In This Issue. From the Commander

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Volume #6 Issue #12 December 2015 Hello Comrades & Ladies, Hope you had a pleasant Thanksgiving with family and friends. We had a good dinner Thanksgiving Day with about 60 meals given out.

The local liquor agent says we don't need it any more, but his word is only as good as long as he is our agent. The current law interpretation is it's required and our license says it also.

Here is the current law: WAC 314-02-025 (1) The liquor control board has the responsibility to classify what licensed premises or what portions of the licensed premises are off-limits to minors.

1 Volume #6 Issue #12 December 2015 Hello Comrades & Ladies, Hope you had a pleasant Thanksgiving with family and friends. We had a good dinner Thanksgiving Day with about 60 meals given out. At the VFW mtg. on the 12th of Nov. and after much discussion, it was decided to retain the wall in the post. The local liquor agent says we don't need it any more, but his word is only as good as long as he is our agent. The current law interpretation is it's required and our license says it also. New rules are supposedly being written, but we have seen nothing yet. Here is the current law: WAC (1) The liquor control board has the responsibility to classify what licensed premises or what portions of the licensed premises are off-limits to minors. (RCW (2).) Minors may not purchase, possess, or consume liquor, and may not enter any areas that are classified as off-limits to minors. (RCW and ) (2) Barriers - Licensees must place barriers around areas that are classified as off-limits to minors and around game rooms. (a) The barriers must clearly separate restricted areas, and must be at least forty-two inches high. (b) The barriers must be permanently affixed. (c) Entrances to restricted areas may not be wider than ten feet. If a licensee has more than one entrance along one wall, the total entrance areas may not exceed ten feet. (d) "Minor prohibited" signs, as required by WAC (1), must be posted at each entrance to restricted areas. (3) If the business allows minors, the business's primary entrance must open directly into a dedicated dining area or into a neutral area, such as a lobby or foyer, that leads directly to a dedicated dining area. Minors must be able to access restrooms without passing through a lounge or other age-restricted area. On to more entertaining events. Up-coming: Taco/Enchilada/Potato night - Every Weds Prime Rib - Dec 4 Voice of Democracy Open Meeting - Dec 10 National Guard Birthday - Dec 12 Christmas Party - Dec 19 New Years Eve - Dec 31 Thanks for your support, Regards to all, Jim From the Commander ****** Ladies!! Take note that your meeting will be on the 10th of December in a combined meeting with the VFW ****** Nancy from our Ladies Auxillary would like to be informed when we have Vets at Peacehealth hospital so she can check in on them while at work. She can be reached at Thank you Nancy! In This Issue From the Commander From the Canteen Manager Officers Adjutant s Report A Heroes Salute Christmas Flyer National Guard birthday Flyer AT&T Flyer Canteen Menus December Calendar The Back Page

2015 2016 Officers Commander: Jim Vanderhieden commander@vfw7824.org Sr. Vice Commander: Glen Fisher service@vfw7824.org Jr. Vice Commander: Herb Lavin jrvice@vfw7824.

org Scuttlebutt Editor: Nelson Copeland editor@vfw7824.org Canteen Manager: Michelle Rex manager@vfw7824.

2 Officers Commander: Jim Vanderhieden Sr. Vice Commander: Glen Fisher Jr. Vice Commander: Herb Lavin Quartermaster: Terry Clark Adjutant: Bruce Maas Chaplain: Josh Cooper Service Officer: Larry Ross Scuttlebutt Editor: Nelson Copeland Canteen Manager: Michelle Rex Post Address: Vancouver VFW Post N Andresen Rd Vancouver, WA December General Meeting Thursday December 10 December Auxiliary Meeting Thursday December 10 National Home National home lifetime memberships only cost $35. This is a GREAT cause so please sign up today. You may have noticed the little blue house banks sitting on some of the tables at the post. These are for the National Home. Any spare change, dollar bills, 5 s or whatever you want to donate is greatly appreciated. Thank you to all who donated to this most worth while cause. Thanks to your donations, I have sent over $100 to the National Home so far. As many of you know, and for those who do not, the Ladies Auxiliary is now called the VFW Auxiliary. The Ladies Auxiliary and Men s Auxiliary have merged, forming the VFW Auxiliary. Now men are eligible to become Auxiliary members if you meet the criteria. Please welcome our first two male members of the VFW Auxiliary, Dan Lee and John Lofton. Also, please welcome our newest two female Auxiliary members, Heidi Huff and Geraldine Peterson. VFW Website:

