From Poppies to Pancakes: How Unit 6 Honors Veterans in Corinth, Mississippi

Transcript

Introduction to Unit 6 Auxiliary

Jerry Allhands 0:00

This is the Veterans Sound Off Podcast .

Jerry Allhands 0:03

Hard work , work let's get it going , let's go . I'm your host , jerry Allhands , a veteran of the US Air Force and Army and a Mississippi Pass Department Commander of the American Legion . You're invited to join me as we travel across the state of Mississippi , visiting the American Legion posts in each community . Together we'll get to know the American Legion family , including the American Legion Auxiliary , the Sons of the American Legion and the Legion Riders . As we travel the state we'll visit with other groups and organizations that are serving America's veterans and their families . Today we return to Carnath and Unit 6 of the Perry A Johns American Legion Auxiliary , where we sit down with Cindy Rhodes , the Unit 6 President and Pat McGarver , the Unit 6 Treasurer and keeping us all .

Wreaths Across America 0:55

In line is Unit 6 Chaplain Tina .

Jerry Allhands 0:56

Bugg and good morning . We are back in the great state of Mississippi . I'm not even going to try to say the name of the city , I'm going to leave that up to y'all because everybody wants to say it differently . And we'll start from my left to my right and ask you to please introduce yourself and your position with the auxiliary .

Cindy Rhodes 1:17

My name is Cindy Rhodes and I'm the president of Unit 6 .

Tina Bugg 1:19

I'm Pam McCarver , I'm the treasurer of Unit 6 .

Jerry Allhands 1:21

Tina Bugg serve as chaplain , and what post or unit and where , and give me the address please .

Pam McCarver 1:26

Okay , we're Unit 6 , and we're 511 Tate Street in Corinth Mississippi .

Jerry Allhands 1:34

And the zip code 388-34 . And when do you all ?

Cindy Rhodes 1:38

meet . We meet on Thursday , the second Thursday of the month , right after the family meeting . What time ? The family meeting's at 6 . Typically we have a meal and then , after family time , it's probably around 7 that the auxiliary breaks out and has their own meeting .

Jerry Allhands 1:57

Cindy , if you would , please tell me what makes you eligible for the American Legion Auxiliary .

Pam McCarver 2:02

My husband is a Marine Corps veteran . He's retired and I have a son in the Navy who is active duty right now .

Jerry Allhands 2:11

How long have you been in the Auxiliary ?

Pam McCarver 2:14

Five years .

Jerry Allhands 2:15

Pam , what makes you eligible to be in the Auxiliary ?

Cindy Rhodes 2:19

My father served in Korea in the Army and my son is a Marine my son's out of the Marines , but he served for five years recently .

Jerry Allhands 2:29

Once a Marine , always a Marine . Right , there you go . And , tina , what makes you eligible to be in the Auxiliary ?

Tina Bugg 2:35

Honored to say my dad , ralph Hurley . He was in the Air Force , served over in Germany during his time , so I participate in his honor and his memory .

Jerry Allhands 2:46

Tina , if you would open us with prayer .

Tina Bugg 2:48

Let us pray , dear Gracious Heavenly Father , we just thank you for this opportunity to come together and , as we mentioned , we are a family , dear God , and we just thank you for giving us this opportunity today and for the opportunities for us to serve our veterans and to keep our flag , you as our God and our country , for most and most in our heart , as we serve our veterans every day . Amen , amen .

Jerry Allhands 3:12

Cindy , tell me a little bit about Unit 6 of the American Legion , auxiliary . When were you all founded , do you know ?

Pam McCarver 3:19

1926 we were founded .

Jerry Allhands 3:22

Have you all been in the same post , the same building , the whole time , or have you had a post before this ?

Pam McCarver 3:28

We've been here . I believe right . Yes , been here .

Jerry Allhands 3:32

What does it mean to be in the American Legion Auxiliary ?

Pam McCarver 3:36

Well , I love that . We help the veterans and we're just a family . We're all together , we do things just a family . We're all together , we do things as a family . We just go out and help our veterans as much as we can and try to raise funds for them if they need it or things like that .

