Salvo - April 2022
COMMANDERS CORNER
Post 246 will accept nominations at our April 6, 2022 regular meeting for Commander, 1st Vice Commander, 2nd Vice Commander, and three members of the Executive Committee. These officers will lead the Post for the 2022-2023 leadership year. If you are interested in serving your post and the American Legion as either an elected or appointed officer, please contact Eric Ardell, Nominating Committee Chair. This is your post so please support our 2021-2022 officers and selection of our 2022-2023 officers to help us make Post 246 bigger and better!
We will hold the election of officers at our regular meeting on May 4, 2022. We will install officers at the regular meeting on July 6, 2022.
The Veterans Memorial Building is planning the High School Graduates Swearing-in Ceremony for 22 May 2021 at 1:00pm on the Library Green, 400 Front Street, Danville. VMB will also recognize appointees to the military service academies at the ceremony. VMB is asking all VSOs to provide help in setup, ushering, and teardown/cleanup along with a contingent from our Boy Scout Troops. Please contact Mary O’Donnell (309-9028) if you will help.
Please check out “The Bucket of Shrimp”, a great story, from Eric Ardell on page 8.
Please continue to give your suggestions for Post activities and programs to any of the Officers and Executive Committee members. Please also raise awareness about issues affecting veterans, active-duty military personnel, and youth in our community for action by our Post.
Mark Heinemann
UPCOMING EVENTS
**** Every Saturday 8:00 am to 12:00 pm Coffee at the Vets Hall
April 6, Wednesday Regular meeting with Adam Lane, PIO, CHP CCC, 12:00 pm
April 16, Saturday Executive Committee meeting, 8:30 am
May 4, Wednesday Regular meeting with speaker from California Relay, 12:00 pm
May 21, Saturday Executive Committee meeting, 8:30 am
May 22, Sunday Swearing-In Ceremony, Danville Library Green, 1:00 pm
May 30, Monday Memorial Day Ceremony (VNVDV), Oak Hill Park, 10:30 am
May 30, Monday Mount Diablo Beacon Lighting for Memorial Day at Sunset, 8:30 pm
June 1, Wednesday Regular meeting with Speaker TBA, 12:00 pm
June 18, Saturday Executive Committee meeting, 8:30 am
July 4, Monday Fourth of July Parade, SRVHS-Livery, Danville, 9:00 am
July 6, Wednesday Installation of Officers / Regular meeting with speaker, TBA, 12:00 pm
No Officer and Executive Member Meeting in July
No Regular Meeting in August
August 20, Saturday Executive Committee meeting, 8:30 am
MEETINGS
Please continue to give your suggestions for speakers to Mike Yura who replaced Michelle Lee as Program Director. We are planning evening dinners in September and November. Please remember to confirm attendance at our regular meeting luncheons and events by leaving a message at (925) 272-8480 or sending your email confirmation to commanderpost246@gmail.com. The full meeting schedule for 2022 is posted on page 7.
DISTRICT 9
District 9 holds its next regular meeting at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, 17 May 2022 at the Veterans Memorial Building, 930 Ward Street, Martinez. Please let Mark Heinemann know if you would like to attend this meeting. The meeting provides an opportunity to learn about activities of other Posts in Contra Costa County and about initiatives of the Department of California.
MEMBERSHIP
Please renew your membership for calendar year 2022. About 87% of our members (147 of 169 per National vs 158 goal or 93% per Department of California) have renewed their membership through March 27, 2022. You can renew your membership using two easy ways: 1) go to www.legion.org and click on the RENEW button, fill out the form, and you are done; or, 2) send the Post a check for $45 to PO Box 133, Danville, CA 94526 and we will process it for you.
NEW MEMBERS
Please welcome our new member: Michael Garcia who transferred from Lafayette Post 517. He served in the US Air Force and joined the American Legion in 2000. We hope to meet you soon at a meeting.
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
The post expects to complete investment of funds from the post savings account in East Bay Community Foundation investment ESG Fund in April 2022. Investment was approved at the June 2, 2021 regular meeting. Veterans Memorial Building of the San Ramon Valley invested funds successfully through the EBCF.
