October 2023

The October meeting had 12 Legionnaires present.


Per our schedule the Honor Guard will perform a very short service at the Veterans Memorial at Grove Hill Cemetery on 11/11 @ 11. Additionally we will not have a November meeting, in lieu of the monthly meeting we will have our annual veterans dinner for Post 328 Legionnaires (& a guest if desired for $15). It is being catered so an RSVP is a MUST. If you haven't attended a meeting all year long, this is a great time to get together with veterans of 328 for some cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, commadeship and a good meal.


With the flat screen tv now installed at the Post a few members were able to watch the Mustangs play and make their way into the playoffs against Fulton Steamers.


The Illinois Senate is showcasing veterans’ legacy of service. This year, they are encouraging everyone across the state to submit a photograph and written story of any veteran, which will be displayed on the Veterans Day “Wall of Honor” in the Capitol Rotunda from November 7 to November 20. With Veterans Day November 11, it’s a perfect opportunity to tell the amazing stories of our heroes to those who visit our State Capitol. Please email submissions to veteransday@sgop.ilga.gov by November 6.

Submissions can also be mailed to:

Veterans Day “Wall of Honor”

110D Statehouse, Springfield, IL 62706

Please call (217) 782-7219 with questions. With your help, the Veterans Day “Wall of Honor” will be a touching tribute to our veterans and their families. Thank you!



Besides a bunch of free meals around Sterling, Rockfalls and Clinton; here are the events I am aware of locally:

Looking forward to seeing a lot for dinner and other events and enjoying some time amongst veterans.

September 2023

The September meeting had 14 in attendance.  It was our last meal of the four summer cookouts.  Ken Brainerd provided delicious Mexican chili and firm spicy sausages.  Ken Petersen brought some sliced tomatoes and cherry tomatoes out of his garden and some corn bake.  Our next meeting is on the 9th at 7:00, hopefully you can attend.


In preparation of our annual flag retirement (burning) the flags on hand were rolled in counts of ten.  Counting of the number of rolls and any stragglers was performed as the rolls were placed on the pallet to burn.  Flag Rollers were:  Ken Petersen, Bob Brands, Terry Jones, Barry Linder, Jim Prombo and Jerry Brearton.


We burnt 568 flags at our ceremony.  Additionally; Al & Donna Geerts and Family were presented a Certificate of Appreciation for all of the years they have been traveling the countryside putting out flags at rural cemeteries prior to Memorial Day.


Legionnaire Ron Wiersema is at Genesi East recuperating following a 3 hour procedure to clear the 100% blockage he had in part of his heart.  The Doctor expects great results.  Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.


You may have noticed that Senior Vice Commander Dennis VanZuiden has been absent from events lately.  He was recently selected as a Chief Petty Officer


 (by a selection board with vigorous standards) and the U.S. Navy has been training and indoctrinating him hard.  Several weekends at the Naval Base in Great Lakes IL culminated by a full week up there with no communiqué at all.  I had the honor of pinning his port anchor on his collar yesterday while Kelly (his wife) pinned the starboard and his assigned sponsor donned his cover.  If you think about it and have a chance you should congratulate him.


The Post is finally getting a little bit of steam in being rented out.  We have the following rentals:  19-October, 21-October, 04-November, 18-November, 10-December and 15-December.  All information is obtained at http://328rental.com  Feel free to spread the word about renting out the Post.


We are currently sitting at 62 paid members out of 91 for the 2024 membership year.  That puts us at 68%.  You can pay your dues online at mylegion.org or via Venmo at https://venmo.com/Heros-QofH or via check to the Post at 306 E Main St.  Upon receipt of your dues, you will receive your 2024 membership card within a week or two.  Our Post membership dues are the cheapest there is at $35


Morrison High School is having a Career Fair on the 18th of October.  We set up shop at one of the tables and discuss our experiences in the Service.  There will be breakout groups which are fun to tell a few short stories of your time in the service and duties performed.  Contact me if interested or just show up at the school at noon on the 18th.


