2023 April Newsletter

American Legion Lt. B. R. Kimlau Chinese Memorial Post 1291, Inc.

Legion Year 22 – 23 Newsletter No. 4

紐約華裔美國退伍軍人會會務簡訊

April, 2023

Dear Legionnaires 親愛的會友：

We want to thank our members and their families for joining us at the lunar New Year Eve celebration at House of Joy Restaurant. We hope the year of the Rabbit brings everyone good health and prosperity. With the COVID-19 pandemic gradually subsiding, our Post has resumed normal operations with events enjoyed by large Legion family members. There were nearly 400 Legion family members in attendance at our Lunar New Year dinner celebration and all appreciated the festive gathering. It was a very joyous occasion to have an opportunity to meet with our members after a long pause due to the pandemic.

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Commander’s Message:

As I conclude my second term as Commander of the LT B.R. Kimlau Chinese Memorial Post 1291, I wish to express my gratitude to our leaders and members who have done so much to reinvigorate the activities and prestige of our Post as an example to the community in the wake of the pandemic.

During my term in office, the designation of the Kimlau Memorial Arch as a New York City Landmark has given lasting recognition of our Post as a symbol of the Chinese American community and its place in the history of our great city.

As an approved project of the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the area immediately surrounding the monument will be restored and beautified underscoring the respect and dignity, which it so richly deserves.

Memorial Day is rapidly approaching and gives us a further opportunity to demonstrate our patriotism and dedication to our nation, state, city, and community.  Let us make our best efforts to march proudly to Kimlau Square in the company of our American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion to pay tribute to our fallen comrades from all of the nation’s wars and conflicts.

As we move forward towards full programming at our Post, it is essential that we continue to enroll our members in the American Legion College to assure the preparedness of future leaders.  Indeed, we have seen our members elevated to high office at the County, District, Department, and National level.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, we have witnessed change in the Chinatown community as businesses and residents have struggled to recover.  Several of our members have been elected as leaders of prominent family name and regional associations and it is a positive reflection on our Post that we are in the forefront of the way forward.

It has been a privilege to serve all of you.  God Bless America!

By Commander Hon. Randall Eng

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Over the last few years, our Post has been alarmed by the low attendance at the annual Post picnic. In hopes of boosting the membership participation we have renamed the Post Picnic Committee to the Post Summer Outing Committee in the January membership meeting and empowered the committee to think outside the box to come up with fun events that will increase participation. The Post Summer Outing Committee has met and done extensive research and is recommending a 7-day, 6-night cruise beginning on September 18, 2023 from New York to Bermuda. The Summer Outing Committee also recommended the Post subsidize Legion, Auxiliary and SAL members $200 per stateroom. Members interested must register with the Post Chinese Secretary during office hours (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, every day except Tuesday) from April 24, 2023 to May 7, 2023. The Post will set a maximum limit on staterooms available due to budget constraints for the event. It will be first come, first served, with no exceptions. Legion, Auxiliary and SAL members must show their 2023 membership card and a copy of their current United States Passport at registration. It is optional to provide credit card information at registration but you must pay Five Star Travel, Inc. within three days of registration. Your registration becomes invalid if you fail to provide payment information at registration or remit to Five Star Travel, Inc. in a timely manner. Prices of staterooms may increase as the travel agency or the cruise company determines it. The cruise company also determines all cancellation policies applied. Please see attached Five Star Travel flyers for additional details.

