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The Legion Post 194 News
Saint Augustine Beach Resort Raffle Winner
Congratulations to Timothy Verdell is the Winner of the Kids Safe
Zone, Saint Augustine Beach Resort raffle. His ticket was drawn on January 1st.
Timothy won 3 Day, 2 Night stay at St. Augustine Beach Resort.
Movie Being Made In St. Augustine
A Vietnam
Documentary is going to be filmed here in St. Augustine by the
Florida Veterans Program & Projects, Inc, (FVPPI) a Not For Profit
Corp. in conjunction with Flagler College.
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Local Couple Goes The Distance To Say Thank You
Glen and Debbie Tilley planned their recently
completed cross-country motorcycle trip of almost 7,000 miles so
they could take in as much of the beauty of America as possible.
They planned their trip around a special destination with a special
goal – to say Thank You to an artist in Manti, Utah – Kaziah Hancock
and to present her with Certificates of Appreciation from the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Bryan Tutten Memorial Post 2391 and from
American Legion, Alton Green Memorial Post 194.
Kaziah is an artist and who devotes most of
her time to honoring American soldiers who have died in Middle East
combat zones. "I came across a talk show, and they were talking
about the accomplishments and the life of James W. Kelly, of Salt
Lake (City, Utah). It hit me. … I became a basket case," she
explained. "He was a serviceman who had been killed in Iraq." It was
at that moment, Hancock decided she wanted to paint a memorial
portrait of each U.S. service member killed in the line of duty.
Kaziah said she considers these paintings as hugs. When she dies,
there will be pieces of her heart spread out all across the globe.
"That says Kaziah cared about these soldiers," she said. She does
this as a way to say Thank you for those American servicemen and
women who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Kaziah paints, for the
immediate family, an original oil on canvas portrait free of charge,
of their fallen loved one. In this small way she can say thank you
for giving your all in the cause of freedom. She started doing this
in 2003 and is the Founder, President and Artist of Project
Compassion. Since its conception, Kaziah has been joined by four
additional artists and one office staff person and has provided over
1,400 oil paintings for grieving families. She has been honored by
the State of Utah, the VFW, American Legion, DAV, DAR and many other
organizations for her generosity.
Project Compassion is totally non-profit and
survives solely on donations in order to continue the project on the
huge scale it has become. Some links are provided below for
information regarding Project Compassion and the Hero Paintings
Gallery. Information is provided on the website for donations
should you desire to help this project.
Home page:
http://www.heropaintings.com/kzindex.aspx
About the project:
http://www.heropaintings.com/aboutPC.html
Paintings:
http://www.heropaintings.com/ShowGallery.aspx?Gallery=1
How to donate:
http://www.heropaintings.com/contact.html#donations
About the artist:
http://www.kaziahthegoatwoman.com/kaziah.html |
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Chase - Rescorla Scholarship
Fund Click
HERE |
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Deontrai Wilson, 2008-2009 Fifth Grade Graduate
from the American Legion Post 194, Kids Safe Zone Program, being
presented with awards at Family Night. |
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Solomon Calhoun
Community Center Opens |
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Performing before a crowd of more than 500 excited
community citizens, the Color Guard of American
Legion Post 194, with motorcycle escort, provided
honors and Post 194 Comrade Greg White was Master of
Ceremonies for the Dedication and Grand Opening
Ceremony of the Solomon Calhoun Community Center in
West Augustine at 1300 Duval Street on April 25,
2009. The ceremony included an open house, cookout,
art exhibit and entertainment. Speakers included
U.S. Rep. John Mica, St. Johns County Commissioner
Ron Sanchez and West Augustine CRA Chairman Greg
White. Several groups performed on the gymnasium
stage throughout the Open House, including the Mt.
Moriah Church Choir, Northeast Florida Steppers,
Angel Brown, Jarvis James, Young Man of Excellence,
Tabernacle Dance Team, St. Johns River Baptist Mass
Choir and Dance Team, and Murray Middle School Band.
