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Commander’s Corner
Volume 2011, Issue 4
Disney-Bell Family News
The American Legion — Disney-Bell Post 66 — Bowie , Maryland
Special points
of interest:
Friday dinners resume in
September.
2012 membership renewals
have begun.
Check out the new Officers
on page 12.
Commander 1
List of Post Officers
and Committees 2
Calendar 3
S.A.L. 4
Auxiliary 6
Adjutant 8
Inside This Issue
August - September 2011
A hearty welcome to all as we go into our
2011 – 2012 American Legion year. For
those of you who don’t know me I’m Brian
Goldman, the ―other‖ Brian at Post 66. I’ve
been a member here 26 years and like a lot
of you I was not active in the Post for a lot
of those years. Then one day out of
curiosity or maybe boredom, I showed up
for one of the Post monthly meetings to see
what it was all about. Having not come for
that many years, I felt self-conscious and
actually a bit ashamed. I thought for sure
I’d be ridiculed. I sat in the back and
watched what was going on and tried to
stay quiet to not draw attention to myself. But eventually, someone drew me
out. That someone was Jim Pritchett our then Adjutant. He said ―if you are
going to be a regular at meetings you should have a Legion cap‖ and so we
ordered one. J. D. Larson was our then Post Commander. That first year I
stayed in the background still shy about being there but the next year things
changed.
I started coming to Post functions and participating a little more. I even
started dragging my wife into functions. Then one day Jim approached me and
put his hand on my shoulder and asked me if I wanted to become more active
in the Post. He said get involved and you’ll enjoy it. Jim suggested I run for
Sergeant at Arms. He told me it is a good way to get started. It’s an easy
position with light duties and you will meet more people. I accepted and ran
and so began my un-meteoric rise in the Post chairs until now. I watched and I
learned under the tutelage of J.D., Clif Morvant, Tom Murphy, Dick Lanham,
Mark Ryan, and of course our outgoing commander Nick Muller. I’ve held all
the line positions in our Post but one. Until now I was not interested in being
Commander. I’ve been content with being a follower in my 8-year military
career and with the rest of my life as well. Being Commander takes courage to
put yourself out in front and state ―the buck stops here.‖ I am now responsible
for the next year’s success or failure for our Post goals. Let me tell you it is a
daunting and frightening task. I am asking for all your patience, your
support ,and above all, your help.
(Continued on page 9) 10th Anniversary
PAGE 2 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
Commander Brian Goldman
1st Vice Commander Phoebe Larned
2nd Vice Commander Tom Murphy
Adjutant Brian Frye
Finance Officer Charlie Milstead
Chaplain Toni King
Judge Advocate Richard Beckwell
Historian (vacant)
Service Officer David Campbell
Sergeant-at-Arms (vacant)
Executive Committee Larry Bartman
John Delinsky
Ray Hart
J.D. Larson
Mark Ryan
Post Officers 2010 - 2011
The American Legion Disney-Bell Post 66
9605 Old Laurel-Bowie Road Bowie, Maryland 20720 Phone: 301-464-9814 Fax: 301-805-6832 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.alpost66.org
Disney-Bell Family News is published every other month (6 issues per year) and is published on the Post 66 website. If you need your copy mailed to you, please send a note to [email protected] or contact the Post at 301-464-9814.
We welcome your news, ideas, suggestions, comments, or questions for future issues of the Disney-Bell Family News. E-mail us at: [email protected], or drop it off at the Post to the attention of the Newsletter Editor.
COMMITTEES AND EVENTS LEADER
Finance Committee Charlie Milstead
Audit Committee Richard Beckwell
House Committee Tom Murphy
Membership Committee Phoebe Larned
Patriotism and Youth Committees Brian Frye
Baseball Commissioner (Please volunteer!)
Flag Education Brian Frye
Oratorical Contest (Please volunteer!)
Scholarships Brian Frye
Scouts Mark Ryan
ROTC/JROTC Brian Frye
Boys State Brian Frye
Veterans Committees
Honor Guard Commander Darby McNeill
Veterans Support Brian Goldman
Blue Star Banner Delivery Richard Beckwell
National Defense Brian Goldman
Post Publications
Newsletter Ray Hart
Website Ray Hart
Annual Events (In Order by Legion Year)
Joint Installation of Officers Outgoing Commander
Turkey Shoot Committee Dan Healy
Army-Navy Game Event Brian Frye/Mark Ryan
Children’s Halloween Party Auxiliary Unit 66
Veteran’s Day Services Legion
Toys for Tots Campaign Pat Lamb
Children’s Christmas Party Auxiliary Unit 66
Christmas Eve Party ` (Please volunteer!)