Heroes Salute By Robert Myers TSGT U. S. Air Force (RET) Very few times in one s life can a person touch the lives that are the pivotal history makers of this great and unsurpassed country.

3 Heroes Salute By Robert Myers TSGT U. S. Air Force (RET) Very few times in one s life can a person touch the lives that are the pivotal history makers of this great and unsurpassed country. I met one such individual by the name of Thomas E. McEnry. In his nineties (I won t say how far), Tom, with a mind as clear as a bell gave me an accounting of his distinguished career. His career actually come in two parts, that of his military enlistment and that of his civilian enlistment. This is his story. THE USS ENTERPRISE (CV6) Err errr errr chukunk, the sound of a 6x6 troop truck accelerating away and the subsequent change of gears, echoed in the ears of one young Thomas McEnry as he stood on the dock looking at the biggest ship he d ever seen. Just arriving from San Diego California, Tom looked with awe at the USS Enterprise (CV-6). At 809 ft in length overall and 109 ft in width overall, the Enterprise made a big shadow. The whole dock was bustling with trucks, cargo and personnel. Stevedores were busy unloading provisions while naval enlisted seamen packed everything from foods of all sorts to paper clips for the shakedown cruise the next day. Twelve aircraft were aboard in transit from the west coast of the mainland. The venerable P-39 and the agile P-40 were being delivered to Wake Island. The combination of salty sea water and the pungent smell of oil and fuel permeated Tom s nostrils. Tom awoke from his daydream and decided he shouldn t be late for reporting for duty. Tom and his brother Del went into the Navy along with two friends. Their boot camp was at the beautiful city of San Diego, California. Single and ready to see the world Tom s naval career started out on the USS Enterprise (CV6) as a machinists mate. It was in port at Pearl Harbor when he arrived and immediately left with it on a shakedown cruise to Wake Island. All went smoothly, as smooth as life on an aircraft carrier could be. He and his brother Del served on the same vessel. Luck can be good or bad depending on circumstances and timing. They say timing is everything. In Tom s case it was good. On the way back from Wake Island, they hit a bad storm and one of the escort destroyers split a seam and had to slow down to keep from taking on water. This of course made them late for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They didn t reach port until the next day. Sunken ships, some still smoking, and casualties still floating in the water made for a grim scene. The Enterprise only stayed in port long enough to resupply and fuel up and it got underway. As Tom put it, they went looking for the bad guys. Time was of the essence, the Enterprise had to get under way even though many repairs weren t finished. However, the Enterprise had the best maintenance crew available, one of which was Tom McEnry, Machinist mate 2 nd class. One of the repairs left to be done was the refitting of the boilers and that was to be done in route to Wake Island. Tom was given one of the hottest jobs on ship. That particular task was to remove the old and broken fire bricks that lined the boiler and safely deposit them into the briny deep (Arrgh, Matey!). As they hit the water they did what they did best, they exploded, making mysterious clanking sounds against the hull. Tom was the only one to deliver the goods to the water below. Tom served on the Enterprise for the rest of his enlistment, long enough to witness and take part in the twenty four battles in the Pacific theater of which at times the Enterprise was the only aircraft carrier left in the fleet. He was on board when a Japanese dive bomber hit the deck and spread death and destruction all the way along its runway. The Enterprise subsequently received The Presidential Unit Citation on May 27 th, 1943 for outstanding performance in the many engagements in which it participated during the period from December 7 th, 1941 t November 15 th, As mentioned before there were 24 of them. Tom was there for all engagements, a true American Hero. As a side note, the Japanese hit Pearl Harbor from the North East instead of directly from the West. This was one factor that caught Pearl Harbor off guard. After the war, Tom went to work for the news media as a camera man. More good luck was to be in Tom s future. He became the proud father of Jim and Kenny. Later on he adopted a daughter, Cindy. His son Jim, followed in his father s footsteps for a while. (There s another story there!). Tom s career as a cameraman took an historical turn. He went to work for CBS and went back to war, the Viet Nam war, and spent nine months filming the battles of Viet Nam. This part of his life he really didn t want to say much about. Morley Safer was the chief correspondent for the war. As with anyone who wants to be a rising star, Morley Safer wanted to be on the front lines documenting the war as it happened. It was late in the day and Tom and crew were to accompany Morley out to an undisclosed battle. It was late enough that the battle wouldn t be reached until way into the night. Tom advised him not to go until the next day when the light would be better. Luck played another part in his career, because they passed by some jeeps and equipment that had been bombed the night before. There was only one way there and one way back. After the interview, Tom asked me to follow him to the man cave at his home where he showed me his prize collection of over three hundred hotel keys and fobs. He also showed me his collection of access badges for all the places he needed a security clearance. Then he had letters from the Secretary of the Navy for his participation of Task Force 16. He also had a picture of Lady Bird Johnson signed by her personally. In another he is seen in a group picture of all the news media greats that have graced our lives today, such as none other than Morley Safer, A young Dan Rather, Charles Kuralt and many others. His collection of memorabilia is fantastic. He literally has the history of major events of the Vietnam War and he is standing next to the major players of some of those decisive events. His son, Jim told me later that he and Tom were cleaning out one of his storage boxes and Tom took out a book. James said that his father tore out a page, crumpled it up and threw it aside. Jim picked it up and straightened it out. It was a thank you note from Lynden Baines Johnson, President of the United States. Conclusively, it was an honor to shake the hand that recorded so much of that history. If I m lucky this won t be the only interview with history itself. Humbly submitted.

