Official Publication of The American Legion Department of Michigan - www.michiganlegion.org - April/May 2012 April/May 2012 Membership...................................................4 Section Two...................................5,6,15 & 16 Convention Call.............................................9 1st Place NALPA Publication Winner 2010 1st Place NALPA Website Winner 2008 2nd Place NALPA Publication Winner - 2007 & 2009 3rd Place NALPA Publication Winner - 2008 Michigan Legionnaire & Wolverine Auxiliaire Vol. LXXXI No.7 IT’S NOT A MYTH IT’S A FACT “WE ARE A FAMILY” Lately, issues and conflicts among some of our Legion Family members have taken on a nasty tone. Some of these issues have been referred to Department for solutions. Department is more than happy to provide guidance and support but the running of individual posts and their association with affiliated family members is strictly up to the Post Officers. At National and Department we pro- mote The Legion Family as The Legion, Auxiliary, Sons and Legion Riders work- ing together in support of our (4) four pil- lars. This is not a slogan for a Public Relations campaign it is who we are; it is what we hope every member of The Legion Family believes in and is working toward. That is why it is disappointing to see some of these family disagreements get- ting out of hand, most notably between The Legion and our Sons. These are the facts: • The SAL is not a separate organiza- tion. The SAL is an organized pro- gram of The American Legion sub- ject at each level to control by The American Legion. • The purported assets of an SAL Squadron are actually assets of the Post. • The monies of an SAL Squadron belong to the post. A post can gov- ern how a squadron disburses its income, savings or other assets if they so choose. • The SAL is not allowed to have any type of voting rights on post issues which is reserved for Legion voting members in good standing. These and other issues such as Auxiliary and SAL bar privileges and being a mem- ber of the board that owns the liquor license are outlined in various Department documents and have been covered in various Department venues such as Legion College, Schools of Instruction, and our Judge Advocate rul- ings. It boils down to the individual Post Officers and SAL squadron officers hav- ing mutual respect for one another and working together for the good of The Legion. The Michigan SAL is recog- nized by the National organization as being one of the best in the country. Our SAL supports many worthy causes and has demonstrated over and over again what a valuable asset they are for the Department of Michigan and the veter- ans we support. Every instance of dis- Amendments.............................................10 Pre-Convention Requirements .................11 Veterans Service .......................................13 agreement has boiled down to individu- als at the post & squadron level who did not know the rules, had personal conflicts and agenda’s and did not listen to or respect one another. At the fall conference I met personal- ly with SAL squadron commander Verville and Department President Bowerman to discuss this issue and to issue a joint statement to all our members. This is it, we are in complete agreement. Sit down, talk to each other and settle your differences. In the words of Squadron command- er Verville “I became a member of The American Legion Family in 1957 when I joined the Sons of The American Legion, my dad being a Legion member and my mother an Auxiliary member, so the transition to being a member of THE Legion Family was not a problem. Respect was always part of our family and also at our Legion Post. Sure, everyone did not always agree on everything, but by talking things over the problems were worked out. The same thing can be done now by respecting each other’s opinion and talking things out. Commander Richard, President Carrie and I have been having a great year despite having dif- ferent backgrounds and living in different parts of the state. What we do have in common is why The American Legion was formed, a strong belief to assist veterans and veteran’s families, Americanism, and children & youth. With these as our interests and respecting the other person, by having open communication, The Legion Family will only get stronger.” I couldn’t have said it better. As in any family there will always be issues to deal with, I’m asking that they be dealt with and don’t let them become problems. As in any family, the parents/adults must take control and set an example. I’m call- ing on the adults in our Posts, Units, Squadrons and Riders i.e. Post Commanders, Unit Presidents, and Squadron Commanders to set the tone and demonstrate by actions and deeds what being a family is all about. There are many examples for you to view all across the great state of Michigan and our Department. I thank you for your efforts. Sincerely, Richard Chatman Commander American Legion Department of Michigan Note to All: There were prob- lems with address- ing of the the paper last month. We apologize for the problem and have corrected it. - Mark Sutton Memorial Day 2012 - Remember
Transcript
Official Publication of The American Legion Department of Michigan - wwwwww..mmiicchh iiggaannlleeggiioonn..oorrgg - April/May 2012A
“WE ARE A FAMILY” Lately, issues and conflicts among some
of our Legion Family members havetaken on a nasty tone. Some of theseissues have been referred to Departmentfor solutions. Department is more thanhappy to provide guidance and supportbut the running of individual posts andtheir association with affiliated familymembers is strictly up to the Post Officers.
At National and Department we pro-mote The Legion Family as The Legion,Auxiliary, Sons and Legion Riders work-ing together in support of our (4) four pil-lars. This is not a slogan for a PublicRelations campaign it is who we are; it iswhat we hope every member of TheLegion Family believes in and is workingtoward.
That is why it is disappointing to seesome of these family disagreements get-ting out of hand, most notably betweenThe Legion and our Sons. These arethe facts:• The SAL is not a separate organiza-
tion. The SAL is an organized pro-gram of The American Legion sub-ject at each level to control by TheAmerican Legion.
• The purported assets of an SALSquadron are actually assets of thePost.
• The monies of an SAL Squadronbelong to the post. A post can gov-ern how a squadron disburses itsincome, savings or other assets if theyso choose.
• The SAL is not allowed to have anytype of voting rights on post issueswhich is reserved for Legion votingmembers in good standing.
These and other issues such as Auxiliaryand SAL bar privileges and being a mem-ber of the board that owns the liquorlicense are outlined in variousDepartment documents and have beencovered in various Department venuessuch as Legion College, Schools ofInstruction, and our Judge Advocate rul-ings.
It boils down to the individual PostOfficers and SAL squadron officers hav-ing mutual respect for one another andworking together for the good of TheLegion. The Michigan SAL is recog-nized by the National organization asbeing one of the best in the country. OurSAL supports many worthy causes andhas demonstrated over and over againwhat a valuable asset they are for theDepartment of Michigan and the veter-ans we support. Every instance of dis-
Amendments.............................................10Pre-Convention Requirements .................11Veterans Service .......................................13
agreement has boiled down to individu-als at the post & squadron level who didnot know the rules, had personal conflictsand agenda’s and did not listen to orrespect one another.
At the fall conference I met personal-ly with SAL squadron commanderVerville and Department PresidentBowerman to discuss this issue and toissue a joint statement to all our members.This is it, we are in complete agreement.Sit down, talk to each other and settleyour differences.
In the words of Squadron command-er Verville
“I became a member of The AmericanLegion Family in 1957 when I joined the Sonsof The American Legion, my dad being a Legionmember and my mother an Auxiliary member, sothe transition to being a member of THE LegionFamily was not a problem.
Respect was always part of our family and alsoat our Legion Post. Sure, everyone did not alwaysagree on everything, but by talking things over theproblems were worked out. The same thing can bedone now by respecting each other’s opinion andtalking things out.
Commander Richard, President Carrie and Ihave been having a great year despite having dif-ferent backgrounds and living in different parts ofthe state. What we do have in common is whyThe American Legion was formed, a strong beliefto assist veterans and veteran’s families,
Americanism, and children & youth. With these as our interests and respecting the
other person, by having open communication, TheLegion Family will only get stronger.”
I couldn’t have said it better. As in anyfamily there will always be issues to dealwith, I’m asking that they be dealt withand don’t let them become problems. Asin any family, the parents/adults musttake control and set an example. I’m call-ing on the adults in our Posts, Units,Squadrons and Riders i.e. PostCommanders, Unit Presidents, andSquadron Commanders to set the toneand demonstrate by actions and deedswhat being a family is all about. There aremany examples for you to view all acrossthe great state of Michigan and ourDepartment.I thank you for your efforts.
Sincerely,
Richard ChatmanCommanderAmerican Legion Department of Michigan
Note to All:
There were prob-lems with address-ing of the the paper
last month. Weapologize for the
problem and havecorrected it.
- Mark Sutton
Memorial Day 2012 - Remember
first lose ourselves.” Wow, a sociology majorand theologian could write a whole book onthat one. It reminds me of the line fromAmazing Grace, “I once was lost, but nowI’m found. I was blind but now I see.” Atour darkest hour, we find ourselves giving into the saving grace of God. Luke 9:24-25tells us: “For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for mewill save it. What good is it for you to gainthe whole world, and yet lose or forfeit yourvery self ?
The other day a coworker went to theChinese restaurant at the food court. Whenshe finished lunch she showed me the fortunefrom her cookie which read, “Don’t botherme now I’m resting. Even fortune cookiesneed their sleep.” Really, are you kiddingme? How disappointing is that? It just isn’tright! I know it isn’t exactly the same, butthat would be like going to church and aftertaking up the offering the pastor saying,“I’m a little tired today so you all can go on
Do you have a photo you would like tosubmit for the Michigan Legionnaireand/or website use? E-mail it to us [email protected] or mail it todepartment attn: Mark Sutton.
Please keep the photo at least 200 dpior larger. If you are submiting a hardcopy photo, please note photos printedfrom home printers cannot be used, norcan photos clipped from newspapers.
We look for photos showing Legioncaps in action whenever possible.
Interested in placing an ad in theMichigan Legionnaire? Please ContactMark Sutton at: [email protected] by phone at 517-371-4720 ext 16.
