“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I just returned from the American Legion 94th Annual Department of California convention which took place in Redding, California. Post members and recent retirees Mario Gonzalez and John Scully also represented the post at convention. On Friday afternoon Officer Patrick Griffin was presented his Officer of the Year – Valor Award on the floor of the convention. Commander Lyn Tomioka and her husband Kirk (a hero himself), attended the ceremony, representing Chief Suhr. Patrick and Michael Tursi will be honored at our annual dinner early next year. Later Friday afternoon the San Francisco Police-Fire Post was presented an award for the “Best Overall Public Relations Report 2011-2012” for Area 2. The report dealt primarily with the monthly coverage we receive in the Journal. Thanks to the Ray Shine and the POA!
Personally I was honored to be elected Department Vice-Commander for Area 2. In California we have one Department Commander, and six vice-commanders based on the division of the state into six geographical areas.
Towards the end of the convention we had a very poignant ceremony commemorating Legionnaires who have moved on to Post Everlasting over the last year. Police-Fire Post 456 members honored were Walter J. Bergamini, Gary P. Blos, Joseph J. Gughemetti, George E. Guglielmoni, Henry H. Jebe, Martin F. Moser, Preston J. Nolan, Carmello J. Pulizzano, Philip S. Roebling, and Frederick E. Wider Jr. Rest in Peace comrades.
Speaking of fallen comrades, Sergeant William Stacey wrote a letter to be read in the event of his death, and the top commander in Afghanistan did so on Memorial Day. Marine Corps General John Allen read the 23-year-old’s letter during a service held in Kabul in memory of the troops who died in country since 2001. Sgt. Stacey was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan when he was killed January 31 by a home-made bomb. He was deployed with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton.
“Today we remember his life and words, for they speak resoundingly and timelessly for our fallen brothers and sisters in arms,” said General Allen, who also leads the NATO coalition in Afghanistan. The Marine from Redding, the location of this year’s American Legion state convention, told his family that he was motivated to fight in Afghanistan to protect the country’s children and provide them the opportunity to live out their dreams.
“There will be a child who will live because men left the security they enjoyed in their home to come to this,” Sgt. Stacey wrote. “He will have the gift of freedom which I have enjoyed for so long myself, and if my life brings the safety of a child who will one day change the world, then I know that it was all worth it.” Semper Fi, Sergeant Stacey. Rest in Peace.
The Veterans Affairs Department has launched a major marketing campaign focused on both outreach and internal culture in an effort to get more female veterans to enroll in VA care. Slogans such as “Make sure SHE gets the message: Welcome” and “VA knows women veterans; what’s invisible to most is visible to VA” aim to make women feel more comfortable in VA’s 152 medical centers and 800 outpatient clinics, with health facilities tailored to them and a culture that enfolds them, says Dr. Patricia Hayes, director of VA’s national Women’s Health program.
With the launch of www.womenshealth.va.gov, which includes links to VA facilities and resources on military sexual trauma, homelessness and more, VA will reach women who might not consider enrolling say officials, who hope that a more female-friendly atmosphere inside medical facilities will convince them to stay in the system
An Army officer, not a civilian, would be in charge of Arlington National Cemetery and all other Army cemeteries under a provision of the House-passed version of the 2013 defense authorization bill. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., sponsor of the requirement, says he hopes this would bring greater accountability. “The scandals and embarrassments that rocked Arlington went largely unprosecuted for one reason: No one in the former chain of command was held accountable for their actions and their gross negligence and mismanagement because none of those in the direct chain of command were commissioned military officers, meaning none of them were subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” Wittman said.
A commanding officer hated doling out weekend passes. A soldier felt he had a good reason. “My wife is pregnant and I want to be with her, he told the CO. Much to the soldier’s surprise, he said, albeit curtly, “Permission granted.” Inspired by his friend’s success, a fellow soldier also requested a weekend pass. His wife wasn’t pregnant. So when asked why he should grant him permission, the soldier replied, “My wife is getting pregnant this weekend and I want to be with her.”
Our goal is for every veteran in the Bay Area law enforcement community and the Bay Area fire fighter community to be members of Police-Fire Post 456. The Sheriff’s Department is very under-represented, as are female veterans. We hope to see more fire fighters at our functions. We meet on the second Wednesday of every month at 1800 hours. Meetings are in the Veteran’s War Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, and Room 212.
