Benson VFW Post 2503
May 2016 www.VFWPost2503.org
402-571-8397
From the Commander
Dear Comrades and Ladies:
At the last two General Membership
Meetings on March 3 and April 7,
2016 the Post conduced three round
of officer nominations and held the
election. The installation of new of-
ficers will take place during the New
Business portion of the May 5, 2016
General Membership Meeting. The
Installation Officer will be the State
Surgeon Joe Smith. The officers will
officially start their duties on Sunday,
June 12, 2016 when Doug Whitaker
will be inaugurated as the New De-
partment Commander at the State
Convention in Kearney, Nebraska.
The elected officers for next year,
2016-2017 are as follows:
POSITION NAME
Post Commander Tony Cox
Senior Vice Commander
Ricky Johnson
Junior Vice Commander
Sharon Cooper
Quartermaster Dan Raabe
Chaplain Dennis Kerr
Surgeon Terrence White
Judge Advocate Randall
McQueeney
Adjutant Chuck Wolf
Service Officer Bob Brown
Trustee 3 year Patrick Parker
(Continued on page 3)
From the Auxiliary
President .
Auxiliary elections were held at the
meeting on April 7 and the elected
officers are Karen Cox President,
Connie Ross Senior Vice President,
Jennifer Farmer Junior Vice Presi-
dent, Marcia Jones Chaplain, Kathy
Raabe Treasurer, Jan Davis Guard,
Pat Dembowski Secretary, and
Trustees for the ensuing year are
Evelyn Westergard, Kathy Thielen
and Sue Stark. Congratulations.
Installation will be after the Auxilia-
ry meeting on 5 May.
I would like to thank all the volun-
teers that made our Saint Patrick’s
Day celebration a success. The
corned beef dinner was a huge suc-
cess as were the bake sale and raf-
fles. Raffle winners were Margie
Hanna (Light House), Earl Jones
(Patriotic Quilt), and Bev Johnson
and Kathy Polly (Saint Patrick
quilts). Congratulations and special
thanks to Dale Thornton, Nancy and
Sewing Group for their donations.
If you haven’t paid your annual
dues or paid your $7.00 cancer dues
if you are a lifetime member please
try and get them in. As an Auxilia-
(Continued on page 3)
POST 2503 OFFICERS 2015-2016 Commander: Fred Van Peer
Sr. Vice Commander: Wayne ‘Tony ‘ Cox Jr. Vice Commander: Sharon Cooper
Quartermaster: Dan Raabe Chaplain: Dennis Kerr
Surgeon: Terrence White Judge Advocate: Randall McQueeney
Officer of the Day: Randall McQueeney Adjutant: Chuck Wolf
Guard: Bill Fead Service Officer: Robert Brown
AUXILIARY OFFICERS 2015-2016
President: Kathy ‘Tiger’ Thielen
Sr. Vice President: Karen Cox
Jr. Vice President: Shirley Duis
Treasurer: Ruth Gerst
Secretary: Pat Dembowski
Chaplain: Marcia Jones
Conductress: Jan Davis
Guard: Kathy Raabe
Patriotic Instructor: Pending
Post and Auxiliary
Meetings
1st Thursday
every month
7:00 pm
Honor Guard
Meeting
2nd Thursday
every month
7:00 pm
CINCO DE MAYO - $7.50
MAY 6, 5:30 - 7:00PM
BEEF/CHICKEN
ENCHILADAS
RICE/BEANS
PORK CHILI
CHIPS (REGULAR/
CINNAMON) SALSA
May Day, May Day.
Come one, Come all,
No Question Too Small.
Find out, Figure out,
How Medicare Works.
Friday, May 6th at 3:00PM
POST BREAKFAST
May 15th
8:30—Noon
Thirsty Thursdays
& Tacos
May 12th
5-7pm
Basket Night
May 27th
5:30—7:00 pm
2
POST BREAKFAST
May 15th
0830—Noon
Chaplain’s Message
Say whatever else you want about the
Army, they gave me the gift of two
honorable missions and stories to tell
grandchildren someday. Needless to
say I am not a heroic figure at all.
Almost everyone I have met at the
VFW actually had much more diffi-
cult times and stress than I did. But I
can tell you about the wonderful peo-
ple I have met personally who were
brave and considerate under duress.
