Tualatin, Tigard area Veterans of Foreign Wars

Tualatin, Oregon

Join the discussion!
Post your "news & views" and be read by
all members of the Tualatin Tigard VFW

8455 SW Seneca
Tualatin, Oregon 97062
driving directions and map
click here

Frank Ness
Quartermaster
haprj@comcast.net
503.257.4607

Jay Davis
Senior Vice Commander
jaydavis1970@yahoo.com
503.476.6800

Bill Wilson
Membership Chair
bwilson.is@comcast.net
503.705.7242

The Post and Auxiliary meet on the first Monday of each month at 7 pm.
A joint potluck is held at 6:30 pm.

Comrade R. C. (Bob) Chrisman
Military Biography

VOICE OF DEMOCRACY -

Patriotic oral essay contest for high school youth residing in Tualatin, Tigard, Sherwood, Wilsonville and Lake Oswego Oregon areas.

Local Winners(s) earns $150, and at higher levels of competition, opportunity for scholarships up to $25,000 and free trip to Washington, DC.

Contact: Norb Murray
503 691-1944
norb.mur@gte.net

click here for more information from the VFW in Washington DC

Patriot's Pen
Youth Essay contest

Open to all seventh and eighth graders who live in Tualatin, Tigard, Sherwood, Wilsonville and Lake Oswego areas.
Local prize is $100 savings bond.


Patriot's Pen, a youth essay writing contest, is a nationwide competition that gives students in grades 7 and 8 the opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy. More than 85,000 students participate in the annual contest.		Contestants write a 300-400 page essay based on an annual patriotic theme. The local post winner receives a $100 Savings Bond. The national winner gets a $1,000 savings bond and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The top national winners each receive savings bonds ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Click here for more information from the VFW in Washington DC

United States
of America Flags

Local VFW members post US flags on the Tualatin Wall (triangle between Fred Meyer and K-Mart) at 8 am on all major holidays. Participating post members gather for breakfast afterward.

Memorial Day Services and Winona Cemetery honors

Tualatin's historic Winona Cemetery has been renovated and permanent building and flag pole installed through Auxiliary efforts. The post leads annual Memorial Day ceremonies at the flag pole each year.

1. Fellowship: We gather to share good times with fellow veterans who have been in a foreign conflict, war, expeditionary campaign or part of occupation force. We gather not just to tell war stories and see who can tell the biggest and bestest, but to simply be in the presence of others who understand what was an important part of our life. Who can do that better than another vet.

We don't ever want to forget who we are and where we came from. Our military backgrounds were an influence that helped shape our lives. The best way for us to be a "positive force for good" in the community is to take our collective experience and wisdom and share it with others. Getting together with other vets allows us to reaffirm who we are and what our core values are. Participation states what is important to us.

2. Opportunity: Opportunity abounds at the individual as well as group level. There are opportunities for service to the post, other veterans, the community at large, business community, faith communities, families, schools, government groups, youth, etc. There are opportunities for everyone to direct their energies into service projects, leadership, communications, and other contributions while making new friends and learning from the experience of others in the post.

The questions that always comes mind are " What opportunities are available at the present and am I really aware of ALL of them?" How can I contribute? Where are my energies best invested? What is the ultimate impact of my investment of time and energy? Will it help? Can I make a difference?

3. Representation: The VFW supports our causes as concerns as veterans. The best way to stay abreast of the issues that affect us is to participate in a unique organization that gives us the "representation" we need at the local, state and federal levels. The word means to serve as an example; to serve as a delegate or agent. I could go on for quite a bit about this one, and I'm sure you could too.

Without some organization, veterans would be tossed about and discarded on the scrap heap of life as "has beens." The all too common attitude is "been there, done that, got the t-shirt." The truth is that most people have not been there and done that and worn the t-shirt (uniform). So they need to get an accurate picture of what a war veteran is and what he is not.

Let us not leave this job up to the news media or Hollywood. They can present a distorted image of the veteran, as was done during the Vietnam era. So, the best way to make sure that the public has the truth is to be proactive and do our own communicating, public relations and service projects. by Greg Stadler

^{What the Cross of Malta signifies}

History and Purpose of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars
of the United States

Founded in 1899 by veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Veterans of Foreign Wars was incorporated by Congress in 1953 www.vfw.org

Other Veteran Organizations
The American Legion www.legion.org
Vietnam Veterans of America www.vva.org

Petty Officer in Charge of VFW Post Web: Bernath, Daniel
(503) 639 6666 ussyorktowncvs10@juno.com

Parade for 671st Engineers on May 1, 2004 click here

History of Major Axel Rasmussen
VFW Post

Before the beginning of World War Two, twenty three overseas veterans gathered on August 31, 1940. Before the evening was over, they had elected officers and decided on the name Axel Rasmussen VFW.

Major Rasmussen, brother of charter member R. W. Rasmussen, was a member of the U.S. Army First Division and was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross by the United States and Croix de Guerre by the Government of France. He was killed on May 4, 1918 in France.

Major Axel Rasmussen Post 3452 was officially charted on October 25, 1940. The first vote of the Post was to form a Ladies Auxiliary. Twenty three ladies proceeded to organize and have been active ever since. The Post first held their meetings at Winona Grange while the ladies met at the Old Fellows Hall.

Over the years, the Tualatin VFW Post has welcomed veterans from Tigard, Lake Oswego and other areas. The Post meets in its own building now at 8455 SW Seneca, Tualatin Oregon.

The post building was the major social center for the Tualatin Community in the 50's and 60's. Weekend dances were open to the community. Tualatin had fewer than 1,000 people until 1974.

Post 3452 started Tualatin's annual CRAWFISH FESTIVAL in 1951. Then the river had an abundance of the critters. Crawfish were cooked in the VFW kitchen and handed out free to festival attendees in the first years. The festival is now coordinated by the Tualatin Chamber of Commerce.