The Whiteside County Honor Flight Committee has opened up the annual Honor Flight Picnic (held at Rockwood State Park) to all Veterans (just the picnic, not forthcoming flights).  It is usually held sometime in the last half of September on a Sunday.  In the unlikely event it is scheduled on the same day (last Sunday in September) as our Annual Flag Retirement Ceremony - it shouldn't be any problem at all because our flag burning commences at 12:30 and is usually over by 12:50 and the picnic doesn't start until 1:00 (although Vets may arrive earlier).  Please standby for updated information in late August 2024.


Our sites:

https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionPost328MorrisonIllinois

http://328qofh.com  Queen of Hearts

http://328rental.com  Post Rental

August 2023


15 Legionnaires attended the August meeting.  Due to the inclement weather, HLM John Martin ordered pizza from Happy Joe's for his cookout meal.  Ken Brainerd is cooking for the September meeting which is also our last of the four summer cookouts.

The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, a 3/5 scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, will make a visit to Rock Falls, from August 31st through September 4th.  The wall will be on display at the RB&W District Park located at 201 East 2nd Street.  Please contact Rock Falls Tourism at 815-622-1106.  OR https://visitrockfalls.com/events/vietnam-memorial-wall-rbw-district OR https://www.facebook.com/events/783503072864414?ref=110 with any questions or to volunteer.

The Rock Island Arsenal is hosting a Military Retiree Appreciation Day on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 8:00 a.m. to noon in Heritage Hall, Building 60. There will be signs leading traffic to the venue. Military Retiree Appreciation Days (RADs) are designed specifically with the military retiree in mind. They are an outstanding source of the most up-to-date information on Tricare, FEDVIP (Federal Dental and Vision Insurance) and to receive legislative updates for retirees and family members. Military Retirees from any branch of service are eligible to attend, along with family members. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. the day of the event. The Rock Arsenal Attic will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  Contact Rennie Waech, Chairman, Quad Cities Military Retiree Council at 563-508-5123 or qcmrad@gmail.com with questions and to RSVP.

Next event for the Post is our annual Flag Retirement Ceremony on the last Sunday in September, you will hear more about this.

Pages or Sites you should visit:

https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionPost328MorrisonIllinois

http://328rental.com  to share with your family for friends of our Post for rent

http://328qofh.com  Our Queen of Hearts (QofH) Raffle page with real time updates

https://venmo.com/Heros-QofH   Venmo to purchase QofH tickets, pays dues, pay rental deposits or fees, etc

July 2023


14 Legionnaires were at the July Monthly meeting.  Senior Vice Commander VanZuiden grilled up some seasoned pork chops and there were several other fixins.  A filling meal.  Wish we had more of a turn out of Legionnaires for the meal and the meeting.  We had two young ladies from the Sauk Valley Community College Impact Program assisting with setup & cleanup.  We have had students several times prior, but these two (from Sterling) were way above their peers.  Self starters, polite, and performed to completion.


Honorary Life Member John Martin is preparing the main course for the 14th of August monthly meeting.


Commander Larry Zuidema presented Mark Schuler a Certificate of Appreciation on the 12th of July at his home. The citation read "For innumerable Years of Outstanding Dedication and Service to the people of Morrison and The American Legion Post 328 by his unwavering participation in the Memorial Day parades for over two decades" Standing left-to-right behind Schuler are Past Commander Terry Jones, Parade Coordinator Jim Prombo, Adjutant Ken Petersen and Commander Zuidema. See article HERE


The Legion Post Honor Guard performed at Resthave by raising the U.S. Flag to open the event and firing three volleys to close the event. Carolyn Aiken played Taps. The event was to honor Veterans and 1st Responders for all they do for the Nation and the community. In addition to our Honor Guard there were Legionnaires as guests and residents in the audience. Honor Guard members who performed: Mike Allen, Bob Brands, Jerry Brearton, Ken Petersen, Jim Prombo, Larry Saling, Garry Seaman and Jeff Steele. Following that, Resthave provided lunch for all. See article HERE


We are underway with our 2024 membership renewal year. We have a good system in place to know if you decide to renew online at mylegion.org, otherwise a check of $35 may be mailed to the Post or if you don't want to do either and have the venmo application on your phone - you can send in your $35 through that. If your handle isn't obvious, please put your name in the "what's this for" section.  


