On
the third anniversary of the Iraq war, more than 2,300 U.S. troops have died,
tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and a fledgling democratically
elected government
is trying to hold the country together.
The Bush administration has measured progress in Iraq through three
elections and the ability of Iraqi security forces to conduct raids and respond
to the violence that grips Baghdad and other major areas. "We are losing
each day as an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not
more," former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi told the BBC. "If this
is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is." Although conditions
have not passed the "point of no return," he said, if that point is
reached, fragile efforts to build a new government "will not only fall
apart but sectarianism will spread throughout the region, and even Europe and
the U.S. will not be spared the violence that results."
In recent weeks, killings described by witnesses as sectarian in nature
have raised the specter of descent into civil war Under Saddam Hussein, the
minority Sunnis wielded power, often through violence against Shiites and Kurds.
In the new government, the Sunnis have a minority voice, and many officials
think the insurgency is largely fueled by disaffected Sunnis. In the aftermath
of the March 2003 invasion, most of the insurgent attacks focused on U.S.-led
coalition forces. In time, terrorists increasingly have attacked Iraqi police
and troops and also targeted civilians.
In December, President Bush estimated 30,000 Iraqis had died in the war. The
Bush administration says Iraq is not in a civil war, but Vice President Dick
Cheney said terrorists are desperate to foster one. "What we've seen is a
serious effort by them to foment civil war, but I don't think they've been
successful," Cheney said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." The
situation is a long way from being "a broad civil war," Casey told
CNN's "Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer" on Sunday. "But I don't
want to sugarcoat it either. This is a very fragile time, and there are people
getting killed." Lawmakers have also argued the point. The debate carries
political significance in both nations, as Iraqi officials work to build a
permanent government and Bush's approval rating is at a record low. The United
States has about 132,000 troops in Iraq, and troop levels will depend on the
success of Iraqi forces in taking over security operations, officials have said.
Iraqi and White House officials maintain conditions are improving and the new
government has a realistic shot to become a democratic Arab nation. Several
lawmakers said the Bush administration must acknowledge that Iraq has reached
the point of civil war. Among them were Democrats and a Republican who has long
differed with the president over the war -- Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.
"I think we have had a low-grade civil war going on in Iraq, certainly the
last six months, maybe the last year. Our own generals have told me that
privately," Hagel said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." Hagel did not
name the generals. Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wrote in
Sunday's Washington Post that "turning our backs on postwar Iraq today
would be the modern equivalent of handing postwar Germany back to the
Nazis." Some Democratic lawmakers have criticized the president, saying
neither the White House or Pentagon has had a plan for dealing with Iraq since
Bush declared major conflict on May1st,2003
THIS
MONTHS MYSTERY PICTURE
Last
months winner was J.C. Ponder The first member to tell the editor where this
picture was taken in the Post wins a free drink at the bar. No employees of Post
639 or past winners will be
eligible.
COMMANDERS
MESSAGE
March
has ended on a sad note; we lost a member of the auxiliary, Luanne Spradling.
She was a past president and a valuable asset to the post. She will be
missed by all. Good Bye Grouch, I'll
miss you. Remembrance Day is coming along. I've
received conformation on a fly in, a HU1E or the Black Hawk, which is dependent
on flight crew availability. We hope
for the Black Hawk. Nominations for elections are under way and several
positions are still open. Get your name on the list. Remember, it’s WE
that gets it done.
Phil
Richardson
ADJUTANTS
MESSAGE
Elections
of new Post Officers will be the 1st
Tuesday
in June. Nomination for officers start in the month of March during the general
meeting. You must have your membership card for 2006 to vote. To run for any of
these offices, you will have to be a member of this Post for 2 years. There is a
nomination list posted on the bulletin board at the bar. Membership due’s are
very slow coming in for 2006 . Please help us and remind the unpaid members that
you know, that dues need to be paid.
J.
