1. The American Legion Post 176 General Membership Meeting was called to order at 1930 on 7 August 2007, with Commander Lipscomb presiding.

a. The vice Adjutant called roll. All officers were present with the exception of Committee-man-at-Large Dahlke; 3^rd Vice Commander Bailey and Finance Officer Cable were excused.

b. A motion was made and carried to dispense with reading of the minutes of the 3 Jul 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.

c. Chaplain Maudie Price introduced Carolyn McDowell, whose husband, William, died last year. Carolyn is a 16 year member of the Post. Commander Lipscomb presented her with a 15 year longevity pin.

d. Commander Lipscomb made the following announcements:

1.) Ron Phillips has been appointed as Post Adjutant; the Commander also has a candidate in mind for the position of Judge Advocate.

2.) The Commander is also looking for volunteers to serve on the internal audit committee and the finance committee to insure that proper accounting procedures are followed.

2. Committee Reports were as follows:

a. 1^st Vice Commander Stone reported on the following activities:

1.) Membership Committee:

a.) The Post has 1679 members which is 96.3% of the Legion Year 2007 membership goal (1743 people). We needed 64 more members by 15 Jul to make 100%. The Legion Year 2008 membership goal is 1789 people. Ten new and 10 transfer candidates were presented for membership this evening. The names of new members were read and approved in block. The names of transfer members also were read and approved in block. We already have made the Cardinal Award\target date for 2008, which is 35% of the membership goal. 710 referrals have been processed and added to the membership.

b.) The Legion Year 2008 renewal notices have been mailed. The Post Scripts will have a notice to those who paid early asking for the additional $5 increase that was passed for Legion Year 2008. The dues increase was necessitated because effective this calendar year, the Post had to pay National Headquarters $4.50 more for each registered member. The Post has to pass this dues increase along to its members.

2.) Legion Baseball: The final two games of the regular season were played on Thursday, 19 Jul. The first playoff game with Post 130 was Monday, 23 Jul. The Post team did not make the State tournament this year, but they are still playing double eliminations.

3.) Ways and Means Committee: Sunday breakfast is 12 Aug from 9:00-11:00 AM. The Friday night dinners are scheduled every week from 5:30-8:30 PM.

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

1.) Blood Drive: The next blood drive is scheduled for Tuesday 21 Aug 07 at the Post Home. Please contact Joe Finch at 703-569-1552 for an appointment.

2.) Boys State: The Post will be sponsoring 15 boys for next year’s Boys State activities. The cost per person is $265, $225 for tuition and $40 for transportation.

3.) Oratorical: Jerry Mittelbach will be visiting local high schools to recruit contestants for next year’s competition; he is waiting for brochures to arrive. The theme for next year’s contest will be announced the end of October.

4.) Sons of the American Legion (SAL): The SAL is out for the summer, but they have several new programs scheduled for next year.

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

1.) Bingo: Bingo is doing well. The actual game is making money, resulting in a monthly profit of $1100-$1400 for the Post. Ten percent of proceeds must go to non-profit organizations.

2.) Junior Law Cadets: John Sawyer has volunteered to chair this activity. He will also help with Sea Scouts, sponsored by the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

3.) Junior ROTC: Maudie Price is coordinating the Post Drill Team competition.

d. Finance (Given by Rod Carlone):

1.) Financial Records have been outsourced to Century Small Business in conjunction with the Finance Office overhaul. Sil, the bookkeeper, is working with the company, but she also will be retrained to assist in other areas. QuickBooks will be used for record-keeping starting today. Century will have accurate monthly reports retroactive to 1 Jan 07. The January books are complete and a balance sheet is available on the back table. The company is working now on February through July 07. The Finance Officer will give a Post Financial Management Briefing to the General Membership before 1 Nov 07, which is the first anniversary of the external audit.

2.) Post operations are looking good, but we still have issues with expenses. Refrigerators and ice machines need repair, and the water heaters and sprinklers may need to be replaced. In addition, there are five air conditioners on the roof that serve the Post. The 20 ton unit is leaking and the dining air conditioner is out. The cost to replace the 20 ton unit (if necessary) is $30 K. So far, we have major expenses and the amount budgeted ($60 K) is insufficient for maintenance and repair. We need to get an accurate assessment of building and equipment repairs, and budget for them accordingly. The Post also has $1800 worth of dishonored checks.

e. Chaplain:

1.) Maudie sent condolences to the families of two Legionnaires who died recently: Michael Francis Charters, Sr. and Daniel Walton, a 17 year member of the Post. The Post provided pall bearers for Comrade Charters’ funeral at his son’s request. Doris Cortez and Rich Tiner have been ill, but they are with us tonight. Please keep them in your prayers.

2.) Maudie was busy at the Department of VA Convention from 12-15 Jul, serving as a Chaplain and working on several committees. She also will be attending the 17^th District Organizational Meeting and working with the Honor Flight program to bus veterans to the World War II Memorial on 8 Sep 07.

f. Service Officer:

1.) Commander Lipscomb reported that he received a call from a veteran wanting power of attorney for an agency working on his behalf to get his disability increased. The Commander referred him to the Veterans Center on Sacramento Drive (North from Belvoir on Rt.1).

