September 2009 Newsletter
Greetings, Comrades and friends of Post 3137, Isle of Palms, South Carolina. WOW - Where did the summer go?! It's hard to believe that as I write this September newsletter, my thoughts are directed towards the upcoming events of the fall. I'm not ready to let go of summer yet!!! With the absolutely beautiful perch that we have on the beach, it's been a good summer. (I especially like Sunday afternoons - specifically around the 6pm timeframe) But, we must move on, and close the chapter on the 2009 summer season, meanwhile opening the fall chapter.
The island has been handed back to us by the tourists, so traffic and parking will become easier to accept. We have a couple more months of watching for threatening storms off our back porch, football has started, oyster roasts are only weeks away, and holidays are approaching. Before we know it, we'll be celebrating the New Year. Don't blinkyou'll miss it all.
The Ladies Auxiliary is kind enough to post the newsletters to our website, so you can always find it on our website: http://www.post3137.vfw.sc/ Select Monthly Newsletter' from the menu, and choose the month of your choice.
I will continue to write this newsletter every other month. I send several other email communications about upcoming events, and feel like it would be redundant for me to send a newsletter every month as well. I do welcome any comments/suggestions for future newsletters; just send me an email. And let me know if your email address changes!
MEETING DATES:
Just incase you're wondering, here's the scheduled meeting dates/times:
Members: 2nd Monday of the month at 7pm
Women's Auxiliary: 3rd Monday of the month at 7pm
Men's Auxiliary: Last Monday of the month at 6pm
PAINTING and ORGANIZATION:
When I wrote the July newsletter, we were in the process of some needed housekeeping in our Post. Some of the walls had been painted, and some items had been placed on the walls. I'm proud to say that we completed this work, and the place is looking G-R-E-A-T. We are very happy with the new color scheme, and the Budweiser Salutes wall decorations have received several positive comments.
NEW UMBRELLAS on the DECK:
A special Thanks to Mr. Joe Spann for contacting Pearlstine Distributors Inc. to get us the new Bud Light umbrellas for our back deck. The weather really wears the umbrellas out, and our old ones were falling apart. These new umbrellas should last awhile. Thank You Joe!!
IN MEMORY OF DAVE PETTY:
We were all surprised to hear about the recent loss of Dave Petty. Post 3137 held a remembrance gathering for those that knew Dave. I am glad that we were able to do this, giving everyone a place to gather and tell stories of Dave. I can tell you that Dave had many friends, as that was clearly the most people I have ever seen at our Post at one time.
HONOR FLIGHT LOWCOUNTRY:
Post 3137 has donated to Honor Flight Lowcountry. For those that don't know, Honor Flight is the organization that flies World War II Veterans to Washington DC for a day to visit their National World War II Memorial. This trip is free for the Veterans, which includes: the flight, bus transportation and all meals. The first scheduled trip from Charleston, SC is on November 7th, 2009. The goal of the organization is to provide this trip to all World War II Veterans willing and able to visit the Memorial.
MENS AUXILIARY CRUISE RAFFLE:
The Mens Auxiliary did it again, raffling a cruise for two out of Charleston. This is one of the best selling raffles that I've ever been witness to, and they've done it two years straight. They sold 200 tickets in just over two weeks!! Very well organized, and I look forward to these guys doing it again next year (I'd like to win next time).
NATIONAL VFW RETURN to VIETNAM DRAWING:
If you received a Purple Heart for being wounded in Vietnam, you could be one of 15 lucky Veterans to win the VFW's Return to Vietnam trip. Entries must be received prior to the drawing on January 15, 2010. Check this link for details:
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=5181
PATRIOTS PEN & VOICE OF DEMOCRACY:
Patriot's Pen, a youth-essay writing contest is a nationwide competition that gives students in grades 6, 7 and 8 the opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy.
Voice of Democracy (VOD) scholarship program is an audio-essay contest for high school students in grades 9-12 that annually provides more than $3 million in scholarships. I'm sending along the information related to both of the VFW scholarship programs below in case you can think of students who might be interested. We're looking to have a few more entries this year from our Post. We need the entries to be at the Post by 1 November and we'll be judging on 8 November to determine which ones to send to National. Look for an additional email from me about this later this week.
ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT:
Our 10th Annual Gene Johnson Golf Tournament is just around the corner, on Sunday September 13th. Thanks to the help of many, the preparation for this annual event is going very well. As I'm constantly saying, Many hands make little work.
LADIES AUXILIARY - AWESOME APPETIZERS - 1st WEDNESDAY:
What started out as a trial basis has turned out to be a huge success at the Post!! The Ladies with their appetizers on the first Wednesday of the month is a chance to have a great meal and socialize at the beach. It's always a good time with good eats!
MONTHLY FISH FRY:
We continue to have our monthly fish fry, with the next one scheduled for Saturday September 19th. As the summer months leave, so will some of the tourism dollars, so help us out by coming to our once a month fish dinner. Special thanks to all those that volunteer their time to help with the setup, cooking and cleaning, as we could not (and would not!) do this without you.
T-SHIRTS:
The Men's Auxiliary received a shipment of new Post 3137 t-shirts last week. These shirts were a revisit' to a style of shirt we had years ago, with the South Carolina flag on the back. They've been a hit, as we sold a load of them just last weekend!! (Yes - I got mine) Be sure to support our Post and show pride in our Post by purchasing these shirts (either for yourself, or as a gift!!).
KOOZIE'S:
We have a new shipment of Koozie's in. We have both kinds (regular and bottle style). The three colors are Blue, Black and Camouflage. Take your pick, and be sure to get a new one while they last, either for your bar at the beach, or your bar at the house! They make a great gift as well.
September 11th is Patriots Day:
In 2001, Congress authorized the president to designate September 11 of each year as "Patriot Day" to perpetuate the memory of those who perished in the attack on America and to pursue peace and justice in the world and security at home. "We will never forget."
September 18th is POW/MIA Recognition Day:
POW/MIA Recognition Day honors the commitments and the sacrifices made by our nation's prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action. By custom, it is on the third Friday in September.
UPCOMING EVENTS at YOUR VFW POST:
Every Friday from 6pm to 8pm:
Friday night is Burn Your Own Steak Night with baked potato and salad.
The price is only $12.00 for a steak dinner at the beach!!
First Wednesday of the Month:
Appetizers provided by the Ladies Auxiliary (Yum!!).
SEPTEMBER 13th VFW ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT:
Wild Dunes Harbor Course - Captains Choice - 1pm.
SEPTEMBER 19th FISH FRY:
Fish and Fixin's from 6-8:00pm.
Always a great meal with home-made dessert!!
September 26th (Saturday):
Our annual Luau, which is one of the biggest parties we have. Music, BBQ, the list goes on. The Ladies Auxiliary ensures you have a good time!!!
THIS N' THAT'S:
- I want to say Thank You to all who have volunteered time and effort to make VFW Post 3137 a friendly post for all to enjoy, and a valuable entity to support and service our troops and Veterans. We ask that God watch over all of our troops, our members, their families, and all veterans, especially those that have been disabled while performing their duties of great sacrifice to maintain our freedom and precious way of life.
- Please be respectful and courteous to everyone who comes into the VFW. First impressions are lasting impressions. If you see a face you don't recognize, please introduce yourself.
POST 3137 WEBSITE:
Be sure to visit our website: http://www.post3137.vfw.sc/ .
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Regards,
Darrin Voke
Commander Post 3137
Dvoke.post3137@yahoo.com
