January 2012
Commanders Comments
By Derek Israel
Happy New Year!
January 1 , 2012 st is the 93rd New Year since the founding
of Travis Post 76. Over the last year, a great new group of
Post Officers was sworn in. Some of the officers have held
leadership positions in the Post before, but many haven’t.
The combination of eager new officers and seasoned leaders
has resulted in a great burst of innovative thinking and new
projects.
Those of you who have been coming to meetings over the
last year have surely noticed gradual changes made to
meetings. B usiness meetings are shorter and more efficient
thanks to officers hashing-out issues in committee meetings
before bringing them to a vote of the membership. The look
of the dinner meetings has recently changed with the use of
round tables instead of rectangular tables, a move designed
to facilitate better social contact between members. Also,
the quality of the speakers at our dinner meetings has been
exemplary.
The Post Home itself has been the beneficiary of some
improvements over the last year, as well. The most notable
projects were the drilling of a water well for landscape
watering and the addition of a wi-fi internet connection.
Additionally, the Building and Grounds committee has been
busy working on plans for an elevator to be installed in the
post, a project that will continue well into 2012.
As I look forward to the New Year, I can’t help but to be
optimistic. However, as an organization, we must prepare for
the many new challenges that will confront us as an
organization and as a Nation. The end of the war in Iraq and
the subsequent reduction in forces means that this year will
be the year of the Unemployed Veteran. Veterans already
are unemployed at a significantly higher rate than nonveterans
and the sudden influx of former Soldiers, Sailors and
Airmen into the workforce means that this disparity will only
grow worse.
For those of you who are business owners or corporate
managers, I ask that you give careful consideration to the
many benefits that a Veteran brings to the workforce. This
includes self-discipline, respect for authority and a rigorous
work ethic. For the rest of us, I suggest that we do what we
can to mentor young people just leaving the military in order
to help them to set appropriate educational and career goals
and to help connect them with people who can connect them
with jobs. Also, don’t forget the older Veterans, including
members of Post 76 who may be looking for work.
Finally, I ask all of you to make the following New Year’s
resolution: to come to the Post 76 New Year’s Breakfast on
January 17th, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. in order to check things out,
to socialize and, most importantly, to keep serving.
Membership – We continue to advance the cause of
growing our ranks by keeping current members involved and
enlisting new prospects. Each of you has a friend who is a
veteran and who could be active in Post 76. We have many
new and fun plans for 2012. Would you be interested in
touring the Camp Mabry Military museum with us? It is one
of the highest rated museums of its kind and it is right here in
Austin. We are looking for a good date to make arrangements
to visit. We are also contacting the Nimitz Museum in
Fredericksburg to consider a group excursion to visit. That is
another wonderful facility that is a must for veterans who are
interested in military history and artifacts. There is also a
beautiful memorial garden there that makes the trip even
more worthy. Stay tuned for more details.
Socials – We had a great Christmas Social! There were a
lot of laughs as we exchanged gag gifts and had a great ham
dinner. Several new prospects came to our social last month
including a Legionnaire from California who attended with his
son. If you did not see the Post during the Holidays, check out
the Post 76 website (http://travispost76.org/). The Gallery
page has pictures from the event and the Post decorated for
the Season. Dallas Calhoun and some of the troops did a
great job. The Post was beautiful, especially at night. Hats off
to Sergeant-at-Arms Steve Dawson who doubles as
Webmaster. He is doing an outstanding job of updating and
organizing our website to make it attractive and relevant.
January 14th – Please invite your prospective members to
come to our New Years breakfast coming up on Saturday
morning, January 14th. Volunteers for cooking can come in at
0700 hrs. We will serve a hot full breakfast at 0900 hrs. We
will not have a “program” except to visit and get to know new
members and prospects. So, please come and bring a fellow
vet who might be interested in getting involved in our many
projects.
February 20th – Our program is open but we have a couple
of great ideas and excellent speakers invited. Please mark
your calendar and plan to attend.
NOTE: We are looking for assistance in facilitating our
programs for each month. We are looking at rotating
responsibility possibly by month or quarterly. If you are
interested in helping set up speakers and provide meals,
please contact me at mmcnamara@austin.rr.com or call me
at 512.632.5424. It is a great way to meet new members, and
promote the American Legion.
