Editorial Opinion:
John Kennedy said in his famous inauguration speech, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”*. I’m going to change it just a little and say to all our members, “ask not what your post can do for you, but what you can do for your post”. Some members want the post to be open 7 days a week from 11:00 AM until 11:00 PM or whenever they are ready to go home even if it is 1:30 AM and they are the only ones in the place. They want the post to sponsor events with free live band entertainment, have dinners at reduced prices and be able to assist them with any veteran related issues. They want someone else to take care of all the details of running the post, manning BINGO and all the other things that must be done. Because we were force to move to Post 676, BINGO has no money this year. If it were not for Gary Bockman and Larry Tuck finding a refund of taxes, we would be in trouble. Most civic groups charge $100 or more per year for membership, ours is $30 with more benefits. Please help your post by working, spending money at the post or making contributions until we can get BINGO back on track. For all those that do support the post; Thank You Very Much. *I’ll put a video of the speech on the Web Site.
Bill Roark
Thursday, September 30, 2010
September Editorial Opinion
Editorial Opinion: Membership & Brothers
Well, here we go with my monthly ranting. “We are all brothers, why can’t we get along better”? I was talking with Greg in the Rose Garden about 2:00 AM on a Friday night after the post had closed. Greg had a couple of drinks and was in a very verbal mood. The one point he was trying to make was that our Post was a brotherhood and we should get along better. I guess he was right to a large degree since, we are a band of brothers that you are either part of, or you don’t understand. I see our post pulled somewhat by 2 factions, one from the past that remembers “the good ole days” when we had few rules and a lot of members didn’t even pay attention to those rules. The second faction are the ones that have been in charge of the post for the past few years that realize “we can never go back to those days” because the world has changed since then and we must move into the 21st Century. This group realizes that the post must be run more like a business and that means we must consider more rules and restrictions than was enjoyed by the original membership. The biggest change is that we no longer have the automatic revenue stream from Bingo which is much less today than in the past. Without these rules and more controls in place on spending and other considerations, the post will not be here for us “old timers” to enjoy in our “golden years”. This brings up the 3rd faction that still is somewhat overlooked by our general membership, the IFF soldiers that have been in the military starting in the early 1990s. We should have 1/3 or more of our membership made up of this new group of veterans and we are nowhere close to that number. Our post needs to make a lot of changes to actively recruit that group of veterans. That was made clear when Jeremiah came up and became part of the discussion. He feels our post may be dying because we have not attracted younger vets and it may be too late to change it. Jeremiah has been a positive force in attracting a lot of the younger group that we have at the post, but his job may take him away from Springfield as he improves his career path. I agree, we should be doing more to attract the younger groups, but really don’t know how to go about it. Should we be recruiting from our existing active units in Springfield? Should we be seeking out young veterans that are not part of the active units? Should we be doing things at the post to make it more attractive to the young veteran? The answer to me is yes to all the above questions. How do we go about it? The answer is YOU. We all need to do what we can to find our target group and invite them to our post. Offer to buy them a drink, or even pay the first years dues to get them started (I have done this and a lot of other members have also). When you see younger people in the bar, ask them if they are in the military now or if they were ever in the military and find out if they would like to join our post. We are in a good position compared to other veterans groups, since we are open 7 days a week and almost 365 days a year. We are also debt-free and have a great wait staff and the bar business is starting to improve. I have one more point before I shut-up. We are brothers and like real blood brothers we argue and fight among ourselves. We can’t agree on how to run the post or how the post should be run, but this is really a good thing. Different opinions are important and make our post stronger, not weaker. But remember that we are brothers and if something on the outside threatens us (be it individuals, government entities or groups) we will still stand together and fight for each other because we are still brothers. Oh well, it’s just my opinion.
