Badger

&“Wisconsin”&“Wisconsin” Official Publications of TheWisconsin American Legion Family

“For God & Country”

www.wilegion.org

August 15, 2013Vol. 90, No. 7aire

The mission of The American Legion, Department Of Wisconsin is to provide service to veterans, their families and their communities.

mander Wayne Jensen in present-ing a string of National awards to posts and individual Legionnaires.

WDVA Secretary John Scocos, a member of the Severson – Cairns Post No. 501 in Madison, spoke about the programs and benefi ts provided to Wisconsin’s veterans. Secretary Scocos was instrumen-tal in developing provisions in the state budget which directly ben-efi t Camp American Legion and the Department Service Offi ce at the VA Regional Headquarters in Milwaukee. National Auxiliary President Peggy Thomas of Vir-ginia and Department Auxiliary President Diana Sirovina thanked Legion delegates for their service and commitment. Jean Qualler, Program Support Assistant at Za-blocki VAMC’s Low Vision Clin-ic gave a moving presentation on the value Camp American Legion

Post-Vietnam Era Marine Elected Department Commander Ken Rynes of Richland Center Takes Reins at 95th Annual Department Convention

Commander Wayne Jensen dropped the gavel to begin pro-ceedings and the 95th annual De-partment convention started off on a high note with Menomonee Falls Police Chief Anna Ruzinski performing our National Anthem. Chief Ruzinski had previously opened the 2010 National Ameri-can Legion Convention in Mil-waukee. The Convention kicked off at 9:00AM on Friday, July 19th with Greenfi eld Post No. 416 posting the Colors. The Adjutant General of the Wisconsin National Guard, MG Donald Dunbar pro-vided the keynote address.

Oconomowoc Mayor James Daly brought greetings to the del-egates and recounted some of his experiences in Washington DC on September 11, 2001 when he was working as a congressional aide. Newly elected VFW Com-mander Renee Simpson and DAV Commander Rodney Helgeson addressed the convention as well. Ms. Simpson is a member of the Earl Guilligan Post No. 133 of Camp Douglas, while Commander Helgeson belongs to the Andrew Blackhawk Post No. 129 in Black River Falls. Captain Mathew Sibley of the United States Coast Guard then briefed the delegates on the Coast Guard’s mission in the Lake Michigan Sector.

On Friday afternoon, Conven-tion Committees comprised of delegates representing each of the 12 Districts in the Department met to consider and debate important resolutions. A table appears in this edition of the Badger Legionnaire describing the resolutions consid-ered and the actions taken by the convention. Chief among the res-

olutions were proposals to merge various Department Committees, a requirement that participants in Americanism programs be US citizens and potential changes to American Legion Baseball rules.

Saturday, July 20th was the second day of sessions. The day began with an address by Wiscon-sin’s Lieutenant Governor Rebec-ca Kleefi sch who is known for her advocacy on behalf of veterans and spearheaded efforts in 2012’s “Year of the Veteran” across the state. Ms. Kleefi sch was followed by National Vice Commander Da-vid Hall of West Virginia. Com-mander Hall has been a frequent visitor to the Department, having previously attended the Midwin-ter Conference and American Le-gion Day at the Wisconsin Veter-ans Home in King. Comrade Hall then assisted Department Com-

has brought to the lives of blind and vision impaired veterans.

Saturday’s highpoint came just after noon with an address by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Governor Walker, who attended Boys State and Boys Nation while in high school, re-fl ected upon how the American-ism programs of The American Legion had inspired him to public service. The afternoon concluded with the election announcements. Kenneth J. Rynes of the Bayard de Hart Post No. 13 in Richland Cen-ter was elected by the delegates to the high offi ce of Department Commander. Commander Rynes is the son in law of Past Depart-ment Commander Jerry Williams (1981-82). His wife Ann, a 37 year member of the American Legion Auxiliary, has served in a variety of offi ces, most recently

as the Department Membership chair.

The closing session on Sunday was remarkable in as much as Le-gionnaires were able to witness the installation of the state Ameri-can Legion Auxiliary offi cers by Past National President Jan Pulvermacher-Ryan. The Legion Convention then reconvened and the 2013-14 Department offi cers were installed by Past Department Commander Leo Endres of the William Lansing Post No. 360 of Waunakee.

Many other speakers as well as state and national level awards were featured during the course of the three day convention. Most noteworthy were the efforts of volunteers from Edwin L. Jones Post No. 91 of Oconomowoc who worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth and enjoyable event.

Department Commander Kenneth J. Rynes of the Bayard De Hart Post No. 13 of Richland Center is pictured here with his wife Ann. Ann is the daughter of PDC Jerry Williams (1981-82)

The 2013–2014 Department Offi cers and Executive Committee gathered following the close of the 95th Annual Department Convention in Oconomowoc. The Executive Committee meets in accordance with the Department Constitution and Bylaws at the Convention, Midwinter Conference and the Department Spring and Fall Meetings.

DEPARTMENT COMMANDERKenneth J. Rynes, Jr. 349Chuck Roloff 145

DEPARTMENT VICE COMMANDERRobert Shappell 453John Wolfe 361Dan Rindt 340Larry Wrycza 337

ASSISTANT DEPARTMENT CHAPLAINLarry Olson 473

DEPARTMENT SERGEANT-AT ARMSDave Wischer 352Charles Roessler 304Todd Braun 245

★ 2013 ELECTION RESULTS ★

PAGE 2 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE AUGUST 15, 2013

Publication ScheduleAll articles due to the Editor four weeks before publication date. Send all copy to

info@wilegion.org

“Badger Legionnaire”& “Wisconsin”

The Badger Legionnaire & Wisconsin are the offi cial publications of the Wisconsin

American Legion Family and are published ten times annually, once every fi ve weeks,

by The American Legion, Dept. of Wisconsin2930 American Legion Drive

P.O. Box 388, Portage, WI 53901.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Portage, WI and additional mailing offi ces.

