Post Officer Candidacy Report

I am David Cockerel.  I am running for the position of Commander of William Clinton Story Post No. 342 on Wednesday, 20 June 2018 at the Post Election meeting at the Freeport Memorial Library at 7:00 pm.  
                     I have served as First Vice Commander for the last two years and as Second Vice Commander under Past Commander Paul Nehrich and on the Membership Committee under Past Commander Robert Pachas.  

I have broken time as a member of the American Legion, in 2005 I served as an Instructor at Boys State.

I have actively recruited, processed and administered the membership duties of this Post.  I have also served on many subcommittees and produced administration for the purpose of receiving grants and the proper oversight of Legion assets by direction.  

I have also supported the Commander and other Vice Commanders in the execution of their duties.  I am also a Graduate of the American Legion Extension Institute having been acknowledged and certified by the National Commander Denise Rohan.

It is my assessment that the Post has strayed from the Four Pillars of the American Legion, that is Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism also Children and Youth.  The Post needs to get back to the things that have made us a hallmark of leadership in the Village of Freeport and again ground ourselves as American Legionnaires.

American Legion Positions Held

1^st Vice Commander 2013, 2015-2018

2^nd Vice Commander 2011-2013

Membership Committee Member 2005

Boys State Instructor 2005

Duties and Obligations

Created, organized, designed, maintain, edit and distribute Online, Paper and Social Media. Created a website for the William Clinton Story Post along with a Facebook page with affiliations to multiple civic groups.  Created “GoFundMe” page to receive donated funds. Currently maintaining sites by screening, editing and adding content under American Legion guidelines.  Created videos distributed on YouTube also video and photo editing for all Post events to include Veterans and Memorial Day.

First Vice Commander Duties

Membership Committee Chairman effecting the following actions: 1) Set objectives for Membership (recruitment of new members), contacted old and new members during membership campaign, setup publicity for membership using social media.  Work with Treasurer, other Vice Commanders and Committee Chairman to effect membership administration. 

                   2) I setup and published administration for Grants with Civic and Local Government administrations.  As a Building Committee Member published Scope Of Operations manual for distribution to State Senate, used by other Vice Commanders for Building Committee administration.

Ceremonial Duties

Veterans Committee Chairman 2014 and 2016.  Coordinated, organized and staged Veterans Day Observation also published program selecting and editing photographs, doing video editing for video presentations and coordinating with caterer for refreshments and beverages.

          Memorial Day Committee Chairman 2016, Village Of Freeport Memorial Day Parade. Organized, advised, coordinated and executed a parade and Memorial Day Observance involving over 50 religious and civic organizations not including the Police Department, Fire Department and Sheriff's Department.

          Pearl Harbor Day Memorial Committee Chairman 2017.  Coordinated, organized, setup and staged Pearl Harbor Day Observance arranging for video with Newsday, photo and video editing and multimedia presentation for Gerald Barbosa with the Freeport Memorial Library. Also overseen publishing of event with the Freeport Leader.

Military Background

Sergeant, USMC.  Military Police Supervisor attended United States Army Military Police Academy, Ft. McClellan, Alabama and United States Air Force Security Police Supervisors Course, Lackland AFB, Lackland, Texas.

Member of ARMVAL ( a Joint Operational Test and Evaluation of Advanced Anti-Armor Vehicles from May 1981 – December 1981) A Joint Test Directorate with both Marine Corps and Army Staff members has been established at MCDEC, Quantico, Va., that did plan and execute  an instrumented series of small-unit battles at Ft. Hunter-Liggett outside Jolon, CA. Utilizing FMFPac personnel and equipment, a number of specially designed vehicles and a 1986 tactical scenario, the test was conducted during the summer of 1981. This Task Force did create and test the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank.  Served as a Military Police Watch Supervisor with the 1st FSSG at Camp Pendelton, Camp Hansen (Kin Kin Cho), Japan and Operation Bear Hunt in Korea.   Received a Commendation from the Secretary Of The Navy along with Naval Commendation Medal.

