WWII Floating Museum *LST-325* Coming to Middle TN for Tours ($20 person)

An email was sent requesting 20 members in good standing reply in support of the proposed amendment below. We have received 20+ replies and the next step is to make this notification that the proposed amendment will be voted on at the October General Membership Meeting.

Proposed By-Laws Amendment

By-Laws – ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS states:

Section 1. These By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting by
a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members present and voting,
provided that any such proposed amendment(s) shall have been
recommended by the Constitution & By-Laws Committee and have
been submitted in writing, signed by a minimum of twenty (20)
members in good standing, and made available for the general
membership at the next regular general membership meeting. The
membership must be given written notice, either by the Post
Newsletter, other type of mailing, or email at least thirty (30) days in
advance, announcing the time and date when such amendment(s) will
be voted upon.

By-Laws –ARTICLE VI – NOMINATIONS – ELECTIONS

This is the CURRENT version of Article VI:

Section 1. NOMINATIONS: The nominations process for Post elected
positions begins at the April general membership meeting.

Nominations can also be made from the floor at the general
membership meeting in May. Nominees must be present and agree to
serve in the position for which they are nominated.
Section 2. ELECTION DATE: All officers and Executive Committee
members of this Post shall be elected from a slate of nominees at the
May meeting.
Section 3. INSTALLATION: officers and Executive Committee
members shall be installed after the elections as the final act of
business at the May general membership meeting. The installing
officer shall be an officer from another Post, the Department of
Tennessee, National, or a Post 281 Past Commander.

Proposed Amendment:

Section 1. NOMINATIONS: The nominations process for Post elected
positions begins at the February general membership meeting.

Nominations can also be made from the floor at the general
membership meeting in March. Nominees must be present and agree
to serve in the position for which they are nominated.
Section 2. ELECTION DATE: All officers and Executive Committee
members of this Post shall be elected from a slate of nominees at the
March meeting.

Section 3. INSTALLATION: officers and Executive Committee
members shall be installed after the elections as the final act of

business at the March general membership meeting. The installing
officer shall be an officer from another Post, the Department of
Tennessee, National, or a Post 281 Past Commander.

Reasoning:
Whereas the level of activity during the month of May is historically
crowded with intensive fundraising (HAF), presentation of the Annual
Budget to the membership for approval, Boys State interviews and
high school awards programs the incoming officers have little time to
prepare for these events and tasks.
Moving elections up to March would allow more time for incoming
officers to prepare and hopefully be more productive during our
busiest months.

Hereby Recommended by the Constitution & By-Laws Committee:

Members in good standing:

	M-ship #
Stephen Wren	200009491	2026	Active
Mike Ramsey	205596715	2026	Active
Joshua Sims	352040109	2027	Active
Brenda J Thompson	204764522	2027	Active
Terry Ward	202553418	2027	Active
Bob Terrell	205729698	2027	Active
Foley, Michael	352729644	2029	Active
Bob Snuck	205290814	2027	Active
Jason Henry	204918194	2027	Active
jackie price	352807230	2027	Active
Unger, William	201493902	2027	Active
David Cryer	203998755	2026	Active
william higdon	204739496	2026	Active
Preston Funkhouser	201672101	2027	Active
Bob Ramsey	202846051	2027	Active
Roger Brugger	353806294	2026	Active
RICK GAGNARD	203898776	2027	Active
Bill Walsh	204329661	2027	Active
Charles Spampinato	203766550	2026	Active
Joanne Carlon	354701812	2027	Active
Desmond Sarnella	201987398	2027	Active

Agenda for September 8, 2026 Regular Post meeting, MJPD HQ

4:45 TO 5:30 pm, SONS of the AMERICAN LEGION meeting, to be held in the small
conference room at 55+ Activity Center.   5:30 PM Social time of food and camaraderie
at MJPD HQ.

6:00 PM/Opening meeting protocol – Welcome all members and guests and all visitors
present. 
Recognize former Commanders present, guests and new members or visitors.

Review the posting of the minutes from the last meeting being published on September
4, 2026 across the Website to members. Recommendation for approval? 

Recognize SAL members present, discussion of status of the Post 281 SA need for
members..  