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
The post expects to complete investment of funds from the post savings account in East Bay Community Foundation investment ESG Fund in April 2022. Investment was approved at the June 2, 2021 regular meeting. Veterans Memorial Building of the San Ramon Valley invested funds successfully through the EBCF.
VMB DOCENTS HONORED
Ron Lowe, President of the VMB Board of Directors, recognized Eric Ardell, Ron Roe, and Bob Sada for their service as VMB Docents in 2021 on March 5, 2022. Ron Roe received the 2021 Docent of the Year for his continuous service since program inception and a Gold Certificate for serving more than 100 hours in 2021. Ron also received a national President’s Volunteer Service Award certificate and medal (Ron Lowe is second from the left and Ron Roe is far right in the photograph).
SCOUTING
Troop 60 will advance three Scouts to the rank of Eagle Scout at their Court of Honor on April 11, 2022. Congratulations to the Troop 60 Scouts.
GIRLS STATE
Five delegates were selected following completion of interviews. On-line Orientation will take place in May. Girls State will convene at California State University – Sacramento from June 27 to July 2, 2022. Please thank Michelle Lee and her team for their leadership in selecting delegates.
BOYS STATE
Nine delegates were selected following completion of interviews. On-line Orientation will take place in late April or early May. Boys State will convene at California State University – Sacramento from June 19 to June 23, 2022. Please thank Eric Ardell and his team for their leadership in selecting delegates.
POST PHOTOGRAPHER
We are looking for a post photographer(s) to help capture pictures and videos of our post activities. Please call or contact a Post Officer or Executive Committee member if you are interested.
AMERICAN LEGION SCAM ALERT
Please note recent email messages from National and Department of California warning members about phishing emails requesting donations for various causes. When viewing American Legion emails, please remember that The Department of California Commander's valid email address is commander@calegion.org and the National Commander’s valid email address is legion@em.legion.org.
KEEP YOUR VA MEDICAL RECORDS UPDATED
If you received a COVID-19 vaccine outside of VA, please help keep your medical records updated. How can you do that?
Bring your COVID-19 vaccination card to any VA NorCal location and present it to one of the VA clerks.
Take a picture of your COVID-19 vaccination card. Send a copy of the card to your care team in a Secure Message on the My HealtheVet website.
Fax a copy of your COVID-19 vaccination card to 916-366-5376.
If you have questions, please call 1-800-382-8387.
CCC VETS SERVICE OFFICE
The virtual office is accessible from the County’s Veterans Service Office website at contracosta.ca.gov/vets. In the virtual office, Veterans can receive assistance with filing for VA benefits from an accredited Veterans Service Representative. The Contra Costa County Veterans Service Office (VSO) is accepting appointments for meetings at the Veterans Memorial Building, Room 208, 400 Hartz Avenue, Danville, CA. Veterans can schedule appointments every Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please call the VSO office at (925) 313-1481 to schedule an appointment.
TOWN OF DANVILLE
The Town of Danville website contains links to notices, alerts, news flash, calendar, etc. about all things Danville: http://www.danville.ca.gov/list.aspx
CITY OF SAN RAMON
The City of San Ramon website contains links to notices, alerts, news flash, calendar, etc. about all things in San Ramon: https://www.sanramon.ca.gov/home
STAND DOWN ON THE DELTA
Stand Down on the Delta 2021 was postponed to 2022 after consulting with Department of Veterans Health and Contra Costa County Health Department. Contra Costa County Fairgrounds is secured with the following schedule:
31 May to 2 June 2022 / Set Up
3 to 6 June 2022 / Stand Down
6 to 8 June 2022 / Take Down
As more information is provided in early 2022, updates will appear in the Salvo.
FLAG & EMBLEM STORE
Alan Scharlach is serving as our “Supply Officer” and will order items for post members. Go to https://emblem.legion.org/ to do your shopping; then email Alan with the item number, quantity, color, and any other details needed to purchase the item you want. If you call Alan, please leave a detailed message including your call back number.
