NatioNal UpdateOfficial Publication of the Sons of The American Legion

Spring 2017

Spring is in the air for Sons and kids

(Above) Every little bit helps. Donations to the Child Welfare Founda-tion flow into The American Legion’s Indianapolis headquarters daily. Some are large but some are like this $61 check from Indianapolis, IN Sq 64 as displayed by Child Welfare secretary Denise Dodson. They all have helped push the S.A.L.’s all-time CWF contributions to more than $7,000,000. One important consequence of raising big bucks this year will cause heads to roll - sort of. Quite a few challenges are hanging in the balance because a number of prominent national and detachment leaders have agreed to have their heads shaved if CWF fundraising goals are met. Remember, the deadline for this year’s campaign is May 31.

Atthistimeeveryyear,we’vefinisheddiggingoutfromwinter,daffo-dilsstarttosproutoutintheyard,andchildrenseemtocomeoutofthewoodworktoenjoythefreshspringair.It’salsoatimewhenTheAmer-icanLegionFamilygetsdeeplyinvolvedinyouth-orientedprograms.InadditiontoobservingAprilasChildrenandYouthMonth,Sonsandoth-ersturntheirattentiontosomeverybeneficialprogramssuchastheChildWelfareFoundation,Children’sMiracleNetwork,andCOTA(Children’sOrganTransplantAssociation).ManyLegionpostssponsorEaster-relat-edeventsandothertypesofspring-relatedactivities.PoststhatsponsorAmericanLegionBaseball teamsgetdownto thebusinessoffinalizingsummertimeplans. Continued on Page 7

(Above) Vietnam Memorial Wall reflection of Arizona S.A.L. De-tachment Chaplain Jim Beischel, who offered prayers during cere-monies at this year’s Washington Conference. See more photos on Page 6.

Members of the S.A.L. honorveterans, driven by their familyconnections and a desire to sup-porttheirfathers,grandfathersandothers. The American Legion is nowencouraging Sons to go onlineand take onemore step to honorthosewhoinspiredthemandtheircommitmenttocontinuedservice.Sonsareinvitedtosharethestoriesoftheirfathersand/orgrandfathersby going to www.Legiontown.org and clicking on “My Hero,OurStory”tosharethememoriesandstoriesoftheveteransintheirlives. Entriespublishedonwww.legion.orgwillalsobeconsideredfor publication in The AmericanLegionmagazine.

WelcometoLegiontown

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you,thebluecapmembers,candofortherestofthisyear.Ournumbersarecominginandit’sshowingthatthe“KnowledgeisPower”tourisinfullswing! Membershipreportsshowthatweareusingthetoolslikesocialme-dia,email,conferencecallsandthephonecalls.Theyareworking! Childwelfaredonationsarecontinuingtocomein,recordingnewall-timehighseveryweek.AndspeakingofChildWelfare,canyousaybaldisbeautiful?Betteryet,canyousaytheideaofseeingCWFpresidentDennisBolandbaldheadedwillbebeautiful?Youmayknowthatthereisalittlechallengeonthetablethisspring,andifTheLegionFamilybringsinmorethan$1,000,000forCWF,Dennishasagreedtogettinghisheadshaved.IknowwecanreachthisshinygoalbecauseweareSonsofTheAmericanlegionandwearea“Cutabovetherest.”HaveyouorderedyourCWFCutAbovetheRestlimitededitionpin?(See photo Page 7) DuringmytravelsthisyearIhavespo-ken at many detachment gatherings andI’ve always asked Sons in the audiencethesetwoquestions: “WhydidyoujointheSons?” “Whatisyourpassion?” Elsewhere in this newsletter you willfind some good reports and informationabout programswe support. Please readthesearticlesandseeifanyofthemmatch-esyourownPASSION.Ifso,contactthenational chairman of that commission orcommittee and request information thatyoucansharewithothermembersofyourdetachment, district, or squadron. Feedyourpassionwiththeknowledgegiven. Thisyear’smembershipthemeis,“BeaSuperHeroandSignUpThreeAmericanHeroesToday.”Haveyousignedupyourthreeyet?Thereare20million,yesmillion,eligibleveteransoutthere.Weneedtohelpourparentorganizationgrowandweknow that,at thesame time,wewillgrowourown.Solet’sgetoutthereandshowourveteransweareheretohelpthemandtheirfamiliesandgivethemtheknowledgeastowhytheyareneeded tohelppreserve thegreatprinciplesofTheAmericanLegion.Why?BecausewearetheS.A.L.andweareheretoinsurethatthepricelessheritagegiventouswillcontinue. Onapersonalnote,IwasoverwhelmedattheoutpouringofsupportIreceivedthiswinterwhenmymotherpassedaway.AlloftheflowersthatweresenttoherfuneralandthecardsIreceivedmadeabigimpressiononmeandonlyservestounderscorewhyIlovethistremendousorgani-zation.Thankyouforthehonorofallowingmetoserveasyourcom-mander,andthankyouforallyoudoforTheAmericanLegionFamily.Youaremakingadifference.

