Comrades, Sisters and Brothers,

As we start November 2011, there are many things going on around the state that we as the largest combat veterans group need to be aware of and keep an eye on.

Some of the most disturbing actions coming from our government include a program called 10 for 10.  This program would cut 10 crucial programs from active duty service personnel; from military pay to all the benefits including family allowances and retirement.  The worst part is the cuts come from one of our own senators, Senator Carl Levin.  We need to contact Senator Levin and request that the congress not try to balance the budget on the backs of our armed forces personnel who have sacrificed so much already.

Burger King is a major contributor to the V.F.W.’s Unmet Needs program for the 5^th year, providing more than 4.2 million in grant money to help 3,000 families.  So, if you are going to get fast food, make it Burger King.

On the POW/MIA program, the U.S. and North Korean officials have reached an arrangement to resume recovery operations in North Korea.  There are 8,000 soldiers and marines believed to still be missing.  Recently 11 airmen were recovered; one from Viet Nam and 10 from WWII.  The remains will be returned to their families for burial.

The membership program, as always, is the life blood of our organization.  As of this writing the Department of Michigan is at 83.1% and of course the current years dues are good until 12/31/11. Annual members, take a look at becoming a Life Member.  The National organization has a number of deferred payment plans that will suit your situation and you will never pay dues again.  Contact your post quartermaster for more information.

I recently had a new water softener installed at my house and one of the young men doing the work asked if I had anything to do with the V.F.W., (could have been the State Commander sign on my car that tipped him off).  I told him yes and asked if he had served and yes he had.  He is an Iraq veteran and had belonged to my own home post.  It happens that when he got out, he got married and rented our hall for their reception.  I asked if he had paid his dues and the answer was no, so I asked why not and we have all heard his answer many times:  “I don’t drink and when I went in the post, no one even knew I was there.  I sat at the bar and other than the bartender, nobody said anything to me.”  Comrades, we need to fix these problems.  We do not have a recruiting problem, we have a retention problem.  Too many of the veterans we bring in go out the back door never to be seen again.  I don’t have an answer to the problem, but maybe you do.  Let us know if you have something that works.

I do know that our organization is not as visible as we should be in our communities.  Our posts need to be involved in our community and we need to blow our own horn and take credit for the good things we do.

Congratulations to PSC Richard Lehner on his election to the Big Ten Conference Chairmanship.  We wish him well and know he will do a great job.

In closing, I wish everyone a safe and healthy Christmas and Happy New Year. I would like to thank all veterans for their service to our great country, the United States of America.

State Senior Vice Commander

Kirk Kennedy
VFW Post 701
United States Marine Corps
email address kskennedy2004@yahoo.com

Comrades, Sisters, and Brothers,

The holidays are almost upon us. Please think of those who will not be spending time with their families. The military personnel who are far away defending those ideals we hold so dearly. We can express our gratitude for those who are serving by sending packages to them for the holidays. If you desire to help in this way, contact your post. All packages would be greatly appreciated by our troops. I would also like to wish to you and your family season’s greetings.

2012 is just around the corner and our year as officers is half over. We need to be completing those programs that make or break us in regards to having a successful year. Membership is always the most difficult of these. Remember, there are still many Viet Nam eligible veterans who have never joined our ranks. These veterans are retiring in increasing numbers and now are looking for things to do in their leisure time. Let us go after this forgotten group of veterans.

Do veterans always have to live in fear of losing their benefits? It seems that every time our governments (state and federal) take it upon themselves to cut programs for cost saving agendas, the first programs they try to cut affects our military and veterans. The legislators know that the military only comprise 1% of our population; a very small percentage in their eyes. Case in point is the 10 for 10 program that legislators are proposing to undermine our military retirement and health system. Who is always on the forefront on issues that affect our military personnel? The Veterans of Foreign Wars. Please read the changes that they are proposing and contact Senator Carl Levin and other legislators and let them know our disappointment with them and their agendas. Go to http://capwiz.com/vfw for more information. 

Comrades

I set here on the front porch with my lap top writing this article while passing out candy for Halloween. And by the time you read this Thanksgiving will have come and gone and Christmas will be right around the corner. I hope all of you had a happy and safe holiday season.

