What great news from the Hut as we close in on Christmas. The Legion-Auxiliary Christmas Dinner was well attended and a great success. I heard great things and saw pictures on Face book as I was down all week on sick call. The famous Chicken Noodle fundraiser luncheon December 16^th. was also a great event exceeding expectations as well as the last fund raiser goal. Now with the Charlie Brown Christmas Parade behind (man was that a cold but beautiful event! Hat’s off to Kathryn and all the volunteers), and the cold chill of winter upon us, we look to the New Year with hope and optimism.

It is not often I think of the passing of a person in a positive light but what can you say about a man like John Glenn? Growing up I had four heroes. I always thought of three, my Dad, John Wayne, and Joshua Chamberlin. But with the passing of Sen, Glenn I realized I had four. My memories of building my own Mercury “Friendship 7” space capsule in the backyard and being the first kid in my neighborhood to circle the planet in my imagination came back to life for me this past week.

It was later in life I realized he was a Marine officer and pilot with over 100 combat missions in WWII and Korea and lived a commendable life always in service to his God and Country. I always liked how he was portrayed in Apollo 13, straight forward, honest, and dedicated. A full life lived well, an example for all.

Equally amazing is it was during this week in 1968 Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr., and William Anders aboard. On Christmas Eve, the astronauts entered orbit around the moon, the first manned spacecraft ever to do so. In addition to being the first humans to view firsthand their home world in its entirety, the three astronauts were also the first to see the dark side of the moon. On Christmas morning, Apollo 8 left its lunar orbit and began its journey back to Earth, landing safely in the Pacific Ocean on December 27. How appropriate.

The Monday morning Koffee Klatch meetings for January EXCEPT the 2^nd of January, are still scheduled for biscuits and gravy and always a cup of coffee. And meetings are the first and third Thursday evenings (5^th and 19^th).  Keep your eye on the weather in case things must be postponed. If you are a veteran come on by. If you have a good story it may end up in print. Also keep up with us at website “americanlegion142.org”.