VFW receives national service award

Imperial VFW Post 4688 Commander Bud Statz and Quartermaster Eric Gonzalez aren’t sure how many volunteer hours the Imperial post and auxiliary put in.
But others have noticed.
To keep its non-profit status, the post and auxiliary compile their volunteer hours to send to VFW Nebraska.
Parades, funerals, Veteran’s Day programs at schools and the manor, Memorial Day services, plus fire department and EMS service, are included in the total.
    This year, the hard work by the Imperial post’s 78 members was rewarded at the 123rd VFW National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri in late July with Nebraska’s 2021-2022 National Outstanding Community Service Award.
Nebraska State Commander Jeff Baker said Imperial has a great post.
Baker said it can be a struggle for many VFW posts because vets don’t always return home.
“It’s good to see Imperial with great leadership and support from the auxiliary. They make a great team,” Baker said.
In June, Statz and Gonzalez were awarded White Hats as an All-State Commander and Quartermaster for the second year in a row. Out of around 120 posts in Nebraska, Statz said only 10 posts are awarded White Hats.
Baker specifically mentioned the work that went into the Chase County Veterans Memorial.
Maintenance of the memorial is high on the priority project list of the post.
Gonzalez also said the post would like encourage attendance at its monthly meetings and get more people involved.
The post and auxiliary also support projects like the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen essay contests at the school.
Statz and Gonzalez said the post is thankful for the support of the school and teachers with Voice of Democracy, Patriot’s Pen and the Veteran’s Day program. Statz said it’s not uncommon for students to recognize him from the programs and say thank you.
“We serve a community, but the community serves veterans in a lot of ways. We’re thankful for that support,” Gonzalez said.