NEWSLETTER

GRUBE-HUNTER POST 110, P.O, BOX 13, BROKEN ARROW, OK 74013

By Veterans for Veterans July 2020 Vol. 07

VETERAN CRISIS LINE

24 Hours a Day

1-800-273-talk

1-800-273-8255

OR

COMBAT CRISIS LINE

1-877-WAR-VETS

1-877-927-8373

OFFICIAL POST 110 NO.

918 508 9946

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CLUB HOUSE— 1904 S. 9TH ST.— BROKEN ARROW, OK

VETERANS SERVING VETERANS CALL 918-508-9946

Post 110 web site for American Legion & Post 110 facebook links: www.balegion.org https://www.facebook.com/groups/150300588841500/?

ref=group_header

July is the month of celebration of our Nations Independence on July 4th. July 14th is a regular Post 110 meeting and election of Post Officers for the 2020/21 year.

COMMANDER’S INPUT: The Post 110 regular meetings will resume on July 14th at the regular time where the election of Post

110 Officers for 2020/21 will be voted for and confirmed. Gene Roberts, Commander, Post #110 —918-455-1609

AMERICAN LEGION GENERAL: Broken Arrow Oklahoma Post 110 meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 1830 hours (6:30 PM) at the Knights of Columbus Hall Building at the corner of East 91st St S & S Lynn Lane (S 177th E Ave) in Broken Arrow, except for when that day falls on a holiday, then it will meet on the following week Tuesday. American Legion Membership is open to all Honorably Discharged American veterans that served at any time. Post 110 Web site: www.balegion.org The American Legion Web Site: https://www.legion.org/about Membership videos: www.legion.org/membership Military and Veterans Memorials: https://www.legion.org/memorials The American Legion Department of Oklahoma Web Site: https://okamlegion.org/ VA Benefits facitlities https://www.muskogee.va.gov/locations/Tulsa.asp Get your Medical Records on line: https://www.va.gov/health-care/get-medical-records/ With President Trump’s policy of Federal government employment preference now being given to Military Veterans, here are some of the online resources to help you prepare for Federal employment: https//usajobs.gov, usa.gov and https//federalgovernmentjobs.us Oklahoma Girls State Web Site: https//okgirlsstate.com/ Oklahoma Boys State Web site: https//okboysstate. American Legion up-date! https://www.legion.org/legislative/246451/congress-approves-legion-act

SERVICE OFFICER’S INPUT: Tulsa Mayors Veteran Council meeting. The City of Tulsa Veterans Advisory Council is

held on the third Thursday of each month at 2:00 PM and is held at the VFW Post 577 at 1109 E 6th St, Tulsa, OK 74120. A cafeteria style lunch is available for $7.00 at 1:00 PM or even earlier. Connie Hurt, Airman & Family Readiness Program Manager 918-833-7732 connie.j.hurt.civ@mail.mil

COMMANDER’S INPUT (Con’t): July 4, 1776 The United States Declaration of Independence is the pronouncement

adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1776. The Declaration explained why the Thirteen Colonies at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain regarded them-selves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule. With the Declaration, these new states took a collective first step toward forming the United States of America. The dec-laration was signed by representatives from New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Caroli-na, South Carolina, and Georgia. The Lee Resolution for independence was passed on July 2 with no opposing votes. The Committee of Five had drafted the Declaration to be ready when Congress voted on independence. John Adams, a leader in pushing for independence, had persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document, which Con-gress edited to produce the final version. The Declaration was a formal explanation of why Con-gress had voted to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. Adams wrote to his wife Abigail, "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America" – although Independence Day is actually celebrated on July 4, the date that the wording of the Declaration of Independence was approved. After ratifying the text on July 4, Congress issued the Declaration of Independence in several forms. It was initially published as the printed Dunlap broadside that was widely distrib-uted and read to the public. The source copy used for this printing has been lost and may have been a copy in Thomas Jefferson's hand. Jefferson's original draft is preserved at the Library of Congress, complete with changes made by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, as well as Jeffer-son's notes of changes made by Congress. The best-known version of the Declaration is a signed copy that is displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and which is popularly re-garded as the official document. This engrossed copy (finalized, calligraphic copy) was ordered by Congress on July 19 and signed primarily on August 2. Gene A. Roberts, Grube-Hunter Post #110 Commander/Acting Post Adjutant 918-508-9946

