Local Memorial Day ceremonies will be held on Monday, May 30, beginning at Sequim View Cemetery at 11 a.m. This is a joint ceremony with the American Legion and Sequim VFW Post 4760.
From there the American Legion will go to Jamestown Cemetery at 11:30 a.m., Dungeness Cemetery at noon and Blue Mountain Cemetery at 12:45 p.m.
All cemeteries will have flags on marked veterans’ graves from Saturday morning until evening on Monday.
American Legion Post 62 places and retrieves the flags. If you would like to help, call Commander Carl Bradshaw at 775-1477.
Reduce that stress
Stina Pope is offering veterans and their family members a stress reduction class using the meridian tapping technique. Meridian tapping has a great track record of lowering stress, lowering pain levels and generally making life better.
This free, two-session class will be from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Veterans Center, 261 S. Francis St., Port Angeles, on June 10 and June 17. You will learn a technique that will lower stress in body and mind.
Email Stina at stinapope@gmail.com to sign up. If the timing doesn’t work, email her and let her know so she can notify you of the next class.
Group ‘Storms the Hill’
The Military Officers Association of America held its annual “Storming the Hill” campaign on April 13. More than 160 council and chapter leaders urged their legislators to repeal the Survivor Benefit Plan/Dependency and Indemnity Compensation offset and focus on fixing problems with military health care access, referrals, continuity of care and disproportional beneficiary fees as proposed in the Fiscal Year 2017 defense budget. They visited almost all of the 535 Capitol Hill lawmakers.
There are 390,000 Military Officers Association of America members. The association began “Storming the Hill” in 1996 and has been recognized annually as one of the most effective advocacy organizations in the country. The Olympic Peninsula Chapter is involved in the Washington State Council of Chapters and supports the national association objectives. If you are interested in knowing more about the chapter, contact me at 683-6419 or cdrlgilchrist@gmail.com.
RSVPs needed
There will be a Women Veterans of the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas Conference on Friday, June 10, at Fort Worden State Park Commons Conference Center from 8:30 a.m.-3 pm.
This is a free event with a free lunch, child care, raffle prizes, but best of all an opportunity for women veterans to network and learn about local, state and federal resources.
Please RSVP by June 6 to Barb Reuter at 206-277-4459 or Barbara.Reuter@va.gov. Colleen McAleer, former Army helicopter pilot and currently Port of Port Angeles Port Commissioner, will be giving the keynote address at 1 p.m. You also can contact me at cdrlgilchrist@gmail.com for more specifics.
Benefits explained
Carl Bradshaw, Service Officer and Commander of the American Legion Post 62, presents a seminar on VA death benefits at 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 16, at the American Legion Post, 107 E. Prairie St., Sequim. Come and get your questions answered. For more information or to RSVP, call Carl at 775-1477.
Picking officers
Michael Trebert Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will conduct installation of officers at its Wednesday, May 18, meeting, starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Veterans Center, 261 S. Francis St., Port Angeles. Following the meeting will be a salad potluck.
Let Jaydee at jaydee@olypen.com know you are coming. This is the last formal meeting until September.
Loads of activities for Korean War vets
The Korean War Veterans are having a busy spring. The local chapter was honored at the Ft. Lewis/McChord Officers Club for providing services to the men and women going through therapy at the Warrior Transition Battalion at Madigan Hospital with the two fishing trips last summer.
They will be participating in the Irrigation Festival parade and will be in the Queen Victoria Parade in Victoria, Canada, on May 23. They also participate in the last Friday of the month bell ringing and Memorial Day services.
If you want more information, contact Jerry Rettela at eletteor@msn.com.
Contributors: DAR, Joyce Stroeher,n7jpw@juno.com; American Legion and MOAA, Lorri Gilchrist, cdrlgilchrist@gmail.com; Marine Corps League, Sid Gerling, sidjean6@gmail.com; Korean War Veterans, Jerry Rettela, eletteor@msn.com; Fleet Reserve Association, Marty Arnold, martinarnold2001@yahoo.com.