MICHIGAN LEGIONNAIRE &AUXILIAIRE
(USPS 010637) is published monthlyexcept February, May, August, andDecember by The American Legionand American Legion Auxiliary,Department of Michigan, 212 N.Verlinden, Lansing, MI 48915-1297.Periodical postage paid at Lansing,MI, and additional mailing offices.Subscription $10.00 non-members,members receive the publication aspart of their dues.
JUNE- MAY 1, 2012
Many of you who know me know that Idon’t see much use in horoscopes. There isno way that the same prediction can be rel-ative to all of the people in the world thathave the same astrological sign. I know I’mprobably going to spark some controversyfrom other folks that do read them faithful-ly. I’m sure that some of you are going totell me later about some interesting coinci-dences. To me, horoscopes are like lookingat the racing form after a race for clues thatcould have told you which horse was goingto win. Too late, the race is over. Howdoes it go, “hindsight is 50/50?” Now thatbeing said, it is going to sound funny that Ireally enjoy fortune cookies and the littlenotes with words of wisdom.
You never know what the fortune from acookie is going to say. Much of the time itis not really a prediction but a keen obser-vation of life. Some of them are funny butothers are pretty deep. One that I readsome time ago, “to find ourselves, we must
ChaplainEddie W. Brown, State Chaplain
“FORTUNE COOKIE PHILOSOPHY”home. There would be a deacon’s meetingimmediately following. Thankfully I servea God who never sleeps. “He will not letyour foot slip, he who watches over you will… neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:2-4
A few days later I went to the same placefor lunch. I waited to finish my lunch andfinally with considerable anticipation brokeopen the cookie. My fortune read, “Faith ispersonal, but never private.” That’s morelike it and how so very true. If you are a per-son of faith, other people will see it in yourlife. His light will shine in you like a candlein the darkness. And through you, othersmight be drawn to His true peace. I willleave you with one more passage, John 13:35,“By this everyone will know that you aremy disciples, if you love one another.” Soyes, I like fortune cookie philosophy. Or isit that if we take the time we can find mean-ing in even the simplest things in life aroundus. God Bless You All. Chaplin Eddie
American Legion, Department of Michigan2012 Convention Registration Form
June 27 - July 1, 2012Radisson Hotel
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007
Hosted by the Grand Rapids American Legion Conv. Corp.You must make your own reservation, Room Blocks Held Until
June 6, 2012
(Free self parking in hotel ramp, for hotel guests)
Kalamazoo Convention Registration InformationRegistration Badge required for attendance at any meeting or sessionThe American Legion requires that each person in a room
must register with the Corporation.Registration fee is $10. Make your check payable to:
GRAL Convention Corp.Mail to: Jerry Dennis, 840 Coit Ave N.E., Apr. 2, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Education Committee Report Well, here we are at the end of another year of our
Education and Scholarship program. At the wintermeeting our committee scrutinized ninety-six (96) appli-cations in order to award scholarships to the mostdeserving individuals. We were limited to only thirteen(13) available, which made the task considerably hard-er, as there were applicants that were separated by frac-tions of a point. We also selected the Zone winners forthe Teacher of the Year Awards. It should be noticedthat the participation in the teacher of the year programwas way down this year. The committee made thesuggestion that the department send a representative tothe Michigan Education Association convention inorder to gain support for our programs. I’d like to thankall the committee members, John Bradford, RoyMcLain, George Maciejewski and Dr. James Atkinsonfor their diligence in judging the Wilson and BrewerScholarships and the Teacher of the Year Awards. Welldone gentlemen!
On the 25th of February we held our DepartmentOratorical contest at Department Headquarters inLansing. It was quite a treat for all in attendance.These young people were so very knowledgeable aboutthe Constitution of the United States. We had fivecontestants, one from each of our five zones and award-ed $4,900.00 in scholarship monies, all contestantswalked away as winners for their efforts. At the wintermeeting, when I gave my committee report I extended
an invitation to all to attend the Oratorical contest, toassist or to observe and be amazed by these young menand women. Well, my expectations were far exceeded,this was the largest audience that I have ever seen at thiscontest in all the years that I have been attending them.I would like to thank each and every one of you whoattended, thereare too manyto list but youand I knowwho you are,so Thank YouLegionnaires,Auxiliaires andSons for givingyour Saturdayafternoon forthis worthwhileevent.
I’d like tot h a n kCommanderChatman forhaving faith inme and givingme this oppor-tunity to serveThe American
Headquarters
the first time that I actually stayed in ourNation’s Capital. What a fascinating andhistorical city. Quite frankly to thisDetroiter, it was impressive and aweinspiring, however what stood out to mewas the same coldness and indifferencethat existed on this trip that was shown tothe vet in need in Detroit. I arrived at theWashington Hilton in my casual flyingclothes at a hotel filled with legionnairesfrom across the country and not one both-ered to say hi, hello or offer a friendlygreeting at all. If one of them had both-ered to say Hi, they would have found outthat I was one of them, that this was thefirst time I’ve been in this city, that I wasthe Department Commander of a statewith over 72,000 members, that I was aVietnam veteran and that it would benice to have someone to share a conver-sation with. None of this happenedbecause my fellow legionnaires chose tolook right past me, look down to theground, and avoid eye contact when itwould have been so much easier just to say“Hi”. Of course it was quite differentthe next day when I attended meetings ina sports coat & tie and my Legion Capwhich said State Commander –Michigan, I got no shortage of “how you
Two recent inci-dents help shape mycolumn in this issue ofthe MichiganLegionnaire. (1) Thecar-jacking of aWorld War 2 Vet inthe city of Detroit ashe stopped to get gason his way to biblestudy and (2) my tripto Washington D. C.to attend the
American Legion’s Washington D.C.Conference.
Both demonstrated where we are todayas a society. In the Detroit incident, herewas a World War 2 Vet who simply decid-ed to stop and gas up his vehicle and wasassaulted, his vehicle stolen and suffereda broken leg. Even more appalling, hecrawled along the ground trying to reachthe gas station as people casually walkedby with no offer of assistance. What werethese people thinking? That could havebeen their father, uncle, grandfather andthey offered absolutely no assistance.Shame on them and they wonder whypeople are afraid to come to Detroit.
As far as my trip to Washington, it was
Richard I. Chatman, State CommanderIt’s so easy to say.
“Hi”doings and HI’s, unfortunately it wouldhave meant a lot more to me if it hap-pened the day before.
This atmosphere of coldness and indif-ference continued as I undertook to tourthe city of Washington on my own, mak-ing use of the red, yellow and blue line bustour. I visited all the monuments,Arlington Cemetery, World War 2 &Korean memorials, the white house etc.and wherever I went not one HI, or hello.People walked pass, avoiding eye con-tact, joggers ran pass with earphones intheir ear, cell phone users walked passshouting into their phones and then ithappened. I decided to pause @ theMartin Luther King Memorial and sitdown on one of the park benches andgaze out over the water that led to a sim-ply awesome view of the WashingtonMonument. All of a sudden I heardsomeone say from behind. “HI, how youdoing”; I couldn’t believe it, a friendlygreeting, it turned out that this was alocal. The gentleman was a KoreanVeteran, and he was a fisherman. In factwhile all the tourists were reveling in theMLK Memorial, FDR Memorial andthe Jefferson Memorial, he was upsetbecause 30 years ago, this was where he
and his fishing buddies would come tocatch small mouth bass, yellow perch,crappie and cat fish. Now since theybuilt all these damn memorials, his wordsnot mine, he couldn’t fish anymore. Ilearned how to use certain lures, how toactually cook carp and some history ofwhat Washington D.C. was like 30 yearsago. He learned the difference betweenThe American Legion and the VFW andwondered why no one had ever askedhim to join The Legion. We talked forwell over an hour and I have a new friendin Washington D.C. simply because thisgentleman said “HI”.
Legionnaires the point to all this is don’tforget the importance of just saying HI.Who knows where the conversation maylead, perhaps to even a veteran, male orfemale joining our ranks. Saying HI issomething we all learned in kindergarten,it worked when we were kids, it will stillworks as adults. Saying HI is an act ofcivility, it connects us as human beings;it means we recognize each other it is thefirst step in turning strangers into perhapssomething else. You never know whomay walk into your post; hopefully theywill leave out with a good impression ofThe American Legion.
Richard I. Chatman,State Commander
Legion Department of Michigan and the youth of ourstate as the Chairman of the Education and ScholarshipCommittee.
For God and Country Thomas G. BrownChairman, Education and Scholarship Committee
2012 Oratorical Contestants with members of the Education Committee
It seems like just yesterday that we elect-ed Richard Chatman as Commander andhere it is spring already. The member-ship year will soon come to a close but thework is not yet done. Membership is a yearround effort, but it requires a bit extra thistime of year to get those remainingrenewals. Chances are they will not cometo you, you must go to them. Phone or per-sonal contact is the order of the day.
Fifty four Posts achieved 100% or bet-ter for the December 31st incentive award.These awards were passed out at the win-ter meeting. Less than half that numberreached the March award. This does notmean that you should stop trying for that100% goal. There’s still time.
As you know any organization hasstrength in numbers and we are no excep-tion. A strong and informed Legion mem-bership has an impact in Congress, thecommunity and affects the quality of ourLegion programs. Numbers do matter.