USPS ID Number 010-135ISSN: 2154-2627

Post Master: Send address changes to Badger Legionnaire and Wisconsin,P.O. Box 388, Portage, WI 53901

“Badger Legionnaire”The American Legion,

Department of Wisconsin2930 American Legion Drive

P.O. Box 388 • Portage, WI 53901Phone: (608) 745-1090

E-mail: info@wilegion.org

David A. Kurtz, Executive Editor

2013-2014 Communications CommitteeKendel Feilen, Chairman

Harold Rihn, Vice ChairmanDale Oatman, DEC Liaison

Butch Van Rossum, MemberBernie Olson, MemberPhil Ingwell, Member

Barb McDaniel, MemberCecil Groves, Historian

Loretta Shellman, Auxiliary LiaisonBonnie Dorniak, Auxiliary Liaison

2013-14 Department Offi cers

CommanderKen Rynes

Vice Commanders Robert Shappell

John WolfeDan Rindt

Larry Wrycza

AdjutantDavid A. Kurtz

Department ChaplainGreg Simonis

Assistant Department ChaplainLarry Olson

Sergeant-at ArmsCharles Roessler

Dave Wischer

Service Offi cerJames Fialkowski

NECmanDavid L. Gough

Alternate NECmanSteve Krueger

District Commanders 1st – Dave Brisk 2nd – Dan Seehafer 3rd – Rich Ruland 4th – Claire Goodfellow 5th – Ensley Brown 6th – Jeff Puddy 7th – John Thurk 8th – Jerry Krofta 9th – Dale Oatman 10th – Ed Cooper 11th – Frank Kostka 12th – Jim Chapin

Change of Address & Other Information:Subscribers: To report any upcoming changes of address, please ask your Post Adjutant to fi ll out a Membership Data Form and forward it to Wisconsin American Legion Headquarters. The change of address form that will be completed by the Post Adjutant should not be confused with the change of address card fi lled out at the Post Offi ce. Department fi nancial statements are available to Legionnaires in good standing upon written request through their District Commanders.

“Wisconsin”American Legion AuxiliaryDepartment of Wisconsin2930 American Legion Drive

P.O. Box 140 • Portage, WI 53901

Bonnie Dorniak, EditorDiana Sirovina, Department President

Bonnie Dorniak, Exec. Secretary/Treasurer

To change your address: Notify Unit SecretaryUnit Secretary: Notify Department

Headquarters on a Member Data Form

The “Wisconsin” deadline for copy is 4 weeks before publication date.

DEPARTMENT COMMANDERDEPARTMENT COMMANDER

Ken RynesDepartment Commander

Dear Comrades,I must start by

reiterating my humble thanks for selecting me as your Com-mander. It is an honor and a challenge that

I will enjoy and make the most of. Thanks to Chuck Roloff and his wife, Donna, for an enjoy-able campaign. Chuck is a Le-gionnaire of the highest caliber. Thanks to all that supported me with donations and volunteering to help out in all ways imagin-able. I also want to thank Tom Strey and the Convention Cor-poration for soldiering through some diffi cult times. Each con-vention brings its own challenges and this one was no different. Everything was handled with professionalism and “esprit de corps”. Thank you all that at-tended. I hope you share at your posts all the good things that you experienced so that next year you can bring a new attendee.

It seems a lot cooler this year but the summer is going to heat up as the 2013-14 membership year gets under way. The staff

at headquarters in Portage is busy processing the necessary reports to begin the new membership year and we want to ensure good com-munication and smooth operation of the programs at all levels, so please make sure that your post submits updated offi cer reports as soon as possible. New offi cers are also taking leadership posi-tions at the County and District levels. Having accurate contact information is vital to establish-ing and maintaining good com-munications. Once received at Headquarters, we can reformat the information and make it available for distribution.

As we go to press, the National

I stated in my acceptance speech that it’s time to start now because as I see it we only have 364 days to accomplish our goals. As I campaigned, I said that I would create incentives and challenges to make membership fun. The fi rst item was approved by the DEC in the post-convention meeting. That is, for every new member you sign up, your name will go in a drawing for $1000.00 to be awarded at Midwinter. The same goes for any member who has been expired for at least 2 years. If you get them to rejoin, your name will go in the same drawing. This is an incentive that should help posts tremendously. Do a post mailing to all your members and ask them to renew. Plus, get one more and they will be eligible. This is a dual purpose tool in the fact that you will get them to renew with less hassle and you will get one more new member. Every time you recruit or renew a member, your name will go in the drawing again. It is unlimited as to the amount of

Membership Workshop is just getting ready to start and Depart-ment leadership is rolling out the membership campaign for 2013-14. The new Department Mem-bership Chairman is Dallas Lo-esel of Mondovi in the 10th Dis-trict. Dallas is a Past Department Vice Commander and a two-time 100% District Commander. He brings a great deal of experience and energy to this year’s member-ship campaign.

There have also been some excit-ing developments at Camp Ameri-can Legion this summer. The WI Army National Guard has just completed improvements to the Main Boat Landing and installed new traffi c quieting devices that make it safer to cross from the Camp over to the boat landing area. The Auxiliary made a sig-nifi cant monetary contribution to make these improvement projects possible and has also funded con-ceptual plans for the future. We

times your name may go in. If you need help with the letter to send your members, just contact headquarters for a sample that can be reproduced. It is my goal, as all Commanders before me, to be 100% in membership. We will help and provide incentives. You, as the boots on the ground, will have to use the tools provided. I know we can stop the slide in numbers. Two districts last year went over the top by using the 3 P’s of membership. Be positive, be passionate and be persistent. It’s not nagging to ask someone more than once to join or renew. It is a necessity if we are to main-tain the services we provide for those that are in need.

