty, but the
House does not address the issue.
The Veterans
Administration puts out a pamphlet on Federal Benefits that no veteran
should be without. This 150 page document contains important contact
information and clearly spells out entitlement language on Health Care;
Service-Connected Disabilities; Home Loan Guaranty; Burial and Memorial
Benefits; Military Medals/Records; Reserve and National Guard; VA
Pensions; and much more. Download this pamphlet from the link provided at
the new VA current benefits webpage (www.va.gov/opa/vadocs/current_benefits.asp)
or contact me and I will send you a copy. It is the best starting point
for your service related benefit questions.
Do you have a
service entitlement or benefit experience, good or bad; you would like to
share with your fellow Legionaries? Often the personal experience of
someone who has gone through a process can be of great help to others
experiencing a similar situation. Contact me at art-dupay@us.ibm.com
and I will put your experiences into a features section of this column.
Better yet, please come and see me in person at our Post 162 General
Membership Meetings every third Saturday of the month starting at 11:00.
The Office of
Policy and Program Management introduces a new Benefits Fact sheet Webpage
at http://www.vba.va.gov/ benefit facts/index.htm. The simple,
one-page fact sheets are great reference tools for VA employees, veterans,
and their family members who may be unfamiliar with what VA offers.
The fact
sheets are arranged under the following topics:
General
Benefit Information
Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities
Veterans with Limited Income
Education and Training for Veterans
Home Loans
Dependents and Survivors
Burial and Memorial Benefits
Insurance Miscellaneous
Fact sheets are also available in Spanish.
Art Dupay
Membership
I just love
this job!!! Post 162 is (as of 16 Aug) at 60.7% of its target goal of 423
members for 2007!! We are less than 5% away from the 1 November goal.
Great Job Lorton Legionnaires!! Now if we can get 60.7% in approximately 6
weeks, we should have no problem getting the other 40% before
Thanksgiving.
Please renew
early and save us postage money as well as saving National Headquarters
thousands of dollars in postage and printing for each renewal notice sent
out.
Since dues
are going up on 1 January, this would be a great time to purchase a Paid
Up For Life (PUFL) membership which can currently be had at the $25.00
rate.
Also, don't
forget to try and sign up new members. Veterans need all the help they can
get from The American Legion representation of us in the Congress - the
more members we have, the more clout we have in Congress.Post 162
Legionnaire of the Year
POST 162 LEGIONNAIRE OF THE
YEAR
Ray Harrigan
was selected Legionnaire of the Year 2006-2007. His certificate reads as
follows:
In
recognition of his outstanding service to Post 162 and the American Legion
during the 2005-2006-program year, his tireless hours of dedicated service
and commitment to the American Legion Programs in general and to this post
in particular exemplify the highest ideals of volunteerism and service.
Through his efforts as Assistant Finance Officer he has successfully
guided us through a MAJOR external audit and established a new accounting
system that provides management a comprehensive reporting system which
includes a quarterly audit of all game revenues; he updated all of our
financial software programs from Peach Tree to Quick Books; he
constructed, posted and now maintains the Post Web Site with perpetual
calendars and photo albums and is the Post official photographer.
Sam Ramseur
PAO |
I want to take
this opportunity to thank all of those at Post 162 who were instrumental
in putting together the Fund Raiser held on my behalf to help me to defray
some of me medical bills. These originating as a result of the rare
disease (pemphigoid) I was afflicted with April Of 2004......... diagnosed
July and subsequently colon cancer April of 2005, resulting in surgery. A
BIG THANK YOU goes out to all of those at Post 162 who participated and/or
supported the effort.......
