What do you know; we've kept our heads down, slogged along through the slush and snow, and look what happened; the month of February has arrived. The year is moving right along and before you know it warm weather will be here again. Hoorah!
- There will be a special speaker at our Regular Post Meeting on Tuesday the 3rd. Look elsewhere in this issue to see who will be speaking and why you should attend.
- Night at the Races will be held Saturday the 7th. We had a good crowd at the January Races and a number of people went home richer for the experience. Since we only are allowed to host (4) Races per year you need to plan to attend as many of them as possible.
- February 8th is Four Chaplains Sunday - a day we honor the sacrifice made by these Four Men of God who gave up their life jackets (and their lives) for their comrades when the Troop ship Dorchester was torpedoed in the icy waters off Greenland during WWII and went down with a loss of over 600 lives.
- February the 14th is Valentine's Day, and on the 11th members of our post will assist in hosting a dance at Heartland Behavioral Healthcare and volunteers to help with this party are always welcome.
- The Legion (District) Oratorical contest will be held on the 22nd at the Foltz Center in East Canton. All of the speeches given at this competition are timed,must be about the United States Constitution and given without notes. The young people who compete in this contest do a great job; please plan to go and support them.
- February will conclude with our usual visit to the veterans at the VA Medical Center in Brecksville. Thankfully, some things never change.
I'm not a fan of cold weather. However, if we stay busy and work our programs this winter will go by quicker and we will have helped our Post and our Community. And speaking of programs and volunteers... every year our Post takes responsibility for placing flags on the graves of veterans at Rose Hill Cemetery for Memorial Day. This job takes about 3 hours, and (when we return after Memorial Day) about 2 hours to remove the flags. What is urgently needed is someone to step forward and take on the responsibility of organizing the volunteers who actually do the work. All the groundwork has been done; could you be the person we need to step forward and lead this project? As Uncle Sam says; WE need YOU.
Say a prayer for our Troops and thank them for Their Service
-C. Richard Thatcher, Commander
1st Vice Commander
The American Legion is a patriotic, mutual help organization made from wartime veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces chartered by Congress in 1919 after WWI. This is a partial definition from the dictionary.
I agree completely with this definition, but when I think of this organization at the post level I also think of it as a complete family oriented organization in which your family members can join and be active in many activities each organization has if they desire.
If you are a male or female member of the post, your spouse and children can belong either to the Ladies Auxiliary or The Sons of the American Legion.
I am not saying that your family member has to join to come to the many activities that go on here at The Post during the year but if they become a member in one of the above organizations they can personally be involved in the many activities that go on during the year if they so desire.
If you have not yet paid your 2009 Post dues now will be a good time to become current. Hope to see you at our monthly meetings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Serving Our Country
Need addresses for veterans serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Remember 9-11-2001
-Bill Matthews, 1st Vice Commander
S.A.L. News for February
Hello All,
January came in like a lion. We had below 0 temperatures and a lot of snow. Sure put a halt to going outside. Good thing we didn't have to do our bell ringing during that weather.
There is not a whole lot to say at this time. We will be raffling off a 32" flat screen TV so get your tickets in the tavern or from any S.A.L. member. We will also be scheduling another trip so check with the tavern or next month's post parade for more details. The trip will be to Belterra.
As of this time we are at 160 paid members for 74.07%. If you haven't paid your dues as of January 1, your membership has expired. You need to come in and pay them or mail them to the post.
As Always,
-Bob Lunsford, S.A.L. Commander
Honor / Color Guard Report for 2008
First on the list is a big THANK YOU to the 18 Legionnaires that are Post 221 Honor Guard. Time after time, they respond to the call and donate both their time and resources to our cause. No one in the Post 221 Honor Guard is reimbursed for their participation. Their pay=day is the look on the faces and the words of appreciation expressed by the families of those we served at the 32 cemeteries where we provided military honors this year.
We do have a reputation for our presentation of honors; our appearance and the respect we try to convey. We all understand it is the last thing we can do for our comrade, and we do it with pride; each and every time.
In 2008, we provided military honors for veterans at (115) funerals plus (1) casket watch for one of our own. This required 1,773 volunteer hours and 11,934 miles traveled to the various cemeteries we serve within a 50 mile radius of our post.
The Post 221 Color Guard participated in 25 activities in 2008, amounting to 315 volunteer hours; activities included 7 Post activities, 11 football games, 4 parades and 3 other events.
To these special Legionnaires; thanks for your service and dedication.
For God and Country,
-C. R. Thatcher, 1st Sgt. Honor Guard
-Mark Weldon, Sgt. Major Color Guard
Auxiliary President
Congratulations to Dixie and our Unit for achieving "Goal" Status (100%) on Membership. By reaching our quota, we became a Goal Unit. Currently - unfortunately - we are only the second unit in the 10th District's Auxiliary to achieve "Goal" status.
