the Ame - American legion Post no. 1

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2014 – 2015 Post No. 1 Officers, Germantown
Commander:
Michael Nardelli
414.248.1199
Historian:
Kenneth Puls
262.251.0256
Executive
Committeemen:
Ist Vice commander:
Neal Daegner
262.844.0941
Chaplain:
Douglas Janzen
262.251.5745
Members: Commander, 1st
Vice Comdr., Finance Officer,
Adjutant,
2nd Vice Commander:
Joe Ozimek
262.253.0858
Sgt. At Arms:
1) Alan Sande
262.548.9088
3rd Vice commander:
Daniel O’Toole
262.255.3514
2) Marvin Wunder
262.547.3775
Adjutant:
Christopher Zimmermann
414.687.6589
Service Officer:
Lee Murry
262.253.1163
Finance Officer:
Jim Heimann
414.507.0007
Judge Advocate:
Rolland Pieper
262.677.1001
Chairman: James Heimann
Chris Zimmermann
Mike Nardelli
Karl Kannenberg
262.251.4714
Mel Ewert
262.251.5919
David Souders
262.255.1076
Hall Manager/Editor:
Lisa Leider
262.573.7902
[email protected]
Please help the Post with the mailing Issues. Notify the Post whenever you have a change
of address, otherwise your Post News & Views comes back to the Post with additional postal charges. State and
National Headquarters have to be notified by your Post. Otherwise your State Paper and your National Magazine
will not arrive to your home. The Post should also be notified by your family of any deceased Post No. 1 member.
To all members who have summer and winter residents; please advise the Post as to when you make your
moves around the country, so we can adjust our records for mailing. Thank you!
2014 – 2015 Post No. 1
Auxiliary Unit No. 321
Officers
President
Kathryn Peck
630.707.1984
Vice President
Bette Peck
262.251.5120
Sgt-at-Arms
Amy Keller
262.573.3100
Secretary & Girls State
Greta Hutchison
262.251.5339
Treasurer & Membership
Mary Heimann
262.377.2613
Chaplain
Jeanette Ewert
262.251.5919
Post Membership: 118
Our quota for the year is 210.
Germantown, Post No. 1 • Vol. 14, No. 4
May-Sept 2015
Phone: 262.251.5470
www.LegionPost1.org
God & Country
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Commander’s Message
Comrades,
It’s been a busy summer and awhile since our last newsletter.
We apologize for that, but hopefully this newsletter makes up
for lost time.
Going back to Memorial Day, Forth of July, and Veterans Day
at the Washington County Fair, we had an excellent attendance
on all occasions, and did quite well for the post too. Thank you
Commander
to all of the volunteers who participated, we sure had a fan- Michael Nardelli
tastic mix of people. We had some new faces, old faces, more
family and quite a few smiling kids, which is always a treat.
Family Fun Day & Vendor Fair – Saturday, September 12, from 10am - 3pm
Come one, or come all, and bring the entire family. There will be adult vendors as well as a
kid-to-kid rummage sale, bake sale & concessions, raffles, limited face painting and more.
Please contact Amy Keller if you are interested in renting a spot, donating a raffle or bake
sale item, or if you simply would like to volunteer your time for the day (262) 573-3100.
American Legion Caps – Charlie Hargan is the contact person if you are interested
in ordering an American Legion Cap. Four caps have just arrived by mail and are at the
post for pick-up. If you are one of the four owners, please stop in to pick-up and be
prepared to pay for your cap as well. Moving forward, payments need to be made up front
along with your name, phone number and cap size. The cost is approx. $70. The post will
pay 30% for new members, 20% for existing members. To contact Charlie call him at
(262) 894-0168 or leave him a note at the Post. Thank you Charlie for heading this up!
The Moving Wall. The committee has one meeting behind them, and will look
to meet again, Tuesday, September 15th @ 7:00pm. Everyone is welcome to this
meeting. It would be great to double the number of members from the last meeting.
After all, this is Sponsored by our Post, which is a huge honor.