The community center is a 22,000 square foot,
$7.9 million project that includes a full-size
gymnasium, community and all-purpose rooms, office
space, a swimming pool and splash park and athletic
fields. The Solomon Calhoun Community Center has
been a long-time project of the West Augustine
Community Redevelopment Agency and goal of the
County Commission. The groundbreaking was Oct. 25,
2007. The facility was named for Solomon Calhoun, a
long-time educator, mentor and coach in St. Johns
County, and the first All-American football player
at Florida A&M. |
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Front of New Solomon Calhoun Community Center |
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Lead Color Guard Escort |
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Motorcycles escort the Honor
Guard |
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Senator John Mica & Greg White |
Greg White speaks |
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Post 194 Honor Guard posts
Colors |
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New Olympic Size Pool |
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Santa
Arrived Early
A Christmas surprise came early Thursday for the children of the American Legion
Post 194 – Kids’ Safe Zone program in Saint Augustine. The employees of
CH2M-Hill Engineering firm of Jacksonville, along with members of the post and
Kids’ Safe Zone staff presented each of the children with brand new bicycles and
riding helmets for Christmas and as a reward for their excellence in the after
school program provided by the post. The firm’s employees also presented the
program Director, Ms. Shirley Jones with two new computer systems to help
further the children’s technical training. This is in addition to the four
systems donated to the program earlier. Each year, the employees of CH2M-Hill
coordinate their efforts to raise funds and donate to worthwhile children’s
programs throughout the area.
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St. Augustine, FL October 9, 2007As I
pulled into the parking lot of VFW Post
2391, it was awash in a sea of powerful
two-wheeled wonders.
We of St. Augustine are known for going
back in time on a regularbasis, so I
expected to see Marlon Brando pop out of the
shadows dressed in his signature black
leather jacket and motorcycle boots
swaggering around, making the ladies swoon
and making the men cower.
But not this time.
Everywhere I looked I saw men and women,
some in leathers, but most in jeans and
sporting the colors of their motorcycle
clubs and patches indicating their military
service. An incredible site!
The VFW was abuzz with voices chattering
about kids, grandkids, past rides, and the
newest in comfort and speed. Some were by
themselves being quiet, but anxiously
waiting to get on the road for the "Poker
Run".
If you have ever felt the rush from the
starting of a motorcycle, try75! Most
of them Harley’s with that signature sound,
cranked up and the automatic decibel setting
on my hearing aids kicked in. Twenty
minutes later my hearing came back to
normal. Eat your heart out Brando! The most
you had was 12!
More and more in the veteran community
there are organizations assisting other
organizations in their fundraising. This
cause was to help American Legion Post 194
raise funds for their "Kids SafeZone", an
after-school refuge for children.
The children of "Kid Safe Zone" are
exposed to many different activities besides
doing their homework and outside playtime.
They have started going to Big Horse Ranch
for horseback riding lessons and Tae Kwondo
classes once a week. Sgt. Jim Giammarinaro
teaches the Tae Kwondo classes. "They are so
respectful, hardworking and exciting, it's
unbelievable," says Giammarinaro.
The past couple of years, the kids have
taken annual field trips. Post 194 funded
these trips to Wild Adventures and Universal
Studios.
However, this year Crawford says, "We're
hoping to get tickets to Disney, but we will
not take the trip unless we receive
financial assistance, because of cost
expense."
Post 194 has more than 150 veteran
members. According to the Web site, the
American Legion is the nation's largest
wartime veteran's service organization.
Contact the Post at 829-8189 for more
information.
Thank You VFW Post 2391 for your
assistance and your caring for our children,
the future of America.
Septimus C. Connor, Commander
Alton Greene Memorial Post 194,
Department of Florida,
American Legion
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Buffalo Soldier To Be Honored
It is indeed a pleasure to announce and extend this
invitation to attend a rare and very special awards presentation to be held at
this American Legion Post 194 on 11 November 2007, Veterans Day, at 12:00 pm.
