GENERAL ORDER NO. 6
NOVEMBER 21, 2019
ANNOUNCEMENTS
:
Congratulations to Richard Gormley, Post 2902, for being appointed as a National Deputy Chief of Staff and Christine Bassett Post 3236 being appointed as a National Assistant Inspector General.
STATE MEMBERSHIP:
Membership is vital to the success of our organization and to the services we provide. Most of the time getting a new member is as easy as saying hi and where did you serve? Every community has younger veterans who are eligible, and it should be the priority of every post and every member to let them know the VFW is here and ready to serve them.
MEMBERSHIP
:
Members are reminded that under the subscription dues model, an annual member’s dues expire on the last day of the month of which they paid the previous year. Annual members are encouraged to renew their dues prior to their anniversary month to avoid a lapse in continuous membership.
If an Officer or Committee member fails to renew their membership before the last day of the month they renewed in the year before, they shall forfeit eligibility to hold any office for the remainder of the administrative year. This situation creates am administrative headache for the post and should be avoided. Please keep track of your officers and make sure they are renewed in time, or better yet, have them upgrade to a Life Membership!
Every effort should always be made to renew the membership of continuous members and sign up new and recover former members during the entire year to help keep the post healthy and vibrant
MEMBERSHIP
:
The National Bylaws provide for only one type of membership: ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP. There are no provisions in the National Bylaws, nor is there any authority or justification for issuance of Club Membership cards, Associate Member cards, Honorary Membership cards, Courtesy Membership cards or any other special type of cards. Any Post issuing such unauthorized cards, or conducting club operations open to the general public, endangers its standing with the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit organization. Officers signing outlaw cards admitting non-members to VFW premises are subject to disciplinary action. National and Department officers cannot defend practices that conflict with VFW Bylaws or procedures.
POST INSPECTIONS
:
Section 518 provides that the Department Inspector shall require that each Post be inspected in accordance with Department and National guidelines. The purpose of the inspection is to assure that the Post operates in a manner that supports the purposes set forth in the Congressional Charter, complies with the By-Laws, preserves the financial integrity of the Post and protects the interest of the member. Every Post is expected to be inspected at least once each year.
It is the duty of the District Inspector to notify the Post Commander, Quartermaster, Adjutant and Trustees of the date and time that the inspection is scheduled. The inspector should allow you enough time to prepare for the visit. The Post inspection will go a lot smoother if it is conducted at some time other than a Post meeting night. If, for any reason, a Post cannot be inspected thoroughly, a report stating the facts must be submitted. It is the responsibility of the Post Quartermaster and Post Adjutant to provide the records necessary to complete the duties of Inspector. When the inspection of a Post is completed, the Post Inspection Form will be made out in triplicate. The yellow copy will be mailed to the Post Commander and a copy should be retained for your files.
We are currently behind on inspections. Make every effort to get these done.
FORMS
:
If you are looking for forms, try these links first! Also, forms are available on our state website,
www.vfwma.org
, under Member Tools.
For all Veterans & Military Support program information and forms, use provided link below:
VMS Formstack Links:
VOICE OF DEMOCRACY, PATRIOT’S PEN NATIONAL AWARD and NEW SMART/MAHER VFW NATIONAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION TEACHER AWARDs
Every Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen first place Department winner will receive a National scholarship or award. The new amount for the Voice of Democracy National Awards now total $154,000 and the Patriot’s Pen National Awards total is now $55,000.
NEW VOICE OF DEMOCRACY AND PATRIOT’S PEN BROCHURES.
Please verify that all websites, publications, announcements, etc. has the correct teacher award entry deadlines for the 2019-20 program year. The dates are October 31, 2019, for entries to the Post, November 15, 2019, for completion of Post judging, December 15, 2019, for completion of District judging, January 10, 2020, for completion of Department judging and the Department winners are due to National Headquarters by January 15, 2020. The entry forms are up on the VFW website and are available in the VFW Store.
VFW NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVANT AWARDS
Departments are asked to submit three nominees (one for each career area) to the VFW Programs office no later than Feb. 1, 2020. VFW Programs will create citations for the following awards in each Department:
• VFW National Law Enforcement Award • VFW National Firefighter Award • VFW National Emergency Medical Technician Award
Each Department will receive their three awards and should contact their recipients to arrange a presentation. Department Commanders may present the awards at their Department Convention, but
are encouraged to also present the award in front of the recipient’s peers at a professional association event, city council meeting, etc. The purpose of the second venue is to expose these VFW awards to the general public and especially other law enforcement personnel, firefighters and
NOTE: “NEW” VFW PUBLIC SERVANT AWARD CITATION POST ENTRY FORM
.
This form has been developed to assist VFW Post Safety Chairmen with an entry form to hand out to the local Fire Department, Police Department, etc. to assist interested individuals in nominating one of their own. The entry forms along with the required documentation are to be returned to the local VFW Post for their judging. Once the winner in each category have been chosen, the Post will forward those entries on to the next level of judging. Simply visit vfw.org, log in to My VFW, then look under Member Resources, click on VFW Training & Support, then click on Community Service & Youth Programs, then look under Public Servant Program.
Call for VA Voluntary Service (VAVS) Male and Female Volunteer of the Year Award Nominations
Each year the Executive Committee of the VA National Advisory Committee for the VA Voluntary Service (VAVS) recognizes a Male and Female Volunteer of the Year. VFW Department leadership and VFW VAVS Representatives along with the VA Medical Facility Chiefs of VAVS are encouraged
to submit nominations for the VFW VAVS Male and Female Volunteer of the Year to the VFW Director, National Veterans Services. Nominations must be submitted no-later-than close of business Nov. 27, 2019. VFW Department Commanders, Adjutants, Adjutant/Quartermasters will be receiving a notification letter with details about submission and nomination criteria/requirements. For more information and assistance, please contact the VFW at 202.543.2239.
ACTION CORPS:
If you are not already an Action Corps Advocate, we urge you to sign up to receive our
VFW Action Corps Weekly
which will keep you informed about the work we are doing on your behalf on Capitol Hill. By staying connected, you will be the first to know what is happening in
Washington regarding legislation that impacts the lives of veterans and their families, and you will be able to assist in our grassroots efforts by responding when we send out any Action Alerts.
FACEBOOK
: Make sure you ‘like’ and ‘share’ the VFW Department of Massachusetts Facebook page. We post updates, links, contest reminders, events, etc. for you. Share the good news of the VFW:
https://www.facebook.com/vfwma/
DATES TO REMEMBER
November 28th
Thanksgiving
December 6th
Trees for Troops Ft. Devens
December 9
th
Canton Hospital Christmas Party
COMMANDERS’S MESSAGE:
“To all members and Veterans, please have a happy and safe Thanksgiving, especially those who may be traveling during this busy time!”
BY COMMAND OF: COMMANDER
OFFICIAL: ADJUTANT
