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Boots, BBQ and Bomber Jackets |
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Written by Todd Copley
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The first fund raising event of the year for the 8th AIR FORCE MUSEUM will be held May 22nd at the Chastain Stables in Chastain Park. The Junior League is sponsoring this event. WWII Veterans will be recognized and honored. All Legionnaires and their children and invited. Tickets are $100.00 each and may be obtained from TODD COPLEY OR HAP CHANDLER. There will be a silent auction, a band for your dancing pleasure and the finest BBQ this side of Memphis. This promises to be one of the outstanding events of the year. |
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Written by Ramon Garcia
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Typically, one relates to discipleship in a religious context. With no
disrespect to that interpretation, I suggest that we consider its
meaning in a secular sense. To proceed with this, let us first review
the definition of disciple:" One who accepts and assists in spreading
the doctrines of another".
It is my sincere belief that we all must demonstrate a spirit of
discipleship with regard to The American Legion. If each of us in deed
does accept the doctrines of the organization, we should "spread the
word". As we are all aware, the Legion is steeped in dedication and
purpose; are we sharing this with those eligible Veterans with whom we
come in contact? This eligibility is clearly stated in Constitution of
The American Legion, Article IV.
Summarizing this Article, it states that any person shall be eligible
for membership who was a member of the military (serving in specified
periods), and that such service shall have been terminated by honorable
discharge or honorable separation. These basic prerequisites offer an
abundance of potential membership candidates.
We all need to take a vested interest in increasing the membership of
Post 134. Now, more critically than any time in our Post's history, new
members are a must. To paraphrase an oft heard quote: "Now is the time
for all good members to come to the aid of Post 134". |
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Written by Charles Capps
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William N. “Bill” Martin is a busy man. Always was and always will be. He loved the farm in Lula, Ga. where he was born and raised, still does, but there was the challenge of the Army Air Corps Cadets Program in 1943 while still in high school. After high school graduation, he immediately went into flight training which led to his WW II service as a flight engineer in the Army Air Corps. He trained and trained others throughout the war. He left the service in 1946 to get a degree in Industrial Management from the University of Georgia. Atlantic Steel hired him, and he spent 20 years there working and learning. He left Atlantic to start his own company. Beginning from scratch, he built Martin Electric into a highly successful commercial business repairing electric motors. His company is still operating with Bill in control. There were other fields of interest, however, and this always active man looked for ways to help others. He joined the Masons and rose through the ranks to earn his 32nd degree. He then joined the Shriners and is a past Potentate of the Shrine Temple. As a Shriner, he used the skills he learned in the Air Corps and in building his own company, to arrange flights for children with special needs to be sent to the Shriner’s twenty two orthopedic specialty hospitals throughout the country. He was on the Board of Governors of the Shiners’ hospital in Greenville, S.C. for 18 years. And without missing a beat, this industrious, overly humble man raised over $200,000.00 to benefit those Shriner’s hospitals. He even had the courage to ride shotgun with George Hooten in the infamous red Cadillac in local Shriner’s parades. Bill has one son, three grandchildren and one great grandson all of whom give him great pride. A side note to this story, Bills son Mike was delivered by our own Dr. Bill Grimes. You haven’t heard the last of Bill Martin, although he is in temporary time out, having suffered a slight stroke and a small fall. He is in a rehab facility in Alpharetta now, but he is impatient to get out and get back to work. There are more challenges to face, much more to do, and more places to go. Bill became a member of Post 134 years ago and quickly became one of the Post’s strongest supporters. He was Post Commander in 1996-97. He is still on the go as much as possible, but you can sometimes reach him at 404-636-0024. He would like that if you did. Hurry back, Bill Martin, times a wastin’. |
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Written by Victor Mahoney - Editor Emeritus
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We heard the expression: “That’s just common sense” when we were being coldly instructed in the ways of the world. Sometimes, the expression took on a more earthy : “Use plain horse sense.” No matter the approach. The instruction was the same. We were to use good sense, good judgment, in all situations. If we forgot to do so, we would end up in trouble of some sort. Common sense does take a furlough on all of us, especially when we need it most. We become so sure of ourselves that we abandon our mental monitors. There may be no consolation in realizing that others sometimes lack horse sense, but it serves as an on-going lesson to be made alert to the fact that some folks simply abandon common sense. Locally, for example, a few people in the education field showed no sense. Two women teachers in the same school discovered that they were being wooed by the same male teacher in that same school. Rather than flipping a coin to decide who should scorn him, they instead engaged in a bitter slugfest in the teachers’ lounge. The school population heard