JAN / FEB / MAR 2015 WINTER EDITION
Snow in Afghanistan!
JAMES R. HICKEY AMERICAN LEGION POST 120
132 CUYLER STREET, PALMYRA, NEW YORK 14522
(315) 597-2412
Happy New Year Post 120 Members! I wish Good Health, and Happiness to all of you in 2015!
We’ve had a busy year! Since our last newsletter, we have visited all four Palmyra-Macedon schools, partnered with VFW for Veterans’ Day services, enjoyed Veterans’ Night dinner together, attended Toys for Tots / Wine & Cheese event, hosted steak and spaghetti & meatballs dinners, participated in 34 Military Funerals, Palmyra Canaltown Days, Wayne County Fair booth, Cash Bash, parades, election of a new 1st Vice Commander, met our membership quota (75%) so far, celebrated Service birthdays, given out five Blue Star Banners, hosted the Turkey & Ham raffle, and our website is up and running! We are active, to say the least!
Veterans’ Night dinner thank you to our great Auxiliary! We served and sent out around 60 dinners! A big thank you to our SAL for the deliveries, and for washing all those dishes! Joe Mack, a D-Day Survivor, gave a moving presentation on his return to Normandy with the help of his daughter, Barbara Perkins. Joe will turn 90 in January! Happy Birthday, Joe! We’re proud to have Joe as a Post #120 member!
Thank you to Bob Coleman and his committee for the Cash Bash! Our winners were pleasantly surprised!!
Thank you to Bob Eagley for stepping in for Bob Trox as Sergeant at Arms!
To our Color / Honor Guard – thank you – these men have been rendering Military Honors some times 2-3 times each week! While a small percentage have been our members, a majority have been outside of Palmyra. It is our honor and responsibility to do this service. We have already been contacted for spring burials. I am very humbled to be part of this group. A thank you also to Marion Minute Men for filling the ranks when asked.
At our January 12 meeting, our County Commander, Dave Madison, will be visiting. He is planning to visit each Post during his term. The following night, January 13, the County meeting will be held at our Post.
Kudos to Ray Freyn for completing National Legion College in October. Ray is now trained to assist anyone who wants to take the course. He also teaches at Department Legion College each year.
December 7, we attended Pearl Harbor Observances in Lyons. Our Color Guard posted and retired the Colors. (I told you they are busy!) The service was moving, and a special tribute was given to our World War II Veterans.
Relay for Life: The American Legion, with the Cancer Society, has helped resurrect the Palmyra Macedon Relay for Life. It will be held at the high school track in June 2015. At the Post, you will see purple buckets to choose a theme for the Relay. The theme will be chosen at the January Relay meeting. Please step up now to volunteer to help with awesome endeavor!
Best wishes and God’s blessings to Mariah and Lily Green! They are leaving on December 19 to be with Darius, Mariah’s husband and Lily’s dad, in Germany. Auxiliary member Carol Bentley is Mariah’s mother, and Lily’s grandmother; and Auxiliary member Nancy Truit is Mariah’s grandmother and Lily’s great-grandmother.
We constantly wish a safe deployment and a speedy return home to all of our military men and women.
Please welcome David Bannister as our 1st Vice Commander! David is a Navy Veteran and retired Pal-Mac tech teacher. The American Legion 1st Vice Commander chairs Membership for the Post.
Happy New Year!
Yours for the Legion,
Ann
Ann F. Guest, Commander
The Toys for Tots and Wine & Cheese Event this year was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who had a part in the planning, the raffles, the wine tasting, the gift & toy giving, and joined in the fun! Pal-Mac Kids thank you, too, for giving them an awesome Christmas!
PLEASE BE SURE WE HAVE YOUR CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS
AND MAILING ADDRESS
POST THESE DATES ON YOUR CALENDAR!!
JANUARY
Jan 1Happy New Year!