As I said before membership is a yearround effort and there are several tools to
MAKE A PHONE CALL, MAKE A HOME VISIT
TIME IS SHORTassist you. Many of you are aware of theZip code locator. Choose the Zip codes foryour area of interest and go tomylegion.org if you have internet capabil-ity or call Department. They will be happyto assist you. You may be surprised at thenumber of Vets listed in your area.
You may have received some requeststo transfer to a local Post application.These requests are sent out to the Posts asthey are received from National andDepartment. These Vets want to belongto your Post. Make contact!
People are on the move andLegionnaires are no exception. Nationalprocesses approximately 30 thousandaddress changes monthly. These “ProjectStay Active” forms will help you makecontact with members who move into yourarea. You will receive them as theybecome available. Some members will bereceptive to an offer to transfer when asked.You are the salesman for this greatOrganization and your good work isreflected by the numbers in the member-ship report.
Best wishes and I’m looking forward toseeing you at convention.
Post 49 receives theircheck for reaching 100%
By Peter Satterthwaite 5th Dist. Cmdr.
Let me start by saying to all thanks for thesupport. The American Legion service to vet-erans remains strong in The Department ofMichigan Fifth District because of youLegionnaires, Auxiliary, and Sons. Theimportance of your efforts on behalf of vet-erans is immeasurable, but at every post wedo need some identifying and quantifying.Your annual Consolidate Post Report is themeans to do this, and the michiganlegion.orghomepage link puts filing the report at youfingertips. The Consolidate Report is thesingle-source often used to evaluate TheAmerican Legion, so let’s insure every post ofthe 5th District submits to our Departmenttheir CPR before the June 15th deadline. Atthe Winter Conference, NationalCommander Wong noted the reports impor-tance; so let’s give Department CommanderChatman a district where every post submitsa CPR.
As a district let’s go the extra mile and giveCommander Chatman a double by repeat-ing as a 100% district in membership. Post28, our largest district post, recently passedthe 100% membership goal pushing us evercloser as a district to 100%. Our next districtmeeting will be at the Charles A. Conklin Post28 in Grand Haven on May 10th at 7:00p.m., and we will be electing officers for thecoming year. I do hope all plan to attend.
On March 10, 2012 Fifth District
The Fighting Fifth DistrictDepartment of Michigan
Furniture City Post 258 was the Zone 2 start-ing site for the second DepartmentMembership Roundup. We had the privi-leged of hosting the visit by National ViceCommander Milton Heifner andDepartment Membership Chairman JimWallace. March was definitely a month rem-iniscent of the old “community” post feelingwith numerous posts listed in the newspaperguide of area Lenten fish fries. Many attendas families, which is always wonderful to see.The revenue generated helps support postand programs. This was also the case for thebreakfast at the Boat and Canoe in conjunc-tion with the Membership Roundup.
Please also mark your calendar for the 2012District Tour, the Joint Memorial Banquet,the Memorial Day Ceremonies and Paradescoming up in the district. May 5, 2012 is theDistrict Tour sponsored by the Sons. SALDistrict Commander Jeff Meulendyk hasscheduled the tour to visit the following sixposts this year: Post 179, Post 28, Post 6, Post305, Post 208, and Post 459. The JointMemorial Banquet will be May12, 2012 atGlenn Hill Post 287 in Cedar Springs. PostAdjutants or Chaplains should provideDistrict Chaplain Ron Marsiglia with theirdeceased member list. Memorial Day isobserved on May 28th this year; but in keep-ing with tradition, the ceremony and paradein Grand Rapids will be held on May 30,2012. Please continue your service to ournation’s veterans while having a great spring.
Membership Round Up Started in the 5th District.
DDiissttrriicctt MMeeeettiinnggss1st District Summer 6/4/12 - 7PM Fred BeaudryPost #126
2nd DistrictMay 20th 2012* Tecumseh-Underwood-Orr Post #34 (Tecumseh)SAL meets at 12:00 pm, Service Officer Trainingat 1:00 pm, Legion meets at 2 pm *MemorialService starts at 12:30
3rd DistrictExecutive Board Meeting at 11:00 A.M.Luncheon at 12:00 P.M. Regular Post andAuxiliary Meetings at 1:00 P.M.May 6, 2012- Battle Creek Post 298
4th DistrictMay 6th, 2012 Baroda Post 345
5th DistrictMeetings begin at 7 p.m.May 10th, 2012 Grand Haven Post 28
District 6Meetings start at 1pm (check minutes for serv-ice officer training)May 6, 2012 Davison Post 267
District 9thMay 12, 2012 Croton Post 381Schedule remains: Executive Committee Meetingat Noon; Service Officer infoat 12:30 p.m.; Lunch 1:00 p.m.; GeneralMembership Meeting at 2:00 p.m.
District 10May 6, 2012 Linwood (Memorial Meeting)June 2, 2012 TBA
District 11April 21, 2012 Stephenson Post 43- 10 am Central Time
District 12May 5th, 2012 Lake Linden Post 90 11 amEastern Time
District 11 & 12June 8 & 9, 2012 White Pine Post #462
District 16Meeting starts at 7:30pm* Denotes Service Officer School 6:30PM** Memorial Service 6:30PMApril 10, 2012 *Allen Park Post 409May 8, 2012 Lincoln Park Post 67 Dual313-388-2088** Memorial Service & ElectionsJune 12, 2012 * Garden City 396 313-381-2245
District 17April 18, 2012 Meeting at Livonia Post 327 pmMay 16, 2012 Memorial Service at 6:30PMMeeting at Post 32 7 pmJune 6, 2012 Meeting at Post 32 PreConvention 7 pm
District 18May 6th, 2012 Chief Pontiac Post 377Memorial Service at 1 p.m. Election ofOfficers 2 p.m.June 10, 2012 Clarkston Post 63
District 19May 2012 TBA
Page 5 April/May 2012
AAUUXXIILLIIAAIIRREEFrom the Desk of the President 22001111 -- 22001122 DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt PPrreessiiddeenntt,, CCaarrrriiee BBoowweerrmmaann
Many thanks toall of you that havesent your prayers,cards and that havehad my family inyour thoughts.When I was chap-lain a few years
back I remember saying that getting acard or a call from someone helpsout in a troubled time, I am so grate-ful that all of you believed that too. Iwent through the cards and read thenotes and it made me appreciate all ofthe friends and acquaintances that Ihave. It helps get over the rough times,thanks again.
Your reports should be finished and
sent in, the District and Departmentwill be compiling all of our hours andsending them on to the National office.I am hoping that we will be repre-sented well this year. Talking aboutNational, membership in Michigan isgoing great. Soon we will be passingthe 90 percent mark and strivingtoward our goal of 100 percent. Thisis a great accomplishment as it willmean that the State of Michigan didnot lose any members from one yearto the next. Keep up the good workand let’s try to make it by Deanna’sgoal April 30th.
Traveling around the State withCommander Chatman and Detach-ment Commander Verville has made
us appreciate the Legion family evenmore. It is our goal to bring the fami-ly together at the Legion. We haveheard and seen lots of different ideasfor fund raisers, and community proj-ects. Each post, Sons unit, Riders, andAuxiliary unit contributes so much. Itis a true fact that the Posts that have allthe groups working together are astronger force to be reckoned with.Commander Chatman, andDetachment Commander Verville andI agree that to get along you need togive each group the respect theydeserve and listen to their concernsand problems and help to resolvethem with diplomacy and tact. In eachpost we need to practice this a bit
BBoonnnniiee OOllssoonn,, SSeeccrreettaarryy--TTrreeaassuurreerrUPDATES WILL SAVE TIME AND MONEY
“What defines a person is how well they rise after they have fallen.”One thing you can always count onoccurring is change…good andbad. It’s how change is embracedthat makes conflict or advance-
ment. I would like to report some department advance-ments.
CHECK SCANNER—Department has a new checkscanner that protects and speeds up the deposit processand eliminates having to drive to the bank. It wouldbe extremely helpful if all checks were made out to:ALA Department of Michigan, or for short, ALA Dept.of MI. If the scanner does not recognize the name onthe recipient line, it may reject the check. That meansit may need to be deposited separately and taken tothe bank, along with any cash deposits or moneyorders.
TRANSMITTAL FORM: National no longer providesTransmittal Forms...we have to make our own. Ourform will be completely redesigned. Also, the formparts will be white and YELLOW--white for the depart-ment and yellow for the unit. This form will be avail-able June 1 and will reflect the NEW DUES RATE OF$15.00/senior member to department, junior dueswill remain at $3.00/junior.
2013 DUES: The new rate for ALL Senior memberswill be $15.00 per member instead of $11.00. This isdue to the National increase which was voted on lastyear to reflect in the 2013 dues. 2013 dues will beaccepted for payment to department on June 1, 2012
SECTION TWO212 N. Verlinden Ave, Ste. B, Lansing, MI 48915 New Phone: (517) 267-8809
at $15.00 per senior member. However, delinquent2012 or earlier dues remain due at $11.00 per seniormember. Therefore, it is IMPORTANT to send separatetransmittals for delinquent or expired dues because therate is different. Do NOT pay the 2013 early, Nationalhas no way of recording 2013 dues that are paidearly...and the department will return the payment.
