1. The American Legion Post 176 General Membership Meeting was called to order at 1930 on 4 December 2007, with Commander Lipscomb presiding.

a. The vice Adjutant called roll. The following officers were excused from the meeting: 1^st Vice Commander Stone, 3^rd Vice Commander Bailey, Finance Officer Cable, and Adjutant Buckley Finance Officer Cable and Chaplain Price. All other officers were present with the exception of Historian Nichols. The Chaplain position held by Maudie Price is vacant.

b. A motion was made and carried to dispense with reading of the minutes of the 13 Nov 07 meeting. In accordance with the motion carried at the 5 Sep 06 General Membership Meeting, minutes of the previous meeting will be published on the Post Web site.

2. Committee Reports were as follows:

a. Commander Lipscomb gave the following report for the 1^st Vice Commander:

1.) Membership Committee: As of tonight, the Post has 1387 members, which is 82.12% of the Legion Year 2008 membership goal (1689 people). Six candidates were presented for membership this evening (2 new members and 4 transfers). The names of new members were read and approved in block. The names of transfer members also were read and approved in block. The Post needs 302 additional members to reach 100%.

2.) Legislative: Prior to Veterans’ Day, Congressman Wicker, ranking Republican on the MilCon-Veterans Affairs Subcommittee, introduced a stand-alone veterans funding bill containing the largest increase in history for veterans programs, i.e. benefits and medical services, VA hospitals and clinics. The House and Senate versions of the bill have been passed; the bill is now in conference committee for final approval and funding.

3.) Public Relations: The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation has awarded $530,700 to 18 non-profit organizations. The grants, determined during the annual meeting of the Board of Directors on 14 Oct 07, have been awarded to support worthwhile projects through the dissemination of information to the general public and specific target groups.

4.) Ways and Means Committee: A sausage fest was on the menu for the tailgate party 2 Dec at the Post home.

b. 2^nd Vice Commander Tesla reported on the following activities:

1.) Americanism: The EXCOM voted at the September meeting to approve a $2500 donation to the Mt. Vernon Ladies Association to purchase 14 portraits of George Washington. The Post received a thank you letter from Mt. Vernon for the $2500 gift. The portraits will be distributed to local schools through the Fairfax County School System.

2.) Blood Drive: The next blood drive is scheduled for Tuesday, 18 Dec 07, at the Post Home. Please contact Joe Finch at 703-569-1552 for an appointment.

3.) Oratorical: Jerry Mittelbach is visiting local high schools to recruit contestants for next year’s competition.

c. Commander Lipscomb gave the following report for the 3^rd Vice Commander:

1.) Adopt-a-Highway: The quarterly highway clean-up was held on 5 Nov 07. Members of Post 176 and Edison High School Junior ROTC cleaned a two mile stretch of road along Backlick Road to Spring Village Drive. A cookout at the Post followed the clean-up.

2.) Bingo: The monthly bingo report was not available. There were 59 players at last week’s Monday night bingo. The bingo program has been consistent from April through August, averaging $991 a game. About 83 players are needed to break even on the instant bingo pull tabs.

3.) Children & Youth: The Auxiliary is hosting the Annual Children’s Christmas Party at the Post on Sunday, 9 Dec, featuring Bob Brown and the Puppeteers.

d. Finance:

1.) The Commander reported that the quarterly taxes are finished and mailed out.

2.) The Finance Office is working with Century Small Business to maintain accounting records. Century will have accurate monthly reports retroactive to 1 Jan 07. The Commander will make copies for the membership.

3.) A concern was voiced that the nine-month summary prepared by Century Small Business may not be detailed enough. The Finance Office should have alternate reports that show monthly summaries of total expenses and total income. A motion was made and seconded for John Sawyer to do these reports based on his experience as the previous Finance Officer. The motion was ruled out of order by Bill Hurd, the parliamentarian pro tem. The Commander upheld the ruling based on Article 5, Section 7 of the By Laws, which states that the current Finance Officer is responsible for monthly reports. A motion was made and seconded to appeal the Commander’s ruling. There were 11 votes in favor of the appeal and 13 opposed. The ruling of the chair carried.

e. Chaplain:

1.) The Commander reported that Adjutant Rex Buckley is still ill and Comrade Rich Tiner is having surgery in Fairfax Innova Hospital.

2.) The Post received a $50 check from the wife of deceased Comrade George Romansky in appreciation for the Legion Service conducted in October. The Legion also had a service for Comrade Roy Billet on 1 Nov.

3.) Other Comrades on the sick list are Seth "Boo" Butler and George Panagakos (both WWII veterans), and Curtis Ross. Please keep them in your prayers.

4.) The Post also lost Daniel Quaid, Jr., a Vietnam veteran, on 25 Nov.

f. Service Officer:

1.) Ali Nikolai reported that she passed on a TFA (temporary financial assistance) request to the Department of VA for Ms. Dorothy Norwood, a veteran and single parent who needs one-time assistance to pay up-front expenses for her apartment lease. She is currently in a shelter with her 14 yr. old son who is not adjusting well to the shelter environment. Ms. Norwood completed the TFA forms and Ali completed the investigator report.