It is also time to place your bets when it comes to membership. Place a bet with your Auxiliary or SAL. Place a bet with other posts in your county and district. Noth-ing makes membership more fun than having a wager with others close to you. It can also be be-tween individuals in a post. Have fun doing great things.

are grateful for their support.The State budget adopted by

the Senate and Assembly and re-cently signed by Governor Walker contains some important funding initiatives that directly affect The American Legion, Department of Wisconsin. WDVA Secretary John Scocos was instrumental in two key provisions that:

• Increase funding to Camp American Legion in order for us to provide free services to Wisconsin veterans and their families.

• Increase fi nancial support to our Service Offi ce at the VA Re-gional Headquarters in Milwau-kee.

On Sunday, August 18th the Le-gion Baseball All-star Game will be played at Miller Park in Mil-waukee. The game will be played following the Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds game which starts at 1:00. American Legion All-stars from across the state will compete.

I recently spoke at Camp Amer-ican Legion during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new dock approach that the National Guard had rebuilt. The complet-ed project was beautiful and long overdue. The best part of the sto-ry was that, because of the troops emersion into what we do at Camp and our Adjutant handing out the new Wisconsin version of “Why You Should Belong” bro-chures and comments from yours truly, a soldier from the unit went home that night, sought out her post in Tomahawk and joined The American Legion. When you do great things, great things will happen.

With all the highs there must come some lows and that is the passing of PDC Dale Peterson. I attended his funeral recently and the family members spoke of how he was a mentor to them. Those that knew Dale know that he was a mentor of Legionnaires also. God’s blessings to his fam-ily and to all of you.

We’re also gearing up for the 95th Annual National Conven-tion. This year the convention is being held in Houston, Texas Au-gust 27th through August 29th. Important resolutions dealing with VA & R, National Security, Americanism, Children & Youth and Membership issues will be addressed.

One last note - Renew on-line – If you have internet access and a credit card, why not renew your membership for 2014 on-line? It’s easy and fast and will help your post become effi cient. Simply go to the Department website – www.wilegion.org – and click on the “renew on-line” icon. Use your membership ID number, it’s con-tained in your address label ap-pearing on this newspaper, and your credit card. It will only take a minute and you’ll be all set for the 2014 membership year. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

DEPARTMENT ADJUTANTDEPARTMENT ADJUTANT

David KurtzDepartment Adjutant

It is with great pleasure that I look forward to serving as your Depart-ment Chaplain.

The preamble to the Constitution of The American Legion begins with the words “For God and Country” and it’s no accident that God is fi rst.

Our Nation was founded with a very heavy emphasis on our Creator. The Declaration of In-

dependence calls attention to the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitles each of us. The Declaration also states that “all men are created equal”. The American Legion ceremony for the installation of offi cers con-tains a similar statement; “Re-member the tolerance that ani-mates us as members; remember there is no rank among us, for we all serve as equals”. This is so important as it allows individuals

the opportunity to express them-selves without fear of ridicule or rejection.

We are one body, this great or-ganization called “The American Legion”. Because of this, those of us who serve look forward to help wherever we can and to show our respect for each and ev-ery person we come into contact with. When we show our respect for others, we allow God to work with, through and in us. Whatever your position, whatever your au-

thority, remember that you would not have it without the Grace of God. Please show your best side, no matter where you are, so peo-ple will point with pride and say “that is a member of the Legion Family and we respect who they are and what they do”.

Please remember that Prayer is a very powerful tool. Pray of-ten and remember that God sup-plies our needs, not our wants. God Bless you on the start of our American Legion year.

DEPARTMENT CHAPLAINDEPARTMENT CHAPLAIN

Greg SimonisDepartment Chaplain

“CHATS WITH THE CHAPLAIN”

PAGE 3THE BADGER LEGIONNAIREAUGUST 15, 2013

As Camp opened for the season on May 26th, Mike

McCormick of Crawford County handed me the keys and history was made. Eyes watered a bit, lumps formed in throats, faces red-dened and words were hard to say. All of a sudden, all of us who know each other extremely well felt un-comfortable. Something very spe-cial was happening and it was like we did not know how to handle it. Something so extremely special was taking place that words were not enough. Words could not do the moment justice. All we could do was look and see. There it was. Workers bodies were tired, beaten, nicked, scraped, sore and literally spent, but at that moment they all felt like Supermen – Men of Steel. “IT WAS DONE”! The fulfi llment of a dream was there; sitting before us. Nothing had to be said. It was a moment of pure feeling. It was a defi ning moment many years in

The place in his-tory afforded the Korean confl ict, which raged from 1950 to 1953, is unfortunately almost a distant third to World War

II and Vietnam. For a couple rea-sons, Korea has been the “forgot-ten war.” Global war and stories of heroism and sacrifi ce of the Second World War, just years before Korea, as well as the social upheaval and politics associated with Vietnam of-ten make the Korean War less im-portant to the history books.

It is not, however, less impor-tant to history – and certainly not less important to the soldiers who slogged through the mud and snow fi ghting the North Koreans and Chinese communists in numer-ous battles. The Korean War was a bloody 3-year battle that claimed the lives of over 33,600 Americans,

On June 17th members of the Richard I. Bong American Legion Post No. 435 held a Flag disposal ceremony on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Assisting in the ceremony were students from the college’s “Upward Bound” program and the Lake Superior Chapter of the Daugh-ters of the American Revolu-tion, (DAR). “We used to just hold a private ceremony in one of our backyards in the commu-nity,” said Mary Houk, regent of the local DAR Chapter. The mission of the Daughters of the American Revolution is to pro-mote patriotism and knowledge

A Dream Becomes Reality – New Cabin at Camp American Legion the making. A dream became re-ality and it was GRAND! A new cabin at Camp American Legion.

The posts of Crawford County adopted cabin No. 14 in 1996. They were somewhat reluctant since the cabin hadn’t been occu-pied or maintained in some time. After a few years of pouring good money after bad, it was fi nally ap-proved to start fundraising to re-place the cabin.

