Back to Newsletters:                                            Home:

VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL ** AMERICAN LEGION POST 639

 THE VETERANS VOICE

OAKLAND , California (Reuters) - California on Friday banned motorists from talking on cell phones unless they use a headset or speakerphone, although the law will not take effect until July 1, 2008, to allow time to educate the public. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed the measure, urged Californians not to wait until then to put down their phones while driving, citing government data showing those who held their phones while driving were involved in 15 times more accidents than those with hands-free setups. "The simple fact is that it is really dangerous to talk on a cell phone and drive at the same time," Schwarzenegger said. "It's very important for people to know ... stop using the cell phone right now, because you are putting people at risk." Schwarzenegger joked he told his teenage daughter he would take her car away for years if he caught her talking on the phone while driving. "I said I will be driving behind you sometimes and you will not know. I will be spying," he said. Violators will be fined $20 the first time they are caught and $50 the second time. The new law makes exemptions for those placing emergency calls while driving. Several other states, including New York , New Jersey and Connecticut , have bans. California , with 37 million people, is the most populous U.S. state.

KANDAHAR , Afghanistan (AFP) - A suicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself up in a crowd of children clamoring for pens and books from Canadian troops in Afghanistan , killing four NATO soldiers and a number of civilians, police and NATO said. Police said around two dozen children were also hurt in the blast that struck a Canadian patrol in volatile Kandahar province, a day after NATO said it had successfully completed a major anti-Taliban operation nearby .The extremist Taliban movement said it carried out the suicide attack . "What I can confirm is four ISAF soldiers were killed," Major Quentin Innis, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told AFP on Monday.  Others were wounded but he could not yet say how many. "There were a number of Afghan civilians that were also killed," Innis said without giving a figure. A witness said the suicide bomber had ridden a bike into a crowd of laughing children as they gathered around the soldiers at the scene in the Zhari area around 35 kilometers (19 miles) west of Kandahar city. "Kids were running towards the Canadian convoy because they were giving out pens and notebooks to the children," bystander Mohammed Karim told AFP.  "There was a crowd of kids laughing and shouting, 'Give me one, give me one'. At this time a man riding on a bicycle approached the crowd and detonated in the crowd. "With the explosion, all the shouting of kids was ended and you could hear cries and people running to all sides. Some of the wounded were also running," he said. ISAF does not comment on the nationalities of its casualties until the information has been released by their home nation. However police at the scene of the blast said four Canadian soldiers were killed and 10 wounded. "Also 24 kids were wounded with four of them in a very critical condition," a district-level police official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The children were aged between about seven and 15, he said. ISAF said its soldiers were evacuated to military hospitals for treatment. Four of the wounded children were badly hurt and were evacuated to a military hospital at Kandahar Airfield. The Canadian military could not immediately be contacted for confirmation. Canada has 2,300 soldiers in Kandahar and they have been struck by several suicide attacks. Nineteen Canadian soldiers are among more than 90 foreign troops who have died in hostile action in Afghanistan this year, which has seen the worst insurgency-linked violence since the Taliban were toppled in 2001. Monday's attack was outside Kandahar city in an area where ISAF Sunday declared that a major offensive had succeeded. Operation Medusa was launched on September 2 to flush out Taliban who were entrenching themselves in Panjwayi. NATO officials are preparing to ramp up reconstruction in the area as part of a new strategy to win over local residents. The Taliban rose from the area in the early 1990s to take control of most of the country by 1996. They were removed from government by a US-led coalition in late 2001. There has been an almost fourfold increase in suicide attacks in southern Afghanistan this year, according to ISAF figures.  The United Nations representative in Afghanistan , Tom Koenigs, told reporters in Kabul Monday that 154 civilians were killed in suicide bombings in the country this year.  ISAF, which has 10,000 troops in southern Afghanistan , is seeking around 2,000 extra soldiers and more equipment to tackle the violence, which has been more virulent than expected.  Separately, police and Taliban rebels fought a two-hour gun battle in Helmand province which neighbors Kandahar late Sunday, leaving 13 insurgents dead including a local commander and four wounded, police said.  The firefight erupted after residents of Awasay village in Girishk district asked police for help because of a heavy Taliban presence in the area, provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi Mullahkhail told AFP.

COMPUTER FOUND !

