Benson VFW Post 2503

August 2014 www.VFWPost2503.org

402-571-8397

From the Commander Dear Comrades and Ladies,

There have been several events this

past month and unfortunately not all

were good! Top of the list was the

vandalizing of our A/C units, causing

damage estimated to be around

$64,000! That is a lot of damage for a

few dollar’s worth of copper. Our

insurance is $500 deductible, so as-

suming all goes well, that will save

our "bacon". US Mechanical re-

placed two 7.5 ton units within a day

or two allowing us to stay open for

business. As to the rest of the units

we are still waiting for the insurance

company's approval to proceed. We

have made several attempts to contact

the adjuster and have had no response

from him as of yet. In other news,

we are still looking and interviewing

for an accountant/tax expert on a part

time basis. Other good news is the

parking lot repaving job has been

completed and but for a few minor

flaws it looks very nice and more im-

portantly is now much safer for all.

Also, this Saturday June 12th is our

Horseshoes Tournament and picnic.

Ryan Sudbeck has worked very hard

to prepare for this event and we hope

to see all of you at the picnic enjoy-

ing the day’s events and of course

each other’s company. I would like

(Continued on page 3)

From the Auxiliary

President The 8th Annual VFW Auxiliary

Craft Show is scheduled for Satur-

day, October 18 from 9:00am to

4:00pm. There will be a bake sale

and raffles as well as a lunch being

served.

For an application or questions con-

tact Linda Humphrey at 402-571-

4178 or email lindaldh1@cox.net.

As in the past we are looking for-

ward to a great turnout. If you are

interested in helping out with this

event please contact Linda.

The ladies sewing group is looking

for any members that may be in-

terested in coming in on Thursday

to assist in sewing. They do a va-

riety of things, from pinning to

cutting to sewing. Please contact

Nora Van Cleave at 402-571-5213

or come on in on Thursdays at

1:00pm. There are several ladies

that also meet on Thursdays who

cut and crochet mats out of plastic

bags. Each of the mats is made up

of at least 2000 plastic bags. The

name of their group is “It MAT-

ters”. If interested in helping out

please come to the post on Thurs-

days at 1:00pm and join the la-

dies.

If you would like to attend the Aux-

(Continued on page 3)

POST 2503 OFFICERS 2014-2015 Commander: Robert Brown

Sr. Vice Commander: Fred VanPeer Jr. Vice Commander: Sharon Cooper

Quartermaster: Bob Bragg Chaplain: Dennis Kerr

Surgeon: Terrence White Judge Advocate: John Gass

Officer of the Day: Appointment Pending Adjutant: Ron Dupell

Guard: Bill Fread Service Officer: Ron Dupell

AUXILIARY OFFICERS 2014-2015

President: Kathy ‘Tiger’ Thielen

Sr. Vice President: Royce Dent

Jr. Vice President: Shirley Duis

Treasurer: Ruth Gerst

Secretary: Pat Dembowski

Chaplain: Marcia Jones

Conductress: Luanne Rosso

Guard: Lindy Devereaux

Patriotic Instructor:

Post and Auxiliary

Meetings

1st Thursday

every month

6:30 pm

Honor Guard

Meeting

2nd Thursday

every month

7:00 pm

30th Nebraska Viet Nam Veterans

Reunion August 14-17 2014

In Norfolk, NE www.VetsReunion.com

Thirsty Thursdays

& Tacos

August 14th

5-7pm

Post Breakfast

August 17th

Basket Night

August 22nd

5:30—7:00 pm

Bob Fields entertaining

from 8:00—11:00 pm

on August 14th and 28th

2

POST BREAKFAST

AUGUST 17th

8:30 am to Noon

$6.00

It is time ag

ain fo

r the an

nual sale o

f the V

eterans o

f Fo

reign

Wars B

udd

y P

op

pies. A

ltho

ugh

you m

ay n

ot b

e able to

help

with

the sale o

f Bud

dy P

op

pies, w

e are sure y

ou w

ou

ld lik

e to co

n-

tribute to

this w

orth

y cau

se. Donatio

ns receiv

ed fro

m th

e sale of B

ud

dy P

op

pies are u

sed to

help

need

y v

eterans an

d th

eir families.

