We would appreciate the opportunity to add our organization’s name to the list of distinguished service organizations outlined in your March 2“Sound Off” by John D. Dyer. Although I realize he was limited from naming every organization in the community, there was a void of veterans service groups.
As post commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Whitehead-Muzzall Post 7392, and president of the Ladies Auxiliary, we would like to inform you of what we are doing. With 1,000 VFW members and 300 Ladies Auxiliary members, we are one of the largest posts in Washington, highly active in our community and quite proud of our achievements.
As a veterans fraternal organization our first commitment is to veterans and their families. Our motto is: “We honor the dead by serving the living.” We provide emergency relief for needy veterans, veterans’ benefits advice and assistance, funeral and graveside services, memorial observances, employment aid and transportation to medical facilities for those in need.
We provide support to Help House, SEA-TAC USO Lounge, and other deserving associations. We provide wheelchairs, crutches, and other medical equipment, and build ramps for those in need. We visit the hospitals, the senior centers and those that are bedridden in an effort to bring a little sunshine. We are participants of Island County’s Adopt-a-Road program and host free coffee rest stops for weary travelers during peak travel seasons.
It is our honor to provide a color guard for local parades and events, something we have been doing long before the recent surge in patriotism. It was our post, working closely with the city of Oak Harbor, that created and helps maintain Veterans Memorial Park near the entrance to the Seaplane Base.
Highly active in youth programs, we sponsor nationally recognized essay and speaking contests that award over a thousand dollars in prizes to local schools each year. We sponsor the VFW Junior Girls, participate in National Night Out, assist the 4-H, Junior NROTC, sports leagues, and other worthy groups, as well as holding an annual Easter egg hunt. Our speaker in the classroom program provides lecturers who bring history to life. Every year we donate thousands of dollars in scholarships to local high school seniors for their continuing education.
Our post home provides free meeting rooms for Oak Harbor Lions Club, Puget Sound Anglers, the RC Club and other worthy groups. These spaces are available free to members and guests for special occasions. We sponsor blood drives that give the gift of life. We host a free Seniors’ Christmas Party that entertains over 200 people each year, along with other events throughout the year.
If you would like more information please go online at www.
pioneernet.net/vfw7392. Thank you for the opportunity to introduce ourselves since we also believe in serving.
Mike Murphy, post commander
Kathi Naff, auxiliary president