The first half of your year is over and a lot has been done. Pow/Wow at Shanty Creek, post inspections should be in, and the Big 10 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where PSC Richard Lehner was elected Chairman of the Big 10 Conference. Mid Winter Conference will be 01/27-01/29 2012 so if you can make it to Kalamazoo come on down and let the VOD and Patriot Pen winners know how much we care and that we are proud of them.

Membership comrades is still a problem for the Veterans of foreign Wars has a whole. As of this writing our Department membership stands at 83.03%. It represents 9518 members short of last year. WE CAN AND HAVE TO DO BETTER.  If you want them, I have some of the mentoring booklets from National that I can send out to you. These booklets will help you to pass on our desire to see this organization and values continue into future generations. Comrades, there no one idea that works for membership; try anything and don’t gave up.

Little Bo Peep just showed up at the door leading a live lamb on a leash.  Now that’s thinking outside the box.

Post commanders, program and hospital reporting each month takes so little time and it lets people know all the good we do in our communities along with the millions of dollars that we raise and spend to help our  communities . It will also help you if the IRS comes to visit your post. They will look at these reports.

Comrades thank you for everything that you have done and are going and will do in the future. And remember what National Sr. Vice Commander in Chief John Hamilton likes to say, “The highest rank you can be in the VETERANS OF FOREIGNS WARS is the one you got the day you join……. COMRADE………..”

State Adjutant / Quartermaster  

Robert D. Weiss
VFW Post 2406
Vietnam 1966-1967
United States Marine Corps
email address - vfwmi@vfwmi.org

The State Convention is fast approaching. Remember that this year the delegate registration will close at noon on Saturday, June 11, 2011. After lunch, we will have a meet the candidates in one room and then we will reopen the convention for election purposes. Immediately after the elections, the officers will be sworn in.

Sunday, June 12, 2011 will be the first Council of Administration meeting where we will set the budget for fiscal year 2011-2012.

We are changing the name of our training program from “Officer Training Seminar” to “VFW Training”. We are finding that many of our members believe that they cannot attend because they are not officers. The training that we put on is for everyone, not just officers. We want everyone to have a better understanding of what the VFW is all about.

We will have VFW Training in Lansing at the Department Headquarters on June 4, 2011 and one in Marquette on June 18, 2011 for Districts 14 and 15.

The Ladies Auxiliary will not be submitting reports on Community Service to their National Organization. All reports will be combined with the VFW so make sure that you get reports from the Ladies and Mens Auxiliary to turn in with your Post reports.

See you at Convention.

Rob Weiss

Comrades, Sisters and Brothers of District 4,

I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. WOW! What a busy administrative year so far. It is hard to believe that my year as district commander is half over.  I am very proud of all the posts and auxiliary members in our district. By the time this MOV comes out I should only have one or two posts in the district left to visit. A comrade once told me that above all you should have fun; if you are not having fun then you are doing something wrong. He was right and I have been having a great time. I consider the VFW my family and in my humble opinion, I have the greatest family in the world.

During the summer of 2011, two posts in our district held fundraisers for two young disabled veterans.  Miller-Strawn Post 9363 (Flat Rock) helped raise over $76,000.00 to help out US Army PV2 Chris Ochs who was injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Also, Benjamin V. Goodell Post 552 (Lincoln Park) held a fundraiser for US Marine Jason Hampton who broke his neck while swimming with his family after completing 2 tours in Iraq. During the spaghetti dinner fundraiser, a very generous lady donated her late husband’s wheel chair accessible van to help Jason get around.  

A group of us went to Camp Trotter in September for a visit. On the drive out there it was very cloudy and it looked like it was going to storm. It never did storm on us but when we arrived at Camp Trotter we were told that the whole city of Newaygo was without power due to a big storm that had rolled through the area that morning. We had reservations to stay in Newaygo but without power we were unable to stay there. A few of us decided to stay at the Camp over night. We filled up buckets so that we could flush the toilets and had to use candles to see. In the morning we went into Newaygo to see if we could find something to eat and ended up at the Fire Hall. They had a pancake breakfast and being that there was no power in the city, they had a captive crowd. We had a great time and maybe next time Ernie and Jan will stay at the camp with us. If Raffle Ruthie and Sandi can spend the night at camp without any power, anybody can.