ADJUTANT INPUT: Brian Quinn, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, has been nominated to fill the vacancy of our Post Adjutant

position and will be confirmed at our July 14th meeting election of officers. Gene A. Roberts, Grube-Hunter Post #110 Commander/Acting Post Adjutant 918-508-9946

CHAPLAIN INPUT:

FIRST VICE COMMANDER INPUT: Eugene Peters, 1st Vice Commander/Historian Post #110 918-760-2876

FINANCIAL OFFICER INPUT: Gary Sapp Financial Officer Post #110 918-508-9946

MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN & SERGEANT AT ARMS INPUT Our Membership Chairman is also the web

page creator and administrator for www.balegion.org and has been tasked with creating a new feature column each month featuring a “Meet a Legionnaire” bio on one of our American Legion members. Mike Reed, Membership Committee Chairman & Sergeant at Arms 918 808-0627

POST 110 MEMBER AT LARGE Wake County deputies find stolen grave markers for WWII, Vietnam veterans in

woods WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake County Sheriff's Office deputies found four stone grave mark-

ers of World War II and Vietnam War veterans on Monday afternoon.

In a news release, Wake County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a report of illegal dumping on Caddy

Road after a citizen said they saw the grave markers in a wooded, secluded area on the side of the road, among other

debris. When deputies arrived, they found the markers were stolen from Harnett and Wake County churches. The

four veterans were: James Arthur Riddle Jr., Richard Cameron Smith, Willie John Dean and James Elwood Overby.

https://abc11.com/wake-county-deputies-find-stolen-grave-markers/6238290/?

fbclid=IwAR0G6FWg9YxWIi7DeEJse19e3_4AjbMjKceIts5HfX-Dtnopz3bA6s1Pn2E Robert Andrews.

On this, our country’s birthday, we turn to You, O God, in gratitude and thanksgiving, for making us a free and independent nation. We thank You for freeing us from an autocratic government, for making self-government possible, with liberty and justice for all. We confess that we are unworthy of all Your mercies, and ask Your to pardon our sins and lead us in the way of righteousness. Help us to keep in mind the ideals for which we offered our lives in war, and also our obligations to the communnity, the state, and the nation. Protect our country from subver-sive elements that would destroy our government and deprive us of our freedom, and from selfish interests that would weaken us. Ward off all foes that threaten us from without and from within. Help us always to remember that America owes her very life to You, and that her fu-ture rests in Your counsel. We dedicate and consecrate ourselves anew to the preservation of our country and Our way of life, and ask Your blessing upon us. Amen. From the Chaplain Prayer Book Wm. L. Dunbar, Post 110, Chaplain, 918 688 5408

THIS DAY IN MILITARY HISTORY April 19, 1775 Lexington and Concord: The Shot Heard 'Round the World. Fac-

ing an impending rebellion, British General Thomas Gage decided to seize weapons and gun powder being stored in Concord, Massachusetts, twenty miles northwest of Boston, to prevent violence. Patriot spies soon got wind of Gage’s plan. Paul Revere and other riders spread the word of the 800 British regulars who were dispatched to Concord. Depart-ing Boston late in the evening of April 18, the King’s troops marched into the small town of Lexington around 5:00 am to find, facing them, a militia company of more 70 men led by Captain John Parker. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/lexington-and-concord-shot-heard-round-world

TODAY’S MILITARY US Air Force pilot call sign 'Banzai' becomes first woman to fly F-35A stealth fighter into combat.