MEMBER DATA FORM: National no longer providesMember Data Forms. Again, our form will be slightlyredesigned. The new form will be a 2-part form—white and yellow--white for the department and yel-low for the unit. However, in the case of a transfer,please send in BOTH copies, and make an addition-al copy for the unit, if desired.
CONVENTION CREDENTIALS: The primary goalas a delegate, alternate, or delegate-at-large is toreceive the appropriate sticker on your name badge.The Certification of Unit Delegates sheet to vote at theconvention will still be going to each unit. However,Department will no longer be mailing individualizeddelegate credential sheets. Therefore, when you cometo convention, ALL DELEGATES are required to showyour NAME BADGE in orderto register at the CredentialsDesk…and GET YOURSTICKER. The unit delegatesheet will require one recip-ient’s e-mail or phone num-ber to confirm that
more. The inner fighting will not helpyour post get stronger, it will start tohurt the post, as a lot of people do notwant to be involved if there is fighting.Each group of the Legion have a pur-pose and each group is special, worktogether and see how much strongeryou would be as a whole post insteadof each limb working on there own. Allof our missions are basically the same,we are here for the Veterans and theirFamilies. Let’s keep that top on ourlist when working with each other. Ihope to see you when I am visitingaround the State in the next month.
God Bless. Carrie
THE LEGION FAMILY IS WORKING TOGETHER FOR VETS
Commander Dick Chatman; 1st Vice President Mary Anne Yuncker; andDetachment Commander Dwaine Verville at the Washington Assembly.
Department received the sheet. This will considerablycut down on the time and costs for sending out apiece of paper that can be accomplished by a lessexpensive means.
According to the American LegionAuxiliary Unit Handbook, the missionstatement of the National Security pro-gram is “to maintain and promote a strongnational defense by providing the neces-sary means to strengthen our military fam-ilies and prepare our citizenry for responseto natural and man-made disasters.”
How can we “strengthen our militaryfamilies”? We need to locate and identi-fy the families that have military person-nel deployed, or who have just returnedfrom deployment, and make contact withthem directly. We need to find out whatissues they have and make sure we canhelp, in anyway possible, to reduce theirburden. This might mean getting assis-tance for an injured soldier, helping con-struct new home aids, helping with con-tacting organizations that can make theirtransition easier among many other needs
and requirements. We should be com-pelled to make sure that the spouse andchildren are able to recognize the needsof a deployed or returning soldier andalso assist them with their concerns, appre-hensions and necessities.
How can we “prepare our citizenry forresponse to natural and man-made disas-ters”? We should have programs at theunit, district and state level to promotesafety and preparedness for our friendsand neighbors to make sure they haveadequate means to survive MotherNature’s wrath along with unforeseenemergency situations.
These programs should include teach-ing the basics needs for survival: FRESHWATER, FOOD, CLEAN AIR ANDWARMTH. Fresh water: one gallon ofwater per person per day for at least threedays, for drinking and sanitation. Food: atleast a three-day supply of non-perish-able food. Clean air: dust mask to help fil-ter contaminated air and plastic sheetingand duct tape to shelter-in-place. Wamth:a sleeping bag or warm blanket for eachperson. Consider additional bedding andcold weather cloths if you live in a cold-weather climate. Keep matches in a water-proof container.
Other items to consider for emergencypreparedness: Hand crank or battery-pow-ered radio w/batteries, flashlight and bat-teries, whistle to signal help, tools, cellphone w/chargers, medications and pre-scriptions, money, mess kits and foodutensils. Know First Aid and CPR.REMEMBER – ALWAYS BE PREPARED
NEC MEETING CLARIFIESHONORARY JUNIOR OFFICERS
Janice Kintz, NEC
Greetings to the American LegionFamily from National Headquarters. Doyou know what NEC stands for and whyeach state has one? Well now’s yourchance to find out. NEC stands forNational Executive Chairwoman and herprimary role is to protect the organization-al integrity and financial sufficiency sofuture generations can continue our mis-sion. In other words as NEC, your pri-mary concern is National, as you are a rep-resentative to the National governingboard, and not your Department or Unit.Decisions, made by National, will be fil-tered to Departments as directed. As NECwe are your liaison between Departmentand National--we are here to assist you.Any past NEC’s can correct me if I’mwrong.
As many of you, I hope, already areaware of the $4.00 raise in dues atNational Convention in Minneapolisbeginning in 2013, and have acted accord-ingly. Our first NEC meeting was held at
the end of National Convention to ratifyappointments and the budget. Ladies theyhave cut their budget way down. The ALAFoundation was started to help raisemoney for National, so ladies if youreceive something please send a dona-tion to this fund.
Our next NEC meeting was held at theend of Feb. in Washington DC.Unfortunately neither Carrie or I wereable to attend, but 1st Vice Pres. MaryAnneYunker proudly represented Michigan.
One of the issues that were brought tothe E-Board was the clarification of theHonorary Junior officers.
The final decision was that they wereonly Honorary thus they will not be giventravel expenses, nor can they havefundraisers to incur their cost of cam-paigning. Our very own Jrs. were men-tioned in the National report for all thework at WilWin lodge--Great job ladies.
In closing I am proud to say I belong tothe greatest ALA Department in the nation.God Bless our service men & women,veterans and of course the USA.
With spring standingon our doorstep, therobins and cardinalshave been spotted. Theleaf buds appear to bered and swelling with
anticipation of another season. Our sens-es are being pulled in all direction atonce, and Easter is never too far behind.How will you prepare this year? Gifts?Maybe…. Cheer? Perhaps delectable dish-es to share with friends and family.ABSOLUTELY! However, we must notlose sight of the importance of this blessedholiday.
Easter is a time to reflect on family, bothpast and present. Traditions should play animportant part in these celebrations, andcan be remembered with a smile andtears of joy. It also can renew passions fromthe heart and soul that have been short-cir-cuited by our everyday life. Let us not
forget that each and every day is like thecolors of the Easter egg that are swirled ina unique pattern for that one time only,and no two will ever be the same.
Easter is a time to give thanks for all wehave, and to take a moment to share ourgifts with those having few, or none. Itcan be a day of miracles, a day when wecan see our lives a little clearer and, whattruly can be achieved with a little work.We should remember with love andappreciation the people who have madesuch a difference in our lives and maybethose who have not been as fortunate aswe. Fill your hearts this Easter with hope,faith and trust in your fellow man thatthey too, will find kindness, caring, peaceand joy to fill all hearts of those theytouch.
Let each of us strive to do just a littlemore than is expected. After all, if wedon’t start this tradition, who will?
As of 2-15-12 we, as a Department, areat 86.05% and in 23rd place national-ly!!! Congratulations to all of you. Wehave reached the 85% milestone whichisn’t due until the first of April – we arevery much within reach of 100% beforethe end of April!!!!!!!
There are 61 goal units with 60 units thatare over 90%.
I am sad to say, however, that there arestill 15 units that have not reached 50%with 8 of those having no dues in toDepartment yet. If you are one of thoseunits and I have not been in touch withyou as yet, please call me at 517/617-4198. I have no contact information forsome of you but want very much to workwith you to get your unit’s dues in. I willalso be asking my area chairmen to workwith your district presidents to see if wecannot come up with a way to help you.Units that have less than 50% in are as fol-lows: 239, 273, 323, 306, 280, 155, 191,192, 246, 526, 105, 309, 261, 278, and303.
Please keep up the good work. Carrieand I both have challenges that, in mostcases, run to either the middle or end ofApril. Being at 100% by then will certain-
ly help our chances of winning them.I would also like to remind all of you
that the Unit Data Form was due inDepartment Office by the 29th of February.This is the form that lists the amount ofyour dues and your membership chairmanand their address. If you have not returnedit as yet, please do so that the staff canensure that your membership get theirdues notices with the appropriate amountand mailing address on them.
Keep in mind that National has raisedthe amount that they receive for dues by$4 beginning 2012-2013. This meansthat instead of sending $11 to Departmentfor each of your Senior members you willhave to send $15 starting with the 2012-2013 membership year. This is going torequire many units to raise their dues, ifthey haven’t already done so. If you havenot done so as yet it will have to be donebefore you return the form to Department.If you raise your dues you will also haveto change your Unit’s Standing Rules toreflect the new amount. Don’t forget tosend three copies to the DepartmentConstitution and By-Laws Chairman,Sandra Knapp for approval.
As always, if either I, the other membersof the membership committee, or the staffat Department Office can be of assistance,please let us know.
The Michigan Auxiliary representation for theWashington Assembly in Washington D.C.: DonnaFuelling, National AEF Member; Sue Verville,Department Historian; Suzanne Knapp, CentralDivision Membership Chairman; Mary Anne Yuncker,1st Vice President and Legislative Chairman; andSandra Snyder, 2nd Vice President and NationalSecurity Chairman.
Public Relations (PR) is the prac-tice of managing the flow of informationbetween an organization and its public.Its main purpose for the AmericanLegion is to generate positive publicityand to enhance our reputation as weand others view why our organizationexists. In the Officers Guide it states: "Purpose: A plan to provide "Service"to our veterans, their families and theircommunities is as solid today, in a peri-od of high technology and lightning fastchanges, as it was in 1919, when thefounding fathers of The AmericanLegion met in Paris." The purpose goeson to say that as members we must havea vision, goals, and be aware at all timesof our image and how others perceive usand our work in the community.Everyone in a Legion leadership positionmust set the example for all members tofollow.
