07/05/2020
MC DONOUGH AMERICAN LEGION, POST 1478
****ATTENTION TO: LEGIONNAIRES, SAL, AUXILIARY MEMBERS, NIGHTENGALE OFFICERS****
*As per Commander, Pete Soderman.
CALLING ALL HANDS!
I hope these greetings find everyone well.
Five months now have passed since we’ve become engaged in our community, state & nation’s response to the great world-wide struggle against COVID-19.
Though it may seem that we’ve ‘done nothing’ during this time - except for a lot of gardening, housecleaning, ‘binge-watching’ with the tube, etc – we’ve actually performed all the steps, made all the moves good health requires.
We do this for ourselves and for our neighbor as well.
Success in this health emergency shouldn’t be viewed as crossing a ‘finish line’, in that having done so, the race is over. Success here is, rather, each of us learning and employing lasting patterns of behavior.
We, who’ve had the honor of service know the simple reality of being a very small, individual cog in a vast gearbox of a large operation or a giant task force in an international mission. We’ve quietly and selflessly blended our individuality into the success of great movements, of great achievements. We’ve learned the last thing to be concerned with is how we ‘feel about’ doing it.
I’ve written previously that those of us without the virus simply haven’t gotten it yet. While I’ve likened my statement to “baby talk”, it is essentially ‘virology-in-a-nutshell’.
The virus is not going away. If we develop antibodies to it, it will be because we’ve gotten the virus. The virus has about a one-in-five batting average of killing whoever gets it. This is many times higher that the influenza epidemic of 1918, which killed one-in-a-hundred. If these numbers are sobering, it’s because they should be.
Let’s remember, though, that as simple as they are, we are doing exactly what we should be doing:
1. frequently washing hands
2. wearing face masks in public
3. keeping distance between each other.
One more thing we’ve been doing: exercising leadership – wearing a mask in public is also a leadership issue. Being seen standing or sitting apart from others is a leadership issue. What we expect from ourselves shows what we expect from others; we show our regard for our neighbor by how we behave ourselves.
While central New York statistics show we have been doing a good job, winds of change are in the air. Seeing their own surging numbers, other states are beginning to adopt the same effective behaviors New York has adopted months ago. This shows effective leadership on both the state & community level as well.
At the Post, we have been closed for all purposes – each of our organizations have not held a regular meeting for months. This next Tuesday, 07 July, at 6:30 we’ll hold a combined meeting practicing every proper safeguard we have become accustomed to.
We need to disseminate and discuss plans & goals for both the short and the long run. Our state has reached the ‘fourth phase’ in its COVID-19 defense; the Legion has received a grant from the Evelyn Emerson Foundation; how should the remainder of our calendar year be approached. These and many other concerns will receive our attention during the meeting.
PASS THE WORD TO ALL MEMBERS! – Legionnaires, Auxiliary & Sons of the Legion. Wear a mask, bring your concerns, bring your ideas; we’ll sit apart and see if we remember any of each other!
It’s been a while! It’s working out! We’ve shown our strength, our resolve and our smarts!
PASS THE WORD! See you Tuesday night 6:30!
Pete Soderman, Commander, Post 1478
short-run if we expect to have a long-run