Jerry Allhands 3:59

Pam , for you , what does it mean to be in the auxiliary ?

Cindy Rhodes 4:03

For me , it's honoring our veterans and their service and supporting them long after they've served .

Jerry Allhands 4:10

Tina , for you , what does it mean to be in the auxiliary ?

Tina Bugg 4:12

To show that honor and respect and also teach it to our younger generation

Meaning of Auxiliary Membership

Tina Bugg 4:16

. We just need to make sure that they realize the service that the men and women have given , and especially to those that we've lost , that their life was an act of service and a sacrifice that only you can give .

Jerry Allhands 4:30

Cindy , what's the biggest thing that you can remember from this past year that your Unit 6 has done in the local community ?

Pam McCarver 4:38

We had a festival , a veterans festival , in November and at first it was , I believe , raining that day , wasn't it and we were afraid we wouldn't have a big turnout , but we had a pretty good crowd and we had a meal afterwards and we taught about the different eras of the military , of the wars and things like that . They brought their memorabilia however you say that and brought it in and shared it with the public and it was open to the public .

Community Events and Activities

Pam McCarver 5:17

So I thought that was really nice .

Jerry Allhands 5:19

How long did the event last ?

Pam McCarver 5:21

I think we started at 9 and maybe 2 o'clock it was done .

Jerry Allhands 5:28

Pam , if there was something that y'all as a unit do in the community on an ongoing event , what would you say it is ?

Cindy Rhodes 5:41

The most prominent thing that we do annually is Wreaths Across America , where we sponsor and sell wreaths to place at our national cemetery here in Corinth .

Jerry Allhands 5:53

Is that a national event or a local event ?

Cindy Rhodes 5:55

It's a national event .

Jerry Allhands 5:56

What is Wreaths Across America ?

Cindy Rhodes 5:59

I don't know exactly when it started , but it's been . It's been around for several years . Carlene parker , our first vice president , has been um our leader in terms of northern mississippi and uh , selling the wreaths . Um , the wreaths are made in maine , I believe , um in Maine , and they're shipped all across the nation and we sell as a unit . We also encourage other units in the auxiliary to sell and sell through us and then , on this , usually it's the second or third week in December we meet at the National Cemetery , we do a ceremony and then both the community , the Legion , boy Scouts , anything comes out and helps us lay all the wreaths at the graves of all service members .

Jerry Allhands 6:58

When do you start selling the wreaths ?

Cindy Rhodes 7:01

Right now .

Jerry Allhands 7:02

Right .

Cindy Rhodes 7:02

We sell all year long . All year long , okay , yes the wreaths , or Right now ?

Jerry Allhands 7:07

Right , we sell all year long , all year long .

Cindy Rhodes 7:08

Okay , yes , and your last opportunity to purchase a wreath in time for it's usually the last week of November , kind of as the cutoff for the ceremony in December .

Jerry Allhands 7:16

And I did I understand you correctly ? The National Cemetery ? Yes , there's one nearby .

Cindy Rhodes 7:21

Yes , here in Corinth Okay .

Jerry Allhands 7:24

And if somebody wanted to reach out for this , to purchase a wreath now , how would they do that ?

Cindy Rhodes 7:30

They can contact Carlene Parker at our unit .

Jerry Allhands 7:33

Okay , and are we going to share Carlene's phone number ?

Pam McCarver 7:38

It's 662-415-6743 .

Jerry Allhands 7:44

And say it again 662-415-6743 .

Pam McCarver 7:47

And say it again 662-415-6743 .

Jerry Allhands 7:50

And that's Carlene Parker . How much does a wreath cost ?

Cindy Rhodes 7:54

Wreaths are $17 .

Jerry Allhands 7:56

And can they purchase more than one ?

Cindy Rhodes 7:58

Absolutely . You can purchase for somebody in particular a grave-specific wreath , for somebody in particular a grave-specific wreath , or you can purchase and donate for other service members that are buried in the .