By Jeff FrainNational Commander

PuttingpassionintoourworkasSons Springtime in Americanism Iwanttosaythankyouforallthe

hardwordyouallhavebeendoingsofarthisyear!Iamexcitedtoseewhat

(Above) Sons lost a good friend when Larry Besson passed away in January. As long-time chairman of The American Legion’s Inter-nal Affairs Commission, he had a profound and guiding influence on the S.A.L. that will last many years.

Mywifewilltellyouthatspringis daffodils, leaves on trees, andmoredaylight. While shemayberight about that, I’d prefer to saythis season of rebirth is a time ofrejuvenating with so many greatAmericanismprogramsthatshouldgetallofusupandouttobecomeinvolved.Justbecautious-itcanbecontagious. MemorialDayisadayoffworkformany,adayintheparkorfor-

estpreserve, aday forabackyard cookout. Ofcourse, that’s for mostbut not for those dedi-cated individuals ofTheAmerican Legion Fami-ly. For dedicatedmem-bersoftheSonsit’sa

By Jim BorgmanNat’l Americanism Commission

Continued on Page 6

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Let’s play ball!

Do you have a story to share?

Send ideas and pictures to:

National Update612 S. State Road 446 - #35C

Bloomington, IN 47401or

mpipher@iu.edu

Next deadline isJune 1, 2017

By Don AllisotNat’l Americanism Commisson

An education that keeps on giving When I became involved withtheDetachmentofMainein1989,one of the burning issues at the

timewasflagdesecration.Theattacksonthissymbolofourcountryweremany,variedandrelentless.Atthetime,IfeltIcouldassistbydevelop-ingaflageducationprogramandmakeitavailabletooursquadrons.Isetoutonmyownmissiontoseehowtheprogrammightworkandwhattheresponsemightbe.IhadtremendoussupportfrommySquadronand,withtheirhelp,wetriedtoeducateasmanypeopleaswecould. Theyouthofourcountryareanimportantpieceof thispuzzle. Weneededucateeachgenerationoverandover.Itmayhavebeenasuccessonce,butwewon’tbesuccessfulinthelongrununlesswecontinuethatprograminperpetuity. Wehaveanetwork inplaceandsquadronscanreachoutintheircommunitiestoachievethisgoal. ThereareassortedpublicationsavailableforamodestfeeatTheAmer-icanLegionFlag&EmblemSales:“Let’sBeRightonFlagEtiquette”($1),“OurCountry’sFlagComicBook”($.75),“LightofLibertyCom-icBook”($.75),“PledgeofAllegianceComicBook”($.75),“TheFlagCode“($.20),andtheDVD“ForWhichItStands”($9.95). The20minuteDVDincludesateacher’sguideandisbrokenintoseg-ments.Thereisspecialpricingavailableforalloftheseitemswhenpur-chasedinbulkof100ormore. One idea for teaching flag etiquette would be to use the “Let’s BeRightonFlagEtiquette”booklet,butpickoutjustthoseareasyoufeelareimportanttothegroupyou’reteaching.Giveyourstudentsjustenoughtowhettheirappetitesformoreknowledge.Dependingontheirage,giveeveryoneacopyofapublicationtotakehomesothattheclassisreallyjust thebeginningof theirflageducation. Itwouldbeimportant toin-cludesomehands-ontrainingsuchasthefoldingoftheflag,too. Let’sgiveourcommunitiesaneducationalexperiencethatwilldefi-nitelykeepongiving.

