VFW Post 328 News JANUARY 2018 - VOLUME 4 - ISSUE 12
Mother Post of Wisconsin STOUGHTON, WISCONSIN
JANUARY 30, 1968
VIETNAM - THE TET OFFENSIVE FROM THE COMMANDER’S DESK
7/01/17-6/30/18
Commander: Scott Richmond Sr. Vice: Ilein Taipe Jr. Vice: Dewayne Lloyd Qtr. Master: Vic Duesel Asst. Qtr. Master: Rick Kumlien Chaplain: Rob Kojo Judge Advocate: Rod Nedlose Surgeon: Rod Haried Trustees: 3 Bradley Stepp 2 Rodney Nedlose 1 Rod Haried Officer of the Day: Clarence Osland
Greetings Fellow Comrades; VFW Dues: $38.00 Now that the Holiday Season is over, we can reflect on what has
Web site address: happened over the past year. We have had some sad moments and at least one http://www.stoughtonvfw.org/ joyous occasion. [email protected] If all goes as planned, we are hoping to start on the Handicap accessible restrooms this spring/summer. To the membership, we are soliciting ideas to Phone: 608-873-9042 help incorporate everything that is needed for these restrooms. We have rough a
draft for the new restroom so if you would like to see it, please contact Vic rd Jan. 3 - Cootie Scratch Duesel or myself. Or, if would care to discuss this project with the membership, th th please come to our next VFW Meeting on January 16 at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16 House Committee 5:00 pm Post Meeting 6:30 pm I am still looking for ideas to help bring members back to our monthly Auxiliary Meeting 6:30 pm VFW Meetings on a regular/semi-regular basis? Please email me with ideas at [email protected] or you may also mail them to me: c/o VFW Post 328,
200 Veterans Road, Stoughton, WI 53589. Cmdr. - Scott Richmond (608) 516-1460 th Editor: Doug “Ole” Olson And last but not least, we are looking for ideas for our upcoming 100 (608) 873-8924 Anniversary. The Post was the first VFW to be chartered in the State of [email protected] Wisconsin, on January 20, 1920. Hence, “Mother Post of Wisconsin”. Bar/Hall Rental: (608) 873-9042 Manager: Jean Torgerson If you can work, it into your schedule we would love to see you at the next meeting of the Post on 16 January at 18:30 hours.
Auxiliary Dues: Regards: $20.00 Scott Richmond, Commander Article Submission Deadline: Call or text: (608) 516-1460 Weekends or weekdays after working hours 23rd of each month Email - [email protected]
FROM THE AUXILIARY PRESIDENT’S DESK
Auxiliary Officers
President: Edee March Sr. Vice: Evelyn Kahl Jr. Vice: Linda Schmidt Secretary: Linda Schmidt Treasurer: Jody Kumlien Chaplain: Annette Klingaman Guard: Judy Casey Conductress: Nita Halverson Patriotic Inst.: Annette Klingaman Flag Bearer: Judy Casey Historian: Evelyn Kahl Banner Bearer: Nita Halverson Buddy Poppy: Linda Schmidt President Edee
Good bye 2017, Hello 2018!
It's been a busy six months for the Auxiliary and I would like to take this time to thank the Auxiliary members for stepping up to keep us running smoothly these past few months. We may be a small group, but working together we are powerful!
Thanks to all of you who continue to support the VA Hospital! They appreciate everything we do. Some even call us ANGELS. Anyone have a spare pair of wings to give me?????? Also, a special thanks to all who have been busy donating scarves, gloves, stocking caps and lap quilts. They can still use more of these but asked if we could donate lounge pants, new shoes, and board games. Drop them off at our meetings, the 3rd Tuesday of each month or any time in the lobby at the V.F.W.
Our donations for the food pantry were down compared to last year, however our monetary donations were up, so keep up the great work. So proud of you all.
Got a chance to see Tootsie Wilson, who was back in Stoughton for a short visit. She looked great and didn't seem to have aged any. She gave us money to purchase a few items for the veterans. Said she will be heading to Florida soon, for a couple of months, and sends her New Year wishes for a great 2018. To you also Tootsie.
Our inspection went well. It was noted, not many active members, but those in attendance are great workers. Thank you, Ann.
In closing I wish everyone the best in 2018.
Let’s rock our world!
