THE POST NEWSLETTER

(Its Mission & Objectives)

Since its initial issue in July 2000, this Newsletter has strived to uphold the mission of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of The United States as contained in the following Proclamation that was established at its founding in 1899 and remains as an integral part of its charter today:

This mission statement should serve as a guide for all of us and especially so during this time of war. This country has many enemies – both foreign and domestic – and we, as members of the VFW, must be steadfast in our defense of our country. In the last few years we have seen and heard outrageous accusations by some of our countrymen – including members of Congress – which have encouraged our enemies and cost the lives of our soldiers. This is an especially dangerous time in our history and many of our citizens do not understand the risk to our way of life. This Newsletter offers a traditional, conservative, pro-military and pro-American mindset in keeping with the mission statement and it will maintain that profile!  There is a large degree of traditional values embodied in the VFW mission statement, its resolutions, its magazine and its membership!  The Newsletter seeks to be instrumental in furthering the VFW mission by three main objectives which serve as our guidelines:

 To provide timely information regarding the Post, its activities and its members – and in so doing strengthen comradeship among the members.

To promote the ideals of the VFW in our community – by fostering pride in our military, encouraging patriotism and supporting a variety of veterans causes.

To inform the members of current military issues deemed vital to Veterans, the Armed Forces and the Security of the United States.

As our 10th year unfolds, it seems worthwhile to review the purpose and content of the newsletter.   The first part focuses the highlights of our monthly meetings and a reporting of our recent post activities. It is in fact the history of our Post over these last 10 years covering the most important items of our monthly meetings as well as the primary activities we have participated in over this timeframe.  This section of the newsletter covers periodically stories from our own veterans, new member profiles, military service histories, obituaries, trips, member reunions, book reviews, military histories, speeches, letters, poems, prayers, awards, ceremonies, quotations, photos, cartoons and humor.

The second part presents a broad number of issues and opinions under the headings of “Noteworthy Quotes”, “Now Hear This” and “Sounding Off”. All these items are meant to be thought-provoking and offer an interesting perspective.  They are considered to be an informed opinion and should serve as points for reflection, critical thinking and further inquiry.  Over the last 100+ issues of “On Target” we have researched, reviewed, selected, edited and summarized hundreds of articles from a variety of sources (an average of 5 topics x 100 letters or roughly 500 articles).  All are on topics deemed of interest to Veterans, the Armed Services and the Security of the United States.  They include issues which are considered timely, noteworthy and at times  controversial. They have encompassed a host of subjects from 9/11 to “The Trouble with Peace”; from WWII MOH Joe Foss to  MOH Lt. Michael Murphy; from Patton to Petraeus; from WWII to Asymmetrical Warfare; from The POW Issue to Canton’s MIA Thomas Perry; from “Historical Ignorance” to “Civics, Social Studies & Progressives”; from Islamic Terrorists to our Enemy Within; from the “Battle of Midway” to “The Surge”; from WMDs to UAVs; from the Bataan Death March to Abu Ghraib; from “Support Our Troops Hypocrisy” to the “The American Patriot”.  Articles selected for the Newsletter are taken from a variety of sources including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times,  Investors Business Daily, Commentary,  National Review, Army Magazine, Army Times, Air Force Magazine, VFW Magazine, American Legion Magazine, Vietnam Magazine, Parameters, Proceedings, Military Review, Armed Forces Journal, The Weekly Standard, Washington Times, Foreign Affairs, Human Events, American Thinker, Real Clear Politics and many other magazines, newspapers and websites.

 We always appreciate material from our members as there is so much to cover and so little time. At the same time, we are always searching for new and better sources of information. We want to thank all those who have encouraged us in this effort and asked that we “carry on.  It is our fondest wish that our members will continue to consider our Post newsletter timely, interesting and insightful.  We are also pleased that the Department of Connecticut has recognized our Post Newsletter and designated it the best of all VFW Posts in the State over the last 3 years.