Volume 49, Issue 2

Sauls-Bridges American

Legion Post 13 News

FEBRUARY 2014

T13 Baseball

2

Chili Cook-Off 3

Chaplain’s Corner 3

Auxiliary President’s

Report

4

Auxiliary Projects 5

Veterans In Need

Follow-up

6

Do You Know?

6

Calendar 7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

FREEDOM IS NOT AN ACCIDENT--IT IS THE PURPOSE

HONORING THE FOUR CHAPLAINS

2 February at 2:00pm

A ceremony will be held on Sunday, honoring the Four Chaplains who

gave their lives on Feb. 3, 1943, to save troops after their ship had been

torpedoed. The USAT Dorchester was headed to Greenland with 920 men

aboard, when it was torpedoed and went down, carrying 668 men to their

deaths in the icy waters. The ship was listing and rapidly sinking in the

darkness after being slammed by two torpedo blasts. Panic. After all

available life jackets had been given to the men, the four chaplains each

gave their life jacket to save others. These four men have been honored

nationally for their unselfish deeds. Each February, we honor them with

a very distinctive ceremony which recognizes only a few for their caring.

THE POST EVERLASTING CEREMONY Immediately following the Four Chaplains Ceremony, the Post will con-

duct the Post Everlasting Ceremony honoring Post 13 members who

passed away in 2013. We respectfully ask family members and friends,

and Legion members, to join with us as we honor our comrades. These

members have faithfully served, and we honor each as they are trans-

ferred to the Post Everlasting. This is an impressive ceremony, as a final

salute is given for our comrades.

NW District 2 Oratorical Contest

In Tallahassee, we have a speech contestant, Daniel Mangan from John Paul II High School. Daniel

gave a fresh look at our Constitution. Daniel is in competition to win an $18,000 1st place, or

$16,000 2nd place or $14,000 3rd place scholarship at the national level.

This is a Learning and Earning Process that is worthy of your time, present and future. There are

several levels of compensation that a contestant may be awarded. Daniel’s next step is to compete in

the District finals February 15th. Contestants in the district finals come from Havana and Tallahas-

see. The Oratory Contest will begin at 9:45am Saturday in the parlor of Saint Paul’s United Method-

ist Church. The area finals will be Feb. 22nd in Pensacola. Area contestants who do not advance to

the state finals will receive $100.

The four judges from Tallahassee were a minister, a former state worker, a software engineer, and a

staff member from the Tallahassee Democrat. You may see past speeches at www.floridalegion.org

and get more information for your student to try for scholarship money We encourage students to try

for a scholarship while a freshman and compete each year of high school. Participants may be

awarded money each year at different levels at the same time.

For more information, contact Lynette Halter at 407-952-5570.

PAGE 2 SAULS-BRIDGES AMERICAN LEGION POST 13 NEWS VOLUME 49, ISSUE 2

EVERY DAY IS VETERANS DAY!

Volunteer Opportunities for Leon

County Homeless Point--In--Time

Count for Housing and Health Survey

One hundred volunteers (100) are needed

to assist in taking a survey of homeless

individuals living in unsheltered and shel-

tered locations in and around Leon Coun-

ty.

This annual survey is being conducted by

Big Bend Homeless Coalition and all vol-

unteers must attend the mandatory

training class on Sunday 01/26/2014 start-

ing at 2:00 and ending at 5:00 PM in their

Hope Community Cafeteria located on

Community Way (same street where the

Sheriff’s office is located off West Pensaco-

la St.) Applications must be completed

and returned to Big Bend Homeless Coali-

tion, located at 2729 West Pensacola St.,

prior to the Sunday 1/26 meeting.

The actual survey will start Monday,

01/27 and end Wednesday 01/29 with two

shifts each day, starting at 530 AM to 900

AM and 530 PM ending at 900 PM.

Last year this annual survey identified

1078 individuals, [18% = 159 {135 men &

24 females, claimed to be Veterans} and

special efforts were made for possible as-

sistance later from the VA to these Vets.]

Also, volunteers are needed to enter com-

puter data and as photographers to record

camp sites and survey teams. For specific

details please call Amanda Willkie @ 850-

576-5566 ext. 6128.