Nam

e to b

e disp

layed

on P

oppy C

ard:

___________________________________

____

___

___

__

__

___

__

__

__

__

__

_____

__

___

__

Your N

ame: _

______________________

____

__

_____

___

__

____

___

___

__

_____

___

__

__

Telep

hone N

um

ber_

__________________

____

__

____

Mem

orial? Y

es___ N

o___

Than

k y

ou fo

r your w

arm an

d g

enero

us d

onatio

n, V

FW

Po

st 25

03

Bud

dy P

op

py C

hairm

an

This year we took a break from sell-

ing fireworks, and as we re-group

and think about how to apply next

year, I am thinking how proud I

would feel if the VFW found an

American made source of fireworks

to sell. Eventually somebody else

will come up with the idea, and beat

us to the punch, unless we set the

example first. And, how great it

would be if we veterans - who stand

up for freedom abroad, could also

find a way to stand up for freedom

here at home! I understand that I

don't even know if we can find a

domestic source anymore, but I

think it would be a worthy effort.

And if we can find one, and get ap-

proved, maybe we can start a really

nice trend.

Sincerely,

Dennis Kerr, Post 2503 Chaplain

Honor Guard Captain

Post 2503 is fortunate to have a very

active Honor Guard. We were

proud to have 13 members of the

Honor Guard participating in the

Ralston 4th of July Parade. We

were joined by a contingent of the

Ladies Auxiliary. Thank you all.

Chuck Wolf,

Honor Guard Captain

Cootie Corner

3rd Thursday, 7:30 pm, Cootie

Meeting at Post 2503

3rd Monday, 6:30 pm, Bingo at

ENVH

Seam Squirrel Gary Steckelberg

Cootie President

Dorothy Steckelberg

Summer is here, and the Blondo Bin-

go Hall is the perfect place to be. Join

your friends for Bingo. The A/C is

on. Bring your friends on Wednes-

days at 7 pm and on Saturdays at

1 pm. You can support the Post by

playing Bingo and the same Pickles

you play at the Post.

Chaplain’s Message

I love fireworks. There is a lot of

good advice available about keeping

your body safe. Keep a bucket of

water and sand, and a fire extinguish-

er nearby. Wear cotton clothing, as it

is less flammable, and will not melt

to the skin. And children should al-

ways be supervised.

However, as Chaplain I think of

keeping our souls safe also. Many of

the fireworks, in our time, are pro-

duced in foreign sulfur mines and

factories where the workers do not

have the freedom of religion. When

we celebrate freedom with these fire-

works, it feels like trying to

“celebrate a wedding anniversary,

alone at a singles bar.” Neither of

these situations can be safe and

healthy for the soul.

3

to remind all of you that we are in

need of volunteers for a number of

projects. Some of which do not re-

quire a lot of time and others that are

more involved. Whatever your time

constraints or skill levels are, we can

use your help! Also a reminder to

keep recruiting as your number one

goal. You have my sincere thanks

R. L. Brown, Commander

Auxiliary—Homeless

Sleeping Mats Thank you everyone working on the

plastic mats for the homeless. Please

consider joining us on Thursday after-

noons from 1—3 pm., or cut and link

at home and drop them off at the Post

at your convenience Shirley Duis

Flag Star Cards

Three years ago when I started mak-

ing flag star cards, I had no idea how

far reaching they would go, and how

they would be valued. The last sever-

al months have been eye opening.

In December 2013, I received an e-

mail from a veteran in South Carolina

asking where he could get the enve-

lopes, so he could make the cards

himself. He had attended a reunion a

few months earlier and had been giv-

en a card. I did some investigating

and found that our Post Commander

had brought them to the reunion.

In January 2014, I was contacted by

Mr Jim Meier. He had gotten a card

from All Flags, etc. The owner, Scott

Kesick, has them available for his

customers. Jim is a motivational

speaker and asked for 100 cards to

give to people who were attending a

conference at which he was scheduled

to talk. After the conference I re-

ceived two requests for more star

cards. Jim was also involved in or-

ganizing a dinner and a program for

(Continued from page 1)

(Continued on page 4)

iliary meetings which are held the

first Thursday of the month and be a

part of this fantastic group, however

do not have transportation to the

Post we can arrange to pick you up.

The meeting starts at 6:30pm.

Please don’t hesitate to call me or

let another Auxiliary member know.

I am looking forward to another

fantastic year. Come join us!

Let’s all continue to move forward

and be proud of our accomplish-

ments!

