Woke up to a cold, rainy day but that
didn’t stop the mission! Off we went to
Westin Post 1976. A small post but
powerfully active in their community, this Post has an Afghanistan veteran in
charge but he is quick to point out that he couldn’t do it alone. Without a canteen or Post Home, these
comrades believe in doing the good work of the VFW every day. As we were leaving they were all headed to
the local military museum as they were hosting about 200 8th graders
to tell them all about America and its veterans.
Next stop, the birthplace of
Stonewall Jackson…Clarksburg! Officially
named the Muese-Argonne Post 573, it was chartered 99 years ago by members of
the Great War, 9 Dec 1920. Their
Auxiliary was chartered 21 May 1921 and is named after Lucinda Rose, a nurse
who died in the War in 1918. Post
Commander Donna is an Iraq War veteran and a Computer Science Professor at
nearby Fairmont State College. While the Post has had some hiccups in the past,
she and the rest of the team are firmly convinced they are turning things
around and it shows. They have over 600
members and the Post itself is a treasure trove of historical artifacts. While
looking around I saw a flag next to their Post flag. When I looked at it I was amazed to see that
it was the Post’s flag from when it was part of the United Spanish War
Veterans, 1898-1902! What a find to see part of our
VFW past in this Post! They even had a VFW Post Band back in the day! I could have spent all day
wandering around in the Post looking at the artifacts but we had to move on.
We next arrived at the Hershel "Woody" Williams Post 7048 in East Fairmont.
This is the only Post in the VFW named after a living Medal of Honor
recipient. Woody was nominated for the
Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II with the United States
Marine Corps during the Battle for Iwo Jima in the Pacific theater. After
reading the Citation, I can only thank God that men like Woody were fighting
for the United States! The Post
maintains a high level of membership year in and year out but their most
impressive actions are their continued stellar performances for Community
Activities. They are so many awards for
their work it would be difficult to count them all. I’d be remiss to mention
that they provided an excellent lunch, serving a local favorite called a
“Pepperoni Roll” crafted by the Country Club Bakery since the 1920’s. And, of course, Mama got to have her “Patton
Moment” in the downstairs meeting room!
Last stop: Morgantown!
We had a late meeting here because they have a large number of younger
veterans who are working, in school, and/or raising families. They don’t have a canteen and they focus on
community service while also helping student veterans at the West Virginia
University. Morgantown 548 shares the
city with Westover Post 9916 but they work together well, sharing resources and
collaborating on things like their Honor Guard and other events. There was a spirit of cooperation rather than
competition and it was refreshing to see that.
We enjoyed a nice carry in dinner and had ample time to get to know each
other before I gave a short talk hitting on many things pertinent to their
situation. In the small world category,
Post Commander Jason currently works Biometrics issues as a Military Operations
Specialist…these are the same issues I was working as an attorney years ago
assigned to the Biometrics Identity Management Agency!
By the way, Morgantown is the home of
the great comedian, Don Knotts. Don
served in the Army during World War II, from 1943 to 1946. ;- )
After a long drive, we arrived at our
hotel in Pittsburgh. I’m finishing this write up and going to bed. Early flight in the morning because we never
stop working for veterans!