American Legion Extension Institute

Graduate of the American Legion Extension Institute in October 2017 certificate awarded by National Commander Denise Rohan.

10th Annual Pre-Memorial Day Remembrance Service

Freeport 2018 Memorial Day Parade Meeting

There will be a meeting on Wednesday, April 25^th @ 7:00 pm., at the Freeport Memorial Library to start registration of Parade Participants, Organizations and Vehicles but also the details and logistics that go with the planning and execution of the Parade such as Marching Orders, Music, Banners, Floats etc.              Please attend!  

Dugout - April 2018

Dugout - March 2018

Dugout-March 2018
The Post needs you Legionnaires and fellow citizens to rally for Memorial Day.  Contact Ed Dukich and Ed Martin Jr. at eddiemartin212@gmail.com.

Announcements on Memorial Day Parade Meetings are forthcoming.  Please pay attention to this website and our facebook page for notification.  Correction:  Ed Dukich is Chairman of the Parade Committee for the Village of Freeport Memorial Day Parade.   Ed Martin Jr. is  Senior Committee Member not Co-Chair.

Sen. Young speaks to The American Legion

Enjoy the Video

Vet2Vet Christmas Party

A Thank You To Freeport

William Clinton Story Post No. 342
American Legion
Freeport, New York

Dugout / USNA STS Port Visit

August in Freeport

Offshore Sail Training Squadron

Update:  OSTS Squadron 3A is scheduled to arrive at the Esplanade dock at the Woodcleft Canal at 2:00 pm, August 7, 2015.   Check this site and this page for any changes.

Why The Legion Matters

Why The Legionnaire Matters

Legionnaire David N. Cockerel with Sgt. Chavez and John Marceda

John Marceda is founder and proprietor of ‘T.J. Patrick’s’ a Sports Pub at 1762 Broadway in Hewlett, New York.  John has made his establishment available to Veterans Groups, to the Police for Law Enforcement functions and Motorcycle Clubs.

Some good folks along with a Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club went on a toy drive being motivated by the ‘esprit de corps’ of Marine Corps functions held at T.J. Patrick’s.

 

The Police Officer’s who had volunteered to take the toys to the Marines are grieving.  With the assassination of our brothers in blue, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu the Police Officers could not be available to get the toys to the Marines for Christmas.

John called the one Lebanon & Grenada era Marine he knew for help.  That Marine (David Cockerel, yours truly) contacted his lean green highly motivated Marine brethren.  

A few days earlier on December 17^th 2014, David Cockerel spoke with the executive Officer of Marine Corps District One, Lt. Col. Maxx Godsey at the Freeport High School NJROTC inspection, who mentioned Toys for Tots.

Sgt. Chavez, assigned to Administration at MCD One said, “Dave, have the toys ready to go at 13:00 hrs (Monday).  Marines received so many last minute calls Sgt. Chavez didn’t get to T.J. Patricks until 15:30 hrs.  Sgt Chavez gladly received the ‘Toys for Tots’ on behalf of Marine Corps District One.

John Marceda said, “If it weren’t for you Legionnaires and VFW guys we wouldn’t have been able to get this done in time…thank God for the Marines.”

I asked Commander Richardson to represent the Post when the Marines came for the toys.  The Commander consented.

I encourage Legionnaires all to support the community and ‘stand in the gap’ when a need arises.

Go to http://toysfortots.org/default.aspx there is still time to donate.

Merry Christmas 

Stealing the Armory / Intrigue, Duplicity and Quid Pro Quo

Political Quid Pro Quo and the Unrepresented….. Another grab for the  Freeport Armory.

When Governor Cuomo vetoed the last Armory Bill (AB 508 now re-labeled A8821A) it was pretty clear that there was enough outrage and lack of common sense regarding selling the Armory to a Not –for-Profit Organization at the expense of the Freeport Community having a logistical post for the Department of Public Works was at best, unproductive and at worst misappropriation of Government Property. 

