Commander's Message | September 2017

Fernando Rivero
Commander
Hollywood Post 43

I am so proud of our members, staff, officers, executive committee and committee leaders. So many of you are coming together to work hard for the betterment of our post, to take care of our veterans, and secure our future, while creating a warm and welcoming community of veterans, friends, and family in Hollywood. Thank you all for caring about this post and each other! There is A LOT going on at the post these days:

·      The renovation of our auditorium into a state-of-the-art screening theater
·      Building-wide cleanup and redecorating of various spaces
·      Improvements in physical security and accessibility for disabled
·      Streamlining and improving operations and accounting processes in the front office
·      Fundraising to help offset renovation costs and fund our programs
·      Funded transportation for elderly and disabled members to attend to post events
·      Increased community service activities and opportunities
·      Renewed focus on core American Legion programs that support our “four pillars”
·      More variety of entertainment, outings, and social events
·      Outreach to other posts and community organizations—strength in numbers
·      A brand new charter of the American Legion Riders at Post 43
·      A new Marksmanship team
·      A new post color guard
·      Record membership increases!

There’s a lot, still, that needs to be done, but we have more and more members getting involved and tackling the tasks. 

We have a lot of new members, and we are planning a series of new member orientation nights soon. Stay tuned!

A priority for me is that we revitalize our Emergency Preparedness Committee. This group is empowered by the post to create a plan to sustain a number of people who find themselves at the post during a disaster or other emergency, and to be of assistance to first responders and civil authorities, including Amateur Radio. This is a critical area where we should be leading, but unfortunately, due to some members moving away and a loss of interest in general, we have fallen woefully behind. September is National Preparedness Month, a perfect time to rededicate ourselves to this important task.  I’ve appointed Post 43 member and brand-new dad, Patrick Horton as the Disaster Preparedness Committee Chair. Patrick is an experienced emergency management professional with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power as well as a Coast Guard Reserve officer, and I hope that with his leadership and your contributions we will soon have good plans in place with the right training and resources to be able to survive and assist during the next emergency.  More information to come at the next regular Post meeting on September 25th. In the meantime, visit www.ready.gov/september and take your own action to prepare!

Finally, as Post 43’s first post-9/11 veteran commander, I want to invite you to attend our dinner on Monday, Sept. 11 for a special remembrance dinner and program to remember the events of that day and to salute the men and women who have served in the War on Terror. Dinner starts at 5:30, program at 7 pm. 

For God and Country,
Fernando