Commanders' Message

My message to you is "All Hands On Deck!" Thanks to our Navy and Coast Guard brethren, such a "call" was made for everyone on the team to be available, come forward, be quick, and come together to be strong during a challenge or task. "All Hands On Deck" almost always delivers success because overwhelming forces work in unison with esprit de corps. That is the American way! That is the military way! At Post 52, our greatest challenge, in my opinion, is maintaining, growing, and having a membership base that participates in our activities. We are not at 100% membership. We have not yet recruited and gained new members above those we lost to Post Everlasting for the past 3-years.

We just had a Brunswick Stew fundraiser where we had so few members helping prep, cook, and sell the stew that if it were not for Post 52's friend, Scout Rebecca McPhetridge (daughter of Legionnaire Todd McPhetridge), my arm would have gone numb stirring that pot for 3+ hours continuously. Yes, that is how difficult that stew fundraiser was, with even less than the usual skeleton crew of dedicated Legionnaires making it happen. I understand no one Legionnaire can attend and participate in every event throughout the year. We all have different schedules, priorities, and emergencies, but for the life of our Post, I ask you all to look a little deeper into your commitment "wallet" in 2024. A healthy Post is an active Post. An active Post is a healthy Post. We are that. Let's not tire out our Post Executive Committee and rely only on those dedicated individuals to shoulder the burden of executing the Post's events. I welcome a call or an email from all of you saying, "I am here; how can I help?" and we can put you into service.

A G.I. Party is one of the next opportunities for service to your Post! We will be stripping, cleaning, and polishing the Legion Hall floor on February 5-8, starting at 8:00 am each day. It takes multiple days to complete the task because only half the floor can be worked daily, and drying must occur. Volunteers are needed to give 1-2 hours of service on one or more of these days. If you can help, please call or text Steve Ijames at (919) 727-0087 or email him at stephen.ijames@gmail.com.

Our next fundraiser needs to be on your calendar. Our traditional Good Friday (March 29) fish fry will occur at 11:00 am. The PEC has voted to remove oysters from the menu due to soaring costs and a fragile profit margin. We hope the community will understand our efforts to keep their costs reasonable and our profit worthy of the volunteer effort it takes to make such a fundraiser happen. Your help is needed to prep the food on Thursday, March 28, at 1:00 pm, as well as the day of the plate sale, which starts at 9:00 am. The plate sale lasts till either sold out or 7:00 pm. It is a long day, so your help is essential. Please give 1, 2, or 3+ hours, especially in the evening when glory is gone and clean-up is all left for only a few remaining folks.

I also encourage you to attend the Department's Mid-Winter Conference on February 15-17 at the North Raleigh Hilton. This event is for all Legionnaires, not just Post Officers or Legionnaires serving on a Department committee. Attend the conference to learn how The American Legion works and meet other Legionnaires who, like you, make a difference at their Post.

Finally, I started my message off a bit harshly with reality. As your Commander, I felt all needed to understand Post 52's membership situation in both renewals (1^st Vice Commander will elaborate) and participation. Know that I am genuinely thankful for each of you. We can all do more, including myself, to make Post 52 an even greater success. Please make that donation out of your volunteer "wallet" in 2024. It is greatly appreciated!

Chris Smith, Commander Post 52 - csmithforest@gmail.com

Vice-Commander's Report

Fellow Legionnaires, we continue our membership drive with positive results; however, we still have 43 members who have not renewed, and as of February 1, they are placed in suspended status until they renew. As suspended, these folks no longer have any rights as post members. This is not acceptable! We must do everything possible to encourage these members to renew their memberships and regain good standing in Post 52. Those members working on the not renewed list who find themselves talking to or visiting with legionnaires who are not willing to renew for whatever reason should refer those names and contact information to the Post Commander or the 1^st Vice-Commander for resolution right away. Since we are in February now, we must make a tremendous effort to reach our goal of 100% membership.

Mike Donnelly, 1^st Vice Commander

Chaplains' Corner

I hope all had a Safe and Happy beginning to the New Year. I hope your time with family and friends during New Year's was a good time to share and reflect on the year past, what we can do better in the New Year, and to count our many blessings.

The year is now 2024, and I wanted to share several scriptures to reflect on as we embark on a New Year.

Ecclesiastes 3 - "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot; A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build; A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance; A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away; A time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak; A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

Please pray for the families of the soldiers who were just KIA and their families. Always pray for those who have served and those still serving our nation in the Armed Forces, first responders, law enforcement, firefighters, and their families.

I pray that the New Year brings you Health, Happiness, and Peace.

Harvey Satterwhite, Chaplain

Auxiliary Unit 52 Report

Thank you to everyone who attended our Christmas Tea party on Sunday 01/07/2014. Check out the Unit 52 Facebook page to see pictures from the event. https://www.facebook.com/NCALA52

Our American Legion Oratorical Contest candidate, Victoria Sema, has done very well. She has won at the Post level and the District level. More importantly, her material and her delivery have improved with every competition. The Division I contest is on 2/3/24 in Roanoke Rapids.

At our next meeting, on February 15^th at 6:30 pm, we will finalize plans for the breakfast we will serve to the Post on Saturday, 2/24/24. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like to participate in the Breakfast preparations, cooking, or serving, please send an email to our Unit email box - alaunit52franklintonnc@gmail.com – and one of the members of our Unit Executive Committee will coordinate with you.

We will begin planning more Sew Days to get back to our quilting and crafts. Please let us know if you are interested so we can schedule dates and times that work for most people.

In the Spirit of Service, not Self,
Velinda Moore, Unit 52 President

Annual Awards Banquet
and 105^th Legion Birthday
Celebration

Saturday, March 16^th, 6pm

We will award and recognize the following honorees:

• Emergency Medical Technician
• Fire Service Officer
• Law Enforcement Officer
• Community Service
• Legionnaire of the Year

We need you to be there on the 16^th of March to show our appreciation for these men and women who serve our community.

Fish Plates Fundraiser

Post 52 will sell fish plates ($10) on Friday, March 29^th, from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Legionnaires will prepare for the fundraiser on Thursday, March 28^th, at 1 pm; all help is welcome with the cooking/serving on the 29^th. All who can help are needed, 8 am to 8 pm.

Need assistance dealing with the Veterans' Administration? Contact our Franklin County Veterans' Service Officer, Brenda Wilkins,
at 919 496-1939.