Our Thanksgiving Dinner was great. Thanks to Ernest Gilliam and Aileen Wilson who spent two days preparing. I would also like to thank the SALs and Auxiliary members who help serve.

The Legionnaire Band played at the USO dance at the VFW, and at the Veteran’s day ceremony held at National Cemetery. As always, their performance was wonderful.

This month will be a busy one. We will have our Christmas party and dinner on Saturday, December 16. Santa will arrive at 4 PM, with the dinner from 5 to 7 PM. Also, on December 14 at 7 PM we will be preparing Christmas stocking in the meeting hall. Volunteers are needed of course. Our New Year’s Eve party will be on December 31 at 9 PM. We have a great band in the lounge this year that everyone really likes, The Countryman Band. The Big Band will also play in the Meeting Hall. Tickets will be on sale in the lounge.

Kim and I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

For God and Country

Jim Ratcliffe, Commander

Help Wanted. Everyone is hired to just ask someone to join the American Legion. One of the benefits in being a member of the American Legion is that your spouse and daughters can become a member of the Ladies Auxiliary. Your sons can join the SALs. Another benefit is the $1000 accidental death insurance at No Cost. Call 1-800-235-6943 for more information. We have 990 Legion members paid up for the 2001 year. That is 72% of our membership goal. We need 365 more members to pay their dues so we can reach our all time high of 1,355 members.

Here are some good ideas for Christmas gifts. We have a new stock of American Legion caps and ‘Proud to be an American’ T-shirts, with William E. Blair Post 95 printed on the left sleeve.

Ask, Just Ask.

Cathy Brown, Adjutant

267-3449

Friday, Dec. 15

Dinner 7 PM

Meeting 8 PM

All who plan to attend must show current membership card. Spouses, Auxiliary and SALs welcome. In accordance with by-laws, no alcoholic beverages in meeting hall. Proper dress is required.

Prayer: 2nd Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.

We must keep these members in our prayers: Bob Doss, G.W. White, Ken Wild, Gene Dent, Keith Sherrill, Horace Chapman, and Wayne Carden. Let us remember these members in the Post Everlasting: Harold Tucker and Glenn Patterson.

Larry Wirth, Chaplain 855-5824

BLOOD ASSURANCE

Donations for October: Donald Robertson, Marilyn Nagel, Walter Carpenter, Vickie Powers, Robert Lewis, Eugene Grigsby, Raymond Butler, Gary Ramsey, Rebecca Hardin, Kenneth Holcomb, Robert Price, David Crownover, H.L. Dale, Lynda Benton, Paul Parker, Jo Ann Gentry, Roland Cross, Thomas Marsh, and Denise Brittain.

Melvin Brown, Chairman 867-3449

Again, thanks to the Auxiliary for helping with the monthly dinner. Don’t forget the SAL warm clothing drive will continue through December 15. We will deliver the clothing to the Community Kitchen on December 16. Forty-nine of the one hundred thirty four SAL members have paid their dues as of November 14^. This is 36% of our total membership. We can do a lot better than that.

Beginning at our December meeting we will start at 8:15 PM and end the meetings at 9 PM.

Dale Gore, SAL Adjutant

Thanks to all that attended and brought food for the Third District meeting.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

Remember to pay your 2001 membership dues. They need to be paid before the last of December. Also don’t forget to buy tickets for the $500 to be given away at the Christmas Dinner on December 16. See Jean Atheran or any Auxiliary member for tickets. Don’t forget the bake sale at the Christmas Dinner. We are asking all Auxiliary members to bake something for the bake sale and have it at the Meeting Hall by 4 PM on Dec 16. Anyone that would like to help decorate the Hall for Christmas is welcome to help after the Ladies Auxiliary meeting on Nov 30. Auxiliary members are encouraged to come to our meeting and help in all we are doing.

Pat McDade, Auxiliary President

HONOR GUARD NEWS

As Honor Guard Commander, I would like our members and their families to have this information. We get many calls from families and funeral homes to do Military funerals and the question to ask is, ‘Does he or she belong to a Veterans group?’. The answer, a big percentage of the time is he used to be a member, or he hasn’t paid dues in a number of years, or just plain memory loss. The best way to handle this is to become a Life Member, and if you move, transfer your membership. Don’t let this happen to you. If you aren’t a current member, or don’t support our Veterans organizations that are working for those Veterans that served this great nation, PAY YOUR DUES NOW. Or better yet, become a life member for Christmas. I am in all.

Ralph C. Wilson

Honor Guard Commander

Congratulations to these Legionaries from East Ridge Post 95: Tony Culberson, Sr., Tony Culberson, Jr., Connie Culberson, Jason Culberson, Rick Davis, Sean Davis, Phillip Trussel, and John Bozeman. They placed first in the East Ridge Spring Session of the Camel Pool League. They also placed first in the CBC East Summer Session of the Camel Pool League. Way to go!