Edee March, Auxiliary President
FROM THE DESK of the QUARTERMASTER
Here it is 2018, it seems like just yesterday that everybody was worried about what was going to happen when we went from 1999 to 2000. People were worried about the ability of their electronics to roll over to 2000. Crashes and chaos were predicted and even the end of the world. Well, that didn't happen, we're still here 18 years later. Sometimes it's fun to look back.
Looking to the future, our post has some exciting things coming up and also some challenges. Our biggest challenge is membership. Keeping our numbers up in the VFW is necessary to protect veterans’ benefits. The VFW has a full time legislative team in Washington, DC that keeps an eye on our elected officials and the decisions they make when it comes to veteran benefits. Whether you're a veteran, retiree, active duty or active guard and reserve we all have a stake in what they do.
The best thing veterans can do to help them is to join the VFW, or American Legion. When our legislative team fights for new benefits, or to save our old ones, having the backing of millions of veterans is what gives them the leverage they need to help us. Our elected officials listen a little closer to big organizations. If you’re a veteran or know a veteran, pass along this message. Losing the VFW or American Legion could also mean the loss of valuable benefits.
Vic Duesel – Quartermaster
The Vietnam War
In 249 Words
Like pillars of stone, views of events have many facets. The war in Vietnam is no exception. U.S involvement was, at the time, claimed necessary to stem the spread of Communism via the “Domino Theory”. Although the Vietnamese had previously defeated the Chinese, Japanese and French, U.S. leaders possibly counted on superior technology to win the war. Regardless of the fact that 200 years prior, the British learned that it’s nearly impossible to win a war against a determined enemy on his home ground.
The first taste of reality was a result of the two battles of Ia Drang Valley in 1965, during which U.S. forces suffered nearly 250 killed. The result, Ho Chi Minh came to understand how he could win the war. By utilizing close combat tactics, U.S. air power and artillery would be neutralized, to prevent losses from “friendly fire”. As a counter tactic, the U.S. employed the defoliant Agent Orange. Success also came to be measured in body count rather than territory captured.
Atrocities were not uncommon to either side of the conflict, as evidenced by the infamous Hanoi Hilton and what became known as the My Lai Massacre. Such events simply added fuel to the fires of controversy over our involvement. Not since the Civil War had Americans resorted to killing one another over a conflict. The National Guard’s shooting of Kent State students and close to home the Sterling Hall bombing are harsh reminders of how divided the country was over this war.
In memory of Larry Bender, Tom Blaha, Ken Fortney and Mike Mulcahy
Ole – RANSOMWARE!
DON’T! 1) Click on any link 2) Call any listed phone number 3) Pay any ransom or give out personal information if you are called.
DO! 1) Disconnect your internet/LAN connection 2) Power down your computer 3) Call an IT professional for assistance
Sources: Peter Marsh ABC News RMIT University Associate Professor Mark Gregory
Ole -
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
Jan 1, 1970 – Unix time begins at 00:00:00 UTC/GMT. Unix time (aka POSIX time or Epoch time), is a system for describing instants in time, defined as the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Thursday, 1 January 1970, not counting leap seconds. (Got that? – Nah, me neither:)
Jan 4, 1847 – Samuel Colt rescues the future of his faltering gun company by winning a contract to provide the U.S. government with 1,000 of his .44 caliber revolvers. Before Colt began mass-producing his popular revolvers in 1847, handguns had not played a significant role in American history. When choosing a practical weapon for self-defense and close-quarter fighting, most Americans preferred knives, and western pioneers especially favored the deadly and versatile Bowie knife.
Jan 5, 1933 – President Calvin Coolidge passes away at age 51.
Jan 8, 1815 – U.S. forces led by Gen. Andrew Jackson and French pirate Jean Lafitte led 4,000 backwoodsmen to victory, defending against 8,000 British veterans on the fields of Chalmette in the Battle of New Orleans – the closing engagement of the War of 1812. Two weeks after the War of 1812 officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, U.S. General Andrew Jackson achieves the greatest American victory of the war at the Battle of New Orleans. (“In 1814 we took a little trip, along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty - - - - “)
Jan 10, 1738 – Ethan Allen was born. Allen spent a considerable portion of his life in the effort to achieve independence for what is now Vermont, commanding an irregular force called the Green Mountain Boys, so named in defiance of New York. The “Yorkers” at one point put a bounty of £60 on Allen’s head, to which he responded by offering his own of £25 on any of the officials involved.