Changes in the front hall. You will notice the pool table is gone and that there are
three video machines. You have Henry to thank for that! The pool table was donated to
a friend, and the video games came from one of his contacts. For questions on playing
the video machine you can either ask Henry or a bartender. Thanks Henry!
Cabins. If you have any questions about the Cabins closing or when they will open
again, or maybe you are interested in renting one next year, please contact Paul Kastner.
Snow plowing. We are taking bids for snow plowing again this year. If you have
someone in mind you would like to recommend, with a phone number, please let me
know. I will be taking care of this.
Germantown Village Memorial Wall. In order to add a name to the memorial wall in
time for Veterans Day, you must have your submission in by the third week of October.
Dates to Remember
September
7 – Labor Day
3,10,17,24 – Bingo Post Home, 7:00pm
9 – Post Meeting, 8:00pm
11 – Patriot Day
12 – Fall Family Fun Day, Post home, 10:00am
12 – P OW/MIA Silent March, Cedarburg,
reg at 9:00am
15 – TMW 2nd Meeting, Post home, 7:00pm
17 – U. S. Constitution approved (1787)
26 – County Dinner meeting, Jackson
27 – Gold Star Mothers Day
October
1,8,15,22,29 – Bingo Post Home, 7:00pm
7 – Post meeting, 8:00pm
13 – U. S. Navy established (1775)
27 – Navy Day
31 - 2nd District Conf. Beaver Dam
November
1 – Daylight Saving Time ENDS
3 – Election Day
10 – Marine Corps Birthday (1775)
5,12,19,26 – Bingo Post Home, 7:00pm
11 – Veterans Day
14 – Annual Christmas Parade, 2:00pm
26 – Thanksgiving
Patriotic Trivia Quiz (Ans. on p7)
1. Where does the word ‘patriotism’
come From?
2. An estimated 2.5 million people lived
in America in July 1776, how many live
in America today?
3. Where did the American flag first fly?
4. When was the Liberty Bell last rung?
5. The United States has never lost a war
in which what were used?
– Michael Nardelli, Post No. 1, Commander
LEST WE FORGET:
With love in our hearts,
we remember you. May
your soul rest in peace!
Erick Kuhn
Jerome Fisher
Marty Bachuber
Germantown American
Legion Post 1
Memorial Day
May 25th
Another successful Memorial Day ceremony took
place on Monday, May 25, 2015. Volunteers met at
the Post at 10:00am sharp, to partake in the annual
tour of the cemeteries. At each location, our fallen
comrades were honored with a prayer, 21 gun salute, and ended with taps being played. A little after
11:00am everyone concluded at the Germantown
Village Memorial Wall.
Many members, families, and community members
came to honor those who died while serving in the
country’s armed forces. As well as honoring our local heroes. There was a whopping 23 names added
to our living Memorial. For those who may not be
aware, the Germantown Village Memorial Wall honors those in the military that passed away, as well as
those that are still living.
After the names were read the 4th & 5th graders
from Kennedy Elementary School in Grafton, sang
a few songs that filled everyone’s hearts with patriotism and love. Proceeding the ceremony a complimentary lunch was served at the Post as well as a
flag disposal took place. Needless to say, a great day
was enjoyed and celebrated by all.
Washington
county Fair
July 22nd
As you can see we had a great turn
out (not everyone is pictured here)
with many helping hands. This is
exactly what Veterans helping Veterans, and teamwork, is all about!
To all of you that showed up to
help support our Post for Veterans
Day at the Washington County
Fair, we would like to give you a
HUGE THANK YOU!
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excellent food and beverage sales.
And much like every other year, the
fireworks didn’t let anyone down.
They were absolutely phenomenal.
We all know, time is precious and
we could not have made this day
possible without the much needed
volunteers. That said, we would
like to thank all of those that did
donate their valuable time. It can
be a lot of fun and the more help
we have the easier it is on everyone.
To all those who gave of your time,
please know your efforts are greatly
appreciated by the Post.