The 1st District, which encompasses the Bronx County and Manhattan County, was proud to receive the New York Department Membership Award for achieving 100 percent membership and finished first among the 10 Districts in New York during last year’s 104^th Department Convention held in Binghamton. It is a far cry in comparison to past years, as the 1^st District has always been at the bottom of the rankings in the Department of New York. We want to thank all those involved in the membership drive for a very successful year. With the Legion year ending in a couple of months, it is important that we put in the maximum effort as we did last year to ensure we reach out to those members who have not yet been renewed. According to the latest New York Department membership report, the 1^st District is back in a familiar place as we are currently at 9^th place. New York County is not much better and also ranks at the bottom of 63 counties. As for our Post, we are slightly better and are currently at 86 percent but we need to work harder to achieve the 100 percent goal. The American Legion is the largest veterans’ organization and has the most influential voice in advocating veterans’ issues and benefits on Capitol Hill. It has recorded consistent accomplishments for veterans and their families since 1919. We should also remember, “it is not the price you pay to belong, but the price you paid to be eligible to belong.”  Most importantly, the biggest intangible benefit of being a member is the lifelong friendships that are created.  That being said, we would like to remind our members once again to remit membership dues to the Post in a timely manner.

As we have done in the last few years, we would like to once again remind our members to step forward to serve. We understand that most of you are either busy with school, building your careers or spending valuable time with family, but if you have the time and would like to get involved, we are here to guide you along. Just let us know that you can help. Or at the very least, come join the post’s activities and support our programs.

We are delighted to hand out over 20 scholarship awards in December to recognize the deserving students’ hard work in achieving academic success. Please note that in order to make it easier for students to arrange for transcripts to be sent to us while they are still in school the post has revised the scholarship application period.  The scholarship application submission period will now be from January 1^st to August 31^st.

本會非常感謝各位會員及眷屬參加本年度在喜運來酒樓舉行的團年晚宴，祝各位兔年快樂，身體健康。由於新冠疫情由嚴峻到現在巳明顯地逐漸緩和，今年團年晚宴近四百會員及家屬參加，場面熱鬧，喜氣洋洋，大家歡聚一堂慶祝農曆新年。

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主席報告

在我當任紐約華裔美國退伍軍人會兩屆即將期滿之際，我衷心的感謝本會各職員及會員鼎力協助在疫情持續中互相合作，這不但使本會會務暫暫回復正常，而且使本會一切運作成為社區對在疫情回復處理一個良好的榜樣。

在我任內本會的劉錦忠烈坊獲得紐約市政府選定成為第一個以華人為旨的建築紐約市地標，這座以紀念華裔退伍軍人在美國的貢獻及犧牲而建的劉錦忠烈坊受到公認為紐約市歷史上的重要地位。

美化劉錦廣場及重建或維修劉錦忠烈坊是在紐約州政府通過的下城復興計劃中據首的項目，這足以證明劉錦廣場及劉錦忠烈坊在紐約市得到其擁有尊重。

國殤紀念日很快來臨，這是一個良好的機會表揚我們退伍軍人對國家的忠誠，而且亦是我們紀念向國犧牲的同袍致嵩高的致敬，希望本會會員，婦女會及子弟部盡可能參加本會在國殤紀念日舉辦的遊行以表敬意。

我們可以目睹華埠在疫情發生後的各行各業都處在經濟衰退，困難重重中，幸好現在已漸漸恢復正常。在這段時間內本會幾位會員獲選為華埠各宗親會主席，這可見本會會員不但忠誠服務本會，而對服務僑社亦儘力而為。

我感到非常榮幸為大家服務，天保佑美國。

主席伍元天啟。

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在過去幾年內本會發覺會員參加每年舉辦郊遊的會員人數遊越來越少，似乎會員對一年一度的郊遊已不感興趣，為了提高會員的參與本會夏季活動，本會在今年一月份舉行的會員大會通過將郊遊委員會改為夏季活動委員會，並同時授權夏季活動委員會以特殊思考提供一些能增加會員參與的活動。經夏季活動委員會廣泛及深入的研究，建議本會組織為期七天六晚郵輪之旅，在本年九月十八日起程從紐約出發前往百慕達。夏季活動委員會並建議本會津貼軍人會，婦女會及子弟部會員每間客艙二百元，會員必須在本年四月二十四日至五月七日前每日下午二時至四時（星期二除外）辦公時間前來向本會中文書記登記，因限於夏季活動預算有限，先到先得，憑二零二三年會員証註冊，絕不例外。註冊時需交美國護照複印本一份，你可以選擇在註冊時提供信用卡資料或你必須在註冊三日內直接向精華旅遊公司提供信用卡或付款，如你不在三天內向精華旅遊公司繳交款項，你的註冊失效及被本會取消。客艙價格可能上漲，不論任何原因取消預定客艙，具體政策由旅行社及郵輪公司決定。詳細行程，請參閱附件。

