VFW Post 7764, Reidsville and the Post Auxiliary celebrated the second consecutive All State and All American rating on Monday night September 12, 2022 with a fish fry at the post.
The Post made All State and All American for the first time in its 59 year existence in 2021. They achieved the honor again in 2022.
Earl Boyett, Wayne Cambell, Gene Williams, Ronnie Thomas, Joe Boyett, and Ronnie McCall gathered up around 3:30 p.m. to get ready to put fish in hot cooking oil, and at precisely 5:50 p.m., which was ten minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, they took up the last bass fillet. The fish menu included bream, redbreast, bass fillets, and catfish. Side dishes included Yankee hushpuppies (fried biscuit quarters) baked beans, green beans, grits, string beans, potato casserole, potato salad, and Gary Mitchell’s famous Brunswick Stew. Deserts included tea cake, peach cobbler, three different types of cookies, and red velvet cake. It was not a good night for those on a diet or monitoring their A1C.
In the regular meeting, Quartermaster Ronnie Thomas announced that all projects were current and in order to vie for a third straight All State and All American honors in 2023.
“We want to make it a three-peat,” Thomas said.
QM Thomas had the red, white and blue 7764 shirts with the second All State/All American patches on the sleeve ready for pickup. Someone opined that the next patch would have to go on the right sleeve if All State/All American status was achieved in 2023.
Commander Ronnie McCall stated that Canoochee EMC had provided the post with a $5,000 grant for a new aluminum ramp or several second hand ramps. He added that he and QM Thomas, Earl Boyett, Wayne Campbell and Joe Boyett would travel to Florida to visit a secondhand aluminum wheelchair ramp warehouse in an attempt to locate additional ramps.
“We still have more re-quests for ramps than we can supply,” he said. “It’s just a logical need of an aging population.”
Bruce Sanders reported on the condition of his cousin Raymond Sanders who is in the University Medical Center in Augusta with several medical issues that required immediate attention. Raymond is a Marine Vietnam Veteran.
“Raymond wants everyone to know he loves this organization and wants to get back here and be with everyone again,” Bruce said.
QM Thomas reported that work had begun on the 7764 web page. The purpose of the web page is threefold.
1) It should put out information on what 7764 is doing for veterans and local citizens to a wider and younger audience;
2) Provide a platform to help raise funding;
3) Help recruit new members. The State and National VFW are recommending that all posts develop a web page.
Members of VFW 7764 met in a called meeting on August 29, 2022 and voted 20-2 to move forward with the Web page.
Thomas mentioned that 7764 membership is at 72 with 65% Life Members and three Legacy Life Members. A potential new member attended Friday night and provided the necessary in-formation for membership. President Joe Boyett noted that the Auxiliary picked up a new mem-ber on Monday night.
Members voted to hold a Buddy Poppy Drive on October 1, 2022 in honor of National VFW Day which is September 29, 2022. Buddy Poppies are made by disabled military veterans and do-nations are used to help disabled veterans. The event will be held at the traffic light in Reidsville.
With no other business, the meeting was traditionally adjourned at 7:57 p.m. which in-cluded the singalong of “God Bless the USA” by all members with Lee Greenwood.