C. Ponder
FINANCE
MANAGER
American
Legion Post 639 is on the verge of celebrating the 25th anniversary of our
founding. Those of us who are not among those who founded this Post cannot know
the sacrifices that were made, the problems they had to face and the obstacles
they had to overcome. They had to go deep into debt to get the Post started and
yet had the foresight to purchase over 25 acres for future use and expansion.
They
had their visions for the future. They put their own money,
time and talents into that vision. It seems to me that we are letting
those founders down if we don’t go forward with our own visions for the future
of this Post. Most of the acres that the founders purchased lie idle, costing
the Post money for maintenance and upkeep. Instead of acreage draining money
from the Post, we should be using this very valuable asset to...
1. Raise
the revenues for the progress of the Post.
2. Raise
money for needy veterans
3. Support,
more tangibly, our military men and women in harms way.
At
our last general meeting, we made a commitment to spend money to erect an
outdoor covered stage. Without this stage, we would not be able to get top
quality entertainers to perform at our Post. This is a good start but, MEMBERS,
the Post needs your
ideas,
your
efforts and your
commitments
to make our Post the best A.L. Post in the state of Missouri and perhaps the
best in the nation. We need the input of all of our members to realize the
visions of our founders. LET’S
GET GOING. Let’s
put together a comprehensive plan and then work that plan to completion, and let’s
do it now. We
owe it to our founders and ourselves.
Tom
Mabrey
CHAPLAINS
REPORT
April
is one of my favorite months.
Why?
Because Spring is near, days are longer, everything starts new flowers,
trees and time to mow the lawn, start cooking out on the grill, fish spawning,
spring house cleaning, gutter cleaning, tilling the garden and the hope for
fresh veggies. Let’s not forget the true meaning of Easter.
The death of Jesus Christ.
Three days after his resurrection giving us all hope of eternal life for
those who believe in Him.
And the joy of watching the children hunt for Easter eggs left by the
Easter Bunny. Post 639 has 580 + members which I will call Bees, the worker
Bees, drone Bees and a Queen
Bee. We
lost our Queen Bee on March 15, 2006.
Luann Spradling will be greatly missed in our post.
Luann’s attitude, enthusiasm and caring nature will be hard to replace.
Luann was the type of person who gave 110% in everything she tackled.
The Christmas party for the kids where she was always Santa’s helper
dressed in her elf outfit, the Easter egg hunt and the Halloween party’s.
Also you would see Luann under the tent at all the outside events selling
t-shirts, pins and novelties - we all will miss that!
Please keep the Spradling family in your thoughts and prayers during this
difficult time. Larry Hanna suffered a heart attack last week so keep him in
your prayers & Tom Mabrey is facing rotator-cuff surgery on the 3rd. Pray
for Tom & Jo. Don’t forget to keep the military and our POW’s and
MIA’s in your prayers.
Bob
Carroll
Message
From The Editor
We
are coming around to the idea that I have been preaching since I took over this
newsletter. We
can do it all, If we all do it! Without
you,
THE
MEMBERS, we would not
be in the final stages for the new road sign. We would not
be planning a new stage. Rememberance Day would be in total chaos with no one on
the planning committee. Our membership would be declining and the people who are
still members would have an (I paid my $20) attitude. This may or may not be the
future for Post 639 and it’s all up to you. I know that everyone has a life
outside of the Post but if every member could just donate 1or2 hour a week to
maintain, beautify, or improve the Post, we could be proud of our Post and
everything that it stands for. Look around and see some of the small (or not so
small) changes that have happened in the last 2 months. Can you tell the
difference? Does it make a difference? If you can donate time, tell any E-Board
member or ontact me at 417-865-5579. Now, on to the members who are always doing
for our Post. The people who are on the committees -The ones who donate time,
efforts, and money-Our E-Board -The ladies auxiliary-The S.A.L.- The people in
the background who never seem to receive recognition for what they do. I can’t
thank you enough for all you have done for our Post.
