SULTAN — Members feared the Veterans of Foreign Wars Stoehr-Glidden Post 2554 would be forced to close after a longtime former quartermaster admitted in 2012 to stealing $90,000 from the group’s bank accounts and cooking the books to cover his crimes.
Commander Chuck Donahue was determined not to let that happen. The U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War rallied members and raised money to keep the post open.
Now, both Donahue and the work the post has done in the community are being nationally recognized.
Donahue, 69, of Gold Bar, has achieved the status of All-American Commander from the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. He is one of 130 post commanders worldwide to receive the honor this year.
“It really hasn’t hit me yet,” he said. “But I’m very proud of all of my post members for what we’ve achieved.
Post 2554 is also being recognized for its help with a project to line Sultan’s Main Street with American flags. It received the Fred C. Hall Memorial Outstanding Post Special Project Award from the national VFW.
“Post 2554 worked tirelessly to transform its hometown, and after everything was said and done, ended up doing much more for its community,” VFW National Commander John W. Stroud wrote in statement. “For more than 80 years, members of the post in Sultan have been making a difference in their community and they are a perfect example of what the VFW is all about. Although they are a small post, they were the spark of energy a town needed to ignite its patriotism.”
Christina Sivewright, of Sultan, started the flag project. Her husband, Dave Sivewright, is the Army Sgt. 1st Class who can often be seen running in uniform along U.S. 2, carrying a large American flag.
The veterans offered to help with the project by putting up and taking down the flags on holidays and special occasions. They also recruited Dave Sivewright to join their post.
Members decided put the $1,000 that came with the national award back into the flag project, doubling the number of Stars and Stripes flying over the city.
Donahue was elected commander in 2012 after Edward Ray Sherman, of Lake Stevens, embezzled money set aside to help veterans in need and to fund scholarships for deserving students. The misconduct went on for five years until the bank reported that the post’s account was empty.
“I had to break the news to the members,” Donahue said. “It wasn’t easy but we made it through.”
Four members immediately stepped up and donated $600 to keep the doors open while everyone tried to figure out what to do.
“It drew the men closer together. We were determined to make it work,” Donahue said.
When the media picked up the story, donations from the public started coming in. One person donated $1,200 to make sure the VFW could offer a scholarship to a high school senior, as it had in past years.
A modest but touching donation of $9 from a Snohomish woman encouraged a handful of others to follow suit. In the end, Donahue said, the post received about $3,300 in donations from the public.
Sherman pleaded guilty in 2013 to one count of first-degree theft, then the VFW’s bond company reimbursed about two-thirds of the money he’d stolen back.
“Through hard work and the tenacity of a core group of members led by Chuck Donahue, the post rose from the ashes,” said Joseph Stone, the senior vice who joined after the theft.
Today, the Sultan VFW is 20 members stronger than it was before the money was stolen. It now boasts more than 50 members and has received accolades from the Washington VFW membership for retention and participation.
“There’s been a lot of friendships come out of this,” Donahue said.
The post this year achieved All-American and All-State status. It won post of the year for VFW District 1, which includes posts across Snohomish County.
Donahue said he is very proud of the work members have done to revive the post after coming so close to losing it.
“Now, everybody’s talking about us,” he said. “We’re putting Sultan on the map — in a good way.”
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.
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