紐約州退伍軍人會第一區是包含布朗士及曼克頓兩個縣，去年在上州賓漢頓舉行的一 百零四屆紐約州總會年會中，第一區非常榮幸獲得會員持續率超出百分以上的冠軍獎，在紐約州十區中棑名第一，這比往年第一區退伍軍人會棑名墊底習慣有天壤之別，我們要感謝所有第一區努力提高會員率的會員。但在高興之餘，我們更需努力去達到去年的成績，如你知道那一位會員尚未繳交本年會費請通知他們儘快繳交。至目前為止，本年第一區會員率棑名又回到了往年熟悉棑名第九的地方，曼克頓縣也好不了什麼，也是在紐約州六十三個縣後棑，而本會則稍微好一點，目前會員率是百分之八十六。希望各會員繼續努力在短暫的兩個月計算結束時達到百分一百。會員們應該去理解你為何要成為美國退伍軍人會會員，美國退伍軍人會是美國最大的退伍軍人組織，亦是在國會最受尊重及最富影響力的退伍軍人團體，自一九一九年設立到現在不停的為退伍軍人及其家屬謀取福利。我們應該感到榮幸有資格成為退伍軍人會會員，這是因為你曾付出重大的代價。我們想再次提醒大家，請及時將會費寄到本會。

過去幾年本會都趁著這個機會提醒各位會員，本會極需年輕一輩的會員出任職員為會服務。無論任何一個機構或團體能擁有持久的存在，必須不斷地有一些熱心的會員為會服務。本會亦嘹解到年輕的會員經常忙於求學，工作繁忙或是為了養兒育女而忙碌。但如果你能抽空為本會服務，我們一定歡迎你及指導你。如果你沒有時間為本會服務，但也希望你能參加本會各種活動。

我們很高興在去年十二月頒發了二十多項獎學金，以表彰那些為取得學業成功而付出努力的優秀學生。本會為了方便學生申請獎學金，特別修改接受申請獎學金期間改為由一月一日開始至八月三十一日截止。學生可利用仍在上課時間向學校要求將成績表寄到本會，以避免在放假後再向學校索取的煩惱。

1. Post Activities 會務

The following motion was approved during the January 29, 2023 General Meeting:

本年一月二十九日第三次會員大會通過下列議案:

1. Approved the appointment of Chinese Secretary David Lam and Past Commander Mimi Wang to co-chair the annual Summer Outing Committee.

通過委派林善群中文書記及前任主席王咪咪為本年度夏季活動委員會負責人。

2. News/Announcement 其他消息

1. The 2023 Memorial Day Parade/Ceremony will be held on Monday, May 29, 2023.  All members are encourage to participate and should sign-up prior to 12:30 pm that day and be ready to assemble at the corner of Mott Street and Canal Street for march-off on or about 1:00 pm.  Lunch will be served at the House of Joy Restaurant, 28 Pell Street at 2:00 PM. Standard uniform required (Jacket and tie, Legion cap, shoes, no sneaker) to receive the $10 transportation reimbursement.

本年度國殤日遊行，定於五月二十九日星期一中午在華埠舉行，參加會員請於該日十二時三十分前到本會書記處登記，一時在勿街夾堅尼路集合出發忠烈坊，禮成後於下午二時在華埠披露街“喜運來大酒樓” 午餐。參加遊行者必須記得衣服整齊（穿套裝，結領帶，著皮鞋，戴軍帽）才能領取十元車馬費。

1. The Legion Year 2023-2024 Post Installation ceremony and banquet will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023.  Installation of officers is scheduled for 4 pm at the Post Chairman Peter Woo Auditorium; follow immediately by the annual banquet at House of Joy Restaurant at 6 pm.

