By DAVID PITTMAN
Guest columnist
“Silverdale has an American Legion post? Where is it?”
These are the two questions frequently asked of our members when the public sees one of our distinctive Legion blue caps.
The answers are simple.
The John D. “Bud” Hawk Post 109 has been in Silverdale since 2012 and we don’t have a post home, yet. We do, however, meet monthly on the third Monday at 7 p.m. at All Star Lanes, 10710 Silverdale Way.
Our post honors World War II veteran John D. “Bud” Hawk. Mr. Hawk was awarded the Medal of Honor and was a local educator and principal of Brownsville School. He passed away in November 2013.
The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization on the four pillars of: a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and youth programs.
Focusing on service to veterans, servicemembers and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. Membership swiftly grew to more than 1 million, and local posts sprang up across the country. Today, membership stands at more than 2.3 million wartime veterans in 13,000 posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments: one each for the 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines.
In just over three years, Post 109 has expanded in membership to almost 70 members consisting of veterans who have served honorably for less than a year to more than 30 years.
“Why should I become a member?” I feel you have at least three good reasons for membership, even if you don’t or can’t be active in the post. The first is the G.I. Bill. The American Legion wrote the original draft of the Veterans Readjustment Act, which became known as the G.I. Bill. The American Legion strongly campaigned for the G.I. Bill, which was signed into law in June 1944. Many of us have used those benefits to better our lives and, in return, benefit those we associate with daily.
Remember the VA debacle in Arizona? It was the Legion that veterans turned to for medical help in the wake of the VA scandal. If you, or a loved one, has had dealings with the VA system, you can thank the Legion.
The third is Service Officers. Accredited American Legion service officers are specially trained to provide expert assistance, free of charge, to veterans and their families. While the majority of a service officer’s work involves application for VA disability benefits, these compassionate professionals also provide information, referrals and resources on education, employment and business, death benefits and other important topics.
“Am I eligible to join the Legion?” If you are currently on active duty, serving the United States honorably, anywhere in the world, or have served honorably during any of the following eligible war eras, we invite you to become a member of the American Legion. National Guard and Reservists having been Federally activated (including basic training) during these same war eras also meet the eligibility requirements:
n Korean War: June 25, 1950 to Jan. 31, 1955.
n Vietnam War: Feb. 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975;
n 1982 Lebanon War and Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada): Aug. 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984.
n Operation Just Cause (Panama): Dec. 20, 1989 to Jan. 31, 1990.
n Gulf War/War On Terror (Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom): Aug. 2, 1990 to today.
Post 109, while relatively new, embraces the Legion’s programs of Americanism; Children and Youth; National Security and Foreign Relations; Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation; and Community Service.
We have been associated with Whaling Days and Veterans Day programs at local elementary schools and community events.
We have sponsored local high school juniors at Boys State. American Legion Boys State is among the most respected and selective educational programs of government instruction for U.S. high school students; it is a participatory program in which students become part of the operation of local, county and state government.
Our post’s service officers have assisted veterans with service-related problems — typically with the VA system.
You might have seen us with our poppies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. The Poppy Program offers numerous benefits to veterans and to the community. The hospitalized veterans make the flowers. This enables them to earn a small wage, supplementing their incomes. The physical and mental activity gives many therapeutic benefits. Donations are used totally and only to assist and support veterans and their families.
The Poppy Program raises community awareness and respect for our veterans by educating the public about the symbol of the poppy, taken from a line in the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written on the battlefront during World War I by Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D.
The Ceremony for Disposal of Unserviceable Flags will be taking place later this year. The specifics will be posted on Facebook and in the local newspapers.
We hope to have a permanent post home in the future; however, All Star Lanes has been generous to us by providing our meeting location free of charge. We are a registered Washington non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which can accept donations at: American Legion John D. “Bud” Hawk Post 109, P.O. Box 1414, Silverdale, WA 98383.
Learn more about the American Legion at www.legion.org, and please “Like Us” on Facebook — www.facebook.com/American LegionPost109 SilverdaleWa.
Contact point for Post 109 is Commander Russ Jerabek, 2scooter2@gmail.com, 360-271-4291.
— David Pittman is the American Legion John D “Bud” Hawk Post 109 finance officer. He is a retired Master Chief submariner and is currently a teacher at Brownsville Elementary School.