What a fantastic 4th of July celebration we had once again this year. Despite the
warm temperatures and scorching sunshine, a high number of Post members
joined in to walk and ride in the parade. We were visited by some familiar faces
we haven’t seen in awhile, friends, families and even a few bingo players. We
had several kids participate in the parade, a few adult kids lurking in the trees,
and a huge wagon full of candy to had out. It was great fun!
And a big thank you goes out
to all those who helped with
cooking, pull tabs, parking, raffles,
bartending, serving, setting up and
cleaning up. We can not do this
great fund-raiser without all of
you. You are the ones who made
this another huge success.
We attracted a record number of vehicles in our parking lot as well as we had
– Post No. 1 Officers
July 4th Celebration
The Moving Wall is Officially coming to town
It’s official, The Vietnam Moving Wall will be coming to Germantown, September 1-5, 2016.
The exact location will be across the street from the American Legion Post No. 1, at the Kennedy Middle School grounds. The contract has been signed and mailed back with the deposit.
The Germantown Tourism/Community Betterment Committee was kind enough to sponsor the
cost for our deposit. Thank you to all of those folks for supporting this important community
project. We also had our first committee meeting in August that launched the overall scope of
the project and formation of the committees. The next Moving Wall meeting will be –
Tue., Sept 15, 2015 @ 7:00pm - 8:00pm – Everyone is welcome!
All of these Vietnam Moving Wall photos were taken on Friday, August 28, 2015 at Pritchard Park in Racine.
Sponsored by Racine Community Foundation, Real Racine, Racine Area Veterans’ Inc, and Vietnam Veterans’
Chapter 767. It was a moving and memorable experience, one we hope to duplicate here in Germantown.
A special thank you goes out to Chairman Pat Adams and VVA 767 President, Jim Michel.
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Post No. 1 Member Highlight
Roy D. Esselman born Athens, WI
“Roy the Barber”
U.S. Army, 1951 - 1953 - Mess Sergeant
“I don’t care who you are or what you do, respect is the
word that will get you through life.” – Roy Esselman
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Roy was drafted into the Army at the age of 21. He did
basic training in Jackson, South Carolina, then a couple
of weeks of infantry training in Yokohama, Japan. From
there Roy was shipped oversees to North Korea, where
he carried out the rest of his military service.
Roy and Mary celebrated 61 years of marriage
on August 28, 2015. Together
they have three Children, Lynn,
James and Mark. Lynn passed
away from cancer at the young
age of 36. James passed away
very young as well, at the young
age of 41. James died from another driver running a stop light
and hitting him. And Mark is 59
and resides in Houston Texas
with his family. In total Roy and
Mary have seven grandchildren
from all three of their children.
Once Roy returned back to
the states after being in the military he got a job in West Allis
for a year. After that he went
back to school and became a barber. He
opened up his own business and began to
cut hair. He was the first barber in his area
in 1959. Later he moved to Germantown in
1964 where he was fortunate enough to cut
hair for many of the Milwaukee Braves. Roy
earned the name “Roy the Barber” along the way.
He retired from cutting hair in 2004.
When at bingo on Thursday’s you can find “Roy
the Barber” calling back numbers and lighting up the
Post with his personality. He is a man loved my many
and does so much to help out the Post and his fellow
Veterans. It’s common to go to a Post function and
find Roy offering a helping hand, with a huge smile.
Roy, THANK YOU for all of your years of service.
And, thank THANK YOU for being an example Veteran, family member, citizen and human being. The
younger generations have much to learn
from you!
Recently Roy had the
honor and privilege of
attending the Stars &
Stripes Honor Flight
to Washington D.C.
Included is a letter written from
his son Mark, about their experience to D.C.
Letter to Editor
Submission
From Mark Esselman
People say miracles don’t happen. I say they do and
I witnessed one in Milwaukee on April 18th, 2015.
I was honored to accompany my father on a Stars &
Stripes Honor Flight to Washington D.C. The Flight
carried 90+ WWII and Korean War veterans, along
with their guardians and staff, to visit the memorials
and view the changing of the guard at Arlington.
I was in awe of the men and women on the flight.
