The Michigan Veterans of Foreign Wars State Honor Guard – with three local members — attended the national convention in San Antonio, Texas, on Aug. 30 and won the first-place award for the drill team competition.
This is only the second year the Department of Michigan Honor Guard placed first in 20 years of competition. This year it got a 92.4 score, the highest score ever given to a drill team. The Department of Connecticut has consistently won first place, but two years ago it sent a team depleted by illness and Michigan won. This year, it sent its best team and Michigan won, making the victory sweet. On the winning team are two men from the Belleville VFW Post 4434 (Ed Sobolewski and Jerry Asher) and one who lives in Belleville and is past commander of Post 9568 Romulus (Ron Allen). The team members, from left, are Tom Rossi, Ron Allen, Jerry Asher, Ed Sobolewski, Gary Gamble, William Butch Odgen, Phil Gannia, Robert Bardecki, Dennis Battle, and Don Spaulding.