This presentation will be honoring one of the last generation of the “Buffalo
Soldiers”, Mr. William Chase, by members of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club of
Jacksonville, Florida Chapter.
During this presentation, 87 year old Mr. Chase
will be recognized for his contributions to our great nation and will be awarded
the title of Honorary Lifetime Member of the Buffalo Soldiers and Paid Up For
Life Membership in the American Legion.
Refreshments at
the post canteen will follow the ceremony.
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Project Benefits Memorial Fund
Ten scholarships of $5,000 each is the goal
this year for the Leo C. Chase and Rick
Rescorla Memorial Scholarship Fund.
To help with that goal, a drawing is under
way to win $48,000. Tickets are $100 each,
and only 1,000 tickets will be sold.
The drawing is planned next spring with
further details on that event to be
announced in the fall.
The goal is to "help every kid in this town
who is hurting," says Dan Hill, a member of
the scholarship board.
The purpose of the 10 $5,000 scholarships,
adds Hill, is to give recipients money for
the first two years of college. That leaves
them time to earn the money for room and
board.
The memorial fund pays tribute to Leo C.
Chase Jr., the first St. Augustine/St. Johns
County man to die as a U.S. Army soldier in
Vietnam.
He died in November 1965 in the Battle of Ia
Drang Valley.
That battle is chronicled in the book "We
Were Soldiers Once and Young," co-authored
by Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and journalist Joe
Galloway.
Mel Gibson made the movie "We Were
Soldiers," based on that book.
Rick Rescorla was also a hero of that battle
and many after. He survived the Vietnam War
and became a lawyer, college professor,
author and eventually the first vice
president in charge of security at Dean
Witter-Morgan Stanley in New York's World
Trade Center. It was there he lost his life
during 9/11 saving the lives of the 2,700
Morgan Stanley employees.
The scholarship fund began as the Leo C.
Chase fund through American Legion Post No.
194 and members Septimus Connor and Greg
White. Connor is current board president of
the scholarship group, and White is
treasurer.
It was after 9/11 the two joined with St.
Johns County Sheriff David Shoar and Mike
Pillium, a local engineer, to add Rescola.
Pillium now serves as corresponding
secretary of the group, and Shoar is vice
president.
Board members are Tom Crawford, Michael
Isam, Dan Hill, Ann Lawton and William
Jefferson.
In addition to $100 ticket purchases, the
fund welcomes donations to the memorial
fund.
Donations can be sent to Cmdr. Septimus
Connor, American Legion Post 194, POB 1073,
St. Augustine, FL 32085.
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Crenshaw
Announces Vietnam War Veterans’ Recognition
Ceremony
Encourages Veterans who
were awarded the Vietnam Service Medal to
participate
(Washington, DC) - Congressman Ander
Crenshaw today announced he will recognize
the contributions of Vietnam War veterans
living in the 4th Congressional District of
Florida by presenting them with certificates
of Special Congressional Recognition in
honor of their service to our country. This
recognition ceremony will be held this fall
at a date, time and venue to be announced,
but to participate, all eligible veterans
must register before September 7.
Members of the armed forces who were awarded
the Vietnam Service Medal are eligible for
this year’s ceremony. The medal was awarded
to those who served in Vietnam and its
contiguous waters and airspace between 3
July 1965 and 28 March 1973. In addition,
personnel serving in Thailand, Laos or
Cambodia in direct support of operations in
Vietnam during the same time period were
also eligible for the medal. Armed Forces
members who qualified for the Armed Forces
Expeditionary Medal by service in Vietnam
between 1 July 1958 and 3 July 1965 will
also be recognized. If you are a Vietnam
veteran and were eligible to receive either
the Vietnam Service Medal or the Armed
Forces Expeditionary Medal and live in the
4th Congressional District, please contact
Congressman Crenshaw’s office or go to his
website to obtain an application.
“Vietnam veterans served our country with
honor during one of our most tumultuous
times as a nation,” said Congressman
Crenshaw. “They answered the call of duty,
but when they returned home many did not
receive the recognition they properly
deserved. These brave individuals helped
fight for freedom and democracy at a time
when their country needed them – this
ceremony will help show our appreciation.”