WASHINGTON - The government said Thursday it had recovered a Veterans Affairs Department subcontractor's lost desktop computer containing personal data for 16,000 veterans. The FBI and Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General said Khalil Abdullah-Raheem was charged Wednesday on theft charges after the Unisys Corp. computer went missing in July. The computer, which was taken from Unisys' offices in Reston , Va. , contained personal data for veterans who received care at VA medical centers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh . Abdullah-Raheem, 21, of Washington , was employed by a company that provides temporary labor to Unisys. Investigators believe he did not target the data, and forensics experts were determining if the VA data had been compromised. VA Secretary Jim Nicholson on Thursday praised investigators' work in locating the missing computer.

HYDROGEN POWER

MUNICH -- BMW will roll out the world's first hydrogen-burning car in serial production early next year, the German premium automaker said on Tuesday, eager to put its stamp on cars with green credentials. The specially equipped 7-Series executive cars emit only water vapor when running on hydrogen. The car hits the market next April and will be shown at the Los Angeles car show in November, the company said. It had said in March the hydrogen cars would arrive within two years. A spokesman said the car would be leased to selected customers rather than sold because of its high price. Leasing rates would be similar to those for a top-end BMW 760LI with a full-service package. The BMW 7 Series Hydrogen 7 Saloon is powered by a 260 hp twelve-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.5 seconds. Top speed is limited electronically to 230 km/h.  BMW has said it intends to build a few hundred such cars at first. They will be able to switch between burning standard petrol and hydrogen so that drivers will not be left stranded while the infrastructure to deliver hydrogen is built up. "The integration of hydrogen drive in an existing vehicle concept which has already proven its merits in the market paves the way for an alternative to conventional drive concepts fully accepted in the market and with all the assets the customer is looking for in practice," BMW said. The space that two fuel tanks take up means only the 7-Series will offer the hydrogen package at first. BMW's long-term goal is to offer hydrogen motors in all its cars. BMW unveiled the world's fastest hydrogen-powered car at the 2004 Paris auto show. Dubbed the H2R, it can exceed 300 kilometers (185 miles) per hour and reaches 100 km per hour from a standing start in around six seconds. While BMW is developing fuel-cell driven cars as well, it says it is concentrating on the combustion engine because the sum total of its features and characteristics offers the largest number of advantages and benefits all in one.

The Joys Of Aging

The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs.  /My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.  / It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffeemaker /Remember: You don't stop laughing because you grow old, You grow old because you stop laughing. THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

This business has made numerous donations to this Post

COMMANDER'S REPORT

As the summer comes to a close and fall begins, Post 639 has been a busy place.  We now have the outside sign project completed and it looks great. Not only does it provide important information for and about your post, it also lights up the entrance to our driveway. Thanks to all our members who contributed their time and labor for this project. Special thanks to Ron Robberson, Land Movers Landscape, for not only digging the ditch to run electricity to the sign, but also filling in the ditch afterwards as well and it looks great. We hosted the District’s fall meeting and a super thanks to the Auxiliary for another excellent meal, as always and hall decorations. Their effort really showed and was truly appreciated. Thanks Ladies.  This past Saturday we had “Rib Day” we were entertained by The Lucky Boys and a good time was had by all. I would like to thank Tennessee for donating his time and for personally cooking all those delectable ribs. I would also like to thank Leonard for his effort as well as Sam for booking a great band.  I would also like to extend thanks to the Ladies who did their usual great job with the side dishes and serving the ribs and keeping the place clean. Let’s not forget about our Early Bird Party, October 21^st, always a good time. Lance Shockley & the Rocking L’s. There will be a cash drawing for $200.00, must be present to win. As always come early and stay late. Enjoy the change in weather and come in often and support “Your Post.”

For God and Country 

AL Powers 

ADJUTANT'S REPORT

New membership cards for 2007 are in . You can mail your due’s in or drop them off at the post . Special note State due’s for the American Legion Dept of Missouri will ( BE GOING UP FROM $20.00 A YEAR TO $30.00 A YEAR ON DECEMBER 31^ST 2006)  . So you need to pay your membership due’s by December to save $10.00. You may want to look into paying up for life membership (PUFL) before then to save money. I would like to see the Post get 100% in membership in 2007. Let’s show them we can! Special thanks to Leonard Meese for his help on getting the sign for the Post and the hard work he put into it.

 J C Ponder

CHAPLAIN'S MESSAGE

Mr. Phil Richardson, our past Post Commander and Mr. Paul Miller, E-Board member, were both in St. John’s hospital for surgery.  Both attended the meeting on September 5^th and appeared to be doing excellent.  Our next meeting is October 3^rd.  This is for the 500 plus members that DO NOT attend.  At our September meeting we had an excellent dinner that was FREE for those attending.  (This is your chance for a free meal & fellowship with your Brothers each month!) Minor Lee Holland has gone to the post ever lasting.  Lee joined our post in 1993 and was a paid up for life member.  Lee was very active at the post and will be greatly missed - we will need about 4 members that could take his place, so get off your; you know what, and HELP OUT!  I want to thank Sharon and the Holland family for his service. Remember our military men and women and their families and our POW’s and MIA’s in your thoughts and prayers.

