The American Legion Auxiliary Department of Wisconsin Fourth District Spring Conference was held today at Oelschlaeger-Dallmann Post #434 here in Oak Creek. The outgoing president is our own Diana Richards, who was honored at the event. After the opening ceremonies which included an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, and the reading of the Preamble. A POW/MIA Table Ceremony was also held during the opening ceremony.
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| Diana Richard |
Diana introduced all the officers, both past and present followed by guest speaker Lyle Riffel who is the Post #434 Commander. Our second speaker was the Wisconsin Department President, Joanie Dickerson who had a 20-year career in the Navy. The speakers were engaging and we enjoyed listening to what they had to say. A mention was made of the new Auxiliary rule that states men can join and a male member was introduced to us as he was in attendance at this conference.
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| Joanie Dickerson |
As each Unit President read their reports, the common theme was the pandemic and how hard it hit us all. Each unit seemed to persevere in service to veterans as best as they could during the difficult 2020 year. In fact, one of the Unit Presidents has us write cards to veterans thanking them for their service. It was a fun thing to do during our conference.
Lunch was served by the ladies of Unit #434 and it was delicious. The catering at the post is amazing. The attention to detail is incredible. We were served chicken breast sandwiches on ciabatta rolls, salad-on-a-stick. cute little cups of vegetable dip with carrot and celery sticks and amazing desserts provided by Unit #434 members. It was quite fancy.
There was a memorial service that included a tribute to the members who had passed away in the last year. A poppy was placed in a basket while a bell was rung as each deceased member's name was read. It was very moving for all of us in attendance.
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| Unit Presidents Prepare for Memorial |
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| Poppies to Honor our Deceased |
The Installation of new Officers was held and each officer took their oath to uphold the commitments of the Auxiliary. The event closed with a benediction and singing of God Bless America. It was a fun and uplifting morning of fellowship. We all left the event with a feeling of hope for a better year as we come out of this pandemic.
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| New Officer Installation |
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| Diana hands over the reigns. |
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| Our new Chaplain & Assistant Chaplain |