For those of you that are on Facebook, we now have groups or pages for District 4 (VFW DISTRICT 4), Camp Trotter (Dept. of MI VFW Camp Trotter Camp for Children) and the Department of Michigan (Department of Michigan Veterans of Foriegn Wars of the United States) (yes I know foreign is misspelled). We try to keep these groups or pages up to date with the latest and greatest happenings. Word seems to spread faster on Facebook than it does through e-mail. Anyone can create an event on the Department of Michigan page but we ask that you only create 4^th District events in the District 4 group.

I believe that we may have had a first in the 4^th District. The VFW, American Legion, VVA and the Purple Heart held a joint veterans information seminar at the Southgate VFW Post on November 16^th. The seminar was geared a little more toward the “caregiver” or family of the veteran. Hopefully we educated the family members of the veteran on what paperwork they should have in a file (i.e. DD214, Will, life insurance policy, etc), burial benefits, and answered questions about VA claims. Mr. Anderson from the Great Lakes National Cemetery was also there to answer questions.  If something happened to you today, would your family know where all your paperwork is and what your final wishes are? Take a few minutes to put together a file or packet with everything that your family would need.

Before I close this article I would like to extend my sincerest appreciation to the District 4 and Department of Michigan Honor Guard. You comrades worked well together during the memorial service for Past District 4 Commander Marv Hamann. I believe that everyone that attended the service was impressed with the posting of the “joint” honor guard and I know that Marv would have approved. We raise a glass of Polish Kool-Aid and salute our friend and comrade Marv.

Yours in Comradeship,
Phil Merrow

Welcome to a New VFW Year. I would like to congratulate all newly elected and appointed officers of the 5th District. I am looking forward to working with each and everyone during the 2011-2012 year.  I would like to thank Past District Commander James Galen for all his assistance in preparing me for my upcoming year as Commander of 5th District.

MEMBERSHIP IS OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL.

We must continue our monthly reporting and donations to all VFW Programs. Remember reporting is very important to continue to our non-profit status.

District meeting dates are as follows:
AUGUST 25TH, 2011 NEW BALTIMORE Post 7573
NOVEMBER 6, 2011 WIXOM Post 2269
FEBRUARY 12, 2012 BRUCE Post 1146
APRIL 29, 2012 SOUTHFIELD Post 2645

See you at the meeting.

John Bond
District 5 Commander

Greetings Comrades,

By the time that you receive this communication, our year together will be half over.  Completion dates for our activities and accomplishments are fast approaching.

Post visitations have been made.  This entailed driving almost three thousand miles, but it was well worth it.  I got to put faces to the names and see what your posts look like. I also know now what concerns your members are facing as related to their individual posts.  Post inspections have been completed also and the results have been sent to the commanders.  Also, Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws examples from National have been sent to the Commanders to assist them in revising or writing their own.

Our new District 6 website will be up and running soon at (www.vfwmi6.org)   When the website is completed, feel free to submit information about upcoming events or newsworthy items from your posts.  Information will continue to be distributed via e-mail and parcel post in addition to the website.

In visiting the posts, I learned that one recurrent concern among the post members is the fact that the new quartermasters and trustees need training in order to perform their duties and fulfill their obligations.  To alleviate this concern, there will definitely be training classes scheduled for quartermasters and trustees.

Our first Texas Hold’em event will be held at the Dollar King in Temperance, Michigan.  Posts signing up for whole days need to determine their volunteer commitments, in order to avoid any confusion. Both Carleton Post and Ann Arbor have offered to take a full day during the events scheduled between 1/14- 1/17/2011. Discussion of volunteer assignments for the events will have been confirmed at the District meeting in December.

