A NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS MONTHLY PUBLICATION FOR POST COMMANDERS AND POST ADJUTANTS . . .

THE AMERICAN

LEGION

Vol. XXI December, 1978 No. 12

Legion Helps Veterans’ Children . ..

TFA Offers Emergency Aid TEMPORARY FINANCIAL Assistance (TFA) is

the name given to an American Legion program through which a post can provide cash assistance to help meet the needs of veterans’ children. This cash assistance is obtainable through the Legion’s National Americanism and Children & Youth Division when it is established there are no other resources available to pro¬ vide the required assistance or when such resources are not immediately available.

The primary responsibility for the care of children lies within the children’s own family; however, there are times when the family is unable to meet this re¬ sponsibility. The next level of responsibility lies within the local community. If the local community is unable to provide the necessary care or service, then the re¬ sponsibility falls to the next higher level of govern¬ ment— the county or state. Ordinarily the needs of vet¬ erans’ children can be met within this framework.

Post Action

When a situation arises where the needs of a veter¬ an’s child(ren) cannot be met from regularly estab¬ lished sources of aid, then it is time for The American Legion post to go into action.

The first possibility of funds should lie within the local post or unit. The local post or unit should have a

In This Issue Page

TFA Offers Emergency Aid.1 Commander's Calendar.2 Planning Key to Oratorical Program .2 Manual Guides Post Operations.3 Firing Line Subscriptions.4 Membership Increase News Release.4 Legion Life News.5 Patriotic Holidays .6 1979 Emblem Catalog.7 Post Service Officer's Manual .7-8

fund sufficient to take care of immediate or emergency needs of needy families.

Sometimes a situation may arise where post and/or unit funds are not sufficient to meet a family’s needs; then it is time to turn to the department. If the post and department cannot fully meet the needs, then TFA might be able to help.

TFA Grant, Not Loan

TFA payments are made in limited amounts and over a temporary period as required to meet maintenance and/or health needs of eligible children until such time as the family, local community, state and/or federal government have had reasonable opportunity to pro¬ vide or develop resources necessary to meet the full extent of the need. One important fact to remember: TFA is a grant and not a loan and as such is non-repay- able.

An eligible child is any child of a person who served honorably on active duty in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard of the United States of America, or who while a citizen of the United States entered active military duty with the armed services of a nation allied with the United States any time during the following periods:

WWI — April 5, 1917, to November 11, 1918 WWII — December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946 Korean War — June 25, 1950, to January 31, 1955 Vietnam War — August 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975

Status Defined

An eligible child is any child of a veteran who is un¬ married and under the age of 18 and is (1) a legitimate child; or (2) a child legally adopted; or (3) stepchild, if living in the household of the veteran; or (4) an illegiti¬ mate child when necessary proof of relationship is pro¬ vided.

(Continued on Page 6)

December 7 Pearl Harbor Day. Opening Day of Holiday

Blood Donor Drive. 15 Bill of Rights Day. 25 Christmas. Hanukkah. 31 New Year’s Eve. Final day of Holiday Blood

Donor Drive. Deadline for insured Legion¬ naires to pay 1979 premiums to American Legion Life Insurance Plan and report 1979 card numbers with payments.

January, 1979 1 New Year’s Day. 1978 members not yet paid

for 1979 are now delinquent. 11-13 Middle Atlantic Conference on Children &

Youth and Regional Economic Confer¬ ence, Pittsburgh, Pa.

25-27 Midwestern Area Conference on Children 8c Youth, Topeka, Kan.

February Americanism Month.

1 1978 members who have not paid dues for f 979 are now suspended from all privileges.

4 Four Chaplains Sunday. 4-10 Religious Emphasis Week.

12 Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday. 18- 23 Annual Conference, Washington, D. C. 19 George Washington’s Birthday. 19- 21 56th annual National Veterans Affairs and

Rehabilitation Conference, Washington, D.C.

Planning Key to Oratorical Program THERE IS A television commercial that suggests

“you can pay me now or pay me later” as it refers to taking care of your family automobile. You can cer¬ tainly apply a parallel theory to the National High School Oratorical Contest — “plan now or panic later.”

Planning now is of vital importance to the 1979 Ora¬ torical Contests. The Oratorical Contest can be one of the most rewarding programs that your post could sponsor, but it takes a lot of work and, above all, “plan¬ ning now.” There are some easy steps toward your post’s participation in the Oratorical Contest:

1) Appoint an oratorical committee with a chairman to be responsible for the conduct of the program.

