Photos/Past & Present Events

The Month of September has been a busy one. Amvets Post 44, participated in a host of activities.
We want to remind everyone that September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month.

By starting the conversation, providing support, and directing help to those who need it, we can help prevent suicides and save lives. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. You are not alone.

How to Help Someone You Know

If you know someone who is at immediate risk of suicide, call 911 right away. It can be difficult when someone you know expresses thoughts about suicide, but you can show support by doing the following:

Talk. Your willingness to express your concern for the person in crisis can be the first step in getting that person help.
Listen. Being an active listener is another way of reminding a person in crisis that they are not alone.
Remain Present. Your physical and emotional presence in the person’s life makes a difference. If you are worried about their safety, get help from a mental health professional immediately.
Call or text 988. Last year, 988 was activated as a new three-digit dialing code. When someone dials 988, they will be connected to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This confidential support line is available 24 hours a day to provide free help to people in suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress.
What To Do If You Are Struggling
If you are struggling or in crisis, remember that there is hope and there are steps you can take to seek help and support.

Call or text 988. 988 serves as a universal entry point so that no matter where you live in the United States, you can reach a trained crisis counselor who can help.
Use your Employee Assistance Program and call: 800-222-0364 (TTY: 888-262-7848, International: 314-387-4701). Counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide support, referrals, and information for emergency services.
Additional Resources
For additional resources, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 988 pag

This month we were honored to support AMVETS Post 44 Life Member, Steve Bradshaw (Commissioner, DeKalb County, District 4) in his annual Veterans Resources Expo and Fellowship Lunch on Monday, September 11.  The event was well attended and very resourceful as several VA sponsors provided key information during the event. Amvets members hosted the luncheon portion of the event, spreading good cheer with their grilling expertise!  Burgers, hotdogs, ribs, you name it, Amvets prepared it.

Our Adjutant, Dylester Scott (LTC Ret) made a cameo on the local news channel 11 Alive!

Greetings from AMVETS POST 44.  We haven’t forgotten about you! We’ve just been on the move.
Lots of things have transpired since our last post-update. Here’s a few updates:
We had another successful Fish Fry in May, lots of support was shown with lots of orders!

New Business: SAVE THE DATE:
Monday, September 11, 2023
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Central DeKalb Senior Center
1346 McConnell Drive
Decatur, GA 30033
Veterans Expo and Fellowship hosted by AMVET Steve Bradshaw,

Red Shirt Friday – Thanks, Willie Lane for showing through! Also, giving a shout-out to my Dad (89 years young), Mr. Charles Spencer, Sr., and Sis and Bro for their support of Red Shirt Friday, during a family reunion in Savannah, GA.

Adjutant Dylester Scott volunteered on August 25, 2023, at the VA Monthly Food Drive where lunch was provided by Atlanta United & Chick-Fil-A. Way to go Adjutant!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic April.
We are wishing our Commander, Albert C. Wright, Jr., a speedy recovery after successful knee surgery! He is hanging in there and representing RED Shirt Friday, cast and all! HOOAH!
Thanks to our Amvet members:
AMVETS: D. Scott, R. Montgomery, B. Rand, C. Harmon, C. Jamison, C. Wyatt repping their RED!

Members of our AMVETS team representing on Friday for REMEMBERING EVERYONE DEPLOYED!

We continue to keep each and every military member and family in our thoughts and prayers!

National Vietnam War Veterans Day, we honor all those who bravely served in the Vietnam War and who sacrificed, as did their families and caregivers.

Since the birth of the United States, no single generation of Americans has been spared the responsibility of defending freedom by force of arms. More than 44 million American men and women have sacrificed and served in times of war.

In 2008, the Secretary of Defense was authorized by law to conduct a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

All military families endure the hardship of separation, uncertainty, and fear, but the families of our Vietnam Veterans also witnessed their husbands and wives, sons and daughters, and fathers and mothers returning home to a nation in turmoil. They watched as the vast majority received no formal recognition for their service and weren’t welcomed home in ceremonies hosted by their communities.

