Good Day Post #57 Member!

MESSAGE FROM THE COMMANDER:

First I would like to congratulate our Adjutant Barry Sharp on being elected as District 7 Commander and our Finance Officer Yvonne Gorniak for being appointed as District 7 Adjutant. We had a bit of a busy time last month with Pioneer Day, a Pancake Breakfast and the Memorial Day service at the cemetery. I would like to say thank you to everyone that helped out and participated in those events. This coming June some of us will be heading down to Phoenix to the Department Convention and participating in electing a new Department Commander. We also start our Early Bird Renewals right after the convention and as a thank you to all that renew early, we will be having an Early Bird dinner, (at no cost to the member) compliments of the Post and Unit 57, on 30 July for all of the Legionnaires and Auxiliary members that renew or join by the night of the dinner so don’t hesitate to get your renewal in!!!! If you want to bring a guest that is not eligible for membership (Auxiliary or Post), the cost will be $20. Please let us know if you will be joining us.

Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in bonds of fraternal feeling. – Abraham Lincoln

Douglas Gorniak

Commander

POST NEWS:

Our post meeting was on 6 June and our next meeting is 5 July at 6:30 pm—please make note of this date change. Remember, dinner is served after the meeting and the bar is open. Hope to see you there!!

The Kingman DAV van will now stop in Ash Fork 5 days a week and pick you up at the Post at 6 am for Prescott VA appointments. They still have to be no later than noon appointments and when you get there, let the appointment clerk know you came by the DAV van. Be at Post by 5:45 am. You have to call three days in advance and the number to call is 1-928-757-7192. If you have a Phoenix or Tucson appointment, you need to call Nancy at the VA in Prescott at 1-800-949-1005.

We are having a Barbecue on the 4^th of July for which five tickets are enclosed. The BBQ will be from 12-4 pm and the menu includes a choice of chicken, hamburger or two hot dogs, choice of potato or macaroni salad, beans and choice of one dessert. Please purchase what you need for yourself (we hope you will attend) and what you don’t need, please try to sell. Prices are on the tickets and please circle on the ticket whether it is for a child or an adult. Need more tickets? Just let us know. If you would like to volunteer to help during the breakfast (washing dishes, cooking, and serving), please let me know--we can always use more help. If you live out of the area, tickets are not enclosed.

Tickets are on sale for the Fourth of July 50/50 raffle. Winner will be drawn at the BBQ and you need not be present to win. Tickets are on sale at $1 each or 6 for $5. Proceeds go to the Building Fund. I have enclosed 12 raffle tickets for this drawing. Please purchase what you want for yourself and try to sell the rest. Monies and tickets must be turned in no later than 2 pm on July 4^th. If you would like more tickets, just let us know. There will also be a 2nd place prize of a Panasonic Compact Stereo system, a 3rd place prize of a Gateway Solo 2100 Notebook Computer and a 4th place prize of a Vehicle Cassette Player with Digital Tuner. For those of you who have already purchased tickets, your tickets are eligible for all four prizes. If you live out of the area, no additional raffle tickets are enclosed.

If you know anyone out of Post 64 from Seligman (the old post), let Barry Sharp know. When they lost their charter, they turned their building over to the Health Center, which is now moving. Barry Sharp, as District Commander, is trying to get the building back for Post 123 (the current post) in Seligman.

Don’t forget to save those empty inkjet cartridges and old cells phones to drop off at the Post for the Soldiers to Soldiers Program. I need five more phones to send in our first package to the program. For more information, contact Yvonne Gorniak at 637-2240.

LADIES AUXILIARY:

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT:

Dear Auxiliary Sisters,

I would like to thank all of the ladies who brought in cakes for Dorothy Zettler’s memorial. And thanks to Dorothy Cowper, Lucy Kreutzer and Maxine Bowling for putting it together. Special thanks to Doug Gorniak for the music. You all did a wonderful job.

We must also bid farewell to Mary Ann Jerome who is moving to California to be with her daughter. We will miss her and wish her well in her new home.

Our June 4^th Craft and Bake sale went well. Thanks to all the crafters, those who donated baked goods and to Maxine Bowling and Barry Sharp for getting the post set up. Winners for the raffle were drawn and Crystal Martin won the First Prize of the Lighthouse Afghan. Winners for the other prizes were: Ed Newcomb, Mary Ireland, Barry Sharp (2 prizes), Covington (first name not known at time of newsletter printing), J. Haug, Toney Estus, Ladona Cyaret and Vera Ackworth. Congratulations to all the winners! And thanks to all those who donated prizes especially to Lucy Kreutzer for the afghan! All proceeds from the raffle will go to the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Arizona President Paula Burgess Special Project—The Homeless Vets.