Finally if you decide to volunteer and will

be doing interviews, please wear some

garment/cap or hat that ID’S you as a Vet-

eran. I have found that it helps getting

information from the person being sur-

veyed, if he or she knows you are a Veter-

an.

----Submitted by Bob James

Tallahassee Post 13 Baseball

“Games are won by small things executed in

a professional manner.”

Post 13,

Thank you again for your sponsorship of this

year’s Tallahassee Post 13 American Legion

baseball team. T13 will play over 50 games

this summer, including regionals and hope-

fully, the State Tournament. As you well

know, American Legion baseball is an out-

standing program that certain players would

miss were it not for the contributions of our

post.

The 2014 schedule is shaping up to be a good

one with tournaments in Fort Myers, Sara-

sota, Troy, Tuscaloosa, Panama City, Dothan,

Tampa, and others. It will take a lot of work

and commitment--on all of our parts--but as

always, I anticipate these boys being up for it.

Please know that the $1,500 donation provid-

ed by Post 13 will defray costs for league reg-

istration and insurance, tournament registra-

tion, uniforms, balls, umpires, field rentals,

and certain equipment as needed, that other-

wise would have to come from players, who as

we have discussed, do not have it. It is great-

ly needed and we cannot thank you enough

for it.

On a sad note, I wanted you to know that one

of our players, Tanner Treadway, was killed

in January in a single car accident on I-10

within a few minutes of his home. It is be-

yond me how his family will be able to get

through this. His father, Doug, has done a lot

for the program. Our prayers to his family

and friends.

Sincerely,

Wes Singletary, Coach

Tallahassee Post 13 Baseball

____***Your contributions to our team are

needed. Please mark checks, “Post 13 Base-

ball.”

PAGE 3 SAULS-BRIDGES AMERICAN LEGION POST 13 NEWS VOLUME 49, ISSUE 2

The Chaplain’s

Corner

by Bob Wray,

WE NOW HAVE FREEDOM---LET’S KEEP IT--WHATEVER IT TAKES

Ray Stallings Annual Chili

Cook-off Social time January 23. The annual Chili

Cook-off is next Thursday. Members are

asked to prepare their own special chili to

bring to the event.

Each entry will be judged by our panel of

experts, and the winner will be presented

with the roving trophy. But the real win-

ners are those of us that can socialize

with friends until the cooks’ labor of love

is served up.

We have been treated to many pots of de-

licious chili over the years---some spicy

and some not-so-spicy, so there is always

a pot of chili to suit everyone’s taste. We

will also have salads and desserts. Now--

-bring your pot and join us for another

pleasant event.

We look forward to beginning our socials

in 2014, on the 4th Thursday of each

month, with Legion enthusiasm. These

events are well attended and camarade-

rie abounds. Food, other than chili, will

also be served.

Our Supreme Commander: we pray You will

motivate all of us, veterans, their families and

their friends, to come to the two memorial ser-

vices at the Post on Sunday, February 2nd at

2pm. The first will memorialize the Four

Chaplains who gave their lives in 1943, as

they saved many recruits. They demonstrate

to all of us, even today, the true meaning of

the Golden Rule and the true meaning of con-

duct “above the call of duty.” The following

ceremony is Post Everlasting, honoring our

Post 13 veterans who died in 2013.

We also pray You will inculcate us with ever-

lasting respect for our Korean War veterans

and the war they fought. In the 60th anniver-

sary of the Korean armistices', in 2013, we

have remembered in these prayers, some of

the battles they fought---Pusan, Inchon,

Chosin, Heartbreak Ridge and Porkchop Hill.

Oh Lord, help us NEVER forget the FOR-

GOTTEN WAR:

Why have they forgotten?

Will someone let me know.

We fought through out the summer

And through out the winter snow.

We were just young Americans,

Sent off to fight a war.

But after it was over,

We heard of it no more.

The BORNE

This monument

at 229 Lake Ella

Drive on Lake

Ella is actually a

marker from

“Liberty Way”

road in Brou,

France. It was

presented to FL

Gov. Fuller War-

ren by France on Feb. 11, 1949. The

Sauls-Bridges Post 13 of the Ameri-

can Legion placed the marker at this

location in 1998: The French inscrip-

tion, translated, reads, “Thank you

soldiers and people of America.”