2) Seek help from the education committee to coordi¬ nate your efforts in making contact with local schools and, in particular, school officials. The education com¬ mittee can be a great resource in your oratorical pro¬ gram.

3) From your contact with the local schools, you should be able to determine the best method on how to inform students about the contest. Remember, teachers as well as school administrators need this information before they can work with you effectively.

4) Using the materials provided to you from your de¬ partment, strive to have a coordinated program be¬ tween the post, school, and students.

5) Arrange the contest so that it will be convenient for the contestants and the school. If possible, the contest should be held in front of the student body or at least part of it.

6) A simple checklist to conduct the contest:

_Location

__Date

(Coming up in March: 60th Birthday of The American Legion.)

Time

Contest Personnel

The

American

Legion ADVANCE Published monthly by: National Headquarters, The American Legion, P. O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, Ind. 46206. A publication for American Legion Post Commanders and Post Adjutants.

Editor: Frank L. Megnin

December, 1978 Vol. XXI, No. 12

Ushers Escorts Judges (5, but no less than 3) Timekeepers Tabulators

7) Last, but not least, is an awards program. Even if your post cannot afford elaborate awards, at least try to arrange a suitable luncheon or banquet to show your appreciation to the contestants. There are pins and cer¬ tificates listed in the National Emblem Catalog that your post could purchase to present to the contestants. But, above all, recognize the effort of the contestants and especially the efforts of the school, the teachers, and school administrators.

2 The ADVANCE, December, 1978

Manual Guides Post Operations WHATEVER THE SIZE of your post’s operation,

whatever its own particular set of problems, you and your officers may find assistance in a management guide — Post Operations Manual — now available from National Headquarters.

In addition to your responsibility for the continua¬ tion of American Legion programs, you and your offi¬ cers have the responsibility for the conduct of all post operations, including the post building and grounds.

If your post has its own building you are faced with the obligation of effective and responsible manage¬ ment of income and expense. Proven principles of fi¬ nancial accounting are not only helpful, they are essen¬ tial! This accounting helps keep both the officers and members informed of the post’s operations and finan¬ cial condition.

Federal, State Requirements Your post needs to maintain adequate financial rec¬

ords not only for the purpose of an annual report to the membership, but also to meet certain federal and state regulations.

Does your post maintain social quarters for the bene¬ fit of its members? Regardless of the name given to such facilities — lounge, social room, club room, etc. — these operations must be administered in a business¬ like manner.

Post Operations Vary Post operations vary widely and fall into a large

number of categories. That small, newly formed post will not face the same operations problems of the large, firmly established post whose facilities may include bar service, restaurant, bowling alleys, golf course, and swimming pool.

And somewhere in between those two extremes is the post whose social room operations are severely limited by local regulations and/or state laws which confine operation of this area to that of a self-help or limited ser¬ vice function.

But, regardless of the category your post falls in, the problems facing it in this area are real and challenging.

Post Operations Manual No single manual can spell out the specific proce¬

dures, staff duties, and responsibilities for every post operation; however, the Post Operations Manual does offer guidelines which will be helpful.

The manual contains specific sections on social quarters, management, beverage cost control, food service, house rules, examples of proper accounting

procedures, an explanation of the tax exempt status of The American Legion, and a suggested chart of accounts.

Maintain Separate Accounts The most common mistake made in the operation

and management of an American Legion Post is the commingling of funds. Funds received under different operations within a Legion Post should not be placed in a single account. It’s not good business to begin with, and it may cause problems with local, state, and federal authorities.

To help your post avoid such pitfalls, the Post Opera¬ tions Manual suggests a chart of accounts which will offer your post’s accountant a guide to the establish¬ ment of proper accounting procedures.

Even more important, though, is your post’s obliga¬ tion to inform your members of proper income and expense management. A single account for all funds does not permit adequate information.

Remember, every member of your post has the right to know the financial picture of the organization.

The Post Operations Manual contains a section on how to conduct a post audit and suggests that a quali¬ fied public accountant be engaged at least once a year to review all aspects of the post’s financial operation. This audit should allow those responsible for the post’s oper¬ ations to take the financial pulse of the post.

Accounting Principles In fact, the manual outlines the accounting prin¬

ciples used by a hypothetical American Legion Post. It contains an example of a simple statement of revenue and expense for this post and a consolidated balance sheet. Other statements included for this fictitious post are for financial condition, income and disbursement, post expenses, post activities, income and expenses, budget comparison, etc.