Fundraising began in 2009 and within a year the Grant County and Richland County Councils of-fered to cosponsor the new cabin. The three County Councils, which represent a total of 25 American Legion posts and nearly 2,000 members, provided the manpower and fi nancial assistance to make the dream a reality. The origi-nal plan was to replace the cabin with a similar size cabin, but with the extra assistance from the two other Counties a larger cabin could be constructed. Cabin No. 14 went from being the smallest cabin to the largest at Camp. It has

more than 700 of which were from Wisconsin.

Wisconsin soldiers contributed notably in Korea, just as they did before and after in many other con-fl icts. Today, the home of the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea is Camp Red Cloud, named after Wisconsin native and Medal of Honor re-cipient Mitchell Red Cloud of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Red Cloud’s heroics in battle in the Korean War saved the lives of those in his com-pany, at the cost of his own life, and earned him the military’s high-est honor for bravery.

The armistice, which was signed 60 years ago as a temporary agree-ment, is still the only truce that exists preventing the war from re-suming. All sides have yet to sign a peace treaty making the Korean War Armistice one of the most no-table agreements in history. The situation between the two Koreas has at times been tense over the

of all of what it involves. “They approached us last year

and we decided to blend the two ceremonies together and it has worked out very well. It is just something nice we can do together,” commented David Kringle, Past Commander of Post No. 435. Everyone was eager to include students from the school’s Upward Bound Program. Most students had never realized there was a proper way to retire used fl ags. Following the fl ag retirement ceremony students went up to the Legionnaires to shake their hands and thank them for their service.

Members of the Richard I. Bong Post No. 435 in Superior held a Flag disposal ceremony on June 17th with students from the University of Wisconsin – Superior and the Lake Superior Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The students who took past are partici-pants from the school’s Upward Bound Program.

The New Cabin No. 14 at Camp was constructed by Legionnaires from Crawford, Grant and Richland Counties and was dedicated May 26th.

The Old Cabin No. 14 was razed. It predated the founding of Camp American Legion in 1925, which originated as a YWCA facility.

two large bedrooms with a total of eight beds, a spacious living room and a large bathroom. It gives Camp the fl exibility to house eight individuals or two families at a time.

As Director, my thanks go out to many and all involved in making this dream a reality. In addition to the workers on site, I know there were many Legion Family mem-bers working behind the scenes making it all possible. I offer my thanks to all of you.

I encourage the whole Legion Family to let the folks in the three counties involved know how much their efforts are appreci-ated. To do that contact, any of the following four persons; Mike McCormick and Dave Dombeck of Crawford County, James Hy-ing of Grant County, and Depart-ment Commander Ken Rynes of Richland County. I personally thank them all from the bottom of my heart. You have made Camp American Legion a much better place. I proudly salute you!

– Kevin Moshea, Director

past 60 years, but generally South Korea has thrived and been a great ally of the United States, while at the same time North Korea is one of the most reclusive nations, as well as one of the most economi-cally depressed and challenged.

In Wisconsin, the Korean War is not forgotten; the soldiers that fought in this war are not forgot-ten. With over 40,000 Korean War veterans alive in Wisconsin today, we honor their service and sacrifi ce and ensure no soldier from any war is ever forgotten or left behind.

As part of honoring our state’s Korea veterans, in September the Wisconsin Department of Veter-ans Affairs is hosting a ceremony to recognize their service. Veterans from all eras, as well as others who wish to recognize Korean War vet-erans, are welcome to attend.

(John A. Scocos is the Secretary of the WI Department of Veterans Affairs. He is an Iraq War veteran.)

WDVA SECRETARYWDVA SECRETARY

John A. ScocosWDVA Secretary

THE FORGOTTEN WAR

Superior Legion Post Teams with DAR and Students to Retire Flags

Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows

WIN ONETHOUSAND

GET ONE

Simply sign up a new American Legion member and become eligible to win $1,000.00.

See page 7 for details!

$

MEMBER

PAGE 4 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE AUGUST 15, 2013

For many of us the summer is quickly spent attending picnics, fi shing, camping, or visiting with family and friends. Others use sum-mer as a time to volunteer, or give back. For veterans being active in community and public service is nothing new. But this past sum-mer a group of veterans gave back through public service in a new way. These veterans spent their summer in Wisconsin’s National Forest, the Chequamegon-Nicolet.

US Forest Service is sponsoring a pilot program to help veterans develop job skills through service learning. The Forest Service teamed up with HistoriCorps®, a Colorado nonprofi t specializing in historic building rehabilitation, the Student Conservation Association and other volunteers to train veterans in his-toric preservation techniques at historic sites located on three Na-tional Forests. The veterans began their summer at Thornburg Farm, a historic property consisting of farm buildings in North Carolina. Then they traveled to the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest in Wiscon-sin to work at Forest Lodge. They fi nished their summer on the Chip-pewa National Forest in Minnesota where they restored a picnic shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the New Deal Era.

Wisconsin’s National Forest, the Chequamegon-Nicolet, hosted the program at Forest Lodge in Bayfi eld County during June and July. Historic Forest Lodge, an 872 acre part of the National For-est, has many structures in need

Legionnaires Dan Kellett, Bob Meganck, Bill Vanark and Al Reich were selected to participate in the 4th Annual 2013 VetsRoll Honor trip. The VetsRoll organi-zation’s primary mission is to pro-vide safe ground transportation and an enjoyable experience for U.S. Military veterans of World War II, the Korean War and “Rosie-the-Riveters” to visit THEIR war memorials and other related sites in and around Washington, D.C. However, the deeper purpose is to provide a long overdue gift of thanks and memories that will fi ll each veteran’s heart for the incred-ible sacrifi ces they made in the name of freedom so many years ago!