What saysmore about spring-time than the sound of, “Playball!”? American Legion Baseballheld its first national tournamentin 1926 and has been teachinggood sportsmanship, citizenship,and loyalty ever since. Respectfortherules,fairplay,andphys-icalfitnessallarelearnedduringparticipation.American Legion Baseball de-pendsuponitspostsandotherLe-gion Family organizations, suchas The Legion Riders and theSonsofTheAmericanLegion,topromote the activity. Teams canbe found in many communitieswhere an American Legion postislocated.Moreinformationcanbefoundregardingrulesandeli-gibilitybygoingtoTheAmericanLegionnationalwebsite. Though some support comesfromcorporatesponsors,fundingfortheprogramisalsoderivedatthe department and detachmentlevels. With today’s economy ithas become necessary to solicitfunds to help with the expensesofsponsoringateam.Teamorga-nizers can do this by publishinga booklet with the team sched-ule, profiles of the players, teamalumni,andmore.Additionalin-formation for each game can bepublished on your post websiteorFacebookpage,which is verycosteffective. Some pos-sible donation formats could be:SkyBoxClub($100) -BoxSeatClub($50)-BullPenClub($25)-OnDeckCircle($20)-Booster($10)-Fan($5) American Legion Baseball isknownasoneofthenation’smost

By Ernie LabergeVice Cmdr - Detach of MA

successfulyouthathleticleagues.Todaytheprogramregistersteamsin all 50 states plus Canada andPuerto Rico. Each year youngpeople ages 15 to 19 participate.Since its inception in 1925, theleaguehashadaround10millionplayers. Almost 60 percent ofcurrent college players are pro-gramgraduates. Countlessnum-bers of Legion Baseball alumnihaveplayed in themajor leaguesand68ofthemcanbefoundintheBaseballHallofFame.

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JasonSethreistheownerandpublisher of the Fillmore County Journal,aweeklynewspapercoveringSoutheasternMinnesota.Hisfather,grandfatherandgreat-grandfatherwereallveterans,soitshouldcomeasnosurprisethatJasonisamemberofPreston, MN Sq 166.Inthespringof2014Jasonputhisnewspaperstafftoworkonaprojecthethoughtwouldbenefitthecommunity.Ittooktwoyearstocomplete,andthefinalproductisabeautiful172page,hardboundbookentitledBoots and Bridgesthatrecognizesmorethan3,400FillmoreCountyveteransfromtheWarof1812tothepresentday.Inadditiontophotosandlistsofnames,thebookcontainsinterestingstoriesandpersonalrecollectionsofwartimeerastoldbytheveteransthemselvesortheirfamilies.

Notonlyitthebookakeepsakeforfamilies,butit’salsoatreasuretroveofinfor-mationthatwillserveasanimportanthistoricalreferencebookforgenerationstocome. (Above)

SonsinMidlothian, TX Sq 388havebecomeveryproficientatconduct-ingflagretirementceremonies.Theyaveragethreesucheventseachyearandarenowthelocalgo-toguyswhocanproperlyretiregarrison-sizedflags,thegiantonesyoumightseeflyingabovealargecardealership.Onerecentflagthatwasproperlydisposedofhadjust48stars,evidenceof theageof itsLegionRiderowner.Ontopofthat,ourhatsareofftosquadronadjutantRobertSonnier,a47yearcancersurvivorwhodonated14inchesofhishairtoLocksofLove,anorga-nizationthatprovideswigsforcancerpatients.ThisisthesecondtimeRoberthastakenalittleoffthebackforcancer.Hedonatedanother18inchesofhairbackin2009. (Left)

