Archive for January, 2010

Company B. Det. 1 – January 2010

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Company B, Det. 1, Rice Lake

Capt. Andrew Johanson, Commander

Letter from Capt. Johansen

Happy December Bulldog families!  I wish you all the best through the holiday season. We are going to be experiencing an exciting month as our replacements arrive and we depart Iraq.  Your Soldiers have done an outstanding job with this high-profile mission.  The daily grind has taken its toll on the Soldiers’ minds, and they are ready to get back to lovely Wisconsin.  The next few weeks will probably be the longest of the entire deployment because of the anticipation of the homecoming and reunion with family and friends.  This time can also cause some Soldiers and families to experience a bit of anxiety because of the major change in their lifestyle.  Please be patient with your Soldiers and I will stress the same to them.

As of right now, we are expecting to be back in Wisconsin around the middle of January.  We will spend a few days at Ft. McCoy to go through the demobilization process, which in itself is painful, but very important.  The Soldiers must focus on what needs to be done prior to being released back to you because of the long-term affect/benefits that will come from the demobilization process.  Once we leave Ft. McCoy, my intent is to send one bus to Rice Lake and two buses to New Richmond.  The FRG is putting together a short welcome home ceremony at both armories.  I have encouraged the FRG to keep the ceremonies short, because I know that at that point the Soldiers just want to go home.  It is an important piece for the communities to have some closure to the deployment as well.  The communities have provided tremendous support for your Soldiers through the entire deployment, and I feel it is important for them to have the opportunity to welcome your heroes home.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Bulldog 6

CPT Andrew Johansen

Businesses to decorate store fronts for homecoming.

By mid January, our National Guard Soldiers of Company B, Det. 1 will be returning.  We don’t have exact dates yet and we may only get a few days notice.  We would like to show our soldiers that we support what they have been doing for our country.   We are asking local businesses and homeowners to decorate their store front or front yards in support of their return.  Start thinking how you can welcome them home.  Watch for more updates in the local newspapers and radio.

Thank You for your support.

Jean Malsom

Chairperson, Family Readiness Group

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VFW Auxiliary – January 2010

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Greetings Sisters,

We had a great time at our Christmas party. Our 9th District President Patti Brott and Karen Adank came from Eleva and Eau Claire. We got to see the sunny side of Patti. She had us laughing till our ribs hurt.

Our next meeting is Monday, January 4 at 7 p.m. On the agenda is preparing for the homecoming of our local troops in Iraq, Loyalty Day banquet, and discussion of meeting time.

The 9th District Mid-Winter Conference is in Altoona on Saturday, January 16. Anyone needing a ride can call Donna at 234-6542.

Birthday greetings go to Connie Kahl on Jan. 6, Viola Loyas on Jan. 11, Linda Puig on Jan. 23, and Maxine Slayton on Jan. 30.

Happy New Year,

Donna Meinen, Secretary

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VFW February 2010 Scuttlebutt

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Dear Fellow Comrades,

Great news this month, our Rice Lake National Guard Unit made it home safely on the 17th of January. We had approximately 300 people attending the program at the armory. Yellow ribbons were made up prior to their arrival by the FRG and my wife Betty and tied up to light poles around the city. The City of Rice Lake put up American Flags on Main Street to welcome the troops home. Our Veterans Center Color Guard along with several other members from the VFW, Legion and Auxiliaries were at the armory for the ceremony. Market Place Foods, VFW, American Legion and both Auxiliaries donated food for the event. Thanks also goes to my wife Betty who helped coordinate all the food with Jean Malsom of the FRG and the ladies auxiliaries that helped during the event. If you missed the event, you missed out on a lot of great cookies.

The VFW 9th District meeting was held on 16 January at Altoona. Commander Ben, Herb Zimmer and I attended. During the noon meal, Chuck Stene was honored as the 9th District First Place Winner for the Teacher of the Year Award 6-8 grades. Sorry to say, Chuck did not win first place in state competition. Chuck will be honored again at our post during our Loyalty Day Banquet. Our Patriot Pen entries did not do as well as in the past and none of our entries took top honors. Our winners will also be honored at the Loyalty Day Banquet.

We did have a short but productive meeting this month. We did miss a few of our comrades and hopefully they are doing well. Herb Zimmer had a mild stroke on the 18th of January but returned home the next day and is doing well. Denny Leuthner is over at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis and is getting his knee replaced on the 21st. He said he wanted it done now so he can get back on the golf course for a little recuperation this spring.

We are still working on the Scuttlebutt issue, we are trying to resolve the issue of how much it actually cost to print and mail each copy. We are still discussing it and we might be mailing a bi-monthly or quarterly letter but not yet sure. We are continuing to update the web site for the Veterans Center. The web site is www.rlvets.org

The VFW 9th Mid-Winter Conference will be held on 05-06 February at Appleton, Wisconsin. Commander Ben Anderson and I will be attending. We will provide information gained at our February meeting.

**** If you know of any member who is sick or could use some sunshine, please contact Steve Clark at 715-719-0218 .

Upcoming Event:

  • 05-06 Feb 2010 - VFW Mid-Winter Meeting (Appleton)
  • 16 Feb 2010 - Monthly Meeting
  • 16 Mar 2010 - Monthly Meeting
  • 10 April 2010 - 9th District Meeting (Chippewa Falls)

John L. Fredrickson

Jr. Vice Commander

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DAV February 2010 Scuttlebutt

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Hi Comrades,

Not much to report this month, as we had no meeting in January. Our next scheduled meeting for 2010 will be on 08 March 2010. At that meeting, we will be discussing and nominating officers for the upcoming 2010 – 2011 membership year. Election will be held at our April meeting. Where did the year go?

We are still trying to resolve the issue of mailing out Scuttlebutts to all members who do not have computers. We could possibly do a bi-monthly or quarterly newsletter, but that decision has not yet been made. We are still trying to determine exactly what the cost is per issue to print and mail the newsletter. We will be discussing it more at our March meeting.

The DAV 4th District meeting will be held in Ladysmith on 17 April. We will need to know at our March meeting who would like to go. We will need to make reservations prior to our April meeting. Lets have another good showing of members from our chapter.

If you know of any member who is sick, please contact our Adjutant at 234-8050. Our Chaplin Bill Dent is one of our snowbirds and should be down south enjoying the sunshine until spring. Enjoy the sunshine.

Remember all our men and women serving all over the world to keep us safe. Say a big prayer for each and every one of them. May they all come home safe. God bless each and every one of you.

Upcoming Events:

  • February 2010  - NO MEETING
  • March 08 2010 - Monthly Meeting (Nominations)
  • April 12 2010  - Monthly Meeting (Election of Officers)
  • April 17 2010  - 4th District Meeting (Ladysmith)

God Bless, Love Ya

Yours in Comradeship,

Ben (Walking Eagle) Anderson

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