July starts our new year and that means dues ladies. For the past three years, Unit 57 has been first in Arizona to make the 100% mark in membership. Let’s try to do that again. As an incentive, on 30 July there will be a free Early Bird dinner to those members who pay their dues by 30 July. If you haven’t paid your dues and want to attend the meal, the cost will be $20 (the amount of your dues!) If you want to bring a guest that is not eligible for membership, the meal will cost $20. Please let us know if you will be joining us.

Peggy Gasdorf

Auxiliary President

NOTES FROM THE EDITOR:

MAN BITES DOG. So do lots of women and children. The American hot dog…it’s a world wide favorite. In France, it’s known as “chien chaud”, in Brazil “chucharro querte” and in Moscow “goriachie sobaki”. Here in the U.S., it’s especially favored for Fourth of July celebrations. The way a hot dog is garnished has become a matter of geographic preference. New York street vendors prepare their hot dogs with stewed onions, but the NEW YORK Dog is served with cheddar cheese and bacon. On Coney Island, frankfurters are grilled to a crisp and eaten in a roll with light yellow mustard and, sometimes, sauerkraut. Boston and Los Angeles prefer CHILI DOGS, served with either onions or mustard and topped with hot Mexican chili. CORN DOGS are a favorite in the west…wieners dipped in corn batter and deep fried. A specialty found in Columbus, Ohio, is PIGS-IN-A-BLANKET. Hot dogs are slit down the middle, filled with water chestnuts, wrapped in bacon and covered with melted cheese. In Germany, frankfurters are generally served with mustard on a hard roll. The French prefer theirs on a lightly toasted French bread, served with Gruyere or Swiss cheese and enough hot, Dijon mustard to bring tears to the eyes. In Singapore, we’ve heard tell they have an American hot dog, call it a Coney Island, but fix it like a Chili Dog. In 1978, more than 1.9 billion pounds of hot dogs were manufactured in America. That poundage (the Gross National Hot Dog) represents 19 billion franks…or 87 per person per year. Figuratively speaking, 19 billion franks are enough to reach to the moon and back three times...or circle the globe more than 16 times. From Memorial Day to Labor, Day, Americans eat more than 5 billion hot dogs. Perhaps that’s why July was officially designated National Hot Dog Month by the United States Chamber. However, they’re not just served for picnics. Hot dogs have appeared on the White House menu more than once. Notably, Presidnet Roosevelt served hot dogs and beer to King George VI of England in 1939. Queen Elizabeth II served hot dogs at a royal banquet held for the American Bar Association in 1957. --Thanks to Maxine Bowling for submitting this tale of the hot dog.

I received an email from Paul and Carol Miller regarding a grass roots movement to wear something red on Fridays. This is something easy for us to do to show our support to our troops. Here’s a summary of the email: Americans who support our troops are the silent majority. Many Americans, like yourself, would like to start a grassroots movement using the membership of the military and veterans’ organizations, local press and TV, all our acquaintances, friends and family to carry the message to national levels as we start to get this going. Our idea of showing our solidarity and support for our troops is on Fridays that every red - blooded American who supports our young men and women, WEAR SOMETHING RED. Let's make the USA, on any given Friday, a sea of red much like a home football game at a University. It won’t be long till the USA will be covered in RED - and let our troops know there are many people thinking of their well-being. Let's get the word out and lead by example; wear RED on Fridays. Support our troops, we live in the Land of the FREE and because of the BRAVE, for us, their blood runs RED!! GOD BLESS AMERICA.

MONTHLY TRIVIA: May Newsletter: When was the first time a foreign bomb hit the contiguous United States?

The first time a foreign bomb hit the contiguous United States occurred in April 1929 on the Arizona-Mexico border at Naco. An American mercenary named Patrick Murphy carried out the bombing raid. In that year, the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua and Sinaloa revolted against the government over land reform and the closing of churches. Flying for the rebels, Murphy attempted to drop dynamite-packed fragmentation bombs on the Mexican garrison at Naco, Sonora, but missed, hitting Naco, Arizona, instead. The blast caused minimal damage and a few minor injuries. After the revolution collapsed, Murphy avoided a Mexican firing squad by crossing back into the United States at Nogales, where he was briefly jailed and released.

This month’s question: What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? (Thanks to Gerry Erman for this question.)

