Veterans of Lansingburgh, Inc.

777 1st Avenue

Troy, New York 12182

PHONE: (518) 233-8656

WEBSITE: www.thelansingburghvets.com

OCT – DEC 2012 Edition

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th Armistice Day, but the day did not become a national holiday until 1938. Its name was changed to “Veterans Day” by Congress in 1954. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law for this day “to honor all Veterans… a day dedicated to world peace.”

“ALL GAVE SOME, SOME GAVE ALL”

Please join us on Veterans Day, November 11th

For our Annual Veterans Day March in Troy

(Details inside this issue)

To our men and women in uniform,

past, present and future – God Bless You and Thank You!

This newsletter is dedicated to the men and women who are serving in or who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Our military is the backbone of this great country. Without it, we would not have our freedom; and without our freedom, where would we be today? Our soldiers are heroes during peacetime, war and conflict. So remember our soldiers, honor them, and thank them. They often risk their lives for our freedom and the least we could do is to show our gratitude.

OFFICERS: President: Paul Higgitt, Jr. Treasurer: Ned Davey Vice President: Bill Gordon Financial Secretary: Ed Jackson Secretary: Al O’Brien Asst. Financial Secretary: Rich Layton

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Pat Abrams Tom Doin Lisa Higgitt Bill Atchinson Tom Dougherty Tom Rooney Mike Brown Bob Gallagher Tom Yaiser

LADIES AUXILIARY OFFICERS: President: Marcia Margiotta Secretary: Ann O’Brien Vice President: Alice Collum Treasurer: Kelly Konifka

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

As usual, the Club and its members were extremely busy over the summer. With Autumn arriving, we need to look at cleaning up the club and buttoning stuff up for the winter. Over the summer we held our annual golf tournament, Flag Day and Uncle Sam Day Parades, the Uncle Sam Graveside Ceremony, September 11th Memorial Ceremony and our Annual Clam Steam. All these events were made possible by a lot of hard work by members of the organization. Our color guard is continually called upon to participate in events throughout the Capital District and provides the color guard for the county Honor-A-Deceased Veteran Ceremony monthly at the county office building. I want to thank all those that pitch in and make our organization what it is. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Recently, Rich Layton (Bartender and Membership Secretary) suffered a fire at his home. He was able to escape but suffered injuries. In addition, his house is a total loss and has been demolished. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rich while he recovers. I expect there will be some membership issues while Rich recovers. I am asking that if anyone has questions or concerns about their membership, they contact me for assistance. Leave a message for me at the club and I will get back to you. Once Rich gets healthy, he will reassume his roles as Membership Secretary and Bartender. Keep an eye on the club calendars, there are events coming up. Some include our Fall GI/Cleanup Party, Annual Veterans Day march and the Army-Navy football game. Hope you can join us. Some Associate and Auxiliary members have not been participating when called to work. I understand we all have busy schedules, but working to help the club is a requirement as an Auxiliary or Associate member. If this pertains to you, I suggest you reach out to your Team Captain immediately. I will be meeting with the captains in November. Based on their recommendations of members who haven’t helped out, they will be notified in writing and their membership for 2013 will not be renewed. Speaking of dues, all Veteran (unless you are a lifetime member), Associate and Auxiliary dues must be paid by December 31st for 2013. If you fail to pay your dues prior to that, you must resubmit your application and go through the entire process to become a member again. Dues for 2013 are being collected now. Pay now and avoid the confusion! School is in session. Please watch out for the children and the school buses. Lastly, please keep the men and women who are fighting the War on Terrorism and keeping us safe, in your thoughts and prayers. God Bless America!

Respectfully Submitted,

PJ Higgitt President

LADIES AUXILIARY NEWS:

Dear Auxiliary: I hope that everyone enjoyed the summer. As always it goes by so fast. Our first meeting since June

was held September 10th. On Sunday September 16th the club participated in the Uncle Sam Birthday parade. Thanks

to those of you who came early to get the float decorated and to those of you who rode the float. In the coming months

the auxiliary will be busy with some fundraising efforts and holiday activities.

