REACHING OUT TO HELP OTHERS IS WHAT LEGIONAIRES DO!

At our Post December meeting a need from a local food pantry was brought up. The Cameron Ministry located on Cameron Street in Rochester was searching for donations of peanut butter. A proposal was brought up and the members present voted on $100 worth of peanut butter to be purchased. That amount of money equated to 60 – 18oz jars of peanut butter that were delivered to the ministry. They were very happy to receive it.

Also, at our December meeting a need from a local veteran was brought to the floor. This individual served from 2008-2015 in the Army overseas. He was hurt by an explosion when deployed suffering from TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and hearing loss. On top of all this he suffered from Covid, which landed him in the hospital. He then lost his job and the family car was totaled in a car accident. Needless to say, this veteran fell on hard times. The request that the Post received was their need for bedding and a vacuum cleaner. A proposal was brought to the floor for a $250 donation which was passed unanimously. The items were dropped off at Compeer who are the go between organization working with the family.

These are just a few of the good “deeds” we do at our meetings. If you have never attended a meeting or have not been in while we meet on the second Thursday of the month at 7 PM. Please come and be a part of a great group of veterans.   

Submitted By: Phillip Rosini

POST HISTORIAN'S CORNER

From the WWII diary of Floyd Williams: 
 

Wednesday June 16, 1943 Guadalcanal...We had a raid this morning at 5AM and the Japs were overhead and had released their bombs before some of us hit the fox hole, the bombs had landed not too close or I would not be writing this now.

About 1:30 Condition Red was given, our fighters started taking off. Reports started to come in, we did not pay much attention because the action was 22 miles away. Then a report came in that a very large enemy flight was coming over the mountains which caught us off guard and orders came in to "Tally Ho".

We opened fire just before they went into a cloud, we just kept firing. The air was full of smoke, lead and ack ack fire, we could hear the bombs dropping and ack ack fire from our ships. There were dog fights all over the sky. There was a short lull, then reports came in that another large flight was coming in.

We were beat, the sun was hot, sweat was just pouring off us, that report didn't make us any happier. At 4PM we went off alert, then we were told that there were 30 dive bombers in that flight and they were coming in right over our battery, only two batteries were firing.

We got high praise from the Air Corp for splitting up that Jap formation, in order that our fighters could get after them. The box score came in we shot down 56 Zero's and 40 Jap Dive Bombers, total 96. They got 6 of ours. Pretty good batting average, our battery got credit for shooting down one, someday don't you think.

Floyd Williams was a local soldier, a big pat on the back to Ted Sykes for rescuing Floyd's diary from the trash man Hard to believe what our Grandfathers, Great Uncles and our WWII neighbors went through, God Bless Them!

Legion Regards,

Herb T Gauch, Post Historian

LAP ROBES FOR VETERANS

SO MANY VETERANS, SEW LITTLE TIME!

Lap Robes for Veterans is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization who create and donate lap robes for veterans. A lap robe is a branch specific fleece measuring large enough to cover one’s lap and legs handcrafted with love and appreciation by volunteers.

All materials used to create these lap robes come from donations. There is no waste in this process. At the end of the bolt of fleece, if there is a small piece left over, they make scarves. They even save all the scraps and volunteer to fill dog and cat beds with those pieces!

The volunteers sit side by side with others as they work toward a common goal. They are connected to a mission – one in which they believe. Through their actions and involvement, they are showing our Veterans the gratitude of their community for their service to our country. 

Jackie Lynn’s Fabrics in Irondequoit is Lap Robes for Veterans sewing headquarters.  Pat Verhagen says, “We are always looking for volunteers. The team usually meets every Monday.  If anyone is interested in joining the team, have them call Sue Morris 585-354-1854.”

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA

Saturday, December 17^th. Hundreds of people gathered at Webster Union Cemetery to lay 650 wreaths on the graves of fallen heroes. The ceremony began promptly at noon. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem and a moment of prayer. Representatives from each of our nation’s armed services placed ceremonial wreaths in memory of those who served, and those who are still listed as Prisoners of War or MIA. 

COLORGUARD

We welcome all Veterans who would like to join us and uphold America’s traditions to honor Veterans and our Flag.

• All Color Guard activities will be announced in the Upcoming Events Calendar when applicable
• We need an inventory list of uniforms to include all items and sizes from current members.  Items include: Hats, Shirts, Scarves, White Gloves, and Trousers
• If you no longer want to participate in the Color Guard, please return any unused equipment to the legion
• If interested in joining the Color Guard, email stacisukhenko@post942.com
• Include your name, phone contact and email address

Submitted By:

Mike Maiuri