My Fellow Post 295 Gaithersburg Legionnaires. For those of you who don’t know
me, my name is Cliff Bergstresser, and I am your latest Post Commander. Bob
Ouellette is currently pursuing a position as Commander of the Western Region
and can not hold both the Post Commander and Regional Commander at the
same time. We feel certain Bob will be the new Regional Commander for the 2022
– 2023 year. I am honored to be your Post Commander for the second time in my
13 years here at the post.
Speaking of the 2022 – 2023 year, it’s time for membership renewal again. We
didn’t meet our goal of 100% this past year but did better than the national
average. Membership is very important to the American Legion as our numbers
give us a voice with the Federal Government. Currently we are pressing Congress
to do something about the Veterans suffering from the effects of Burn Pit smoke
inhalation, cause when the military burns the camps garbage in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
This coming year will be a challenge as we have financial woes. We lost our one
and only fund raiser during COVID (golf tournament) and are trying to determine
a replacement. We are considering an Army / Navy board if the members are
willing to buy squares. All suggestion is welcome to resolve this. Lastly we are
continuing to meet the second Thursday of the month at the Mission BBQ in
Germantown. Mission BBQ has been wonderful and have allowed us to use their
back room. Going forward we may lose this access to the room since they are
opening a catering call center. That said, we need to fine an alternate meeting
place. I will keep you in the loop.
My Fellow Post 295 Gaithersburg Legionnaires. For those of you who don’t know
me, my name is Cliff Bergstresser, and I am your latest Post Commander. Bob
Ouellette is currently pursuing a position as Commander of the Western Region
and can not hold both the Post Commander and Regional Commander at the
same time. We feel certain Bob will be the new Regional Commander for the 2022
– 2023 year. I am honored to be your Post Commander for the second time in my
13 years here at the post.
Speaking of the 2022 – 2023 year, it’s time for membership renewal again. We
didn’t meet our goal of 100% this past year but did better than the national
average. Membership is very important to the American Legion as our numbers
give us a voice with the Federal Government. Currently we are pressing Congress
to do something about the Veterans suffering from the effects of Burn Pit smoke
inhalation, cause when the military burns the camps garbage in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
This coming year will be a challenge as we have financial woes. We lost our one
and only fund raiser during COVID (golf tournament) and are trying to determine
a replacement. We are considering an Army / Navy board if the members are
willing to buy squares. All suggestion is welcome to resolve this. Lastly we are
continuing to meet the second Thursday of the month at the Mission BBQ in
Germantown. Mission BBQ has been wonderful and have allowed us to use their
back room. Going forward we may lose this access to the room since they are
opening a catering call center. That said, we need to fine an alternate meeting
place. I will keep you in the loop.
Greetings Post 295 Gaithersburg MD Legionnaires, Sons of The American Legion,
and Auxiliary. We are a few months into our 2024 – 2025 Legion year and looking
forward to our fall activities. I want to touch base on a few items.
Membership is doing well and hit our Sept 11 th 50% goal. Last year we achieved
100% by the end of the year and you made that happen. Thank you.
Our next Post meeting is Thursday Oct 10 th 7:00 pm at Mission BBQ in
Germantown. We have a guest speaker on Montgomery County Commission for
Veterans Affairs and a Boy Scout who wants to do his Eagle Project on building a
Flag Drop Off box.
Our next event is the annual Kentland’s Oktoberfest being held on Sunday Oct 13 th
noon – 5:00 pm. Come down and enjoy the festivities and maybe even a beer.
Make sure to stop by the Post 295 Canopy and say hi to Bob and see if he needs
any help. I’m sure he would like a break during the day.
Veterans Day is Monday Nov 11 th, and we will have two activities that day. First,
we will do the annual wreath laying with the City of Gaithersburg 11:00 am at
town hall (fair weather) or Bohrer Park admin building (rain). We will also be
present for the noon singing of the National Anthem at Mission BBQ in
Germantown. We need our members to come out and support both these events.
Mission BBQ will provide free sandwiches that day. We will have Post meeting
there at Mission BBQ at 1:00 pm instead of the second Thursday of the month.
