Post Commander: Greetings, Comrades! I hope this Newsletter finds you all in the best of health and spirits. May was a very productive and fast-moving month, filled with successful events to honor our veterans and support our community. The month of May kicked off on May 4th with Laurie and Post 2082 holding our National VFW Day of Service, where we sponsored a CPR class which had attendees from the Post and community. The event was a testament to the unity and dedication that defines our Post and provided important real life training for bartenders, patrons and community members. We look forward to working closely together as we continue to serve and advocate for our fellow veterans. We also had the privilege of hosting a District 1 Mass Installation with Comrades and Auxiliary members. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect and collaborate with other VFW Posts in our district. We exchanged valuable insights, shared ideas, and strengthened our bonds as we strive for the common goal of supporting veterans and their families. In celebration of Mother’s Day, the Post and Auxiliary Fathers organized a special breakfast buffet to honor the incredible Mothers within our organization. As Memorial Day weekend approached, our Senior Vice geared up to start our Buddy Poppy drive. This important event not only raises funds to support our veterans in need but also raises awareness about the sacrifices they have made for our country. The Buddy Poppies are located above the bar seating area. Lastly, we held our annual Memorial Day VFW BBQ. This event enlightened us and provided an excellent opportunity to say thank you to our members and invite our local community to learn more about VFW and the services we provide. It was a day of fun, camaraderie, and creating new connections with our neighbors. A hearty Bravo Zulu to everyone, for organizing and ensuring the event and activities went off without a hitch. Post meetings are on 2nd Tuesday at 1900 every month.
Sr Vice Commander: We have met 103% for our membership. But we must continue to recruit members. Recruiting new members means a continuing strong post. The Buddy Poppy program got off to a slow start but has since come on strong during the month of May. With 22 Memorial boards and the two donation boxes located on the Bar we have raised over $270.00 for our Buddy Poppy program this May. Please remember to donate at the Bar when you can, or contact Vern Carr if you are interested in a Memorial Board. The Memorial Boards are located above the bar seating area.
President VFW Riders: A lot has happened for the Riders Group over the past few months. We held elections in April and elected James “Squatch” Roe as the new President and Todd “Papa Smurf” Parker as the new Vice President. It’s a great honor to step up to the President’s position. First, I want to thank Todd “Viper” Greenwood, our founding and outgoing President, for his years of leadership and commitment in getting the Riders Group established and running smoothly. We look forward to his leadership at the state level.
Our Riders attended the California Riders Group state meeting at VFW Post 2924 in Hesperia, CA, where we conducted elections. This year, we’ll be well represented at the state level with Todd “Viper” Greenwood as President, Todd “Papa Smurf” Parker as Vice President, Mark “Hoss” Cormier as Sergeant at Arms, and myself as Treasurer. Additionally, the Ramona and Lakeside VFW Posts have voted to establish their own Riders Groups, led by Viper and Hoss, respectively.
Planning is well underway for our first Post 2082 Riders Group poker run, which will coincide with the Post’s annual picnic. The run will start at Motorcycle Monkey in Santee, CA, with stops at the Ramona, Lakeside, and Alpine VFWs, ending at our Post. The event will include competitions for the best poker hand, best motorcycle, and a corn hole tournament. Our goal is to raise money, educate folks about our Post and its namesake, and provide details about joining the VFW or Auxiliary at each stop. If you’re curious about what a poker run is and what we do, ask one of our Riders—they’ll be happy to tell you all about it.
Thank you - James “Squatch” Roe
Junior Vice Commander: I would like to thank everyone who participated in May’s Annual Post Hop. I am tentatively planning the next Post Hop for later this year. Contact me if you have any destination Posts in mind. Thanks to all the Chili Cook Off participants as well as those who came to taste such a wide variety of Chili. Congrats to First Place Winners Lia and Patrick Webb, 2nd Place Bill Cooper and Third Place Peter Hickman. This winter’s Chili Cook Off will be held at American Legion Post 201, with time/date to be determined.
As a reminder, the Post Annual Picnic will be held Saturday, August 17, 2024. I will begin accepting Raffle Donations and posting a food sign-up sheet on July 15th. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions.
Chaplain/Service Officer: TOur Past Commander Tony Bordine's brother Andrew was laid to rest at Miramar National Cemetery on April 22nd. We are so sorry for his family's loss.
Comrade Joe Brunner, Past Post 2082 Commander, passed away at home on May 16th. His service was at Miramar National Cemetery on Tuesday June 4th. Comrade Joe will be missed. We extend our deepest sympathy to Bea, his son, Mike and family. His wife Bea will be having a Celebration of Life July 20th at 2:00 PM at our Post in the Lounge area. Bea asked that you bring your favorite potluck dish and favorite stories of Joe to share.
May 4th was the third annual VFW Day of Service; we held our second CPR/First Aid class and invited our community to join us in learning lifesaving skills. Knowing how to respond to an emergency is something we train for in the military; keeping up to date with procedures and training with our community is another way we can continue to serve.
We celebrated 8 birthdays and enjoyed a spaghetti dinner prepared by Vern and Q last week. Don't forget to sign up for the June-July Birthday Celebration Thursday, July 25th.
Fresh Food Connect is a network of gardeners supporting local hunger relief with homegrown produce. How to donate your extra homegrown fruits and vegetables? Simply download the Fresh Food Connect app to connect, get current donation locations and times, and schedule and track your donations through the year. Here is a link about Fresh Food Connect in our area. Gardening for Good - Hunger Relief in San Diego (freshfoodconnect.org)
June is National PTSD Awareness Month. If left untreated, PTSD can cause a host of long term health issues. Bringing awareness and identifying resources helps confront the stigma of asking for help.
On May 31 the VA launched the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program to help Veterans experiencing severe financial hardship avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes.
Auxiliary President: To all my Auxiliary members, I would like to thank all my new incoming officers and congratulate them for joining, being on my board and supporting our Auxiliary. I appreciate all their hard work and dedication. I am also blessed and grateful to be your president again. I enjoy what I’m doing, I love volunteering and helping. I love all the help from the members who support the Auxiliary. Congratulations to all the Post members and I’m looking forward to working with them this year. We had a great Memorial Day service and barbecue. It was very successful. Thank you to everyone who brought food and helped. I want to recognize the VFW Riders for their ride out to Fort Rosecrans on Memorial Day. I also want to thank Roger Burroughs for going out about two months ago to the Vietnam War Memorial in El Cajon. He volunteered out there at Wells Park in El Cajon, and thank you for your support on that day.
We have some upcoming events in June. We will be having a Father’s Day brunch on Sunday, June 16th. Come on out and enjoy some great food. I will be cooking dinner on Friday, June 28th.
There is no parking lot sale for the month of July. Our next parking lot sale will be on Saturday, August 3rd. We are always looking for volunteers to make baked goods and help with set up and clean up.
I am personally looking forward to the summer coming up. I’m going to be spending it with my grandchildren in Virginia for a little bit and going on vacation. I hope everyone has a great and safe summer. Get out and enjoy the sunshine and go for some walks. Stay healthy.
The La Mesa Flag Day Parade is Saturday, June 8th. District 1 will be marching in the parade. I’m going to try to march and be there to represent our Post.
Again, thank you to all the volunteers who help in the kitchen and for all our events I wouldn’t be able to do it without you guys. Sincerely, and thank you. - Denise Swerdloff.
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