Bill Roark
Well, here we go with my monthly ranting. “We are all brothers, why can’t we get along better”? I was talking with Greg in the Rose Garden about 2:00 AM on a Friday night after the post had closed. Greg had a couple of drinks and was in a very verbal mood. The one point he was trying to make was that our Post was a brotherhood and we should get along better. I guess he was right to a large degree since, we are a band of brothers that you are either part of, or you don’t understand. I see our post pulled somewhat by 2 factions, one from the past that remembers “the good ole days” when we had few rules and a lot of members didn’t even pay attention to those rules. The second faction are the ones that have been in charge of the post for the past few years that realize “we can never go back to those days” because the world has changed since then and we must move into the 21st Century. This group realizes that the post must be run more like a business and that means we must consider more rules and restrictions than was enjoyed by the original membership. The biggest change is that we no longer have the automatic revenue stream from Bingo which is much less today than in the past. Without these rules and more controls in place on spending and other considerations, the post will not be here for us “old timers” to enjoy in our “golden years”. This brings up the 3rd faction that still is somewhat overlooked by our general membership, the IFF soldiers that have been in the military starting in the early 1990s. We should have 1/3 or more of our membership made up of this new group of veterans and we are nowhere close to that number. Our post needs to make a lot of changes to actively recruit that group of veterans. That was made clear when Jeremiah came up and became part of the discussion. He feels our post may be dying because we have not attracted younger vets and it may be too late to change it. Jeremiah has been a positive force in attracting a lot of the younger group that we have at the post, but his job may take him away from Springfield as he improves his career path. I agree, we should be doing more to attract the younger groups, but really don’t know how to go about it. Should we be recruiting from our existing active units in Springfield? Should we be seeking out young veterans that are not part of the active units? Should we be doing things at the post to make it more attractive to the young veteran? The answer to me is yes to all the above questions. How do we go about it? The answer is YOU. We all need to do what we can to find our target group and invite them to our post. Offer to buy them a drink, or even pay the first years dues to get them started (I have done this and a lot of other members have also). When you see younger people in the bar, ask them if they are in the military now or if they were ever in the military and find out if they would like to join our post. We are in a good position compared to other veterans groups, since we are open 7 days a week and almost 365 days a year. We are also debt-free and have a great wait staff and the bar business is starting to improve. I have one more point before I shut-up. We are brothers and like real blood brothers we argue and fight among ourselves. We can’t agree on how to run the post or how the post should be run, but this is really a good thing. Different opinions are important and make our post stronger, not weaker. But remember that we are brothers and if something on the outside threatens us (be it individuals, government entities or groups) we will still stand together and fight for each other because we are still brothers. Oh well, it’s just my opinion.
Bill Roark
USS Missouri
USS Missouri Arrives at Submarine Base
GROTON, Conn. - The nation’s newest and most-advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine (Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Missouri (SSN 780) arrived at Naval Submarine Base New London on July 22 in preparation for commissioning. Missouri arrived at the base after completing a material readiness inspection by the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) team. INSURV is a survey team established by Congress to assess Navy surface ships, aircraft carriers and submarines and ensure they are properly equipped for prompt, reliable and sustained mission readiness at sea.
"Today really marks the first day where the sub starts to become part of that fleet, which will culminate with the commissioning," said Capt. Michael Bernacchi, Commodore of Submarine Squadron Four, which will be Missouri's home squadron. "The crew has done an unbelievable job over the past five months, just a tremendous amount of work getting the ship ready. They are clearly ahead of the game, and we're very excited to have them here at sub base and part of squadron four."
Cmdr. Timothy Rexrode is the commanding officer of Missouri, the seventh ship of the Virginia Class.
"This really is the biggest honor I've had in my professional career," said Rexrode. "I'm proud to bear the name Missouri and to get out to the fleet and work for the Navy and the nation."
Missouri, which completed sea trials earlier this month, officially joins the fleet during a commissioning ceremony on July 31, 2010 at 11 am at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.
There are five Missouri natives among the submarine's crew. They are Electronics Technician 1st Class John M. Tyhurst, a Joplin, Mo., native; Sonar Technician Seaman Benjamin A. Bowers, a Green Ridge native; Lt. Patrick Donovan, a Springfield, Mo. native; Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Nicholas C. Koblick, a St. Louis native; and, Fire Control Technician 2nd Class Ryan J. Thruston, a Jefferson City, Mo. native.
Construction on Missouri began in December 2004; the submarine's keel was authenticated during a ceremony on Sept. 27, 2008 at the Electric Boat facility in North Kingstown, R.I.; and, she was christened during a late morning ceremony at Electric Boat on Dec. 5, 2009.
Another milestone occurred on April 16 during "In Service Day," when crew members moved aboard the submarine, bringing her systems to life, beginning general day-to-day operations and preparing for sea-trials, work-ups and commissioning.
Rexrode leads a crew of about 134 officers and enlisted personnel. A native of Spencer, W.Va., Rexrode graduated with honors in 1990 from West Virginia University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. In addition, Rexrode is a distinguished graduate of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College, holding a Master's in Military Studies. He also received a Master's of Arts degree in Administration from Central Michigan University.