We will have our quarterly Asbury luncheon on Thursday Nov 14 th at the Wilson
building with Mission BBQ providing lunch. This a great opportunity to meeting
our WWII, Korean, and Vietnam War Veterans. We owe these comrades a debt of
gratitude for their service.
Lastly, we will have our annual Army / Navy game event at Mission BBQ
Germantown Saturday Dec 14 th . Our meeting will be at 1:00 PM and the game
starts at 3:00 pm. Mission BBQ will provide food during the game. This is our big
fund raiser asking for donations for our Army / Navy football board. $20 donation
per square. We will also have 50/50 and silent auction. Reach out to me if you
want to donate to a square. We also will not have our regular meeting on the
second Thursday of the month.
I hope you are doing well and thank you for your service and commitment to The
American Legion.
Many blessings,
Cliff
My Fellow Post 295 Gaithersburg Legionnaires. It’s hard to believe the summer is
over. We are now in the second month of the American Legion year and looking
forward to participating with the local community here is Gaithersburg. On Labor
Day we were represented in the annual Gaithersburg parade by our Legion Rider
group. Four motorcycles / trikes rode in the parade. Although very warm sitting
on running bike at 3 MPH, many waves, and words of thanks from the citizens in
Gaithersburg. Our next community event will be the Oktoberfest at the Kentland
on Sunday Oct 9 th noon – 5:00 pm. Come out and visit our booth plus enjoy a fall
day activity of the German tradition.
It’s that time of year for our membership renewal. We are currently at 51.90% for
the year, which is on track. Please consider renewing your membership now. That
money helps cover our budget, the Department MD, and National HQ.
Speaking of budget, we decided to have an Army / Navy football game board fund
raiser and party at the Germantown Mission BBQ Saturday Dec 10 th 2:00 – 6:00
pm. Please consider buying squares at $10 per square. The board will be at our
post meetings this fall with the next meeting being Thursday Sept 8 th 7:00-8:00
pm. We plan on having food at the party, plus 50/50 and pull tabs. Our meetings
are typically the second Thursday of the month at the Germantown Mission BBQ
starting at 7:00 pm.
In the news last month, the PACT ACT was signed into law. This act is there to
help our veterans who have been exposed to toxic Burn Pit fumes. This has been
many years in the making and the American Legion has been on the forefront of
this initiative. We are also pushing for the Afghan Interpreters relocation
legislation to help these folks who helped us in that war on terror.
Lastly, we have a new National Commander Vincent J. Troiola, who message this
year is “Be the One” with his focus on reducing veteran suicides. If you are
struggling with this issue, please consider calling the 988-emergency suicide
hotline or text 838255. There is no shame in getting help.
My Fellow Post 295 Gaithersburg Legionnaires. It’s hard to believe the summer is
over. We are now in the second month of the American Legion year and looking
forward to participating with the local community here is Gaithersburg. On Labor
Day we were represented in the annual Gaithersburg parade by our Legion Rider
group. Four motorcycles / trikes rode in the parade. Although very warm sitting
on running bike at 3 MPH, many waves, and words of thanks from the citizens in
Gaithersburg. Our next community event will be the Oktoberfest at the Kentland
on Sunday Oct 9 th noon – 5:00 pm. Come out and visit our booth plus enjoy a fall
day activity of the German tradition.
It’s that time of year for our membership renewal. We are currently at 51.90% for
the year, which is on track. Please consider renewing your membership now. That
money helps cover our budget, the Department MD, and National HQ.
Speaking of budget, we decided to have an Army / Navy football game board fund
raiser and party at the Germantown Mission BBQ Saturday Dec 10 th 2:00 – 6:00
pm. Please consider buying squares at $10 per square. The board will be at our
post meetings this fall with the next meeting being Thursday Sept 8 th 7:00-8:00
pm. We plan on having food at the party, plus 50/50 and pull tabs. Our meetings
are typically the second Thursday of the month at the Germantown Mission BBQ
starting at 7:00 pm.
