President’s Message-October
2014Click Here for printable document
Well here we are finished with all our vacations. All our kids [I guess now our grandkids] are back in school and we are all settling in for the holidays.
I know my last message was a while ago, but I thought it better to wait for all events to pass before I pass it on to all of you.
So let me start with our Day of Remembrance back in June, for those of you who could not be there. Once again we had a record turnout; all the families both young and old of our fallen brothers were there. Our public officials were in attendance to share the day with all of us. Many veterans groups from across the island came, and I was very pleased to see a lot of our brothers and sisters who are not members. They came to make sure the families know that no matter where we are or what groups we belong to they will never forget.
Following that this September we had POW/MIA Recognition Day. We took this service on some years ago because it could no longer be done at the West Shore Little League Facility. I am happy to say that as time passed our attendance has grown to over 100. I am hoping that all out there, and I am not just talking about veterans, realize that this is an important service not only because we have to remember, but also because we have to keep reminding all those out there that are completely complacent about the plight of the MIAs.
On a less serious note we had our Annual Golf Outing, October 1st and once again it was a great success. The weather was miserable and our turnout fell a little short but it was still a very profitable event, thanks to my buddies Danny Ingellis, Al Halfenger and all the rest of the guys that came out and helped. This fund raiser is one of our most important events. The money we make keeps our Veterans Helping Veterans Program alive.
Finally let me give you an update on our memorial project. First of all the contractor who is going to do the pavers has assured me that it will be completed by the end of April 2015. So for the past few months I have been making sure all other work is done so as not to get in the way. As of last week all the concrete work which was replacing the grassed areas outside the memorial both on the Manor Rd. and Martling Ave side has been completed. Doing that was important to the overall look of the park and it also made sure that all the irresponsible people would have to find another place for their four legged friend to leave their mess. All the trees [not the hedges that border the park] had to be taken down root stump included. This had to be done to ensure that roots would not disturb the pavers in the future. I must admit I was against this at first, but after seeing the park without them I was pleasantly surprised. Now when you pass by the memorial from either side you see the grounds without any obstructions. It really looks nice and once the pavers are in it will really be beautiful without anything blocking the view for those who pass by. All the border trees were trimmed and cropped by a landscaper and that hopefully won’t have to be done for a while. The electric service was redone and all our lighting was upgraded. All the underground wiring was re done with piping and the lights were replaced with lighting that is flush with the ground at each wall. This has given the memorial a much better look. Last is the sprinkler system. Since we will no longer need to water grass a sprinkler contractor will change the system to just water all our border tress with what is called a drip line. As far as the fund raising goes all is well and I am confident that all expenses will be covered.
On a final note, the actual making of the commemorative bricks will start in February. Once that starts then all future commemorative brick requests will have to wait until I get a group of ten before they can be made.
Well that is it for now if you have any questions just reach out to me (digiacomo101@yahoo.com) or Doctor Joe (drjcjr@aol.com)
You’re Brother
Gene