2.) Ali is still looking for a volunteer to replace Bob Paige as VA&R Chairperson.

g. Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation: Past Commander Jimmy Jones asked for the $300 check that was approved for the 14 Sep picnic at the DC VA Nursing Home. The money is to purchase hot dogs and hamburgers for 100 patients on the ward. He also mentioned that the 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.

h. Corporate Board:

1.) Monument Realty, the County redevelopment group, addressed a Special Membership Meeting at the Post at 1930 on 27 Jun. The purpose of the meeting was to present changes planned for land redevelopment in East Springfield. Twenty-six people attended the meeting. The Post will get a CD ROM and hard copies of the slides. A member survey is needed to help the Post decide what we may want to do with some of our land. The Corporate Board will review every option put on the table to restructure property we cannot use.

2.) Rod Carlone commended the General Manager, Suki Knarr, for her accomplishments during the past six months. Her efforts have resulted in a significant decrease in labor costs and an increase in cost savings and revenue.

i. Post Scripts: Sil Hanson is the new Post Scripts editor replacing Klaus Dahlke. The 15^th of the month is the submission date for articles. Ralph Nichols will be using the Post Scripts to compile the annual history.

3. Old Business

a. Over 100 members showed up for the 4^th of July picnic. There was another picnic at the Post on 4 Aug. Commander Lipscomb said the Post plans to celebrate every Service’s birthday.

b. In reference to the 3 Jul 07 GMM minutes, para 5.h., Ken Hanson is reviewing the 2005 edition of the House Rules. The current list is posted in the Lounge on the wall behind the cash register. The bartender is the ABC Manager on duty and is in charge of his/her shift. A question was asked about the Corporate Board letter to Doreen Lommel asking her not to patronize the Lounge until her case with the Virginia Employment Commission is completed. Rod Carlone explained that the case is still under appeal and Ms. Lommel was coming to the Lounge calling people aside and asking them to plead her case. The Lounge is not a court room and after she was asked to stop, she continued to frequent the bar to address her issues. It was at this point that Commander Taborek and Rod Carlone sent her a letter. Commander Lipscomb said he would contact Ms. Lommel to resolve the issue and follow up with a letter.

c. In reference to the 1 Aug 07 EXCOM Meeting minutes, para 2.c., regarding the contract signed on 24 Jun 07 between the Post and Mrs. Suki Knarr, Post 176 General Manager, a motion was made and seconded to have the contract read to the General Membership. During discussion, Rod Carlone stated that the EXCOM and Corporate Board are resolving questions concerning the issuance and multi-year nature of the contract; he also stated that the contract is a legal document that falls under the purview of the privacy act, and that reading the document in public without Ms. Knarr’s consent would be a violation of the law. The motion to read the contract was defeated by majority vote.

5. New Business:

a. The floor was opened for nominations to fill the vacant position of 1yr Committeeman-at-Large. Two candidates were placed in nomination, Jim Brado and Bill Hurd. Jim Brado was elected by nearly unanimous vote. Following the ballot count, Bill Hurd made a motion to cast his vote for Mr. Brado to make his election unanimous. The motion was seconded and carried by the membership. There was one "no" vote.

b. The Bridge Walk will be held on Tuesday, 28 Aug at 7:30 PM. See article in the August Post Scripts.

c. The Commander received a letter from the Manchester Lakes Apartment Community thanking the Post for the flag. Ed Taborek is purchasing a plaque for the flagpole.

d. The Post is planning a ceremony at the Post Home to commemorate the 6^th anniversary of the September 11^th attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

e. Comrade Dan Quaid has volunteered to be the American Legion liaison to the VFW.

f. Eddie Dentz will install the 17^th District officers at the District Organizational Meeting on 19 Aug at Post 130.

g. Commander Lipscomb was the narrator and represented the Post during ceremonies at the Korean War Memorial on 27 Jul. The war was fought from 25 Jun 1950 to 27 Jul 1953.

h. Past Commander Taborek made a motion to investigate the legality of the 9 Jul 07 letter from Commander Lipscomb removing him from his position of Junior Past Commander. The motion was seconded and the issue was discussed. Commander Lipscomb stated that the letter was explicit concerning the reasons for the action and the EXCOM on 7 Jul 07 sanctioned the action by unanimous vote. The motion to investigate was defeated by the membership.

i. Good of the Legion: Commander Lipscomb asked the membership to leave differences behind and work together for the common good of the Post. He also asked our biggest detractor, William Snyder, to give him a chance to get things in order without interfering in Post affairs.

j. There being no further business, a motion was made and carried to adjourn the meeting. Jim Brado won the 50-50 drawing and donated the amount ($54) to ??. The meeting was adjourned at 2140.

Ali Nikolai Lew Lipscomb

Vice Adjutant Commander