In the news last month, the PACT ACT was signed into law. This act is there to
help our veterans who have been exposed to toxic Burn Pit fumes. This has been
many years in the making and the American Legion has been on the forefront of
this initiative. We are also pushing for the Afghan Interpreters relocation
legislation to help these folks who helped us in that war on terror.
Lastly, we have a new National Commander Vincent J. Troiola, who message this
year is “Be the One” with his focus on reducing veteran suicides. If you are
struggling with this issue, please consider calling the 988-emergency suicide
hotline or text 838255. There is no shame in getting help.
My Fellow Post 295 Gaithersburg Legionnaires. It’s hard to believe the summer is
over. We are now in the second month of the American Legion year and looking
forward to participating with the local community here is Gaithersburg. On Labor
Day we were represented in the annual Gaithersburg parade by our Legion Rider
group. Four motorcycles / trikes rode in the parade. Although very warm sitting
on running bike at 3 MPH, many waves, and words of thanks from the citizens in
Gaithersburg. Our next community event will be the Oktoberfest at the Kentland
on Sunday Oct 9 th noon – 5:00 pm. Come out and visit our booth plus enjoy a fall
day activity of the German tradition.
It’s that time of year for our membership renewal. We are currently at 51.90% for
the year, which is on track. Please consider renewing your membership now. That
money helps cover our budget, the Department MD, and National HQ.
Speaking of budget, we decided to have an Army / Navy football game board fund
raiser and party at the Germantown Mission BBQ Saturday Dec 10 th 2:00 – 6:00
pm. Please consider buying squares at $10 per square. The board will be at our
post meetings this fall with the next meeting being Thursday Sept 8 th 7:00-8:00
pm. We plan on having food at the party, plus 50/50 and pull tabs. Our meetings
are typically the second Thursday of the month at the Germantown Mission BBQ
starting at 7:00 pm.
In the news last month, the PACT ACT was signed into law. This act is there to
help our veterans who have been exposed to toxic Burn Pit fumes. This has been
many years in the making and the American Legion has been on the forefront of
this initiative. We are also pushing for the Afghan Interpreters relocation
legislation to help these folks who helped us in that war on terror.
Lastly, we have a new National Commander Vincent J. Troiola, who message this
year is “Be the One” with his focus on reducing veteran suicides. If you are
struggling with this issue, please consider calling the 988-emergency suicide
hotline or text 838255. There is no shame in getting help.
My Fellow Post 295 Gaithersburg Legionnaires. Spring has spun, at least I hope so.
We have had a busy March so far. The Post was in the Gaithersburg Saint Patrick’s
Day parade. We rode in the cold with Rus, Mary Ann, Paul, and me. What a great
way to show the community we are here in Gaithersburg. We heard many in the
crowd thanking us for our service.
We also had a luncheon event with the Vets at Asbury Retirement Village. Mission
BBQ provided lunch and Paul presented his experience on the Submarine Dallas.
Same sub in the Clancy Novel, “Hunt for Red October”. We had ten Vets in
attendance from Asbury, ranging from WWII, Korean, and Vietnam. We plan on
doing this event every quarter. Let me know if you would like to share your
military experiences with the Vets at Asbury. They very much appreciated us
visiting them. Post 295 shows that we care for our fellow comrades who
proceeded us.
Lastly several of us attended the National Commander Banquet held at Post 60 in
Laurel. Commander Vincent J. "Jim" Troiola shared with us his initiatives to help
our fellow Veterans. His motto for the year is “Be The One”. This is his focus on
reducing veteran suicides. If you are struggling with this issue, please consider
calling the 988 emergency suicide hotline or text 838255. There is no shame in
getting help.
It’s that time of year for our final push for membership renewal. We are currently
at 87.77% for the year, which is slightly less than our March 15 th goal of 90%.
Please consider renewing your membership now. That money helps cover our
budget and the Department MD / National HQ expenses.
In the news this week, the Senate voted to advance legislation that would repeal
the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs), formally
ending the Gulf and Iraq wars and reasserting Congress’ authority to declare war,
which The American Legion has long supported.