If you want to know what others thinkthe American Legion is about ask thosewho live in your community what theirimpression is of the local AmericanLegion. If some of their answers seemto be negative, do not be offended,instead, gather the information and havea discussion about the answers you
GENERATING POSITIVE PUBLICITYreceived at one of your Legion meet-ings. Of course we all like to hear com-pliments so hopefully you will receivemany of those as well.
I know local elementary schools willspeak favorably of the Legion becauseLegion members help educate the chil-dren about patriotism. Civic leaderswill remember that Legion memberslead the parades and participate in funer-al services for veterans. How aboutwhen a post opens there doors to supporta charity or fund raising event? Thereare many opportunities to let the publicknow that the American Legion is agood neighbor. It is up to individualpost members to seek opportunities to tellthe Legion story.
It is important that citizens realize thepartnership of the American Legion,Auxiliary, and the Sons of The AmericanLegion. Because by working togetherthey can triple the success of any Legionprogram and get the word out to others,which is what public relations is all about.
Thank you to Mark Sutton who pro-duces the Michigan Legionnaire &Auxiliaire newspaper, keeping member-ship informed. Also, thank you to allwho contribute photographs and infor-mation on local Legion activities. Wecan learn from one another.
By “Big Daddy” Austin
FELLOW RIDERS!!!, We made it,that's right, its RIDING SEASONAGAIN!! Make sure we pay attentionto all of the “caged pilots” out there try-ing to get us. Well let’s get down tobusiness, I have started putting togeth-er a master liaison list and a list of allthe “Grab and Ride” posts, once com-
Legion Riders: Welcome toRiding Season in Michigan
plete I will send it out to all of you.Anyone trying to get a hold of meplease be patient, I am slow, but I willget back to you. Until next time, let’shave a safe summer and awesome rid-ing season.
P.S. We’re never too old to learn newriding skills, if there are classes in yourneighborhood try to find the time totake them.
The Michigan Air National Guardwould lose at least 652 jobs, includingabout 70 in Battle Creek, under an AirForce proposal released Tuesday thatdetails manpower reductions tied to air-craft changes announced last month.
“Michigan just continues to end up los-ing,” said Maj. Gen. Greg Vadnais,Michigan’s adjutant general.
The biggest proposed cuts in Michiganare at least 561 jobs that would be cut atthe Selfridge Air National Guard Base inHarrison Township, which is losing 21 A-10 fighters.
Figures released by the Air Force showslightly higher job losses at Selfridge andBattle Creek, but Vadnais says the Air
MICHIGAN: AIR FORCE LOOKS TO CUT 652 AIR GUARD JOBSForce double-counted some jobs beingcut.
Most of the changes at the BattleCreek Air National Guard Base areexpected to happen next year. The basecurrently has 986 positions, not all ofwhich are filled.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the chair-man of the Senate Armed ServicesCommittee, said he has asked thePentagon to explain the methodologyand justification of the plans. Levin saidhe plans to question the military andcivilian heads of the Air Force aboutthe proposal at a hearing later thismonth.
The Air Force wants to replace the
Guard’s planned C-27J cargo aircraftmission at Battle Creek with unmannedaerial vehicles. The drones would not behoused at Battle Creek — only the pilotswould. That puts the Battle Creek base atrisk for possible closure if Congress agreesto the Pentagon’s request for two roundsof base closings, according to Vadnais.
“We’re obviously concerned aboutwhat [base closings] could mean for ourcommunity and our bases, particularlynow Battle Creek because there’s no air-planes flying in or out of there,” Vadnaissaid.
Michigan ranked third from the bot-tom in the percentage of states’ federalfunding that came from defense spendingin 2010.
The proposed cuts are part of $487 bil-lion in reductions approved last year whenCongress agreed to increase the nation’sdebt limit. The agreement also requiresabout $1 trillion in cuts over the nextnine years unless Congress can come upwith a plan to reduce the debt by thatamount. Half of those cuts — about$500 billion — would come from thedefense budget.
The pending budget cuts will reshapethe military. Air Force officials plan toretire more than 200 aircraft in fiscal2013. They also plan to cut about 3,900active-duty, 5,100 Air National Guardand 900 Air Force Reserve members. TheArmy will shrink from 547,000 active-duty soldiers to 490,000, and the MarineCorps will be cut by 20,000 to 182,000.Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also plansto close excess military bases — as thePentagon did in 2005 — and retire sevenlower-priority Navy cruisers.
President Obama’s proposed fiscal2013 budget lays out a plan for imple-menting the first round of defense cuts.He has asked Congress for $525.4 bil-lion for the Pentagon’s base budget and$88.4 billion for war spending. That’sdown from a base budget of $530.6 bil-lion and $115.1 billion in war spending in
fiscal 2012.Most of the nation’s governors, includ-
ing Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, com-plained in a recent letter to Panetta thatthe Air National Guard is being cut dis-proportionately. The governors said theAir National Guard is absorbing 59 per-cent of the cuts in aircraft and six timesthe per capita personnel cuts.
Asked about the governors’ concernslast week, Panetta told the House BudgetCommittee that the Air Guard focused onretiring planes that are single-mission.
But, Panetta added, the Pentagon triedto mitigate the impact of some of thereductions in planes being retired, such asreplacing them with aircraft like dronesthat are necessary for the future.
The governors and state adjutant gen-erals also argue that the Air Guard can bemore cost effective than the Air Force.They contend that the Air Guard provides35 percent of the Air Force’s capability for6 percent of the budget.
“There’s no question about who canprovide the capabilities in the most costeffective manner,” Vadnais said. “All thedata that we have is compelling andirrefutable.”
The chairmen of the Senate NationalGuard Caucus — Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. —authored legislation that became law lastyear requiring cost-comparison studies.
Leahy stressed that the Air Force pro-posal has a long way to go and that he andGraham, the other co-chair, will be nego-tiating with the Pentagon.
“Let’s see what’s happens,” Leahy said.“In the meantime I suspect there will bea lot of behind-the-scenes negotiating.”
Leahy said having a well-equippedand trained Guard could save money.
“We [he and Graham] both expect tosave money,” he said. “But it’s one thingto save money. It’s another thing to weak-en our defense.”— Maureen Groppe, GannettWashington Bureau
If yes, the US Chamber of Commercewould like to speak to you. The AmericanLegion has partnered with the US Chamberof Commerce to host small job fairs.
The USCC will provide the logisticssupport in providing tables, table cloths forexhibitors (if needed), work with the localChambers of Commerce to recruit compa-nies and small businesses to attend and han-dle the media
Your Legion Post will provide the USCCthe venue and Legion volunteers to greet andcheck in the veterans into the Job Fair.
Please Understand: Our focus is not onhuge Job Fairs like those held in major citiesin the past. Instead, we’re seeking to bringsmaller and reoccurring Job Fairs to rural orpreviously inaccessible sections of the State.By doing this we hope to make Job Fairs andemployment resources accessible to the vet-erans who do not reside near major cities.
Next Step: If your Post will host or is inter-ested in hosting one of these job fairs, pleasecontact Mark Sutton, 517-371-4720 ext 16 [email protected]. We will have theLegion liaison call you with more information.Visit http://www.uschamber.com/veterans tosee how the USCC is helping Veterans.
There are 2 Hire ourHeroes Events Comingto Michigan ScheduledYOU MUST PRE-REGISTER TO ATTEND
at www.hoh.greatjob.net. Job seekers pleasebring along proof of military service.
Grand Rapids, MIDate Event: April 05, 2012
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “HiringOur Heroes” Hiring Fair sponsored byHero2Hired (H2H), scheduled for April 5,2012, at the Grand Valley National GuardArmory is committed to making this one-of–a-kind FREE hiring fair a win-win foremployers and veteran/military spouse jobseekers.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Hiring
Our Heroes” Hiring Fair is sponsored byHero2Hired (H2H) and co-sponsored locallyby the Grand Rapids Chamber ofCommerce, U.S. Department of LaborVeterans’ Employment and Training Service(DOL VETS), U.S. Department of VeteransAffairs, Michigan Workforce DevelopmentDepartment, Employer Support of the Guardand Reserve (ESGR), Michigan Departmentof Military and Veteran Affairs, MichiganNational Guard and the United States ArmyReserve.
Registration closes on March 26, 2012Thursday – April 5, 2012
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.Grand Valley National Guard Armory
1400 44th Street SWWyoming, MI 49508For more information:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “HiringOur Heroes” Hiring Fair sponsored byHero2Hired (H2H) and Ryder System, Inc.,scheduled for April 11, 2012, at the ForCommunity & Performing Arts Center is com-mitted to making this one-of–a-kind FREEhiring fair a win-win for employers and veter-
an/military spouse job seekers.Employers and job seekers must pre-reg-
ister for this FREE event by going to This hir-ing event, sponsored by Hero2Hired (H2H)and Ryder System, Inc. is being conductedby the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, theDearborn, Detroit, Great Lakes and SouthernWayne County Regional, American ArabChambers of Commerce, City of Dearborn,U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’Employment and Training Services (DOLVETS), Ford Community and PerformingArts Center, Michigan Veteran’s ServicesDivision, United States Army Reserve,Michigan National Guard, Employer Supportof the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), VietnamVeterans of American Michigan StateCouncil, Wayne County Veterans AffairsDivision, and the U.S. Department ofVeterans Affairs.