They truly were “The Greatest Generation.” They
selflessly sacrificed and left the farms and factories
to fight on foreign soil so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. They came back with no fanfare and went to work or to school and raised their
families and paid their taxes.
The tribute that the staff and the contributors
to the Honor Flight provided these veterans were
priceless. They are a blessing and gave these veterans the “thanks” that they so deserved but never
really received.
But the “miracle” I referred to was the welcome
home that awaited these veterans upon their return
to Milwaukee that evening. I have no idea of how
many thousands of people turned out to say “thank
you” to theses aging veterans who were wheeled or
walked off the plane that night. Kids with banners,
people waving flags, everyone shouting “thank you
for your service!” Military honor guards and bands
were all present and added to the evening. You
didn’t have a heart if you didn’t tear up witnessing
this event. It meant so much to my dad and to all the
90+ Other veterans!
I grew up in the Milwaukee area and went to undergraduate at Eau Claire and got my master’s from
Madison. But, since May of 1980, I have lived in
other states. I was so proud of my home town and
my home state that I cannot adequately express my
awe of what you did for those veterans. It was truly
a selfless act on the part of many that I cannot believe could be replicated elsewhere.
Poppies
The first poppy was created by the ladies auxiliary of Post No. 1, when there were located
at 31st and Wisconsin in1919. The creation of the poppy was to honor the veterans coming
back from World War I. Where so many were killed or wounded in the Poppy fields of Flanders Belgium. Poppy’s today are made by veterans who are paid a small stipend for each
one. They are taught how to make them at the poppy shop on the grounds of the Veterans
Administration Medical center in Milwaukee. Many thousands of poppies are sent to posts
throughout the united States each year for distribution. This year our post distributed poppies
at Fleet Farm over the Memorial day weekend. We also distributed poppies at Miller Park in
July and August. A percentage of the poppies checks go to the state auxiliary, and the rest of
the monies is used for many Legion Programs.
– A special THANK YOU goes out to Allen Sande, for making the effort and taking the time
to put this excellent piece of information together to share with you.
As an update on the Post Poppy donations, we had a successful season with them. However, that would not have been possible without all of the hard working volunteers, young and
old, who took valuable time out of their day to make this happen. Another special Thank You
goes out to our Commander, Mike Nardelli, as well as, Al Sande, David Ball, Henry Eder,
Marvin Wunder, Jim Heiman and his grand daughter Madelyn Schultz.
Van Brocklin Cabin, Lake Tomahawk, WI
I want to thank and recognize the Honor Flight
staff and organization; the hundreds of kind and
generous volunteers; the military men and women who took part in ceremonies; the bands and
musicians, and the thousands of people who took
time out of their own busy lives to say “thank
you” and to give these hero’s the type of recognition that due them 60+ Years ago.
If we want to teach our kids about thoughtfulness, kindness and selflessness, we would
do well to tell them about the generation of
men and women who sacrificed so much on
our behalf. And having them participate in
these Honor Flight homecomings is a great
way to begin that dialogue as well as saying
“thank you!” Encourage them to be part of
this miracle while we still have members of
this great generation around!
– Mark Esselman
Eldridge Cabin, Lake Tomahawk, WI
For information about renting these cabins, please contact Paul Kastner at (414) 358-0733.
Thank you to Paula Zimmerman for taking these photos. More will be available on the new website,
Coming out very soon!
Page 5
Meeting Highlights
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
American Legion Post No.1, Germantown
May 13, June 10, & August 12, 2015
• Mel Ewert and Karl Kannenberg are still home recovering.
Many prayers are with them and we look forward to seeing
them in the near future.
• All of the poppy dates turned out to be a great success for
the post. Thank you to all of the volunteers who showed up
at Miller Park and Fleet/Farm, especially, our Commander,
Mike Nardelli, as well as, Al Sande, David Ball, Henry
Eder, Marvin Wunder, Jim Heiman and his grand daughter
Madelyn Schultz.
• The Post received a coomendation from the State
Commander for our participation in giving blood.
