Free Admission to the Fair (only for you). Drop your guests at the gate and then you might tag team with your partner to spend some time enjoying the fair while the other holds down the fort. All you have to do is show up, smile, greet folks and ask about/listen to their service stories. And then offer our Membership Brochure/Application and Opportunities to Serve document.
In one place on their page they say “$3 per letter” and in another place they say $3 “ for each name submission“, so you may want to call them for clarification. The phone number is down there near the statement “for each submission”.
We recently received our statement. We have 11 households contributing to the post through Kroger’s Community Rewards Program. And those 11 households earned almost $33 for the quarter. Well, if we had 22 households earning $66 per quarter that would fund over half of what we spend to sponsor a Boys State delegate like Ethan Scoby, above, or maybe cover the cost of awards given to Oratorical contestants and JROTC Leadership and Scholastic standouts or Police Officer/Fire Fighter of the year.
Can you imagine if we had all of our members enrolled? And it doesn’t cost anything!
So every little bit helps!
If you’re like me, Fundraising is not my favorite subject.
While learning about Wreaths Across America something came to light that seems like a good fit for our membership.
How many of you shop at Kroger? If you do, you probably have a Kroger+ card to get the exclusive discounts by using the card. You may even have a Kroger credit card which is or can be linked to the Kroger+ card.
Our post has been approved to participate in Kroger’s Community Rewards program. In doing so, you can select Post 281 as your favorite charity and a percentage of your purchases will automatically be donated to the post without additional cost to you! Every little bit helps, right?
Here’s some guidance:
To Use the Kroger Community Rewards Program: Simply encourage your participants to visit http://www.kroger.com. Once logged into their Kroger account they can search for Tyler Cates American Legion Post 281 either by name or DS341 and then click Enroll. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a rewards card.
*Customers must have a registered Kroger rewards card account to link to your organization. *If a member does not yet have a Kroger rewards card, please let them know they are available at the customer service desk at any Kroger
REMEMBER, purchases will not count for your organization until after your participants register their rewards card. Participants must swipe their registered Kroger rewards card or use the phone number that is related to their registered Kroger rewards card when shopping for each purchase to count.
If you need help, please let us know so we can help you get signed up.
The Alvin C. York VA Medical Center is currently experiencing outages and disruptions to its phone systems.
The Alvin C. York VA Medical Center is currently facing disruptions with its phone lines.Family members and visitors are welcome to see their loved ones during regular visiting hours. For non-urgent requests, such as prescription refills or appointment scheduling, please use the secure messaging feature on My HealtheVet.If you require urgent care, our urgent care center is available daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For any emergencies or life-threatening situations, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve this as quickly as possible.
Hello to all of the members and friends of American Legion Post 281. Here we are at the mid-year point, and we’ve made it through the busiest month in our Post’s calendar. This time of the calendar year always seems to offer plenty of opportunities to get involved and to have an active role in our Post events. Hopefully I’ve captured some photo ops and have shared enough information about each event in this newsletter.
I am excited to announce that we have four new members of our Post’s Executive Committee, and many others that are continuing to serve in the positions they have held in previous years. Our new Post leadership is:
Commander Terry Ward (8th term, 3rd as Commander)
1st Vice Commander Jeff Mattingly (2nd term, new position)
2nd Vice Commander Brandon Adderholt (1st term)
Adjutant Bruno Padovani (1st term )
Finance Officer Stephen Iles (8th term)
Service Officer Patti Whitmore (3rd term)
Sgt at Arms Mike Adams ( 1st term)
Chaplain David Hale (4th term )
Pictured above, left to right: Mike Adams, Terry Ward, Stephen Iles, David Hale, Bruno Padovani (Not pictured: Jeff Mattingly, Brandon Adderholt, and Patti Whitmore.)