4 December

5 Welcome to December Everyone!!!! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We served many dinners to our Members, local Veterans and their Families. Thank you to everyone that helped make it a success, I truly appreciate all of you. I only have a few updates for you this month. We are now opening at 10am Mon-Fri and serving breakfast. We are also extending our Taco's on Wednesday to 8pm. Please note that we will NOT be having music on the Friday of Christmas or that Saturday. We are opening on Christmas at 1pm. Come on in and enjoy our jukebox that weekend and wind down from the Christmas bustle. Also note, our Prime Rib Dinner will not be served on the 1st of January, we will serve it on Friday January 8th instead. Our upcoming events this month, will be starting with our Birthday of our National Guard on Saturday Dec12th. Dinner will be from 5-7pm,The menu will be, Pork Chops and twice baked potatoes, served with a vegetable, salad bar. Nelson will be our Master of Ceremonies, followed by the cake cutting and karaoke with Benny. Hope you come out and share in the fun. Earlier the same day, the Dogs Of War are holding their annual clothing drive for Homeless Veterans. So if you have any blankets, coats or additional clothing items bring them by anytime, or by noon on the 12th. On Saturday Dec. 19th at 5:30 The Post is holding our Christmas Party. This will be a Potluck Dinner and we will provide 2 Hams and rolls. Please bring in a dish to share. If you joined the Secret Santa Gift Exchange please arrive by 7pm with your gift. This will be a fun night, don't miss out!! Also we are collecting food and toys for our Christmas Baskets for Veterans in need. Please help us make their Christmas a little better by dropping something in the collection box. THANK YOU!! Lastly we will be ringing in our New Year on the 31st. The Cant Hardly Play Boys will be playing for your entertainment starting at 8pm. Put on your best duds and come in and enjoy yourself. This band is great! Our menu will be available but if you would like to bring "Finger Foods" to share we will have a table set for chips, dips and etc.. In closing I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. Michelle Rex From the Adjutant Fellow Comrades The holidays are upon us. If you come in contact with a comrade in need please let the post know so that we can provide the necessary assistance. The VFW Post and Auxiliary are having their annual food drive to help Veteran s families. So, please bring any can or boxed food to the Post. We are also having our annual Toy Drive, please bring any unwrapped toys. Dogs of War MC is doing there clothing drive as well. Calendar of Events Our post events committee & staff are hard at work planning our post actives. In order to make these events successful, it takes volunteers like you to make it happen. We especially need help around the canteen when it becomes very busy. The post will be open Dec 25 starting 1:00 PM. There will be no Friday night events on this day. As