For those posts whose operations are on a very large scale the manual includes analysis of changes in work¬ ing capital, budget, and insurance. This manual, along with sample statements and balance sheet for the hypo¬ thetical post, would allow your post to adopt a guide to the utilization of proven accounting principles.

The manual is readable and easily understood. It offers a step-by-step approach to modern business tech¬ niques that should be used by all American Legion Posts.

The Post Operations Manual is available on request (single copies only, please) from the Membership and Post Activities Section, The American Legion, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, Ind. 46206.

The ADVANCE, December, 1978 3

Firing Line Subscriptions DID YOU KNOW that the “Wobblies” are with us

again? The “Wobblies,” the Industrial Workers of the World, was founded in 1905 in Chicago and once boasted a membership of 65,000.

It was a dying organization until recently receiving a new lease on life by nearly 1,000 young radicals with college degrees, most of whom had belonged to the Stu¬ dents for a Democratic Society (remember them?).

Did you know that a confidential Central Intelli¬ gence Agency memorandum predicts that the United States will experience major terrorist attacks begin¬ ning within the next 18 months and persisting for years thereafter? The memo cites ties between international terrorist organizations — especially Palestinian and Western European — and potential allies within the U.S.

Their mission: Political violence against targets in America.

The CIA predicts such attacks are inevitable unless immediate steps are taken to increase security in this country. Likely targets: Electrical power facilities, fuel depots, petroleum processing plants, and commercial airliners.

Did you know that a flyer distributed by the Progres¬ sive Labor Party states the organization’s goal: “ . . . overthrowing this rotten capitalist system?” Are you aware that statements such as this, under current guide¬ lines are not cause for investigation?

The Firing Line, published by the National Ameri¬ canism Commission of The American Legion, is one of the few sources of such information. To keep your members aware of what is transpiring in the world of terrorism, subversion, and revolution, especially as it affects the fate of our country, fill out the coupon below and become informed.

”SuSgestef

(Membership Increase)

A growing membership for 1979 will permit — (Name of Post) — Post No_of The American Le¬ gion to look ahead to bigger and better programs for the benefit of — (Community) — Post Commander — (Full Name) — reported today.

Advance enrollment for Post No._, as of Dec. 31, 1978, is_, Commander — (Last Name Only) — announced. This is an increase of -over the number of Legionnaires who had signed up for 1978 as of Dec. 31, last year, he explained.

‘ ‘This expansion of our membership ranks here in — (Community) — is further assurance that we will have both the manpower and the financial resources as a solid base for our community service programs and activities,” Commander — (Last Name) — declared.

— (Insert here a summary of your post’s community service programs of the past year and plans for 1979. You may want to use some of the material which went into your post’s 1978 Consolidated Post Report.) —

Commander — (Last Name) — credited the healthy growth of Post No. _to recognition by the vet¬ eran population of — (Community) — that the Legion is involved in community betterment endeavors in con¬ junction with the organization’s nationwide theme — “We Dare To Care.”

“In addition,” Commander — (Last Name) — pointed out, “the membership increase being recorded here in — (Community) — by Post No_is being duplicated in American Legion Posts throughout the nation to give strength to the Legion’s national voice in support of an adequate system of military prepared¬ ness.

“The enthusiastic reaction of the nation’s war vet¬ erans to join the ranks of The American Legion is affirmation of the peace through preparedness philos¬ ophy expressed by National Commander John M. Carey,” he explained.

Commander — (Last Name) — reported that Post No-is embarking on the final phase of its mem¬ bership campaign to be completed by — (Date) —. He issued an invitation to any veteran of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War to join Post No._and participate in its various ser¬ vice and social programs.

(Fill in this coupon and mail with your check lor $3.00 for a single subscription or $20 or more for a bulk subscription of 20 or more at $1 per subscription. BULK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE MAILED TO ONE ADDRESS ONLY.)

FIRING LINE P.0. Box 1055 Indianapolis, Ind. 46206

Enter my subscription for one year to FIRING LINE. □ I enclose my check for $3.00. □ I enclose my check for $20.00 or more. Your Name and Address:

ZIP Code

4 The ADVANCE, December, 1978

American Legion Life Insurance Plan Chicago, Illinois

Benefits Increased by 15% ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ LOW-COST COVERAGE FOR LEGIONNAIRES IS AVAILABLE FOR ONLY (per year)

TOTAL COVERAGE THROUGH 1979

$24 — under age 30 (26 in New Jersey and Ohio) $11,500 $144 — under age 30 (26 in New Jersey and Ohio)_$69,000

Insurance Plan Provides Increase in Benefits

CHICAGO — At its meeting, Oct. 18-19 at Indi¬ anapolis, the National Executive Committee of The American Legion approved a resolution, granting a 15 per cent increase across-the-board on all death benefits paid by the Legion’s Life Insurance Plan from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 1979.