Jan 35pmChicken Parmesan Dinner
Jan 52pmCorporation Meeting
Jan 57pmAuxiliary Meeting
Jan 127pmPost Meeting
Jan 217pmSAL Meeting
FEBRUARY
Feb 22pmCorporation Meeting
Feb 27pmAuxiliary Meeting
Feb 75pmSteak Dinner
Feb 97pmPost Meeting
Feb 14Happy Valentine’s Day!
Feb 15noon-4Chicken ‘n Biscuits Dinner
Feb 187pmSAL Meeting
MARCH
Mar 22pmCorporation Meeting
Mar 27pm Auxiliary Meeting
Mar 75pmSteak Dinner
Mar 97pmPost Meeting
Mar 17St. Patrick’s Day!
Mar 187pmSAL Meeting
IN MEMORY
James Henry Roberts II
Palmyra: James was born on February 8, 1948 and passed away on December 11, 2014 at age 66. He was predeceased by his father, James Henry Roberts; brother, Edwin John Roberts; grandmother, Helen Roberts. James is survived by his wife, Marlene (East)Roberts; children, Jean (Matt) Roberts, Jenifer (Daryl) Gardenier, Richard “Bugsy” Briggs II, John (Charlotte) Briggs, Mary (Mike) Beuchat, Emily (Geoff) Batterby, Jessica Roberts, Steven (Jenifer) Briggs and Jeanette Roberts; 21 grandchildren; great-grandson, Cameron Beuchat; mother, Ellen; sisters, Barb Butler and Rebecca Shulla; brother, Gary (Karen) Roberts; nieces, nephews and many friends.
James was a recipient of the Purple Heart. He proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps and Vietnam.
Interment in St. Anne’s Cemetery, Palmyra, New York.
Sons of the American Legion
Happy New Year! On behalf of the Sons of the American Legion, I hope that you all had a wonderful and safe holiday season.
Each new year brings new opportunities as well as the chance to improve upon what we already have done. The S.A.L. had a very successful year last year, and we hope that this year we can improve upon what we accomplished last year from our organization’s standpoint and to continue to support the James R. Hickey Post 120.
Our monthly meetings for this quarter will continue to be held at 7:00pm on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, 1/21, 2/18 & 3/18. Your attendance would be very much appreciated. There are many things that we do here at the Post that require the Sons’ involvement and support. We have some upcoming fundraisers where we could use your help as well as the monthly dinners put on by the Post that require our help. All of these things involve no more than a few hours of assistance and it would be nice to get all involved. Volunteerism can be, and is, very rewarding. So if in the next few months you find yourself with some spare time to give back to those who served our country, we would welcome your help. Please go the Post website, check out the events calendar, see what we have upcoming, and contact me if you'd like to help out.
I would also like to thank those S.A.L. members who have helped out at some recent functions such as the monthly dinners, the Ham & Turkey Raffle and the Toys for Tots Event. And a special thanks to those of you who helped out at the Annual Veterans Dinner, especially those of you who delivered meals to Veterans who were unable to attend the night of the dinner. Being a Veteran myself, I can tell you that your support of our Veterans is appreciated.
I hope that the upcoming months bring more of you down to the Post for an event, a meeting or just to stop in and socialize.
As always, should you have any questions regarding the S.A.L., please feel free to contact me at (315) 398-1300 or email me at, . Please subject your email: SAL. I hope to see you at an upcoming meeting or an event this quarter.
Sincerely, Billy Campbell, Commander, Sons of the American Legion Post 120
Yearly Dues
This is a reminder that annual dues are $25.00 and should be sent to the James R. Hickey American Legion Auxiliary Unit 120 in care of Dorothy Sobus, Vice President and Membership Chairman. Checks should be written out to The American Auxiliary Unit #120. The address is: 128 Cuyler St. Palmyra, N.Y. 14522. We need 159 members to meet the 2014-2015 goal. So far 29 members have renewed and we have 4 new members. Our slogan for 2014-2015 is: Marching to the Land of Membership: Bridging our Family Together (SAL, Auxiliary, and Legion). Please send in your dues. We need you plus a friend and/or a relative to join our organization. The more members we have, the more we can accomplish together! So join now and make a difference in our Veterans’ lives!