it or heard about it. The media popularized it. The profession that is supposed to teach good judgment took an unnecessary hit. In the world of professional sports, it is not uncommon to read about a well-paid, skilled bundle of muscle abandoning common sense. Early in the National Football League schedule this year, a player tweeted a slur against gays. He repeated it despite the media report. The league suspended him for one game. That cost him roughly $60,000. No sense there. Our Justice Department announced that it would cart three terrorists from Gitmo to stand trial in a civilian court in NY City. The cost will be in the mega millions, which we don’t have, and serve the terrorists as a propaganda platform for the Muslim world. That’s a proposal that batters common sense. The military is not exempt from the danger of poor judgment. We’ve read about Abu Ghraib and nasty behavior of a few of our warriors toward Iraqi civilians and attempted cover-up of death by friendly fire. The mental monitors weren’t working, evidently. The most recent news of questionable judgment in the military is a whopper. There is a move afoot to assign female Navy personnel to submarine duty. Life in a sub, even in one of today’s block-long marvels, is close quarters in the nth degree. The accommodations are cramped enough without adding the challenge of raging hormones on a six month cruise. The idea may be politically correct but one lacking common sense. What about our Post 134? Well, our officers and Executive Committee members are the epitome of good judgment. They keep American Legion principles in focus at all times. Congress? Well, I found a 15th century thought to use here:“Good intentions are useless in the absence of common sense.” |
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Commander's Column - February 2010 |
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Written by Ramon Garcia
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On Heritage As we move into this New Year, I continue to reflect on the cultural heritage of Post 134. An important aspect of our cultural heritage is the role of our members who served in WWII. I am pleased and excited to announce that we are fortunate to have a young lady who has volunteered to chronicle the stories of those who served our nation during that period. She is a freshman at Emory University, agreeing to freely dedicate her time to capture the reflections of those in our Post willing to participate. Chelsea Koller, a native of Oklahoma, is pursuing a major in “Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology”, now that’s a mouthful! This project is in no way a part of her curriculum at Emory. She has a passion for the Veterans of that era. Having been involved in a similar program while a high school student, she is not a stranger to the process. It is refreshing to see a member of “Generation Y” (birthdates from mid 1970s to early 2000s) exhibit the desire to perpetuate those legacies of physical artifacts and intangible attributes pertinent to a vital period of time in our nation’s history. The DVD medium will be used to accomplish this enhancement of our Post history. Upon completion, each participant will receive a copy of their DVD to share with family. Also, the Post will be the recipient of copies of all DVDs. It is my earnest hope that those WWII Veterans in our mist will make their time available to meet with Chelsea and recount their experiences. Each of you will be contacted to confirm your willingness to be involved. I thank you in advance for your participation in this meaningful endeavor. |
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Post News - February 2010 |
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Written by Charles Capps
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CHRISTMAS PARTY A few reflections on the Christmas party are in order. In addition to the excellent food, good service and a beautifully decorated room, Dr Grimes and Mrs. Grimes received Santa hats and a plaque of appreciation for all the hard work they both do sponsoring our Post at Druid Hills Country Club. We also had a trio of singers that entertained in their WAC uniforms ala the Andrew sisters. They sang the tunes that we all remember and then Hap Chandler found a willing special partner and the two of them tripped the light fantastic. Reverend Claude Smithmeyer gave inspiration and Bryant Roland handled the Master of Ceremonies duties in his usual smooth style. But even more than all of that, for many years now we have enjoyed the camaraderie of being together at this time of the year with our wives and loved ones, sharing a drink, reminiscing about old times, making new friends and pledging our support to each other and to our Legion Post. And wouldn’t you know we have a great opportunity to do this all over again with our February 11th meeting at the Petite Auberge. This will be your chance to bring your best lady to the Post VALENTINES PARTY, as your guest, of course. Show her how much you really care. Put on your best bib and tucker and y’all come. Thursday the 11th of February at noon, come early, and enjoy the doins. SICK CALL Dr. GRIMES is not doing as well as he would like, but his spirit is good and he is home and well cared for by Eleanor and family. H.T. MARSHALL’S wheels won’t do all he wants them to do, but this man with the indomitable spirit will be OK. He is also home. VIC MAHONEY fell Saturday night the 30th. He told Mary he was just leaving Church. He always could tell a good story. Anyway he has some scrapes and bruises and a honey of a black eye. You should have seen the other guy. CHARLES SHEPHERD has another new knee and is already thinking ahead to the Peachtree Road Race. ED CARSWELL doesn’t have the mobility he desires, but he sounds better and he is more upbeat than he has for a long time. DR GLENN HESS is now 6 months past his hip operation and coming along just fine thank you. He never lost that positive attitude that he always carries with him. He sets a good example for those of us that complain about slow mornings, little aches and pains etc. And then there are the Post members that we do not hear from, those and can not or do not come to the regular meetings. We need to hear from you. What is going on out there that other members would like to know? Such as ALBERT McMAHAN who is busy writing the histories of his family. Are there Post members that cannot come to the meetings, but would be willing to make calls to other members telling them of the regular meetings and checking on their health so we can put those names in the newsletter? |