SonswillbebusyallaroundthecountrythisyearwhenMemorialDayrollsaroundat theendofMay. Thefeaturedspeakerat lastyear’sservicesat

IsleCemeterywasMonteFronk,1stViceCommanderofOnamia, MN Sq 395.His words focused onvolunteerservicesveter-ans perform throughouttheir communities evenafter they’re out of themilitary.(Left)

Detachment of Kansas Vice Commander Mi-chael Saindon involvedhis grandsons MichaelandWilliamKingdur

When Sons stand tall --Veterans and children win

When Sons stand tall --Veterans and children win

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HepatitisCisacontagiousliverdiseasetransmitted throughblood. Before itwasdiscovered in 1992 donor blood suppliescarriedthedisease,afactdirectlyimpact-ing thosewho served in themilitary andreceived blood transfusions before then.Nearly 17% of all U.S. veterans are be-lievedtobeinfectedwith“HepC,”anum-ber nearly twice as high as the generalpopulation.HepCcanliedormantinthehumanbodyfordecadesbeforebecomingadeadlyillness. Luckily, Sons have the opportunity toplay an important role in combating thislethal disease. Hep C can be detectedthroughasimplerapidbloodtest.Ouror-ganizationhasa lotof toolsat itsdispos-althatcanbeusedtospreadthewordandinform veterans about the importance ofbeing tested. Sonscouldevenworkwiththeirpostsandlocalorstatehealthofficialstoofferspecialscreenings.Forthosewhotest positive, the good news is that treat-mentshavea95%cureratewithminimalside effects. At least 65,000veterans areknowntohavebeencuredofHepC.

Join in and helpfight Hepatitis C

ingwreathlayingceremoniesduringthisyear’sDwightD.EisenhowerPilgrimageinAbilene. (Left)

Forthepast14years,S.A.L.membersofNorth East, PA Sq 105havebeendonatingdictionariestochildreninthelocalschooldistrict.Thisyear,theSonshandedoutdictionariesto144thirdgraders.(Right)

PearlHarborDay is celebratedeachyearbymem-bers ofNew Windsor, NY Sq 1796. Gathering at theNewburghWaterfront this year onDecember 7th, theS.A.L. put on an event that included a light breakfastfor veterans, a JrROTC drill team, refreshments, andaguestspeaker.WreathswereblessedandtossedintotheHudsonRiver.Veteransweretheninvitedtocomeforwardtointroducethemselvesandreceiveoneofthesquadron’scommemorativePearlHarborcoins.(Below)

Alltheydidwasputa50gallonbarrelinthepostclubroomandaskLegionFamilymemberstodonateitemsforhomeless veterans. The resultwas a barrel,members ofKentwood, MI Sq 208 foundtheirbarrelfilledtooverflow-ingeveryweekfortwomonths.(Bottom)

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Youth from Page 1

Dozens of Sons and many of the organization’s national officers at-tended this year’s American Legion

Washington Confer-ence in late Febru-ary. (Below) A group picture in front of the Lincoln Monument. Commander Frain and his Aide, Charles Treat place a wreath at Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknowns. More wreaths were placed at the Vietnam Wall.