Like Veterans returning from today’s battlefields, those who served in Vietnam came home with both physical and unseen injuries of war. Many of the unseen injuries suffered by our Vietnam Veterans went undiagnosed and weren’t understood by our medical community or citizens as they are now. Veterans were left to meet these challenges without the assistance available today.

“We pledge to never forget your sacrifice.”

History makes clear the importance of this Commemoration. Vietnam was a long war, and accordingly, a long commemoration period is planned. By presidential proclamation, the Commemoration extends from Memorial Day 2012 through Veterans Day 2025.

No distinction is being made between Veterans who served in-country, in-theater or who were stationed elsewhere during the Vietnam War period. All were called to serve and the overwhelming majority served honorably and admirably.

58,307 names appear on the Wall in Washington, D.C. The average age of those name at death… 23. Many tens of thousands were disabled. Approximately 7,500 women, the majority of whom were nurses, served in Vietnam.

1,627 are still considered missing in action and their families await word of their fate.

On Saturday 11 February 2023, We celebrated and fellowshipped with members and family, and friends in honoring Black History Month, and Valentine’s Day.  Our monthly meeting was enhanced by honoring 4 of our Life Time Members who’d reached the youthful age of 90 years old. We also acknowledged February birthdays.  Our monthly guest speaker for the brunch/meeting was LTC (US ARMY RET) Forrest Gibbes and Ms. Jacarla Walker with their topic on “Focusing On Veterans and Medicare”.  Our Honorees were Nathan Johnson, (LTC US Army, RET), Ernest James Davis, (US Army, RET),  Edward Butler, (US Airforce, RET), and Willie Cummings, (LTC, US Army, AR, RET). The attendance was well over 70 people.  The buffet of breakfast selections was delicious and for Valentine’s Day, each lady was presented with a red heart box of chocolates and a lovely rose. For Black History, one of our own, Charles Wyatt, 1SG (US Army RET), was acknowledged for his many years of military service.

• Welcome – Commander Al Wright
• Prayer – Chaplain Harvey Johnson
• Pledge of Allegiance – Provost Marshal Arthur Long
• Preamble (Reading or Reciting) – Provost Marshal & Post Members/Guests
• Blessing of The Food  – Chaplain Harvey Johnson
• Breakfast Instructions– Commander Al Wright
• Closing Prayer – Chaplain Harvey Johnson
• Retiring the Colors – Provost Marshal Arthur Long
• Adjournment – Commander Al Wright

The Department of GA AMVETS  held its State Executive Committee Meeting (SEC), on 21-22 January 2023.

The Agenda included:

Recruiting efforts as well as various breakout meetings and an SEC business meeting. The SEC meeting was well attended.

Welcome to 2023! We hope that the New Year brings you Peace, Great Health and lots of Prosperity!

At our 1st meeting of the year, we were honored to have Percy D. Butler, (a life-time member) as our guest speaker. Percy is a RET. Chief Warrant Officer 4, (CW4), with the United States Army.  He currently is President & CEO of Advantage Capital Group, Inc. Also in attendance as guest speakers, working with Percy were:

WEALTH CREATION AND WEALTH CONSERVATION: ATTY ALTHEA DEBARR-JOHNSON ESTATE
ATTORNEY and MS. SHIRLEY RANSOM PRINCIPLE OWNER OF FANCY PETALS

Topics of discussion were:

TYPES OF LIFE INSURANCE & TYPES OF SPECULATIVE INVESTMENTS: and WEALTH DISTRIBUTION

National Wreaths Across America Day has a simple mission: “Remembering fallen U.S. veterans; honoring those who served; and teaching our children the value of freedom.” This important day is an annual event that takes place every third Saturday in December at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as other cemeteries in the U.S., at sea, and abroad. Wreaths are laid as family and friends remember both those who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who currently serve in the armed forces.  Some members of our organization were proud to be a part of this volunteer service.