I am reminded of the phrase “Veterans Strengthening America” that I’ve read and heard other leaders use. It’s a phrase that strikes my inner being and motivates me to look at the bigger picture of why we gather together, and how fortunate I am to associate with the best citizens our country has. We are the “6.5 percenters” of our Nation’s population that are/were willing to sacrifice for a cause bigger than ourselves or own self-interests. We all have served, and continue to serve, our fellow veterans, our nation, our military, and communities we live in, and especially our youth and children. I challenge you all to take an active role in the programs and events we are a part of as a post! Post 281 has a reputation for being active and volunteering to make a difference. Come and join us and make it happen!
Randall Hutto is a lifelong resident of Wilson County. Growing up in Watertown, he graduated from Watertown High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 1984. He would continue his education with a master’s plus 30 hours in Education from Trevecca Nazarene College. He began his career in education at Lebanon High School in 1984, teaching U.S. History, Math and Physical Education. During his tenure at Lebanon High, Randall utilized his passion for both young people and athletics as an assistant varsity football coach for 18 years and led the Blue Devils Boys’ Varsity Basketball team as head coach for 12 years. After an 18-year career at Lebanon High School, Randall accepted the opportunity to serve as Assistant Director of Schools for the Lebanon Special School District in 2003. He began new and challenging career in September of 2010, when the citizens of Wilson County elected him to serve as Wilson County Mayor.
Joined the American Legion in 2015 hoping to find the military comradery I miss and to lend a hand in support of the things the American Legion does as well as any local/direct assistance I can offer.
Completed Basic Training 6/2023. Joined the Honor Guard 7/2023. Volunteered for website content management (Webmeister) 11/2023. Joined the Executive Committee as a non-voting member 2023. Completed Department of Tennessee Legion Collage 8/2024. Accepted the 1st Vice Commander position 5/2025.
Military history: Missouri Military Academy 1974 – 1978. Echo Company Commander, 90 cadets. Fusiliers exhibition drill team member and Individual Drill Regulation Squad Leader. U.S. Army 1979 – 1986. MP Corps – 95B, Signal Corps – 34H, and Quartermaster Corps – 94B.
Civilian background: 14 years in beverage distribution (beer), 14 years in second-tier retail distribution (Essex/Bargain Hunt), warehousing & online fulfilment. Local and OTR driving positions that filled in the gaps.
I attended basic training and Hull Technician A-school in Great Lakes, Illinois. My first duty station was on the USS Princeton, a guided missile cruiser out of San Diego, CA. Due to a motorcycle accident and my physical condition in early 2105, I was taken off of the ship.
I was stationed at Medical Center San Diego (Balboa) until 2016 working in Fleet Liaison (middleman between fleet and hospital organizing medevacs and briefing foreign ships), received orders to USS Frank Cable in Guam in 2016, entered the Planning division, allowing me to organize repair packages for submarines and surface ships throughout Asia and the Pacific theater. Honorable discharge in April 2018. I have been married 8 years and my wife and I have a 5-year-old boy. I currently work as an estimator for public, private, and commercial water and sewer services.
Adjutant Bruno Padovani is a retired industrial efficiency consultant who worked in the food processing industry. He is a 1980 US Naval Academy graduate and served on surface ships, eventually transitioning to the Naval Reserve, from which he retired in 1996. Bruno has been married to his wife June for 35 years. Bruno is not the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Sergeant at Arms Mike Adams
I was drafted in 1968 in Nashville. After completing basic training at Ft Campbell, KY I went to AIT at Ft Leonard Wood, MO as a vehicle mechanic. At Leonard Wood I got orders for Vietnam in March of ’69 so I spent most of ’69 in Vietnam escorting convoys on a 5-ton gun truck that had two M-60s and a .50 Caliber mounted in the bed, named The Justifier. I spent a lot of time pulling guard duty on the bunker line in the Quan Try Provence of Dong Ha. I was recognized by my unit in Vietnam and was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal. I finished out my two years of service at Ft Bragg, North Carolina.
Pictured, left to right, HG Captain Steve Wren, Brenda Thompson, Don Moody, Mike Faoro, Grady Thompson, Mike Adams, and Pat Costanzo.