Please keep all our Troops, families

and Veterans in your prayers.

Sincerely,

President, Kathy ‘Tiger’ Thielen

From the Kitchen

Winners for the free meal were

Mary Vankat, Lois Peyton, Dave

Thompson, Ruth Cafferty and Larry

Leonard. Congratulations and

thanks for supporting the Post.

One Wednesday of each month the

Post will be providing a dessert to

celebrate all birthdays for that

month. A special way to say

THANK YOU and HAPPY

BIRTHDAY! We will celebrate all

birthdays in August on the 27th..

Please come to the Post, enjoy a

great meal and have a piece of cake

on us.

Please plan to join us at the Post for

Basket Night on Friday, August 22.

We will be serving Wing, Shrimp,

Chicken Strip and Fish Baskets.

Drink prices are discounted from

5:00 to 7:00pm.

Also, on August 14, Thirsty Thurs-

day we will be serving Tacos, Tor-

tilla chips with salsa or Cinnamon

Sugar Chips. Breakfast will be

served on Sunday, August 17.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOL-

UNTEERS. YOU DO A FANTAS-

TIC JOB!

If there is a food item you would

like to see on the menu let me

(Continued from page 1) know. I am open to suggestions.

The Post is looking for volunteers to

help out on the nights food is served.

There are plenty different things you

can do from writing tickets to serv-

ing food. Everyone is welcome.

We have fun. You may call me at

402-572-0651 or the Post at 402-571

-8397 or leave a note at the bar.

Keep in mind on HAMBURGER

NIGHT that hamburgers, chicken

sandwiches and fish will always be

served. The menu on the calendar is

the SPECIAL for that day.

Please remember to fill out a ticket

for a chance to win a free meal.

Thank you for all your support. To-

gether we do make a difference.

Please thank our Veterans and keep

our members, families and Troops in

your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Kathy ‘Tiger’ Thielen and the Crews

Information from the

Quartermaster

I am beginning to get my feet on the

ground, and I’d like to thank every-

one for their help, offers of assis-

tance and advise. As the Post Com-

mander said, we are still looking for

someone with accounting experi-

ence in the tax area. The officers

have met with several candidates,

but unfortunately we have not found

the perfect fit. As our Jr Vice would

say: “The ideal candidate would

already know our financial program,

and be able to clone themselves and

work from home and the Post at the

same time.” What we are finding, is

a talented pool of candidates who

are still employed full time, and

would have to fit us in around their

job. It’s the familiar conundrum:

We at least initially need unlimited

access and service but we have lim-

ited funds. Your officers are still

working on this, and if you have any

ideas, share them with us.

Bob Bragg, Quartermaster

4

Gold Star families. I found out

later that he was the principle

speaker. I happily supplied 300

cards for the dinner. Later I re-

ceived a thank you e-mail from Pat

Mracek, President of the Nebraska

Gold Star Mothers.

March brought an e-mail from a

Viet Nam veteran living in Minne-

sota. He asked to trade 450 stars

for 400 prepared cards. He and his

wife will be going to three military

reunions this year. Their first one

was in April and later I have re-

ceived one request for 100 cards

and another for 50.

I have been told that 150 flag star

cards were taken to Normandy for

the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. I

also have a request for 500 cards to

be taken to the Nebraksa Viet Nam

Veterans reunion in August.

If you haven’t seen it, there is now

a box on the table as you come in

to the Post home, filled with the

flag star cards. I will keep it filled,

so take as many as you can give

away. Don’t hesitate to ask if you

need a large quantity.

Next month I will tell you how two

cards were worth $170. Robert Ekdahl

roe91239@gmail.com

402-496-0688

Auxiliary Chaplain’s News

Auxiliary Sisters: Please inform

Auxiliary Chaplain Marcia Jones

402-926-2648 of any ill or de-

ceased Auxiliary member.

Any Auxiliary member IN GOOD

STANDING, may request that the

Auxiliary Chaplain have a memori-

al service upon their passing.

Please inform your families so the

Auxiliary Chaplain or Auxiliary

President may make these arrange-

ments.