New Year’s Eve Party (Please volunteer!)
Super Bowl Party Tom Murphy
Daytona 500 Party J.D. Larson
St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Honor Guard
Legion/Post Birthday Dinner (Please volunteer!)
Early Bird Dinner (Please volunteer!)
Children’s Easter Egg Hunt Auxiliary Unit 66
Post Everlasting Legion
Memorial Day Services Legion
Flag Day Event Honor Guard
Fourth of July Picnic J.D. Larson
Convention Hospitality (Please volunteer!)
Committee/Event Volunteer Opportunities.
If you have some time available and would like to help out with one of
the committees or events, contact the committee leader or the individual
who has offered to take the lead. Contact us by sending an e-mail to:
PAGE 3 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
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Friday Night Dinners
Friday night dinners will start up again in September.
Mark your calendars!
Organizational Meetings - 7:30 p.m. Sharp!
Monday August 8 S.A.L. Meeting
Wednesday No meeting Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday August 17 Auxiliary Meeting
Wednesday August 24 General Membership Meeting
Thursday August 25 American Legion Riders Meeting
Monday September 12 S.A.L. Meeting
Wednesday September 14 Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday September 21 Auxiliary Meeting
Thursday September 22 American Legion Riders Meeting
Wednesday September 28 General Membership Meeting
Post Special Events
Saturday September 17 16th Annual S.A.L. Car Show (Rain date is September 24)
Post Meals
1st Friday of
each month
Starting
September 2
Steak Dinner (First of the season) 6:30 p.m.
Call the Post to sign up
2nd Friday of
each month
Starting
September 9 Auxiliary Family Night - Taco Bar Dinner
every Tuesday Until Joe gets tired
of cooking...
Chef’s Surprise- 5:00-7:00 p.m. Call by the prior Sunday to
check the menu and to sign up for this dinner.
PAGE 4 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
S.A.L. Squadron 66
Believe it or not, we are rapidly approaching the end
of the Summer. It just seems like yesterday that we
were planning for the New Year celebration. In a
way we are again planning for a New Year, our new
Legion year. Our new officers have been elected and
are beginning to plan for our Legion activities for the
next year. Our S.A.L. is also planning for our Fall
activities.
As you probably know, you have voted in the Officers
for last year to serve a second term. I would like to
thank all S.A.L. Officers and members for all they do
to make our Squadron and Legion family successful.
Congratulations to all of our Legion Family Officers,
especially Commander Brian Goldman and Unit
President Susan Beckwell, who have been elected for
the 2011-2012 year. I know we will have a great
spirit of cooperation to help our Legion family grow
and excel. Also special thanks to our Detachment of
Maryland Commander Buddy Mastin for again
serving as our installing Officer. It is a great honor
to again have Buddy here with us.
I attended the S.A.L. convention again this year and
our Squadron continues to be recognized as an
example of a great Squadron. We received
numerous recognition awards, the most prestigious
of which was being named ―Southern Maryland
District Squadron of the Year.‖ Recognition such as
this continue to be an inspiration to continue to do
better. Thanks again to all members who helped
make these awards and recognition possible.
Our first major kick-off event continues to be our
16th Annual Car Show on September 17, 2011.
Registration is from 9:00 a.m. to noon, with the show
following until 3:00 p.m. The cost is $12.00 for pre-
registration or $15.00 on the day of the show. If you
know of someone who has a car for the show, have
them enter and come to the Post with them and have
a great time. Spit shined chrome is always welcome.
Our Tuesday night dinners will again be a show-case
for the year. Thanks to all the team that work so
hard every week. Our S.A.L. ―Half-Baked‖ chicken
dinners will begin again in October. Please refer to
the Post calendar on the website to keep up with all
of our activities.
Believe it or not, our 2012 Membership Cards are
available. Our dues are still just $10.00 a year.
Please drop off your dues and pick-up your cards at
the Post. Pay your dues as an Early Bird and be
ready to enjoy the ―Early Bird‖ dinner later this Fall.