As of this mailing - thirty-nine members have renewed out of ninety-one, putting us at 43%.  Commander Zuidema appointed Korey Zigler as the Adjutant to replace Ken Petersen.  Ken is turning over all his duties to Korey and training as well.


New Submarine Veterans License Plate - Read article HERE


The Chamber of Commerce is hosting an evening Farmers Market on the 10th of August 4p to 7p on Genesee St north and south of Main St.  If you are available you can volunteer for a possible Legion table (need at least three people):  We sell flags, sell QofH tickets and offer membership applications.


August monthly meeting is on the 14th and all events are always listed on our website https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org under Post Schedule

June 2023

Had 17 Legionnaires at the meeting.  It was the 1st of 4 summer cookouts.  Ken Petersen, Ken Brainerd & Jerry Brearton took care of the food along with a lot of other stuff that was brought in. Had more food than needed but it was all good.


Membership renewals are starting to be sent out.  You can pay your dues of $35 on our venmo app if you want to pay electronically.  If the venmo login name isn't yours or isn't obvious that it is you then please specify that in the notes of your payment  https://venmo.com/Heros-QofH


Members are reminded that a lapse in dues for a year (or more) starts your continuous clock over.  This is not a big deal to some but I have seen several (over the years) requests to correct their "continuous years" clock.  Only way to do that is to pay the missing dues (no matter how old they are) from the past at the current rate.


We lost 54 continuous year member Dick Kuehl.  He is already missed.  He died at 90.  We are now down to less than 90 Legionnaires in our Post, your recruiting efforts are appreciated.


The Honor Guard performed at two funerals this month.


Events for July:


Honor Guard service at St Peters Church on Sunday the 2nd @ 11:15


Honor Guard presents the colors for the Salute to Veterans Service for all Veterans (and a guest) on the 6th at Resthave @ 10:15, THEN following that Funeral Honors for Dick @ 1:30ish @ Grove Hill


Monthly Meeting on the 10th w/ a cookout prior (Senior Vice Commander Dennis VanZuiden has volunteered to cook)


Websites of interest:  

Post 328 online membership app (works on your phone or pc):  https://forms.gle/a6WB5k75c7aFt7f38  (use this in your recruiting efforts to sign up the younger generation of veterans)

Post  https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org/

Post Rental:  http://328rental.com/ (includes rental availability)

Queen of Hearts Raffle:  http://328qofh.com/ (our ONLY fundraiser)

Post FB page:  https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionPost328MorrisonIllinois/

Legion HQ various sites:  https://www.legion.org/onlineservices

May 2023

Flag retrieval from veterans graves at Grove Hill is this Saturday the 3rd at 9 AM.  Volunteers are appreciated.

Funeral for Bobby Frederick is on Sunday the 4th at 12:30 at Grove Hill.

Thirteen members at the meeting.

The Funeral Honor Guard performed a service at Bosma-Renkes for Sparky Forster and John Rollard, Sr on seperate days.

An abbreviated Funeral Honor Guard performed a service at Bosma-Renkes (Fulton Chapel) for Bob Jackson.  Abbreviated because a good number of the Honor Guard were planting flags at Grove Hill Cemetery.

Forty-Three volunteers from the Legion Post, Morrison High School, Sauk Valley CC Impact Program, Scouts (and parents), Civil Air Patrol and Citizens volunteered to plant close to 1,100 flags on Veterans graves at the Grove Hill Cemetery in Morrison: Eric Anderson, Linda Lee Anderson, Elliott Armstrong, Oliver Armstrong, Jemma Baldwin, Jessica Baldwin, Xavier Baldwin, Brian Bartoz, Ashley Belha, Bob Belha, Tom Belha, Anna Blevins, Hillary Blevins, Isaac Blevins, Marshall Blevins, Bill Brackemyer, Calem Bramm, Jim Bramm, Jack Brearton, Jerry Brearton, Jeramiah Callam, Adam Cossman, Christoper Cossman, Chelsey Cummings, Karen Icenogle, Noah Icenogle, Terry Jones, Barry Linder, Cheyenne Murillo, Ivern Murillo, Amaiyuki Perez, Ken Petersen, Ethan Richards, Lillian Richards, Vern Schroeder, Rick Smith, Mark Steele, Reagan Terry, August Ufkin, Stephanie Vavra, Shelby Veltrop (Legion Post Scholarship Winner), Alexander Westin and Korey Zigler.