Becky Gates, wife of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, serves as the submarine's sponsor. She broke the traditional champagne bottle against the boat's sail during the christening ceremony last December. Her initials were welded into a plaque inside the boat during last year's keel laying ceremony.
Missouri is the fifth Navy ship to be named in honor of the people of the "Show Me State." The last USS Missouri, the legendary battleship, was the site where Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and many other U.S. and Allied officers accepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese at the end of World War II on Sept. 2, 1945.
Missouri is built to excel in anti-submarine warfare; anti-ship warfare; strike warfare; special operations; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions. Adept at operating in both the world's shallow littoral regions and deep waters, Missouri will directly enable five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities - sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.
The 7,800-ton submarine Missouri is being built under a teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News. At 377-feet long, Missouri is slightly longer than a football field. She has a 34-foot beam, will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and will operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged. Missouri is designed with a nuclear reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship, reducing lifecycle costs and increasing underway time.
The USS Missouri Commissioning Committee, an IRS-designated 501(c)3 nonprofit charity, was created to increase awareness of the submarine's commissioning. The Commissioning Committee offers information about the development of the submarine, as well as history on former Navy ships named for the "Show Me State."
GROTON, Conn. - The nation’s newest and most-advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine (Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Missouri (SSN 780) arrived at Naval Submarine Base New London on July 22 in preparation for commissioning. Missouri arrived at the base after completing a material readiness inspection by the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) team. INSURV is a survey team established by Congress to assess Navy surface ships, aircraft carriers and submarines and ensure they are properly equipped for prompt, reliable and sustained mission readiness at sea.
"Today really marks the first day where the sub starts to become part of that fleet, which will culminate with the commissioning," said Capt. Michael Bernacchi, Commodore of Submarine Squadron Four, which will be Missouri's home squadron. "The crew has done an unbelievable job over the past five months, just a tremendous amount of work getting the ship ready. They are clearly ahead of the game, and we're very excited to have them here at sub base and part of squadron four."
Cmdr. Timothy Rexrode is the commanding officer of Missouri, the seventh ship of the Virginia Class.
"This really is the biggest honor I've had in my professional career," said Rexrode. "I'm proud to bear the name Missouri and to get out to the fleet and work for the Navy and the nation."
Missouri, which completed sea trials earlier this month, officially joins the fleet during a commissioning ceremony on July 31, 2010 at 11 am at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.
There are five Missouri natives among the submarine's crew. They are Electronics Technician 1st Class John M. Tyhurst, a Joplin, Mo., native; Sonar Technician Seaman Benjamin A. Bowers, a Green Ridge native; Lt. Patrick Donovan, a Springfield, Mo. native; Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Nicholas C. Koblick, a St. Louis native; and, Fire Control Technician 2nd Class Ryan J. Thruston, a Jefferson City, Mo. native.
Construction on Missouri began in December 2004; the submarine's keel was authenticated during a ceremony on Sept. 27, 2008 at the Electric Boat facility in North Kingstown, R.I.; and, she was christened during a late morning ceremony at Electric Boat on Dec. 5, 2009.
Another milestone occurred on April 16 during "In Service Day," when crew members moved aboard the submarine, bringing her systems to life, beginning general day-to-day operations and preparing for sea-trials, work-ups and commissioning.
Rexrode leads a crew of about 134 officers and enlisted personnel. A native of Spencer, W.Va., Rexrode graduated with honors in 1990 from West Virginia University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. In addition, Rexrode is a distinguished graduate of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College, holding a Master's in Military Studies. He also received a Master's of Arts degree in Administration from Central Michigan University.
Becky Gates, wife of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, serves as the submarine's sponsor. She broke the traditional champagne bottle against the boat's sail during the christening ceremony last December. Her initials were welded into a plaque inside the boat during last year's keel laying ceremony.
Missouri is the fifth Navy ship to be named in honor of the people of the "Show Me State." The last USS Missouri, the legendary battleship, was the site where Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and many other U.S. and Allied officers accepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese at the end of World War II on Sept. 2, 1945.
Missouri is built to excel in anti-submarine warfare; anti-ship warfare; strike warfare; special operations; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions. Adept at operating in both the world's shallow littoral regions and deep waters, Missouri will directly enable five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities - sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.