The Veterans Employment andEducation Commission is askingall detachments to form their ownVE&E Committees and, in turn,encourage districts and squadronsdothesame.Thesecommitteescanassist by going online and findinglocal job fairs being held in yourstate’s communities and promot-ing it on yourwebsites, Facebookpages,andinyournewsletters.Youcanalsoprintoutfliersthatadver-tise jobfairsandpost themon thebulletin board at your post and inotherlocationsaroundtownwherelocalveteranswillseethem. Noveteranshouldeverbehome-less.However, veterans homeless-ness does exist everywhere. FirstResponders are often in contactwith down-on-their-luck veterans.TheVA has created a brochure toassist First Responders in deal-ing with and assisting homelessvets.Printoutandmakecopiesofthe two-sided brochure at: www.va.gov/homeless/docs/VA_Home-less_Brochure_FirstResponder.pdf. Thenmakecontactwithyour

local police, fire and EMSofficials toseeif theywouldbewillingtoplaceacopyineachoftheirvehicles. Wecanensurethatourvet-erans are never homelessandgiven theopportunity toprovidethemselvesandtheirfamilies with economic ne-cessities.

By Larry “Bear” WeinzirlNat’l VE&E Chairman

time to wear your color guard uniform andtakepartinceremoniesandparades.Ifyourpostorsquadrondoesn’thaveacolorguard,

that’snoreasonforyou tonot tohaveauniform. Ipromise thereareothersinyourdistrictwhodoandI’msureyouwouldbewelcometojointhem.EmblemSalescanprovideeverythingyouneedtolooksharpandmakeagoodpublicappearancealongwithotherSonsmemberstoletthepublicknowwhowearewhileweallpaytributetothosewhohavegonebeforeandservedournationtohelpkeepusallafreepeople.Takeprideinwhoweare,whatwedo,andwhowehonorforourfreedom.Cook-outscanhappenanothertime. Formostdetachments,mineincluded,latespringbringsBoysState.Istartedpromotingthisprograminhighschoolslookingforstudentstoparticipate.Anysalesman(whichIamnot)cantellyou,ifyouwanttosellsomething,youneedtoknowitinsideout.So,whenIreceivedaninvitationtoparticipateasacounselor,IjumpedattheopportunityandI’vebeengoingeversince.EachyearIhavespentatBoysState,IknowforafactthatIhavehelped,tutored,assisted,orotherwisegivenguid-ancetoayoungmanthatIknowinmyhearthasusedthatknowledgetohelpshapehislifeandguideitinapositivedirection.Youdon’thavetobeacounselorbyprofession,yousimplyhavetocareandshare. Springisatimetoputitingearandgo.Gogetinvolvedandlearnabout our great Americanismprograms.ButagainIwillcau-tion – Be careful, it may havecontagiouseffectsonyou.Theycertainlyhaveonme!

Helping vets stay afloat with dignity and honor

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Did you know you can manage and update your own address, phone number and e-mail address on the National HQ computer?

www.legion.org/membershipmanagement

Spring from Page 1

AsitsaysinTheLegion’sChil-drenandYouthProgrampamphlet,“Children represent the future ofournationanditisuptoustoequipthem with knowledge, leadershipskillsandacommitmenttoservicethat they will use as productiveadultcitizensoftheUnitedStates.”This is agood timeof theyear todustoffacopyofthepamphletandreacquaintyourselfwithit.

Family Emphasis Programsinclude,butnotlimit-edto:FamilySupportNetworkandTemporary Financial Assistance.Both programs assist the financialsituationsofthechildinthehomedirectly.

Child Safety Programs include: GatewayDrugs: harmful effects of drugs;Warningsigns:suicide;HalloweenSafe-ty:warningofpersonalsafety;MissingChildren:identificationprogramstohelpIDchildrenthathavegonemissingforwhateverreason.

Children’s Charities OneprogramhandledthroughNationalHeadquartersisTheAmericanLegionChildWelfareFoundationthatissuesgrantsforeducationalandresearchstudiesonchildren’shealthconcerns.AnotherisTheAmericanLegionEndowmentFundwhichhasbeenmakingmoneyavailablesince1925 to assist veterans and their families to adjustwhile struggling toreturntoanormallife.