Dan, Bob and Bill are all com-bat veterans of the Korean War and served in the Third Infantry Divi-sion. They were part of an entou-rage of 200 veterans and “Rosies” who traveled to Washington along with 120 volunteers and medical staff. They rode in 10 luxurious Badger motor coaches from Beloit, WI to our nation’s capitol. Trav-eling by bus provided the fl exibil-ity of socializing, moving around, playing cards, watching nostalgic videos and enjoying the natural beauty of our great nation.

Although everyone was aware of the destination, no one could have expected what would occur during the 4-day bus tour. The ca-maraderie, the stores of past and present, the incredible restaurants and hotels were all an experience of a lifetime. The emotional in-teractions with citizens sharing a “thank you for your service” or a hardy handshake were too frequent to count. There were many special moments when student groups, while in Washington, offered their thanks and best wishes to the veter-ans. Whether or not these youthful gestures of goodwill were a prod-uct of teacher prodding or not . . . a lesson was being learned. YES, patriotism is alive and well in these United States of America.

This year’s VetsRoll mission consisted of:• Wright-Patterson Air Force Mu-

seum with dinner at the base of-fi cers’ club

of historic preservation work. Led by HistoriCorps personnel, the veterans worked on the preserva-tion of a unique building called the “Cow Palace.” The Cow Palace was originally used to house cattle, process milk and cream, and as an apartment for male servants. It was in desperate need of a new cedar shake roof and repairs to its half log siding. The Cow Palace, built in the Rustic Style which uses logs and stone to blend with natural sur-roundings, posed many challenges.

According to Michael Salisbury, the Historicorps project supervisor on site, “This crew of veterans took on a huge task at Forest Lodge. The Cow Palace has a multi-gabled roof that took at least 70 squares of ce-dar shakes to fi nish. And once we began repairing water damaged siding we found damage all the way through the structural fram-ing to interior walls in some spots. Because the Cow Palace and other buildings at Forest Lodge are on the National Register of Historic Places, all of our work must be done to the Secretary of the Inte-rior’s Standards for Treatment of Historic Buildings with approval of the State Historic Preservation Of-fi cer. The skills learned during this project are fundamental to any type of construction – new, renovation or rehabilitation; what is different is the approach, ethic, and attitude.” One of the veterans participating in the training, North Dakota National Guard Member Sophie Miller com-mented, “If I had the chance to do this kind of training again, I would!

• Arlington National Cemetery and The Tomb of the Unknown Solider

• Iwo Jima Marine Memorial• WWII, Korean, Vietnam and

Lincoln Memorials• Plus, many surprise events along

the way• Welcome home celebration

Of special note…during the trip back home, as the group crossed into Ohio from Pennsylvania, they were given a full police escort through the entire state by Ohio’s Highway Patrol. And, as they pro-ceeded westward through Indiana and Illinois, they were welcomed by State Troopers right to the threshold of Wisconsin. A 550-mile excursion with no traffi c…now, that’s the way all veterans should be able to travel. It was a ride in style and truly a very special gesture indeed!

But all the “warm and fuzzys” didn’t stop there. As they rolled into Beloit’s city limits near mid-night, the veterans were welcomed by scores of motorcycles, dozens of fi re trucks and police squads with their lights fl ashing, along with throngs of people lining the route through the city – each cheering, waving and even a few individu-als saluting from their apartment windows and balconies. As the motorcade reached the fi nal leg of the long journey, they turned down a street lined with 1,200 American fl ags and an amazing fi reworks display.

Hundreds of well-wishers per-sonally shook each veteran’s hand, gave a high-fi ve or provided a wel-coming hug as they got off of their busses. Emotions got the better of most and a dry eye could not be found in the group. It was an over-the-top welcome home celebration honoring these veterans and was simply spectacular!

The VetsRoll.org program’s founder Mark Finnegan closed the evening to encourage people to tell others about this one-of-a-kind program and hoped that other parts of the country would start a simi-lar program that could benefi t so many deserving veterans.

It was useful to learn to fi nd effi -cient ways to work with people, to compromise to complete a historic preservation project.”

It’s important to note that the skills these veterans are learning are marketable all over the nation. In addition, there may be college credits available for veterans par-ticipating in our historic preserva-tion projects.

Jason Maloney of Peshtigo American Legion Post No. 312, who led the development team said, “This veterans training program is making dollars work harder. The same dollars that are training vet-erans are preserving historic build-ings that are owned by the public. The work these veterans are doing will provide service to the public for decades”.

While visiting the veterans at Forest Lodge, Wisconsin Depart-ment of Veterans Affairs Secretary John Scocos commented, “Our veterans bring so much to the table for the future of our great state and nation. Giving them these adequate skills so they can get back into the community and be employable is even more of a benefi t. Hopefully next year working with the Forest Service, we can come together for a state project to assist our veterans from Wisconsin and veterans from across the nation.”

For information about For-est Lodge contact Jason Malo-ney at (715) 685-9983 and for information on HistoriCorps contact Towny Anderson at (303) 893-4260, Ext. 235.

NO. TITLE ACTION SUBMITTED BY1.2013 Legion Riders on Americanism Committee Approved Dept. Commander 2.2013 Combine Americanism with Children & Youth Disapproved Strategic Planning Committee3.2013 Combine Finance with Fundraising Disapproved Strategic Planning Committee4.2013 Combine VA & R with Legislation Disapproved Strategic Planning Committee5.2013 Aeronautics – Federal Funding Approved 9th District6.2013 Citizenship requirement for Americanism programs Disapproved Wisconsin Rapids Post No. 97.2013 POW/MIA Remembrance stamp Approved Dept. Exec Committee8.2013 State hiring of Disabled veterans Approved Dept. Exec Committee9.2013 Delegation Secretary Approved Department Adjutant10.2013 Baseball Reentry – Regular season Approved Seymour Post No. 106 11.2013 Thank host – Oconomowoc Post No. 91 Approved Dept. Exec Committee12.2013 Thank convention hotel Approved Dept. Exec Committee13.2013 Thank City of Oconomowoc Approved Dept. Exec Committee14.2013 Legion Baseball Rules changes Approved Dept. Exec Committee15.2013 Department SAL Program Chairman Approved Dept. Exec Committee

2013 Convention Resolution Results

Veteran’s Vocational Training in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

Vets Roll to Washington

Pictured left to right are Legionnaires Bob Meganck, Al Reich and Dan Kellett of the Alonzo Cudworth Post No. 23 with Bill Vanark of Elmbrook Post No. 449.