2.) Ali also received a call from William Caulfield on behalf of a friend whose father was a WWII veteran with a Veterans Government Life Insurance Policy. Mr. Caulfield asked for contact information for the friend so he could inquire about redeeming the policy.

3.) Ali had another request for assistance from a former Marine whose DD Form 214 was lost in a move. She contacted the Veterans Administration for information on requesting a replacement form. The VA sent a Standard Form 180 which she passed on the Service member.

4.) Ali read an E-mail sent from the Service Officer at Post 176 in Union Beach, NJ. The E-mail was asking for donations to help a soldier seriously injured in Iraq. The NJ Post is sponsoring a spaghetti dinner on 1 Dec to help Sgt. Minard and his family.

g. Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation:

1.) VA Hospitals are in need of white socks, and volunteers are needed on 10 Dec to help pack 800 bags with donated items for the VA Hospital, the VA Medical Center Nursing Home, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home and all hospitalized veterans in the local area. The Post is also collecting items for the Winterhaven Homeless Standown on 12 Jan 08. A motion was made and seconded to donate $500 from budgeted funds to Winterhaven. The motion was carried by unanimous vote.

2.) The VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C. is planning another Welcome Home Celebration in the Feb-Apr 08 timeframe to provide outreach services and support to combat veterans, active duty service members, and their families. A motion was made and seconded to contribute $500 to the Welcome Home Celebration. The motion was carried by unanimous vote.

h. Corporate Board:

1.) Following the Post Financial Management report on 13 Nov, Rod Carlone is meeting with Monument Realty get options on restructure/redevelopment of property surrounding the Post. Any decisions involving Post property will be made by the Post. The Corporate Board is asking individual members to refrain from talking to Fairfax County officials about redevelopment plans concerning the Post.

2.) Based on the Property Assessment that was completed in October, the Post now has a list of items that it can prioritize for repair. Items in need of repair include the building structure, wiring, heating and cooling equipment, and all kitchen equipment. The list is long and the total cost may exceed $200K. The Corporate Board is putting options together for cost-effective repairs and will present recommendations to the general membership.

i. House Rules Committee:

1.) Ken Hanson reported that slips have been passed out to the bartenders to sign after they have been trained on the revised House Rules. The Commander and the General Manager will conduct the training as time permits.

2.) In reference to the letter sent to Ms. Becky Abel terminating her employment and suspending her social, guest, and visitation privileges, a motion was made and carried at the 27 Nov EXCOM meeting to allow Ms. Abel access to the Social Quarters, based on the premise that suspension of social quarters is the domain of the House Rules Committee. The Commander has since reversed the decision, maintaining that Ms. Abel’s privilege to frequent the upstairs area of the Post is not under the jurisdiction of the House Rules Committee because she was barred due to employment abuses, not misbehavior in the lounge. She has until 27 December to request a hearing with the Commander and the Corporate Board.

3. Unfinished Business

a. In reference to the 27 Nov 07 EXCOM Meeting minutes, para 4.a., a motion was made and carried to adopt a temporary rule allowing children under 16 to play pool in the lounge if the member or parent will be financially responsible for any damage to the pool table. The temporary rule will be in effect for a trial period of 6 months.

b. In reference to the 27 Nov 07 EXCOM Meeting minutes, para 4.c., a question was asked about the number of authorized check signers. Currently there are four check signers: the Commander, Rich Tiner, Jeff Harrison, and the General Manager up to $500. Committeeman Hanson and 3^rd Vice Commander Bailey had been on the list but in the opinion of the Corporate Board President, the General Manager, and the Commander, were not always available. The Commander will look into the legality of numbers of people authorized to sign checks.

4. New Business:

a. The floor was opened for nominations to fill the Chaplain position vacated by Maudie Price. One candidate, John Sawyer, was nominated from the floor. Nominations were closed and Comrade Sawyer was elected by majority vote.

b. A motion was made for the Post to consider a donation to Robinson High School in Burke, VA to support an alcohol (and drug) free graduation celebration for the senior class. Parents of the senior class are sponsoring the event. It was decided to hold the motion until later in the Spring and to see if any support is forthcoming from other organizations.

c. An article was published in the Springfield Connection newspaper focusing on the Iraq war and on groups and individuals on the homefront who are supporting the troops. Two of our Post members, Bill Hurd and Jimmy Jones, were interviewed and provided insights for the feature. The article by Amber Healy appeared in the Nov 29-Dec 5 07 Issue, Vol XXI, No. 48 (p.26).

d. The Post Christmas Party & Dance is on Saturday, 8 Dec, featuring the 2-4-U Band. Doors open at 5:30 PM. Dinner is at 7:00 with dancing to follow. Tickets are $20 a person.

e. Good of the Legion: Jim Brado mentioned the Military OneSource program that offers assistance to active duty service members 24 hrs a day. They can be reached at 800-342-9647 or on the Web at www.militaryonesource.com.

f. There being no further business, a motion was made and carried to adjourn the meeting. Bill Hurd won the 50-50 drawing of $25. The meeting was adjourned at 2127.

Ali Nikolai Lew Lipscomb

Vice Adjutant Commander