Bob Carroll

LADIES AUXILIARY

Hi Ladies.  We’re going to have a great time in October!  Please come to the general meeting on October 3^rd @ 6 PM for the dinner and 7 PM for the meeting.  We have a lot going on in the next couple of months and we all need to be informed.  Octoberfest is the 6^th so mark your calendars.  We will be donating 50% of the proceeds to Vets and their children currently serving our country.  We can not do this without the support of all of our ladies.  All of us working together is the key to our success!!  We will be serving chili for $3.00 a bowl and will again have our cake walk.  GUYS, get your $$$ ready.  We always enjoy those homemade and “grocery made” cakes.  Don’t forget the silent auction!!  There will be lots of items and strong competition which always provides great fun.  When you contact businesses and individuals for donations, the forms for this are ready at the Post in the Ladies Auxiliary mailbox. Come by and pick as many as you need. Please drop off the donated items at the Post whenever you can. We will start the bidding @ 5:00 PM. So…Bake or buy a cake and/or bring a friend to the Shhhhhh Silent Auction! The chili, cakes, and auction item donations will be greatly appreciated. We’ll also be having another COMFEE basket giveaway that night. Don’t forget the kids!! We have a Halloween Party on Saturday, the 28^th from 1:00 To 3:00. We will be serving goodies and hot dogs. Tom Booth has already volunteered to help out the ladies again this year and grill up those dogs. Thanks Tom. We will have crafts, games, and piñata's (watch out Dea) which are always a blast. Invite and bring all the kids that you can!! Ladies, we always need your help to make these parties special for the children. Our Mt. Vernon Vets will be here on Nov.  11^th so be here to welcome them to our Post.  They Deserve It!!!  The Early Bird Party is on October 21^st at 7:00PM so ladies, let’s get together and get our membership paid up. I hope to see you there. Entertainment and food sounds great to me!! Watch for details about Ladies Night that is now on Wednesday nights. Drink special is Martini and a great manicure. See you there! You are all appreciated and part of a great organization.  Thank You.

President - Terri Chandler

EDITOR'S REPORT

The cut-off for submitting newsletter articles for November is the 18th. Please get your article to me by then. Due to short weeks this month, the folding party will be on  Thursday the 24th of October at 6:00 so it can be received by mail on or about the 1st of November. As of October 1st, there only 84 shopping days till Christmas. Where has the time gone? This month there are a lot of events planned so watch the calendar and participate. If you happen to be out after dark, drive by or stop in at the Post and see how well lit the end of the driveway is.  The sign is now up and electrified to let everyone know of events that are happening at Post 639.

Gene Beattie

The Ladies Octoberfest-The early Bird Party and The kids Halloween party are just some of the events for this month.  Stick this months calendar up on your refrigerator so you won’t forget. 40 & 8 will be having their dinner and meeting at Post 676 on the 24th starting at 1800. There will be a wedding reception on the 28th from 4:00 till close. This is not a Post function but they have rented the hall. Please respect them as they might refer  us to someone else. This is income for the Post. Check us out on the web at: www.post639.com  The Rib dinner went great with Tennessee & Mick & Dave slaving over a hot smoker pretty much all day. At least the beer was cold. Thanks for supporting our Post.

Gene Beattie

GOLDEN   CORRAL BUFFET will again be hosting a military appreciation day on Monday, November 13th between 5:00 and 9:00 PM. I have already talked to our ALR Riders and we think it would be great to attend as a group in support of our Post. The lines will probably be long so we should be there by 4:00. I know I can stand in line for an hour for free food. How about you?  This is open to our nation’s veterans and active duty military men and women nationwide.  Drink is also included.

PROUD TO HONOR OUR VETERANS

“Coach” Talbert C. Kelly is a resident of the Missouri Veterans Home in Mt. Vernon room B177A  His hometown is Memphis , Tennessee and he was a sergeant in the Air Force. Coach was an administrative clerk typist, involved in administrative finance and the Postal Service. He was stationed in the central highland of Vietnam where he typed orders for pilots. He finished his college through the G.I. Bill and spent many years teaching and coaching sports. Watch for a new article next month called Coach’s Corner. It will have some poems and writings that Coach loves.

“Never mistake motion for action.”   Ernest Hemingway 1899-1961