America has now deployed its first female stealth fighter pilot into combat, the Air Force announced. Capt. Emily Thompson, call sign “Banzai,” made headlines after she became the first female to fly the F-35A Light-ning II into combat. On June 9, the Air Force released a statement announcing that Thompson had deployed but did not specify when or where. The statement also noted that Thompson had an all-female maintenance crew to launch her historic flight. Ed Note: FYI Women flying combat missions was done extensively in Russia during the Second World war and they performed heroically and with great success, especially their "Night Witches". https://www.foxnews.com/us/pilot-first-woman-banzai-stealth-combat?fbclid=IwAR1QGLG-OdMfSzvC6QdVK0LBtIjwa8KbAnCjB0pAQ6BUMWOBo2RLCMHTO4o Marines Look to Two New Ship Classes to Define Future of Amphibious Operations The Navy and Ma-rine Corps are looking to quickly overhaul their Cold War-era way of moving Marines around, with the ser-vices already agreeing on the basic requirements for a new Light Amphibious Warship (LAW) and in the early phases of looking at a separate small amphibious ship class. LAW would be among the biggest change to the amphibious force in decades. Marines typically deploy as a 2,200-strong Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard a three-ship Amphibious Ready Group. These ARG/MEU teams deploy from the East Coast, West Coast or Ja-pan and go on rotational deployments, sometimes staying together as a formation and sometimes disaggregating to cover more exercises with partner nations. https://news.usni.org/2020/06/08/marines-look-to-two-new-ship-classes-to-define-future-of-amphibious-operations Air Force Gen. Charles Brown confirmed as first black service chief of staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown was confirmed by the Senate in a unanimous vote on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 making him the first ever black service chief of staff. In a vote of 98-0, the Senate confirmed Brown as the 22nd Air Force Chief of Staff with Vice President Mike Pence making a rare appearance to preside over the historic vote. “Today is a Historic Day for our Nation. The Senate has confirmed President @realDonaldTrump’s nominee, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. as Chief of Staff to the @usairforce—the first-ever African American Service Chief in the history of our Coun-try. Congratulations General Brown!” Pence tweeted after the vote. https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/06/air-force-gen-charles-brown-confirmed-as-first-black-service-chief-of-staff/?fbclid=IwAR1dzbdIUp-NiJnKjhK0vIqFlqXoUz60FvPEiA4wOrOsyxYqW9DKrQQRonQ SpaceX’s first crewed spacecraft successfully docks with the International Space Station SpaceX’s Crew Dragon “Endeavour” successfully docked with the International Space Station as planned on Sunday morning, marking another key milestone during this historic Commercial Crew demonstration mission it’s conducting with NASA. On board Crew Dragon were NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, the test pilots

selected to be the first-ever humans to fly on board SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, and the first people ever to make the trip to orbit aboard a space-craft built by a private company. https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/31/spacexs-first-crewed-spacecraft-successfully-docks-with-the-

As someone that spent my childhood growing up during the Second World War in Detroit with two Uncles serving in the war and a mother working as a Rosie the Riveter at Hud-

son Motor Car Company, I cannot believe what I am witnessing in America today and remain silent about it. VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A monument honoring fallen veterans was vandalized outside of the Veterans Memorial Building in Visalia early Monday morning. Susan Spear is the district manager for the Visalia Memorial District. She told Action News the statue, which cost a couple of thousand dollars, was there for about a year. "It just really tears at my heart," Spear said. "It represents those who did not come home." https://abc30.com/monument-honoring-fallen-veterans-vandalized-in-visalia/3592466/?fbclid=IwAR2Lpi0xo53BlE_iC24C-IcCoQzqkKn3VKZVTCZUyYKqPK8ZMCnb6OVNd4E WASHINGTON — The National World War II Memorial was among the landmarks in the nation's capital vandalized this weekend amid protests prompted by the death of George Floyd, the African American man who died in Minneapolis police custody last week. Images posted to social media showed graffiti on the memorial's central fountain which read, "Do black vets count?" In response, the Friends of the National World War II Memorial confirmed the memorial honors and remembers the one million black veterans who served during the conflict. https://www.stripes.com/news/us/national-world-war-ii-memorial-is-vandalized-1.631954?fbclid=IwAR3dAmtcUQxiUfkABRva34AvxzCx9YSayQKIXm8Ua_0f0W_ziUYslb5AUR0

Multiple historic landmarks in Washington D.C. were vandalized by far-left domestic terrorists on Sunday night, as reported by CNN. Among the casualties were the historic Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial. A pedestal in front of Lincoln was defaced with the phrase “Yall not tired yet?”—a direct threat that riots and de-

struction will continue. The World War II Monument similarly was defaced with the racially-charged question of “Do black vets count?” The riots started on the National Mall near the Capitol Building and eventually worked their way down to Lafayette Square, just across from the White House. Terrorists also started a fire in the basement offices of the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, which firefighters eventually managed to put out. Despite initial panic on social media that the historic 204-year-old building would be completely burned, the damage

was contained and church leaders confirmed that nothing of significance was destroyed. Ted McElroy, Post #110 PR & Media Officer 918-