Wow, the start of a new year. Can't believe it's
2012! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas
and I want to wish all of you and yours a very
Happy New Year.
I am looking forward to the new year and hope we can
increase our membership in the Spirit of 76 Honor Guard.
We are looking for dedicated, energetic Legion members who
would be interested in joining the Honor Guard. Please see
me or any other member of the Honor Guard for more
information. We will be glad to answer any questions you
might have.
For January, Henry and Pat have the duty. Henry has a
work conflict so I will fill in for him. In February, Greg and
Cyndi have the duty.
Once again, Happy New Year and I hope to see you at the
Post!
Building & Grounds: Exciting times for Post 76. We have
successfully installed the water well and electrical system.
We hope to save the Post money by not relying on city water
for the grounds. We also hope to plant some new grass seed
to get the Post back to its grandeur.
Elevator: The elevator fund is now at $5942, toward a
goal of $65,000. We are waiting on feedback from a architect
on a recommended elevator. In May 2012, we hope to have
a lottery for the Elevator Fund - standby for prize and ticket
information. If any Legionnaire, group, or family would like
to make a donation in memoriam, please indicate that when
mailing in the donation. Any help for the Elevator Fund in
appreciated.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and wishing
you and yours a very Happy New Year.
Just a couple of items of note - Post 490 in Houston
is hosting a free legal clinic for all vets on February 4th
of this year. I will have copies of the flyer at our January
meetings should anyone be interested.
The Department Midwinter Conference is scheduled for
January 19-22 at the Omni Southpark, Austin. The Omni is on
the Southeast corner of 290/71 and I35. The agenda and
other information is on the Department's web page. Take a
look at it and if you have the time, come on out. There is
training, free information, and, of course, comradery with
fellow Legionnaires. The Post will pay for the registration.
Please see me or Will Ivie and we will get you fixed up.
As I noted last month, as 10th District Hubmaster, I have
been sending out membership renewal information to all the
Posts in the 10th District. As of January 5th, our Post, Travis
Post 76, slipped to number 15 of 29 Posts in our District on
membership. Geesh, ya’ll! We are still going the wrong way,
last month we were number 11. Our Post as of 01/05/12 is at
76.9% with a goal of 368 members. By the way, the other two
Posts in Austin, 83 and 326, are still ahead of us. Bummer!
We have a ways to go and FYI, we still have around 85
members who have not yet sent their dues in. If you haven’t
sent in your dues, please do so as soon as you can. Thank you
in advance! Once again, Happy New Year and I hope to see
you at the Post!
Commanders Comments
By Derek Israel
Now that the second month of the year has arrived,
I am able to clearly see that 2012 will be the “Year
of Post Improvements”. The Building and Grounds
Committee and the Elevator Committee, both led by 2nd Vice
Commander Sean Bridwell, have been working hard to plan
and fund future upgrades for the Post.
One of the top priorities is the proposed elevator for the
Post. This project is too expensive to be funded solely from
the Post’s savings. That means that, in addition to developing
the architectural and mechanical details for the elevator,
there is also a need to plan and execute fund raising activities
before the project can become a reality.
Discussions are already underway for a raffle with a
drawing in May as well as a “Movie Night” on the lawn of the
Post to be presented by a local movie chain. More
fundraisers will follow.
However, in addition to requesting that you support
these activities, I also call on you to consider making a direct
monetary contribution to the Post Elevator Fund. Like all
other donations to the Post, it is tax deductible and, if you
happen to be particularly wealthy and would like to make a
donation covering the entire remaining cost of the project,
then we’ll even name the thing after you or the person of
your choice. The Post building is already over 150 years old
and we fully expect to keep it for another couple of hundred
years, so it’s a good way to preserve your name for
generations to come.
Donating to the elevator fund is as easy as writing a check
to American Legion Travis Post 76. Note on the memo line
that the money is for the “elevator fund.” You can bring the
check to the next Post meeting or mail it to: American Legion
Travis Post 76, P.O. Box 1214, Austin, TX 78767.
Also, I encourage everyone to come to our Post Social on
February 12th, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. to eat some dinner and see
another great speaker arranged by 1st Vice Commander Mike
McNamara.