UNIFORM ITEMS AVAILABLE FROM POST 246 INVENTORY
Contact Eric Ardell or Mark Heinemann if you would like to purchase Legion uniform items (no shipping or taxes required) from Post 246 inventory:
Plain Short-Sleeved Uniform Shirt with patches (size Med) (2) - $20.00 ea.
Legion Metal Collar Devices (8) - $10.95 ea.
Navy Blue Polo with white neck trim (Medium) - $29.95
Black Polo with white neck trim (Medium) - $29.95
Navy Blue Polo no trim (X-Large) - $29.95
Navy Blue Polo no trim (X-Large) - $29.95
Legion Cap (size 7) new - $49.95
Legion Cap (size 7) used – $19.95
POST OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Post Officers for 2021-2022:
Commander: Mark Heinemann
1st V. Cmdr: Michelle Lee
2nd V. Cmdr: Alan Scharlach
3rd V. Cmdr: Eric Ardell
Adjutant: Bob Landy
Finance: Phil Connolly
Chaplain: Jon Heinson
Historian: Gerald Lindahl
Judge Advocate: Ron Lowe
Sgt-at-Arms: Floyd Cox
Service Officer: Leroy Vares
Junior Past Commander: Eric Ardell
Executive Committee:
Neil Giles
Ron Roe
Michelle Haines
Gary Soto
Mary O’Donnell
Appointed Officers & Committee Chairpersons
Asst Adjutant: Mike Yura
Asst Finance: Raoul Miranda
Asst Sgt-at-Arms: Raoul Miranda
Supply Officer: Alan Scharlach
Boys State: Eric Ardell
Girls State: Michelle Lee
Oratorical: Neil Giles
Scouting Rep: Alan Scharlach
VMB Ops Committee: Bob Landy
Museum Committee: Ron Farrell
Protocol Officer: Floyd Cox
Board of Trustees: Ron Lowe / Eric Ardell
East Bay Standdown Rep: Mark Heinemann
Veterans Outreach: Mark Heinemann
Program Dir: Mike Yura
Post Website: www.americanlegionpost246.org
Post Webmaster: Rusty Orvik and Sons
Salvo Editor: Mark Heinemann / Eric Ardell
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 133, Danville, CA 94526
Message Center: (925) 272-8480
Email Address: commanderpost246@gmail.com
Keep saving your pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters for donation to Helmets for Heroes at a future meeting!!
2022 MEETING SCHEDULE
Regular Meetings (First Wednesday of the Month from 12:00 to 3:00 PM in the Second Floor Meeting Room, Veterans Memorial Building)
05 January 2022
02 February 2022 – Meeting at 6:00 PM at the Danville Black Bear Diner
02 March 2022
06 April 2022
04 May 2022
01 June 2022
06 July 2022
No meeting in August
07 September 2022 – Meeting at 6:00 PM at the Danville Black Bear Diner
02 October 2022 – Meeting at 1:00 PM at the VMB Community Hall to recognize 2022 Boys State and Girls State Delegates (No regular meeting on 05 October 2022)
02 November 2022
07 December 2022 – Meeting at 6:00 PM at the Danville Black Bear Diner
10 December 2022 (Army-Navy Game Potluck)
Officers and Executive Committee Meetings (Third Saturday of the Month from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM in the Second Floor Meeting Room)
15 January 2022
19 February 2022
19 March 2022
16 April 2022
21 May 2022
18 June 2022
No Meeting in July
20 August 2022
17 September 2022
15 October 2022
19 November 2022
10 December 2022 (Changed due to expected conflict with Wreaths Across America at Alamo Cemetery on 17 December 2022)
DISTRICT 9
Next regular meeting at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, 17 May 2022 at the Veterans Memorial Building, 930 Ward Street, Martinez. Regular meetings are held on the third Tuesday of odd numbered months.
The Bucket of Shrimp
An Old Man and a Bucket of Shrimp... a true story... a wonderful story . You will be glad that you read it, especially those who know Key Biscayne, Florida.
