Post Notes
SAME Post Leaders are encouraged to publicize the recent activities and accomplishments of their Posts by submitting 500- to 1,000-word articles and high-resolution photos for publication in the Post Notes section of the SAME website or on the SAME Bricks and Clicks Blog. To submit a Post item for Post Notes, please complete the online for at www.same.org/blogsubmission.
Pittsburgh Post Partners with MSC to support Deployed Forces
SAME Pittsburgh Post has partnered with Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) to form a joint-effort in organizing a holiday drive for deployed service members overseas. The partnership was announced at a recent membership meeting in November 2011.
Pittsburgh Post and MSC will collect supplies throughout December in an effort to show gratitude to our nation’s military members and their families this holiday season. Local, deployed units and individuals will be directly supported by this effort.
Kathryn Klaber, President and Executive Director, MSC said “As Americans, we should take a moment every day and reflect upon those who serve to defend, preserve and protect our freedoms,” This marks MSC's first joint-effort with SAME. Klaber added, “We are thrilled to partner with SAME Pittsburgh Post to show that gratitude, and look forward to building upon this important relationship as we welcome home our service members and wounded warriors from the battlefield, helping to facilitate that transition through job-placement and training programs in our growing industry.”
“Having served in the Air Force Reserves for 12 years and now working as an engineer in the industry, I’m indebted for the support my colleagues in our industry have displayed through this partnership,” said Gene Janero, Secretary, Pittsburgh Post. “The Post looks forward to building this partnership with the MSC and their members to assist those returning from overseas with potential employment opportunities.”
The following items will be collected:
- Non-perishable pre-packaged foods: Fruit bars, granola bars, cookies, non-melting candy, powdered drink mixes, instant creamer, sugar, hot sauce, ketchup, mustard, liquid flavor ice pops, chewing gum, beef jerky, bubble gum, peanuts, pretzels, potato chips, dried fruit snacks, trail mix, Slim Jims, raisins, Pop Tarts, cereal, peanut butter, peanut butter crackers, cheese crackers, tuna in pouches, Pringles, and sunflower seeds.
- Family type magazines: Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, Time Entertainment Weekly, magazines and periodicals of local interest (e.g. Steelers & Penguins), crossword puzzles (please remove or cut out mailing addresses), paperback books, card games, and board games.
- Personal Hygiene Items: Instant hand sanitizer, soap, mouthwash, toothpaste, hand lotion, toothbrushes, soft toilet paper, deodorant, chap stick, non-aerosol shaving cream, shampoo, sun screen, and razors.
- Basic 1st Aid items: Band Aids, non-prescription pain relievers, cortisone cream, Neosporin, and Gold Bond foot cream.
- Linens: single (twin) bed sheets that can fit on a cot and pillows, and pillow cases.
- Supplies: AA batteries, writing paper, pencils, small pencil sharpeners, pens, telephone calling cards, and patriotic stickers and emblems.
Useful Links:
SAME Wounded Warriors Initiative
Virginia Peninsula Post Supports the Richmond Fisher House
On Dec. 10, 2011, the SAME Virginia Peninsula Post visited families of veterans receiving care at the Richmond Fisher House at Richmond VA Medical Center in Va. As part of the Post’s outreach program, members have been volunteering and providing comfort to military families in need by sponsoring, cooking and serving them breakfast on a quarterly basis since December 2010.
The Richmond Fisher House is funded in part by the Fisher House Foundation and is one of many facilities located at every major military medical center to assist military families in need. The Richmond Fisher House provides family members of injured veterans free lodging in a supportive, home environment. To date, the Fisher House Foundation has saved military and veteran families an estimated $165 million in lodging and transportation costs.
During visits, Post members frequently bring their spouses and children to help serve the residents and staff of the Fisher House a hearty, home-cooked breakfast. Post members and their families are always greeted with a warm welcome. According to Merle Keener, Virginia Peninsula Post’s Outreach Co-Chair, “The gracious hospitality that we have received does not compare to the gratitude we feel for the sacrifices each of these individuals and families have made in the name of freedom.”
Col. David Crow, P.E., USAF, Virginia Peninsula Post President, spends time with Richmond Fisher House guests.
Virginia Peninsula Post volunteers prepare breakfast for military families at the Richmond Fisher House.
Useful Links:
Lower Mississippi Regional Training Conference & Expo focuses on Protection and Restoration of Coastal Lands
The Lower Mississippi Regional Training Conference & Expo was held Sept. 7-9, 2011, in New Orleans, La. The SAME Louisiana Post hosted the event which featured technical sessions on Coastal Protection and Restoration.
Col. Edward R. Fleming, Louisiana Post President, presented a coastal brief articulating the vulnerability of Louisiana’s coastal land while also highlighting its rich culture and heritage. Col. Fleming expressed that Coastal Louisiana is one of the United States’ most biologically productive areas but about a football field worth of coastal land is lost every hour due to natural causes and human activities.
The conference also included technical sessions from various representatives of the Louisiana Coastal Protections and Restoration Authority (LACPRA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District. Speakers discussed current efforts of their respective organizations to develop a “road map” for planning and implementing a comprehensive coastal protection and restoration program. Additionally, the sessions focused on policy, procedural and legislative efforts to effectively support and implement this road map.
The last technical session was entitled Green Power Initiatives by Alain D. Flexer, Esq., Energy Manager, Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES). MARFORRES has centralized headquarters in New Orleans and is currently developing green initiatives including wind energy, geothermal and solar energy projects.
Attendees also enjoyed viewing the products and services of companies exhibiting in the Expo, and a bus tour of the New Orleans Metro and Orleans East portions of the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System. The tour included a stop at the Seabrook Floodgate Complex construction site and a drive-by view of the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal (IHNC) Surge Barrier.
Useful Links:
Lower Mississippi Regional Training Conference & Expo Presentations