Be sure to support Lynn Patterson for Department Quartermaster and to congratulate members of our State Honor Guard for winning the National Championship. I would encourage everyone, especially if you are serving as an officer at your post, to attend the Mid-Winter Conference in January in Kalamazoo. (1/27-1/29)  This is a time to honor our VOD, Patriot’s Pen, and Teacher of the Year award winners. There will also be programs instructing you on how to perform your duties as a commander, senior-vice or junior-vice; quartermaster, adjutant, or trustee, along with a joint meeting regarding Camp Trotter.  In attending the Fall Conference (Pow/Wow) at Shanty Creek, I was able to take away a lot of information from the various chairmanship reports and from the joint meetings on legislation and National Home.  Not only do you learn from the actual programs, but in meeting other veterans from around the state you can take home with you valuable information and many new ideas to implement at your post.

Right now, membership should be your top priority.  Those requiring assistance with the task of recruitment of new members are asked to contact me directly. There are district assets at our disposal to assist in your recruiting efforts.

Your next concern should be your All-State program requirements.  Your actions and accomplishments continue to earn my heartfelt pride in you.  I sincerely hope that you all celebrated Veterans Day, as it is held in your honor.

Continue to march and see you on the objective.

Comrades,

By the time you read this Pow/Wow will have passed and Mid-Winter will be right around the corner.  If you did not have the opportunity to travel to Shanty Creek Resort for Pow/Wow you really missed a beautiful place to meet some new and old comrades. 

I have learned many things already this year and I am looking forward to learning more.   I learned more about the Veterans of Foreign Wars after I was encouraged to start attending meetings, working through the chairs at the district level, and getting involved in other programs.  There are many comrades in this organization that have the knowledge and abilities to mentor a younger veteran.  If I did not have someone to push me a little I would still be one of the members who was just seen around the post on occasion.  I would like to challenge each of the “old timers” to take a younger veteran and make them your protégé.  Get that younger veteran involved in the chairs, programs at your post, honor guard details, etc.  These veterans may need you to push them for a little while.  Once the younger veteran feels a sense of ownership they will be hooked.  You may have to call them a few times or stop by but the result could be a future post or department commander.

The future of the Veterans of Foreign Wars is in the younger veterans.  They need to be recruited, educated, and supported.  After these veterans are recruited don’t stop the process.  We must continue the recruitment process by educating them.    This is done by getting them involved at your programs at the post.  Once they are involved, be open minded to the new ideas they will have and support them.

I really look forward to seeing each of you at the Mid-Winter Conference in Kalamazoo.

Comrades, it’s that time once again. I am sure you realize that I was unable to attend the Pow/Wow due to medical reasons. As it turned out, my wife also ended up in the hospital and is now in assisted living and I am fighting an arterial blockage in my right leg. But enough of my poor excuses, let’s get down to business.

As I stated before, membership is the key to making and keeping us strong. If you read your VFW magazine you may have noticed the article on some of the posts who have had the younger Iraqi and Afghanistan vets taking leadership positions.  These are posts that have made themselves “User Friendly” to these younger veterans; you see it even now in our organization.  We need to strive to bring these younger comrades into our fold and make them feel welcome.  How do we do that you ask? Well the programs that we have in place are designed to be community oriented. We need to work those programs, especially those that are family oriented.  Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Voice of Democracy, Patriot’s Pen come to mind right off the bat. As I always say membership should be considered unfinished business as it is never over.

I was very pleased at the turn out at our last district meeting at the Wayland Post. I want to thank all of you who attended and the ladies from the Wayland Ladies Auxiliary for putting on a wonderful spread, as usual. Well done ladies.  I also want to thank all of you who attended the luncheon, thank you for your support.  Our next district meeting will be the 4^th of February at the Creston Post 3023. This will be combined with Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen awards so please come on out and support our winners and our post.  The final meeting/elections will be at the Comstock Post 6252 on May 5^th.  Let’s keep up the good attendance.

Be sure to get your audits in on time. This is very important not only to your post but to the district and department as well.  By the time you get this, inspections will be over with and you should have received your copies. Our Department Inspector does a great job and noted all the discrepancies on the bottom of your inspection report. Please get them corrected and keep a copy for next years inspectors. It will make the process so much less painful for all of us.

I look forward to seeing all of you in Kalamazoo for Mid Winter.  There is a lot of good information passed out and of course talking to other posts and districts can always give us new ideas on how to improve on our own, so please attend if you are able. We are doing well but we should always strive to continually improve.