MEMBERSHIP You can help: Ask a Veter-

an to join the legion.

MURPHY’S LAWS OF COMBAT The im-

portant things are always simple.

THE POWER OF SALT A dash of salt im-

proves the taste of coffee.

PAGE 4 VOLUME 49, I SSUE 2

Auxiliary News

President’s Corner

Theresa Briggs,

Unit 13 President

Subject: Christmas Stockings

All,

Greetings from the Arabian Sea and Operation Endur-ing Freedom. I wanted to belatedly thank you for the Christmas stockings you and so many of your Helper Elves put together for deployed service members. For more than half of my Sailors, this is the first Christmas that they have spent away from friends and family. These young men and women deployed in July 2013 for what is anticipated to be 9 months away from home port. For us “old guys and gals” (as the young Sailors call us) who have been around for a while, we have experienced deployments ranging from 6 to 10 months but I can say they are never easy.

Having a little taste of home, which you kind people provided, was truly priceless. Watching everyone open their stocking and seeing the smiles on their faces made me remember yet again that we owe you (those we leave behind and those we may never know) so much for your kindness, generosity and time. Your efforts to show your appreciation for our service can only be matched by the response I witnessed on your behalf and were truly heartwarming.

I look forward to my next visit to Tallahassee when I hope to meet as many of you as possible to offer my thanks in person. Until then, fair winds and following seas.

Humbly yours,

CAPTAIN ED GETTINS

CTF 50 Operations Officer

Embarked in USS HARRY S TRUMAN (CVN 75)

COMCARSTRKGRU TEN N3

Edward.gettins@cvn75.navy.mil

Edward.gettins@cvn75.navy.smil.mil

LADIES,

This month, I am pleased to relinquish my column to the

letter of thanks, printed below, from Captain Ed Gettins,

of the USS Harry S. Truman, in response to their receipt

of Unit 13’s Christmas stockings.

Captain Ed Gettins of the USS Harry S. Truman holds a

Christmas stocking sent to his ship by ALA Unit 13.

Crew of the USS Truman enjoy their Christmas stockings

filled and shipped by Unit 13. Stockings were provided by

Abbey Funeral Home and Tallahassee Memory Gardens.

PAGE 5 VOLUME 49, ISSUE 2 Auxiliary News

TEAM WORK IS PRODUCTIVE--TRY IT! MORALE IS ALWAYS A FACTOR

AUXILIARY CHAPLAIN’S PRAYER

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: On Saturday,

March 1st the unit will host an “indoor

yard sale” at the Post. Anyone interested

in participating should contact the unit at

alaunit13@gmail.com for registration infor-

mation. Tables are limited; rental cost is

$20.00/table. Baked goods and lunch will be

available for purchase. See you at the social.

Theresa Briggs, Unit 13 & 2nd District

President

President’s Corner

January came with a bang! The cold

weather resulted in several members being

“under the weather.” Hope everyone is re-

covering.

The Auxiliary has a busy schedule for the

next couple of months. First, is the Chili

cook-off on Thursday, Jan. 23rd. The

Auxiliary will be serving hot dogs at the

cook-off and providing deserts. A picture

of the purse included in the raffle basket is

shown (on the right). On February 2nd we

join the Post for the Four Chaplains cere-

mony. Finger foods will be appreciated.

The Christmas meal project was a success!

A turkey and sides were provided to 60 vet-

eran families. Winn Dixie on Magnolia as-

sisted the unit with the food for the project.

Please remember them when shopping!

VOLUME 49, ISSUE 2 PAGE 6 SAULS-BRIDGES AMERICAN LEGION POST 13 NEWS

DO UNTO OTHERS AS THOUGH YOU WERE THE OTHER!!

DO YOU KNOW? Feb 1st

1862 – “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” was first published in “Atlantic Monthly” as an anonymous poem. The lyric was the work of Julia Ward Howe and was based on chapter 63 of the Old Testament’s Book of Isaiah.