Wreaths Across America 8:12

National Cemetery Wreaths Across America is an organization that is like no other . It almost touches every person in the United States at some level .

Wreaths Across America 8:22

The mission is to remember , honor and teach what we give our kids , that we've learned from the past is what's going to help them fall in the United States at some level . The mission is to remember , honor and teach what we give our kids that we've learned from the past is what's gonna help them form the future .

Nora Moreland 8:30

It's important to teach , not just the kids , but everybody .

Wreaths Across America 8:34

We need to share that freedom isn't free Reeds Across America started when my husband , who was in the reeds business , had too many reeds .

Wreaths Across America 8:44

We had about a truckload left over that year which is about 5,000 . I mean , we were trying to think of what we could do with them . That would do maybe some good to some people . We thought about Arlington National Cemetery .

Wreaths Across America 8:56

He's very patriotic . He just wanted to say thank you .

Wreaths Across America 9:00

Out of respect for what we have in this country .

Wreaths Across America 9:03

So it became a family tradition .

Wreaths Across America 9:06

And it just struck a chord . I guess it went around the world .

Nora Moreland 9:10

I remember when I started there's only a few people and look at the turnout .

988 9:15

It's the heart of the volunteer that makes our mission grow .

Wreaths Across America 9:17

I like to say we have a heartbeat in every community . It grows because of the patriotism that is still alive and well all over the country .

Tina Bugg 9:27

It grows because of the patriotism that is still alive and well all over the country . The Wreaths Across America , wreath laying is really , it's a celebration of life . That one wreath symbolizes one family , one family that was able to smile because of the generous donations .

Wreaths Across America 9:37

That's him right here , because everyone has a story . There's a story behind every name that you see here .

Nora Moreland 9:47

His name was Germany Vargas Isaac Thomas .

Cindy Rhodes 9:48

Cortez Bryce Kenneth Bowers , my son , my older brother , billy , was an E-9 in the United States .

Tina Bugg 9:56

Air Force .

Cindy Rhodes 9:56

William Guy Neal .

Tina Bugg 9:58

Just by saying their name , we're remembering them .

Cindy Rhodes 10:01

We're remembering the sacrifice that they made for this country .

Wreaths Across America 10:04

January 18th 2005 . It's really important that people understand that Wreaths Across America is a year-round mission .

Wreaths Across America 10:14

My ultimate goal is to place a wreath on every single American veteran's grave , regardless of where it is .

988 10:21

We're among so many heroes here today that have fought for our freedom , there are American soldiers buried at over 24 different locations across the world that may not have family members that are able to visit them . Edward D Fogden .

Wreaths Across America 10:38

You are sent over to save us and you die in a place no one has ever heard of , and that's your life .

988 10:49

It's our goal to one day be able to say we place to read that every headstone of our American military members buried overseas .

Wreaths Across America 10:59

We have a saying here that you die twice , first when you stop

Wreaths Across America Program

Wreaths Across America 11:03

breathing and the second time saying here that you die twice First when you stop breathing and the second time when your name is spoken for the very last time , the biggest fear Goldstrand families have that their child will be forgotten .

Nora Moreland 11:11

A mother's love never dies . It never dies .

Wreaths Across America 11:16

Regina , we thank you for your service .

Nora Moreland 11:17

It doesn't matter how they died , it just matters that they fought for our freedom .

Jerry Allhands 11:22

It just matters . That they fought for our freedom Makes me feel extremely proud .

Wreaths Across America 11:26

Their character , their sacrifice is not just our past , it's our future and the foundation of this country was built on the lives of those men and women that we choose to honor .

Jerry Allhands 11:47

And if somebody wanted to reach out to purchase a wreath now , how would they do that ?

Cindy Rhodes 11:51

They can contact Carlene Parker at our unit 662-415-6743 .

Jerry Allhands 11:59

And that's Carlene Parker . Well , how much does a wreath cost ?

Cindy Rhodes 12:03

Wreaths are $17 .

Jerry Allhands 12:05

And can they purchase more than one ?