Sgt-at-Arms Brearton presented the Legion Scholarship to 2023 graduated Erika King ($1,000 - 1st half - 2nd half will be presented once she assists with planting flags) and Shelby Veltrop ($500)

Service Officer (Adjutant in training) Zigler presented the Jr High Patriotic Award to Joshua McDearmon (boy) & Zayley Boonstra (girl) along with a $50 gift.

Memorial Day and Weekend were very busy as always.  Stations were manned with Poppies accepting donations on Friday and Saturday.  The parade kicked off on time at 10:30 with Bill Brackemyer, Bob Brands, Jerry Brearton, Amy Johannsen and Ken Petersen marching as the Color Guard. Several veterans rode the two hay racks pulled by Dave Damhoff. Commander Larry Zuidema presented an award to Mark Schuler for his years of driving in the parade with his antique Dodge and the Mayor in back.  Wes Haan was the keynote speaker and gave a very moving speech about the Gold Star program and several personal stories of the Haan family and the losses that they have suffered.

June monthly meeting is at 19:00 on the 12th with a cookout prior.  We will also celebrate the Army’s 248th Birthday and Flag Day.

http://morrison.vet has been updated with the list of veterans that have flags planted on their graves in the Grove Hill Cemetery.  Updates are always in progress.


Other sites of interest:

http://328rental.com


https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/embed?src=morrisonlegion@gmail.com&ctz=America/Chicago


http://328qofh.com


https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org


https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionPost328MorrisonIllinois


https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org/post-schedule

April 2023

Monthly meeting had 10 Legionnaires present.  A little light but four of the Officers had excuses.  The election took place and was adjudicated.  A hard copy of the Post Schedule and the Post Officer / Committee members was mailed out to all members.

The Funeral Honors Team performed at three funerals this month:

Bob Vess an Army Veteran was buried in Albany

Ernie Carroll, a Vietnam Army Veteran and one of our own members had a small service at Grove Hill.  His granddaughter (who worked with the Sgt-at-Arms to coordinate the event) made this comment "Yes it was so great! My grandmother loved it so much. Thank you so much. We are so appreciative of you all!!!"

Legionnaire Clayton Pearson, a nineteen year member died on the 21st of April.  The Funeral Honors Team performed a service for him at Oak Knoll Cemetery (north of Sterling on 40) on the 27th.

Our May meeting is at 7 P.M on the 8th and then we commence our busiest month of the year.  Any and all participation and help is appreciated.  See the schedule you received via the U.S. Mail.

On March 9th we had a post on our Facebook page about needing members.  Since that post we have lossed five members and gained one.  We are heading in the wrong direction and have been for a long time.  I am aware that every organization from clubs to churches are facing similar problems.  Please be a recruiter to stave off the inevitable as long as possible.

Websites you should be familiar with:

https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org/


http://328qofh.com/


http://328rental.com/


Post availability:  https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/embed?src=morrisonlegion@gmail.com&ctz=America/Chicago


Post Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionPost328MorrisonIllinois

Tablet inscriptions & Morrison Veterans Park & Memorial:  http://morrison.vet/

March Newsletter

Had a good turn out for the monthly meeting with 17 members present.  Which is good because we celebrated Bob Brands 93rd birthday and The American Legions 104th.


We also opened up nominations for Post Officer's for 2023 year.

We lost Legionnaire Roland "Rollie" Ebbers on the 10th.  The Legion Honor Guard performed his service at Grove Hill on the 18th.

