Eagles and military veterans go together, as symbols of high-flying patriotism. No wonder, then, that when displacement threatened Santee’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9327, the companion VFW Auxiliary 9327 and co-resident American Legion Post 364, who stepped up to help but the local Fraternal Order of Eagles, offering a temporary home to these fellow service organization members.
Eagles and military veterans go together, as symbols of high-flying patriotism. No wonder, then, that when displacement threatened Santee’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9327, the companion VFW Auxiliary 9327 and co-resident American Legion Post 364, who stepped up to help but the local Fraternal Order of Eagles, offering a temporary home to these fellow service organization members.
“We are definitely thanking the Eagles,” said Neal Goforth, Commander of Santee American Legion Post 364, on Sept. 19. He had earlier that day led his first Post general meeting at the Eagles Aerie 3973. “A couple of weeks ago, they gave us a warm welcoming party. We have been treated like family. When you’re here, you feel like you’re at home.”
The homelessness threat emerged for the three Santee veterans’ service organizations when a higher bidder offered more rent money for their former premises on Cuyamaca Street. The groups received notice to vacate the strip mall storefront property by Sept. 10, so they ceased normal meeting and canteen schedules at the end of August. The members collaborated in moving out their organizations’ equipment and furnishings, then setting up meal service operations at the Eagles club over the interval from Sept. 1 – 10.
And the Santee veterans groups are already back in business to a limited extent, kicking off their events at the Eagles facility on Sept. 11, with a VFW Commander’s dinner. The three guest organizations will be alternating meal service for Friday night dinners with subsequent karaoke entertainment and for Sunday morning breakfasts to accompany football game viewing, with karaoke afterward.
Gene Michonski, Junior Past Commander of American Legion Post 364, said, “We are really appreciative of the Eagles. They have been phenomenal. With their support for us on our first few meals served here, we have seen record profits.”
Although loss of canteen bar receipts has lowered the veterans groups’ income, they are still on the lookout for a new home. They are also still requesting assistance from Santee and nearby East County businesses and residents willing to provide support.
The Santee VFW will be taking the lead, as holders of the canteen liquor license and as former landlords to their tenants of the VFW Auxiliary Unit and the co-located American Legion Post. They have already discovered a possible new home for their Posts, a piece of real estate that is currently a combined residence and office space, approximately 2000 square feet in size, situated in a light industrial zoning area. The property in its entirety, at 16,000 square feet with an existing gravel parking area, would allow off-street parking for the facility and permit future expansion of the building.
The VFW has loan approval, is in the process of lining up contract co-signers, and is planning to extend an offer to purchase the property while preparing drawings of the envisioned new restaurant and bar facilities to be installed there.
Michonski was founding Commander for the revived Post 364, which held its initial meetings in early 2013. He reaffirmed his American Legionnaire members’ dedication to assist their fellow VFW veterans however they can.
“We brought to their attention the grant money and donated building materials that could be available, from Home Depot, Lowe’s, Habitat for Humanity, and other donors eager to support veterans. We are looking forward to staying together in our new location. But we are a relatively new Post, growing our membership, and our cash flow is low. We need more money as income to be able to help,” he said.
Gary Henriksen, a longtime VFW member who also served as founding Adjutant for the resuscitated Legion Post 364, provided further details.
“We’re basically a close-knit family,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining a good relationship with the City of Santee and ensuring that local residents know the veterans groups are in the business of widespread community service.
“My vision is for a kids activity room in the facility, to serve young veteran and active-duty families,” he said. “We also want to build office spaces, where a service officer, chaplain or membership officer can provide meetings that are private for any veteran family member asking for help. We want to show that we have activities for everybody.”
Henriksen, who has been closely involved in the search for a new meeting home for the Santee veterans, went on. “If we can get the place we are looking at, we can expand the facility. One long-term goal would be to have a service officer available at the site 24/7 as needed. We need the support of the community, but we can grow and make life better for veterans living here.”
Commander Goforth added, “From a Legion standpoint, we are glad the VFW found a potential home so quickly, and we will continue our relationship in the new home. We want to extend a good offer on this property. We have the opportunity to start from the beginning, from the ground up with this building. We can create a facility for everyone.”
Goforth then continued, “This has been a learning experience for the American Legion. We’ve been guests of the VFW, and we had gotten comfortable. We are planning to start thinking long term and preparing for the future of the Post. We need to establish our own credit history. Should the Legion Post happen to outgrow the home we envision now, we should be ready to have our own facility down the road. This is about Legion survivability. We are thinking about 50 years down the road.”
The clubhouse where the Santee veterans are currently meeting belongs to the Fraternal Order of Eagles, is located at 9317 Shadow Hill Road, and can be reached by phone for more information at (619) 562-1371. Anyone wishing to contribute to the veterans organizations’ moving fund can send a donation by mail to P.O. Box 9640-B Mission Gorge Road, PMB 351, Santee, CA 92071. Online contributions can be given at http://GoFundMe.com/y9y3wga8. Financial officers with the veterans’ organizations estimated that their funding appeal for community help had raised roughly a third of the amount needed to pay their expenses for the move.