Jan 12, 1962 – The United States Air Force launches Operation Ranch Hand, a “modern technological area-denial technique” designed to expose the roads and trails used by the Viet Cong. Flying C-123 Providers, U.S. personnel dumped an estimated 19 million gallons of defoliating herbicides over 10-20 percent of Vietnam and parts of Laos between 1962 & 1971. Agent Orange – named for the color of its metal containers – was the most frequently used defoliating herbicide. The operation succeeded in killing vegetation, but not in stopping the Viet Cong.
Jan 16, 1991 –At midnight in Iraq, the United Nations deadline for the Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait expires, and the Pentagon prepares to commence offensive operations to forcibly eject Iraq from its five-month occupation of its oil-rich neighbor. At 4:30 p.m. EST, the first fighter aircraft were launched from Saudi Arabia and off U.S. and British aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf on bombing missions over Iraq, in what is known as Operation Desert Storm.
Jan 16, 1945 – Adolf Hitler takes to his underground bunker, where he remains for 105 days until he commits suicide. Hitler retired to his bunker after deciding to remain in Berlin for the last great siege of the war. Fifty-five feet under the chancellery (headquarters), the shelter contained 18 small rooms and was fully self-sufficient. On April 29, Hitler married Eva Braun in their bunker hideaway. Only hours after they were united in marriage, both Hitler and Eva committed suicide. He and his wife swallowed cyanide capsules (which had been tested for their efficacy on his “beloved” dog, Blondi and her pups). For good measure, he shot himself with his pistol.
Jan 18, 1977 – Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires’ disease. Legionellosis or Legion Fever) is a form of pneumonia caused by any species of Gram negative aerobic bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella. Legionnaires’ disease acquired its name in July 1976, when an outbreak of pneumonia occurred among people attending a convention of the American Legion at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. Of the 182 reported cases, mostly men, 29 died.
Jan 21, 1968 – B-52 airplane loaded with hydrogen bombs crashed at North Star Bay, Greenland near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remain unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete.
Jan 23, 1870 – 173 Blackfoot, including 140 women and children, were killed in Montana by US Army. Declaring he did not care whether or not it was the rebellious band of Indians he had been searching for, Colonel Eugene Baker orders his men to attack a sleeping camp of peaceful Blackfeet along the Marias River in northern Montana.
Jan 23, 1960 – The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 35,797 ft. in the Pacific Ocean. Trieste was the first manned vessel to have reached the bottom of the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench near Guam in the Pacific. Jan 23, 1968 – The U.S. intelligence-gathering ship Pueblo is seized by North Korean naval vessels and charged with spying and violating North Korean territorial waters. Negotiations to free the 83-man crew of the U.S. ship dragged on for nearly a year, damaging the credibility of and confidence in the foreign policy of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration.
Jan 23, 1996 – The US Army disclosed that it had 30,000 tons of chemical weapons stored in Utah, Alabama, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas, Colorado and Oregon.
Jan 24, 1732 – Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais, French dramatist, was born. He was best remembered for his plays “Barber of Seville” and “Marriage of Figaro.” He was a conduit for French gold and arms to American Revolution, persecuted by mob during French Rev. “It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them.” (Ain’t that the truth!)
Jan 27, 1951 – The US government detonates the first of a series of nuclear bombs at its new Nevada test site, resulting in a tremendous explosion, the flash from which was seen as far away as San Francisco. The government continued to conduct atmospheric tests for six more years at the Nevada site. They studied the effects on humans by stationing ground troops as close as 2,500 yards from ground zero and moving them even closer shortly after the detonation.
Jan 28, 1986 – At 11:38 a.m. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary U.S. civilian to travel into space. Seventy-three seconds later, hundreds on the ground, including Christa’s family, stared in disbelief as the shuttle exploded in a forking plume of smoke and fire.
Jan 31, 1971 – Apollo 14, piloted by astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, and Stuart A. Roosa, is successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a manned mission to the moon. On February 5, Shepard and Mitchell descended to the lunar surface on the third U.S. moon landing. Shepard and Mitchell remained on the lunar surface for nearly 34 hours, conducting simple scientific experiments, such as hitting golf balls into space with Shepard’s golf club, and collecting 96 pounds of lunar samples.