AMVETS Post 44 (Willie Weatherly), held its last general membership meeting for the year, in style!

Held at our host building, American Legion Post 66, in Avondale, GA; a great time was had by all who attended!  The festive brunch consisted of yummy spreads of shrimp & grits, meat & veggie trays, breakfast souffle, salmon, and croquette patties, to name a few; as well as delicious pastries, and fruit & desserts.  This was a time to reflect on the year we’ve had.  To also honor all of our members and families, through prayers and strength that some have and are still going through.  Chaplain Harvey Johnson, brought us into prayer with a powerful grace before we dined.  It was wonderful to see so many members.

We wish each and every one of you a blessed, safe, and healthy holiday and a prosperous new year.

Also sending a BIG Shout out to W. Phillips, Army Veteran, thank you for all of the “behind the scenes”, assistance that you’ve provided during 2022.

HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY

Veterans Day, originally celebrated as Armistice Day, was first issued on November 11, 1919, by President Woodrow Wilson a year after the end of World War I. The purpose of Armistice Day was to honor the fallen soldiers of the Great War for their sacrifice and bravery. Seven years later, in 1926, Congress adopted a resolution requesting that President Calvin Coolidge issue annual proclamations on November 11, making Armistice Day a legal holiday.

In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans rather than just the ones who died in World War I. He led a delegation to General Dwight Eisenhower, who was all for the idea. Weeks then organized the first Veterans Day celebration in 1945 in Alabama and every year since, until he died in 1985. In 1982, he was honored by President Reagan with the Presidential Citizenship Medal. Weeks was also named the ‘Father of Veterans Day’ by Elizabeth Dole.

In 1954, Ed Rees, the U.S. Representative from Emporia, Kansas, presented a bill to establish the holiday to Congress. Eisenhower, who was then the president and also from Kansas, signed the bill into law on May 26, 1954, eight and a half years after Raymond Weeks held the first Veterans Day. After having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress — at the urge of the veterans’ service organizations — amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word ‘Armistice’ and inserting the word ‘Veterans.’ With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

The National Veterans Award was also created in 1954, first received by Congressman Rees for his support in making Veterans Day a federal holiday. Though the holiday is currently and was originally celebrated on November 11, the day was moved to the fourth Monday of October in 1971 due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Finally, on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law that returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978.

AMVETS POST 44 members collectively and independently honored and celebrated this national day by donating their time and efforts in giving back. Some members attended the laying of flags at cemeteries, others gave their time in speaking announcements and some members volunteered their time by addressing and engaging our young future of children at educational facilities.

On, 04 November 2022, AMVETS Scharyl Berry & Dylester Scott along with Members of Soldiers Angels, American Legion Post 66, Daughters of American Revolution, and VA Staff volunteered at VA Arcadia Clinic with the Quarterly Women Veterans Baby Shower. Eight (8) Expecting Women Veterans were given needed newborn baby items.

On 10 November 2022 AMVETS Scharyl Berry and Elaine Edwards assisted Members of DAV Chapters 90 & 91 and Dekalb County NAACP Branch 5192 with placing flags on Military Heroes’ graves. Over 200 flags were placed on graves at Hillandale Memorial Gardens, Lithonia, GA.

On 11 November our AMVETS Post 44 member SFC Gail Black, (RET), was honored by several young children as she encouraged “Reading Matters”. She was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers by these children in her honor on Veterans Day.

Sunday, November 13, 2022; Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, (AMVETS POST 44 Lifetime Member) was the keynote speaker at Antioch AME Church, Stone Mountain, GA which hosted a Veterans Day service honoring the Men and Women that served our Nation.

On 11 November 2022, our AMVETS Post 44 member LTC Dylester Scott, (RET), was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from Humphreys County Cultural Museum. An award well deserved!

We are very honored to have so many members actively participating and continuing in their selfless service “after” serving this great nation!