They lived up to American ideals,
even when the rest of the world was-
n't watching. In this way, it's like the
Army issued me an extra large duffel
bag - chock full of stories!
When I was in the Army, I wasn't a
commander or anything. But as I
traveled to my mission, I stopped in
Germany, and took an MWR (moral
welfare and recreation) trip to a con-
centration camp. It was a completely
voluntary thing to do, and my LTC
(Lieutenant Colonel) was there also.
As he and a few other soldiers and I
walked along in our civilian clothes,
he shared how he was concerned
about doing the right thing on our
mission, and how the people who ran
the concentration camps were "just
following orders". I didn't dwell too
much on that until after I came home.
And as I look back, I didn't worry
about him doing wrong things on our
mission, I was free to do the best
work I could do. Part of the oath I
took as a soldier was to "obey lawful
orders", and because he showed true
leadership, I simply did just that. He
might not think it was a gift, I say
that it is. If any of my children ever
become officers, I will share this sto-
It is time ag
ain fo
r the an
nual sale o
f the V
eterans o
f Foreig
n W
ars Bu
dd
y P
op
pies. A
lthou
gh
you m
ay n
ot b
e able to
help
with
the sale o
f Buddy P
opp
ies, we are su
re yo
u w
ould
like to
con
-
tribute to
this w
orth
y cau
se. Donatio
ns receiv
ed fro
m th
e sale of B
ud
dy P
op
pies are u
sed to
help
need
y v
eterans an
d th
eir families.
Nam
e to b
e disp
layed
on P
oppy C
ard:
__________________________________________
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___
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__
_____
__
___
_
Your N
ame: _
_____________________________
____
__
__
___
__
__
__
__
__
_____
__
__
__
_
Telep
hone N
um
ber_
________________________
____
Mem
orial? Y
es___ N
o___
Th
ank y
ou
for y
ou
r warm
and
gen
erou
s do
natio
n, V
FW
Post 2
503 B
udd
y P
oppy C
hairm
an
ry, and hope that they will do the same
thing.
Dennis Kerr, Chaplain
The 2016-2017 Essay Contest
Themes:
VOD: ‘My Responsibility to Ameri-
ca
PP: ‘The America I Believe In’
The Voice of Democracy is for 9th
through 12th grade, and Patriots Pen is
6th through 8th grade. Encourage
your nieces, nephews, grandchildren
and neighbors to enter by November
1st 2016.
3
Trustee 2 year Bryan Vercoe
Trustee 1 year Bob Fenton
House/Building Committee 3 year
Jay Donoho
House/Building Committee 3 year
Brian Farmer
House/Building Committee 2 year
Bob Brown
House/Building Committee 1 year
Warren Malloy
House/Building Committee 1 year
Tom Penke
Since there was no election contest
for any office the Adjutant cast one
unanimous vote for each nominated
officer. My congratulations to all
elected and appointed officers and
good luck. As always thanks for your
support.
Fred Van Peer, Post Commander
(Continued from page 1)
ry member whether annual or life
you are eligible if you have been
hospitalized and diagnosed with
cancer at $35.00 a day. All bills
noting your hospitalization need to
be submitted to Ruth Gerst and will
be reviewed by a committee. Please
contact Ruth or myself with ques-
tions. The Auxiliary needs your
membership to support our pro-
grams for Veterans and their fami-
lies. Your membership is valued.
Send your dues to Ruth Gerst, Aux-
iliary Treasurer at 8904 Military
Road, Omaha, NE 68134. If you
have any questions, please contact
me at 402-681-0687 or Ruth at 402-
498-9781. For your information the
$7.00 cancer dues apply only to
Auxiliary members not Post mem-
bers.
The State Convention will be held
June 9-12 at the Kearney, NE Holi-
day Inn/Convention Center, 110 S.
2nd.
Please keep all our Troops, Veter-
ans, Auxiliary and families in your
thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
President, Kathy ‘Tiger’ Thielen
From the Kitchen
Winners for the free meal were Lois
Peyton, Mary Kruse, Bob Fenton
and Tom Risinger. Congratulations
and thanks for supporting the Post.