(Anyone still have Johnny Horton’s song in their head?)
- Ole
GUN SHOW & EXPO WEDNESDAY – JANUARY 10TH 4:00 TIL 8:00 PM
CONTACT THE POST (608) 873-9042 FOR MORE DETAILS SACRIFICE
What do you say to a child after both parents gave their lives for their country?
VIETNAM – THE TET OFFENSIVE
January 30, 1968 – In coordinated attacks all across South Vietnam, communist forces launch their largest offensive of the Vietnam War against South Vietnamese and U.S. troops. The massive offensive was not a military success for the communists, but the American people, who had been told a few months earlier that the war was successful and that U.S. troops might soon be allowed withdraw, were stunned to see fighting taking place on the grounds of the U.S. embassy. During the Tet holiday cease-fire in South Vietnam-an estimated 80,000 troops of the North Vietnamese Army and National Liberation Front attacked cities and military establishments throughout South Vietnam. The most spectacular episode occurred when a group of NLF commandos blasted through the wall surrounding the American embassy in Saigon and unsuccessfully attempted to seize the embassy building.
American and South Vietnamese forces lost over 3,000 men during the offensive. Estimates for communist losses ran as high as 40,000. Despite assurances from the Johnson administration that all was well, the Tet Offensive led many Americans to begin seriously questioning such statements, and to wonder whether American military might could truly prevail over the communist threat on foreign shores. In the wake of the Tet Offensive, support for the U.S. effort in Vietnam began steadily to decline, and public opinion turned sharply against President Johnson, who decided not to run for re-election. THOSE WHO SUPPORT OUR POST
JANUARY 2018 – LUNCH MENU & EVENTS (Bar open at 9:00 AM – Lunch from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM) *VFW 328* OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2 3 4 5 6 SWISS BEEF TIPS TATER TOT SALMON MUSHROOM Over MASHED CASSEROLE LOAF BURGERS OR FISH BAR OPEN FRY from ROTARY 9:30 til 5:00pm VENEVOLL 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 MEAT KITCHEN CHIPPED BAKED ROAST BEEF FISH FRY RAFFLE @ CLOSED BEEF CHICKEN DINNER NOON BAR OPENS on AT TOAST
3:00 PM GUN SHOW 4-8 pm 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 MEAT KITCHEN LASAGNA TURKEY PORK ROAST RAFFLE @ CLOSED DINNER DINNER BAR OPENS AT NOON 3:00 PM
ROTARY VENEVOLL 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 MEAT KITCHEN SPAGHETTI BEEF STEW STEAK FISH FRY RAFFLE @ CLOSED & SANDWICHES NOON BAR OPENS MEATBALLS AT 3:00 PM ROTARY 28 29 30 31 MEAT KITCHEN STUFFED HAM DINNER RAFFLE @ CLOSED TOMATOES NOON BAR OPENS & AT CUP of SOUP
3:00 PM KHJ ROTARY
SUNDAY – BLOODY MARY’S $3.00 BOTTLED WATER - $1.25
SUPER EUCHRE Always the LAST MONDAY of every month. Happy Hour Prices and Snacks Provided Every Packer and Badger Football Game!
WEB SITE: www.stoughtonvfw.org EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] VFW Post 328 NON-PROFIT ORG. 200 Veteran’s Road U.S. POSTAGE PAID Stoughton, WI 53589 PERMIT NO. 32
STOUGHTON, WIS RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Post & Aux. Meetings 6:30 Jan. 16th
Euchre Monday Nights 7 p.m.
Bingo Thursday Nights 7:00 p.m.
Friday Night Fish Fry 4-8:00 p.m.
FOR A “SOFT COPY” OF THIS LETTER, E-MAIL YOUR REQUEST TO: [email protected]
CHANGE OF ADDRESS If you have moved or plan to move, please fill out this form and mail to or drop it off at the Post.
Name:______
New Address:______
______
City:______
State:______Zip:______
Attn: Quartermaster or Auxiliary
VFW Post 328
200 Veterans Rd.
Veterans Road, Stoughton WI 53589
Auxiliary______or VFW ______
Snowbirds, please notify us of your address change each time you move.