Our town’s Autumn Affair is October 12th and 13th and will be a bit better weather wise compared to last year when we had a washout on the first day.
The following day was a big improvement, and the streets were full of visitors. I am hoping for a great weekend this year.
Our post will have its usual spot across from the post office on main street. Stop by visit the veterans manning the booth. We will be selling raffle tickets with a first prize of $1,000 cash.
This past week our post was invited to the WAJCS for a POW/MIA Remembrance Day assembly.
We performed a military flag folding including the 13 meanings of each fold. Along with the meaning of our POW/MIA table with students placing each item on the table as we explained what they mean.
I want to thank Melissa Palumbo for her work putting this together. We also gave Ms. Palumbo entry forms for the VFW Patriot Pen and Voice of Democracy contests.
Each student will receive a cash prize for entering the contest at the post level with a presentation of awards at our post.
We then send the top three from our post onto the District judging and should they win that level, they proceed to the State judging.
Upon winning that level, the entrant and parents get an all-expense trip to Washington, D.C. for the National judging.
The winner of the Patriot Pen contest will then receive $ 6,000 and the Voice of Democracy winner receives a $35,000.00 scholarship award.
Over the years, WAJCS had two advance to win at the District level. I want to open this contest to the home-schooled students, so if you are in that category, let me know and I will make entry forms available. You can contact me at 518-810-3109.
Some news from Congress: The Senate passed the House-introduced emergency appropriations bill to cover the VA’s $3 billion-dollar budgetary shortfall.
If a spending bill had not passed by the end of the week, the results would have been financially devastating to millions of veterans.
It’s worth noting that this bill would not have passed with bipartisan support if not for veteran advocates within Congress and the veteran community.
The nearly 7 million veterans who rely on VA benefits, to include disability compensation and even the GI Bill, can now have peace of mind that benefits will be delivered on time, October 1.
In keeping with the POW/MIA theme, listed are some of the soldiers that the Defense Accounting Agency announced.
World War II Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Wylie W. Leverett. In late 1944, Leverett was assigned to the 708th Bombardment Squadron, 447th Bombardment Group, 4th Combat Bomb Wing, 3rd Air Division, 8th Air Force in the European Theater. On Dec. 30, Leverett, the pilot onboard a B-17G “Flying Fortress” Fuddy Duddy, was lost when his aircraft collided with another American aircraft while on a bombing mission to Mannheim, Germany.
World War II Army Tech Sgt. Thomas O. Moss. In November 1944, Moss was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. His battalion had been tasked with capturing the town of Schmidt, Germany, in the Hürtgen Forest. A heavy German counterattack near Richelskaul overran his unit and forced survivors to withdraw to Kommerscheidt where they fought against additional enemy attacks for several days. He was reported killed in action on Nov. 7., while fighting enemy forces at Kommerscheidt. His remains could not be recovered after the attack.
Korean War Army Sgt. 1st Class Walter A. Ross Jr. In early 1951, Ross was a member of Love Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action after his unit engaged in combat actions with the North Korean People’s Army near Sang-nok, South Korea, on Feb. 14, 1951. U.S. defensive positions were attacked and overrun, and Ross was not immediately accounted for.
These are just a few of the soldiers recovered. Let us keep them in our thoughts and prayers along with our troops still serving our country. God Bless America.
Marc Farmilette – Commander VFW Post 1545.
Pictured below:
Students and Veterans at the WAJCS POW/MIA Remembrance Day Assembly
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