We also lost 65 year Legionnaire Ralph Jacobs on the 19th.

New lifetime pass available for Military Veterans and Gold Star Families to access public lands.  Pass provides free entrance to national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands.  More information is available here.

April Monthly Meeting and elections are on the 10th at 1900 hours (7 P.M.).  Please be there.

We have been renting the Post a few times.  Please keep it in mind if you hear of anyone looking for a venue.

February Newsletter

14 Members present at the February monthly meeting.  Dennis won the 50/50 raffle, and donated his portion to be included in Marches raffle.  Brownies and Ice Cream followed.


It was voted to double the Legion Patriotism Scholarship and add a runner up with half of that amount.  A caveat was put in place that for the students to receive the second half of their scholarship they must assist in planting flags at Grove Hill prior to Memorial Day and be present at the ceremony held at the American Legion / VFW pavilion to receive their check.


We had one funeral this month for Rich Barsema.  A short service at Grove Hill but it rained the whole time (even the family got wet because the cost for a tent is $600 from the monument company).


Senior Vice Commander Dennis VanZuiden was awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.


One more request for more funeral participants:   We need younger Legionnaires (used loosely, age 50 and below) to assist with funerals, queen of hearts and other events.  If you can spare some time on an evening or on weekends it would be great.  I would like to postpone our honor guard demise as long as possible.  Currently Albany and Fulton can not support funerals.  We do not want that to happen to us any time soon.


The March meeting is on the 13th at 6 PM (last of the Winter time meetings, April through October will be 7).  Nomination of Officers (committee members) / The American Legions 104th Birthday.


The Post Queen of Hearts Raffle has performed very well and so far has more than made up for the loss of the Fair Booklet ads.  Remember, unless you are an Officer or a Legionnaire working the raffle that evening you may purchase tickets  http://328qofh.com or https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionPost328MorrisonIllinois


Morrison Fire Department and The American Red Cross have partnered to install free smoke alarms in Morrison residences.  Visit https://tinyurl.com/MorrisonILSmokeAlarms to submit your request.  The Rally Day is on the 25th of March.  Volunteer installers are also accepted by contacting Dave at dave.boyles2@redcross.org or (815) 718-3684  Please see the attached flyer.


Websites of interest:

The Post:  https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org

Post Rentals:  https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org/building-rental-request

Post Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionPost328MorrisonIllinois

Morrison Veterans Park & Memorial tablet inscriptions (the City tries to get it done each year prior to Memorial Day):  Tablets

January Newsletter

January Monthly Meeting on the 9th with 14 Legionnaires present.  Following the meeting we had cake and ice cream for Fred Steele's birthday.  Fred is 96 years old and has 78 continuous years with the American Legion.  If you are interested in sending something to Fred, his address is 403 Scenic St, Morrison, IL 61270-9290


Our third board of the Queen of Hearts Raffle is going well with only nine cards remaining in the deck.  The jackpot is up to $18,060 of which 75% will go to a winner if they are present at the time of the drawing.  They would get 50% if not present.


We had two funerals this month; James Entwhistle on the 28th at CottonWood Cemetery.  It was snowing and blowing pretty hard but our Honor Guard came through superbly.  The second one was today at Grove Hill for Calvin Wing in a balmy 7degF.  Fortunately the wind wasn't blowing and the sun was shining.


Our $200 bugle taps insert worked greatly on both occasions as Carolyn was unable to attend.


Our next meeting is on the 13th of Feb.  We have some leftovers of ice cream so there may be some brownies there as well.


We need young men (used loosely, age 50 and below) to assist with funerals, queen of hearts and other events.  If you can spare some time on an evening or on weekends it would be great.  I would like to postpone our honor guard demise as long as possible.  Currently Albany and Fulton can not support funerals.  We do not want that to happen to us any time soon.