Once again I am here to serve you. My numbers are Home:269 792 1408 Cell: 616 293 7544 and my email is jerrylsmith@chartermi.net. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions or concerns. My staff and I are here to help you, that is our number one priority!

Greetings my fellow Comrades:

Since the last MOV article we have accomplished a great number of things, one of those being our post inspections. We were 100% completed and turned in by POW-WOW.  I would like to thank Chief Inspector Jim Huver and his inspector’s for a job well done. I have noticed that we still have some work to do on our inspections but together we will get them corrected.

I hope that you are all looking forward to Mid-Winter Conference January 27-29, 2012 which will be held in Kalamazoo. I know that we did not have all of our posts represented for the POW-WOW but I do look forward to seeing each and every one of you at Mid-Winter. There is some very good information that is put out that you will be able to take back to your post. It is also a good time to catch up with some comrades that you may have not seen in a while.          

A little on membership; as of the writing of this article the District stands at 81.19% in the Dept. This puts us right in the middle of the pack. So far in the first quarter the district has done a great job in recruiting 45 new members. Now it is that time that we must start going through our membership records; calling the delinquent and unpaid members to pay their dues. I would like to remind all officers and committee members to have their dues paid by Dec. 31^st. Failure to pay current dues will result in the forfeit of your eligibility to hold office for this administrative year. See Sec. 515 of the Nation by-laws.

I would like to ask your assistance in getting your Hospital and Program Activities reports done. These need to be turned in by the 10^th of each month either electronically or by paper.  Comrades make sure that you report to your commanders everything that you have done during the month so that it may be reported; this is one way that we continue with our non-profit status.

The following dates are the 2011-2012 year District Meetings:

·    February 11, 2012 St. Louis Post 3055  School of Instruction (Election eligibility/requirements)

·    May 12, 2012 Belding Post 4406  School of Instruction TBD

·    All meetings are at 1:00 p.m. School of Instruction is subject to change without notice.

With that I would like to remind you all that I work for you. I am here to support you. We are a team… If you have questions or need assistance please feel free to contact me. I may be contacted at 616-755-3176 or email philvfw12082@rocketmail.com

Hope you have a safe and Happy Holidays

Remember: Army Strong.

Comrades, sisters, and brothers,

The year is half over and things are still going strong.  It was good to see so many friendly faces at POW-WOW but it is sad that the number of participants is growing smaller.  I hope that we will see an increase of participation in January for the Mid-winter Conference in Kalamazoo.

I am sad to say that this year hasn’t been as smooth as I would have hoped for.  I was shocked that posts in this district have taken an “I-don’t-care” attitude when it comes to the VFW.  I was at a post meeting recently that totally took me by surprise.  The meeting took about thirty minutes and there was a lot of it missing.  There wasn’t one prayer read by the chaplain, they didn’t remember the National Home, and everyone wore ball caps in the meeting just to name a few of the many discrepancies.  I was informed after the meeting by a member that this post does things its own way.  I had to really think about what was being said to me as the district commander.  The only logical conclusion that I could come up with is that if this is the attitude of the post then I will accommodate the wishes of the members of that post.  I will remove the charter, the post flags, and anything that bears the symbol or name of the VFW.  Without the pesky rules and by-laws getting in the way of these posts, they can go on being the place that they want.  It’s always sad to see a post slip so far that it cannot make its way back but sometimes you have to remove what is weighing you down to be able to move forward.  For all of the other posts that actually want to continue being a VFW, I would like to say that I will help in any way that I can to get things back to what the VFW exemplifies and what it is supposed to be; a veterans organization.  We are here to help the community and to help veterans and their families, not to be served at the canteen.  If you feel that you are wasting your time by coming to meetings and having to do things the right way, then maybe this organization isn’t for you.  As veterans, we like to hold ourselves to a higher standard than other people.  I have heard veterans say that the country owes us for the time we have served and the sacrifices that we have made.  Those “veterans” among us that act in the manner that I have described above are not the kind of veterans that I want to be associated with.  I hope that there are others out there that share my feelings and by removing the members/posts that are holding us back so we can flourish as an organization.