Cindy Rhodes 12:14

Absolutely . You can purchase for somebody in particular a grave-specific wreath , or you can purchase and donate for other service members that are buried in the National Cemetery .

Jerry Allhands 12:20

In the future , in the near future , what do you got coming up ?

Tina Bugg 12:23

The poppies that has been mentioned already Poppies and pancakes . In the near future . What do you got coming up ? The poppies that has been mentioned already Poppies and pancakes . April the 19th and we are joining with the local teenagers in the Alcorn County , giving them an opportunity to actually have a poppy poster in this contest . So it's an opportunity to share their artistic talents and also come have breakfast . Breakfast will be ten dollars and it will actually be pancakes with probably their choice of bacon or sausage .

Jerry Allhands 12:55

How are you getting the message out on that ?

Tina Bugg 12:57

Well , I've already contacted the schools in Kossuth , corinth , ockron Central and Beggarsville as well . I have flyers that are made . The event will start at 9 o'clock . 9 to 11 is the breakfast , and then we're actually going to have a little award ceremony at 1130 , excuse me , 1130 , and then picture taking at 12 . And then we'll conclude the day with that .

Jerry Allhands 13:22

Poppies and Pancakes . You're raising funds for .

Tina Bugg 13:26

For the American Legion Auxiliary and for our Junior Legion projects .

Jerry Allhands 13:31

And what are some of the projects ?

Tina Bugg 13:33

We actually post , we go to the green market and various things as far as passing out poppies and collect donations . That way we have a new auxiliary junior program and so we're trying to get more of the teenagers involved in that . So it will give us funds to do various things and reach out and they're actually participating in the scrapbook . So just kind of help them build the junior auxiliary .

Jerry Allhands 14:02

Is that the American Legion auxiliary , the junior auxiliary ?

Tina Bugg 14:05

Yes , sir .

Jerry Allhands 14:07

How many members do you have in the junior auxiliary ?

Tina Bugg 14:09

I believe we've got five right now .

Jerry Allhands 14:11

We've got four or five youngsters All right and what does it take to be a junior auxiliary member ? Is there an age limit ? Is there an obligation ?

Tina Bugg 14:19

Well , I think the criteria would be the same as adults . I'm staying to be corrected on that but they have to have a connection as well as we do to have a military person in their family to be able to be a junior auxiliary , a junior auxiliary .

Jerry Allhands 14:33

How old is a member ?

Cindy Rhodes 14:34

They're juniors until they're 18 .

Jerry Allhands 14:36

18 .

Wreaths Across America 14:36

Okay .

Jerry Allhands 14:37

Cindy , tell me about poppies . You hear poppies all the time . You see people out in the public wearing them . What does a poppy imply ?

Pam McCarver 14:43

Tina knows more about that , but I think there was a field in Flanders Field .

Tina Bugg 14:52

Dr McRae was one of the original . We have the poem of that . We also have prints for sale for $10 if anybody would like to buy one of those . But the story behind the poppy is the bloodstained fields . So when he was in the field and he looked across , then he saw the poppies growing . So from that experience he wrote a poem called In Flanders Field . The poppy itself is just a symbol that we wear and distribute . We do not sell them , but we're welcome to take donations , so it's just another way to remember those that have fallen .

Jerry Allhands 15:32

And you say you do not sell them . You do take donations .

Tina Bugg 15:35

We accept donations .

Jerry Allhands 15:38

How do you make the public aware of the poppy in Flanders Field ? I mean , what do you all do as a unit ?

Tina Bugg 15:46

Several months ago , along with our junior members , we set up at the Green Market . It's a local festival downtown and the junior members literally walked around and passed out the poppies and just kind of got the awareness out that way as well , as we had a table set out and collected donations that way as well as selling our prints . There is a proclamation that's being presented to the city to actually have the Friday before Memorial Day recognized as National Poppy Day , so that is something that's being done this year .

Jerry Allhands 16:20

Are you getting a lot of cooperation from the city government ?

Tina Bugg 16:23

Yes , very much so .

Jerry Allhands 16:25

Anybody in particular that's helping with this .