One Wednesday of each month the
Post will be providing a dessert to
celebrate all birthdays for that
month. A special way to say
THANK YOU and HAPPY
(Continued from page 1) BIRTHDAY! We will celebrate all
birthdays in May on the 25th..
Please come to the Post, enjoy a
great meal and have a piece of cake
on us.
Please plan to join us at the Post for
Basket Night on Friday, May 27.
We will be serving Wing, Shrimp,
Chicken Strip and Fish Baskets.
Drink prices are discounted from
3:00 to 7:00pm.
Also, on May 12, Thirsty Thursday
we will be serving Tacos, Tortilla
chips with salsa or Cinnamon Sugar
Chips. Breakfast will be served on
Sunday, May 15.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOL-
UNTEERS. YOU DO A FANTAS-
TIC JOB!
If there is a food item you would
like to see on the menu let me know.
I am open to suggestions. The Post
is looking for volunteers to help out
on the nights food is served. There
are plenty different things you can
do from writing tickets to serving
food. Everyone is welcome. We
have fun. You may call me at 402-
572-0651 or the Post at 402-571-
8397 or leave a note at the bar.
Keep in mind on HAMBURGER
NIGHT that hamburgers, chicken
sandwiches and fish will always be
served. The menu on the calendar is
the SPECIAL for that day.
Please remember to fill out a ticket
for a chance to win a free meal.
Thank you for all your support. To-
gether we do make a difference.
Please thank our Veterans and keep
our members, families and Troops in
your thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
Kathy ‘Tiger’ Thielen and the Crews
Honor Guard
Thank you to the Honor Guard for
entrusting me with this important
duty. I will do all I can to make this
a good year.
Ricky Johnson
(Continued on page 4) 5146 N. 90th St.(1-Block South 90th & Fort)
4
footage they may have. They will
also shoot some segments with vet-
erans and their families, or reunite
veterans with their units, etc. They
are looking for more stories for their
6 or more 1-hour long episodes.
The following links explain the pro-
ject. Military Times article: http://
www.militarytimes.com/story/
entertainment/2015/11/17/your-war-
story-wanted-ricky-schroder-
fighting-season-soldier-
edition/75929570/
Fox & Friends: http://
video.foxnews.com/
v/4653234028001/ricky-schroder-
talks-starring-in-coat-of-many-
colors/?#sp=show-clips
To contact the producer Brett
Shumway, call 310-455-2789
I just received this information in
my Womens Army Corps Mar/Apr
Newsletter. That is why this is late.
If you know an Iraq/Afghan Veter-
an, pass this along to them. It may
not be too late.
Sharon Cooper
First Responders Craft and
Family Day
May 21st will be a special expanded
Children’s Craft Day. Police, Fire,
Helos and Horses from 1-3pm.
Make it a family outing. Food will
be available.
Honor Guard CPT
AUXILIARY
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The June 11 event Rave On: The
Buddy Holly Experience will be at
the Omaha Community Playhouse at
7:30. Cost is $32 per ticket and we
need to turn our paid reservation in
by May 11. Please sign up at the bar
or call Kathy Raabe at (402) 392-
0210.
.
Auxiliary Chaplain’s News
Auxiliary Sisters: Please inform
Auxiliary Chaplain Marcia Jones 402
-926-2648 of any ill or deceased Aux-
iliary member.
Marcia Jones
FROM THE QUARTERMASTER
The response to the building fund
was wonderful and the post appreci-
ates it very much. St. Patrick’s Day
was also a great day, lots of people
reconnected and the kitchen crew had
fun while working extremely hard.
Tiger deserves a round of applause.
600 pounds of corned beef is no small
task, not to mention all the potatoes
and cabbage.
As we go forward, please remember,
we are here for the Veterans. We
need to work together; Post
(members, canteen and kitchen),
Honor Guard, and Auxiliary. No one
group is Post 2503.
Dan Raabe, Post Quartermaster
The Fighting Season
Direct TV is producing a new docu-
mentary series that provides a venue
for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to
share their stories. They will begin
airing the episodes around 4 July
2016. They plan to shoot interviews
during April with the service mem-
bers and they will walk the audience
through their story using any film
(Continued from page 3) ROOM RENTALS
Please keep in mind for your
meeting/party plans, that the Post
is available Monday through Fri-
day during the day. Contact Geri
Brown at 402-943-9067 to re-
serve your date. Spread the word
to your friends and family. The
Post looks great decorated for
weddings and graduation parties
too.