Registration for employers and job seek-ers closes April 3, 2012
Wednesday – April 11, 201211:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Ford Community & Performing Arts Center15801 Michigan Avenue
Dearborn, MI 48126For more information:
Please contact Ms. Jennifer Giering,President, Dearborn Chamber of Commerce
COMING TO DETROIT COBO CENTERJUNE 25TH-JUNE 29TH, 2012
The Department of Veterans Affairs is excited to host the National Veteran SmallBusiness Conference and Expo. As the largest nationwide conference of its kind, this eventfocuses on helping Veteran-owned businesses maximize opportunities in the federal mar-ketplace.Join nearly 6,000 participants in Detroit for the opportunity to:
• Connect with program decision makers from other businesses and federal agencies• Expand knowledge through over 200 training and business requirement sessions• Engage with other attendees and gain visibility in the Expo Hall of nearly 500 booths• Use VetGovPartner to facilitate online and onsite networking including face-to-face ses-
sions with senior program decision makersVisit http://www.nationalveteransconference.com/ to register and learn about the event.
American Legion, Department of MichiganJune 28 - July 1, 2012Radisson Plaza HotelKalamazoo, Michigan
Purpose: To receive Department Officers’ annual reports, consider DepartmentConstitution and By-Laws amendments, elect Department Officers and conduct anyother business brought to the convention. Only the Committees and Chairpersonslisted below are called to officially participate in the Convention.
Registrations • Registration fee of $10 will be charged to all delegates, alternatesand guests.
Contest Supervisory • Completed registration forms filed at DepartmentHeadquarters June 1st, 2012
Department Exec. Cmte. Meeting: Thursday June 28th, 2012, 5:00 p.m.
Opening Session: Friday June 29th, 2012, 2:00 p.m.
Subsequent Convention Sessions: Saturday, June 30th, 2012, 9:00a.m. & Sunday, July 1st, 2012, 10:00 a.m
Called Department Committee Meetings: Thursday, June 28th,2012 (TBA – see schedule at www.michiganlegion.org)
• Finance/Personnel• Children & Youth, Legislative, Membership, Permanent Time and Place• Americanism, Economic, Public Relations, Reconnect, and VAVS/VHVS• Contest Supervisory, Internal Affairs, Post Development, and VA&R
Called Department Committee Chairmen: Representing DepartmentCommittees not called to convention: Baseball, Boys State, Education & Scholarship,Leadership College, and National Security & Foreign Relations
Convention Committees are comprised of one person per district. Each DelegationChairman will name the members to serve on the Convention Committees and cer-tify that list to the Department Adjutant ten (10) (June 18th, 2012)days prior to theDepartment Convention.
Americanism & Community Service (includes Education & Scholarship,Boys State, Law and Order, Scouting) – Children & Youth, Constitution &Bylaws, Credentials, Economic, Finance, Legislative, Membership,National Security & Foreign Relations, Post Development, PublicRelations, Reconnect, Rules, Veteran Affairs & Rehabilitation andVAVS/VHVS
District Caucuses: Friday, June 29th, 2012, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Zone Caucuses: Friday, June 29th, 2012, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Joint Memorial Service: Sunday, July 1st, 2012 8 a.m.
Elections & Adjournment: Sunday July 1st, 2012
The 2013 Department Executive Committee and the 2012 NationalConvention Delegates and Alternates will meet upon Convention adjournment.
Representation – Article V, Section 1 (c) • DelegatesRepresentation in the annual Convention shall be by Delegates and Alternates,duly elected by Posts of the Department and, in addition thereto, the Past DepartmentCommanders and the members of the Department Executive Committee, with the
exception of the Department Adjutant. Each of the above Delegates shallbe entitled to one vote. Each Post having 15 or more paid up membersat the Department Headquarters 30 days prior to the opening dateof the PRECEDING year’s Convention shall have representation at
the annual Convention on the basis of one Delegate for such Post, whoshall be the newly elected Commander and one additional Delegate for each
50 members or major fraction thereof. Each Post represented at theDepartment Convention is entitled to cast the voting strength of its Post, provid-
ed all annual dues and debts to the District of which it is a part and the Departmentare paid.
Delegates – Article IV, Section 4 (j) • In addition to the newly elected PostCommander, each Post shall select one Delegate for each 50 paid-up members, ormajor fraction thereof, to represent such Post at the annual Convention. Each Postshall select an alternate for each Delegate chosen. The Delegates and Alternates shallbe chosen by each Post from among its own members in good standing. The namesof all Delegates and Alternates shall be certified to the Department Adjutant at least10 days before the opening date of the annual Convention.
Delegate Determination Formula:
15-25 members …... 1 delegate26-75 members …... 2 delegates76-125 members …. 3 delegates126-175 members… 4 delegates176-225 members .. 5 delegates226-275 members .. 6 delegates276-325 members .. 7 delegates326-375 members .. 8 delegates376-425 members .. 9 delegates
Credentials • Delegates will receive an identification badge upon registeringwith the Convention Corporation on-site.
Election of Vice Commanders – Article VI, Section 3 (a) • ElectiveDepartment Officers shall be chosen annually at the Department Convention by aroll call vote of the Districts of the Department, with the exception of Five Vice-Commanders, who shall be chosen at the "Zone" Caucuses by the Districts makingup the "Zone" which that individual Vice Commander is to represent. Each ViceCommander so chosen must be and shall remain a member of a Post within his respec-tive Zone.
Election of District Commanders - Article V. Section 3 (c) • EachDistrict shall elect its District Commander by vote of the Delegates representing Postsin the said District in attendance at the Annual Department Convention and priorto the adjournment thereof or else at a regular District Meeting to be held not lessthan fifteen (15) days nor more than sixty (60) days prior to the Annual DepartmentConvention. Alternates shall be chosen at the same time and place as the DistrictCommanders.
Richard I. ChatmanState Commander
VOTING STRENGTH IS DETERMINED BY MEMBERSHIP TOTALS ASOF MAY 24th, 2011 (last year’s membership number)
10 Days Prior to the Opening of Department Convention
Each Post Adjutant must send the completed Post Delegate Form,which will be mail to each Post Adjutant’s home address in April, intoDepartment Headquarters by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday June 19th,2012. Oncedepartment receives the signed post delegate form, department will mailthe appropriate number of post delegate cards to each Post Adjutant’shome address. The form must include each person’s membership cardnumber, full name, mailing address, and be signed by either the PostCommander or Adjutant. Forms can be mailed, faxed to 517-371-2401,attn: Barb Money, or emailed to her attention only at this email address:[email protected]. A form will not be accepted at any otherdepartment email address nor accepted if it lacks the Post Commanderor Adjutant Signature.
Post Voting RequirementsNon-compliance with the 10-day delegate/alternate information
requirement below will negate a post’s vote at Department Convention
PROPOSED ’12 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTSThese proposed Constitutional Amendments are published in accordance with Article XIII, Section 1 of the Constitution & By-Laws of the American Legion, Department of Michigan: “These By-Laws
may be amended by two-thirds vote at any Annual Department Convention, provided notice be published electronically on the Department website at least 60 days prior to said convention and be published inpaper form in a spring edition of the Michigan Legionnaire. Said proposed amendment shall be referred to the Convention Constitution and By-Laws Committee, which shall submit the same to the
Department Convention with its recommendations with regard thereto”.Explanation of intended changes:
Amendment 12-C-1 – Reasons for change: To clarify in theBylaws the line of succession that the Alternate ExecutiveCommitteeman automatically becomes the NEC if the NECis unable to fulfill the position of the National ExecutiveCommitteeman.
Amendment 12-C-2 – Reasons for change: Due to theshifting population and changes in the demographics withinthe Districts of the Department, this amendment will allow theDepartment Commander, the Strategic Planning Committeeand the DEC to reapportion the counties within a district fora more equitable balance in future years.
Amendment 12-C-3 – Reasons for change: These subsec-tions are no longer required if Amendment 12-C-2 is passed.
Amendment 12-C-4 – Reasons for change: Modify thedelegate strength for new Posts that were formed within the lastyear to allow them to seat delegates at the convention.
AMENDMENT 12-C-1 – Submitted by DepartmentInternal Affairs CommitteeA proposed change to the State Constitution and By-Laws,Article VI, Section 4, Subsection A Method of filling vacan-cies which now reads:“Vacancies occurring in any of the elective offices of theDepartment shall be filled by the Department ExecutiveCommittee. In the event of a vacancy in the office ofDepartment Commander, the Department Adjutant shallforthwith call a meeting of the Executive Committee to be heldwithin seven (7) days thereafter to fill such vacancy. TheChairman of the Vice Commanders shall serve as DepartmentCommander until the vacancy is filled by the ExecutiveCommittee.”
To be amended by:Adding the following sentence: “In the event of a vacancy inthe office of National Executive Committee member, theAlternate Executive Committee member shall become theNational Executive Committeeman. The vacant position ofthe Alternate National Executive Committeeman will be filledby the Department Executive Committee.”
so that when amended, shall read: “Vacancies occurring in any of the elective offices of theDepartment shall be filled by the Department ExecutiveCommittee. In the event of a vacancy in the office ofDepartment Commander, the Department Adjutant shallforthwith call a meeting of the Executive Committee to be heldwithin seven (7) days thereafter to fill such vacancy. TheChairman of the Vice Commanders shall serve as Department
Commander until the vacancy is filled by the ExecutiveCommittee. In the event of a vacancy in the office of NationalExecutive Committee member, the Alternate ExecutiveCommittee member shall become the National ExecutiveCommitteeman. The vacant position of the Alternate NationalExecutive Committeeman will be filled by the DepartmentExecutive Committee.”