To determine eligibility for the
certificate, veterans must complete an
application and submit a copy of their
service discharge document. Veterans must be
a current resident of the 4th Congressional
District of Florida to participate in this
program.
The deadline for submitting applications for
this year’s ceremony is September 7, 2007.
Applications can be obtained on Congressman
Crenshaw’s website, which can be found at
http://crenshaw.house.gov/, or by contacting
his local offices at 904.598-0481 or
386.365-3316 or for those in the 850 area
code, 888.755-5607. Completed applications
and documentation should be mailed to the
following address: 1061 Riverside Avenue,
Suite 100, Jacksonville, FL 32204.
To Print Application,
Click HERE
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Law and Order Awards
Printed with permission of The St. Augustine Record
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A
variety of honors were presented recently by
American Legion Post 194 of St. Augustine to
individuals in the law enforcement, fire fighter and
paramedic fields.
The presentations, made by Coach Alan L. Crawford,
the post's law and order chairman, were in
conjunction with the state Legion law and order
program.
Presentations were made by Crawford and by Septimus
Connor, Commander of Post 194.
Recognized were Sgt. James
Giammarinaro of the St. Augustine Police
Department, St. Johns County
Sheriff David Shoar,
Firefighter/Paramedic Johnny Rigney
and Engineer/Paramedic Jeff Wittmer.
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Giammarinaro joined the St. Augustine Police
Department in 1990 and he's served as a patrolman,
bicycle patrolman and in investigations.
While in investigations he assisted in starting the
first Stranger Danger program for St. Augustine, and
went on to conduct numerous seminars.
He also has an impressive record of solving a
37-year-old cold case homicide, and as a result was
featured on A&E's Cold Case Files four years ago.
He is an author of a book geared toward empowering
children to be safe and confident against predators,
and he has received honors, including St. Augustine
Police Officer of the Year and St. Johns County Law
Enforcement of the Year.
* Shoar
began his law enforcement career as a police officer
with the St. Augustine Police Department in 1981. In
2000 he was named chief of police.
He was elected sheriff in 2004, after retiring from
the police department.
Shoar retired from the Florida Army National Guard
in 2005 after 25 years.
He holds membership in numerous community
organizations, as well as career-related groups, and
he is an honor graduate of St. Johns River Community
College and the University of North Florida.
He holds a master's degree in public administration
with "highest honors" from UNF, and he currently
serves as an adjunct professor at SJRCC.
In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate of law
degree from Flagler College, and that year, as well,
Flagler created the David B. Shoar Award for
Academic Achievement to be awarded to the graduate
of public administration baccalaureate degree
program who maintains the highest grade point
average.
* Rigney,
who was selected 2006 Firefighter of the Year, began
his career with St. Johns County Fire/Rescue in
March 2004. He is currently assigned to Squad 5 in
the southern portion of the county.
He has taken numerous hours to further his
education, and officials note that no one specific
call or event has set him apart. It is his
day-to-day enthusiasm that makes him a great
firefighter.
* Wittmer,
Paramedic of the Year for 2006, began his career in
November 2002 as a paramedic and was later promoted
to the rank of engineer. He is currently assigned to
Rescue 7 in the southern part of the county. He is
particularly recognized for not only his care of
patients, but his dedication to the education and
development of new paramedics to the department.
He also teaches the lab portions of the First Coast
Technical Institute's paramedic program. |
Printed with permission of The St.
Augustine Record
In The Zone
By Nicole Goyette
Volunteer Legionnaire Hubert Naumann helps Deontrai Wilson with her homework.
The American Legion Post 194 has proven
its after-school program to be a great success in the community. In
a letter from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson to the Post Commander Septimus
Connor, which can be found on Post 194's Web site, Nelson writes:
"We are truly fortunate to have such dedicated citizens working to
assure that our young people of today are prepared for the world of
tomorrow."