The total military honors rendered from our 2011 inception of Post 281 and the Honor Guard Team now stands at 509. Members have the distinction of wearing this recognition pin as part of the heritage of being a member of the Post 281 Honor Guard.
Post 281’s Honor Guard is one of the few Honor Guards in our Region. Our honor guard is typically called multiple times a month to provide honors at funerals all across our region. If an Honor Guard is needed to “Present the Colors” , they call our post first. The team is typically asked to offer a rifle volley as well. Our team is often called upon to be an Honor Guard for fellow veterans that have passed on to the “Post Everlasting” , as is the Legion-approved manner of recognizing the death of a member. OUR HONOR GUARD NEEDS ADDITIONAL MEMBERS. The post provides the uniforms and reimburses the travel expenses to and from any organized call on the part of the Honor Guard. If you are interested in finding out more, talk with any of the members of the team or contact HG Captain Steve Wren at 615-957-3489.
The Honor Guard’s current and past members are ( not in alphabetical order) : Cary Cundall and Steve Wren are the only active HG members who are left from the original 2011 HG. Jim Atwood, Bill Houston and Robert Fields were also original members and are no longer active. Current members include:
Mike Adams, Jim Cheramie, Pat Costanza, Mike Faoro, David Hale, Jeff Mattingly, Don Moody, Bruno Padovani, Arnold Painter, Dan Rhame, Jim Simpson, Wayne Smith, Shawn Taylor, Brenda Thompson, Fred Thompson, Grady Thompson and Bud Werner. Rolus Smith, Roland Forand and Mickey Clark were former active members for many years. Cleo Todd, George Cooper and Mike Scoville are deceased.
Tennessee’s got its first American Legion Oratorical champion who was the first-place winner of $25,000 in scholarship funds from the National Oratorical contest. Congratulations to Gina Harjani and her family of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. All Legion members of the state of Tennessee are proud to have had an active role in making all of this happen. The oratorical contest is one of the best things we do as Legionnaires , along with so many others, but most certainly one of my favorite elements of service to our community, our state, and our nation.
A group of our Post 281 members welcomed The Run For The Wall riders at the Beckwith Road overpass on May 18th. I would guesstimate there were around 200 riders in the main body and then several different smaller groups that passed before they came through. It was a great day to be out there and to be welcomed by so many motorists and truckers that were going under the bridge and were thrilled to see American flags waving. Our post always offers financial support to this event in the way of funding some of the fuel cost for riders on their journey across the country, from Oxnard, CA to The Wall in Washington, D.C.
American Legion of Tennessee, Boys State 25 -30 May, Tennessee Technical University, Cookville, Tennessee
Chris Davis, the News Channel 5, Emmy / AP Award-winning reporter at NewsChannel 5 Nashville, and former reporter at WHNT-Huntsville and KSDK- St. Louis (the red-haired young man pictured above on the right, when he was a junior in high school) shared his memories of being a Boys State selectee.
Governor Bill Lee (pictured above on the left) spoke at Tennessee’s Boys State today, “which got me reminiscing about my own American Legion Boys State experience,” stated Chris Davis.
Boys State is a nationwide program, run by the American Legion, which takes delegates from each high school and brings them together to learn about public service and leadership.
Over the course of a week, the boys (and girls at Girls State) elect a governor, mayors, aldermen and the like.
“I had a friend at Boys State that decided to run for governor, and I helped him run his campaign. The first picture there is me giving his nominating speech at the assembly. He won the nomination but fell short of the office. That experience probably served me well now that I cover the legislature for us.
“I recently found out that my grandfather and father also attended Boys State, which is pretty amazing. I’m glad the program still thrives.”
Our post sponsored the following young high school juniors. They have all committed to come and speak at one of our post meetings (reference below) and tell our members about their experience over the next three months, before school goes back into session.
