Some
people think of the Fourth
of July as a time for good food,
dressing up in red, white and blue clothing, going to parades on Main Street
and then enjoying a fireworks
display that night. If they are
lucky they may take in a baseball
game and maybe eat some apple pie,
so some just think of the good times associated 
with
the celebration. All this does
represent the celebration, that has now been happening in America for the past
228 years. John Adams (the 2nd
President) said all Americans should have a big celebration every July 4th
to honor what he felt would be history’s most important document, The
Declaration of Independence.
Have you eve
r
wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of
Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before
they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in
the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary
War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred
honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants; nine were farmers
and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the
Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death
if they were captured.
They had security, but they valued
liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For
the
support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the
divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes,
and our sacred honor."
They gave you and me a free and independent America. Some of us take these
liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while
enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank God and these patriots.
It's not much to ask for the price they paid for us to live in a country that
is truly free.
The
World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of
the U.S. during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions
who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the
20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and
commitment of the American people. As our Announcement Stone proclaims, the
memorial honors those “Americans who took up the struggle during the Second
World War and made the sacrifices to perpetuate the gift our forefathers
entrusted to us: A nation conceived in liberty and justice.” It will inspire
future generations of Americans, deepening their appreciation of what the
World War II generation accomplished in preserving democracy and saving the
world from tyranny. Above all, the memorial stands as an important symbol of
American national unity, a timeless reminder of the moral strength and awesome
power that can flow when a free people are at once united and bonded together
in a common and just cause.
On April 29, 2004, as a service and tribute to members of the World War II
Generation, the National World War
II Memorial opened for public viewing. Exactly one month later, on May 29, the
memorial was formally dedicated. The World War II Memorial is the first
national memorial dedicated to all who served during the Second World War. The
memorial, established by the American Battle Monuments Commission, honors all
military veterans of the war, the citizens on the home front, the nation at
large, and the high moral purpose and idealism that motivated the nation's
call to arms. The Second World War is the only 20th-Century event commemorated
on the Mall's central axis.
From
the Commander
First,
I would like to congratulate Phil Richardson on his election as Commander of
Post 639 and all the other E-Board on their elections as officers of our Post.
I am confident they will do their best to keep Post 639 the best
American Legion Post in Missouri. See the back of the July 2004 calendar for a
complete list of the new officers. (calendar back listed below)
As promised I am putting a list in
this months newsletter (on the back of the calendar, below) of all the people
that worked so hard to put together our Post Remembrance Party.
There are some of you that put in many hard hours to make it a success.
There are some that contributed a lot and some that put in a little
less, but it was all appreciated. Some
of you deserve special recognition because of the time and effort you
expended, but if I would list you separately someone might feel like they
hadn’t received enough recognition, but most of you know who put in the most
effort. I have tried to talk to
each one individually to let you know how I feel.
I would like to say “Thank You” very much for all you do for our
post. You have shown that you are
not selfish and you have the best interest of the post at heart.
The World War II Memorial was
formally dedicated on May 29th; it had opened for public viewing on
April 29th. It honors
the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the US during World War II,
more than 400,000 that died and the million who supported the war effort from
home. It is a monument to the
spirit, sacrifice and commitment of the American People.
It has been reported that it is a beautiful monument, but it will never
be able to show the appreciation that the American People and the World have
for those that participated in the most defining moment of the 20th
Century. Thanks to all the World
War II veterans.
I am currently studying information
on homeless veterans and I am going to pass information on next month about
that.
Here’s wishing a happy belated
birthday (229) to the US Army. As
Army Chief of Staff Peter Shoemaker said the uniforms, equipment and
formations have changed since it was founded on June 14th 1775, but
its values that helped win the nation’s independence have not.
Two hundred and twenty-nine years is a long time and a lot has changed
since George Washington took command of the Army.
Soldiers have always answered the call to defend the United States
believing in the same values, placing freedom first in more than 120 countries
today. Thos values are
represented in the US Army flags 175 campaign ribbons.
“Stand proud US Army”
July is a family and vacation month
and the post does not have many activities planned for the month, but please
come by and support the post during July.
Burman Walker
From your
Chaplain
This
has been another quiet month thanks to our true heavenly Father who watches
and protects us at American Legion Post 639.