The 7,800-ton submarine Missouri is being built under a teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News. At 377-feet long, Missouri is slightly longer than a football field. She has a 34-foot beam, will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and will operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged. Missouri is designed with a nuclear reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship, reducing lifecycle costs and increasing underway time.
The USS Missouri Commissioning Committee, an IRS-designated 501(c)3 nonprofit charity, was created to increase awareness of the submarine's commissioning. The Commissioning Committee offers information about the development of the submarine, as well as history on former Navy ships named for the "Show Me State."
August Editorial
Editorial Opinion
Just a few items of housekeeping before I begin my monthly rant. I would like to thank again one of our members, Ron Kinney for his help. He has donated some additional equipment and supplies for our pool table. It has now been recovered with Simonis championship cloth, re-leveled and repaired and now plays as well as any table in town. I would also like to pass my condolences to Kim Powers and let her know that Al’s friends at the post will not forget.
Well let’s get to the rant. BINGO is the life blood of our post and has been for the past 15 plus years. We were forced to move to Post 676 because the Bennett Street Bingo Hall was closed. We have had very little success in making profits since we moved. Since the beginning of the year, our bar and kitchen has not shown the type of income we need to sustain our commitments to keeping the post open the 12 hours per day, 7 days per week that we all have come to enjoy. They economy is probably playing a big role in those issues. While a lot of our members have spent a great deal of time and money at LZ 639, some members have not spent much time there lately. Please bring your family and friends to our bar and support the post by purchasing the best drinks at the lowest overall prices in Springfield. We now need help with Bingo. If you can’t work Bingo for some reason, please talk with your friends and neighbors and come out and play Bingo. You may find you enjoy our Horse Races that is very reasonable to play and you might win $250 for a winning Red Horse. You may find you enjoy daubing the Bingo cards and maybe getting to shout B-I-N-G-O!!!! Our Big game pays out $500 for just that game if you win. We have 2 progressives that could pay out over $1,000 each (LZ is at $2,200 now), and have a guaranteed payout of $300 each. My rant is simple - don’t ask what your post can do for you, ask what you can do for your post (seems I’ve heard that somewhere). Don’t be apathetic get involved in post activities especially Bingo and support the post by visiting our bar as often as you care to come.
Bill Roark
Just a few items of housekeeping before I begin my monthly rant. I would like to thank again one of our members, Ron Kinney for his help. He has donated some additional equipment and supplies for our pool table. It has now been recovered with Simonis championship cloth, re-leveled and repaired and now plays as well as any table in town. I would also like to pass my condolences to Kim Powers and let her know that Al’s friends at the post will not forget.
Well let’s get to the rant. BINGO is the life blood of our post and has been for the past 15 plus years. We were forced to move to Post 676 because the Bennett Street Bingo Hall was closed. We have had very little success in making profits since we moved. Since the beginning of the year, our bar and kitchen has not shown the type of income we need to sustain our commitments to keeping the post open the 12 hours per day, 7 days per week that we all have come to enjoy. They economy is probably playing a big role in those issues. While a lot of our members have spent a great deal of time and money at LZ 639, some members have not spent much time there lately. Please bring your family and friends to our bar and support the post by purchasing the best drinks at the lowest overall prices in Springfield. We now need help with Bingo. If you can’t work Bingo for some reason, please talk with your friends and neighbors and come out and play Bingo. You may find you enjoy our Horse Races that is very reasonable to play and you might win $250 for a winning Red Horse. You may find you enjoy daubing the Bingo cards and maybe getting to shout B-I-N-G-O!!!! Our Big game pays out $500 for just that game if you win. We have 2 progressives that could pay out over $1,000 each (LZ is at $2,200 now), and have a guaranteed payout of $300 each. My rant is simple - don’t ask what your post can do for you, ask what you can do for your post (seems I’ve heard that somewhere). Don’t be apathetic get involved in post activities especially Bingo and support the post by visiting our bar as often as you care to come.
Bill Roark
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Immigration Reform - TVV August'10
Immigration Reform (an article taken from www.legion.org)
Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
While the great scientist was himself a legal immigrant to, and later a citizen of, the United States, it doesn't take a genius of Einstein's intellect to know that America's immigration policy over the last several decades has been broken and the federal government has been derelict in its responsibility to fix it.
