Dec 20, 2013 By Bob Huey 3 min read

For the record, AMVETS Post 103 in Hopwood would like to clarify its position regarding the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located on post property.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was indeed funded and erected by the Vietnam Veterans of Fayette County. AMVETS Post 103 agreed to lease the property where the memorial is located to the Vietnam Veterans of Fayette County for a period of 99 years and had no further obligation — financial or otherwise.

We apologize for any misunderstanding that may have occurred from statements made by Dan Clark, second vice commander of Post 103, during an interview on WMBS on Nov. 20. No disrespect was intended, and AMVETS Post 103 apologizes to any Vietnam veteran that may have been upset or insulted by Mr. Clark’s comments. Mr. Clark personally conveyed his sincere apology to the members of the Vietnam Veterans of Fayette County that were in attendance at Post 103’s December regular meeting.

I invite everyone to come and visit this beautiful memorial and pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

We appreciate the VVI of Fayette County attending the meeting and would like to extend an invitation for them to continue to do so in the future. As commander, I have made it my personal goal to work with the other officers of Post 103 to create transparency and work toward the greater good of our post. While we may have had some difficult times in the past, we are working together toward making changes that will benefit our post and, ultimately, local veterans. Of course, not everyone welcomes change, and at times we are met with resistance; however, we do know that without change there can be no improvement. We are committed to supporting veterans, and we know that we must operate a successful post if we intend on being here to support local veterans in the future. We simply must do what is best for our post as a whole.

Very soon, our kitchen will be reopening, with an operator that is very well known for his delicious, home-cooked cuisine that will be available in our dining area, as well as for catering at events at our beautiful rental facilities, and that is just the beginning of the benefits we are looking to provide to our members. We have a beautiful facility that provides many benefits to its members, and we invite everyone to come and visit us and consider joining our organization.

A heartfelt “Thank you” to all area veterans for your service to our country, and a very merry Christmas wish to everyone from all of us at AMVETS Post 103.

Bob Huey is commander of AMVETS Post 103 in Hopwood.