Newsletters
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS & VFW AUXILIARY
MARCH, 2026 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Notes from the Editor
It was nice to have some sun and warm weather this past week, even had a couple of 65-degree days the week before!
We will be losing an hour of sleep this month! Daylight Savings Time begins March 8th. Turn your clock AHEAD one hour before you go to bed Saturday night!
I want to remind everyone that the annual Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner will be held on Tuesday, March 17th, from 5:00 until 7:00 PM. Cost of this dinner is $17.00 per person. Help will be needed from both VFW and Auxiliary members. If you can’t help, at least come to eat, and celebrate! More information on this later in the newsletter. Come on down and support your VFW and Auxiliary!
March 29th is National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Tell your favorite Vietnam Veteran “Welcome Home” and thank them for their service! More about this later in the newsletter.
Notable days in March: Saint Patrick’s Day – March 17th; Spring begins – March 20th; Palm Sunday – March 29th.
‑Tom Cleland, Editor
-------------------------------
Interesting thoughts:
Why does Vitamin B have to be so complex?
The chicken went to the séance to cross to the other side.
Never ridicule your wife’s decisions – you were one of them.
When attorneys sleep, they take turns lying on both sides.
Lego store closes – folks lined up for blocks.
I went to the bookstore yesterday. I saw a book that said, “Solve 50% of your problems.” So, I bought two!
My wife accused me of stealing her thesaurus. Not only was I shocked, but I was appalled, aghast and dismayed.
What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back? A stick.
My wife asked me if I had seen the dog bowl. I said I never knew he did!
What did the duck say when he bought Chapstick? “Put it on my bill.”
My wife told me to put ketchup on the grocery list. Now I can’t read anything.
---------------------------------
VFW and Auxiliary Monthly Meetings
The VFW holds its monthly meeting on the first Tuesday of each month; this month it is March 3rd at 6:00 PM at the Post Home, 11385 2nd Street.
The Auxiliary will hold its monthly meeting on the first Monday of each month; this month it is March 2nd at 6:00 PM at the Post Home.
At this month’s VFW meeting, nominations for officers will be accepted from the floor. The nominations will remain open until the elections are held at the
April 7th Post meeting. If you are interested in being elected as a Post officer, be sure you attend either (preferably both) the March and April Post meetings.
The Auxiliary will hold its election of officers at its April 6th meeting. If you are interested in becoming an Auxiliary officer, be sure to attend the meeting!
All VFW and Auxiliary members are invited to attend their respective meetings.
------------------------------------------------
VFW Post 2955/Auxiliary In-House and Community Activities
Blood Drive every quarter Honor Guard Memorial Day Parade
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony Saturday Meat Raffles
Christmas Food Drive Community Easter Egg Hunt
Participation in the Roscoe Fall Festival and Parade Corn Boil
Children’s School Supply Grants School Activities Sponsorship
Veterans’ Day School participation Red Shirt Friday
VFW Member Sponsorship in Horseshoe League Support Vets Roll
VFW and Auxiliary Membership Drives St. Patrick’s Day Dinner
Support Jaimie Cox Motorcycle Run Veterans’ Relief Fund
VFW Home for Children in Eaton Rapids, MI Host Firemen’s Dinner
Recognize Past District Commanders and Past District Auxiliary Presidents
Host Veterans’ Day Dinner Support Cancer Aid and Research
New Years’ Eve Toast to Veterans and Active-Duty Personnel
Voice of Democracy/Patriot’s Pen Contests and Awards Pizza Party
Auxiliary sends Christmas Cards/Valentines to Veterans Homes & Nursing Homes
Provides Support and Treats for Roscoe VFW Members Monthly Newsletter
Support for “Braveheart” Veteran Riding facility
Cookie Decorating with Santa Support for Veterans Drop-In Center
Top of Illinois Veterans Standdown Quilts of Valor Presentation
We are, and should be, very proud of what we, the Post and Auxiliary members, do here at Roscoe VFW Post 2955. We should be blowing our own horns every month because we have some very dedicated people who make this Post and Auxiliary outstanding examples of what we should be, and what we should do. We do not give ourselves enough credit where and when credit is due.
Everybody who participates, no matter how much or how little, is needed to make all the above activities successful. We know we may have missed some activity that is worth mentioning; but we tried not to! Please forgive us if we did.
We have more than 220 VFW members and over 120 Auxiliary members. If you would like to help in any of the above activities or programs, don’t be shy – you are welcomed and encouraged to get involved and participate!
---------------
You can’t trust an atom – they make up everything!
---------------
From Commander Gene Mund:
The Post held its annual Voice of Democracy/Patriot’s Pen celebration on February 4th. Pizza was served and compositions were read. What a great program where the younger generation expresses their love and respect for this country. A refreshing difference from all the crap you see on the news where everyone hates this country. More than 20 monetary awards were presented.
New chandeliers are being installed in the hall this month. At the February Post meeting, the membership approved the purchase and installation of six new
light fixtures. It took five hours to install one unit because each crystal is independently affixed to the unit after assembly of the frame. Some assembly required my ass. Oh well, once up, it looks great and compliments the new fans previously installed. There are 200 crystals on each unit requiring each one to be installed one at a time. The main difference between the old and new units is that the old units had plastic balls for crystals whereas the new units are all glass crystals.