• The amount of money made by the Post from the Washington
county Fair may be provided at the upcoming county
organizational meeting.
• The new State Commander is Oatman, and Dan Seehafer is
the new State First vice Commander.
• Neal Degner requested info on how to run membership
• The County Board is looking to either build a new cabin at
Camp American Legion, or completely renovate the old one.
Meeting Highlights
Regular Meeting Minutes
American Legion Post No.1, Germantown
May 13, June 10, & August 12, 2015
• Chaplain reported that a sympathy card was sent to the
family of Jerome Fisher who died March 10, 2015. He also
reported that Marty Bachuber passed away, and a walkthrough was conducted at his funeral. Chaplain reported that
Erick Kuhn also passed away.
• Mel Ewert was in the hospital again in relation to his
previous stroke. He is currently at home recovering.
Many prayers are with him and his family.
• Al Sande donated a pint of blood.
• Neal Degner donated a pint of blood.
• Al Sande thanked the membership for the plaque presented
to him for being a 50-year member.
• The post is no longer looking for someone to take over as
bingo chairman. More members are still needed to volunteer
during bingo.
• Mel Ewert gave a cabin report and advised that Exec Board
had elected Paul Kastner as new cabin chairman.
• Paul Kastner has rented to members of the Tanner Paul Post,
and also wants to repair the stairway to the lake at the Van
Brocklin cabin. Members should pass the word about cabin
rentals still being open for $300.00 per week.
• Membership was reported at 205 members.
• Maintenance was done on the front cooler and walk-in
Page 6
compressor. Also, the Post needs a new house Chairman.
• Scholarships: The Post received a thank you from Justin Loo
for sponsoring him at Badger Boys. Also, Alyssa Lappley
was awarded the $5000.00 scholarship.
• The Adjutant advised membership about a Newsweek article
calling the POW/MIA flag racist
• The Germantown Tourism/Community Betterment Committee
provided a grant for the deposit of the Moving Wall and may
provide other monies in the future as well. Also, The Moving
Wall Committee Co-Chairpersons are Jim Heimann, and hall
manager, Lisa Leider.
• The next Germantown Moving Wall Committee meeting
will be Tuesday, September 15th from 7:00pm - 8:00pm.
A handful of members showed up at the August meeting,
it would be wonderful to have twice as many show up at
the September meeting. All members are welcome and
encouraged to come, if for no other reason then to understand
what is going on and to partake in the excitement. Know
that sponsoring The Moving Wall is an honor and privilege,
it would be fantastic to have more support from within our
Post. Please consider joining us.
• Scouts have started to utilize the Post Scout building. Jeff
Zimmer has also started taking care of the lawn maintenance
with the Scouts.
• Two of the winners of the county scholarship program were
from Germantown High School.
• Commander Nardelli reported the Post refinanced the mortgage.
• Dan O’Toole reported that the Marine Corps League
donated the Post with 150 blank cartridges for the
Memorial Day service.
• P
er hall manager Lisa Leider, the NEW Post website will be
complete by September 30th.
• Marv Wunder discussed buying a burn cage to use in the
burning of flags. He provided prices and the membership is
taking it under advisement.
AUXILIARY Meeting Highlights
American Legion Post No.1,
Auxiliary Unit No. 321, Germantown
Projects
We continue to work on a project to send coupons to
military bases.
There were three of us who met at the Post in June from 9am –
1pm and had a good time visiting while we worked. We continue
to receive coupons from others to send along with the ones we
cut. This time we sent the coupons to a base in Japan with a note
asking if they would like to continue to receive them.
Donations
The Camp American Legion Donation of the Month
program was a request of postage stamps for the camp. We
will purchase a sheet of stamps and send them as our donation.
Badger Girls
At the time of writing this newsletter the kick-off to this
years Wisconsin American
Legion Auxiliary Badger Girls State is taking place. We can’t
wait for the attendees to come back and tell us all about their
experience this year in Oshkosh.
Poppies
The legionnaires spent time in June, July & August
distributing poppies at the Germantown Fleet Farm as well at
Miller Park and came back with some nice donations.