Monthly Dinners
Call now for tickets for our first dinner of the New Year on January 3rd. Hey, it’s only 2 days after the New Year, so why not continue to ring it in with family and friends! We’re serving up chicken parmesan! Call ahead to reserve a ticket, or buy one at the door. The price had not been set as of this writing but call the Legion for cost. Call your friends to make a date! You won’t be sorry! On another note, if you’d be willing to make a dessert or volunteer to work at one of these monthly dinners, please call Carolyn Bradstreet at 597-9982 or email her at . We know it isn’t always easy to attend meetings, but this would be one appreciative way to support the Auxiliary.
Past Events/Information
- Vets Dinner - On November 8, ~60 veterans were treated to a mouth-watering homemade dinner of roasted pork, mashed potatoes with gravy, applesauce, roasted vegetables, dressing/stuffing cooked and served by the Auxiliary. Delicious cheesecakes were served for dessert, courtesy of Rosie Harper. The guest speaker, Joe Mack, a WWII vet and D-Day survivor, told through photos in his PowerPoint presentation what it was like to be there and live through it. Joe was only 18 at the time! Joe recently took an Honor Flight trip, one of the organizations the Auxiliary has supported, and spoke highly of that trip and what it meant to him. Thanks, Joe for your service! Thanks to all the Auxiliary, SAL and Corporation members who made this evening possible!
- Zion House – A $400 donation was given to Zion House in Avon that provides housing for homeless female Veterans. Zion House offers training in life skills such as: cooking, gardening, personal finances, job mentoring, assistance in finding affordable housing, and support for pursuing advanced education. Most women transition out of Zion House in six months to a year.
- Canandaigua Veterans Administration – The VA in Canandaigua received a donation of $200.
Future Plans
- Mid – Winter Conference – This event is scheduled for January 23-24 in Albany.
- Super Bowl Sunday Raffle – Another Auxiliary Lotto Tree Raffle drawing takes place on Super Bowl Sunday! Tickets will be available prior to and during the game. See an Auxiliary member or you can get tickets at the bar. Prices are $1 for 1 ticket and $5 for 6! That’s a bargain, so come on down and have a SUPER time!
- Department Visitation – This is scheduled for Wednesday, February 4th. Lunch will be served at the Marion Post and dinner at the Newark Post.
- Bakeless Bake Sale – This yearly fundraiser is scheduled for February-March. We were so pleased with the number of Auxiliary members who participated and gave so generously last year. Pat Goodness, once again, will organize this event and send out letters with all the details. The money generated from this “bake sale” supports special programs for our Vets. Your generosity is deeply appreciated and truly valued. Keep up the good work! We always need you!
- Empire Girls State – Although this event doesn’t take place until the end of June, we have a new chairperson, Whitney Skinner, who will undertake this enormously challenging event. Thanks, Whitney, for stepping up to the plate!
- Leadership Conference - This conference is to be held on March 21st in Bath, N.Y.
Sincerely,
Carolyn
Submitted by Carolyn Bradstreet for the American Legion Auxiliary
JANUARY / FEBRUARY / MARCH News & Notes
From the 2nd Vice Commander
It has been a busy three months since the last newsletter. Some things were successful, some less so. To deal with that idea, new things have been attempted and the responses have been found to be interesting, to say the least.
Because of the serious lack of Post membership volunteering to help with the attempted projects and activities, a letter was sent to all Post members asking for either their time, (one hour for an activity) or a tax-deductible donation to help make up for the lack of support for the activities. We will have to see how successful this is.