AMENDMENT 12-C-2 – Submitted by DepartmentInternal Affairs Committee
A proposed change to the State Constitution and By-Laws,Article IV, Section 2, Sub-Section a which now reads:“For the purpose of administration, the Posts of theDepartment shall be grouped into Congressional Districts asthey existed on January 1, 1963, except as further delineatedby these By-Laws, and are hereinafter referred to as "Districts".No Post shall transfer from one District to another exceptwith the consent of the Department Executive Committee, onapplication made by the Post and with the consent of bothDistricts involved.”
To be amended by:removing the words “shall be grouped into CongressionalDistricts as they existed on January 1, 1963, except as furtherdelineated by these By-Laws,” and replacing with the words“as they currently exist,”
so that when amended, Article IV, Section 2, Sub-Section a, shall read:“For the purpose of administration, the Posts of theDepartment shall be grouped as they currently exist, and arehereinafter referred to as "Districts". No Post shall transfer fromone District to another except with the consent of theDepartment Executive Committee, on application made by thePost and with the consent of both Districts involved.”
AMENDMENT 12-C-3 – Submitted by Department InternalAffairs Committee
A proposed change to the State Constitution and By-Laws,Article IV, Section 2, Sub-Section e and g which nowread:Sub e: “The First, Thirteenth, Fourteenth and FifteenthDistricts shall be combined into one District Association whichshall be known as the First District and shall, from its mem-bers, elect a District Commander.”Sub g: “The present Nineteenth District Association, whichwas formerly a portion of the Eleventh Congressional District,shall consist of the counties of Emmet, Cheboygan, PresqueIsle, Charlevoix, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Kalkaska, andAlpena.”
To be amended by:Elimination of both subsections as they are no longer requiredif Amendment 12-C-2 is passed by the convention.
AMENDMENT 12-C-4 – Submitted by DepartmentInternal Affairs Committee
A proposed change to the State Constitution and By-Laws,Article V, Section 1, Sub-Section c which now reads:“Representation in the annual Convention shall be by Delegatesand Alternates, duly elected by Posts of the Department and,in addition thereto, the Past Department Commanders and themembers of the Department Executive Committee, with theexception of the Department Adjutant. Each of the aboveDelegates shall be entitled to one vote. Each Post having 15 (fif-teen) or more paid-up members at the DepartmentHeadquarters 30 (thirty) days prior to the opening date of thePRIOR YEAR'S Convention shall have representation at theannual Convention on the basis of one Delegate for suchPost, who shall be the newly elected Commander and one addi-tional Delegate for each 50 (fifty) members or major fractionthereof. Each Post represented at the Department Conventionis entitled to cast the voting strength of its Post, provided allannual dues and debts to the District of which it is a part andthe Department are paid.
To be amended by:adding the following sentence: “Newly formed Legion Posts thathave been charted after the last Department Convention willhave their delegate strength determined thirty (30) days priorto the next convention.”
so that when amended, Article V, Section 1, Sub-Section c, shall read:“Representation in the annual Convention shall be by Delegatesand Alternates, duly elected by Posts of the Department and,in addition thereto, the Past Department Commanders and themembers of the Department Executive Committee, with theexception of the Department Adjutant. Each of the aboveDelegates shall be entitled to one vote. Each Post having 15 (fif-teen) or more paid-up members at the DepartmentHeadquarters 30 (thirty) days prior to the opening date of thePRIOR YEAR'S Convention shall have representation at theannual Convention on the basis of one Delegate for suchPost, who shall be the newly elected Commander and one addi-tional Delegate for each 50 (fifty) members or major fractionthereof. Newly formed Legion Posts that have been chartedafter the last Department Convention will have their delegatestrength determined thirty (30) days prior to the next conven-tion. Each Post represented at the Department Conventionis entitled to cast the voting strength of its Post, provided allannual dues and debts to the District of which it is a part andthe Department are paid.
2012 MICHIGAN CANDIDATES
Richard Dubay –Candidate State
Commander
Michael Buda – CandidateState Sergeant-at-Arms
Rex Lambert –Candidate State Historian
Lyle Shanks – CandidateState Finance Officer
Thomas Brown –Candidate State
Commander
We are rapidlyproceeding towardour StateConvention fromJune 28 - July 1 atthe Radisson Hotel
in Kalamazoo. (please see “conventioncall” and housing form this section) orat www.michiganlegion.org, the stateheadquarters website.
Please notice in the “Call” that ourDepartment Standing Committees donot all meet at 2:00 pm. June 28th. Wehave divided the committee meetingsinto different groups. See schedule atwww.michiganlegion.org. This sched-ule allows individual Legionnaires toattend more than one committee meet-ing. One exception is theFinance/Personnel Committee, whichwill meet as usual on Thursday, June28rd at 9:00 a.m.
The official State ConventionCall always causes some confu-sion regarding timetables withinour posts and districts. I want totake this opportunity to addresssome of the most frequently askedquestions.
(1)When should the post hold itsannual election of officers? Answer:All posts shall hold elections of postofficers not less than 30 days nor morethan 120 days prior to the annual
Department Convention. Therefore,with our State Convention opening onFriday, June 29th, all Post Elections musttake place no later than May 29th. AllPost Officers must be elected 30 daysbefore the State Convention, but instal-lation of officers can be as late as 45 daysafter the close of the State convention.
(2)When is the membership cut-off date for Post delegate strengthat the State Convention? Answer:Each Post having 15 or more paid-upmembers at Department Headquarters30 days prior to the opening date ofthe prior year’s Convention shall haverepresentation at the annual Conventionon the basis of one (1) delegate for suchPost, who shall be the newly electedCommander and one additional dele-gate for each 50 members or major frac-tion thereof. (Please see the explanationof the number of delegates authorizedbased on your Post membership in theOfficial Call under Article V, Section1(c).) This year’s post delegate strengthwill be based on your post membershiprecorded at Department Headquartersat 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 24th, 2011.
(3) When will the Post receive itsdelegate cards and who willreceive them? Answer: Due to ourConstitutional change in our Post dele-gate strength procedures (using 2011year’s delegate strength) Department
will be sending out each Post their del-egate strength report the 1st week ofApril to the home address of each PostAdjutant. The Post Commander andAdjutant must then complete the dele-gate form and return it to DepartmentHeadquarters no later than June 19th.No delegate forms will be accepted atDepartment after the June 19th date.Delegate forms may be mailed or faxedto 517-371-2401 Attn: Barb Money. Wewill also accept emails, but only to thisemail address: [email protected] - Article IV, Section 4(j) readsas follows. Each Post shall select an alter-nate for each delegate chosen. EachPost from among its own members ingood standing shall choose the dele-gates and alternates. The names of alldelegates and alternates shall be certifiedto the Department Adjutant at least 10days before the opening date of theAnnual Convention. Our Conventionopens on June 29th, 10 days is June19th.
(4) Can a Post be denied its votefor any reason at the StateConvention if such Post is presentat the State Convention?Answer: Yes, Article V, Section 1c statesin part, “…Each Post represented atthe State Convention is entitled to castthe voting strength of its post, providedall annual dues and debts to the District,of which it is a part, and the
Department are paid.” These debtsmust be remitted to the District orDepartment by 10:00 a.m. Friday, June29, 2012 in order for a Post to partici-pate in the State Convention election.Note: District debts must be remitted tothe appropriate District representative,and Department Debts must be remit-ted to our Department Assistant toFinance.
(5) What is the rule with regard towhen the Districts have to havetheir elections? Answer: Article V,Section 3(c) Each District shall elect itsDistrict Committeeman by vote of thedelegates representing Posts in saidDistrict in attendance at the annualDepartment Convention and prior tothe adjournment thereof, or else at aregular District meeting to be held notless than fifteen (15) days nor more thansixty (60) days prior to the annualDepartment Convention. Therefore, Isuggest all District elections be held nolater than June 14th this year.
I certainly appreciate all the cooper-ation and assistance Department hasalways received in preparing for ourannual State Convention. I look for-ward to seeing all of you in Kalamazooin June.
The names of all delegates and alternates shall be certified to the Department Adjutant at least 10 days before the open-ing date of the annual Convention. Our Convention opens on June 29th, and 10 days before is June 19th.