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Above and Beyond The Call Of Duty |
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Written by Todd Copley
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In March, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will have surpassed the length of US involvement in the Vietnam War. Iraq has a scheduled withdraw of our troops by 2011, while Afghanistan has a promise of US troop withdraw after we build up our forces to protect the fragile democratic government. Much has been written lately about the lack of Medal of Honor (MOH) recipients from these post 9/11 wars and the fact that none are living (Iraq – 4, Afghanistan – 2). There are currently 91 living MOH recipients between the WWII and Vietnam eras. The youngest will soon turn 60 years old! As a nation, we could very well be looking at no living recipients 20 years from now. How could this happen since we’ve been heavily engaged in combat since the first Gulf War in 1990? I had the distinct opportunity this past week, to be part of an Air Force MOH panel of five living USAF recipients, the youngest being 66-years old. It seems this question is asked many times to them. “Why so few, and why all deceased?” The answer from this fine panel of veterans, several who spent more than five years in Vietnamese prison camps, was clear; “We would love to have more members into our MOH Society. The criteria for the award has not changed.” So what has changed since the Vietnam War, which produced 246 MOH recipients? Possibly the process has become politicized according to the article, “Death before this honor” from the Army Times. It took just 6 ½ months for the Clinton administration to posthumously award the MOH to two soldiers in Somalia. By contrast, during the Bush years, the speediest MOH approval took 18 months. One took as long as three years. It was suggested in the article that intense partisan politics in Washington, D.C. over these wars, forced the Bush Administration to subject potential MOH recipients to intense background checks so as to avoid scrutiny from political opponents of the administration. Defense and service officials deny that the process has become politicized. In fact, one of President Bush’s regrets as he left office was that he was never able to present a MOH to a living recipient. All this pales in comparison to the 103 years it took our government for the presentation of the MOH in 2001, to Lt Col Theodore Roosevelt, for leading a daring charge up San Juan Hill. Politics aside, we as a nation and a military fighting force don’t fight large scale battles anymore. Technological advances in weaponry and communication allow our servicemen to standby while remotely piloted vehicles (formally called drones or UAV’s), controlled 8,000 miles away in the safety of the Nevada desert, loiter for periods of up to 24 hours in the combat zone. Not only is this platform collecting reconnaissance and intelligence data, but it can quickly turn aggressive, using Hellfire missiles to take out the target. When we have the tactical advantage, our ground forces clean up the mess. In the past, an infantry charge using old field manual techniques, may have put a much higher percentage of soldiers in harm’s way. Although combat tactics have changed from war to war, men and women still fight and die on the battlefield. And when a member distinguishes themselves “conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States,” the MOH may be awarded. I believe we’ve already seen the last MOH to be awarded to an Air Force or Naval aviator (Vietnam) based on current doctrine and the way we’ll fight future wars. This nation’s special operation forces are most likely to make contact with the enemy via Counterinsurgency or Low Intensity Operations. It would be good for the American people to see one of their young sons or daughter join the living ranks of the MOH Society. |
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Written by Nimrod (Mac) McNair
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Someone suggested that the New Year should be called The Year of the Flag. I like that, but I also like the designation of the year as The Year of Patriotism. This is how Noah Webster defines patriotism: “Patriotism is love of one’s country, the passion which aims to serve one’s country, even defending it from invasion, protecting its rights, maintaining its laws and institutions in vigor and purity. Patriotism is characteristic of a good citizen, the noblest passion that animates a man and a character of a citizen”. We have seen a lot of flags that have gone up since the September 11th event. It really warms my heart to see flags flying everywhere. But what really stirs me is that it seems to be more of a process than an event. This process is best demonstrated through patriotism. On July 4th many churches in America sponsor patriotic services. I watched one on television that represented patriotism as an individual. This person came on camera and appeared to be lost. He seemed to wonder what was happening. His name was Mr. Patriotism. As he looked around, he discovered his country and began to demonstrate a love for it. He pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, one Nation under God, because Mr. Patriotism knew that without God our country could not exist. The last lines of the Declaration of Independence state: And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor”. It continues to stir me and warm my heart when I see the statement of our organization, the American Legion: God and Country. It is my hope and desire that this is a reality for each one of us and not just a motto we glibly say when asked what we stand for in the American Legion. |