Tina Bugg 16:28

Mayor Ralph Dance . I have spoke with him so this was going to be proposed at one of the next city board meetings and then at that time then we'll pursue an avenue of recognizing poppy day . Of course . There'll be an article in the paper and then again our poppies for pancakes or poppies and pancakes . It's another way to get that out there to the community how do you ?

Jerry Allhands 16:54

what is your avenue of disseminating information ? I mean , do you have local radio , tv , newspaper ? How do you get out ?

Tina Bugg 17:04

We have a good connection with the Daily Corinthian as well as Facebook , and then , like the flyers , I just distribute them all over the community , whether it's by sending it out to email or posting it at Kroger's or the library or various places like that .

Jerry Allhands 17:22

Do you have a Facebook page , social media ?

Tina Bugg 17:24

We do just a regular auxiliary page .

Jerry Allhands 17:27

And the title for that is for what ?

Cindy Rhodes 17:29

We have an American Legion Auxiliary 6 page . We also participate in the Department American Auxiliary page and we have a Corinth Americaninth american legion page .

Jerry Allhands 17:42

That is uh community facing that we can share our events is your facebook page , your auxiliary page , six page , is it a open page or is it a closed page ? So can somebody find it's what I'm trying to say the auxiliary six page is closed . Uh , I'm not sure about the department one service members that are buried in the National Cemetery ? Okay , what about Instagram X , all that sort of stuff ?

Cindy Rhodes 18:09

No , we don't really use that .

Jerry Allhands 18:11

I was told recently that only the old people are on Facebook now , and that was from my grandchildren .

Cindy Rhodes 18:15

We're kind of old , so Really nice .

Jerry Allhands 18:17

Yeah , I appreciated that yeah grandchildren .

Pam McCarver 18:19

We're kind of old , so really nice . Yeah , I appreciated that . Yeah , usually what we do with an event too is if , if we um can get it off of the page , we share it on to our facebook pages and let our friends and family know what's going on that works for you pretty well yes , it does what's the uh , what's the one thing that's happened in the last three or four months that just really jumps out at you that y'all have done as a unit for me it's the toy drive .

Cindy Rhodes 18:48

we recently did um , we collected toys . I think we collect toys really all year long , but Then in December we open up the post and veterans and community members can come in and pick toys for their children . If they can't afford them , we help them shop , we wrap the gifts , we had hot chocolate this year and really just try to make it a good

Poppies and Pancakes Event

Cindy Rhodes 19:20

event for them so that their kids can enjoy and have something to open on Christmas morning .

Jerry Allhands 19:25

Cindy .

Pam McCarver 19:26

The Coat Drive . I was amazed about the people that came in whether it be needy families from the community , the veterans as well , families from the community , the veterans as well just talking with them and mingling with them and helping them pick out what they needed for the winter coat drive or whatever . So that was amazing to me .

Jerry Allhands 19:54

How did the coats ? I mean , were they donated or was it a purchase ? How did it go ? Donated , I mean , were they ?

Pam McCarver 19:58

donated or was it a purchase ? How did it go Donated ? Carlene and I went out and purchased some just to give from us and basically it was donations .

Wreaths Across America 20:11

Okay .

Pam McCarver 20:12

Tina .

Tina Bugg 20:13

Another thing that we do is participate with flag etiquette , go into the schools or different youth clubs and just share and explain to them the meaning of the flag . I'm also serving as the chairperson for Corinth . Junior Civitans and the group came out and explained to the children what each fold of the flag meant , and that was really special .

Jerry Allhands 20:39

Are you able to share that ?

Tina Bugg 20:40

yes , I just happen to have that handy now and I just want to read the very first of it says have you ever wondered why the flag of the united states of america is folded 13 times when it is lowered or when it is folded and handed to the next of kin at a burial of a veteran ? And it lists here , and I'm just going to read a couple of them the first fold of our flag is a symbol of life . The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life . And then the third . The fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who have gave a portion of their lives for our defense of our country , to attain peace throughout the world . And again , that's a great thing to look up if you want to know why or what the 13 folds mean .