New Members
We want to take this opportunity to welcome three new members:
Amy Keller
Gina McKenzie
Erna Spiegelberg
We are happy to have them join us and they all attended our
last meeting. The addition of these members brought us to 100%
of our membership goal!
Note From the President
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as your president
for ALA Unit 321 for many years. During our last meeting we
had an official nomination and election of officers who will be
sworn in and begin their term in September.
The new officers are:
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathryn Peck
Vice-President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth (Bette) Peck
Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greta Hutchison
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Heimann
Chaplain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeanette Ewert
Sgt-at-Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Keller
A Thought for the Day
“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.”
~Arthur Rubinstein
Our next auxiliary meeting will be held on Wednesday,
September 9, 2015 at 7:00 PM.
God Bless America and all who serve.
– Bette Peck, former President Auxiliary Unit No. 321
THANK YOU!
– Charlie Hargen for taking care of orders for Legion Caps.
– Auxiliary for clipping coupons, and playing a big part in helping
with Family Fun Day.
– Marine Corps League for providing 150 blank cartridges to the
Post for the Memorial Day service.
– Doug Janzen for bringing in calendars and pens to take.
– Al Sande for being a 50-year member. 50 years, WOW!!!
– Amy Keller for taking the lead on Family Fun Day.
– Jim Heimann for taking the initiative on The Moving Wall.
Special Tribute For: Jim Heimann
“Once In A While” – By John Bettis, Steve Dorff
Once in a while, someone comes along. That one in a million
heart, so pure and so strong. They can face up to the tears, and
somehow still find a smile. We only get it, every once in a while.
Once in while, someone has the eyes. That one in a million look,
never tells lies. They can get you on your feet, to walk that extra
mile. But we only see it, every once in a while.
That’s why we call them heroes. That’s why we know
their names, And once you’ve heard their stories, you’re never
quite the same. That’s why we call them heroes, the best
thing they ever do, is point to the best in us all, and say, “If I
can, you can too”...
These lyrics describes Jim Perfectly. I could not have said it
better myself. In my opinion, Jim is one class act! He is a loyal
husband to Mary, family man, friend, comrade, and teacher...and
is no doubt blushing as he reads this. He would even give you the
Hawaiian shirt off his back, if you needed it. Yet mostly, Jim is
another rare someone who has made me a better person just by
knowing him, and I know I’m not the only one affected. Like I
have to explain this to the Post members?! I don’t think so.
Jim retired from Kennedy Elementary School in Grafton, this
past June, where he worked many years as the custodian. However,
he was far more than that. He became Mr. Jim! He worked with the
4th & 5th graders daily with the folding of the flag and leading the
“Pledge of Allegiance.” He spearheaded projects with the kids for
Veterans Day and Memorial Day. And most importantly, he was a
loving man and friendly mentor. He would take the time to listen
to each child. Jim greeted the kids each morning as they arrived to
school, and again when they would leave to go home. He was kind
of like that Wal-mart greeter, yet with much more character, depth,
and a genuine smile, which would seldom leave his face. Because
you knew that is exactly where he wanted to be. Was with the kids,
making a difference. And he did! His legacy lives on. Since Jim’s
retirement, another parent has stepped up to take his place, and
continue the flag folding with the kids. That is personal success!
And for anyone who is unaware or misinformed, let me clear
something up. I may have made a few phone calls, and went to a few
meetings, but make no mistake about this, the Vietnam Moving Wall
is coming to Germantown, because of one dream and one man...
Jim Heimann. It is my honor and privilege to Co-Chair this amazing
event with him, and to help make his dream come true!
- I love you Jim, THANK YOU for all you do! Lisa Leider
Patriotic Trivia Quiz Answers (from cover page)
1. The Latin patria, which means ‘homeland’ or ‘fatherland.’
2. An estimated 309 million people reside in the U.S.
3. Over Fort Derne, off the shores of Tripoli in Libya.
4. On George Washington’s Birthday in 1846. It received its
fatal crack a few hours later.
5. Mules
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