Paying and picking-up your cards at the Post benefit
us all. You get to come to the Post and find out what
is going on, enjoying great company and we get to
see you and save money by not having to mail
notices and cards.
We continue to remain committed to serving you, our
Post and our Veterans.
See you at our meetings and at the Post,
Del Billings
Commander, Detachment 66
Community Shredding Event on September 10, 2011
Bowie residents can safely dispose of all types of documents at a community shredding event on
September 10th. Because of high turnout at these events in the past, two shredding trucks will be parked
in the parking lot at Bowie High between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to accept documents.
Quantity is limited to 5 boxes or 5 kitchen size trash bags. No businesses please. Staples need not be
removed from the documents. For more information, call the Bowie Public Works Department at 301-809-
2344.
PAGE 5 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
PAGE 6 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
The 2011-2012 Auxiliary officers are: Susan
Beckwell, President; Fran McKenna, Vice President;
Cindy Morvant, Secretary; Jennifer White,
Treasurer; Lois Van Sickle, Sergeant-At-Arms; and
Anselma Ombremski, Chaplain. If you have sick
family member or need support, please contact
Anselma at 301-490-4630 or [email protected].
The installation was held on July 27, 2011. The
Auxiliary installing officer was Donna Alexander,
the 2011-2012 Southern Maryland District
President.
―How can I encourage my friends to show pride in
being an American?‖ was the theme for the
Americanism Essay Contest. Anselma Obremski,
the chair for the Contest, sent the paperwork to all of
the schools in Bowie. The third, fourth, fifth, and
sixth grade students of Heather Hills Elementary
submitted over 100 essays. The Group I students in
Grades 3 and 4 winners were: Jordan Pemberton, 1st
Place; Felicia Grey, 2nd Place; and Macro Fattouche,
3rd Place. Honorable mentions in Group I were:
Erin Thompson, Sarah Awang, Kioni Murphy,
Melanie Spierenburg, and Katrina Morgan. The
Group II students in Grades 5 and 6 winners were:
Zachary Chumura, 1st Place; Katherine Osere, 2nd
Place; Allen Almeyda Jr., 3rd Place. Group II
honorable mentions were: Mason Costanzo, Nick
Miller, Alexia Yaculak, Sabah Rana, Raven Truxson,
Kenard Oghuehi.
Zachary Chumura’s Essay also won 1st Place for
Southern Maryland District, and 3rd Place for the
Department of Maryland. Jessica Jones, the 4th
Grade teacher, Cheryl Gould, the 5th Grade Teacher,
Kathleen Donahue, the 6th Grade Teacher, and the
winners were presented with Certificates at the
awards ceremony.
This year the Auxiliary will host a Family Night on
the second Friday of the Month starting in
September. Family Night will include dinner and
games. The kids can bring a favorite game, or play
one of the games at the Post. Adults can join the
kids or kick back and relax with a favorite beverage.
The menu for the Auxiliary Family Night dinners is
a Taco Bar. The Taco Bar includes refried beans,
taco ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, hot and
mild salsa, jalapenos, guacamole, sour cream, and
soft and hard taco shells. The menu is all you can
eat and costs $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for
children. And if you’re up for dessert ice cream will
be for sale at 8:00 p.m. Bring the family for a fun
night out, and see if your children become the Family
Night Game Champions.
August 1, 2011 starts the Unit 66 ―Back to School
Supply Drive.‖ Not only have the number of
Teachers been cut from the Prince Georges School
budget, but the School’s operational budgets were
also cut. Teachers pay out of pocket for many
classroom supplies. With so many people out of
work, some students cannot afford the cost of the
required list of school supplies. The Auxiliary wants
to help, and we need your help. A box will be placed
in the Lounge where you can drop off supplies. If
you don’t want to buy them, we will, just make a
donation. The list of needed supplies will be on the
Poster at the Post and are included in the Newsletter
on the next page.
Let’s help our Children and Youth.
Susan M Beckwell
Unit 66 President
Auxiliary Unit 66
Technology is the art of arranging the world
so we don’t notice it.
Chinese Fortune Cookie
The mind is everything.
What you think you become.
Chinese Fortune Cookie
PAGE 7 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
Post 66 Auxiliary is having a "Back to School Supply Drive". The list of needed supplies is on the flier
below. We need your help; get the word out. All purchases are tax-deductible, and the Auxiliary will
provide a donation receipt.