Did you know we now have new bleachers at the ball diamond? I know how
they got there and it’s taken a lot of work to do it. We are improving, but it
takes a lot of patience, and the efforts of everyone to change for the better.
We lost a member last month and she will
be missed. We only have a few members who have not paid their 2006 dues. If they
pay their dues, we will reach 100%. Please help us with this. Elections are very
close at hand so now is the time to decide who you would like to have leading
Post 639 in the Springfield community. Do you have something to include in the
newsletter? Get it to me no later than the 22nd
of April for the May issue. I will be out of town for the first 2 weeks in April
so let Pat know, at the bar, if you have to get in touch with me. Hopefully we
will have a karaoke night on the 6th
of May. FOR THE GOOD OF THE LEGION.
Gene
Beattie
LADIES AUXILIARY
PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE
Well,
first off I want to thank a very special young lady for the help she gave me on
March 11th.
I hope some day I can return the favor. As we all know, we lost a very special
lady in her own right. There are a lot of things that we will never forget about
her. She understood a lot about me that no one else will ever know. In the 3
years I knew her, there are 8 days that will stay with me always. I learned a
lot of different things, and that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
Beverley
Miller
CHAPLAINS
NOTE
In
like a lamb, out like a lion? How does this work? I’m confused. We had several
friends sick and/or hospitalized this past month of February. Let’s remember
to think about them and keep them in our hearts. The heart is a tricky thing.
You cannot look at the outside or the environment of people to see what is in
their hearts. Having faith in God is great, having hope in God is good, but the
greatest of these is loving God and that is the heart of the matter.
Debra
Brown
BAR
& KITCHEN REPORT
Updated
menu’s are now on the tables. We are having a good year so far and need to be
reminded on the good job that the bartenders are doing. We lost our janitor but
have hired another. Good luck Tony. We have a lot of events happening in the
next 2 months so please be understanding when it gets hectic in the bar area.
Thanks also to Tennessee and Gene for cleaning the deep fryers and the rest of
the kitchen. Thanks to their hard work, the Masons will be here next year for
their annual fish fry.
Pat
Beattie-Manager
NEW
ROAD SIGN
If
you can donate time, or equipment to help us install our new sign at the road,
please contact The Building & Grounds Committee or an E-Board member. At
this printing we are in need of a Backhoe-Trencher-10 Gauge wire-PVC pipe-and
Workers to help. The sign and pole are ready to install but help is needed.
We are trying to keep this project down in $ so if you can help, please
let us know.
Thanks
Martinsville
Speedway
Apr 2 2:00 pm
Texas Motor Speedway
Apr 9 3:00 pm
Phoenix International
Raceway Apr 22 8:25 pm
Talladega Super
Speedway
Apr 30 2:00 pm
In
Memory
Luanne
Spradling 1936-2006
"Let
every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any
price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,
support any friend, and oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of
Liberty and Freedom."
UP
AND COMING EVENTS
April
2nd………Bloody
Mary Brunch 11:00 to 2:00 (Benefit
Breakfast for New Stage)
April
9th……….POST CLEAN-UP DAY 9 AM
April
15th……...TAX
DAY
April
16th………EASTER
SUNDAY
April
22nd……...TENNESSEE’S
& SAM’S BBQ
Check The Calendar for times
Check with Pat for “Happy Hour” prices on your favorite
drinks
NEW SPECIALS EVERY DAY !
Ask About our Food Menu Items
How Will We Know If You Want
Something If You Don’t Ask?
AMERICAN LEGION POST 639
WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
American
Legion Post 639
EVERY
FRIDAY NIGHT
Pull
Tabs start at 4:30
Early
Bird starts at 6:30
Guaranteed
Pay-out
will be $ 3,600
Plus
Progressive & Pull
Tabs
The Bingo Hall is located at
2032 West Bennett Street
(Just
West of Kansas
Expressway)
-Across from The Post Office-
If you can’t help work
BINGO come out & play!
