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NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
THE AMERICAN LEGION
VALDOSTA POST 13
1301 WILLIAMS STREET
P. O. BOX 1005
VALDOSTA, GEORGIA 31603
(229) 242-7616
US POSTAGE PAID
“FOR GOD AND
COUNTRY…”
Post 13 Newsletter
VALDOSTA GA
PERMIT # 4
November 2014
2014-2015 Post Executive Committee
Commander: Bob Carpenter
Senior Vice Commander: Clay Roberts
Jr Vice Commander: John Gates
Jr Vice Commander: Keith Knowlton
Finance Officer: Russ Morgan
Service Officer: Ed Kent
Adjutant: Melissa Focarelli
Chaplain: Bill MacLaughlin
Sergeant-at-Arms: Mark Deatcher
Judge Advocate: Phil Youngblood
Historian: Deborah Slater
Members-at-Large: Tommy Hightower, Jimmy Land, and Ronnie Thomas
Immediate Past Commander: Ed Kent
email: [email protected] website: www.galegionpost13.org
Defense
Veterans
Youth
Patriotism
Commander’s Chat
Congratulations to Mr. Marvin Shelton for winning the Early Bird Drawing. We
had a record amount of Early Bird renewals and I sincerely appreciate everyone
paying their dues in such a timely manner. We still have approximately 200 more
members to go. The goal is to be 100% before Veterans Day. The Legion
VETERANS DAY Ceremony WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, 11 November, at 1000
at Martin Stadium at Lowndes High School. Get there early and help us
celebrate OUR Veterans Day. As a reminder ALL Veterans are asked to come and
sit on the field with us. This is your DAY come out and be recognized for your
service. There will be pulled pork with slaw at the Post immediately following the
ceremony. We will also have a special guest speaker, Mr. George Aigen, who will
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give us a presentation on Dachau. He was a liberator of the death camp and has
been providing schools and civic organizations with this presentation. We have
him scheduled to speak for 1300. Please make a point of attending. The VA Clinic
will also be available to give flu shots for those eligible to receive them.
We provided some more coins to some veterans in hospice again this month. At
the request of the family, we served as pall bearers for Mr. Thomas Henry Baldree
who was a long time member of the Post. We had a very good turn-out for the
Legion Family Breakfast and had some great fellowship. If you are not attending,
you are definitely missing out on some good cooking and conversations.
If you are a Purple Heart Medal Recipient, there will be the First Annual Purple
Heart Ball on 15 November at 1800. Please Contact Russell Morgan for more
information. For those who are not Purple Heart Recipients and would like to
attend the event you may do so at $50.00 per person. The money raised will help
combat wounded veterans and other veterans in need. This is a black tie event.
The money raised will benefit the local Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter
1000.
Moody AFB will host its annual Military Retiree Appreciation Week from 26
October through 1 November. There will be a Golf Tournament on the 31st of
October and various vendors and information groups at the base gymnasium on
Saturday, 1 Nov. For more information, contact Jimmy Ingram (CMSgt Ret) at 229257-3209.
Hopes and Dreams will host Veterans Fest on 8 Nov. The event will start at 1100
at Veterans Stadium in Quitman. Admission is $10.00 per person in advance, $15 at
the gate. Music and vendors will be on site as well as kid friendly activities. All
proceeds benefit Veterans undergoing rehabilitation at the facility.
We will now be able to accept credit cards at the Post Lounge. We have found a
need to provide the service and look forward to the benefits it can bring the
Post. As a fund raiser, we have purchased some ball caps with Post 13 and the
Legion emblem on them. We will sell the hats for $20.00 each. When worn, these
hats draw attention and the potential for new members. Our new members will
receive a welcome letter, certificate of membership, legion decal and a copy of the
Constitution and By-Laws with their new membership card.
We have scheduled the Post Christmas Party for 13 December. Social hour begins
at 1800 with the meal being served at 1900. Sign Up at the Post Lounge- there is
NO Cost to You! The SAL will provide Breakfast with Santa starting at 0900 for the
children. You are encouraged to come out and support this event. This will be our
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3rd year with the Children’s Christmas Party and promises to be very
rewarding. Bring the children and grandchildren. If you are planning to attend, we
need to know the age and gender of the children to ensure we have the appropriate
gifts from Santa.
We are working hard to make your Post inviting. We are always looking for
assistance. If there is something we can do make your Post better, please do not
hesitate to ask. We are working on improvements to the Post Home and our
operations. We are always looking for new fund raisers and activities that you
would enjoy having at the Post.
Sr Vice Commander’s Outlook
As of 16 October, Post 13 has reached 64% of the membership goals for Legion
Year 2015. Great job to all that has submitted their dues. If you were not at our
October meeting you missed out on an awesome meal as well as our Early Bird
drawing. Mr. Marvin Shelton was the lucky winner of the Early Bird and received
his $250.00 winnings. There has been a change brought to the Early Bird Drawing
by a motion from the floor which was passed which states that the winner must be
in attendance to be eligible to win. That and of course the early submission of their
dues. While on the subject of attendance it is frustrating to see all the empty chairs
in the meeting hall at our monthly meetings. With a membership of over 600, one
would expect a turnout of substantially more than the 4 to 5 percent we have been
averaging. Please make it a point to attend!!