Jerry Allhands 21:32

Give me the last fold .

Tina Bugg 21:33

When the flag is completely folded , the stars are uttermost , reminding us of the nation's motto In God we Trust . After the flag is completely folded and tucked in , it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat , ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones , who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the armed forces of the United States , preserving for us the rights , privileges and freedom we enjoy today .

Jerry Allhands 22:07

Let's talk a little bit about what's coming up in the future . I mean , I know that you've got the event the poppies and

Flag Etiquette and Memorial Traditions

Jerry Allhands 22:13

pancakes . Is there anything else coming up for you ?

Tina Bugg 22:17

Well , we may have something before this , but one of the other things that's really touching to me and we have participated in it for probably 25 or 30 years is the placing of the flags at the National Cemetery . My daughter served as a gold award winner for the Girl Scouts , so I've been doing that long before I joined the A , but to me that's another way that's very simple to remember those that we've lost .

Jerry Allhands 22:44

And what is it that you do again ?

Tina Bugg 22:46

We place an American flag on the graves at the National Cemetery and there's about 6,000 . But it doesn't take that long . 9,000? , 8,000 ? There's a lot . How about that ? So it takes a lot of people to put that on , but that's a very special event and it's to say it's pretty . But it is pretty once it's all completed .

Jerry Allhands 23:15

And the auxiliary does that and you have other organizations to come out .

Tina Bugg 23:18

We have other organizations , like I said , the Girl Scouts , boy Scouts , the community . This past year there was an older lady there with her granddaughter and she just wanted her to show respect for family members .

Jerry Allhands 23:32

And when does that take place ?

Tina Bugg 23:33

Saturday , the weekend before Memorial Day Hard work , work , work .

Wreaths Across America 23:39

Hard work , work . There we go .

Jerry Allhands 23:40

Let's get some claps going . Let's pause for a moment to hear from some of the people who have helped to make this episode possible with their financial support .

Nora Moreland 23:47

Hello , my name is Nora Moreland . I am a proud US Marine , the granddaughter of a World War II US Navy veteran , a Delbert Shea , who served in the Pacific Theater , the wife of a combat corpsman and the mother of an active duty Marine . I would humbly ask you to sponsor the Veterans Sound Off podcast . Each episode tells the stories of what we in the American Legion do locally and around the world .

Jerry Allhands 24:15

Thank you , Today's episode would not have been possible without the support of Dean and Judy Graves . Dean believed in and supported this program , but unfortunately passed away before hearing a completed episode . We thank them both for their support .

Tina Bugg 24:28

Hi , this is Judy Graves of Mount Vernon , Missouri , inviting you to listen to the next episode of the Veteran Sound Off podcast .

Jerry Allhands 24:41

A very special thank you to Laura Allhands , whose support and constant encouragement makes this podcast possible .

988 24:48

When a person calls 988 , they're connected to a crisis counselor . Crisis is completely self-defined . If you're wondering if you should call , you should probably call . A caller can expect to talk about coping skills , talk about resources and ways to move forward beyond the call . They can call us , they can chat , they can text and when they come out on the other side they're feeling better .

Wreaths Across America 25:14

Call or text 988 or chat 988lifelineorg .

Jerry Allhands 25:18

If you are enjoying this podcast , please consider becoming a sponsor , just as these folks did . Simply call us today at 662-902-6658 and we'll give you all the details . Thanks a lot , and now back to the episode of the Veterans Sound Off Podcast . Pam , let's talk a little bit about training . What does your unit do to improve itself as an American Legion Auxiliary Unit ?

Cindy Rhodes 25:53

What does your unit do to improve itself as an American Legion Auxiliary Unit ? Well , recently , several of us went to Nashville and attended mission training with National President Trish Ward and really just different leadership workshops across the state . We go to our area conferences , there's training there for us , and then all of the information , a plethora of information , on alaforveteransorg .

Jerry Allhands 26:27

Give me an example of some training .