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Written by Bill Baker
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Once upon a time, not too many years ago, I walked into our bank up in Fredericksburg, VA. It was Friday evening, right before closing, close to 5:00 p.m. This is the exact day and time that what I am about to recount to you, on the rare occasion that it occurs, will normally take place. It was a tiny little bank, which made the experience all the more strange. I was simply there to make a routine deposit to our joint account. You may remember a time when you found yourself in the middle of something that sent chills through you. This was one of those moments, an-out-of-the-ordinary, really weird, spine-chilling moment. As I entered the bank, I found myself amongst a swarm of men in black suits, about a half dozen or so. Fredericksburg, VA was a casual, small town place. It was not Washington, D.C. These men in black suits did not acknowledge my presence. They said nothing. They wore faces that were set without expression. They were dressed so gravely, they were so out of context, that they sent shivers through me. They made my hair stand on end. Whatever was happening felt like the Twilight Zone. The men moved with an air of competence and confidence. These uniform men in their uniform black suits and uniform expressions were completely and uniformly focused. They knew exactly what they were doing, and they were getting done whatever it was that they were doing. And whatever it was, I was in the middle of it! I approached the bank teller and in a very low whisper, asked the woman behind the window. “What’s happening?” As I asked the question she looked at me with a pained and contorted expression. She then burst into tears. After a moment she regained some composure and went on haltingly, in a sobbing voice, to tell me that these men were there to take control of the bank. It was a failed bank. It turned out that these men in black suits were the executioners acting at the authority of the Comptroller of Currency and the FDIC. They were charged with taking control of the bank’s assets, liabilities, and all of its records and operations. And the best time for them to do that was at the end of the week, right before closing. Upon hearing the teller’s words, everything fell into place. A sense of relief and reality actually washed over me. The men in black suits now made sense to me. At that moment, I remembered in the recesses of my brain that I had read or had heard about this process, during my formal education. Since I had less than $100,000 deposited with the bank, I was unconcerned for my money because I knew that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) would protect it. It turns out, those Men in Black Suits were the good guys, protecting depositors’assets based on regulations passed way back in the 1930’s. Times change! For many reasons, neither the FDIC nor the other regulatory agencies nor an array of checks and balances were able to prevent the 2008 financial markets meltdown. The FDIC in 2008 was overcome by events and by quasi-bank-institutions not under their jurisdiction. While still overseeing the closure of banks, the too-big-to-fail banks and the insurance companies were outside the boundaries of the FDIC. Things change! Change requires renewal, updating, and reform. The basic principals around change are that we accept, embrace, manage change and lead in a way to make change become a positive force in our society. Not all change is good. When we see change that is bad, we have to also embrace bad change (in a wrestling hold) and then get it turned around. Our Post, Post 134, is representative of those Men in Back Suits. Dubbed the Silk Stocking Post, we do have a leaning toward dark if not black suits and we certainly represent the side of the good guys! Post 134, founded in 1933, and the American Legion founded in 1919, has seen and dealt with much change since those founding years. It is incumbent on us to continually deal with change. Why? One important reason is that we have to attract and be relevant to a younger generation of service men and women and recruit them to join our ranks. In that way our Post and the Legion can carry on the legacy of those who have gone before. An example of a possible change that comes to mind is in our Preamble. It contains the words “great wars” directly synonymous with WWI and WWII. The conflicts and wars after WWII are not known as the great wars. That term is not synonymous with the many conflicts and wars in which later generations of military men and women served. Should the Legion constitution and preamble be changed? It has been, and it probably warrants another review and update. Normal and healthy change was expected and provided for by our Legion founders. Let’s carry forward the positive legacy of the past and at the same time let’s tune in to the now! Let’s discuss and work toward positive changes! The FDIC’s Men in Black Suits, the good guys, are right now hard at work helping to renew our banking system. Let’s have Silk Stocking Post 134’s Men in Black Suits review and get some suggestions together as to how our Legion’s Constitution might be updated to be more relevant to younger generations of service men and service women. This is only one suggestion. You the readers will have your own. The overall point is: Let’s embrace change, work for good change, and make change work for us! |
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