And, why not get rid of your extra supplies at home? Drop off the school supplies at the Post in the
box in the Lounge, and put the receipt with your name on it in the envelope. Let's help Bowie's
Children and Youth. Thank you.
The schools have requested the supplies by August 19, 2011.
PAGE 8 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
Meeting Hall & Pavilion Rental
The Post 66 meeting hall and outdoor pavilion are
available for you or your friends to rent.
Consider the hall or pavilion for your life celebrations,
such as wedding rehearsals, receptions, family
reunions, birthday parties, and picnics.
For more information contact Gidget at 301-464-9814
or by e-mail at: [email protected]
Talk About Town
Congratulations to Ray Hart for winning the Department of Maryland trophy for the best American
Legion Post website in Maryland. Ray has been our webmaster since the inception of our website and
has done a great job of maintaining the site, updating, and keeping it modern. It’s great to see Ray’s
hard work and effort recognized.
Thank you Ms. Turner from the Legion Family
for your continued support of the American
Legion and the City of Bowie youth activities.
Adjutant’s Corner Welcome to the new 2011-2012 Legion administrative year, which began on July 1, 2011. By now, you
should have received your first renewal notice. I have already received many and am in the middle of
processing them, so if you have already sent your check or paid online, you will receive your card
shortly. The online payment procedure is really catching on. It only requires that you have a credit or
debit card and can be done from the link on our website at www.alpost66.org or from the National website
at www.legion.org. Just a reminder the deadline to renew your dues as an ―Early Bird‖ is Friday
November 11. Renew early and help your Post with its membership goals!
For any questions regarding membership please feel free to contact me at 301-728-4393 or
For God and Country,
Brian Frye
Adjutant
PAGE 9 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
Don’t be like me and sit by for years and never get
involved. We have a great group of people at this
Post. I really feel at home here. We are truly a
family and I wish to strengthen that bond this year.
I know my fellow officers support me in this. Most
of us have been accused of spending more time here
than at our real homes. We need new people and
our long time members to get involved in the Legion,
Auxiliary, S.A.L., Legion Riders, and Honor Guard.
We each have varied backgrounds, different
experiences and we need those to think of new and
exciting ways to reach our Vets, our younger
members and families to come and participate. It
saddens me to think of the huge number of empty
chairs at our functions. Like the ―MIA/POW‖ chair,
it is set for one but they are not there. Why do we
have so many MIA members? What are we doing
wrong? Do you have the answer and even a
suggestion? We need you. I need you. I need people
to think outside our past myopic boxes and come up
with new innovative ideas to bring in new members
and excite and retain the ones we have. I call on the
Auxiliary, S.A.L. and Riders in this endeavor.
We are shorthanded this year and it is the first year
I can remember that two Officer positions are
vacant. We still need a Historian and a Sergeant at
Arms. Welcome to Dave Campbell, our new Service
Officer. He will need a lot of help, having been
thrown into the fire without any experience in his
position either. I plan on attending and get to know
all our internal organization meetings. I will attend
at least one of the Auxiliary, S.A.L., Riders and
Honor Guard meetings this month. These people
have done great things in the past and I expect no
less this year. I will be calling on all of them to help
support our Legion Family programs and I theirs.
With God’s help, and yours, I hope to have a fun and
productive year for all of us. Come on in to the Post
and spend some time. If you find something that
you don’t like, tell us; don’t just walk away. You
count and you are one of main reasons we are here.
A final congratulation to all our Legion Family
Officers for this Legion year and I look forward to
working with all of you.
For God and Country,
Brian Goldman
Commander
(Commander’s Corner continued from page 1)
My Fellow Legionnaires:
As the Commander for the Department of Maryland, I wish to thank each and every one of you for joining
and being a part of our great veterans service organization. Whether you are an active member of your Post,
or live in another state, your alliance with The American Legion allows us to voice our concerns to the
leadership of our state and country with regards to veteran’s health and welfare and other important issues.
All Legionnaires are familiar with the four pillars of the Legion established more than 90 years ago by the
veterans of World War I. They had fought the fight and recognized the need to assist their comrades as well
as those left behind and to make our country strong to defend for any future threats. They are the principles
that founded The American Legion and are as important in the 21st century as they were in 1919.
