ROBERT H. HOKE POST 272
NEWSLETTER

Commander's Column

**COMMANDER’S COLUMN **

This Memorial Day, our Honor Guard traveled to eighteen local cemeteries to honor our fallen veterans by conducting a 21 gun salute and taps at each site. As I accompanied them, I can tell you, I shed a few tears thinking of and remembering my friends and comrades who have made the supreme sacrifice.  Days prior to Memorial Day, American Flags were placed at the gravesite of every veteran, by members of our post dedicated to preserving their loving memory. It was a great honor and privilege for me to be part of this tribute.  Memorial Day makes you realize what our post is all about.

     Next, let me Thank everyone who helped out with this year’s Memorial Day Parade.  This is our biggest community event of the year and it couldn’t have gone off so smoothly without everyone’s (Legion, Son’s and Auxiliary’s) help and cooperation.  Parade Chairman, Mike Epoca did a fantastic job supervising and coordinating the event. 

     Our post is working hard to weather the effects of the current recession. We are planning on having Chicken Bar-B-Q’s every other weekend this summer and we have added Bar-B-Q Spare Ribs to the menu. There has been a lot of talk about the taste and quality of our Bar-B-Q’s. The last few weekends we have sold old early.  The next Bar-B-Q is scheduled for Saturday, June 19^th.  So, please stop by early if you want to get some chicken or ribs. It’s first come, first serve, until we’re sold out.

      In closing, I’d like to thank everyone who helped, assisted and or donated their time to support our post. There are too many names to mention and I’d probably miss someone. You know who you are and you do what you do, not asking for anything in return, but to serve your post and our veterans. God Bless You, God Bless our Post, and God Bless our Servicemen and women stationed throughout the world.

Brad Lauver  Commander

It is a privilege for me to provide the comments for this newsletter.  I would like to address several areas. 

First, I would like to express the appreciation of your Post leadership to all those involved in this year's Memorial Day activities.  These include the members of the Honor Guard, Active Members, the ALA and the Sons.  We could not have been successful without the efforts of all these organizations "pulling together".  Also, we need to give a big thanks to Mike Epoca, our parade chairman; He did a yeoman's job of bringing together all these various groups to a successful conclusion. 

New slates of officers for the next year are being announced, congratulations and good luck to our next Post Officers. They will be posted in the entrance way and on our web site.

I want to make special mention to the Sons for their new Scholarship Program.  This is a very worthwhile program and should be fully supported by all of us.  I'm sure that those recipients from Central Dauphin High School and Bishop McDevitt High School will remember this award, as will those who became aware of this opportunity. 

As a reminder, the Post has a Chicken and Rib Bar-B-Q every other Saturday at the Post Home.  Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.  No one is expected to be there for every event, but your assistance will materially assist your post.

As we approach the summer vacation season, let each of us keep in our thoughts and prayers all of those serving as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guard, who are deployed around the world defending the freedoms we enjoy, and who may not have the summer vacations that we are about to enjoy.

Marshall Eward Jr. Vice Commander