Lastly, we have our post elections at the monthly April 13 th meeting. Our meetings
are typically the second Thursday of the month 7:00 pm at the Mission BBQ in
Germantown. The exceptions are no meeting in July, November meeting is usually
on Veteran’s Day, and the December meeting is on the Saturday of the Army /
Navy football game.
Cliff
Cliff Bergstresser
The American Legion Post 295 Gaithersburg Commander
cbergstresser@verizon.net
301-466-3775 cell
My Fellow Post 295 Gaithersburg Legionnaires. Spring has spun, at least I hope so.
We have had a busy March so far. The Post was in the Gaithersburg Saint Patrick’s
Day parade. We rode in the cold with Rus, Mary Ann, Paul, and me. What a great
way to show the community we are here in Gaithersburg. We heard many in the
crowd thanking us for our service.
We also had a luncheon event with the Vets at Asbury Retirement Village. Mission
BBQ provided lunch and Paul presented his experience on the Submarine Dallas.
Same sub in the Clancy Novel, “Hunt for Red October”. We had ten Vets in
attendance from Asbury, ranging from WWII, Korean, and Vietnam. We plan on
doing this event every quarter. Let me know if you would like to share your
military experiences with the Vets at Asbury. They very much appreciated us
visiting them. Post 295 shows that we care for our fellow comrades who
proceeded us.
Lastly several of us attended the National Commander Banquet held at Post 60 in
Laurel. Commander Vincent J. "Jim" Troiola shared with us his initiatives to help
our fellow Veterans. His motto for the year is “Be The One”. This is his focus on
reducing veteran suicides. If you are struggling with this issue, please consider
calling the 988 emergency suicide hotline or text 838255. There is no shame in
getting help.
It’s that time of year for our final push for membership renewal. We are currently
at 87.77% for the year, which is slightly less than our March 15 th goal of 90%.
Please consider renewing your membership now. That money helps cover our
budget and the Department MD / National HQ expenses.
In the news this week, the Senate voted to advance legislation that would repeal
the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs), formally
ending the Gulf and Iraq wars and reasserting Congress’ authority to declare war,
which The American Legion has long supported.
Lastly, we have our post elections at the monthly April 13 th meeting. Our meetings
are typically the second Thursday of the month 7:00 pm at the Mission BBQ in
Germantown. The exceptions are no meeting in July, November meeting is usually
on Veteran’s Day, and the December meeting is on the Saturday of the Army /
Navy football game.
Cliff
Cliff Bergstresser
The American Legion Post 295 Gaithersburg Commander
cbergstresser@verizon.net
301-466-3775 cell
and Auxiliary. We are a few months into our 2024 – 2025 Legion year and looking
forward to our fall activities. I want to touch base on a few items.
Membership is doing well and hit our Sept 11 th 50% goal. Last year we achieved
100% by the end of the year and you made that happen. Thank you.
Germantown. We have a guest speaker on Montgomery County Commission for
Flag Drop Off box.
Our next event is the annual Kentland’s Oktoberfest being held on Sunday Oct 13 th
noon – 5:00 pm. Come down and enjoy the festivities and maybe even a beer.
any help. I’m sure he would like a break during the day.
Veterans Day is Monday Nov 11 th, and we will have two activities that day. First,
town hall (fair weather) or Bohrer Park admin building (rain). We will also be
Germantown. We need our members to come out and support both these events.
Mission BBQ will provide free sandwiches that day. We will have Post meeting
there at Mission BBQ at 1:00 pm instead of the second Thursday of the month.
building with Mission BBQ providing lunch. This a great opportunity to meeting
our WWII, Korean, and Vietnam War Veterans. We owe these comrades a debt of
gratitude for their service.
Germantown Saturday Dec 14 th . Our meeting will be at 1:00 PM and the game
starts at 3:00 pm. Mission BBQ will provide food during the game. This is our big
fund raiser asking for donations for our Army / Navy football board. $20 donation
per square. We will also have 50/50 and silent auction. Reach out to me if you
want to donate to a square. We also will not have our regular meeting on the
second Thursday of the month.
American Legion.