I want to encourage the post commanders to read the National by-laws and Manual of Procedure to better understand what is expected of you and your members.  If you have not purchased a copy of the 2012 by-laws/manual of procedure, please do so.  There have been changes.  I would also like to remind all post commanders that district meetings are not optional.  Section 208(a)(1)(k) of the by-laws clearly state that the Post Commander shall assure that he or his representative attend all properly called District Conventions or meetings and County Council meetings (if applicable).  Did you know that the Commander votes on all issues at post meetings?  The Commander never breaks a tie.  If there is a tie, the motion is defeated.  Also, the presence, distribution, and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages during VFW meetings is unacceptable and prohibited.  These are just a few of the conflicts I hear all over the state.

Let’s remember to focus on membership and getting out into the community and supporting it in any way that we can.  With a little work we can get the 10th district back on track.  Let’s make our district the one that everyone looks to as the shining example of the VFW.

Hello Comrades and Sisters,

Can you believe it is hunting season already? Be sure to turn in those extra safety reports.

POW/WOW was very informative; I always learn new things, meet many people, see old friends, and share ideas with fellow comrades. Mid-Winter conference is coming up, January 26-29, 2012. Housing forms and the agendas are on the VFW website www.vfwmi.org.

Post commanders please work with your line officers; help prepare them to move up the chairs. With knowledge of VFW procedures, they can excel in the VFW. It would be nice to see your senior, junior, quartermaster, chaplain and adjutants attend Mid-Winter Conference in Kalamazoo to gain such knowledge.

The 12^th District was saddened when our very own Past District Commander (1995/96) Thomas “Skip” Vermilya passed away October 17, 2011.

A few posts have not reported in hospital. In home visits or nursing home visits count as well as going to the hospitals. Be sure to get the reports in so your post gets the credit it deserves.

Many posts are working hard to get new members or reinstate. I personally would like to welcome all those new members to this great organization called the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Comrades

First, let me say a hearty hello to all the posts in District 13. A district commander can only be effective and successful if he has the support and cooperation of ALL the posts under his command.  

A very big and sincere Thank You to all who have accepted the responsibility of officers. You have answered the call to serve, some of you many times! A new year brings even more opportunities to serve our active service men and women, and of course those who have already served their country honorably. We owe it to these brave men and women, young and old alike! We can be their support and sounding board for help and understanding that only those who have truly experienced military life can provide. We can help in a crisis, giving hope and a lifeline. We must reach out to our homeless comrades! As fellow comrades, we can do no less! It will be my honor to work with all of you toward our common goal.

Keep in mind this is the time when the district inspectors will be making their visits to your post. PLEASE have all necessary forms and information completed and ready for these inspectors. We must continue to keep up with all monthly and quarterly reporting, as well as donations to all VFW Programs. Our district meetings will be on the first Saturday in Aug. (6^th) at the Emmet County Post 2051, Nov. 5th at the Rogers City Post 607, Feb. 4th at the Emmet County Post 2051, and May 5th at the Ernest G Shreeves Post 2496. All meetings begin at 9:OOA.M. sharp! 

Comrades,

The 14^th District is doing well. Inspections of posts are ongoing. Thanks to Inspectors

Rollin Johnson, Steve DeRousha, Sam White, Gearld Polasky, and myself. Cooperation of the posts is wonderful.

The meeting in Marquette was very informative. I have had a rough summer medically but hopefully will be able to attend the Fall Conference at Shanty Creek. Posts, make sure to send your MAP Pin money to Dept.

Congratulations to Jack Pray as our new State Commander, and all the other officers on his staff. Looking forward to a summer of good health to all.

By the time this issue comes out we will have had our District Fall Conference and will be at the Department Fall Conference. Congratulations to all of the newly elected officers and thank you for stepping up and taking a leadership role in your post and in your district. Learn all you can about the position that you were elected or appointed to. This makes you a better ambassador for our organization. When talking to a prospective member concentrate on them and their needs, what the VFW can do for them, and not about you and what you've done. Always be compassionate and understanding. I think that will go a long way in convincing them to join our organization.

Our goals for the year are 100% in membership and 100% in reporting. Remember, with teamwork anything is possible.

Yours in Comradeship

Jack Lillar
District 15 Commander

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