December 2022

Legionnaire Korey Zigler's motorcycle club (the Immortal Knights Public Safety Motorcycle Club) rented the Post at the standard rate of $25 an hour.  During the January meeting a unanimous vote of returning the money was made.  Then in an unexpected turn - Korey returned the money as a donation.  Regardless of the donation back, the unanimous vote was cast because of what Korey does for the Post and not just because IKPSMC is a club he is a member of.  The Post is for rent by anyone at a rate of $25 an hour.  This is the website for it:  http://328rental.com


Bob Brands, Ken Petersen, Jim Prombo, Larry Saling and Garry Seaman marched in Morrison's Christmas Walk as the Color Guard in frigid temps.


Monthly meeting on the 12th @ 6:00 PM with 11 Legionnaires present.  As a reminder to all 328 Legionnaires - We have our Veterans Dinner at six PM in November and then December, January, February and March meetings are at six.  It has been this way for over two years.  We had to postpone the meeting an hour so we could accumulate a quorum.


Bob Brands, Jerry Brearton, Terry Jones, Ken Petersen, Garry Seaman and Larry Zuidema presented the colors at the Wreaths Across America ceremony in Albany at Lusk Cemetery.  Carolyn played taps.  It was also a frigid day.  https://thecity1.com/dar-car-members-lay-wreaths-across-america/


The Honor Guard / Color Guard performed twenty events this year which included:  2 Funerals in Fulton, 1 Funeral in Sterling, 1 Funeral in Garden Plain and 7 Funerals at Grove Hill.  It is worth noting that Bob Brands (the oldest Legionnaire of our detail) and Ken Petersen were at every event in 2022.  Regardless of whether someone was at twenty or three - all is appreciated and ALL is the least that can be done for a falling veteran or other veteran related event.  Many events are on Fridays, Saturdays or National Holidays; so if you are off of work, your time is sought.


Here is our Queen of Hearts Raffle link:  http://post328.com


Here is our Post hall rental link:  http://328rental.com


Here is our Facebook page link:  https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionPost328MorrisonIllinois

November 2022

Veterans Day at 11:00 the Honor Guard performed at the annual Veterans Day event (ALWAYS at 11:00 on 11/11) after a few brief words by the Sergeant-at-Arms along with reading a newspaper article about the same type of event on Main and Genesee St (circa 1970). Following that; several veterans joined the Milk House Gang for some tacos and chili and camaraderie.


On Thursday the 10th Morrison High School hosted area veterans for an event along with a meal provided by the FFA and some veterans speaking at various classes.


Annual Veterans (Member) Dinner was held at the Post in lieu of our November meeting. Of the RSVPs we had six no shows which is disappointing because we pay for the meals we reserve. The delicious meal was catered by Fulton Meat Locker and they did a great job, if you have a need to utilize them, you will not be disappointed. We welcomed our newest member Private Corrine Carroll of the 661st Engineer Company.


Members that were there enjoyed an evening of camaraderie and military stories. Our newest member Corrine Carroll won the 50/50 raffle.


The Honor Guard performed a funeral in Fulton on Friday the 18th in the frigid cold. Eight members performed.


The Post was rented on the 20th of November with a $100 profit. The Post is rentable at a very reasonable rate. Please visit http://328rental.com


Please remember that starting with our Annual Veterans (Member) Dinner and going through March that our monthly meetings are at 6 vice 7 (3rd year of this, for those counting)


Here are our pages: Main Post page https://www.morrisonamericanlegion.org


Queen of Hearts Raffle page: http://post328.com/


Post FaceBook page: http://post328.com/

October 2022

Monthly regular meeting held on the 10th with 12 members present. Following the meeting we had some brownies to go along with some left over ice cream from our ice cream social.


Funeral Honors were performed for Don Smith. Eight Honor Guard performing and Carolyn playing taps.


Celebration of Life for Past Commander Dale Usterbowski at the Post and Funeral Honors performed with ten Honor Guard performing and Carolyn playing taps.


Funeral Honors were performed for Evelyn Raney. Seven Honor Guard performing and Carolyn playing taps.


Please remember and attend these three events specifically for Veterans but certainly all are invited:


Nov. 10 Veterans Recognition Assembly


5th Grade Veterans Concert And Slideshow November 10


November 11 Service At Grove Hill Cemetery