For the only the third time in its history, VFW White River Valley Post 1741 in Auburn achieved the national award of All-American Post.

VFW Post 1741’s Tony Whetstine also received the Top Five All-American Commander Award at a ceremony in Orlando, Fla., July 22. Whetstine accepted the award from Commander-In-Chief B.J. Lawrence at the membership celebration.

The occasion marked the first time VFW Post 1741 finished among the top five post in all divisions.

VFW Post 1741 celebrates its 90th anniversary this year as Whetstine steps down as post commander. He sees only good things for the future.

“Entering a new decade, not only on the calendar but for our post, our commitment to serving veterans and our community is stronger than ever,” he said. “With new leadership driving us forward, we are exploring even more avenues for outreach to veterans in need, to support student veterans and helping our city in its support of our active military members and veterans.”

Whetstine has recently taken over as VFW Department of Washington, District 11 commander, overseeing nine posts including VFW Post 1741.

“While my time as post commander has ended, I am honored to have taken over this new role and look forward to serving all of these posts and helping them and the veterans in their communities any way I can,” Whetstine said.

Link: 2016 story