Post Commander: Comrades, what a year it has been! Thanks to your support, VFW Post 2082 finished the year as an ALL STATE POST. As your re-elected Commander, my top priority is to prioritize Veteran related causes. I promise to continue maintaining and upgrading our Post’s home and increasing our presence within the community. I need the assistance of all our members to make these endeavors successful. Our Senior Vice Commander has the Buddy Poppy distribution in full effect, and I extend my gratitude to all those who have volunteered their time to the Post this past year. I look forward to serving and seeking everyone’s help to make this year a continued success. If you know of a veteran or the family of a veteran in need, please contact the Post. Join us at our monthly Post meeting on August 13, 2024 @1900. Here’s to a healthy and successful VFW 2024-2025 fiscal year!
Sr Vice Commander: We voted in 6 new Life Members at our special meeting to take
advantage of the State of California’s 50% off on new Life Members. Glad to report this
increases our membership goal to 102%. Let’s keep working toward an increase in
membership for our Post.
Buddy Poppies: We have raised over $300.00 for the Buddy Poppy Program. The Memorial Boards will be posted for another month. As a reminder the Buddy Poppy donation boxes are located at the bar. A special thanks to our mysterious member who has donated several $20 bills into the donation boxes.
President VFW Riders: July has been an incredible month for VFW Riders Post 2082, filled with new members, meaningful rides, and heartfelt community support. Here’s a brief overview of our activities and upcoming events:
We proudly welcomed two new members: Road Dawg, son of our very own Rail Dawg, as a VFW supporter, and Warrant as a VFW member. Their addition strengthens our community and continues our tradition of camaraderie and dedication.
Earlier this month, on July 13th, we joined forces with fellow riders from Wildomar and Lakeside to support the Ramona VFW Riders’ inaugural monthly ride. Our journey began at Motorcycle Monkey in Santee and took us north to VFW Ramona Post 3783. Here, Rail Dawg and Road Dawg presented a custom ceremonial gavel to Viper, the Ramona VFW Riders president. The ride continued through the scenic San Diego County back roads, concluding with a warm welcome at Imperial Beach VFW Post 5477.
Our monthly chapter ride on July 21st started with a delicious French Toast breakfast at American Legion Post 255 in National City. From there, we visited VFW Post 3788 in Kearny Mesa, VFW Post 7907 in Poway, and VFW Post 1512 in Encanto. The ride culminated at VFW 2082 Lemon Grove, where we celebrated the life of Joe Brunner with friends and family in a heartfelt gathering.
On July 27th, we supported the Lakeside VFW Riders Group on their first monthly ride, alongside the newly forming Kearny Mesa VFW Riders Group. Leading the Pine Valley Days Parade with the Patriot Guard was a true honor and a memorable experience for all involved.
At the end of the month, we received a heartfelt request to assist with the graveside service of a Vietnam Veteran at Miramar National Cemetery. Although we couldn’t attend due to work
commitments, we ensured military honors were provided by the Patriot Guard Riders, who set up a flag line on short notice. This service, held on July 30th, highlighted the unity and strength of our veteran motorcycle community and ensured the veteran received the respect he deserved.
Looking ahead, we are excited to announce our 1st Annual Poker Run “Medal of Honor Ride” on August 17th, 2024: Our Poker Run coincides with the Post annual picnic this year and will bring riders from all around our community. The event is about uniting with our community, with proceeds going to support our Riders Group, the Post, as well as Combat Hero Bike Build, a nonprofit providing custom adaptive motorcycles to severely wounded veterans. The poker run will start in Santee, with stops at the Ramona VFW, Lakeside VFW, and Alpine VFW posts, concluding at our Post. As part of the event, we are having a Best Bike Competition, and we encourage everyone to check out all the cool motorcycles. We will also have a raffle of motorcycle-related products and a Corn Hole tournament. Each year, we will highlight a Medal of Honor recipient. This first year, our Medal of Honor Ride will honor our post namesake, Michael A. Monsoor. Ride participants will receive postcards detailing Monsoor’s heroic legacy and the story of how Joe Brunner was instrumental in getting our post name changed. We will also be encouraging participants to become members of the VFW or VFW Auxiliary and informing them about the importance of what our comrades do for the local community.
Jr Vice Commander: I would like to thank everyone who participated for the 4 the of July
Barbecue as well as the Auxiliaries who lent their awesome culinary skills for the Father’s Day
Breakfast. Both events were a tremendous success and I want to keep that positive energy and team efforts as we prepare for Fall and Winter events. The Annual Post Picnic will be held
August 17 from 12-5 pm upstairs. Free food and drinks (Beer, Water and Wine) for all Post
and Auxiliary Members and $5 for others. A food sign-up sheet will be posted on the
Information Board. There will be a Dunk Tank, Face Painting, Popcorn/ Snow Cone Machine
and Bounce House for the kids!! Raffles and 50/50 will also be held. We are accepting
donations for the raffles and all proceeds will go directly to the Post. If donating for the raffle
or bringing food, please bring it between 10am-12pm the day of picnic. If unable to attend,
you can drop your raffle item off at the Post or to any of our Post Officers directly. Thanks in
advance.
We are in the process of working out plans and details for a Susan G. Komen “More Than Pink
Walk” November 3 rd. at Balboa Park. This will be a great opportunity to support such a worthy cause and increase our presence in the community. I will be providing more information in the upcoming weeks.
Chaplain/Service Officer:
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department will be hosting National Night Out in Lemon Grove on Tuesday August 6th from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Treganza Park. This event is part of a nationwide community-building campaign that promotes law enforcement-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. Come meet local Sheriff’s Deputies, learn about public safety resources, and enjoy various family-friendly activities.
Our Post Blood Drive will be held September 17th from 1-6 in the upper parking lot. Our blood supply gets critically low this time of year, join us for our 3rd summer of donating for our community.
CAL FIRE predictions are indicating above normal temperatures for all of California, resulting in an abnormally high fire risk for the remainder of the year. Watch Duty is an app that provides real time data and alerts, when it comes to fire safety seconds count.
If you haven't established VA healthcare eligibility yet, now's the time. If you are a Disabled Veteran you must have seen a VA Primary Care Doctor within the last year to file a claim for some VA benefits such as Home Health Care. This will assign a PACT team. A VA Social Worker is part of this team and is the person to help you file a claim for Home Health Care. You don’t have to give up your health insurance or current providers. In addition to providing a full range of health care services, the VA specializes in providing the primary care that is important for any age. In the future, should you have an accident, develop a condition or suffer something debilitating, like a stroke, you and your family will have peace of mind knowing that you are already enrolled for VA health care.
Auxiliary President: To all my Auxiliary members, I hope you all are having a great summer. I
have been very busy traveling this summer enjoying time with family and friends.
Our next Parking Lot Sale will be August 3rd and we are always looking for volunteers to help with set up and cleaning. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Rosie. I would like to thank Rosie for helping with the Taco Birthday dinner. It was a great success. I also would like to thank Linda, Angela and Mike for cooking Sunday breakfast. IT was another
successful sellout breakfast. The annual summer VFW picnic is quickly approaching, and we
are always looking for donations from members for the raffles and prizes. Please contact Rosie or Denise if you would like to donate prizes for the picnic. Fall season is approaching which means it will be cooler weather to cook in the kitchen and we are always looking for more volunteers to help with dinner or breakfast. Again, thanks to all my volunteers who help to support the Post. Your help does not go unnoticed.
