New commander elected at Southgate VFW

DAVE GORGON

Bill King, the new commander of the Cpl. Lambert Pfeiffer Jr. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9283 in Southgate, served 20 years in the U.S. Army Special Forces. Now, he wants to serve his comrades who need help but are either unwilling or hesitant to ask.

“It’s a big responsibility to make sure all veterans within the community are heard, receive the care they earned, are respected for their service and are recognized for the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made for our great country,” said King, who was installed in May to lead Post 9283. “That’s our responsibility: we ensure the community remembers the veterans –how they served -- why they served.”

King, who lives in Southgate, served his time overseas in 2003 with two tours in Afghanistan. He served with the 7 th , 12 th and 20 th Special Forces (Airborne) Groups, during a career consisting of active duty, reserve and National Guard.

“It is an honor to be a veteran and an honor to serve veterans through the VFW,” he said. “It’s a dedication to community. We strive to be part of the community fabric, promoting patriotism, Americanism, respect for the flag we raised our hand and pledged to defend and to honor military service.

“The veteran is an outstanding example of service to a greater cause than oneself for our young people. I strongly believe there is a need to define patriotism and lead through example to freely engage our young residents – our future leaders. The veteran membership at the VFW in Southgate represents a group of men and women who have served their country in war, have not asked for anything in return other than what they are entitled.

“Our programs of Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen challenge middle school and high school students’ writing and speaking skills. Each submittal is reviewed by the post and moved along to the district consisting of almost 40 posts in Wayne County. The winner receives educational funds and a next level contest entry up to the VFW National. We want the young people to know what patriotism is. Our mission is to ask to understand our values as they are reflected in the country we have served.”

King said he wants to “open the post,” encourage all veterans of the War on Terror and the Gulf Wars, Iraqi Freedom, Afghanistan veterans and all whom have served in Korea, inviting them to join the VFW or any veteran service organization to strengthen and grow the posts along the way. He said he wants to have a focus on remembrances of important dates such as Flag Day, Patriots Day, Veterans Day and Pearl Harbor Day and recognition given to an older generation of veterans still among us.

“We will never forget,” King said.

The King family is a military family. His father Don served in World War 2 in the seventh infantry. He went on to become a police officer in Ecorse, where Bill grew up, and VFW commander in Ecorse.

In fact, when Bill was installed as post commander, he placed his dad’s pin on his cap.

King is credited with working hard to get the brick display completed outside the post.

“We have done some exciting things with Frank as our commander,” King said. “Frank has been a very good advocate for veterans and Post 9283, coming to Southgate after the post merger with Allen Park. My goal is to carry on this good work.”

King and the VFW Auxiliary have mutual affection for each other. King called the Auxiliary support team “the heart of the VFW,” while Auxiliary members thought so much of King that they presented him with a Quilt of Valor created by Auxiliary member Gale Hicks, who lives in Utah. A patch on the quilt recognizes King, who retired from the military. “Thank you for your service to our country,” the patch says.

“We wanted to do that for Bill because of the kind of guy he is,” said Auxiliary Secretary Beth Lewinski, sister of Gale Hicks. “He doesn’t talk about his own service. He just talks about what he can do for fellow veterans. We want to let him know the Auxiliary is on his side. We’re here for him.”

Working alongside King on the Circle of Honor committee, Lewinski said she saw his commitment to the project and the post.

While Bill was serving in Afghanistan, his younger son Aaron was serving with the 101 st airborne in Iraq. Aaron went on to graduate from George Mason University and now works for the Department of Interior in Washington DC.

Older son Adam graduated from Wayne State University and is a supervisor in the Ford Motor Co. testing lab. He is seeking a master’s degree in information technology. Bill’s wife Janet is a retired Allen Park middle school math teacher. They have been married for 45 years.

Bill himself graduated from college with degrees in metallurgy and management. He worked in the cold mill at Great Lakes Steel before retiring from SSAB.

King joined the VFW about 2004. He succeeds Frank Puente as commander.

Puente’s term featured many updates to the post, including the creation of the Circle of Honor, a display of commemorative bricks honoring 96 military veterans, both living and deceased, and 11 Southgate veterans who were killed in action.

“I’ve seen how he works with people, he listens and he hears what you’re saying,” she said. “He says ‘if there’s a way to do it, we’ll figure out how to do it, we’ll find a way.’ He’s always positive. There is no negativity.”

While this is King’s first term as commander, Michelle Stafford was installed as president of the VFW Auxiliary for the 12 th straight year. A 20year auxiliary member, Stafford’s brother David Prohaska served in the Air Force in Operation Desert Storm and is a member of the Belleville VFW.

“We’ve got such a good group of people,” said Stafford, who works in accounts payable at Victory Honda in Plymouth. “When someone needs something to be done, everyone steps up and gets it done.”

The Veterans of Foreign Wars is a nonprofit veterans service organization composed of eligible U.S. war veterans who, as military service members, fought in wars, campaigns and expeditions on foreign land, waters or airspace. VFW Auxiliary members are relatives of veterans who provide support for veterans and the community