The Post’s website ( is now linked with the Town of Palmyra’s site, thanks to the cooperation of Town Supervisor Ken Miller. We are still looking for someone who has the interest to make our website even more attractive. I will continue to publish news that is available concerning our Post’s activities as well as Veterans’ Benefits and related activities. Dave Keukelaar, even though warming in the Florida sunshine, continues to send items from an assortment of sources that we publish because of their interest and importance to Vets. Thanks, Dave.
John Schlafer (Post Service Officer) and I are working on a traveling computer-generated PowerPoint slide presentation that we can take to all the Senior Living Centers east of the Genesee River. John’s contacts have opened a door for this opportunity. Our experience with the three centers closest to us (Newark’s “Terraces”, Macedon’s “Parkwood” and Perinton’s “Maplewood”) has shown the benefits of sharing the news. We know there are a number of Veterans (and surviving spouses) who are still unaware of the benefits of the American Legion and who are also not fully aware of their rights, the resources, and the opportunities available through other Veterans’ organizations and support groups. Our presentation has, as you are probably aware, been responsible for many local Veterans (and their spouses) learning of the network of support available and being honored for their service as well.
January 3 will be our Chicken Parmesan Dinner. It was decided that since December 31st will be the Prime Rib dinner, an alternative to beef needed to be offered three days later on the first Saturday of January. Steak Dinners are still planned for the First Saturday of February, March and April. Additionally, a Chicken ‘n Biscuit Dinner is planned for Sunday, February 15. We felt that providing dinner for your significant other is the least to be done the day after Valentine’s Day. True “romantics” will be there between 12:00 and 4:00 pm to make the weekend memorable. The calendar on the website has all the information of upcoming events. You can print that calendar for your refrigerator or we could publish a separate one for you to pick up at the Post. They were handed out in November for the December season and they seemed to be well received. Because of the rise of advertising costs, we are hoping that using our “sandwich boards” and our website’s calendar, we can get the word out about our activities. Word of mouth advertising is the best. If you can tell your friends and neighbors about upcoming events, we hope this will help us to be successful in our endeavors to bring support to the Post.
50/50 Super Bowl squares are being offered at the bar at the Post. There are One ($1) and Five ($5) Dollar boards. Fifty percent of the sales goes to the winner(s), and fifty percent goes to supporting the Post’s Scholarship Funds. High School Scholarships, and Boys’ State Scholarships are the real winners. Stop by and check this opportunity out.
Golf is being considered even during the winter months here in upstate NY. SAL Commander, Bill Campbell (Navy) is taking the lead on our joint venture to get a Legion Tournament organized. Stay tuned for further details.
Our advertising on the dedicated TV in the bar is still available and waiting for your suggestions of area businesses that support Veterans. If you own, or have worked with, a reputable organization that supports the Veterans of our area, submit their name and address or business card. If chosen, the business will be advertised free for a month. There is no charge for this advertising but any tax-deductible donation the business would like to contribute to the Post would be gratefully accepted.
Respectfully submitted,
Dave
Dave Borland, 2nd Vice Commander
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& Labels for Education(
This project is continuing for the 2014-2015 year, so please save these valuable product labels.
A Talk from the Past . . . I want you to close your eyes and picture in your mind a soldier at Valley Forge as he holds his musket in his bloody hands. He stands barefoot in the snow, starved from the lack of food, wounded from the scars of battle and emotionally scarred from the eternity away from his family. Surrounded by nothing but death and the carnage of war. He stands, though, with fire in his eyes and victory on his breath. He looks at us now in anger and disgust and tells us:
I gave you a birthright of freedom in the constitution and now your children graduate too illiterate to read it.
I fought in the snow barefoot to give you the freedom to vote and you stay at home because it rains.
I left my family destitute to give you freedom of speech and you remain silent on critical issues because it is bad for business.
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who gives you freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who gives you freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who allows you to demonstrate.
It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
THIS IS THE LAND OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE, AND LET’S NOT FORGET IT!!
James R Hickey American Legion Post #120 – JAN – FEB - MARCH2015