WDVA Secretary John Scocos visited the Forest Lodge construction site and veterans in training.

PAGE 5THE BADGER LEGIONNAIREAUGUST 15, 2013

2014 FALL RIDE FOR CAMP AMERICAN LEGION

2014 DEPARTMENT CONVENTION

American Legion Riders - LETS RIDE - to Camp American Legion to help our ill, injured and disabled veterans who need a hand on the road back to health. All funds raised should be brought to camp on September 14th and will be used to reconstruct the Chapel. Riders can also stay at camp the nights of the ride; September 12, 13, & 14. A donation of $30.00/bed/night is requested. A continental breakfast is included with an overnight stay. Single riders must be Legion members and one member of a group must be a Legion Family member.

If you would like to stay at the camp call Director Kevin Moshea at (715) 277-2510 to make a reservation.

Julie Boucher of the Boucher Automotive Group presents a check for Camp American Legion to Department Commander Ken Rynes and 2012-2013 Vice Commanders Chuck Roloff and Ron Hessil.

Department Membership Coordinator Chris Schmidt was recognized for ten years of loyal service by Commander Wayne Jensen and Adjutant Kurtz.

National Vice Commander David Hall and Commander Jensen presented a charter for a new post in Rome to Raeanne Lar-son. Her son Ryan Larson of the 25th Infantry was killed in Afghanistan. The post has been named in his honor.

PDC Bob Weyenberg and his wife Mary addressed the convention to mark the 25th Anniversary of Bob’s term as Department Commander in 1987–1988.

10th District Commander Ed Cooper par-ticipated in the Convention Blood Drive.

3rd District Vice Commander Mary Lloyd received the prestigious Joe Meeks “Gung Ho” Award for her work in support of the Department Americanism programs. She is pictured here with Commander Wayne Jensen and Department Americanism Chairman Don Lechner.

Commander Jensen presents a gift to Jean Qualler of the Zablocki VAMC Low Vision Clinic following her remarks about the value of Blind and Vision Impaired Veterans Week at Camp American Legion.

Commander Wayne Jensen and Boy Scout Chairman Terry Woolf presented Mitchell McGlinn of Hales Corners the 2013 Eagle Scout of the Year Award from the Department of Wisconsin.

*This ride is held in conjunction with the Tomahawk Fall Ride for MDA*

“THE CHAPEL CHASE”

SEPTEMBER 14, 12:00 NOON PIG ROAST AND CORN BOIL

PAGE 6 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE AUGUST 15, 2013

The Last Bugle

3 AntigoEdw Vavruska II 06/18/134 AthensStanley Gajewski K 07/25/138 WaukeshaHenry Dunn II 06/26/13Kenneth H Krueger K 04/07/13Raymond M Stobba II 07/31/139 Wisconsin RapidsGeorge Lehmann II 07/19/1311 Green BayJames C Hogan 05/03/13Marvin A Pott K 06/24/13Joseph R Gervais II 02/13/1313 Richland CenterLarry L Severson V 07/03/1314 IolaThomas Mande II 07/03/13Kenneth H Wall II 07/03/1318 MilwaukeeJohn Schlimmer K 06/10/1319 HartfordRobert D McLean II 04/21/1321 KenoshaDonald Christensen 06/11/13John A Zdanowicz II 05/30/1324 Lake GenevaDaniel Ponder II 06/17/1326 BarabooFrederick W Martin II 07/01/13Robert J Fichter II 07/12/1332 MenomonieLloyd E Eiseth V 11/04/12David A Johnson V 07/08/1333 Neenah Daniel K Melzer V 06/15/1338 AppletonJay J Parish Sr II 07/27/13Harold F Mueller II 07/31/13Anthony W Czarnik V 08/01/1339 MarinetteLoren Hanson II 07/09/1342 PlattevilleCecil Block V 03/30/13Gene Breihan K 04/19/13Edward Hirchert II 01/14/13Gregory Johll V 06/25/1344 WabenoEmmanuel Nachtwey II 06/19/13Richard J Delveaux II 07/06/13Edward Denz K 07/24/1345 ElkhornElmer Bublitz II 12/01/1246 MerrillRoman Radlinger II 06/08/13Kurt Bartz K 02/28/1348 BeloitRalph Babcock II 04/13/13Allen Tuftee II 06/18/13Tommy S Marzette K 12/29/1251 West SalemDonald F Meinking II 05/24/1353 Eau ClaireWilliam Guyton II 12/13/1254 Marshfi eldFrances Kokaly II 06/28/13Arnold E Steines II 07/15/13George Bloczynski II 07/17/1359 StoughtonDale Dybevik K 06/28/1360 KimberlyMartin J Vanheeswyk K 07/12/13