While the Obama administration says it's committed to "immigration reform," Americans are rightly concerned that this reform is merely a euphemism for amnesty. When President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., said, "This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forth an amnesty bill like this."
The senator was right. Today's amnesty proposals are even worse. They are worse because the population of illegal aliens has skyrocketed to between 10 million and 20 million, depending on whose figures you choose to believe.
Moreover, America has since been struck by a major terrorist attack inflicted by illegal aliens, not to mention numerous failed attacks by those who managed to flout our immigration or entry laws.
The American Legion offers a common-sense strategy to address illegal immigration without offering amnesty or other loopholes that endanger America's national security and threaten our economic well-being.
First, America needs to secure its borders and other points of entry. That means complete the fence, beef up border patrol and deport those who have already been identified as illegal aliens. Deportation does not require a mass round-up as the open-borders lobby would have you believe, but simply processing those who already enter our legal system through other violations.
Additionally, we need to eliminate the jobs magnet by enforcing no-nonsense penalties on employers who hire illegal workers. Likewise, all taxpayer-funded social service benefits - with the exception of emergency medical care - must also be denied.
Finally, and most importantly for our national security, we must effectively screen and track all foreign visitors to the United States. Three of the convicted terrorists who plotted to kill innocent soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J., were illegal aliens. A man accused of assisting the would-be Times Square bomber was also here illegally. Americans have grown accustomed to increased security measures when boarding airplanes. We should expect the increased scrutiny to continue for foreign nationals staying in the United States.
The Obama administration has given strong indications that it does not grasp the problem. While Phoenix is second only to Mexico City in kidnappings, and the Mexican border has seen a recent rise in violence by drug cartels, the Justice Department succeeded in getting a court to temporarily hinder Arizona's attempts to deal with an issue that the federal government has neglected for years.
Moreover, the U.S. Department of Labor produced a video in which its secretary incredibly states, "Every worker in America has a right to be paid fairly - whether documented or not."
The Obama administration is not alone in its misguided approach to this issue. Democratic and Republican administrations have allowed the problem to fester for decades. The issue will not be solved until leaders from all political parties put electoral considerations aside and start putting America's interests first.
Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
While the great scientist was himself a legal immigrant to, and later a citizen of, the United States, it doesn't take a genius of Einstein's intellect to know that America's immigration policy over the last several decades has been broken and the federal government has been derelict in its responsibility to fix it.
While the Obama administration says it's committed to "immigration reform," Americans are rightly concerned that this reform is merely a euphemism for amnesty. When President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., said, "This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forth an amnesty bill like this."
The senator was right. Today's amnesty proposals are even worse. They are worse because the population of illegal aliens has skyrocketed to between 10 million and 20 million, depending on whose figures you choose to believe.
Moreover, America has since been struck by a major terrorist attack inflicted by illegal aliens, not to mention numerous failed attacks by those who managed to flout our immigration or entry laws.
The American Legion offers a common-sense strategy to address illegal immigration without offering amnesty or other loopholes that endanger America's national security and threaten our economic well-being.
First, America needs to secure its borders and other points of entry. That means complete the fence, beef up border patrol and deport those who have already been identified as illegal aliens. Deportation does not require a mass round-up as the open-borders lobby would have you believe, but simply processing those who already enter our legal system through other violations.
Additionally, we need to eliminate the jobs magnet by enforcing no-nonsense penalties on employers who hire illegal workers. Likewise, all taxpayer-funded social service benefits - with the exception of emergency medical care - must also be denied.
Finally, and most importantly for our national security, we must effectively screen and track all foreign visitors to the United States. Three of the convicted terrorists who plotted to kill innocent soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J., were illegal aliens. A man accused of assisting the would-be Times Square bomber was also here illegally. Americans have grown accustomed to increased security measures when boarding airplanes. We should expect the increased scrutiny to continue for foreign nationals staying in the United States.
The Obama administration has given strong indications that it does not grasp the problem. While Phoenix is second only to Mexico City in kidnappings, and the Mexican border has seen a recent rise in violence by drug cartels, the Justice Department succeeded in getting a court to temporarily hinder Arizona's attempts to deal with an issue that the federal government has neglected for years.
Moreover, the U.S. Department of Labor produced a video in which its secretary incredibly states, "Every worker in America has a right to be paid fairly - whether documented or not."
The Obama administration is not alone in its misguided approach to this issue. Democratic and Republican administrations have allowed the problem to fester for decades. The issue will not be solved until leaders from all political parties put electoral considerations aside and start putting America's interests first.
