Meeting Minutes 📝
January 2026
COMMANDER’S COALITION MEETING
January 7, 2026, 10 A.M.
229 Lake Ella Dr Tallahassee Fl 32303
Minutes/Notes
Attendees: Paula Hubert, Ritaann Schultz, Dennis Hall, Marc Dickieson, Gordon Lightfoot, Tony Minichiello, Susan Capelowe, Dan Hendrickson, Paul Rogerson, Amanda Daugherty, David Wilson, Tom McCluskey, Juan Gonzalez, Roxann Dressel, Frank Roycraft, Valencia Scott, Akin Akinyemi, Kenny Nwoko, L J Stuckey, John Dailey, Matt Weber, Hilton Wise, Tom Carney, Tina Caldwell, Sharon Weeden, Charles LeCroy, Berline Belizaire, Mary LaBatt, Nell Hewitt, Ed Rodriguez, Earnest Reed, Johnnie Roberts, and Marianne Trussell.
Paula Hubert and Ritaann Schultz, Women Veterans Unite. Paula Hubert led attendees in a salute to the American Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag to open the meeting and Ritaann Schultz led a salute to the Flag to close the meeting. Paula asked Earnest Reed to deliver an opening prayer. She also welcomed everyone, reminded everyone to speak up, identify themselves and their organization, to keep it brief and to keep it veteran business only, no personal business, politics, or personal attacks. She then handed the microphone to Frank Roycraft to begin.
Frank Roycraft, Commander, VFW Post 3308. Post is doing well and has made a decision to make a quarterly donation in the amount of $300 to the Tallahassee Veterans Legal Collaborative. The Post honors First Responders, two of whom are sent to state.
Marc Dickieson, Commandant, Marine Corps League Chapter 472; Toys for Tots Coordinator. The Marine Corps League meets on the third Thursday of the month at the Elks Lodge at 6:00 pm. He will have the final numbers for Toys for Tots soon; they will be posted on the website.
Charles LeCroy, Past Commander of American Legion Post 13. Thank you. Happy new year to all. It’s been a good year all the way around.
Tom Carney, Bud West Chapter, Air & Space Force Association. On Wednesday, January 28 the next meeting of the Association will be held; location to be determined (Elks Club?) and will be held from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm (the time and location will be confirmed).
Paul Rogerson, AmVets Post 1776. No report.
Tom McCluskey, American Legion Post 13. No report.
Gordon Lightfoot, Commander, AmVets Post 1776, American Legion Post 13, member FRA. AmVets held its Second Annual Turkey Shoot in November which was a great success. In April AmVets will hold its annual golf tournament. More next time. The FRA met recently at Earnest Reed’s church and he is pleased to announce that the Navy will erect a monument at the Tallahassee National Cemetery sometime this year.
Tony Minichiello, American Legion Post 49, Monticello. No report. He introduced Linda his wife of 63 years.
David Wilson, AmVets, Air & Space Force Association. Flyers were made available (has more) regarding visitation of cemeteries of those interred veterans who died in Vietnam. Everyone is welcome; bring young children. Dates (all are on Sunday; the first one is on February 1) and times and other information are listed on the flyer.
Valencia Scott, Leon County Property Appraiser’s Office. They are always available to help with Property Tax exemptions and other veteran issues. The office is here to help. Please contact them.
Akin Akinyemi, Leon County Property Appraiser. Happy New Year. Valencia Scott does a good job!
Berline Belizaire, VA Suicide Prevention Coordinator. No report.
Juan Gonzalez, Vice Commander, Commanders Coalition. No. report.
Major Matt Weber, USMC, Marine Recruiting Station NF/SG. You must find recruits; they don’t come to you. For information contact Sergent Cody Purcell at Cody.Purcell@marines.usmc.mil
Sgt. Major Hilton Wise, USMC. No report.
John Dailey, Mayor, Tallahassee. Bruce Host was honored - it was great.
Kaitlyn Grimes, Tallahassee Police Department. Happy new year to all. Thank you to all who helped with Wreaths Across America – both the laying of the wreaths and the pickup of the wreaths at the Tallahassee National Cemetery. The Martin Luther King parade will be held on January 19, 2026. Be aware of road closures.
Amanda Daughtry, Congressman Neal Dunn’s Office. Call her if you need help.
Susan (Susie) Caplowe, Vice President, Tallahassee Veterans Legal Collaborative. The TVLC appreciate everyone! Happy new year to all! TVLC meets here at the American Legion Post 13 from 3-5 every Thursday.
Dan Hendrickson, President, Tallahassee Veterans Legal Collaborative. Don Gates agreed to help with the veteran’s court bill (SB 50). Show up with your covers on to thank him and meet Senators on Monday January 12 at 1:30 in the basement room. At 3 pm across the street at the courthouse is veteran’s treatment court. Mentors are badly needed. The TVLC will be here at Post 13 tomorrow (every Thursday) from 3-5 pm. Walk ins are welcome.