62 ColumbusRonald Steindl II 07/13/1366 Athelstane-SilvercliffGeorge L Belleau K 06/24/13Harry Reese K 07/04/0572 Sturgeon BayDale H Buschmann II 06/07/13George L Gay II 06/26/1377 Chippewa FallsJames A Bjork II 07/01/1379 BurlingtonLeslie W Huff K 07/23/1380 New RichmondGuy Bibeau K 07/21/1385 MuscodaJames A Hackney V 06/30/13John J Crye K 06/29/1389 MinocquaThomas F Cable K 02/15/13Ralph D Sharp II 07/27/1395 DelavanFrancis E Tweed K 07/07/13Alfred Derouin V 06/29/13Henry J Dyken K 01/13/13Leroy H Huhn II 07/27/13Gale M Headley II 07/30/1397 DodgevilleErnest W Ruppert K 07/30/13102 WalworthDonald P Kemmett II 06/14/13Harold M Grabow K 07/11/13Irwin J Bruhn II 06/06/13Albert Hinzpeter II 04/15/13Richard H Burton K 07/16/13108 Clear LakeHoward A Johnson II 06/29/13110 New LisbonErling Dahl II 07/29/13111 SomersetCharles Geldon K 07/17/13118 ThorpJoe Pow II 06/14/13120 West AllisWayne D Hendricks K 07/25/13123 OwenWayne L Roohr K 07/17/13134 BoscobelRichard B Hof II 136 NiagaraWilliam Gronert K 03/12/13141 New GlarusEugene F Stuessy II 06/10/13142 BlanchardvilleEdw Johnson K 07/18/13146 Beaver DamHarold Reif II 06/16/13149 Sheboygan FallsGerald Willadsen II 07/10/13154 MondoviDonald E Brenn K 05/15/13163 WautomaRobert E Schneider K 07/19/13164 JeffersonIrl R Shannon II 06/05/13Arthur Skibbe II 05/10/13170 Mineral PointBruno Cenite Sr K 06/30/13John J Carey II 10/02/12175 LoyalKenneth E Tieman K 06/08/13179 ChetekKenneth Pfaff K 04/19/13180 MilwaukeeCharles T Eickhoff II 07/19/13John W Stollenwerk V 07/10/13182 Park FallsWilliam Berg II 07/03/13Thomas O Lokken V 07/11/13Donald L Weimer K 04/25/13183 Genoa CityJohn Vanslochteren 05/18/13189 WatertownRichard A Johns V 07/05/13Roger L Wilkes II 07/02/13Albert Sterwalt K 06/12/13193 Batavia/BeechwoodLester T Benzschawel K 07/23/13

200 Black River FallsJohn H Noble II 06/29/13204 EllsworthRonald E Miller K 06/18/13205 JanesvilleBilly L Wilson K 06/25/13207 ElmwoodWilliam G Kasten II 07/17/13208 RioLester Martinson K 04/09/13210 WaupunTed Huizenga K 07/17/13Robert K Johnson K 08/01/13218 HaywardRichard W Doll K 06/27/13Robert S Larsen 06/22/13224 AlmaDuaine A Carothers V 06/17/13Daniel F Maier V 07/13/13237 FootvilleLeonard Surprise V 04/09/13Kenneth Goplin V 05/04/13Darrell Reeder K 06/24/13238 GreenwoodRudy Slemec II 05/23/13Adelbert Bravener II 06/23/13Earl Richardson II 06/01/13239 TigertonRobert D Wilke V 07/12/13Ronald Kauffmann V 07/07/13243 PlymouthDonald Kretsch K 06/04/13250 AdamsHarold F Miller K 06/30/13258 Little ChuteMark Peeters II 07/02/13263 New LondonFranklin L Voss K 07/03/13268 BruceWalter Weinert II 07/16/13

Robert D Kolek K 07/11/13Robert E Woodmansee II 07/10/13288 CedarburgEdward A Rappold II 07/30/13295 BloomerRobert D Gehring II 07/09/13299 Hales CornersNeil C Booker II 05/20/13304 PalmyraRaymond Wallin II 07/01/13305 Johnson CreekWallace A Schuenke II 07/11/13312 PeshtigoManfred Eisenheim V 07/02/13317 WautomaKermit W Brey K 03/21/13318 Lake TomahawkGlenn Bean K 04/24/13Naaman C Bechtolt K 07/23/13332 Black CreekEugene D Stammer K 07/27/13333 Sun PrairieJoe Conrad II 06/22/13Helen Dye II 06/06/13338 Cedar GroveLloyd Schreurs K 04/20/13Donald Veenendaal II 04/27/13Ernest Dietrich II 01/14/13340 BerlinJohn J Burns V 07/04/05358 UnityCharles S Podbelsek K 06/18/13371 SaxonCurtis Belanger II 05/03/13372 ForestvilleRoger Miller II 07/01/13375 MukwonagoRaymond E Pannemann II 06/19/13382 Menomonee FallsWalter Gross II 07/23/13Marvin Schneider II 07/26/13

385 VeronaJohn Newell II 07/31/13386 CascadeArnold Pick II 07/14/13406 MilwaukeeClarence E Plato Sr II 07/21/13410 FredoniaHoward Himstedt II 06/30/13413 CrivitzFrancis H Duquaine II 07/03/13415 MilwaukeeVaughn E Schneider II 07/07/13Melvin L Wingert II 07/16/13432 HammondEdw L Riley II 07/14/13435 SuperiorRobert G Downs II 07/09/13437 MazomanieJohn M Schultz K 07/27/13463 CobbRoger L Fingerson K 06/27/13469 MarathonWilmer C Braunel II 07/13/13473 PotosiBen Schmitz V 12/25/12Frank Trofi mchuck K 04/26/13486 JacksonRichard R Steldt V 06/19/13508 WiltonWendell D Barnes K 07/06/13Ervin J Jacobson V 07/20/13519 StetsonvilleJerome J Cypher II 06/20/13534 McFarlandGlenn Anderson V 12/28/12James Newlun V 11/28/12538 CarltonCharles J Haws K 06/11/13555 SheboyganR. A. Ravenscraft V 08/17/12

Who Will Help You?

©2013 Worldwide Rescue & Security 32109

Today’s travel can involve unexpected financial risks.But you’re GUARANTEED help in case there’s a medicalemergency away from home.

The Legionnaire Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+)Program offers you and your family security you needwhile traveling. EA+ delivers high-value benefits toprotect you such as:☞ Emergency Medical Assistance☞ Medical Evacuation & Transportation Home☞ Travel Assistance For You & Your Companion

To learn more about the benefits and services provided to you by Your American LegionDepartment, visit us online today at www.theLIT.com/EAP or call 1-888-310-1547.