Editorial Opinion - TVV - July '10
Well here I go on my monthly rant. First, every member needs to understand how and why we allow events to occur at the post. The biggest reason is we need the money to support the advantages we all enjoy at our post. The revenue comes in two ways, from the actual rental (when we lease the facilities) and in some cases we just get a lot of additional people spending money on alcohol sales - or a combination of both. Some events are sponsored by the post and we obviously get no rental income so we need a lot of participation to cover the expenses of putting on the event. Remembrance Day would be an example of this type of event.
Some events are sponsored by an outside group that just brings in a lot of people that spend money and don’t pay us a rental fee. This trade-off works for both organizations (The Blues Society is one example). Most groups or companies that are looking for a more private party or where there would be a smaller group must pay the post a rental fee. We have lease agreements that are simple for small groups to complex for a much larger event. Please, if you are aware of anyone that would like to use our facilities, have them contact Jack or Connie to determine what needs to take place for a commitment by both parties.
Here are some general rules if an event is taking place. No one may bring any firearms onto post property. No one is allowed to bring any alcoholic beverage onto our property. No one is allowed to bring or use any illegal substance or drugs on post property. No one is to do anything that would damage post property. Everyone must respect our monuments, displays and flag area. If anyone sees someone (member or guest) breaking any of these rules you may do one of three things: 1 - Do nothing (understand that you are then a part of the problem)
2 - Respectfully request the offender stop whatever rule they are breaking. 3 - Report the incident to a post officer and let them handle it. If anyone (member or guest) continues to break these rules they are subject to being reported to the police. We cannot allow these actions to put our post at risk.
Since we are having issues with maintaining records including DD214s, here is something interesting. You may request records from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, but Army personnel records were destroyed by a fire and from a period from 1912 through 1959 were lost. Air Force records were lost from 1947 to 1963 with surnames beginning with Hubbard to the end of the alphabet. All others are available.
Bill Roark
Some events are sponsored by an outside group that just brings in a lot of people that spend money and don’t pay us a rental fee. This trade-off works for both organizations (The Blues Society is one example). Most groups or companies that are looking for a more private party or where there would be a smaller group must pay the post a rental fee. We have lease agreements that are simple for small groups to complex for a much larger event. Please, if you are aware of anyone that would like to use our facilities, have them contact Jack or Connie to determine what needs to take place for a commitment by both parties.
Here are some general rules if an event is taking place. No one may bring any firearms onto post property. No one is allowed to bring any alcoholic beverage onto our property. No one is allowed to bring or use any illegal substance or drugs on post property. No one is to do anything that would damage post property. Everyone must respect our monuments, displays and flag area. If anyone sees someone (member or guest) breaking any of these rules you may do one of three things: 1 - Do nothing (understand that you are then a part of the problem)
2 - Respectfully request the offender stop whatever rule they are breaking. 3 - Report the incident to a post officer and let them handle it. If anyone (member or guest) continues to break these rules they are subject to being reported to the police. We cannot allow these actions to put our post at risk.
Since we are having issues with maintaining records including DD214s, here is something interesting. You may request records from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, but Army personnel records were destroyed by a fire and from a period from 1912 through 1959 were lost. Air Force records were lost from 1947 to 1963 with surnames beginning with Hubbard to the end of the alphabet. All others are available.
Bill Roark
Record Keeping - Judge Advocate - July '10 TVV
Judge Advocate
Many documents on file at the post, particularly DD214s, contain non public, personal information that has nothing to do with Legion eligibility and is really nobody’s business but the member’s. While the post might still need to review such forms, we don’t, necessarily, need to retain a copy of them. It’s for that reason that the post’s Executive Committee has decided the post will no longer retain copies of DD214 or other documents containing non public personal information about members.
We live in more complex times than when the practice of collecting discharge documents began decades ago and protecting personal privacy is more significant these days. States, like Missouri, are taking privacy and military discharge information more seriously too. For example: Missouri now has a law (RSMO 59.480), essentially “locking up” DD214s many veterans recorded at their county court house, denying public access to those forms. (But the veteran can still access his/her DD214 on public record). Even more federal laws have been recently placed on the books, like the FACT Act, a law specifically addressing Identity Theft and giving consumers and active duty military personnel special rights and remedies.