If you have not gotten your Elvis show tickets, there are a few left. You can get them from the bartender or any board member. A great show for the family.
The Memorial Day parade is our next post function. New parade flyers are being printed for distribution to local vendors. Once the flyers are received, they will be distributed to past participants as well as the many vendors in the area. Volunteers will be needed to help with this event. See any board member if you would like to participate. So much of what we do depends on our volunteers. Thank you to all of you.
From the Auxiliary:
Please attend the March 2nd Auxiliary meeting, held at 6:00 PM at the Post Home. We have much to discuss including vacancies in two offices that need to be filled. Other topics to discuss include the March 17th dinner , and the upcoming Easter Egg Hunt in April. Please attend – your input is needed!
Our Auxiliary members will be preparing Corned Beef & Cabbage on Tuesday, March 17th for our annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner. We will be serving the traditional Corned Beef & Cabbage with all the fixings from 5:00 until 7:00 PM. Cost of the dinner is $17.00 per person. Remember, help with the dinner is always appreciated.
At next month’s (April 6th) meeting, we will be electing officers, so if you are interested in becoming an Auxiliary officer, make sure you attend the meeting!
-------------------------
Voice of Democracy/Patriot’s Pen Awards Ceremony/Pizza Party:
On Wednesday February 4th, there was an awards ceremony conducted to distribute the awards to the students who participated in, and won the top prizes
in the Post/Auxiliary Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen contests. There were about eighty people in attendance, which included students, family, and friends, along with Post and Auxiliary members. Following the pizza party, the winning Voice of Democracy speeches and the winning Patriot’s Pen speeches were read. Thanks to those who attended this ceremony to show your support of these students, and listen to their winning speeches!
-----------------------------
Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner
This month the Auxiliary will be preparing and serving a dinner to be held on Tuesday, March 17th from 5:00 until 7:00 PM. This will be our traditional
St. Patrick’s Day dinner, the menu being corned beef & cabbage, carrots, potatoes, Irish Soda bread, plus dessert and coffee. The cost is $17.00 per person;
children - $12.00.
Help will be needed for preparation and serving of the meal, and clean-up after the meal. Contact Mike O’Brien to volunteer, or for more information.
Come on down, wearing your green, and enjoy a great dinner!
---------------------------
Sixth District Meeting, Memorial Service & Poppy Display Judging
The next Sixth District meeting will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at Col. Thomas G. Lawler Post #342, (Veterans Memorial Hall), 211 N. Main Street, Rockford, IL 61101. There will be a lunch served at Noon, the Memorial service will begin at 1:00 PM, and the meeting will follow at 2:00 PM. Any Poppy Displays
need to be there and set up by Noon.
____________________________________________________________
VFW Blood Drive Report
VFW Blood Director Terry Walker has reported the results of the Post’s Winter Blood Drive, held February 10th and 11th. The drive resulted in a total of 63 pints of blood being collected.
The Spring Blood Drive will be May 20th. Thank you for giving!
--------------------------
Taco Tuesday/Wienie Wednesday/Italian Beef Thursday
Come in on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday for a great meal, served by our fantastic bartenders. There is food available each of those days from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM. We also have pizzas, Nacho Chips with Cheese, and Nacho Chips Supreme anytime! There is now food available on Mondays! Ask your friendly bartender for details!
-------------------------
National Vietnam War Veterans Day
Sunday, March 29, 2026, is National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The “Vietnam War Veterans Act” officially designated March 29th as National Vietnam War Veterans Day, marking the day the last combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam in 1973.
Vietnam Veterans represented nearly 10% of their generation. They fought under challenging conditions, and when their service ended, were not always welcomed when they returned home. President Obama highlighted how many in this country treated our service members who served in Vietnam. “You were often blamed for a war you didn’t start when you should have been commended for serving your country with valor. You came home and sometimes were denigrated when you should have been celebrated.”
To all my Vietnam veteran brothers and sisters – “WELCOME HOME!”
------------------------------
Last year I replaced all the windows in my house with those expensive, double-pane, energy-efficient kind. Today, I got a call from Home Depot, who installed them. The man complained that the work had been completed a year ago, and I still hadn’t paid for the windows.
Hellooo…just because I’m blonde doesn’t automatically mean that I am stupid. So, I told him just what his fast-talking sales guy had told me last year…that these windows would pay for themselves in a year.
Hellooo…it’s been a year, so they’re paid for, I told him. There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I finally hung up. He never called back. I bet he felt like an idiot!!!
------------------------
Upcoming Events
April 6 - Auxiliary Meeting - Election of Officers
April 7 - VFW Meeting - Election of Officers
April 28 - VFW Board of Directors’ meeting
_______________________________________________________________
Historical Happenings
March 3 - 1931- “Star Spangled Banner” designated as National Anthem
March 8 - Daylight Savings Time begins
March 12 - 1912 - Girl Scouts of the USA founded
March 17 - St. Patrick’s Day
March 19 - 2003 - Iraq War begins
March 20 - First Day of Spring
March 24 - 1999 - Kosovo Campaign begins
March 29 - National Vietnam War Veterans Day
.