We had a great time at our New Year’s breakfast in
January with several visitors attending. Our
upcoming events follow:
February 20th – We have a very special speaker: Tom
Pauken, Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission. He
will address the work of TWC, specifically what TWC and the
Texas Veteran’s Leadership Program is doing to aid returning
Iraq and Afghan veterans in transitioning to the workforce.
Mr. Pauken is a Vietnam veteran who served on President
Ronald Reagan’s White House Staff where he founded the
Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program which was the
precursor to the program that he has activated in Texas.
We will serve chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Please bring vegetables, salads, desserts, and breads. And,
bring a friend!
March Events
Saturday, March 3rd . . . . Executive meeting
Monday, March 5th .. . . . Membership Meeting
Monday March 19th . . . . Social with Land Commissioner
Jerry Patterson as guest speaker.
Upcoming Special Events
Monday April 16th .. . . . . .ROTC Appreciation
Tuesday, April 17th . . . . . .Ride 2 Recovery
Saturday, May 19th .. . . . . Family Movie Night on the Lawn to raise funds for our elevator project
Elevator is Going Up! Post 76 is continuing fundraising for
the Elevator installation. Two projects are underway that we
will be speaking more of in the upcoming letters. First, we will
be starting a raffle for three great prizes to be detailed in
coming issues. Second, with the help of Alamo Draft House
we will be putting on a family movie event on the lawn of the
Post. During the movie, drinks and snacks will be available to
purchase. All the proceeds will go towards the elevator
installation. We hope to provide raffle tickets to all members
that we hope all members will sell in order to help us raise
funds to help install the much needed elevator in our Post.
We will hold the drawing for the three prizes on the day of the
movie showing, May 19th.
As the new Chaplain, I have two requests for the
members of the Post.
My first request is for volunteers to give rides to
veterans who want to attend Travis Post 76 events but
require assistance with transportation. If you have a large car
or van that can accommodate someone who is mobility
impaired and are willing to help by giving a ride, please
contact me so that I can fill out a spreadsheet with names and
contact information.
My second request is for information concerning members
who are ill or in distress. We will be happy to remember you
in our prayers at the Post. My name is Gregory O. Ginn and
most people call me "Greg." My e-mail is
gregorio.ginn@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from
you. Thanks.
Just want to ask all of you that if you have any interest in joining the Honor Guard we would love to talk to you about it, what we do, and answer any questions you might have. I was thinking of having a get acquainted happy hour next month where if you have any interest you can come on down, meet the current members of the Honor Guard, have a beer or two and just see if there might be an interest. Check this column in next months newsletter for place, date and time. See you at the Post!
Please mark your calendar for March 3, 2012. We will have
two meetings at the Post as follows:
8:00 a.m. .. . . Buildings & Grounds Committee
9:00 a.m. .. . . . Elevator Committee
Post 76 Elevator Fundraiser: The Post is planning on having a
fundraiser for the installation of an elevator on May 19th, 2012.
There will be a movie, refreshments, entertainment and lots of fun.
The schedule for the event to be announced in later newsletters.
We are having a "Elevator Fund" Raffle starting in March
through May 1st. First prize is a .357 Magnum Pistol, 2nd prize is a
Kindle Fire and the 3rd prize is a TV set. The tickets will be drawn at
the May 19th fundraiser and you need not be present to win. I am
looking forward to seeing members there.
Just a few things this month.
Did you know February is Americanism Month?
Americanism is one of the four pillars of the Legion. It
includes a wide variety of programs based on
community service, citizenship, patriotic values and mentoring
young people. Just to name a few that your Post is involved in -
High School Oratorical, Junior Shooting, Boys State (and Girls State
support), support of Boy Scouts, U.S. Flag education and protection,
and support for Junior ROTC. I would encourage all of you to get
involved and offer a little of your time in support of these programs.
You can contact any Post Officer for more information and to ask,
how can I be involved?
Check out the latest issue of the Legion Times on the
Departments web page. Just go to www.txlegion.org and click on
the Legion Times heading in the right hand column of the Home
Page. There is also a lot of other information available to you at
that site. I encourage you all to take a look. Of course, don't forget
about your web page - www.travispost76.org. There is a lot of
good stuff there too. Steve Dawson has done an outstanding job on
making this site easy to navigate and he keeps it current and
accurate.