CDR’s comments and updates:
At our September 1, EC meeting we went over:
A proposal to change the dates of our Nominations and Elections to move the
nominations from April to February and the Election date from May to March with the
Installation taking place in March. This provides more up and running time for our busy
month of May. A petition to do so will be passed around for 20 members to sign and
then at our October meeting a 2/3 majority vote will be needed to pass.
Beginning with our October meeting, the social time will begin at 6:00 with the meeting
starting at 6:30. We adjusted the timing previously so that we could clear the
Community Center by 7:30.
The VVA asked for assistance helping their food trailer and support for the fair. We
responded. Mike Myer sent a thank you note back to use for sour support. Many of us
are dual members in the VVE and the American Legion. Those who assisted were:

Roger Brugger x6 Brandon Adderholt
Patty Chatfield x5 Mike Faoro
Bob Ramsey x3 Steve Iles
Delmar Smith x 3 Bill Inman

Patti Whitmore x 2 Bruno Padovani
Dale Attarian x 2 Hoss Peterson
John Herko x2 Wayne Smith
Don Moody x 2
Mark Schulert x 2
Terry Ward x 2

Bill Moss, Commander of VFW Post 5015 in Lebanon, sent an acknowledgement
thanking our post and the Mt. Juliet Exchange Club for erecting 50 flags in the fair area
and then taking them down. Thanks to Pat Unger, Jeff Mattingly and Mike Faoro for
that.

District 5 Meeting at Post 82 on July 17 – Pat Under and Terry Ward were awarded
certificates for their service at the state Level. Post 281 Honor Guard received a
certificate for their Presentation and Posting of the colors on short notice for the state
Convention. Commander Faoro will present those certificates tonight.

We are passing around a sympathy card for Linda Yates for the loss of her husband
Terry and a member of our post. Please sign the card and return it at the end of the
business meeting.

Upcoming Events:
Tennessee Legion College September 26-27 Department Headquarters, Nashville
Post Picnic, October 10. 12pm – 4pm CDCC pavilion #2 – Sign Up sheet going
around for estimating attendance.
Bring candy for Halloween in the park to the October meeting
Halloween in the Park October 24.
Please return the ‘Catering Options’ sheets tonight to help us select the top menu
items for the Christmas Dinner.
Christmas Dinner, December 8

Christmas Parade, December 12.

Officer’s reports:  1 st  V  / 2 nd  V /  Adj / FO / SO / CHAP-sick call /  HG / ALR /  SAL / Aux  

Old unfinished business:
We originally received a request from Mt Juliet HS JROTC for flags and posts for their
use for some $1900. They have revised their request to $935. The EC plans to use the
$200 budget allocated to help them and to increase the budget via EC recommendation
by $400 to reach a total of $600. Motion by Adj Jeff Mattingly to donate the $600 total
passed. We passed the donation bucket and post members generously donated an
additional $713. Therefore we are presenting SgtMjr Clark with a check for $1313
tonight.

Business/Correspondence/Business for the good of the American Legion
September 11, Patriots Day – to remember those who were injured or died during the
terrorists attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001

American Legion Auxiliary Dept. of TN is holding the 2026 Poppy Ball at Post 11 on
Campbell Ave. 5:30 – 11:00 PM. Brochures are at the Head table for anyone interested
in attending. Tickets are $50, per person (Includes Dinner)

The Tennessee American Sports Foundation is organizing a statewide Walmart Spark
Good Tootsie Pop Fundraiser on Saturday October 10, 2026 to support American Legion
Baseball programs in Tennessee. If you want to volunteer for a shift from 8:00 AM to
6:00 PM please let me know and I will pass on the information for the Walmart store
location in Mt. Juliet. Each store would have two solicitors.

The Medal of Honor Museum is in Chattanooga. Is there any interest in renting a bus
and setting up a day trip for the post to visit this honorable museum?

Guest Speaker – Chief Tyler Chandler

Closing Protocol

It is with great remorse that we have to report, Terry Yates has transferred to the Post Everlasting

A note from Mike Myer, President of Vietnam Veterans Association Chapter #1004

Caring for an aging parent who served can bring up a lot of questions — especially around what kind of support may be available.

In this free online education session, we walk through the basics of VA home care benefit programs in clear, plain language, so families can better understand the landscape. Reserve a spot for this week’s session.

Thanks to our Service Officer, Patti Whitmore, for passing this along!

Our meeting location has been changed due to a surprise notification from the CDCC.

They rented room A out from under us.

We will be meeting at the new meeting space tomorrow. A bit sooner than we’d planned.

The new Mt. Juliet 55+ Senior Activity Center has agreed to welcome us on short notice.

Thank You So Much!

In the screenshot below you see the building in the background with the flags flying. That’s it!

The address is: 1021 Charlie Daniels Pkwy, contrary to the screen shot. The shot doesn’t show the new Police Department that’s been built to the left.

Here’s a link to the 55+ web page: Click Here

Tomorrow, 8/11/26 @ 5:30 pm

Agenda for August 11, 2026 Regular Post meeting, CDP/ Community Center RM A

4:45 TO 5:30 pm, SONS of the AMERICAN LEGION meeting, to be held in the small conference room.   5:30 PM Social time of food and camaraderie

6:00 PM/Opening meeting protocol – Welcome all members and guests and all visitors present. 

Recognize former Commanders present, guests and new members or visitors.

Review the posting of the minutes from the last meeting being published on August 7, 2026 across the Website to members. Recommendation for approval? 

Recognize SAL members present, discussion of status of the Post 281 SA need for members..  