At this point I would just like to send a few reminders for everyone. We will be holding our 50/50 drawings on Friday

nights either during dinner hours or after. Your help and support of the drawings will be greatly appreciated.

Attendance at our monthly meetings is important for getting information concerning the auxiliary and the club. Our

meetings usually last only about a 1/2 hour so it wouldn't take much of your time. Please refer to your newsletters which

are now available on line at the club's website, or you may pick up a printed version (which is limited) at the club.

Upcoming events, important dates, and the calendar are all included in the newsletter.

The auxiliary would like to welcome its newest members: Carrie Vuignier, Michele Polen, and Robin Brenenstuhl.

Please feel free to contact me for any questions.

Sincerely,

Marcia Margiotta, Auxiliary President

UPCOMING RAFFLE:

In order to raise money to defray the cost of our Memorial Day parade we are having a raffle in conjunction with the

Club’s November 3rd drawing. We are looking for your help to collect items to raffle. Please note that all items must

be new and expirations dates should be current. Below is a list of ideas of what we are looking for.

- Gift certificates to:

Restaurants, Fast Food, Hair, Nails, Tanning, Gas, Golf, Car Wash, etc.

- Wine, Liquor

- Candles

- Craft items

- Holiday decorations

- Small appliances

- Jewelry

- Military memorabilia

- Sports memorabilia

- Gift baskets

I’m looking for some help with this, so if you are interested in helping me collect/store/display/sell the items, please

see me. I will post the names of the volunteers as soon as I know who they are. In the meantime, all items should be

given to me, or put them in an envelope/bag with “Club Raffle” on it and ask a bartender to put the item(s) in the

office. Any questions should be directed to me in person, or via email at lisa.higgitt@va.gov . Thank you in advance for

your continued support to the Veterans of our Club!

LISA HIGGITT

VETERAN’S OF LANSINGBURGH CLUB REPORTS

MEMBERSHIP

Dues Renewal – Due$ are Due! 2013 dues are due! On January 6, 2013 the code for the club door changes. lf you haven't paid your 2013 dues, you will not get the new code until you do. See a bartender or myself to renew your dues, Make sure you show your current membership card so we have the correct information. Please let us know of changes to address/phone number at this time. NOTE:

The Door Code will change on JANUARY 6th /Get your card early so you don’t embarrass yourself!

Membership Dues

Active Duty Membership $ 5 initial fee (for processing/the Club pays the rest)

Veteran Membership $20 initial fee; thereafter $15 per year

Associate Membership $22 initial fee; thereafter $17 per year

Auxiliary Membership $22 initial fee; thereafter $17 per year Change of Address/Phone #: Contact me with any changes to your address/phone number.

RICH LAYTON Membership Chair

CLUB WEBSITE www.thelansingburghvets.com

If you haven’t been to the website lately, log on and see what I have done. There are great links on the site.

You can print out a copy of the membership application(s), request your DD214’s from the site, view the Club

calendar(s), photos and more. This is the last newsletter that will be mailed to you, so get familiar with the

website now and book mark it!

RICK WARK Webmaster

SICKNESS AND DISTRESS

There is a dry wipe board at the Bar to let the membership know when a member is sick, in the hospital or in need of help. To make this work, we need all the members to let someone know when they know a fellow member is in need. If you know of someone, call the Club (518-233-8656). We will get a card out to them and check on them periodically. It’s all a matter of members taking care of members.

I am looking for someone to represent the Club in the role of Chaplain. You would be responsible to mail cards to our members who are ill, and if possible, visit sick and shut in members. You would lead the Club in ceremonial prayers at meetings, various ceremonies and memorial services. Please see PJ Higgitt if you are interested.

COLOR GUARD

Our Color Guard had a busy year

and represented our Club well in

various parades and events

throughout the Capital District to

include the Uncle Sam Graveside

Ceremony, the Uncle Sam

Parade and the monthly Honor A

Veteran Ceremony.

We are always looking for new

Color Guard members. If you are

interested in becoming a member,

please contact Tom Doin.