Things seem a little quiet now; but it's nice to take a little breather, after all of the hustle & bustle of the past few months. Spring is right around the corner. It's time to start planning a "Spring Fundraiser" for the Auxiliary. We are looking for some fun & unique ideas. So write down a few of your ideas and join us at our meeting - Feb. 3 at 7pm - to share them with us. I know a lot of you have some great ideas, we can work together to make them happen. You just have to come & share them. We will be excited to hear them.
-Gail Miller, Auxiliary President
John Tsocheff Memorial Museum and Library - February 2009
What a slow month for the museum; snow, cold, and more cold.
Please consider helping in March. I plan to take uniforms off as many mannequins as I can and clean the uniforms and replace them on the same mannequins. It is not an easy job and it takes a lot of time. Mannequins do not cooperate. Without help, I could not do it alone. It took me 14 years to dress them. I don't think I would live long enough to do it all by myself.
DID YOU KNOW?
The verification of military experience and training (VMET), document for DD 2586, helps service members verify previous experience and training to potential employers, write their resumes, and prepare for job interviews. VMET documents are available only through Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps transition support offices and are intended for separating or retiring service members who have at least six months of active duty service. Service members should obtain VMET documents from their transition support office within 12 months of separation or 24 months of retirement.
-John Tsocheff, Historian
Attorney to Speak On Subject of Great Importance to All
Your Post has arranged for local Attorney Thomas V. Ferrero to speak at our regular meeting Tuesday February 3, 2009 for its members, Auxiliary members, Sons of the America Legion and their guests.
Mr. Ferrero's will discuss Living Trusts, Wills, Power of Attorney, and Living Wills.
Following a brief presentation on these topics, Mr. Ferrero will take questions.
The meeting will begin promptly at 7:00 P.M. and our speaker will be presented immediately following opening ceremonies.
In order for us to provide adequate seating, please confirm your attendance by calling the post at (330) 833-4545 by February 1st. (Handicap Accessible)
American Legion Riders...
Please pass the word: The American Legion Riders are looking for a few good men and/or women to join us. All you need is a current Legion, SAL, or Auxiliary membership card and a qualifying motorcycle. During the riding season we are very active with planned weekly rides and good fellowship. If you have any questions regarding our group, please feel free to call one of the numbers listed below.
Please come and join us for a meeting to find out what what we are all about. Our meetings during the winter months (Nov through May) are the first Sunday of every month at 11:00 a.m. in the Tavern and during riding season we meet an hour earlier at 10:00 a.m. You will find that we are service men who are "still serving" God and country.
-Sam "Big Sam" Postlethwait, Director 330-830-9689
-Randy Dunbar, Assistant Director 330-832-9459
P. S. There will not be an ALR meeting in February; instead, members will be traveling to the IX Center for the annual bike show.
February Tavern News
ATTENTION MEMBERS! YOU MUST HAVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD WITH YOU TO BE SERVED ALCOHOL, NO EXCEPTIONS! NO CARD - NO SERVICE - THE LEGION IS A NON-SMOKING FACILITY
| HOURS: SUNDAY |
11 A.M. TILL 11 P.M. |
| MONDAY-THURSDAY |
12 P.M. TILL 12 A.M. |
| FRIDAY-SATURDAY |
12 P.M. TILL 1 A.M. |
| HAPPY HOUR - MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY |
4-6 P.M. |
| FRIDAY FISH FRY |
4-8 P.M. |
| FRIDAY SPECIAL: SWISS STEAK |
|
WEDNESDAY SPECIALS FOR FEBRUARY
| FEB 4 |
- |
SALMON PATTIES, HOME FRIES, SALAD |
| FEB 11 |
- |
STUFFED PEPPERS, BAKED POTATO, SALAD |
| FEB 18 |
- |
HAMBURG, FRESH CUT FRIES, SALAD |
| FEB 25 |
- |
CREAMED CHICKEN & BISCUITS, MASHED POTATOES, SALAD |
EVERY MONDAY - 4PM-8PM
CONEY W/ GRILLED BUN AND FRENCH FRIES $2.50
XTRA CONEY $1.00 - SORRY NO TAKE HOME
THURSDAY: WING DINGS 25 CENTS FROM 3 P.M. - 7 P.M.
(MINIMUM ORDER OF 6/TO GO REGULAR PRICE)
SUNDAY SPECIAL - "12 OZ MUG OF DRAFT" $1.00 - 3 P.M. TO 7 P.M.
22 OZ DRAFT - $1.75
NEW!! BUD LIGHT ON TAP
FOOD AVAILABLE MONDAY - THURSDAY AND SATURDAY NOON - 9 P.M.
Bob, Dixie, Mike, Deb, Alice, Denise, Char, Vickie, Smiley, Cheryl, David, Brandon, Michael, Justin, Merrie Ann, and Dan