See you at the Post!
The Communication Committee, consisting of Photographer
Cindy Miller, Historian Patrick Moore and Webmaster Steve
Dawson, will be taking Legion Portraits, at the Monday,
March 19th Social. Starting at 1800 hrs, the Communication
Committee will begin taking photos of all members for the "Then
and Now" page for our website. Also, we would like for you to bring
or email us prior service photos.
Wear a light blue or white shirt, dark jacket or blazer. A legion
tie and cap will be provided if you don’t have one. We will have a
jacket or two also. Thanks for helping us get the most pictures we
can of our membership.
As soon as you finish the newsletter, log on to your website -
www.travispost76.org! Lots of new updates and several
new features. You should always check the “Events
Calendar” and “Event Details” page first. Stay informed and
ready to go!!! Updates include bios for ALL “Post Officers” and
more photos added to the “Photo Gallery” and “Then and Now”
pages.
The “Honor Guard” page has lots of information, resources and
some very cool videos!! Also, donors to the Honor Guard are
recognized here. New pages include the “Elevator Fund” page
where you can see our goals and be listed as a contributor. The
“Wars & Conflicts” page is to educate our youth (and others) on the
conflicts of which Legionnaires were a part. WWI info on this page
honors our founding members. I’m still searching for representative
photos for each era.
The “JRROTC, SRROTC & Service Academies” page reflects our
ongoing partnership with local ROTC Units as well as a resource for
parents and students. We are still missing a few links to HS web
pages. If you know of any let me know. Two other new pages
includes “Legion Riders” and “Other Posts in Our Area”. And finally
“Post Everlasting” (we will accept photos and names for any Post 76
Legionnaire going back to our founding).
Commanders Comments
By Derek Israel
I have to say that I am incredibly lucky to have such
a dedicated and hard-working group of Post
Officers to make my term as Commander so much
easier. I would like to make a special mention of the
great work being done by 1st Vice Commander Mike
McNamara in planning our dinner meetings.
For those of you who missed it, the speaker at our
February Meeting was Tom Pauken, Chairman of the
Texas Workforce Commission. Chairman Pauken spoke
at length about the State’s plans for addressing the issue
of Veteran unemployment. Members of the Post were
able to speak directly with Chairman Pauken, who spent
time answering everyone’s questions and even made
himself available after the meeting to speak with our
members on a one-to-one basis.
The speaker for this month will be Jerry Patterson,
Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office. This
means that members of Travis Post 76 will once again
have an opportunity to speak directly with a high-level
member of Texas government in an atmosphere that is
relaxed and casual. You will find no other venue that
provides an opportunity greater than this, so don’t miss
out.
In addition to the great speaker, we will also be
having a ceremony to induct several new members into
the Post.
As a final note, the Executive Committee of Travis
Post 76 has selected the members of the Nominating
Committee. The job of this committee is to nominate
officers for the 2012-2013 term. If you are interested in
serving as a Post Officer or Executive Committee
Member, please make it known to the Chairperson of
the Nominating Committee, Junior Past Commander
Cyndi Miller.
Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission
Tom Pauken was well received at the February
Social and signed on as a member of Post 76!
We had several new prospects attend as well. Our
upcoming events follow:
Monday - March 19th – Texas Land Commissioner
Jerry Patterson will be our guest speaker. Commissioner
Patterson is a Marine aviator veteran and entertaining
speaker. He has led the way in veteran issues in Texas.
Please come and bring a friend to hear and meet
Commissioner Jerry Patterson. We will have Lasagna, so
please bring sides of veggies and salads. We supply the
bread.
Monday - April 16th – Post 76 Annual ROTC
Appreciation will take place. We host high school and
university ROTC members who parade colors on our
beautiful front lawn. It is a colorful event followed by a
meal and social featuring talks from each of the Units on
their activities and what ROTC means to them
personally. It is also a great time for the youngsters to
visit with our veteran members – a wonderful tradition
at Post 76!
Tuesday - April 17th – Ride 2 Recovery will be coming
to Austin and we will again host the participants for
dinner. Please plan to attend and meet these wounded
warriors who are cycling across Texas to raise funds for
and awareness of veterans who are in recovery and in
need of assistance in many ways.