Memorial Day Schedule
0930— Evergreen Cemetery
1100—Mt Hope Cemetery
1200—Springwell Cemetery
1230—Potters Field
1330—VFW Post 2503
May 28th, 0900 Boy Scouts put
out flags at Mt Hope
May 31st, 1800 Boy Scouts pick
up flags at Mt Hope
MEMORIAL DAY MAY 30
FOOD AND ICE CREAM
SOCIAL AFTER SERVICES
Nebraska Vietnam
Combat Veterans Flight
Monday,
June 6th 2016
Mission:
135 Vietnam
Combat Veterans
& $130,000 in
Donations
Please Visit: www.PatrioticProductions.org
Applications and
donations may be mailed
to:
Patriotic Productions
16213 Lamp St
Omaha, NE 68118
5
M
ay
20
16
4 Baked C
hicken Breast/R
ice Pilaf/
Glazed C
arrots or Shrim
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Soup – C
abbage and
Ham
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rew—
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Med
icare 101—3p
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Cin
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—5:30—
7:00pm
Beef S
teak.Mashed P
otatoes/G
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rilled Onions or
Pork T
enderloin S
oup – Vegetable B
eef 172
nd Trans. C
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Chicken F
ried Steak/M
ashed P
otatoes/Gravy/C
orn or S
loppy Joe S
oup – Cream
of Cheesy P
otato C
rew—
S. S
chaefer
25 Chicken and N
oodles over M
ashed Potatoes /P
eas or Pizza
Burger
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P.P
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6
V.F.W. Post 2503
8904 Military Road
Omaha, NE 68134
Address Service Requested Non-Profit Org
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #610
Omaha, NE
See Inside Memorial Day
Basket Night
Post Breakfast
Medicare Information
Thirsty Thursday
Auxiliary Activities
From Your Honor Guard Captain
Wayne ‘Tony’ Cox
MILITARY RITES: March 2016
Military Members
Deceased Cemetery Members
3/02/16 Seymour Schneider Evergreen 8
3/04/16 Michael Miller Mt Hope 10
3/07/16 Eugene Reegan Westlawn 10
3/08/16 Gorman Benson Evergreen 10
3/15/16 Marvin Conway Mt Hope 12
3/15/16 James W R Brown Calvary 9
3/21/16 Daniel Lynch Resurrection 8
3/22/16 Blyth Kubovec Resurrection 12
3/23/16 Leonard Waltrip Calvary 7
3/25/16 Gary Hallberg Forest Lawn 11
3/31/16 Jim McGuire Evergreen 10
Funerals 11 Members 107 Hours 321
* Post Member
March 2016
Our Unknown Comrades
NOTICE: All articles should be in the Newsletter Box, IN WRIT-ING, at the Post no later than May 7th. If ar ticles are not submit-ted by the deadline, they will have to wait for the next newsletter. We try to have the newsletter to the printers in the week following the meetings. If changes need to be made after the meetings, articles can be amended. When your article is late, the Newsletter is late to all our members. Please use a full sheet of paper. Little pieces of paper can get lost. Thank you
CLUB HOURS
Monday Closed
Tuesday thru Thursday 3:00 pm—9:00 pm
Friday 3:00 pm—9:00 pm
Saturday Noon—9:00 pm
Sunday Noon—7:00 pm
PHONE: 402-571-8397
The Post is selling Memorial Bricks
around the memorial walk and flag.
Bob Fenton, Chairman
Memorial Bricks are being sold by
Post 2503 to be put around the outside
Name _______________________________________________ Please Print
Phone # ________________________________________ WORDS ON BRICK
Line 1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 Line 2 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 Line 3 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1
Checks Only—No Cash Return this form to the Post
of the Memorial flag pole. These bricks will cost $60.00 each.
They will be for VFW, Auxiliary, AMVET & Auxiliary members,
their families and people they sponsor. They will be memorials for
living or deceased people. They will be ordered once a year on
April 1st, for installation by Memorial Day each year. Max 16 spac-
es per line, 3 lines, cost $60.00 per brick.