T-his marks the 10th time since the inception of the Life Insurance Plan in 1958 that an increase in the amount of protection offered by the Plan has been awarded in this fashion.

Paid Insurance Claims Top $27 Million

CHICAGO — With its total in paid claims rapidly approaching the 28-million-dollar mark, the Ameri¬ can Legion Life Insurance Plan has provided benefits to the designated beneficiaries of more than 17,500 Legionnaires insured under the Plan since its incep¬ tion in 1958.

Claims paid by the one and only official American Legion Life Insurance Plan have varied from $125 to $66,000, depending on the age of the insured and the number of units coverage.

Dec. 31 Deadline for ’79 Premium Payment

CHICAGO — Certificate and policy holders of the American Legion Life Insurance Plan are reminded that the deadline for paying premiums for 1979 is Dec. 31, 1978.

Post Adjutants have an important role in assisting in¬ sured Legionnaires in meeting this deadline by seeing that all paid-up members have their 1979 cards well ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline date.

Insured Legionnaires must report their 1979 mem¬ bership card numbers at the time of their premium pay¬ ments. This aspect of the Life Insurance Plan makes it an excellent membership stabilizer.

MR. COMMANDER:

Please complete the coupon on this page and ORDER your needed supply of APPLI¬ CATIONS to send in a future mailing to your post membership.

Insurance Officer Proves Asset to Legion Post

CHICAGO — A growing number of American Le¬ gion Posts are realizing the value of an insurance offi¬ cer. These posts have responded to the urging of direc¬ tor of the Plan and have notified the Plan’s office in Chicago of the post insurance officer’s name and address.

The insurance officer receives, among other infor¬ mational material, a bi-monthly publication, The Chronicle, which in fact teaches the fundamentals of insurance.

American Legion Life Insurance Plan Attn: Gene L. Fattig, Director P.O. Box 5609, Chicago, III. 60680

Please rush the following items, free of charge: (How Many?) _Insurance Applications _Question and Answer Brochures

Your Name _Post No. —

Address---

City _State_ZIP

The ADVANCE, December, 1978 5

Patriotic Holidays: Our Obligation "Who does the most to preserve patriotism in a nation ?ltis not the politician who talks about duties; it is not the dramatist who glorifies i ts past. The ideals of patriotism in a nation are but preserved by soldiers on the battlefield who are prepared to die."

— The Most Rev. Fulton J. Sheen, D.D.

WHO HAS A GREATER obligation to transmit to posterity the memorable events in the history

of our country — events that have shaped the course of this nation and caused it to become the greatest nation on Earth? Who has a greater responsibility for such activity other than The American Legion — an organization whose members have offered their lives in the defense of their country?

TFA Offers ... (Continued from Page 1)

A person under age 21 may be considered a child if physically handicapped or remains in an approved school (high school) and unmarried. No child is con¬ sidered “eligible” unless (1) such child is in need as determined in this investigation; and (2) other re¬ sources are not available or those available are inade¬ quate to meet the needs of the child.

As sure as The American Legion is the largest veter¬ ans’ organization in the world, there are veterans’ fami¬ lies in your area who need help. Possibly the rent is overdue, the children are hungry, or someone in the family needs an operation. Our main concern is to get these families information on where they can get help in time of need. If nothing else works, then TFA may be the answer if they qualify.

As Post Commander, you should make sure your offi¬ cers are familiar with this program. We are interested in giving service to the veteran, his widow or dependent children. A veteran does not have to be a Legionnaire to qualify. This is a chance to show your community that “We Dare To Care.”

The purposes of The American Legion Children & Youth program are to provide a setting conducive to every veteran’s child having an adequate opportunity to realize his (her) full potential and secondly to afford every American child a similar opportunity. From these purposes emanated our slogan “A Square Deal For Every Child.”

If you need further information, contact your depart¬ ment headquarters or call or write to the National Americanism and Children 8c Youth Division, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, Ind. 46206.

For more than a half century The American Legion has been an acknowledged leader and proponent of pa¬

triotic expression in our country. The public expects The American Legion to provide the leadership necessary for meaningful patriotic observances within the communities of this great land.