We all know there is strength in numbers and as the largest wartime veterans association in the world, we
are able to speak loudly. We as a nation are facing challenging times ahead and there is no better voice
than millions of veterans who have “been there, done that”. You are an important part of our voice.
Thank you for your service, thank you for your sacrifice, and thank you for your continued support of our
great organization.
For God and Country, I am
Melvin Smullen, Commander
Department of Maryland
The American Legion
PAGE 10 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
Service Officer
The Post Service Officer is available to help with a
variety of different Veterans programs. Some of the
items they can help with includes: providing the
proper claims forms for VA benefit claims; assisting
with VA claim applications; assisting with State and
Federal Burial benefits registration; and assisting with
VA medical benefits registration.
You can contact the Post 66 Service Officer
by e-mail at: [email protected].
Post 66 E-news
Do you have an e-mail account? If you would like to
receive occasional e-mail messages about Post events
and activities, then you should sign up for the Post list-
serv program: ―66enews.‖
Our list-serv is an announcement-only e-mail group.
Messages can only be sent by designated persons. Your
e-mail address is completely confidential and is not
shared with anyone.
If you want to add (or remove) your e-mail address, log
on to the Post website and click on the e-mail sign-up
link on the home page and follow the instructions. It
will only take you a couple of seconds and you will begin
receiving occasional e-mail updates about The American
Legion and our Post and its programs.
If you don’t feel comfortable signing yourself up, send a
note to [email protected] and request that your
name and e-mail be added.
Paid Up For Life (PUFL)
Become a Paid Up For Life (PUFL)
member of the American Legion, the Auxiliary, or the
Sons of the American Legion.
Contact the Officers of your group at the Post for
additional information or help.
Avoid inflation by never paying a dues increase!
July 4th Picnic HUGE Success
We say it every year, but every year it’s true. The July 4th Family Picnic is the social event of the year
attended by more Post members and guests than any other event we hold. This year was no exception.
Everyone had a great time enjoying the beautiful weather, the kid’s games, the food, the music and the
ceremony. Watching those youngsters practice their marksmanship is a hoot.
Many thanks go to many people and it’s always difficult to single out any one or two people for their efforts
but some go above and beyond the call. One is Jan Hart, whose tireless efforts to keep the food supply
coming and ―directing traffic‖ helped the flow move very smoothly. Another is Brian Frye, keeping the
music playing well into the late afternoon hours. Thanks guys. Your
efforts did not go unnoticed and your contribution helped more than you
can imagine. There were many others too, usually spotted wearing their
proud ―Post 66 Freeloader‖ tee shirt, and we cannot name them all here.
You all know that you are appreciated and thanked for a job well done.
It is not too early to plan to attend next year. The date? July 4, 2012.
Let’s see how many more cars we can fit in the back parking lot.
J. D. Larson,
Executive Committee
PAGE 11 DISNEY-BELL FAMILY NEWS VOLUME 2011 , ISSUE 4
We’re on the web at
www.alpost66.org
The American Legion
Disney-Bell Post 66 9605 Old Laurel-Bowie Road Bowie, Maryland 20720
Legion
Commander Brian Goldman
1st Vice Commander Phoebe Larned
2nd Vice Commander Tom Murphy
Chaplain Toni King
Service Officer David Campbell
Finance Officer Charlie Milstead
Historian (vacant)
Judge Advocate Richard Beckwell
Sergeant-at-Arms (vacant)
Adjutant Brian Frye
Executive Committee Larry Bartman
John Delinsky
Ray Hart
J.D. Larson
Mark Ryan
American Legion Riders
Director Tom Atkins
Assistant Director Chuck Schaefer
Secretary Susan Beckwell
Treasurer Gene Simmons
Sergeant-at-Arms/Road Captain Tom Devoe
Auxiliary Unit 66
President Susan Beckwell
Vice president Fran McKenna
Secretary Cindy Morvant
Treasurer Jennifer White
Chaplain Anselma Ombremski
Historian (vacant)
Sergeant-at-Arms Lois Van Sickle
S.A.L. Squadron 66
Commander Del Billings
1st Vice Commander Mark Schofield
Finance Officer Darby McNeill
Adjutant Joe Weik
Chaplain Joe Clark
Sergeant-at-Arms James Clark, III
Historian Steve Stevens
Post Officers for 2011-2012 Our congratulations to these individuals who have stepped forward to help lead the
Disney-Bell Post 66 Family of organizations for another year.