1. law, govt and politics

Volume 17 - April 2015
Commander – Post 534
I would once again, like to thank Neil Brown for stepping up and assuming the duties as our Post
Finance Officer. Neil is always there when the Post needs a hand, I am positive we can rely on Neil
to do a great job for us in the future!
A Big thanks to Dave Maher and Neil Brown for taking some personal time in assisting the Post in
some recent construction. The old wooden printer box was demolished so additional room could be
made for our juke box and new T.V. It really looks good!
Reminder - Nominations for Delegates and Alternate for our State Convention will be held and
noted on our next Post meeting on April 8th. The first nominations for elected Post officers will also
be held at our April 8th meeting. Second nominations and elections will be held at our May 13th
Post meeting. All electable offices are open so please consider running for a Post office. We can use
everyone's help even if you can't be an officer get involved; it's your Post so help us run it.
The State Convention will be held in Ontario, Calif. June 25th thru the 28th. So please try and
make it. You'll have a great time.
"Semper Fi"
Dennis Maher
Commander, American Legion, Orcutt Post 534
First Vice-Commander
The future of our Post lies within the responsibility of every member. Let’s make the month of
April a BIG membership drive month. Talk with your friends, neighbors, Family etc., and get
those who proudly served our nation signed up in the American Legion Orcutt post 534. Find out
who you know is still undecided with Post 1000 and try to convince them Post 534 is worth a visit.
Remember we are only as strong and our weakest link.
Kerry Brooks, First Vice-Commander
Sgt-at-Arms
A new flag fund-raiser is in the works. We are talking with the shop owners up and Clark Ave.
about donating funds for our cause. With their donation, the business owner will receive a signed
tax donation letter from the Post and a custom made sticker the can proudly display in front of
their business. I have also been approached by the American Committee about putting together a
“Flag Retirement Ceremony” sometime in June. There will be more to follow with this. A
Horseshoe Tournament is also in the works for POST 534 to host. The original date of June 6, 2015
has been canceled. A new date will be announced once one has been established.
Thanks, and may the Good Lord keep and Bless you all!
Dave Maher
AMERICAN LEGION RIDERS
On Sunday, March 1st, the ALR Biker Breakfast proved to be another successful but almost a
rainy event. Those who helped, really worked there, you know what off! It would not have
happened without the super efforts of Gene Baird in buying all the food beforehand, Ty Olivar,
Grant Meyers, Rick Pieprzycki, Neil Brown, Anthony Torres, Keith Mason, Joe Spegele and yes,
even myself. To all those that came down to make it a great success, THANK YOU! We split the
breakfast profit with the Post who received $47.00 at the March Post meeting. Thank you to all that
helped, as well as those that supported this breakfast. Linda Olivar, aka “Bloody Mary” added
$156.00 plus, $24.25 in tips she generated at the bar that morning, for a total of $180.25. The Post
made over $100 profit there.
The ALR State Convention is April 17, 18, 19th at the “Clovis Veterans Memorial” building. This
will be hosted by the Sanger ALR Chapter 23. All hotel and other vital information is available on
the ALR State website: www.alrdoc.com. Be sure and click on “Convention 2015”, the starting
times for Saturday & Sunday are 9:00 a.m. Please ensure you have a beret or your Legion cover!
Saturday is a full day and Sunday is a half day. We will be staying at the Best Western Clovis Cole.
We will fine tune things at our April meeting. Please meet at Post 534 that Friday at 8:00 a.m., with
KSU at 8:30 a.m.
At our last meeting we set Saturday, July 25th as the date for our 11th Annual Fallen Warrior
Legacy Poker Run. The proceeds go to the National AL Legacy Scholarship Fund for scholarships
benefiting the surviving children of those who gave their lives in Iraq & Afghanistan since
September 11, 2001.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015, will be the ALR monthly meeting at 7:00pm. We will open nominations
for ALR officers for the coming year. So please plan to attend so you can be a part of this process.
We will also start collecting 2015-16 dues which are due by June 1, 2015. The general Post
membership meeting starts at 6:00pm, so please plan to attend both.
I attended the Spring AL DEC meeting Mar. 14-15th at Post 56 in Santa Maria. An AL resolution
was presented, which passed. This addresses issues concerning the ALR. Here is a summary of the
resolution. The ALR DOC Commission will provide direction & oversight of the ALR program. No
Department Officer, President or elected officer of an ALR Chapter can hold the office of Post
Commander at the same time. No patches shall be affixed to the back of the vest/jacket other than
the ALR Emblem & top/ bottom rockers. As far as the front items worn, no military rank patches
may be worn including a number of other items. No ALR member shall wear an exposed weapon,
club or fixed blade knife while representing ALR in their vest/jacket. No ALR member may
affiliate or associate with Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs while wearing ALR vest/jacket. All ALR DOC
bylaw changes or additions will be reviewed by the ALR Commission & DOC JA before becoming
effective.
Until next month, get the wind in your face but ride safe!
Jim Banakus
President – Orcutt Chapter 534 / District 16
Veteran Service Officer
The Post received a check from the VAFB Thrift Shop for $18.75. Our total since we started in
January, 2011 is $1,639.10. We have 2 bundles of clothing left. However, the Thrift Shop does not
allow more than 10 articles of clothing per list and no more than 5 items of 1 kind on the same list.
Members: please bring in a variety of items.
Also, on the table at the Legion Post are copies of the Non-VA Emergency Fact Sheet and on the
other side is a copy of the Veterans' Choice Program. Veterans have received their copy of the new
choice card and the sheet has information about it. The director of the VA Clinic mailed those
copies to me after I left a note that I could not attend the VA Open House that night. The VA
director contacted me about questions that several veteran had about the GI Educational Bill.