Saturday - May 19th -- Alamo Draft House will show
“They Were Expendable” in the evening on the lawn to
raise funds for our elevator project. This will be a family
event open to the public and all veteran organizations.
Also, the drawing for the raffle tickets for three great
prizes that are included in this mailing will be held. The
sales have started and are going well. These tickets
practically sell themselves. Ask member Joe Trochta
who is leading sales so far. The funds go toward our
elevator project.
I am pleased to announce that the Chaplain was able
to provide a ride to the last social for a veteran who
had a temporary mobility problem. I was happy to
discover that I was able to get the folding wheelchair,
the crutches, and my passenger into my Toyota. It was
a great opportunity to get to know another veteran, and
we both had many stories to share during the ride. I
look forward to meeting more of you this way, so please
do not hesitate to call if you are in a wheelchair or using
a walker and require a little assistance getting to the
Post. Alternatively, if you can get to the Post but need
a little assistance getting around once you have arrived,
please let me know.
Last, as always, please tell me if you know of anyone
who is ill, injured, or in distress so that we can
remember them in our prayers at the Post.
Just a few things this month.
On Friday, March 30th, I and maybe others
in the Honor Guard will be at Third Base
Sports Bar for a Happy Hour starting at 5:00 pm. Any
interest in the Honor Guard, please stop by and I will be
happy to talk to you. The Third Base is close to the Post,
on 6th Street right before it merges onto MoPac.
A BIG "Thank You" to Cyndi for her $100.00 donation
to the Honor Guard Honorship Fund! The fund was set
up to help, if requested, defray some of the cost in the
purchase of a uniform. The Post covers the cost of the
gloves, patches, hat cord, brass 76 pin and shoulder
cord. The new member is responsible for the rest.
See you at the Post!
Elevator Raffle Fundraiser
Legionnaires:
We are making progress toward getting a elevator
put in the Post. Currently, we have $6140 toward our
goal of around $170,000. If anyone would like to donate
please make checks payable to Post 76 Elevator Fund
and please come to the Fundraiser May 19th.
Enclosed with this month’s newsletter are six (6)
tickets that will help with the Elevator Fund. If you
would like to purchase these tickets, please send
payment along with the ticket stub with your address
and phone number to:
The American Legion
Travis Post No. 76
P. O. Box 1214
Austin, Texas 78767
Please keep the other half of ticket for reference. Your
participation is earnestly solicited ... Your help by
purchasing these raffle tickets while at the same time
having a chance at some great prizes is sincerely
appreciated. The drawing will be held at 6:00 p.m.,
May 19th.
Thanks in advance for your help.
The Department's web page has a new look. I
encourage you to take a look at it.
The Department is offering training to be held at
locations around the state. The training is open to all
Legion Family Members wishing to learn more about the
American Legion. The closest to us will be held at Post
2 in San Antonio on June 23, 2012. Contact me if you
have any interest.
Coming up - the 10th District Convention will be at
Post 455 in Somerville on April 14, 2012. All members
are welcome and the 10th District is looking for members
who want to get involved and are willing to assume
various leadership rolls as officers in the 10th District.
Please contact me if you have any interest. My email
address is a.banzer@sbcglobal.net. Phone number -
512-636-9634. Hope to hear from you!
See you at the Post!
Our site is www.travispost76.org.
I have redone the Boxcar page to educate
civilians and especially kids, I am adding new
interesting links. I have updated the Upcoming Events,
Post Officers, Contact Us, Hero's to Hometown, and
tweaked a few other pages.
Donors have been updated on Elevator and Honor
Guard pages. New photos have been added to Wars and
Conflicts. The Veterans - Then and Now page is a work
in progress. More photos will be taken at the March
Social. See Cyndi's article for details.
When you look at the Veterans - Then and Now page,
you see many Legion and prior service pictures. But we
need more of them. The following folks should bring
one to the meeting for us to scan or email me a copy -
Sean Bridwell, Bill Pierce, Alan Denman, Frank Weber, Al
Banzer, George Ruiz, Joe Trochta, Dave Parkhill, Alvin
Williams, Eugene Volcik, and Horace Johnson.
Remember you have to have a Legion photo before we
will post your prior service photo.
After reading this article click on your website - www.travispost76.org.
Thanks, and see you at the Post.