This information is only an overview of the plan’s features. Terms & Conditions apply.

From Your American LegionDepartment

PAGE 7THE BADGER LEGIONNAIREAUGUST 15, 2013

Call for a free consumerguide and personal quote.-- Must be 62 or older.-- Never make a monthlymortgage payment again.-- Receive a lump sum ofcash, credit line or monthlypayments.-- Income and credit notrequired.

Let a retired active dutyveteran you can trustshow you how you maybenefit from a ReverseMortgage.

Mike Kraus7365 Kirkwood Court North, Suite 300Maple Grove, MN 55369763-355-8540 mkraus@muihomeloans.com

NMLS ID #283509

REVERSE MORTGAGES

WIN ONE

Commander Rynes is an-nouncing an exciting new Mem-bership Recruiting incentive.

Simply sign up a new Ameri-can Legion member and become eligible to win $1,000.00. Sign up a new member, or renew any former member who has not paid dues since the 2011 Mem-bership year, and your name will be entered in a drawing to be held at the 2014 Midwinter

A new “Why You Should Be-long” membership recruiting brochure has been developed and is available. The brochure is customized to the Department of Wisconsin. It’s designed to help explain the programs of The American Legion and can help the organization grow. There is a tear-off membership application in the back of the brochure for easy use. To get copies of the new “Why you Should Belong” brochure contact headquarters at (608) 745-1090 or info@wilegion.org.

Thanks to the new Wisconsin “Why You Should Belong” bro-chure, Phil Rausch of Tomahawk Post No. 93 was able to explain The American Legion and its mission to our newest member. Thank you, Phil. Phil said the new pamphlet made explaining the Legion easy.

Using gravel, stone, concrete and wood a new main boat landing and strong collaborative relationship was built between Camp American Legion and units of the Wisconsin National Guard. This upgrade will greatly improve the operation and safety to our boating activities.

Following an approval process that took almost two years, the project fi nally was completed and dedicated on July 25th with an open house attended by Wiscon-sin National Guard leadership in-cluding Brigadier General Mark Anderson, Brigadier General Ken Koon, WIANG Acting Chief of Staff and Department Commander Kenneth J. Rynes.

CW2 Nick Grob, of the 829th Engineer Co. was the OIC on the project. He had this to say: “This project was very meaningful in many ways. It gave us a chance to not only use our MOS(military occupational skill) skills in a real-world environment, and also to expand on those skills. Some of the NCOs that were on the project also got an opportunity to step into more of a leadership role, such as

GET ONEMEMBER

THOUSAND $Conference at the Ho-Chunk Casino, Hotel and Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells.

There is no limit to the num-ber of times you can enter. For any new member, or any mem-ber who has been expired for at least two years, you’ll have a chance to win 1,000.00!

Contact Chris Schmidt at (608) 745-1090 or e-mail her at chris@wilegion.org for details.

The offi cers and members of Bronsted-Searl Post No. 93 in Tomahawk welcome their newest member Nicole Lynn Straveler. Nicole is a member of the 829th Engineer Battalion of Chippewa Falls. She has recently returned

being in charge of certain sections of the project. This vast training opportunity also allowed Soldiers from each of our 3 armory loca-tions the chance to work with each other. That doesn’t happen very much. All this will help the unit prepare for the upcoming deploy-ment to Afghanistan. Hopefully this opens the door for the Guard to continue to help out the Camp American Legion with any future

Why You Should Belong Membership Brochure

New Boat Landing at Camp American Legion

WHY YOUSHOULD BELONG

The American Legion

The mission of The American Legion, Department of Wisconsin is to provide service to veterans, their families and

their communities.

from a deployment in Afghanistan and worked on the new Main Boat Landing project at Camp Ameri-can Legion. “Welcome Home and welcome to The American Legion, Nicole.” We are proud to have you as a member.

projects. This was important to us, because the veterans that came be-fore us helped pave the way for us, and what we do today as Soldiers.”

The project provided Guard members with a good, challeng-ing, real-world training experience and allowed the Legion to show what a great facility Camp is, and the many ways our “Help to Heal” mission can serve the Guard’s sol-diers and families.

NEW!

SWEEPSTAKESCONVENTION

$20,000 GRAND PRIZETom Strey, Oconomowoc

$ 2,000 Second PrizeSteph Gerondale, Ft. Atkinson

$1,000 Third PrizeAngela Rohan, Verona

$500 Fourth PrizeJames Zoellner, Marshfi eld

$500 Fifth PrizeDiane Farber, Oconomowoc

$100 Sixth PrizeLynn Fellinger, Appleton.

$100 Seventh PrizeTony Ceelen, Oshkosh

$100 Eighth PrizeCharles Atkinson, Onalaska

$100 Ninth PrizeAlvin Gunderson, Oconomowoc

$100 Tenth PrizeCyril Niquette, New Holstein

$100 Eleventh PrizeKen & Elsie Rosenthal, Kenosha

$100 Twelfth PrizeDennis Boisvert, Holcombe

$100 Thirteenth PrizeDavid Jensen - Waupaca

$100 Fourteenth PrizeWallace Stuckert - Altoonaa

$100 Fifteenth PrizeRosalie Newton, Baldwin

$100 Sixteenth PrizeKurt Lahners, Siren

$100 Seventeenth PrizeHomer Stark, Sparta

$100 Eighteenth PrizeRoger Christenson, Luck

$100 Nineteenth PrizeTheodore Huiting, Little Chute

$100 Twentieth PrizeGlen Krebsbach,Wausau

SWEEPSTAKES WINNERS!

CW2 Nick Grob of the Wisconsin National Guard addresses the soldiers and guests who attended the new Main Boat Landing dedication ceremony.

Phil Rausch of Tomahawk recruited National Guard SGT Nicole Straveler for the Bronsted-Searl Post No. 93 using the new “Why You Should Belong” brochure.