As it was explained to me; if a veteran was in the military prior to Post 9-11 2005, he or she had 10
years to use that benefit. After Post 9-11, 2005 the veteran has 15 years to use it or lose it.
Thanks, George Torbert
Sons of the American Legion (S.A.L.)
On Friday, April 3, 2015 the S.A.L will be hosting an “All You Can Eat Fish Fry” at the Post. The
dinner will start at 5:00 p.m. and will continue till 7:00 p.m. The cost is $12.00 per person. It
should be a great event for all to enjoy!
Sal Cruz, S.A.L. Commander
Americanism Committee
Oratorical Scholarship Competition
Our Post's speech competition winner, Derek Sportsman, also won the 16th District competition
and a $350 scholarship award "by default" as your Post was once again the only Post in our
District to have conducted the Oratorical Competition.
As the District winner, Derek went on to compete at the Area 6 competition held at Hollywood Post
43 on March 1st, which I attended to show support for our Oratorical winner. The competition was
tough, and the 1st and 2nd place winners were high school seniors. Derek is only a sophomore, but
still took 3rd place and a $200 scholarship award. Derek has already indicated that he wants to
compete again at our Post's competition next year -- if the Post supports the event.
Boy Scouts
Our Post's Cub Scout Pack 91 has a Den of 3 boys who earned the Arrow of Light award -- the
highest award the boys can earn as Cub Scouts. This coming May, these boys will be "bridging"
(graduating) to a Boy Scout Troop, which will most likely be our Troop 91. The Pack's leaders and
the Den leader have done a great job in preparing these boys to move on the Boy Scouts.
Our Troop's Scouts performed a flag ceremony for the NRA / Santa Maria Valley Sportsman’s
Association's fund raiser held at the Santa Maria County Fair Park auditorium on March 14th.
The comment received from John Hotchkiss, the event's coordinator, was that the Scouts did an
"excellent presentation" honoring the U.S. Flag. It’s nice to know the Scouting program is instilling
in our youth an appreciation for our Flag, and the sacrifices made to ensure our freedoms that it
represents. The American Legion has a Flag Education program designed to be used in the schools
to give our young people a better sense of what the Flag, and what it represents, is all about. Maybe
your Post can give support to conducting that program under the "Mentoring Youth" pillar of The
American Legion.
Both Troop 91 and Pack 91 had exhibits at the Scout-O-Rama event conducted at the Town Center
Mall on March 28th. Hopefully you took the opportunity to visit their exhibit during this event that
showcased the Scouting programs of the Los Padres Council and Live Oak District.
Alan Munch
Americanism Chairman
Santa Maria Community Based Outpatient Clinic
1550 East Main Street
Santa Maria, CA 93454 Phone: 805-354-6000
Parent Facility: Los Angeles VAMC (GLA)
Phone: (310)478-3711
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Santa Barbara County Office
Rhonda Murphy, County Veterans Service Officer
511 E. Lakeside Parkway Rm. 47
Santa Maria, CA 93455
Phone: 805-346-7160
Fax: 805-346-7158
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 6:30am – 5:00 pm
315 Camino Del Remedio, Bldg. 2, Room 251
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
Phone: 805-681-4500
Fax: 805-681-4501
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
401 E. Cypress Ave.
Lompoc, CA 93436
Phone: 805-737-7900
Fax: 805-737-7901
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Voting Members of Executive Committee
Commander Dennis Maher 480-558-6956 jarhead1942@gmail.com
Adjutant Keith Mason 805-345-7538 cyclingbum@yahoo.com
1st Vice Commander Kerry Brooks 805-714-5452 kdbrooksx1@yahoo.com
2nd.Vice Commander Ron Eickholt 805-878-0450 rone@tslseed.com
Finance Officer Bob Bumann 805-344-2172 rcbumann@aol.com
Sergeant-at-Arms Dave Maher 805-714-7027 onquecatering@Gmail.com
Judge Advocate Larry Thomas 805-934-5985 larpegthom@yahoo.com
Veteran Service Officer George Torbert 805-937-3960 torbertgk@yahoo.com
Junior Past Commander Jim Keleman 805-260-0136
Exec. Committeeman Derrell Stagner 805-934-2355 None
Exec. Committeeman Don Alt 805-937-8286 donald.alt@exelisinc.com
Non — Voting Member of Executive Committee
Americanism Chair Alan Munch 805-937-8598 munchfmy@gmail.com
Auxiliary President Gloria Alvarez 805-934-1218 gloriaalvarez4286@comcast.net
SAL Commander Sal Cruz 805-710-1878 stratman007@yahoo.com
ALR President Jim Banakus 805-714-9630 Harley4Jim2@aol.com
Other Post Leaders
Highwayman Grant Meyers 805-657-7232 None
Newsletter Editor Dave Maher 805-714-7027 onquecatering@Gmail.com
Orcutt Post 534 — April 2015 — Activity Calendar
Sun
5
12
19
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
7 pm meeting
S.A.L.
2
3
4
8
9
10
BBQ Burgers
Post 534
11
16
17
18
6
Darts
7
13
Darts
14
20
Darts
21
Executive
Meeting
22
23
24
Fiesta Night
“TACOS”
25
Newsletter Due
6 pm Post Meeting
7 pm A/L Riders
Meeting
15
7 pm Auxiliary
Meeting
26
27
Darts
28
29
30
1
2
3
4 Darts
5
6
7
8
9
BBQ HAMBURGERS FOR ONLY $7.00
BEST TACOS IN TOWN!