Clayton L Roberts
Should you have any questions or concerns please contact me; 229 305-0233 or
[email protected].
--------------------------------------------------------------Welcome New Members!!
John Talley Tomlinson William Branham Warren Scoby Michael Myers
Jeremy Harmon Derius Horton Matthew Busen Shawn Foster
Michael Teele Alvin Earp
Finance Officer
Our budget has started off very well. We are still in need of ideas to offset our
expenses. If you have any ideas, please feel free to contact me. This is going to
benefit your Post!
Jr Vice Commander, John Gates
If you would like to help with anything at the Post, we are always looking for
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volunteers. Thanks to all that came out at our last breakfast. We are looking at
doing our Post breakfast on a Tuesday in addition to our normal Saturdays
beginning after the first of the year, but if we do not have a good turnout, we will
only continue with Saturdays. Please come out and support the Post in this
tradition. We also need to know the number of people who plan to attend the
Christmas party on Saturday, 13 Dec as well as if you plan to bring a guest. Social
hour begins at 1800 with dinner being served at 1900. The deadline for this is NLT
COB 1 Dec so we can get a good count for food.
Jr. Vice Commander, Keith Knowlton
In the last month, we presented a Legion challenge coin to Mr. Dorminey at his
residence in conjunction with Greenleaf Hospice. Our monthly breakfast was well
attended. We would definitely like to see some help at these functions. As always
you can contact me at [email protected]
Honor Guard/Color Guard
I am Sgt-At-Arms, Mark Deatcher, Captain of our Honor Guard team. I would like to
have a meeting of any and all volunteers who would like to participant in this to
gain inputs, discuss possible uniform change, training, and any other items that will
assist in making our team stand out when we perform our duties. You can contact
me at [email protected] or feel free to give me a call at 229 560 3861.
Service Officer’s Corner
Legion wants feds to leave veterans preference alone: The federal
government’s veterans preference policy has been criticized in report released last
August by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which suggested that such
preference causes resentment among civilian federal workers, and decreases the
number of women being hired into the federal work force. The Washington Post
and Government Executive have reported on MSPB’s findings without challenging
the conclusions. “We’ve seen the report and its claim that veterans preference for
federal jobs is creating resentment among federal workers who are civilians,” said
Michael D. Helm, national commander of The American Legion, “and the claim that
it interferes with the hiring of women. “To any civilian workers who have
problems with veterans preference, The American Legion’s message is simple:
Become a veteran. Those who have served in uniform have earned such
preference.” Helm also took issue with MSPB’s finding that veterans preference
had a negative impact on the hiring of women. “The federal government has been
hiring fewer people in general since fiscal 2011 – that includes women. But the
good news is that more women veterans, and more veterans in general are being
hired.” Noting that the percentage of women employees in the federal work force
has dropped only one percent since 2000, Helm said veterans preference needed to
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remain in place to help veterans compete with civilians in the job market. “We
understand that some individuals abuse the policy, and that needs to be corrected.
But helping those who have served in uniform get jobs, especially those who are
disabled, is a policy that must remain in place.” Mark Reinhold, associate director
for the Office of Personnel Management, wrote in a letter that “OPM does not
concur in your somewhat negative assessment,” and that MSPB “seems really to be
taking aim at the entire civil service system in its current form.” Helm said The
American Legion will closely monitor any suggested changes to veterans
preference policy. “We urge the Office of Personnel Management – and Congress -to continue supporting our veterans in the federal job market with its hiring
policies.”
VA Processes More than 1.3 Million Veterans' Claims in FY14: More than 1.3
million Veterans received decisions on their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
disability compensation and pension claims in fiscal year (FY) 2014 – the highest
number in VA’s history, surpassing last year’s record-breaking production by more
than 150,000 claims. This second year of record-breaking production comes as VA
continues to transform the way it provides benefits and services, to deliver faster
and higher quality decisions, to Veterans, their families and survivors. At the end of
the year, the disability claims backlog (defined as any disability claim pending
longer than 125 days) was reduced by 60-percent from the peak backlog in March
2013 and is at its lowest number in nearly 4 years. Veterans waited, on average,
119 fewer days for a decision on their claim than Veterans did in FY 2013. VA is on
target to hit its 2015 goal. These improvements were not made at the expense of
quality. The accuracy of VA’s decisions continues to rise from an 83-percent
accuracy level in 2011 to a 90-percent accuracy level today. When focusing
specifically at the medical issue level, accuracy is at 96 percent. “I am so proud of
our employees – more than half of whom are Veterans themselves – who continue
to work tirelessly to deliver the benefits our Veterans have earned through their
service to our Nation,” said Under Secretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey. “But we
all also recognize there is still much more work to do to better serve Veterans.”