Sharon Weeden, Owner, Right at Home. VA Preferred Provider for in home care. Primarily service Leon County.
Roxann Dressel, Commander American Legion District 2, Commander American Legion Post 114 in Crawfordville. Flyers were made available. The next meeting of District 2 will be held on February 7 Post 100 in Marianna (3627 US 90) at 9 am CST and 10 am EST. Post 114 meets on the third Thursday at 11 am.
Mary LaBatt, DAR, Caroline Brevard Chapter. No report.
Nell Hewitt, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 13. The Auxiliary filled Christmas stockings obtained from Abbey Funeral Home. The Auxiliary also adopted two families from the Christmas Connection and provided items to 52 veterans in Vet Village. Veterans Week is the second week in February. Springtime Tallahassee is March 27 and 28; parade is on March 28.
L. J. Stuckey. American Legion Post 502 in Bainbridge, Retired Veteran. Here to take advantage of good information. No report.
Berline Belizaire, VA Suicide Prevention Coordinator. No report.
Heather Stephens, VA Suicide Prevention. Flyers were made available. From 9am to 4pm on January 24 there will be a South Georgia Veterans Benefit Summit at 505 N. Broad Street in Cairo, Georgia. Doors open at 9 am. Come one and all. Everyone is welcome!
Tina Caldwell, Right at Home. Veteran preferred provider as Sharon Weeden said.
Earnest Reed, Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) Branch 34, CVMA 20-12, Veteran. Thanked Paul, Tom, and Gordon on behalf of FRA.
Johnnie Roberts. No report.
Kenny Nwoko, Disabled Veterans Outreach, Program Specialist, Career Source Capital Region. This Friday, January 9, is Find a Job Friday from 9am -11am. Please join us.
Ed Rodriguez, American Legion Post 13, 2nd Vice President. He is looking for someone to remove a stump for free from the parking lot of Post 13. FOR FREE!! Please see him.
Paula Hubert, Vice President, Women Veterans Unite. She mentioned that Women Veterans Unite has 2026 calendars for sale for $10; they are full of good information.
Dennis Hall, Commander American Legion Post 13, Army National Guard, Big Bend Honor Guard. There is a luncheon at the National Guard Armory at 1225 Easterwood Drive every second Tuesday at 11:30. Lunch begins at noon and ends about 1:00. Next Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the menu will consist of chicken, corn, green beans, and Peach Betty. On Saturday January 10, 2026, at 7 pm, Post 13 will hold a fundraiser for the Post 13 Baseball Team. A Neil Diamond Impersonator will be present for entertainment. Tickets are $20. On Saturday, January 24 at 1 pm there will be a flag retirement at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum on Mahan Drive. Everyone is welcome. Major Morale left current issues of the newspaper. Pick up your copy from the lobby and they are full of good coupons.
Ritaann Schultz, Women Veterans Unite, American Legion Post 340. She is the Commanders Coalition National Chair Person for Traumatic Brain Injury. Floridians are lucky as there is a brain injury center in Tampa which is 1 of only 5 in the nation. There will be “doings” going on all month in March 2026. She is in the midst of planning to ride in a cycling event on March 24. She has been assured that all funds raised by her will go to Florida veterans. Next month she will have more details of her plan.
Marianne Trussell, Chair, Support Committee for the Tallahassee National Cemetery, Inc. The first Quarterly Support Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, January 20 at 5 pm at the Administration Building Conference Room at the Tallahassee National Cemetery. The newly elected secretary and re-elected chair will begin their term. The last quarterly meeting and elections were held in Committal Shelter #1 due to the government shutdown and all went fine. Marianne thanked everyone who helped with wreath pickup on January 3, especially the “Defenders” who showed up in force to help. She also announced the hiring of Christine Sullivan to work in the office at the Tallahassee National Cemetery and the new director who will not begin until sometime in February; Andrew Santa-Pinter comes from the Pikes Peak National Cemetery. Marianne also reported on the Big Bend Honor Guard (BBHG) for Chuck Howell. In the month of December 2025 the BBHG performed at 17 interments, one Final Salute, approximately 323 volunteer hours were reported to the VA, and the BBHG performed at 1,485 interments as of December 31, 2025, at the Tallahassee National Cemetery.
Ritaann Schultz ended the meeting with a prayer by Earnest Reed and led a salute to the American Flag.
The next Commander’s Coalition Meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 10 am at the American Legion Post 13 at Lake Ella.
—End of Meeting Minutes—
AS A REMINDER, many flyers were handed out at the meeting. If you do not email us the flyers, how are we supposed to distribute them to the subscribers in the local area?
Please email all flyers to outpost1 at commanderscoalition.org or hq at commanderscoalition.org to be included in the meeting minutes or by Friday 0900HRS to be included in the weekly report. Thank you for helping us, HELP YOU.