The Kids Safe Zone after-school tutorial program started six years
ago to help indigent youth. Today, 17 children between the ages 5 to
10 years are enrolled. "We are well established throughout the
community. We have relationships with the sheriff's office, city
police, and the University of Florida basketball team," says Alan
Crawford, publicity director for Post 194.
The children have been invited to Florida's basketball practices and
games. "Coach Billy Donovan addresses the kids to give them
encouragement for education and to get scholarships; it inspires
them very much," Crawford says.
The co-directors for Kids Safe Zone are Joe Logan and Shirley
Jones.
"The joy of seeing them apply themselves," is what she enjoys most
about the program, says Jones, a member of the ladies auxiliary.
"We strive them to do better; the community backs us and we hope to
have more senior volunteers," Logan says.
The kids are exposed to many different activities besides doing
their homework and outside playtime. They have started going to Big
Horse Ranch for horseback riding lessons and Tae Kwondo classes once
a week. Sgt. Jim Giammarinaro teaches the Tae Kwondo classes. "They
are so respectful, hardworking and exciting, it's unbelievable,"
says Giammarinaro.
The St. Augustine Police Department presented the kids with their
own uniforms. "They had their first belt testing and got white
belts. They're so focused, it's unreal." Crawford, known as Coach
Al, said "The University of Florida ladies gymnastics team donated
four-inch mats and several stinger mats."
This is the third post in which Crawford has held membership. "I
never felt more comfortable and proud, and that we're contributing
this much to the community," he says.
The past couple of years, the kids have taken annual field trips.
Post 194 funded these trips to Wild Adventures and Universal
Studios. However, this year Crawford says, "We're hoping to get
tickets to Disney, but we will not take the trip unless we receive
financial assistance, because of cost expense."
Post 194 has more than 150 veteran members. According to the Web
site, the American Legion is the nation's largest wartime veteran's
service organization.
Contact the Post at 829-8189 for more information. |
American Legion Post 194 Has A Busy Agenda
Printed with permission of The St.
Augustine Record
Attending the presentation to honor St. Johns
County Sheriff David Shoar were, from left, Tom Cawford, legion
memeber, Greg White, fifth district commander; Shoar and Septimus
Conner, post commander for Post 194.
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Members of American Legion Post 194
have been busy in recent weeks with a variety of projects.
Recently, Greg White, immediate past fifth district commander,
Septimus Conner, post commander, and legion member Tom Crawford
presented a plaque to St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar in
recognition of his service to the community.
In May, Shoar was named winner of the America's Most Wanted Top Cop
Award. Along with the honor, he received $10,000 which he donated to
Deputy Sheriff Steve Bailey, who had suffered a debilitating stroke.
The post is now hosting a golden oldies dance with music by Ricky
Rich.
Donations are appreciated. The music will be heard each Sunday
beginning at 6 p.m. at the post home, Pearl Street.
Recently the post hosted the fifth district meeting, chaired by Sean
Compton, district commander.
Compton noted that meetings held in St. Augustine are always well
attended, and among the highlights is the fine food served by the
post.
Highlights included presentation of the certificate of achievement
awarded by Compton to the post's SAL Squadron. This was the first
post to obtain its membership goal, Compton noted. The SAL was
commended by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida for work in the
community.
Conner announced the establishment of the Web site,
www.americanlegionpost194.com, thanking A.J. Sartin for setting it
up.
Upcoming for the post will be the annual dinner for all veterans who
reside in St. Johns County. That will be in November, with further
information to be announced. Transportation will be provided.
Call 829-8189 for information.
Meals will be delivered to those who cannot attend.
March 31, 2007, is the date for the annual dinner supporting the
Chase-Rescorla Scholarship Fund. The event will be held at the Casa
Monica Hotel, with dinner from 6 to 10 p.m.
For sponsorship opportunities call the post after 6 p.m. or go to
www.chaserescorlafund.org
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In a final announcement, Conner announced that the post's financial
officer, past commander and immediate past District 5 commander Greg
White won the St. Johns Vision competition for service to the
community. White received a standing ovation.
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