CDR’s comments and updates:

At our August 4, EC meeting we went over:

District 5 Meeting at Post 82 on July 17 – Attended by Commander Faoro, First Vice Adderholt, and Adjutant Mattingly.

The State Commander went over her priorities with her staff.  Pat Under and Terry Ward were awarded certificates for their service at the state Level.  Post 281 Honor Guard received a certificate for their Presentation and Posting of the colors on short notice for the state Convention.  Commander Faoro will present those certificates tonight.

Boys state attendees will provide feedback on their experience at Boys State

HAF Update – Nancy Britt to present check to Post

Post moving to a new Facility for October Post Meeting. We will be back with Mt. Juliet 55+ Activity Center beginning with the October Post Meeting.  The EC will meet there also for October.  Our financial arrangement will be to pay a $25 per month donation to the facility.  We will also purchase an American Flag to be flown on the flag pole in front of the facility of which the cost will go against future donations and a plaque will be placed there indicating that the flag was presented by American Legion Post 281.  Valissa Saindon will be our guest speaker and she will provide a tour of the facility to members. We are still working on some storage solutions.  We still need to get keys for the facility.

Our September Post meeting will be hosted by MJPD in their new facility.  Chief Tyler Chandler has offered to host the meeting and will be our guest speaker.  He and his staff will also explain policing programs and drone usage as well as provide a tour of this great new facility for Mt. Juliet.   It is a state of the art police headquarters.  We will return to the meeting room at the PD after the tour for our closing protocol.

We need to decide if the post wants to sponsor a fund raising activity in 2027.  Second Vice Smith will offer discussion of that in his report.

John Herko will present the findings of our annual financial audit.

We need to post ratify the $400 donation that was made to Phil Laprad last fiscal year and reevaluate increasing donation and/or discretionary limits in the next budget.

We need to restart our veterans home/hospital visits. We want to involve Chaplain Hale and coordinate such visits with SAL and our auxiliary and set up a schedule to do so.  This is important to support our veterans.

Upcoming Events:

County Fair Coverage August 13-22.  Our Post is supporting the VVA Food Trailer.  Signups are on the app.  (suggest we show the sign up app on screen)  Pass a clipboard around for anyone that wants to help out but doesn’t want to mess with the app.  We are also supporting the inside table in the Veterans Building by placing business cards for our post

National Convention in Louisville, KY August 26-31

Tennessee Legion College September 26-27 Department Headquarters, Nashville

Post Picnic, October 10. 12p – 4p CDCC pavilion #2

Halloween in the Park October 24.

Christmas Dinner, December 8

Christmas Parade, December 12.

Officer’s reports:  1^st V  / 2^nd V /  Adj / FO / SO / CHAP-sick call /  HG / ALR /  SAL / Aux (New Officers?) 

Old unfinished business:

We originally received a request from Mt Juliet HS JROTC for flags and posts for their use for some $1900.  They have revised their request to $935. (five two-piece wood poles $365, five floor stands $300 and five Army spear tips $270). He EC plans to use the $200 budget allocated to help them and to increase the budget via EC recommendation by $400 to reach a total of $600.  Motion by Adj Jeff Mattingly to donate the $600 total passed. The remaining shortfall of $335 may be covered by donations.  We can pass the hat and ask for donations.  To remain in an equity position with our budget, we are keeping the $200 allocation for Green Hill HS ROTC in the budget to support any request they may have.

 Business/Correspondence/Business for the good of the American Legion

September 11, Patriots Day – to remember those who were injured or died during the terrorists attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001

American Legion Auxiliary Dept. of TN is holding a 2026 Poppy Ball at Post 11 on Campbell Ave.  5:30 – 11:00 PM. Brochures are at the Head table for anyone interested in attending.  Tickets are $50, per person (Includes Dinner)

The Tennessee American Sports Foundation is organizing a statewide Walmart Spark Good Tootsie Pop Fundraiser on Saturday October 10, 2026 to support American Legion Baseball programs in Tennessee.  If you want to volunteer for a shift from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM please let me know and I will pass on the information for the Walmart store location in Mt. Juliet.  Each store would have two solicitors.  

Closing Protocol

Thank you to Zabrina Seay our Wilson County Veteran Service Officer and our Commander Mike Faoro for passing this along.

Hi Everyone,

Some of you might have already heard about this awesome deal, but I wanted to make sure everyone was aware. You have the opportunity to receive complimentary tickets to the Tour Championship in Atlanta on August 26th. Refer to the information and link listed below for more details.

Complimentary tickets are available for active duty, retired, reserve and National Guard members (verified through GOVX) and one dependent for Wednesday, August 26, as well as one competition day from Thursday, August 27 – Sunday, August 30, while supplies last.

Use the link below for more information.

https://tour.spinzo.com/?group=military-b7v7&viewcode=f822vt8

Be sure to check it out!