Department Commander‘s Word

DEPARTMENT COMMANDER'S wORD ORD James R. Joyce

Comrades,

During our Convention last year, we all sat at computers to attend it. The 2021-2022 Officers received their swear-in via Zoom. COVID Commander Van Der Wyst, I had hoped that your Command was the last to deal with COVID. I was ecstatic that we were able to have this years Convention in person – and what a great job Comrade Mascetti, Jim Vergott and the entire team did in preparing and running the entire weekend. Thank you all! This year was still marred by COVID, it has been on and off and on and off again. We should all be happy, and we are fortunate that we were able to come together. I have heard from other State Commanders of many COVID positives that came from their Conventions – I have heard of zero from ours. That is terrific news. It is a direct result of everyone that was there doing the right thing. For me personally, this year was a strange and trying year. From knee surgery, having my gull bladder removed, catching COVID, and being hospitalized with a life-threatening Flu, I was just glad that I was able to make it to the Convention. When I was looking around, I saw many of you that also had some tough times during the year with your own health problems. I also looked around and noticed the absence of Comrades whom we have come to expect to see at our Conventions. We lost nearly 500 Comrades from our numbers here in Europe, and our Sunday event honored them, and I thank those of you that attended. We had very disappointing numbers, and I encourage you all to look deep into your conscience next year and ask yourself – “What could be more important than honoring our Fallen Comrades?” I do thank our DOE Chaplain Konsavage, and all the Post Chaplains out there, that had too many funerals to attend. Your being at those on behalf of the Department of Europe meant a lot to me. I wish I could have made each and every one myself. Comrades, at the beginning of my Command year, I had 3 goals that I shared with your – albeit via ZOOM. The first, to increase our Community Service at all Posts. This was a requirement from All State and All American. To date, the DOE is just short of 60% increase – that is huge! And I thank you. My second goal was to increase the VFW Action Corp Program. As of our Convention, only ten of our Posts have met that goal. That is pretty bad considering just how easy it is to sign up an individual to the Corps! My third goal, and the most important one to me at the beginning of the year, was for ALL of us to get the word out to our communities, the story of the VFW and what we do here in Europe. Although seven posts still do not have a social media presence, as defined by National, the Department of Europe Members have been getting the word out. Our Facebook pages are active. I know some WhatsApp Groups never stop chatting. We have worked with other Organizations throughout Europe to hold some outstanding events, too numerous to mention here. And we have an award-winning magazine! The European Gazette won the Bronze in the 2022 National Publications Contest in our FIRST year of publication. Our Official VFW Department of Europe Magazine was topped only by two of the largest States – California and Texas (both with giant budgets and a huge staff of employees!) This is amazing to me, and I personally want to thank Comrade Lee Wolverton for his dedication and devotion to making that happen for us. Making 100% membership was not mentioned at the beginning as a goal. It was not a goal per se, because I, as did the National Commander in Chief and most other State Commanders, believed that the membership would fall into place once we achieved our top three goals. Of course, Europe would not have made 100% without the dedication of those individuals getting out there and signing new members to our rosters! But I believe that is made easier when our communities see and know what we are doing for them. When I talk with COL’s and CSM’s, and they do not know what the VFW does for them, I am dumbfounded. How can they make that rank without knowing what the VFW does for them and all their fellow soldiers, veterans, and their families? I realize that we, as the VFW Organization, have failed to get our word across. I do make certain that they know before we part. I also ask them how we can better inform our communities; how can we get the word out. Their answer is most often than not – “You must talk to them, tell them YOUR story. They listen when they know you are a combat soldier.”

Off the soap box now. Thank you for your support this year. And I hope that you all give 120% support to our new in-coming officers. Congratulations Commander Aldridge and your entire Staff. I look forward to working more with you in the coming year.

Sincerely,

James R. Joyce Past Department of Europe Commander

“Growing the VFW is Good - Making the VFW better is Best”