JOIN US ON:

AUGUST 22nd FOR

SHRIMP/CHICKEN

STRIP/FISH/

CHICKEN WING

BASKETS WITH

FRIES

$6.50

5:30—7:00 PM

Come early for

Happy Hour

Buddy Poppies

The Buddy Poppy “season”

began on Veteran’s Day. Our

Post has been generous as al-

ways. Thank you to all who

participate, your care and com-

passion for our fellow veterans

and their families is abundant-

ly evident, as are your dona-

tions. A response form is on

page 2. Cut it out and send it to

me at the Post.

Bob Fenton, Chairman

Coming Soon!!

Craft Show

18 October

More information

to follow.

Point of Contact

is

Linda Humphrey

402-571-4178

5

A

ug

us

t 20

14

Hot B

eef Sandw

ich/M

ashed Potatoes/G

ravy/G

reen Beans or C

hili Dog

S

oup – Chili

Crew

—S

hirley Schaefer

Th

e Beer o

f the

Mo

nth

for A

ug

ust is

Sam

uel A

dam

s

Spaghetti/S

alad/Bread or

Pork T

enderloin S

oup – Broccoli C

heese

Crew

—P

at Petersen

Chicken F

ried Chicken/

Mashed P

otatoes/Gravy/

Corn or C

hicken Strip B

asket S

oup – Cream

of Potato

Cabin C

rew

Hum

dingers

Chicken and N

oodles over M

ashed Potatoes/

Peas or Italian sausage or

Brat w

ith Sauerkraut

Soup – V

egetable Beef

Crew

— Jan D

avis

6

V.F.W. Post 2503

8904 Military Road

Omaha, NE 68134

Address Service Requested Non-Profit Org

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit #610

Omaha, NE

See Inside Bob Fields Appearing Basket Night Happy Hours Thirsty Thursday Post Breakfast NE Viet Nam Veterans Reunion

14-17 August, Norfolk

From Your Honor Guard Captain Chuck Wolf

MILITARY RITES: June 2014

Military Members

Deceased Cemetery Members 06/04/14 Robert Patterson Evergreen 5

06/09/14 Henry Supenski St Mary Magdalene 7

06/10/14 Wenfred Knoffler Forest Lawn 8

06/13/14 James Brown Forest Lawn 7

06/14/14 John Merryweather Calvary 11

06/14/14 Ed Hammell Hillcrest 10

06/16/14 Edward Chadwell Hillcrest 7

06/17/14 Lewis Cimino St Margaret Mary 9

06/19/14 Leslie Don Reed Rockbrook Methodist 9

06/20/14 Terrance Lessig Hillcrest 7

06/20/14 Gregory Spung Shepard Chapel 1

06/23/14 Joseph Corritore Heafey Chapel 9

06/23/14 Dwayne Workman Graceland 8

06/23/14 Norman Dixon Calvary 8

06/24/14 Gary Young Mt Hope 4

06/27/14 Fredrick Johnson Sr Hillcrest 10

06/28/14 Carl Bertch Bramen Chapel 6

06/30/14 Peter J Jeffery Calvary 5

Funerals 18 Members 131 Hours 393

Post Member *

June 2014

In memory of our unknown

comrades

NOTICE: All articles should be in the Newsletter Box, IN WRIT-ING, at the Post no later than August 9th. If ar ticles are not sub-mitted by the deadline, they will have to wait for the next newsletter. We try to have the newsletter to the printers by the Friday following the meetings. If changes need to be made after the meetings, articles can be amended. When your article is late, the Newsletter is late to all our members. Please use a full sheet of paper. Little pieces of paper can get lost. Thank you

CLUB HOURS

Monday Closed

Tuesday thru Thursday 3:00 pm—10:00 pm

Friday 3:00 pm—10:00 pm

Saturday Noon—11:00 pm

Sunday Noon—8:00 pm

PHONE: 402-571-8397

The Post is selling Memorial Bricks

around the memorial walk and flag.

Bob Fenton, Chairman

Memorial Bricks are being sold by

Post 2503 to be put around the outside

Name _______________________________________________ Please Print

Phone # ________________________________________ WORDS ON BRICK

Line 1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 Line 2 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 Line 3 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1

Checks Only—No Cash Return this form to the Post

of the Memorial flag pole. These bricks will cost $60.00 each.

They will be for VFW, Auxiliary, AMVET & Auxiliary members,

their families and people they sponsor. They will be memorials for

living or deceased people. They will be ordered once a year on

April 1st, for installation by Memorial Day each year. Max 16 spac-

es per line, 3 lines, cost $60.00 per brick.

7