Greeting all,

Hello and welcome to the end of 2022. A funny thing just happened to me. I have a habit of looking up old articles. This keeps me from repeating myself and reminds me of what was going on in the past. I did a search on my new computer in the Commander’s office and found that not all the files had been completely transferred from my old one. The only article to come up was the first piece I wrote for 2022. It’s interesting to look back and see all the changes that have happened over the past 12 months. Though we’ve lost some folks, we’ve gained some new friends as well. But we’re still here and still doing what we can to help veterans and their families.

The year that was. When it comes to the VFW, we run on a fiscal year from July to June so techni- cally we are halfway through the 2022-23 VFW program year. But in the real world, we are finishing that long trip around the sun. I know, we are all getting ready to focus on the holidays (to make it through in one piece), so I just want to give you a few updates and let you know some of the milestones that we have achieved this year.

The Post received awards for All State (department) and All-American (national). We also achieved 100% in membership. This happened mainly because of the efforts of Comrades Alton Robinson, Quarter- master, and Patrick Mills, Adjutant. They assisted with all aspects of the Post and stepped up more than I could have dreamed. The key to these awards focuses on getting 100% membership. This year between members passing away or transferring out of state, we are looking at a shortfall in members. Therefore, I would like to encourage each of you to seek out one combat veteran and recruit him or her to join the Post. I’ve noticed over the last 8 years as Commander that the main reason posts have been closing is due to the sunsetting of membership. This occurs when the membership is aging out, and no one is left to keep the lights on, so to speak. With our sale of the land closing soon, the Post will be financially stable for the fore- seeable future. We just need to ensure that we have enough members to keep it going.

The Bingo Program–as you may be aware, we suspended our program earlier this year with the pos- sibility of restarting it at some time in the future. After speaking with the Virginia Gaming Commission, we decided to completely end our Bingo operations effective December 2022. What does this mean going forward? We are currently looking at starting up Bingo again in 2023. We just need to find a new location and, of course, a group of volunteers to manage and work it. As many of you know, if it weren’t for Bingo, we wouldn’t have our Post Home or the funds to help as many folks in the community as we have. As we consider different options, we will keep you updated. I did want to add a thank you to all the folks who, over the last 30 years, have volunteered for the Bingo Program. You are and you have been the lifeblood of this Post.

I am happy to say that we have sent two Voice of Democracy, one Patriot’s Pen, and a Teacher-of- the-Year entries to District 10 for their consideration, with the hope that they will be advanced to the de- partment and then to national for consideration. The VOD entries were received from West Springfield High School students. If you have the time to swing by the Post and have a look at the entries, you will un- derstand why we wanted to submit them for the national awards. I encourage you to look at this program for next year. There are cash awards from the Post level all the way up to national (and that one is for $35,00). This is something to consider for kids and grandkids.

The joint Veterans Service Office (VSO) office has aided over 100 veterans in the first six months alone, and it is our hope to double that moving forward. The VSO officers that use the space are required to follow the guidelines set forth by each of their individual organi- zations. We are in talks to see if we can get an accredited service person to set up permanent space in our VSO room. This would be someone from the Commonwealth as we move forward; I will let you know. Our goal is to help eve- ryone who needs help no matter what organization they are or are not associated with. We help any Veteran in need when we can.

The sale of the property is moving along as ex- pected. The buyer is submitting their plans to the county for review and approval. Please join us for the monthly meetings for more specific updates on this topic. We meet the 4th Tuesday of each month, both in person at the Post Home, 5417-E Backlick Road, Springfield VA 2215, and via Zoom.

This year, we’ve been able to partner with Spring- field’s American Legion Post 176 a little more than we had in the past to increase our impact and achieve our individu- al goals. By teaming up we will far surpass what we can do on our own. The two posts held joint Veterans Day, Memo- rial Day, and Patriots Day celebrations. We also took part in the Veteran’s Business Awareness Program with Spring- field and Mt. Vernon Chambers of Commerce. It is our goal that these functions will become annual events going forward.

I would also like to congratulate the American Legion Post 176 for their Thanksgiving Dinner service; this was the first year that our Post was able to assist in this annual event. It’s my understanding that the Legion served well over 200 dinners that day.

As many of you know the American Legion holds fundraising tailgate parties for the Washington Football team throughout the year. We asked them if we could hold a fundraising event of our own, and they agreed. We will behosting an all-you-can-eat Taco tailgate for the Army-Navy game on December 10th; the game starts at 1500. I will leave the “go” and “beat” comments for that day. I hope you can join us for the event. The proceeds will be going to the Post’s Relief Fund.

One last event to let you know about. In the past our post held a holiday party at the Springfield Fire House for needy families in the area. But because of restrictions beyond our control, we had to stop the program. The good news is that we are going to be working with the American Legion and host “Breakfast with Santa” on December 11. The plan is to serve breakfast for about 70 to 100 kids, and they will be able to visit with Santa and receive a small gift and treats. I will send out a notice of the time for this event later this week.

That is my update and brings our calendar year to a close but not our VFW year. There are many more events to come and many more programs waiting for us to take part in. I look forward to 2023 and from my family to yours I wish everyone Happy Holidays in however way you celebrate.

Please be safe if you plan to travel, and try to be kind to all the relatives you only see once a year. Keep in mind every dollar used for bail is one less gift.