However, we still need to keep in our
prayers Angel who is not feeling 100% and Kim Boler is having a hard time as
well.
The month of July brings the U.S.
another birthday. I fount the
following prayer in the Chaplains Prayer Manual, I thought it was appropriate
for the 4th:
“Almighty God, we pray Thee, keep
these United States in Thy holy protection. Cultivate in the hearts of all her citizens the spirit of
devotion and obedience to government, of love toward their fellow-citizens,
and of dedication to the principles of our American Heritage.
Watch over our beloved country, O
God. Preserve Her integrity;
guard her from all her enemies that you may guide Her ever onward in ways of
peace – a happy, prosperous and divinely blessed nation.
Amen.”
Enjoy the 4th and may God
keep all of you safe.
Bob Carroll
From
the Web
The
web continues to grow. If you
haven’t checked it out lately, please go to www.post639.com and check
out the new site on “Patriotism”. We
have posted some documents and speeches that relate to our country and the
military; along with some poems that reflect patriotism or our military
heritage.
The
Veterans Voice
Page
3
Post
639 now has Web TV in the post. It
is located in the dinning
room area, attached to the TV in the
entertainment wall unit. We will
have instructions for use, or ask the bartender or anyone that is familiar
with Web TV. The email address
for that unit is post639@webtv.net.
You can send emails or “surf the web” from the remote control
keyboard that is on top of the unit. Hope
you enjoy it whenever you are in the post.
If you touch the white button named “FAVS”, post 639 comes up and
you can check out the web site from the post.
Email info@post639.com if you have suggestions about the web
site or information that you would like presented to the board, etc.
Well, I don’t want to be longer winded than Burman (fat chance) so
from the web, keep clicking.
Bill Roark
Ladies
Auxiliary
On
May 22nd the Auxiliary had a booth selling T-shirts, caps, chances
on a quilt and a bar-b-basket. Thanks
to Bill, Verla and Beverly for all the help.
The new officers for the Auxiliary
have been elected and will be sworn in on August 3, 2004.
See the back of this month’s calendar for a list of the new officers.
(see listing below)
Four members of the Auxiliary
attended the District 17 meeting held at Post 676 on June 13, 2004.
We
are selling tickets for a quilt to be given away on Labor Day.
The tickets are $ 1.00 each or 6 for $ 5.00.
All proceeds will be donated to Quilts for Love who makes quilts to
send to the troops overseas. See
any Auxiliary member to buy tickets and support this great cause. Additional information can be found at http://www.post639.com/quilts.htm.
Luanne Spradling
Adjutant’s
Report
We
are finally at 100% with our membership.
This means we have the number of paid members that are required by
American Legion national for our post based on their projections and
expectations. This may be the last newsletter that some of you will be
receiving since we must drop you from our membership roster if you have not
paid your 2004 dues. You should
be getting your 2005 membership billings shortly, please pay them promptly so
we can get a “quick start” credit from the National Organization.
Mark Reed
Bingo
Report
Well, bingo has done a lot better in
the past, than it is doing now. We
have been struggling with our player count for the past 5 or 6 weeks.
With the weather being nice and all the other activities that are
available on Friday nights, we are not getting the numbers that we need to be
really profitable. The other
Bingo games are doing a lot to attract more people to their games, but all
Bingo games are experiencing a slow down in players.
We have changed a couple of the games to meet our player’s
expectations and hopefully bigger jackpots will bring in more players.
If anyone knows people that enjoy bingo, please have them come out on
Friday nights and play. The
secret to our success is in large crowds attending every week.
As always, we could use some more help, so come out and help us, you
may be surprised at the fun you have working Bingo.
Mark Reed
Editorial
Brief:
I received a note from a member about
something that was written by Bob Carroll in last month’s newsletter.
“At this time we all need to remember the nails in the fence.
We need for our nails to dwindle down a lot.
We need to rebuild the fence for the better. We can’t let this fence fall because of something we
don’t understand. We all need
to work on the fence to make it stronger.
Let’s not put any more holes in the fence; let’s just fix it to be
stronger and a better fence. Please
forgive if anyone has ever left any holes.”
Thanks to the member that left the
note, because it is important to guard against saying or doing something we
may regret later, when it is too late or very difficult to “take it back”.
Together
Then,
Together Now!!!