Pam McCarver 26:30

Well , some of the conferences we've went to , they've talked to us about how to do our reports , things like that They've talked to us about yeah , teaching about the financials , teaching you know really giving us training on how to recruit members .

Cindy Rhodes 26:54

You know , really giving us training on how to recruit members , ideas for membership . Membership is key to growing the organization and supporting our veterans , so it's something we focus on every year heavily . But all kinds of leadership training , practical training for how we run our meetings , constitution and bylaws training , let's talk about membership for a moment .

Jerry Allhands 27:20

How many members does this unit have ?

Cindy Rhodes 27:29

This unit has today 46 members , and what are you doing to recruit new members ? We're going to be having a membership drive come up on March 15th here at our post and it's also going to be a leadership training workshop for , as Cindy mentioned , reporting , because there's reports you've got to do every year . We've had membership drives over at the Green Market Tina mentioned the Green Market before we put up a table , talk to people in the community about the American Legion , the American Legion Auxiliary , and really we talk about the whole family because there's opportunities to sign up members across the family , not just with the American Legion Auxiliary .

Jerry Allhands 28:09

You said Green Market . Do you know the address for that ?

Tina Bugg 28:13

It's downtown Fillmore Street in our SoCo district .

Jerry Allhands 28:19

Okay , that means absolutely nothing to me .

Tina Bugg 28:21

It's part of our care garden . It's where our Corinth Depot is located , and they set up in the green space .

Cindy Rhodes 28:30

Okay , fillmore .

Jerry Allhands 28:31

Street , fillmore Street Right . Is there a cross street , something that we're going to look for ? If you say green market , can we pull this up on the Internet ? I believe .

Tina Bugg 28:39

so yes , you can do that , or you can go to the Carth website and it will be located on that as one of the events . But if you're familiar with the SoCo District , it's right downtown .

Jerry Allhands 28:53

Okay , and the date on that do we know ?

Tina Bugg 28:56

It varies . They have several during the year .

Jerry Allhands 28:59

Okay , the membership recruitment I guess that's going to be done here at the Post is going to be .

Membership and Training

Jerry Allhands 29:05

What day did you say ?

Cindy Rhodes 29:06

March , the 15th , from 9 to noon , all right .

Jerry Allhands 29:08

What day of the week is that ? It's a Saturday Right . What day of the week is ? That it's a Saturday and a person , male or female , who wants to join the American Legion Auxiliary if they come to this unit , to this post what do they need to bring with them to join the auxiliary ?

Cindy Rhodes 29:29

They need to know how they're connected to a service member , because they're going to fill out an application and they need to list that information on there . The information will be validated by our post-adjutant and then they have to pay their dues , which is $40 . Say that again $40 for the year .

Jerry Allhands 29:48

Your voice trailed off . Sorry , that's all right . Your voice trailed off , sorry , that's all right To prove membership . I mean to join the auxiliary unit here . Does their spouse , if they're living , do they have to be a member of this post , this unit ? What's required ?

Cindy Rhodes 30:03

Yes , if they're living they have to be a post six member to join the auxiliary here , and I believe if they're not living it's two degrees your spouse , your daughter , your granddaughter , and you fill it out , sorry .

Jerry Allhands 30:26

I thought you were going to go two degrees of Kevin Bacon , no , so they could be the father , the mother , grandfather , grandmother who served .

Cindy Rhodes 30:34

Sister brother .

Jerry Allhands 30:36

Yeah , sister brother . Okay , wasn't aware of that part . So if they served that sister brother , child grandchild could join the auxiliary .

Cindy Rhodes 30:47

Yes .

Jerry Allhands 30:47

Okay , if the service member is still alive and they don't want to join the American Legion , can that person join the auxiliary ?

Wreaths Across America 31:02

No , no , no .

Jerry Allhands 31:04

So we need to pay their dues and get them in so we can join the auxiliary right .

Cindy Rhodes 31:08

That's right , we need a new member .

Jerry Allhands 31:11

What kind of paperwork do you need , uh from the unit adjutant to be able , or unit secretary to be able , to prove to you that , uh , that person's of that ?

