My question for you. Do you feel like you belong at the AMVETS? Are you really a part of our greater family? I ask these questions not to question your membership, but to solidify your reasons for being a member of our post.

Over the last four years I have seen a great amount of change at our post. We have grown from 250 members to over 500 members. Obviously we are doing a large amount of things correctly, however we continue to fail as a whole on a few. I really believe that we have an amazing post and that we have our members and leadership to thank for our success. I want to focus on one aspect of our group today, communication.

As a whole, we take a sense of pride and ownership in our post. Every time I walk into our post I look around at the collection of friends that I have made and feel as if I just walked into an episode of Cheers. Everyone knows my name, and I feel as if I belong. That is an amazing feeling to experience. I hope you feel the same when you walk through the door. We have an amazingly diverse group of members that bring many different points of view and ideas to our post. I believe that we care so much about our post that we lose sight of the greater picture.

Many times I have taken ideas and criticism poorly and I am not proud of that. I am sure that at sometime all of our members have also done the same. The question is, how do we continue to grow and discuss ideas that we think will better our post without hurting each other’s feelings?

I think that if we realize our post is an ever changing group of people, we will begin to know how to communicate effectively. Our collective feeling of ownership for our post can divide us or bond us. I truly believe that communication and realization that we all want what is best for the post will get us past any problem that we face.

The next time that you walk through our door look around you and say hello to your family. Be proud that you are a member of a great Veterans club and do everything you can to remember why you decided to renew your membership. If we all remember why we are here, we can make sure we will want to continue to call the AMVETS our home for a long time to come.

Josh Feltman, AMVETS Riders President

I asked myself ‘Why did we have an Iraqi flag framed and hanging on the wall of the post?’ Roy Busse was one of the names on the flag so I had a hunch he might know something about it (I used to watch Columbo so I know about hunches). A few days later, I ran into Roy at the AMVETS and I asked him to tell me the story behind the Iraqi flag. Roy agreed to tell me the story but said he needed something to keep his throat from going dry which might prevent him from finishing the story. I wholeheartedly agreed and immediately ordered 2 beverages (I was also afraid my throat would get dry while questioning him) and a few sips later, Roy told me about the flag, and more importantly, the meaning behind it.

In 2003-2004, Roy Busse and Craig Rotarius from Signal Battalion 156 of Adrian, MI, were serving in Iraq with the 234 Signal Battalion out of Iowa. During OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom), they participated in setting up the largest communication network the U.S. Army had ever put together in a combat environment. While serving overseas, Roy and Craig received numerous care packages, cards and other thank you gifts for their military service from members of AMVETS Post 1957. The Post’s kindness really meant a lot to Roy and Craig and they wanted to show their appreciation to everyone back home in Adrian. Back then, near Saddam’s Palace in Baghdad, there were lots of vendors selling their wares and one of these vendors was selling Iraqi flags. Roy and Craig made a deal with the vendor to embroider the flag and decided to donate it to Post 1957 when they returned home as a way to say thanks for all the AMVETS had done for them. Roy and Craig weren’t even members of the Post at that time.

Pictured are: Roy Busse, Aaron Ricketts and Craig Rotarius

Upon returning home, Craig and Roy were further honored with a parade and both were given a free year’s membership at AMVETS Post 1957. Craig no longer lives in Adrian and Roy is a Life Member, and Secretary for the AMVETS Riders Chapter at the Post. Roy currently serves in the Air National Guard with the 127th Wing at Selfridge A.N.G. Base.

Next time you are at AMVETS Post 1957 in Adrian, MI, take a look at the flag on the wall and see if you see what I see- a Symbol of Thanks and Appreciation for Veterans and those who support them!