From Mt Juliet High School:
Bangera, Tanish (July)
Brown, Oliver (Aug)
Constantin, David (Aug)
Lewis, Dyson (Aug)
Scoby, Ethan (June)
From Green Hill High School:
Bearup, Riley (Aug)
Gatlin, James (Jul)
Loftis, Adam (Jul)
Marshall, John (July, but presenting to the members of the Dell Webb Veteran’s Club )
For those members who are unaware, American Legion Post 281 is the sponsor of Boy Scout Troop 150 of Mt Juliet. This has been an ongoing relationship that started shortly after the post was chartered. In a recent conversation with a few troop leaders, we were made aware that they needed a new Troop flag. They wondered if we could help them with financing. The answer was an emphatic “of course. We’d be glad to step in and help out.” This is what the flag looks like.
Post 281 Commander Ward, center, Post 17 Commander Chris Beetles, left, Vietnam Veterans of American Commander Mike Myers, left and second row, and Linda Yates {President of the Auxiliary) Vietnam Veterans of America place a floral wreath in memory of Wilson County veterans that have given the ultimate sacrifice at the Wilson County Memorial Service held at the Veterans Center in Lebanon on Memorial Day.
Random shots worth seeing. More information about the Honoring America’s Flag event in the future.
1st Vice Mattingly wanted all branches of the service to be recognized in our meetings.Under Armor volunteers helping with setup of Field of Flags.JBD Express on stage and performing at our Patriotic Honor Concert with Honoring America’s Flag event.Beautiful sunset at the Honoring America’s Flag event.Special thanks to Post member Bridget Passatore for efforts in making this concert poster for our JBD Express entertainment during our Patriotic Honor Concert.Post 281 is a sponsor of Legend Race Car 66, owned and operated by Veteran Ed Bray of Cookeville, and an ardent supporter of “Be the ONE”, efforts for Veterans that are experiencing a difficult time, for whatever reason.
Don Moody served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam from 1963 to 1969 as a Construction Mechanic, specializing in the maintenance and repair of the Navy’s heavy construction equipment.
For the rest of Don’s meritorious service narrative please Click Here and take a moment to read about some of our other recipients as well.
Arnold (Arnie) Painter
Arnie, Jr., comes from a long family tradition of military service. His great-grandfather served in the Confederacy in the Civil War. His grandfather served under General Pershing during the Mexican Expedition from 1916-1917. His father, Arnie, Sr., served in WWII and the Korean War. Both Senior and Junior Arnie’s served at the same time in the 2d Infantry Division during the Korean War.
For the rest of Arnie’s lengthy and colorful service narrative, please Click Hereand scroll down to find his story.
The next big event on our calendar is working the Veterans Building and American Legion booth at the Tennessee State/Wilson County Fair, August 14 thru 23. Free entrance into the fair, along with free parking.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Post Challenge Coin Sales and availablity
If you would like to purchase a Post Challenge Coin, contact FO Steve Iles though this website, or drop any post officer a note and we can “square you away”. Cost is $7.00 each. We have experienced very positive comments and greater-than-expected sales and it seems we will be placing a second order in the near future.
Each year at the end of the school year, our post recognizes cadets from the local JROTC programs that excel in military excellence and in scholastic excellence. The cadets are selected by the program’s senior military instructors based on a variety of factors.
Certificate (American Legion Scholastic Excellence) 2025: JULIA JIRKA
Senior Marine JRTOC instructor Major (R) Al Intili was presented a certificate of appreciation and a challenge coin from the post for his service to the students in our community, as he retired at the end of the 2024/2025 school year.
Green Hill’s JROTC program: Cadet Maben Morley received the Scholastic Excellence award and Cadet Levi Thompson received the Military Excellence award. No pictures are available.
For those of you whom have made it this far into the current newsletter, how about sharing a few comments or perhaps some recommendations for other “content” items that might be informative and entertaining. Although producing a document in the form of an online newsletter may seem simple, it represents hours of work and can be very frustrating too. Thanks……!