Most Citizens figured that this would be resolved for the benefit of the community like it was in Rome, NY, those Citizens got their Armory.

But the answer that the Citizens of Freeport received was resounding silence as Bill A8821A sailed through the Assembly and the Senate.  Earlene Hooper promised County Supervisor Ed Mangano to sponsor a bill to give state approval for the county executive's plan to change Nassau’s property-tax reimbursement system. 

Mangano, along with Senator Dean Skelos (9^th Senate District) backed the transfer of the Armory to the Cedarmore Corp., a nonprofit that shares space with Zion Cathedral Church of God in Christ, across the street from the former National Guard facility for $1.  And Skelos had a quiet (unpublicized) meeting with the Governor about two weeks ago (second week of July).  The Governor wants to solidify his voting block and Senator Skelos wants benefits for his voting district.

Is a promise for the Governor’s support the price Skelos got for betraying the Citizens of Freeport?   Below is a letter that was approved by American Legion Post 342 with absolute unanimity.    Please read this letter and support the Mayor of Freeport, the Citizens of Freeport and the American Legion in opposing this second attempt at stealing this Armory.

We ask you, Legionnaires, Veterans, Community Groups and Citizens all to get behind this letter to Governor Cuomo again asking to Veto this Bill!   Please put your name in the 'comments' section so we can again send this to the Governor.  Assemblywoman Hooper is supposed to represent the best interest of all the Citizens in her District, not just a few.

Thank You For Your Support!

May Dugout 2013

Attention!  

Attention!

Parade Photos of Past Freeport Memorial Day Parades Requested. 

Please e-mail photos or contact the Post at 

wcspost342@gmail.com

Thank You!

Dugout Newsletter - April 2013

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          D.N. Cockerel, by direction

Freeport Memorial Day Parade Planning Commitee

Freeport Memorial Day Parade

Committee Announcement 

               Ed Martin, Jr.   Chairman

       Paul Nehrich, Commander

       

      If you have any questions or

      concerns regarding parade

      planning send it to

      dnc@dncorps.net

      Thank You For Your Support

      

Pearl Harbor Remembrance and Veterans Day Observance

Pearl Harbor Remembrance & Veterans Day Observance Ceremony

In the Freeport Memorial Library on December 7, 2012 the American Legion hosted a celebration recognizing Past Commanders of the American Legion and Senior Legion Members who served and continues to serve the Legion and the Freeport Community.

Ken Belefiore, Library Director was Master of Ceremonies and informed us that the Freeport Memorial Library was the first such Library dedicated to Veterans of War in the State of New York.  Although Mayor Hardwick could not attend Trustees Kennedy and Pineyro were in attendance.

The guest speaker, the Honorable Stephen Drummond, Freeport Village Justice along with the Village Trustees did the presentation of the Village Citations to the honorees.   Carolyn Harding did soul stirring renditions of the National Anthem, a Patriotic Medley that included Amazing Grace and God Bless America which those assembled all joined in.

Unfortunately, Gerard Barbosa, Pearl Harbor Survivor who served in the U.S. Navy could not attend due to suffering a heart attack just a few days before the ceremony.  Judge Drummond gave a heart touching reflection of what Pearl Harbor meant in light of the Hurricane Sandy disaster and what seeing the American Flag meant to him after the storm.

We again thank Reverend Carlos Vargas of the Freeport Bible Center for his attendance and Invocation, also Reverend Phillip Prestamo of the First Baptist Church for giving us the Benediction.  It was a wonderful ceremony with much applause for the Legionnaires among us who have proved to be not only the backbone of the Post but backbones of the Freeport Community.

Below is the Program for the Event

For God and Country

David N. Cockerel, 2^nd Vice Commander, Post 342

Announcement Regarding Veterans Day Services

             Postscript:  This announcement has been made in

                             response to Hurricane Sandy and the

                             Nor'easter.