As you all aware that our installation banquet usually attended by close to one thousand invited guests and member family. Due to no restaurant in Chinatown as in the past with large capacity for more than 400 peoples, the installation banquet for this year will be help in two separated days. The banquet on Saturday, June 3^rd will be for invited guests and the banquet on Sunday, June 4^th will be for Legion, Auxiliary, SAL members, family and friends. 

Anyone who wishes to attend the banquet must register with the Chinese Secretary from Monday May 1, 2023 to Sunday, May 14, 2023 (2 – 4 pm daily, except Tuesday).  First come first served, with no exceptions.  Eligibility and cost for the banquet are as follow –

• Members with 2023 membership card and who had made a donation of $15.00 or more – one complimentary

• Companion ticket $15.00 each – limited to one per eligible member, no exceptions.

• Members of the Lt. Kimlau American Auxiliary Unit or the Lt. Kimlau Sons of American Legion Squadron are invited to join this banquet if they are not otherwise qualified. Cost is $15.00 per ticket and maximum 2 tickets each.  Please bring your 2023 Auxiliary or SAL membership card.

• Additional tickets can be purchased beginning May 8, 2023 for $35.00. Maximum of 8 additional tickets per member.

本會二三至二四年職員就職及宴會定於二零二三年六月三日舉行。職員就職典禮定下午四時在本會伍覺良董事長禮堂舉行，宴會定下午六時假華埠喜運來大酒樓舉行。

眾所周知，我們的就職宴會通常有近千名受邀嘉賓和會員家屬參加。 由於華埠沒有像過去那樣大的餐廳，而且餐廳的座位有限，所以今年的就職宴會將在兩天內進行。六月三日星期六的宴會將限受邀嘉賓參加，六月四日星期日的宴會將為會員、家人和朋友舉辦晚宴。

歡迎本會會員及眷屬踴躍參加。宴會餐券請於下列時間（二零二三年五月一日（星期一）至二零二三年五月一四日（星期日），每日下午二時至四時，星期二除外）向本會中文書記處報名，領取職員就職宴會餐券，先到先得，賣完為止。報名辦法如下﹕

一）凡憑二零二三年會員證報名及已奉本會年儀十五元以上者，免費餐券一張。

二）凡憑二零二三年會員證報名者，可另購買伴侶券一張，每張十五元。

三）凡已經參加本會婦女會及軍人子弟部者，如欲參加本會職員就職宴會，但又不適合上述二項報名辦法者，亦可購買餐券，每張十五元，每人以兩張為限。請憑二零二三年會員證報名。

四）會員如欲購買超過二張餐券者，可於五月八日後到會購買，每張三十五元，最多不能超過八張。

3. Taps 仙逝會員

We are sad to report the following legionnaires have passed on to the Commander of us all post everlasting.

May Our Comrades Rest In Peace!

4. New/Transfer Members 新入會會員

There were seven new members approved by the last General meeting

二零二二至二三年第三次會員大會通過接納下列七位新入會會員：

Please join us to welcome the above new members.  Hope to see all of you in future functions.

我們歡迎上述新會友加入我們的行列，更希望他們多參加本會各項活動。

We hope the above information will be of interest to you and we hope to hear from you soon.  Let us know what we can do for you. Until we meet again, stay well!

我們希望這份簡訊，對你有所幫助，更希望在不久的將來，能得到你參與本會各種活動的回應。假如我們有任何可以為你服務之處，務請隨時提出意見。

THE STAFF   本會行政小組

Randall Eng伍元天

Sean Tse謝國寶, Kenneth Wong黃建中, Thomas Ong鄧燦業

Gabe B. Mui 梅本立, Mark Eng伍顯宗

David Lam 林善群, Howard Chin 陳煥寧