Dave Gallagher
COMMANDER’S COMMENTS – Spring 2024
Our Saturday lunches and other Post activities have been going really well. Our volunteer staff does a great job putting together our Saturday menus and many thanks to these folks for their excellent efforts. Our Adjutant sends out e-mails to everyone with the Saturday menu for that week. If you haven’t come down to the Post for these Saturday meals, you should make a point to do so, they’re really good. And by the way, we have a great bar menu as well that’s always available. As you will read further in the Newsletter, there are additional events scheduled at the Post and in the 3rd District. You are all welcome and I encourage you all to attend.
Volunteers Always Welcome
As I have stated many times at the Post and in previous Newsletters, the activities and events at the Post are supported by volunteers. Volunteerism has always been extremely important to the American Legion and continues to be critical to Post 16 as we are a nonprofit organization. It’s our volunteers that allow our Post to successfully support events and programs, not only at the Post, but also in our community. If you compare our total membership of 380 at the Post, we get things done with pretty much a mere handful of volunteers. For example, the bartending, cooking, grass mowing, snow shoveling, general upkeep/repair, and renovations are all accomplished by volunteers. Volunteering has never been required, nor would it be required from any of our members. But having said that, please consider volunteering to assist the Post with activities, events, and projects. Our success depends entirely on active membership, participation, and volunteerism. Consider volunteering, you’ll probably have a good time and find it very fulfilling. The more hands that get involved, helps to make the tasks that much less daunting. I would offer to you a quote from General Jimmy Doolittle who organized a bombing mission comprised of volunteers from the Army Air Corp striking Japan in April 1942…
“There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.” — Gen. James H. Doolittle
Our organization belongs to the veterans it serves and the communities in which it thrives. I encourage you to introduce a veteran friend to our Post. New members bring with them, new energy and new ideas to help sustain the Post as we move into the future. Bring a veteran friend or acquaintance to a monthly meeting or one of our events. I believe they’ll enjoy their experience.
– Dave
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Veterans Day observance at Post 16
November 11th is traditionally observed as Veterans Day. Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day. Armistice Day was meant to commemorate the end of World War I and to honor the tens of thousands of brave American soldiers who served in the “War To End All Wars”. In 1926, Congress passed a resolution to annually observe Armistice Day and it became and was recognized as a national holiday in 1938. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill to change the name of this holiday to Veterans Day to honor all veterans of all wars.
“What we now call ‘Veterans Day’ began as ‘Armistice Day.’ It is historically significant that this day continues to be observed on the month, day and hour that the guns fell silent in World War I at 11a.m., November 11, 1918,” Dave Gallagher, Commander of Sutter-Terlizzi American Legion Post 16 said.
While Veterans Day has strong historical roots, current events in the United States and around the world continue to add meaning to this day.
“Today, thousands of Americans are serving in uniform. They sacrifice in the war on terror and in hundreds of locations around the globe so we may remain free. They, too, are veterans,” Gallagher said.
To mark Veterans Day, members of American Legion Sutter-Terlizzi Post 16 of Shelton will conduct services at Veterans Memorial Park in Shelton on Saturday, November 11th at 10:30 AM immediately followed by services at Post 16.
The American Legion is the nation’s largest wartime veterans organization. Founded early in 1919, the delegates to the first National Convention in Minneapolis broke from business sessions to parade down a main street in a heavy snowstorm at 11 AM on November 11, 1918 to mark the first anniversary of the armistice. Post 16 and the City of Shelton and continues to carry on this tradition in honor of all veterans. All are invited to attend both ceremonies.
– Dave