Rensselaer County Honor-A-Deceased Veteran Ceremony

This monthly ceremony, held the second Monday of each month at 8:30 a.m., is a reflection upon the life of a deceased county veteran. It is an hour long ceremony held in the Chambers of the Rensselaer County Legislature. Local veterans and government officials gather with the honoree’s family to celebrate the veteran’s life. Recognition is made not only to their military career and accomplishments, but also to their civilian life as well.

A pamphlet is prepared in the name of the honored veteran. The County Executive presents the family with a proclamation. The Chairmen of the Legislature reads a complete biography of the honoree to all in attendance. Both Congressional districts within the county are represented and present the family with a flag that has been flown over the United States Capital in the veteran’s honor. Local County Legislators present proclamations in honor of the veteran to the family; and the Honor-A-Deceased Veteran committee presents the family with a plaque in honor of the veteran and the veteran’s service to their country.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, everyone proceeds outside for the flag raising in memory of the veteran. The flag will fly for the next 30 days and will then be returned to the family.

Qualifications:

1) The veteran must have been discharged on conditions other than dishonorable from the U.S. Armed Forces.

2) The veteran must have a personal tie to Rensselaer County, i.e. born in County or resided in County in later years.

3) Submission of application with copy of discharge, report of separation, or DD-214, to the Rensselaer County Service Agency (270-2760) .

4) Veteran can only be honored once.

If you are interested in having a veteran honored by the Committee, please fill out the application on-line, contact the Rensselaer County Service Agency (270-2760) or contact P.J. Higgitt.

SCHOLARSHIP

COMMITTEE

The Veterans of Lansingburgh Scholarship Committee is awarding a $1,000 scholarship to a high school senior who attends Catholic High School, Lansingburgh High School, LaSalle Institute or Troy High School, and plans to attend college or another post-secondary school program after their high school graduation. The student must be a child or grandchild of a Veteran who served on active duty in the Armed Forces or was a member of a Reserve or National Guard component and was either Honorably discharged or is still active in that capacity. Applications/instructions are available at the Club, in all high school guidance offices of the schools listed above, and on our Club’s website – www.thelansingburghvets.com. Deadline to submit your application is March 4th. The 2013 scholarship winner will be announced at the Veteran’s April 8th meeting. DONATIONS: Special thanks to the Club Dart League for their continued donations to this committee, as well as Club members who have made donations to the Scholarship fund. Donation checks should be made out to the Veterans of Lansingburgh and sent to: The Veterans of Lansingburgh, ATTN: The Scholarship Committee, 777 1st Ave., Troy, NY 12182. Thank you!

Lisa Higgitt Scholarship Chair

KITCHEN REPORT

OCT 5 – Fish OCT 7 – BRUNCH OCT 12 – Grilled Pork Chops OCT 19 – Roast Turkey OCT 26 – Steak NOV 2 – Fish NOV 4 – BRUNCH NOV 9 – Lasagna NOV 16 – Roast Beef NOV 23 – NO DINNER! NOV 30 – Steak DEC 2 – BRUNCH DEC 7 – Fish DEC 14 – Prime Rib DEC 21 – Italian Night DEC 28 – Steak

Thanks to everyone who has volunteered in the kitchen recently. With the holidays approaching I need your help to prepare Friday night dinners and to keep up with all of the club functions. If you are available to volunteer a few hours, please don’t wait for a phone call. Get in touch with me, or just drop by. There is always food prep, cooking and cleaning to be done, and we have a lot of fun in the kitchen. Note: The Club will be closed on Thanksgiving, and there is no dinner on Friday, November 23rd .

TOM ROONEY, Head Chef

MOST FRIDAY NIGHTS: Chicken wings, chicken tenders, subs, wraps, soup, burgers, fries

UPCOMING EVENTS

CLUB G.I. CLEANUP PARTY Saturday, October 6th (8 a.m. – 12 p.m.)

ALL MEMBERS are invited and

encouraged to participate!

No matter how much time you have available on Oct. 6th, we could use your help to clean the inside and outside of the Club!