The new tool offers a simplified app layout and support from family members to help seniors maintain independence and mobility.
The ride-hailing company is introducing senior accounts, which allow family members to help set up, track, and pay for rides, and “simple mode,” a senior-friendly version of the app for older adults who use it on their own.
To set up a senior account, existing Uber users can add a senior adult to their family profile in the app. The head of the family profile can book rides for a senior rider, handle payments, and set monthly spending limits.
On September 30, 2025, we’ll remove the DS Logon username and password option from VA online services. After this date, you can only use a Login.gov or ID.me account to sign in to VA.gov, VA mobile apps, and other VA online services to manage your VA benefits and care.
If you don’t have a Login.gov or ID.me account, we encourage you to create one soon to make sure you’re ready for the change. Thank you for helping us reduce sign-in options and continue to protect your—and all Veterans’—information and benefits from scammers.
Create your secure account now
You can create your secure Login.gov or ID.me account and verify your identity online now. Our step-by-step and video instructions will guide you. If you have trouble with the online process, both Login.gov and ID.me offer the option to complete the process in person.
Remember: Never give your information to anyone who says they can help you get a new account—unless you’re sure they’re a VA employee or an accredited representative of VA. And always make sure a link is taking you to the official www.va.gov website before selecting it from an email, text message, social media post, or online ad. You can always go to www.va.gov/sign-in-changes for trusted information.
Need help? Get support for common issues or submit a support ticket directly with Login.gov or ID.me.
Thanks to Max Wix (Former Commander) for passing this along. Sorry for the lack luster formatting. It’s somewhat difficult to translate email notices to website posts. I’ll keep looking for a better way to do it. Please send any advice you may have!
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs sent this bulletin at 05/27/2025 12:52 PM EDT
Hey Wilson County Veterans! You’re invited to get assistance enrolling in VA health care, applying for disability compensation, and accessing other benefits you’ve earned. Concerns about your toxic exposure while in service? Find out what resources you are eligible for. Need caregiver support? Need housing or worried about becoming homeless? Ready to enroll in VA health care? Want to connect with resources available in your community? This is an exclusive event for Veterans and their families in the Wilson County area. Don’t miss this opportunity to access the benefits you’ve earned.
If you served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, or Afghanistan, you can enroll.
If you deployed to any combat zone after 9/11, you can enroll.
If you deployed in support of the Global War on Terror, you can enroll.
And even if you never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or serving on active duty here at home—by working with chemicals, pesticides, lead, asbestos, certain paints, nuclear weapons, x-rays, and more—you can enroll, too.
Bottom line: all Veterans who meet the minimum service requirements and were exposed to toxins and other hazards-at home or abroad-are eligible to enroll in VA care.
VA provides the best and most affordable health care for Veterans in America – and this is your chance to apply. Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care are proven to have better health outcomes than those who get their care elsewhere. And copays can be as low as $0 for prescriptions, urgent care, outpatient care, and more.
Choosing VA means getting everything you need in one spot. Come see why 90% of patients said they trust VA for their health care. Even if you don’t need this care today, you may need it tomorrow, or the next day, or 30 years from now. And once you’re in, you have access for life.
All members are needed to show up and help with the take down and storage of the flags and associated gear that make this event happen. Tomorrow, 26 May, 1:00 PM, clock tower, veterans memorial.
Tonight’s the night….. Honoring America’s Flag in honor of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Come and celebrate with us at the Mt. Juliet Veterans Clock tower at with a Patriotic Concert of music, food and enjoyment, in honor of the freedoms we have, because of their service to our GREAT country. 6:00 PM, bring lawn chairs.
The Alvin C. York VA Medical Center is currently facing disruptions with its phone lines.Family members and visitors are welcome to see their loved ones during regular visiting hours. For non-urgent requests, such as prescription refills or appointment scheduling, please use the secure messaging feature on My HealtheVet.If you require urgent care, our urgent care center is available daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For any emergencies or life-threatening situations, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve this as quickly as possible.