always there will be a New Year Eve party on the Dec 31. The post will be open on Jan 1. The post may be subject to closure to due winter weather conditions. Please come and join us for Friday night Dinner/Music 1700 to Closing Sunday morning breakfast from 0900 to 1100 Sunday Big Screen Football 0900 to 2100 Queen of Hearts Drawing Sun 1530 to 1800 Wednesday Night Tacos from 1700 to 1900 Dec 05 - VAVS/VFW Bingo (Vancouver VA) Dec 06 - House Committee (monthly only) Dec 08 - AMVETS Meeting Dec 10 - County Vets Committee (Downtown) Dec 10 - Joint/Open Meeting for VOD Note Time Dec 12 - National Guard Birthday Party Dec 13 - Cooties Meeting at the Elks Dec 14 - DAV Chap Holiday Dinner at Old Country Buffet Dec 19 - Post Christmas Party Dec 24 - Christmas Eve Dec 25 - Christmas Day Dec 26 - Boxing Day Dec 31 - End of the Fall Quarter Dec 31 - New Years Eve Party at Post Jan 01 - New Years Day Jan 02 - VAVS/VFW Bingo (Vancouver VA) Jan 03 - House Committee TBD Jan 03 - Dist. 6 VOD Awards (Camas) Jan 10 - COOTIES Meeting Post or Elks Jan 11 - State Legislature Convenes Jan 14 - County Vets Committee (Downtown) Jan 14 - Post Meeting Jan Dept. Mid Winter Conference in Pasco Jan 21 - Aux Meeting Feb 07 - Super Bowl Sunday Party

12 VFW 7824 Scuttlebutt 400 N Andresen Rd Vancouver, WA USA PLACE POSTAGE HERE The Back Page with Nelson Hard to believe that this is the last month of the year. The next Scuttlebutt will be put out in I sincerely hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I know I did. I had dinner with my family on Wednesday, then went to the post on Thanksgiving Day, had dinner and helped out there for the afternoon. We have a couple events coming up this month. The 379th birthday of the National Guard will be celebrated on the 12th, our annual Christmas party will be on the 19th. Also, we will be open at 1:00pm on Christmas day. So if you need someplace to get away and visit with friends, stop by. Do you all have your New Year s resolutions made yet? One that you could make is to try and help volunteer at your post more next year. Our post is doing really good, but it is only that way because of the tremendous volunteers we have. I would like to say THANK YOU! To all who volunteered this past year, it is because of you that our post is doing as good as it is. Until next year, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! Thanks and have a great month! Contact Us Give us a call for more information about our organization or your membership. Vancouver VFW Post N Andresen Rd Vancouver, WA (360) info@vfw7824.org Visit us on the web at: Nelson Join the VFW and help our Veterans!

In This Issue. From the Canteen Manager. From the Canteen Officers Auxiliary Officers. Event Flyers.

In This Issue. From the Canteen Manager. From the Canteen Officers Auxiliary Officers. Event Flyers. Volume #7 Issue #9 Spetember 2016 From the Canteen, From the Canteen Manager Well, welcome to September. I just can't believe it is here already! Days are getting shorter and a little bit of fall is felt