VA’s move to a web-based electronic claims processing system has enabled a
quicker, more accurate and integrated benefits delivery. VA once processed 5,000
tons of paper annually – today it processes 93 percent of Veterans’ disability claims
electronically. One in seven Veterans who submit a claim to change the status of a
family member now does so online and more than half of those are paid in one to
two days. VA’s progress would not have been possible without the support of its
strong partners. Veterans Service Organizations (VSO) and State and County
Veterans Service Officers embraced the Fully Developed Claim (FDC) program,
which enables VA to make faster claim decisions when Veterans submit their
claims with all available evidence and certify they have no more evidence to
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submit. Now, 37 percent of the claims receives from VSOs are FDCs. In FY 2014,
more than 4.5 million Veterans and survivors received more than $72.7 billion in
VA compensation and pension benefits. For more information on VA’s
Transformation, benefits and programs visit: www.benefits.va.gov/,
www.ebenefits.va.gov and www.benefits.va.gov/fdc.
Moody AFB Retiree Activities Office Director’s Comments:
Greetings fellow retirees, annuitants, veterans and all who realize the significance
of how exciting it is to continue to be a part of America's military family regardless
of status as of today! With this thought in mind please join Moody as we once
again attempt to celebrate a week dedicated toward a show of appreciation for
services past and present to persons in and surrounding South Georgia and North
Florida. We have scheduled this year's Annual Retiree Appreciation Week (RAW)
for 26 October through 1 November at various establishments throughout Moody
AFB. Our theme this year is "Heroes." As usual, our Golf Tournament, Health and
Information Fair, free Flu shots, important discussions, guidance, answers to
questions, prizes, gifts, food, entertainment and much more will all be in place for
your satisfaction and enjoyment. Professional personnel will be on hand to answer
questions regarding many subjects such as TriCare, Veterans Administration and
Social Security. Also some Finance and Legal subjects can be discussed.
Interestingly, Thursday, 6 November, following our Retiree Appreciation Day
another treat is in store for our retirees. That is the 2014 Tops In Blue Performance
themed “Celebrating 60 Years Of Tradition” takes place at Mathis Auditorium.
Limited reserved seating will be available for retirees. Simply access the line stated
for “ID Cards” at 6:15 p.m. for limited reserved seating. We continue to reiterate
that funding restraints preclude our capability to send our biannual newsletter to
you by postal mail. Therefore we will get the information we think will be of
interest to by e-mail, word of mouth, posters, flyers, media and any other means at
our disposal. Importantly, we need your e-mail addresses to quickly forward
information to you in a timely manner. Remember to include your address and zip
code in your message whether by mail, phone or e-mail. We also ask your help in
any way you can muster to aid in our efforts.
Contact our office in the following ways Snail Mail: Retiree Activities Office, 23
WG/CVR, 23 Flying Tiger Way, Ste. 156, Moody AFB GA 31699 or call at 229-2573209.
SAL
Mark your calendars; the first Tuesday of each month is our meeting night! We
have a lot to do and plan for and it will not get done without a concentrated effort
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of all, so please make it a point to be there. Our next meeting will be on 4
November.
Clayton L Roberts
Should you have any questions or concerns please contact me; 229 305-0233 or
[email protected].
Adjutant
Thank you again to everyone who got those memberships in before 1 Oct to be
eligible for the Early Bird drawing, and again congratulations to Mr. Marvin Shelton
for being the Early Bird drawing winner and adding $250 in his pocket. As
mentioned earlier, a change has been made at our Post membership meeting that
the Early Bird winner must be present to win. This rule will take effect next year.
And as always, please remember this is your Post, and we need your input. This is
only possible when you attend the meetings and make your voice heard. Even
though you may not have gotten your membership in by the Early Bird deadline, as
the Commander stated previously, our goal is 100% by Veterans Day, so please
keep them coming! Please keep the memberships coming! As always, if you need
anything, please feel free to contact me: [email protected]
---------------------------------------------------------Chaplain’s Pulpit
Please keep the family and friends of Mr. Thomas Baldree in your thoughts and
prayers. Please also let me know if you, a fellow veteran, or family member is sick
or has passed away so that they may be kept in our prayers. And as always, please
reach out to me if you should ever need anything.
Chaplain Bill MacLaughlin
[email protected]
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Calendar of Events
3 Nov
PEC meeting at 1700
4 Nov
SAL Meeting at 1830/ELECTION DAY!
7 Nov
Ladies Auxiliary Poppy Distribution
Walmart on Norman Drive 1000-1400
8 Nov
Veterans Fest at Veterans Stadium in Quitman
to benefit Hopes & Dreams Riding Facility, Inc. 1100-2200
11 Nov
Veterans Day Ceremony at Martin Stadium at 1000
Lunch and presentation by Mr. George Aigen to follow at Post
15 Nov
-ALR’s 7th Annual Books 4 Veterans Ride to Lake City VAMC
Registration @ 0900/Departing Post @ 1100
-12th District Executive Committee Meeting Post 21 Tifton @ 1400
-1st Annual Purple Heart Ball at Holiday Inn, Valdosta @ 1800
20 Nov
ALR meeting at 1900
1 Dec
PEC Meeting 1700
2 Dec
SAL Meeting 1800
13 Dec
SAL Breakfast with Santa & Children’s Christmas Party @ 0900
Post Christmas Party @ 1800
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