The Henry G. Fix Post 23 meeting opened on Thursday, December 7th at 7:58 pm. The meeting was opened by Commander Beth Welch with a salute to the Colors, POW/MIA observance, the Pledge of Allegiance, and Preamble to the American Legion Constitution. Chaplain Meyers offered an opening prayer. 26 members were present. Patrick Waltman, a Marine Corp Veteran and his wife attended as special guests.
The minutes of the previous meeting were presented and approved. The finance and social reports were approved. Bills were approved for payment.
Service Officer Nancy Grandy reported that sympathy cards were sent to the families of James Croston and Randy Rueland. A thinking of you card was sent to Don Wagner. A get well card was sent to Tim Grandy after his surgery. Nancy Grandy handed out the Post 23 Newsletter for December. A special thanks once again to Nancy for a top-notch, quality product that shows what is happening in our Post!
The membership report was given by Jon Schmidt. He reported that our 2024 goal is 204. For 2024 we currently have a total of 171 members at this point. This puts us at 84% of our goal already! Our January goal from State is 80%. Great teamwork by the Post and Go-getters to be at the current level.
Bob Bennett reported that the Garretson School had the Veterans Day program on Friday, November 10th at 2:15 pm. There was a nice turn out of Veterans and an excellent program by the school. Many Veterans also ate lunch with the students during the week. There is now a possible candidate for the Legion Oratory Contest.
The Legislative Officer reported that the Legislative Round Table took place at the DAV on November 15th with not many requests for legislation. The Color Guard will provide honors for Randy Rueland on January 6th at the funeral home. The baseball report from Brian Siemonsma include preparation of looking over uniforms to see what will be needed for the upcoming season.
The Wall Upgrade Committee will report to the Executive Committee on final options. Commander Welch has several hats, polo shirts, and t-shirt options for Post 23 clothing sales. The Post 23 Veteran’s Day Program took place on Saturday, November 11th with a social hour starting at 6 pm, with the meal at 7 pm. Gary Lyngen, Marty Luebke, and Jim Kurtz spoke from the heart on their recent Honor Flight trip. It was great to hear all of the positive reviews, and how the program is providing honor to Veterans in our community and across the region.
A future dues increase was discussed. A motion passed to raise the Post 23 dues effective July of 2024 to $45. Our Post will serve breakfast for the Garretson Hometown Christmas on Saturday, December 9th. There will also be a vendor fair at the Legion that afternoon, and the Garretson Fire Department will host bingo from 6 pm to 8:30 at the Legion Post. Post 23 will have a float in the parade that evening headed by Andy Lyngen.
Our next Post meeting will be Thursday, January 4th. The meeting will be at 8 pm with the meal starting at 7:00 pm. The next Post breakfast will be on December 9th with a meal of pancakes to support the Garretson Hometown Christmas. The Department Mid-Winter Conference will be held February 16th through 18th in Deadwood.
Brian Siemonsma brought discussion about using the building next year after the four home football games. Other communities have successfully had events to build camaraderie, community and team spirit. It would be a two hour social event with an open bar and the entire community involved. The Post members present encouraged this idea. Brian has already spoken with the football coach and will work details with Gary Lyngen.
Our Post approved the annual Christmas Party and Popcorn Fund donation of $100 to each for the Veterans Hospital. Rex Tollefson brought up the possibility of getting Wreaths Across American into the Garretson area. Discussion followed. Midwest Honor Flight currently does the State Veterans Cemetery. District Commander Andy Lyngen presented Post 23 Commander Beth Welch the 2022-2023 National Americanism Award.
The monthly raffle drawing for December took place. The winners were: Paula Nussbaum, Tom Dubbelde, Kayli Coburn, and Karen Lanoue. Each will receive $150. Commander Beth Welch closed the meeting with the usual ceremony at 9:18 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
-Mark Wiesner,
Post 23 Historian