I hope you’ll pass it on.
It happened every Friday evening, almost without fail, when the sun resembled a giant orange and was starting to dip into the blue ocean.
Old Ed came strolling along the beach to his favorite pier. Clutched in his bony hand was a bucket of shrimp. Ed walks out to the end of the pier, where it seems he almost has the world to himself. The glow of the sun is a golden bronze now.
Everybody's gone, except for a few joggers on the beach. Standing out on the end of the Pier, Ed is alone with his thoughts ... and his bucket of shrimp.
Before long, however, he is no longer alone. Up in the sky, a thousand white dots come screeching and squawking, winging their way toward that lanky frame standing there on the end of the pier.
Before long, dozens of seagulls have enveloped him, their wings fluttering and flapping wildly. Ed stands there tossing shrimp to the hungry birds. As he does, if you listen closely, you can hear him say with a smile, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you”
In a few short minutes, the bucket is empty. But Ed doesn't leave. He stands there lost in thought, as though transported to another time and place.
When he finally turns around and begins to walk back toward the beach, a few of the birds hop along The Pier with him until he gets to the stairs, and then they, too, fly away.
And old Ed quietly makes his way down to the end of the beach and on home.
If you were sitting there on the pier with your fishing line in the water, Ed might seem like a 'funny old duck,' as my Dad used to say. Or, to onlookers, he's just another old codger, lost in his own weird world, feeding the seagulls with a bucket full of shrimp.
To the onlooker, rituals can look either very strange or very empty. They can seem altogether unimportant, maybe even a lot of nonsense.
Old folks often do strange things, at least in the eyes of Boomers and Busters. Most of them would probably write Old Ed off, down there in Florida. That's too bad. They'd do well to know him better.
His full name: Eddie Rickenbacker. He was a famous hero in World War I, and then he was in WWII. On one of his flying missions across the Pacific, he and his seven-member crew went down. Miraculously, all of the men survived, crawled out of their plane and climbed into a life raft.
Captain Rickenbacker and his crew floated for days on the rough waters of the Pacific. They fought the sun. They fought sharks. Most of all, they fought hunger and thirst. By the eighth day, their rations ran out. No food. No water. They were hundreds of miles from land and no one knew where they were or even if they were alive.
Every day across America millions wondered and prayed that Eddie Rickenbacker might somehow be found alive.
The men adrift needed a miracle. That afternoon they had a simple devotional service and prayed for a miracle.
They tried to nap. Eddie leaned back and pulled his military cap over his nose. Time dragged on. All he could hear was the slap of the waves against the raft. Suddenly Eddie felt something land on the top of his cap. It was a seagull!
Old Ed would later describe how he sat perfectly still, planning his next move. With a flash of his hand and a squawk from the gull, he managed to grab it and wring its neck. He tore the feathers off, and he and his starving crew made a meal of it - a very slight meal for eight men. Then they used the intestines for bait. With it, they caught fish, which gave them food and more bait...and the cycle continued. With that simple survival technique, they were able to endure the rigors of the sea until they were found and rescued after 24 days at sea.
Eddie Rickenbacker lived many years beyond that ordeal, but he never forgot the sacrifice of that first life-saving seagull... And he never stopped saying, 'Thank you.' That's why almost every Friday night he would walk to the end of the pier with a bucket full of shrimp and a heart full of gratitude.
* Reference: (Max Lucado, "In The Eye of the Storm", pp...221, 225-226)
PS: Eddie Rickenbacker was the founder of Eastern Airlines. Before WWI he was a race car driver. In WWI he was a pilot and became America's first ace. In WWII he was an instructor and military adviser, and he flew missions with the combat pilots. Eddie Rickenbacker is a true American hero. And now you know another story about the trials and sacrifices that brave men have endured for your freedom
As you can see, I chose to pass it on. It is a great story that many don't know. You've got to be careful with old guys, you just never know what they have done during their lifetime.
P.S. And the road into Key Biscayne is the Rickenbacker Causeway
