March Meeting Reminder

Shipmates,

The next Seattle Base meeting is this coming Wednesday, March19.

We will meet at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052). Social hour starts at 6 PM with business meeting at 7PM. Don't forget to review the previous meeting minutes, you can find them here on the blog or on the Seattle Base website, just click the Minutes button on the left.

The guest speaker will be Doug Bristol, representing Redmond Historical Society. Doug will provide an overview and sometimes humorous account of Puget Sound Nike surface to air missile sites during the Cold War. Specifically he will focus on the Issaquah - Cougar Mountain Nike site. You may learn that this early anti-bomber missile system was not without some serious issues.

Nike missiles near Redmond in 1955

Additionally, we want to remind you that VA Volunteer Services is still looking for volunteers to help out our fellow veterans and their families during the major construction project at the hospital.

They would like the volunteers to commit to helping out for 6 months or about 100 hours (that is around 4 hours per week). Here is a list of the priority volunteer needs.

Parking Lot Golf Cart Shuttle Drivers: To transport Veterans and visitors who ride Metro buses from an on-campus pick-up point to and from the facility main entrance. (Because of the construction project bus routes 50 and 60 are no longer able to drive on the campus.)

Puget Sound NaVAgators: Frontline customer services - meet and greet, provide assistance to appointments, find wheelchairs for Veterans to use during their appointments, help with check-in on the new self-service kiosks, answer questions, etc. This is considered a very mobile assignment.

Patient Information Representatives: This assignment requires access to VA computer systems, so there is a bit more training and processing required. Because of the construction a new information desk needing to be staffed by volunteers will be located in the basement of Building 1 – where the new temporary main entrance will be located. Volunteers are expected to continue staffing the current Information Desk near the Emergency Department.

Volunteer Transportation Network (VTN) Drivers: Use a7 or 12 passenger government vehicle to transport Veterans to and from their VA facility destinations. Must have a good driving record and pass an occupational health examination. Some of these vans are based out of Seattle; others are coming in from outlying communities.

All of these assignments occur during weekdays, generally between the hours of 7am and 5-m. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Jeff Honeycutt at VA Volunteer Services: 206-277-1005.