521-7779

PR & MEDIA OFFICER INPUT

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Contributions to this newsletter regarding military and veterans subjects are welcome by any

one and encouraged. Please send them to flyingtheo1938@hotmail.com. Ted McElroy, Veterans Center Board of Directors Secretary and PR & Media Officer, Post #110—918-521-7779

OKLAHOMA DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS NEWS The DAV is one of the veterans groups that will

be sharing our new Veterans Center Building in the near future. http://www.davmembersportal.org/ok/default.aspx

BROKEN ARROW VFW POST 10887 NEWS Our local VFW Post is one of the veterans groups that will be sharing

our new Veterans Center Building in the near future. Post Commander Ralph Pointer will serve as the Vice Chairman on the newly

formed Board of Directors to manage this facility. https://www.facebook.com/vfwpost10887

BLUE STAR MOTHERS CHAPTER 5 NEWS Our local Blue Star Mothers Post 5 is one of the local veterans groups

that will be sharing our new Veterans Center Building in the near future. Blue Star President Janet Viel will also

serve as the Board Treasurer on the newly formed Board of Directors to manage this facility. This new facility will

accommodate their storage and assembly of their veterans “Care” packages which are appreciated and cherished by

our military serving over seas. Post 110 is proud to be a supporter of our local Broken Arrow Chapter 5. (Photo

taken August 7, 2018 at Arlington National Cemetery laying of the wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier cere-

mony) https://www.babluestar.org/?fbclid=IwAR3ivvSN_bRWjkA3k1HG8vzGOGNm0ue1il2ULQ-

xtJZ58NNO93i8rSvqcAM

MILITARY ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART NEWS Our local Military Order of the Purple Heart is one of

the local veterans groups that will be sharing our new Veterans Center Building in the near future. Post 110 is proud

to be a friend of local Chapter 589 and State Vice Commander Mitch Reed who will also serve as the Board

Chairman of the newly formed Board of Directors to manage this facility. (Photo taken August 7, 2018 during the

City of Broken Arrow Vice Mayor and City Council declaring our City to be a Purple Heart City) https://

www.purpleheart.org/

VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA NEWS Our local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 216 is one of the

veterans groups that will be sharing our new Veterans Center Building in the near future. Eddie Whitsett, Chapter 216 Service Officer and

Honor Guard will serve as the Financial Secretary on the newly formed Board of Directors to manage this facility. https://vva.org/

MILITARY HISTORY CENTER NEWS Please note the Broken Arrow Military History Center web site. Current and

past Newsletters are available by clicking on http://www.okmhc.org/ and selecting Newsletter from the pull down menu.

TULSA MAYORS VETERAN ADVISORY COUNCIL NEWS.

https://www.cityoftulsa.org/government/mayor-of-tulsa/veterans/mayors-veteran-advisory-council/

COFFEE BUNKER NEWS Check out all of the news and happenings by one of our local Veterans groups in Tulsa that has

something for every one. https://www.coffeebunker.org/

MUSKOGEE WAR MEMORIAL PARK NEWS https://www.facebook.com/USSBatfish/

UPCOMING EVENTS Rooster Days rescheduled. Many community spring events are being cancelled because of the Covid-19

Pandemic but the City of Broken Arrow has decided to postpone and reschedule rather than cancel so it is moving it from the second week in May to the Labor Day weekend. Broken Arrow Rooster Days, which is called the longest consecutively running festival in the state, can continue to make that claim when it returns Sept. 3-6 for its 89th year.

MILITARY HUMOR A military function is being held where all officers of the Army, Navy and the Air force are present. The

Army and Navy officers were describing the Air force as the Cinderella of the military. To this, the Air force officer replied" I don't know a lot about Cinderella except the fact that she had two ugly sisters". How different military branches use stars. The Army sleeps under the stars. The Navy navigates by the stars. And the Air Force choose ho-tels by the stars.

Out of breath he asked, "Please, may I hide under your skirt. I'll explain later." The nun agreed... A moment later two Military Police ran up and asked, "Sister, have you seen a soldier?" The nun replied, "He went that way." After the MPs ran off, the soldier crawled out from under her skirt and said, "I can't thank you enough, sister. You see, I don't want to go to Syria." The nun said, "I understand completely." The sol-dier added, "I hope I'm not rude, but you have a great pair of legs!" The nun replied, "If you had looked a little higher, you would have seen a great pair of balls…. I don't want to go to Syria either."