TheroleoftheChildrenandYouthCommitteeistoformulate,recom-mendandimplementplans,programsandactivitiesdesignedto:assumecareandprotectionforchildrenofveterans; improveconditionsforallchildrenandyouth,withdueconcernsformaintainingtheintegrityofthefamilyhome;preventsocialandphysicalillsofchildrenandyouthwherepossible;andmaintainabalancedprogramthatprovidesforthephysical,emotional, intellectualandspiritualneedsofchildren. Thanks toyourworkandthatofyoursquadron,ourchildrenwillbebetteroff.

(Above) Commander Frain’s “A Cut Above the Rest” limited edi-tion pin costs $100. Proceeds go to CWF. Just 500 of these were made and only a few dozen remain. Sales of the pin will help push the S.A.L.’s CWF totals over $7M this year.

Sons get invited to the VA table

This year will mark the firsttimeTheS.A.L.willhaveasittingmember on the Executive Com-mitteeoftheVeteransAdministra-tion’sNationalAdvisoryCouncil.ThisisatwoyearappointmentandVA&RViceChairmanDougMur-phywillsitonthisimportantcom-mittee along with The AmericanLegionandTheAmericanLegionAuxiliary and other service orga-nizations.TheprimarydutyoftheNACistomakerecommendationsto the VA, calling for improve-mentsinanddeliveryofvoluntaryservicestoVApatients. The S.A.L.’s most prestigiousindividual award is the CharlesB. Rigsby Volunteer of the YearAward. It recognizes the verybestofthosewithinourrankswhogives of himself onbehalf of ournation’sveterans.Whowillbethisyear’srecipient?Willhebefromyour Detachment? Applicationsandguidelinesareonournationalwebsiteandshouldbesharedwithyoursquadron.

By Clint BoltNat’l VA&R Chairman

National Veterans Assistance DaySons recognize this day

each year during the month of May. Every

squadron in the country is asked to pick out one or more veterans and do something nice for them on that day. It’s

the squadron’s choice of which day of the month.

The Sons of The American LegionP.O.Box1055Indianapolis,IN46206

U.S. Postage

PAIDTHE

AMERICANLEGION

Non-Profit Organization

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By Seth RippeNat’l Membership Chairman

AsSpringturnstoSummerthedaysget longer, theweathergetswarmer,andourcalendarsquick-lyfillupwithactivitiesandvaca-tions.Bythispointintheyearweareoftenonautopilotandrelyingonthoselastfewrenewalstocar-ry us over our finalmembershipmark. However, we should seeevery event or activity as an op-portunitytorecruitnewmembersandgetourexistingmembersin-volved. Ask the coach of your localAmerican Legion Baseball teamfor 10 minutes with the playersbeforepracticetodiscusswhoweare and what our eligibility re-

quirementsare.Weshouldmakesurethatweaskeveryyoungmanwe send to Boys State about hiseligibility. Ask the guys in yourgolf league if they are eligible.Ask the guy wearing the armedserviceshatthatyouarecampingnexttoatthelake.Therearepo-tentialmembersallaroundusjustwaitingtobeasked! And don’t stop there - Getcurrent members involved, too.There are a number of programsin this organization. Find outwhatyourmembersareinterestedinandgettheminvolvedinanac-tivity that fuels thatpassion. Anactivemember is a vestedmem-ber and renewals become a loteasierwhenamemberisvestedinour organization. I know that at

some point you have been at anAmerican Legion Family eventand looked around only to seethesamefiveguys thathelpedatthe last one. It’s easy for us tocontinue to do thework becausethat’s why we belong. But whynot ask othermembers to partic-ipate, help out, or get involved?Askmemberswhohaven’tpartic-ipatedinthecolorguardtomarchin that parade with you. Askmemberswho like sports to helpoutatLegionBaseballgame.Askthememberwhoisactiveatyoursquadronifhewantstoattendthedetachmentconventionwithyou. You won’t know if you don’task.Rememberthatmembershipiseveryone’sresponsibility!

This is a great time of year to cultivate membership