Granted, there might be occasional aggravations because of not retaining copies of your discharge documents. Because we will no longer have your personal documents on file, it might be necessary to ask you to provide documentation later to resolve an issue or question. But the protection of our members and the post far outweighs any future inconvenience getting rid of these documents might cause.
Even if you’re asked to submit documentation in the future, it does not, necessarily, mean the post has to keep a copy of it. Depending on the reason for the request, the document can be reviewed, needed information noted on post records, and you can have the document back for safekeeping.
If you have submitted your DD214 or another form of eligibility documentation and you want it back, you can pick it up between the hours of 11AM and 2PM on July 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2010. After that, discharge documents will be destroyed.
We will only surrender your document to you personally and you must show photo ID. We will not mail your document. We will not release your document to anybody but the veteran whose name is on it.
NOTICE TO MEMBERS
THE POST’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HAS DECIDED THAT PROTECTING THE PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALY OF PERSONAL, NON PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT MEMBERS SHOULD BE GIVEN GREATER PRIORITY AND HAS DECIDED THE POST WILL NO LONGER RETAIN COPIES OF DD214 FORMS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS CONTAINING SUCH INFORMATION.
IF YOU WANT TO PICK UP YOUR DD214 OR OTHER DISCHARGE DOCUMENT, YOU MAY DO SO BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 11AM AND 2PM JULY 6TH, 7TH, AND 8TH, AT THE POST.
IF YOU WANT YOUR DOCUMENT BACK, YOU MUST PICK IT UP IN PERSON, WE WILL NOT RELEASE IT TO ANYBODY BUT THE VETERAN WHOSE NAME IS ON IT.
YOU MUST PROVIDE PHOTO ID.
DOCUMENTS NOT PICKED UP WILL BE DESTROYED.
Larry Skouby
Many documents on file at the post, particularly DD214s, contain non public, personal information that has nothing to do with Legion eligibility and is really nobody’s business but the member’s. While the post might still need to review such forms, we don’t, necessarily, need to retain a copy of them. It’s for that reason that the post’s Executive Committee has decided the post will no longer retain copies of DD214 or other documents containing non public personal information about members.
We live in more complex times than when the practice of collecting discharge documents began decades ago and protecting personal privacy is more significant these days. States, like Missouri, are taking privacy and military discharge information more seriously too. For example: Missouri now has a law (RSMO 59.480), essentially “locking up” DD214s many veterans recorded at their county court house, denying public access to those forms. (But the veteran can still access his/her DD214 on public record). Even more federal laws have been recently placed on the books, like the FACT Act, a law specifically addressing Identity Theft and giving consumers and active duty military personnel special rights and remedies.
Granted, there might be occasional aggravations because of not retaining copies of your discharge documents. Because we will no longer have your personal documents on file, it might be necessary to ask you to provide documentation later to resolve an issue or question. But the protection of our members and the post far outweighs any future inconvenience getting rid of these documents might cause.
Even if you’re asked to submit documentation in the future, it does not, necessarily, mean the post has to keep a copy of it. Depending on the reason for the request, the document can be reviewed, needed information noted on post records, and you can have the document back for safekeeping.
If you have submitted your DD214 or another form of eligibility documentation and you want it back, you can pick it up between the hours of 11AM and 2PM on July 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2010. After that, discharge documents will be destroyed.
We will only surrender your document to you personally and you must show photo ID. We will not mail your document. We will not release your document to anybody but the veteran whose name is on it.
NOTICE TO MEMBERS
THE POST’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HAS DECIDED THAT PROTECTING THE PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALY OF PERSONAL, NON PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT MEMBERS SHOULD BE GIVEN GREATER PRIORITY AND HAS DECIDED THE POST WILL NO LONGER RETAIN COPIES OF DD214 FORMS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS CONTAINING SUCH INFORMATION.
IF YOU WANT TO PICK UP YOUR DD214 OR OTHER DISCHARGE DOCUMENT, YOU MAY DO SO BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 11AM AND 2PM JULY 6TH, 7TH, AND 8TH, AT THE POST.
IF YOU WANT YOUR DOCUMENT BACK, YOU MUST PICK IT UP IN PERSON, WE WILL NOT RELEASE IT TO ANYBODY BUT THE VETERAN WHOSE NAME IS ON IT.
YOU MUST PROVIDE PHOTO ID.
DOCUMENTS NOT PICKED UP WILL BE DESTROYED.
Larry Skouby
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