ITEMS OF INTEREST (if interested in an item listed, contact the Post for further information)

RAO Bulletin Update 15 May 2005 contains the following articles: CRDP Update 34 (Unemployables); BRAC Update 07; Illegal Aliens Medical Coverage; VA Budget 2006 Update 05; TFL Medicare Enrollment Update 02; Benefits Upgrades ; DIC+SBP Update 02; USFSPA Lawsuit Update 08; VA Grave Locator; Louisiana Veterans Homes; PTSD Ecstasy Treatment (Participants for study sought); Reserve Health Benefit Update 05; Ashes to Diamonds; Veterans Legacy Foundation

RAO Bulletin Update 1 June 2005 bulletin contains the following articles: AOL Advisory; CRDP Update 35; NDAA 2006 Provisions; DoD Rising Medical Cost Update 01; Tricare Prime Premium Allotments; Tax on Military Death Benefits; Wisconsin Veterans Homes; Navy Drawdown Update 01; Combat Related Death Gratuity; TRICARE Reserve Select Update 1; BRAC Update 08; AFRH Washington Update 4; Premium Conversion; Medicare Handbook; Commissary Watch List; Sleep Apnea; Tricare Osteopathic Therapy Coverage; VA Diabetes Mellitus Care Update 02; Reserves Dental Benefit

VA Study Gives New Hope to Shingles Sufferers. Relief from the painful symptoms of shingles is closer for millions of Americans, thanks to a pioneering study by researchers from the Dept of Veterans Affairs. VA researchers found that an experimental vaccine cut the incidence of shingles in half and dramatically reduced its severity for other victims. Shingles is a painful nerve and skin infection that afflicts half of the people who live to age 85. The study's results were reported in the June 2 edition of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. [Dept of VA News Release, 1 Jun 05]

PROJECT SEEKS VETERAN’S STORIES. The Veterans History Project collects and preserves the extraordinary wartime stories of ordinary people in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The project wants first-hand accounts from U.S. war veterans as well as U.S. citizen civilians who were actively involved in supporting war efforts. To date, the project has collected more than 33,000 oral histories and memorabilia from individuals for the national collection in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. A new selection of 13 fully digitized collections of materials submitted by veterans and civilians is now available for the first time on the Library of Congress website. Those interested in becoming involved in the Veterans History Project are encouraged to send e-mail to vohp@loc.gov to request a project kit. The kit is also available on the Veterans History Project website or by calling the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848. [Source: Veterans’ Report, 23 May 2005]

UNEMPLOYABLE VETERANS NUMBER ON THE RISE. A commission conducting the first major review of veterans' disability benefits in 50 years was warned at its inaugural meeting that perhaps too many veterans have been deemed "unemployable," which raises their compensation to the level of 100-percent disabled veterans. Part of that growth is blamed on the VA's decision in 1999 to stop requiring IU veterans to complete a form each year verifying that they remain unemployed. House Republican leaders mandated the commission as a condition for relaxing the ban on concurrent receipt of military retirement and VA disability compensation. [Source: Veterans’ Report, 23 May 2005]

SUN SOUNDS. If you know someone who is unable to read, Sun Sounds is a way to allow them to hear the local newspapers and other info being read. A receiver is needed and will be provided free. This program has recently been allowed to come to Ash Fork. The phone number to call is 779-1775, talk to Eleanor Mooney. Thanks to Mary Monahan for providing this information.

FREE $1000 ACCIDENTAL DEATH POLICY. Did you know that your membership in the American Legion entitles you to a free $1000 Accidental Death Insurance policy? All you have to do is fill out the card and mail it in. See Barry Sharp for the form.

UPCOMING EVENTS TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR: (all events at Post 57 unless otherwise noted.)

9-10 June 2005 (Fri-Sat), Post Social, 5 pm till ??

12 June 2005 (Sun), Bingo, doors open 1:30 pm, play starts 2 pm

16-19 June 2005, State Convention, Litchfield Park, AZ

24-25 June 2005 (Fri-Sat), Post Social, 5 pm till ??

26 Jun 2005 (Sun), Bingo, doors open 1:30 pm, play starts 2 pm

4 July 2005 (Mon), 4^th of July Barbecue, 12-4 pm

5 July 2005 (Tue) Post and Auxiliary Meeting, 6:30 pm --- date changed from 4 July

30 July 2005 (Sat) Service Officer Training, Post 3 Flagstaff, 10 am – 4 pm – good training for all on VA Benefits and claims

30 July 2005 (Sat) Early Bird Renewal Dinner. Bar open at 6 pm. Meal served from 7-8 pm.

Have an article or piece of information that you think would be of interest to the whole Post? Drop it off at the Post or email me and I’ll include it in the newsletter. And speaking of email…If you have an email address, please send it to me. My email address is rockin_g@netzero.com and make sure you identify yourself so I know whom the email address belongs to.

Yvonne Gorniak

Yvonne Gorniak

Editor

Post 57