Sign-up sheets are on the cooler door. NOTE: The Club will be CLOSED to anyone not cleaning during this time.

Due to the Columbus Day Holiday, the October monthly meetings will be held on

Tuesday, October 9th

ANNUAL VETERANS DAY MARCH

November 11, 2012

We will meet at Troy City Hall at 9 a.m.

Join us to march, pray and lay wreaths at the Troy War

Memorials. Please plan to attend.

All gave some… some gave all.

ARMY / NAVY TAILGATE PARTY

Saturday, December 8th (1-6 p.m.) $15 per person Includes: Hot/cold buffet,

draft beer, soda and a lot of fun camaraderie! If you haven’t tailgated with us before, you

don’t know what you’re missing. Get your Army/Navy t-shirts out!

Children’s Christmas Party

Saturday, December 1, 2012

1-3 pm at the Purple Heart Club

Children must be 10 years or younger.

Sign-up sheets available Nov 1 – 21 at the Club.

See an Auxiliary Officer if you have questions.

Upcoming Parties

Aux. X-Mas Party – 12/15 – 6 pm Club X-Mas Party – 12/24 – 6 pm (main bar) Club New Year’s Eve Party – 12/31 (main bar)

Military trivia

1: What marked the first time since the Revolution that the U.S. accepted direct financial aid to fight a war?

2: What U.S. military base was won in the last major battle against Japan?

3: What opportunistic country declared war on Japan five days before its surrender in 1945?

4: What U.S. war broke out the same year the federal government first printed paper money?

5: What country did ever-prudent King Farouk I declare war on in 1945?

6: What Bill Murray Ghostbusters term did Persian Gulf Warriors use to describe being hit by chemical

weapons?

7: What did an enemy have to be, for a U. S. soldier to call him a "believer" in the Vietnam War?

8: What trials, beginning in 1945, spawned the phrase "I was only following orders"?

9: What was the first war the U. S. took part in that was partially financed with lottery dollars?

10: What southeastern state was the last to return to the Union after the Civil War.?

11: What Persian Gulf warrior called his young majors in charge of combat operations "Jedi Knights"?

12: Which two nations, constitutionally barred from military actions, sent money to support the Allied

coalition against Iraq in “1991"?

13: What Ohio city was the 1995 Bosnian peace accord signed in?

14: What Civil War general graduated first in the West Point class of 1829?

15: What was the B-17 long-range bomber nicknamed in World War II?

16: What English King introduced death by boiling and legalized the killing of gypsies?

17: What two continents have never been the site of a major military conflict?

18: Who returned to Russia from exile in October, 1917?

19: What song was the Navy band playing at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked?

20: What was the first war in which one jet plane shot down another?

21: What so called "war" spawned the dueling slogans "Better Dead Than Red" and "Better Red Than Dead"

in the 1950s?

22: What modern vehicle was invented to circumvent trench warfare?

ANSWERS

1: The Persian Gulf War. 2: Okinawa. 3: The Soviet Union. 4: The Civil War. 5: Germany. 6: Slimed. 7:

Dead. 8: The Nuremberg war crimes trials. 9: The Revolutionary War. 10: Georgia. 11: Norman

Schwarzkopf. 12: Germany and Japan. 13: Dayton. 14: Robert E. Lee15: The Flying Fortress. 16: Henry

VIII. 17: Antarctica and Australia. 18: Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. 19: The Star-Spangled Banner. 20: The Korean

War. 21: The Cold War. 22: The Tank.

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Marilyn Gully: For the beautiful Fall flower display outside of our Club. The Auxiliary: For the great Fall / Halloween decorations inside the Club. And.... to everyone who has recently made monetary donations to help defray the costs of our Memorial Day Parade. Checks should be made out to: The Veterans of Lansingburgh, Inc.

From the Editor Hope you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter. If you aren’t reading this newsletter online. Please go to our website (www.thelansingburghvets.com) to stay up-to-date with all club activities, events and veteran links. Remember to volunteer at “your” club. And most importantly to support our troops! Lisa Higgitt