Cindy Rhodes 31:23

they review the application and sign it for us um . I'm not sure what the extent of the validation is honor system .

Jerry Allhands 31:33

Uh , I don't know ? Okay , I don't know , truthfully , well , come on down and join the american legion auxiliary yes , please do and again your location .

Cindy Rhodes 31:42

Here is what 511 south tate street in corinth , mississippi she did what I was going to ask .

Jerry Allhands 31:50

Miss it . What's that zip code again ?

Cindy Rhodes 31:52

388-34 .

Jerry Allhands 31:54

And if somebody wants to call ahead of time to see what's going on , who do they call and what's that number ?

Pam McCarver 32:02

Cindy Rhodes , it's 815-955-6396 or Carlene Parker .

Jerry Allhands 32:14

And her number is 662-415-6743 . Cindy talking about service , let's talk a little bit about Girls State . Do you all support , do you send girls to Girls State ?

Pam McCarver 32:29

Yes , Nora handles that mostly . State . Yes , Nora handles that mostly . We send the girls to Girls State or we sponsor them and try to .

Jerry Allhands 32:41

And yes , we are involved with that . Pam , what do you look for in a girl to go to Girls State ?

Cindy Rhodes 32:44

I believe you have to be a junior in high school , going into your senior year and going into your senior year

Girls State and Final Thoughts

Cindy Rhodes 32:57

and really you know Girl State is to teach them about leadership , about government and you know maturity is important and a willingness to learn , I think , is important for those girls .

Jerry Allhands 33:12

How do you get the girls ? Are they submitted to you by the schools , by their parents , by somebody ?

Cindy Rhodes 33:17

Girl state . Notifications go out to the high schools across the state and counselors can work with their students to sign up . If they need financial support , the girl state committee will pair them up with units in their area that are able to support the cost to go .

Jerry Allhands 33:42

And speaking of that Girl State is June 8th through the 13th . For more information on that , go to wwwalamississippigirlstatecom . Both programs are happening right here in Oxford on the campus of Ole Miss . Anything else that you want to add for the auxiliary coming up or anything that you feel like we need to cover we haven't talked about .

Tina Bugg 34:07

Just to say you know this is . It is fun , as you can see today . It's a good organization to join because , being some of the newer people coming in , I've only been doing this for three or four years and it is like joining the family . So just walked in and was made welcome .

Jerry Allhands 34:28

That's very important . Speaking of being welcome , what do you do to a new person who comes in ? I mean , do they instantly have to start washing dishes and mopping the floor ?

Tina Bugg 34:38

I was just welcomed with open arms and ready to go to work . So there you go .

Jerry Allhands 34:42

Tina , if you would please give us a closing prayer .

Tina Bugg 34:45

Dear Gracious Heavenly Father , as we leave this place , please keep us safe in return and stay focused on our mission , dear Lord , and we just thank you for each and every day and this family that we're a part of . Just let us grow closer and closer every day , amen .

Cindy Rhodes 35:00

Amen .

Nora Moreland 35:01

Hard work , work . Let's get it going . Let's go Hard work , work .

Jerry Allhands 35:05

And that was our visit with Unit 6 of the Perry A Johns American Legion Auxiliary in Corneth . Be sure to join us next Monday as we sit down with the Sons of the American Legion Reggie Leos , Commander of the SAL Squadron 6 , who is joined by dual member Terry Phillips , and Jim Horton , also a dual member of the American Legion , and the Sons of the American Legion . A very special thank you to Jonathan Michael Fleming for his musical talents . You can find his CDs and videos on Spotify , Amazon Music and YouTube . We hope you've enjoyed this episode and look forward to your feedback and ask that you subscribe to and share the Veterans Sound Off podcast with your friends and family . If you have a comment , suggestion or questions or you would like to become a supporter of this podcast , please send an email to jdallhands at outlookcom that's jdallhands at outlookcom , or by calling 662-902-6658 . And we'll get back to you as soon as possible . This has been a production of All Hands Media LLC , with offices in Renalara , Mississippi . All rights reserved .