The National Americanism Commission of The American Legion recommends that posts participate in the observance of the following patriotic holidays (listed here in their chronological order for the calen¬ dar year):

Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday George Washington’s Birthday Arbor Day Memorial Day Flag Day Independence Day Veterans Day

Suggestions for suitable programs for each of these holidays are provided in the Americanism Manual available from your department headquarters or the Americanism and Children & Youth Division, The American Le¬ gion, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, Ind. 46206.

There is many as Legionnaire who has felt an emo¬ tional uplift of spirit while reflecting on that portion of American heritage represented by a specific holiday and has considered that sufficient reward for participation in its observance.

Of even greater importance is each Legion Post’s emphasis on the patriotic holiday to remind all America of the true mean¬ ing of the occasion and its place in our country’s development.

The greatest importance of the pa¬ triotic holiday observance is to impart to the young people the full knowl¬ edge and understanding of their na¬

tion’s history as they prepare themselves as tomorrow’s citizens and leaders.

Is your post fulfilling its potential in this important phase of its Americanism Program? As you approach a new calendar year it is an appropriate time to evaluate your post’s continuing participation in these meaning¬ ful events and to rededicate itself to this lofty purpose.

6 The ADVANCE, December, 1978

Post Service Officer’s Manual The post service Officer is the vital link in

the program chain which links The American Legion to the needs, the crises, and the prob¬ lems facing the nation’s veter¬ ans and their families. This program chain is forged and maintained by the Legion’s Na¬ tional Veterans Affairs and Re¬ habilitation Commission.

The “strong right arm” of the Post Service Officer is the Man¬ ual for Post Service Officers, which is now in process of being revised for the 1979 edi¬ tion by the staff of the Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Di¬ vision.

This handbook outlines in a concise manner those state and federal benefits to which veter¬ ans, their dependents, and their survivors are entitled.

The new 1979 edition now being prepared will contain not

FREE 1979

EMBLEM CATALOG A free copy of the new Emblem Catalog is

waiting on your request.

SEND FOR YOUR COPY TODAY!

Catalogs Will Be Mailed After January 1, 1979

National Emblem Sales THE AMERICAN LEGION

P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206

Send me my FREE copy of the new 1979 Emblem Catalog

NAME_

ADDRESS_

_STATE_ZIP_ For new FREE Emblem Catalog . . .

only those benefits available by action of previous acts of Con¬ gress, but also the new and changed provisions of laws affecting veterans benefits en¬ acted during the recently ad¬ journed 95th Congress.

This manual is published each year in order that its ma¬ terial remain as current as pos¬ sible.

As soon as the manual is off the press it will be shipped in quantity to the various depart¬ ments for distribution to the posts. Target date for distribu¬ tion is set for soon after Jan. 1, 1979.

The Post Service Officer will find the manual a valuable helper for handling questions about entitlement to veterans benefits. It is also designed to enable the Post Service Officer to counsel the veteran on basic

(Continued on next page)

The ADVANCE, December, 1978

. J

7

Service Officer... (Continued from preceding page)

requirements needed for a particular benefit, the proper form to execute, and the supporting evidence necessary to file with the application.

Each year sees an increasing demand for informa¬ tion and counsel from Post Service Officers. As the vet¬ eran population grows larger, encompassing a wider age span, the need for counselling of veterans and their dependents will continue to be one of the major func¬ tions throughout the entire service officer network, from the post to the National echelons.

To assist in this function the manual is provided without cost to the Post Service Officer who, in many instances, is the first person a veteran or dependent will contact concerning entitlement to a benefit.

The Post Service Officer finds this handbook to be a handy reference in the performance of duties both within the post and the community. This is the reason the National Organization provides this annually re¬ vised manual to make the task of service easier and to make the service officer position more effective.

In addition to the material contained in the manual, the National Affairs and Rehabilitation Division di¬ rects updated and detailed information through a series of bi-monthly features in the ADVANCE. These fea¬ tures usually focus on additional changes in veterans

benefits that might have occurred through new legisla¬ tion or new Veterans Administration procedures since the revision of the manual.

The Post Service Officer is the one individual whose duties are most directly related to that lofty and basic principle of The American Legion:

“To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.”

Therefore, it is most important that each department headquarters and Post Commander make sure that the 1979 edition of the Manual for Post Service Officers reaches its final destination as soon as possible after receipt.

Service work performed by a volunteer Legionnaire for the veteran and the dependent is essential for a healthy and progressive post.

“We Dare To Care.”

THE AMERICAN LEGION

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13-873 (12/78)