1946 – A press conference for what is con-sidered the first computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC), was held at the University of Pennsylvania. The machine took up an en-tire room, weighed 30 tons and used more than 18,000 vacuum tubes to perform func-tions such as counting to 5,000 in one sec-ond. ENIAC, costing $450,000, was designed by the U.S. Army during World War II to make artillery calculations. The develop-ment of ENIAC paved the way for modern computer technology–but even today’s av-erage calculator possesses more computing power than ENIAC did.

1958 – Elvis Presley records his last single, “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck,” before joining the army. Elvis had topped the charts eight times since April 1956, when “Heartbreak Hotel” hit No. 1. Drafted in 1958, Elvis enlisted in the army in March that year and served until 1960. When he joined the army, his monthly salary dropped from $100,000 to $78. Fortunately, his man-ager had already recorded enough material to keep Elvis singles on the charts during most of The King’s army service.

1968 – During the Vietnam War, Saigon’s police chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan executed a Viet Cong officer with a pistol shot to the head in a scene captured in a famous news photograph.

1999 – The Morse code SOS was officially retired and replaced by the Global Maritime

LEARN ABOUT “OLD GLORY”

The American Legion national WEB site will answer

your questions about the symbol of our proud nation.

Simply submit your questions through

www.legion.org/flag.

You can also receive an e-mail notice whenever the

U.S. flag is flying at half-staff by signing up at

www.legion.org/flag/notification

---Submitted by Tom Clark

VETERANS IN NEED – FOLLOW-UP

The need to replenish consumable and durable goods

at the Vet Village was explained in our last newslet-

ter. However, recent changes and limited storage

space requires that the donation of these goods be

limited to an As Needed basis. Vet Village manage-

ment will now notify our Commander when items are

required, and the Post can then respond to that need

in the most appropriate manner.

In that regard, Post 13 and the Vet Village extends a

special “Thank You” to Post member Al McGonigal.

Al donated 48 brand new, high quality blankets to

Vet Village is in preparation for the cold winter

months ahead. It should also be noted that Al has

made several other donations to this Post or to veter-

ans through this Post and that his generosity and

friendship is greatly appreciated.

McGonigal is still providing---he tells us he has a

quantity of towels for veterans. This WWII trooper

continues to serve.

--Submitted by Tom Clark

HOMELESS VETERANS STAND DOWN

April 4 -- 6, 2014 North Florida Fairgrounds

Lots of preparations to be done----CAN YOU--WILL

YOU HELP? www.NorthFloridaStandDown.org

OLDER THAN DIRT---How well do you remem-

ber? Metal ice trays with levers? S & H Green

Stamps? Coffee shops with tableside juke boxes?

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To Book your Event at the Post, please call Debbie at 850-284-6967. We do not maintain regular office hours. All services performed here are volunteer hours. Generally, the office is open from Noon until late afternoon. If you must leave a message, please make certain to leave your area code as part of your telephone number.

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Located at:

229 Lake Ella Drive

Tallahassee, Florida 32303

Mailing Address:

American Legion,

Sauls-Bridges Post #13

PO Box 38028

Tallahassee, FL 32315-8028

Phone: 850-222-3382

Web: FloridaLegionPost13.org

Non-Profit Organization

US Postage PAID

Tallahassee, Florida

Permit No. 21

Post News

For God

and Country

Editing/layout: Carolyn Archer

& Charles LeCroy

Photographers: Vic Hanna &

Joan Taylor

Email: AML Post 13@gmail.com

Web page (Face book): Google:

“American Legion Sauls-Bridges”

EVENTS BOOKING: Debbi

Ramsey 284-6967

Deadline for the MARCH 2014

Newsletter will be

FEBRUARY 15th at 5:00pm

Newsletter items can be submitted three ways: (1)

Place in the Newsletter Box in the Post 13 office (2)

Mail to the return address above, or (3) Submit (with a

subject line) to the Post’s Email Address:

All Articles published require the Commander’s approval.

PLEASE NOTE:

Post General Membership Business Meetings are held on

the 2ND Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm.

POST SOCIALS are held on the 4TH Thursday

of each month at 7:00 pm. [Except for Nov. & Dec.]

Return Service Requested

amlegp13@gmail.com

CONSIDERATION OF OTHERS IS A GOOD CHARACTERISTIC!