Post 501 August 2021 Newsletter
Commanders Corner: It was great to be back at City Hall for our monthly meetings. The meeting room we had was large enough to accommodate a bigger than usual attendance. I am really glad that we are attracting new attendees to our monthly meetings. This just makes our Post stronger with different voices to help us plan our direction over the next year. Let keep up this trend.
Membership Update: To start the 2022 membership year we are at 157 members strong at our Post. As far 70 members have renewed their membership for 2022. That is a great start. As a reminder the membership year runs 1 July through 30 June. Let’s start today and renew your membership at www.legion.org.
Poppy Days – 10-12 Sept 21: As a Post we decided in the beginning of the year to partner with VFW Post 9024 in conducting our annual Poppy Days. Our May joint Poppy Days was a rousing success as we collected over $17,000, which far exceeded what we did in Sept 20 and our biggest donations in a long time. With splitting the proceeds between the two Posts we have to do Poppy Days twice to maintain the level of income we need to continue support of the Woodbury JrROTC, scholarships, Legion baseball, Boys State, and other donations throughout the Woodbury community.
Shortly an email will be sent out requesting for volunteers to help staff the six stores that we were at in May. Without the help of our members, we cannot make this happen and have the same type of success that we had earlier this year. I know that we all are busy, but I am hoping that you can carve out some time to do a shift or two over the 10-12 Sept timeframe.
Boys State 2021: As you know this year’s American Legion Boys State was held on June 13-18, 2021 on the campus of St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. We had the great honor, at our July monthly meeting, to hear from 2 of our selectees that we sent to Boys State. Max Feist & Matt Korf had wonderful and memorable experiences interacting with the other young men at Boys State and learning & participating in the governmental process. Max was elected as the MN Secretary of State and Matt was elected to the House of Representatives from the city of St Paul. We could not have two finer young men representing our Post at Boys State.
Volunteer Hours: One of the measures that the Posts get recognized each year is the amount of volunteer hours our members serve throughout the year. We normally collect this information from the members that attend our monthly meetings. I know that there are a lot more members that volunteer on a weekly basis that we need to gather information from. If you volunteer at an organization such as, a local charity, youth programs, VA home, etc., I would ask that you send me your hours at the end of each month to dolanrp@verizon.net or call 703-851-5416.
Upcoming Events
- · 9 Aug – Woodbury Lions Golf Tournament: Join us for the 11th Annual Woodbury Lions Golf Tournament in Memory of Dick Stafford August 9, 2021. We will have a great day of golf at the beautiful Eagle Valley Golf Course. The event will include box lunch, range balls, putting contest, a 4-person scramble, silent auction and a special post tournament event following the golf. Proceeds from this event have helped build and maintain the Woodbury Lions Veterans Memorial. Players sign up HERE!
https://www.planmygolfevent.com/cgi/page.cgi?_id=367588
· 10 Aug - Joint Veterans Picnic: In giving back to our members the Woodbury Legion and VFW Posts will be jointly hosting our Joint Veterans Picnic on 10 August, 5:00 to 09:00 pm, at Carver Lake Park. We were not able to hold the picnic last year, which it will make this year’s event even more special. The picnic is free and open to all Legion & VFW members and their families. If you plan on attending let me know as we are trying to get an accurate head count. Hope to see you there.
- · 22 Aug – Woodbury Days Parade: Everyone loves a parade and your American Legion Post 501 and VFW Post 9024 will be in this year’s Woodbury Days parade. If you would like to be part of our float let me know. More information on this year’s Woodbury Days can be seen on Home - Woodbury Days
- · 26 Aug – Woodbury Post 501 Monthly Meeting: The Posts August meeting will be held at the Woodbury City Hall in the Ash North (main floor) conference room at 7pm.
This Month in History – Purple Heart Day – 7 Aug 2021
On August 7, Purple Heart Day, the nation pauses to acknowledge and remember the sacrifices made by brave people in the military.
The Purple Heart medal is presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the U.S. military. A Purple Heart is a solemn distinction and means a service member has greatly sacrificed themselves, or paid the ultimate price, while in the line of duty.
According to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, more than 1.8 million Purple Heart medals have been presented to service members since the award was created in 1782.
In honor of Purple Heart Day, here are four facts about the history of the Purple Heart Medal and its recipients:
1. The Purple Heart is the Oldest Military Award Still Presented to American Service Members: The Purple Heart’s first predecessor, the Fidelity Medallion, was created in 1780 by the Continental Congress, but was only awarded to three soldiers that year. Two years later, in 1782, President George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit. Because the Fidelity Medallion was never again bestowed, it is generally thought of as commemorative, and the Badge of Military Merit is instead considered to be the first U.S. military decoration and the Purple Heart’s predecessor.
2. One of the First Military Medals Given to all Ranks: In the years before 1782, when the Purple Heart’s predecessor, the Badge of Military Merit, was first created, most military awards were only given to officers who had secured grand victories in battle. The Badge of Military Merit, now known as the Purple Heart, was truly a military medal by the people, of the people: it was one of the first awards in military history that could be given to lower-ranking, enlisted soldiers or non-commissioned officers for their outstanding service.
3. Who Received the First Purple Heart in U.S. History? During the Revolutionary War, Continental Army soldiers William Brown and Elijah Churchill were the first soldiers to receive the Badge of Military Merit, the predecessor to the Purple Heart. Brown was most likely bestowed the honor for his service during the Siege of Yorktown, while Churchill was recognized for his gallantry at a battle near Fort St. George on Long Island.4. The First Woman: In 1942, Army Lt. Annie G. Fox became the first woman to receive a Purple Heart for her heroic actions during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fox, who was serving as the chief nurse at Hickam Field, Hawaii, remained calm throughout the attack on Pearl Harbor and her hospital, and successfully directed hospital staff to tend to the wounded as they came in from harbor. Courage isn't having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don't have strength.