2012 Headquarters Annual Program Awards
Awards Will Be Presented Friday, June 29th
Teachers of the Year *Lisa Lark (Zone 1)Dearborn Public Schools
Washington Conference 20122011-12 Federal Legislative Priorities
The American Legion’s current leg-islative policy priorities were highlight-ed at the Feb. 27 meeting of its NationalLegislative Commission at theWashington Conference. Inside a roomat the Washington Hilton that waspacked with Legionnaires, the commis-sion’s chairman, Ken Governor, stressedthe important of getting the followingkey bills passed this year by the 112thCongress:1. Protecting VA and DoD from the
2011 Deficit Reduction Law. Failureof the "supercommittee" to takeaction on cutting the federal budg-et activated an automatic, across-the-board spending cut for January2013, known as sequestration. Thisaction will affect the Departmentof Defense (DoD) budget and pos-sibly the Department of VeteransAffairs (VA) budget. The Legionsupports bills introduced inCongress that would reverse thesequestration cuts for DoD and VA.The Down Payment to ProtectNational Security Act (H.R. 3662),introduced by Rep. "Buck" McKeonof California, would delay the cutsfor one year; a companion bill wasintroduced in the Senate by Sen.John Kyl of Arizona. Another billintroduced by Rep. Jeff Miller ofFlorida, the Protect VA HealthcareAct of 2012 (H.R. 3895), wouldexempt the VA budget from auto-matic cuts.
2. VA Home Loan Program. At theend of this fiscal year, VA will loseits authority to offer adjustable ratemortgages to veterans. Also, CapitolHill chose not to extend certain loanlimits for the overall program. The112th Congress must act to protectthis highly successful program andcontinue the adjustable rate mort-gage program. Also, higher loanlimits for veterans should berestored.
3. Breaking the Senate Log Jam.Currently, nine veterans bills havepassed the House of Representativesbut still await action in the Senate.These bills could bring much-need-ed help to veterans in areas such asmortgage protection, improvementsfor veteran-owned small businessesand protection from sexual assault.In addition, a Senate bill thataddresses the problem of contami-
nated ground water at CampLejeune also needs to be passed.
4. Disabled Veterans Tax. Veteranswith less than 50 percent disabilityratings are currently prohibited fromgetting concurrent receipt of dis-ability and retirement benefits. Thisrestriction needs to be rescinded,especially in the current economicclimate. One point that is often lostin discussions of this issue is thatretirement pay and disability com-pensation are distinctly differentbenefits created for entire differentpurposes. If a veteran has earnedboth of these benefits, he or sheshould not be penalized. Passage ofH.R. 303 and S.344 would removethe disabled veterans tax.
5. Keystone XL Pipeline. Constructionof this oil pipeline from Canada tothe Gulf of Mexico is a critical issuefor our economy, national securityand energy independence. Despitethe White House’s delay in author-izing this vital project, congression-al action could help drive this proj-ect to approval and put thousands ofAmericans back to work.
6. Flag Amendment. The U.S. flagneeds legal protection from acts ofphysical desecration. Rep. Jo AnnEmerson of Missouri has introducedHouse Joint Resolution 13, "TheCongress shall have power to pro-hibit the physical desecration of theflag of the United States." Sen.Orrin Hatch of Utah has also intro-duced a companion bill (Senate JointResolution 19).
7. Fiscal year 2013 DoD budget. Byresolution, The American Legionis urging Congress to maintain theDoD budget at its current levels andavoid further deep cuts that are duefor activation in January 2013. TheObama administration’s budgetrequest would reduce DoD spend-ing from $530.6 billion to $525.4 bil-lion. Other major concerns TheAmerican Legion has about thedefense budget include proposedincreases to TRICARE fees and co-pays, and creation of a RetirementModernization Commission toexplore ways in which the militaryretirement system might bechanged, including 401k-style plansthat will create problems for recruit-ing and retention.
8. Fiscal year 2013 VA budget. Whilea 10.5 percent VA budget increaseis welcome news, bringing the totalto $140.3 billion, the Legion is con-cerned about continued reductionsin funding for major and minor con-struction projects. Aging VA infra-structure needs to be replaced withnew facilities to meet the currenthealth-care needs of veterans.
The VA disability claims backlog ishigher than it was last year — VA musttake action to reduce the backlogthrough increased accuracy anddecreased time periods needed for pro-cessing.
Congress needs to act quickly toremove the VA budget from an automat-ic 2 percent cut from sequestration. Thedepartment’s budget is already strainedto its limits; it should not be forced toendure further cuts.
The commission heard from twoguest speakers: Col. Tim McGuire,deputy chief of Army LegislativeLiaison, and Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine.
McGuire briefed the Legionnaires onthe Army’s priorities involving forcestructure and operations. He said theArmy’s top priorities included the main-tenance of a highly capable force with-in evolving budgetary constraints. "Weare all aware of the budget challenges,"McGuire said. "The Secretary (of theArmy) is confident that, with the currentbudget, that we can meet the needs ofthe nation. But both him and General(Raymond) Odierno are extremely con-cerned on sequestration."
Despite the force reductions reflect-ed in the president’s fiscal 2013 budget,McGuire said the Army’s leadership is"confident we can accomplish the mis-sion. But with sequestration, it will putat great risk our ability to secure thenation."
Michaud, a ranking member of theHouse Veterans Affairs Subcommitteeon Health, told the commission thatThe American Legion "makes my job alot easier by your advocacy on importantissues for our veterans."
Referring to the Legion’s recent con-gressional testimony on VA’s fiscal 2013budget, Michaud said, "I know theLegion will be working hard for thisupcoming year to assure that the voic-es of our country’s veterans are heard inthe halls of Congress."
Senator Carl Levin269 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510202.224.6221
Senator Debbie Stabenow133 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510202.224.4822
Representative Dan Benishek514 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.4735
Representative Bill Huizenga1217 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.226.0779
Representative Justin Amash114 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.3831
Representative Dave Camp341 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.3561
Representative Dale Kildee2107 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.3611
Representative Fred Upton2183 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.3761
Representative Tim Walberg418 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.6276
Representative Mike Rogers133 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.4872
Representative Gary Peters1609 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.5802
Representative Candice Miller1034 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.2106
Representative Thaddeus McCotter2243 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.8171
Representative Sander Levin1236 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.4961
Representative Hansen Clarke1319 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.2261
Representative John Conyers Jr.2426 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515202.225.5126
Representative John Dingell2328 Rayburn House Office Building
Let me begin by thanking CommanderChatman for his confidence in makingthis appointment. I would also be remissif I did not express my gratitude to theVA&R staff both in Detroit and the Fieldfor their continued dedication and workethic in support of what I believe to bethe singularly most important of the FourPillars of the founding of our organiza-tion.
This has been a very busy year for our
Veteran Affairs and RehabilitationStaff, with reconfigurement of areas ofresponsibility due to continuing fundingconcerns. We can only hope there islight at the end of the tunnel.
I am continually amazed at the reportsI receive from our Director, Mr. Topps,as to the continuing increasing work load.In these economic times it only seemsappropriate that our Nations heroes, ourVeterans, are looking more and more tothe Veterans Administration for thosebenefits which they so richly deserve andwhich can make a difference in receivinghealth care or an education or buying
American Legion Veterans Affairs & RehabilitationOur staff is dedicated to providing the very best veterans’ advocacy to Michigan Veterans and Their families. They can assist with Claims Preparation, Presentation and appeal counsel in Veterans’ benefits services. Assist you
and your Dependents in getting the Benefits that you have earned by your service to your Country
Field Veterans Service
Tommy Simpkins, Field Service Officer covers the Following AreasCell – (269)-330-6539 - [email protected]
Genesee County Office of Veterans Affairs – Flint, MI - (810)-257-3068Every Monday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saginaw VA Medical Center – Saginaw, MI – (989)-497-2500Every Tuesday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm – (269)-330-6539
Bay County Office of Veterans Affairs – Bay City (269) 330-6539(1st) & Fourth (4th) Wednesday of each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Oscoda CBOC – Oscoda, MI – (989)-747-00262nd Wednesday of each Month – 9:30 am to 3:00 pm – (269)-330-6539
Standish American Legion Post 3rdWednesday of Each Month – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm – (269)-330-6539
Please Call to Assure Times and LocationsPLEASE NOTE SCHEDULE TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Robert Rasche, Department Service Officer - [email protected] Covers the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center 4646 John R. – Detroit, MI – (313)-576-3506
Every Wednesday - 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Rebecca Krish – Field Service Officer – Covers the Following Area’sCell Phone – (231)-740-9577 – e-mail – [email protected]
Grand Rapids Out Patient Clinic - Grand Rapids, MI - (616)-365-7574Every Tuesday’s & Thursday’s – 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Muskegon Co OVA Office – 165 E. Apple Suite 201 – (231)-724-7143 PLEASE NOTE APPONTMENT ONLY AT THIS LOCATION - CALL (231)-724-7143
Every Monday – 9:00 am to 4:00 pmBattle Creek VA Medical Center – (269)-966-5600 ext
5500 Armstrong Road - Battle Creek – Building 2 – (231)-740-9577Every Wednesday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Croton American Legion Post – Croton, MI – (231) 652-7776Every 1st Friday of Each Month – 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Eaton County Office of Veterans Affairs – Charlotte, MI – (517)-543-7500 ext 3740Every 2nd Friday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Grand Haven American Legion Post – Grand Haven, MI – (616) 842-5310 Every 3rd Friday of Each Month – 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Barry County Office of Veterans Affairs – Hastings, MI – (269) 945-1296Every 4th Friday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Please Call to Assure Times and Locations – Also note First Come First Served PLEASE NOTE SCHEDULE TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Phillip “Phil” McCaskey, Field Service Officer – Covers the Following Area’sCell Phone – (269)-330-6543 – [email protected]
Ann Arbor VA Medical Center 2215 Fuller Rd – Ann Arbor, MI Room EB-10 – (734)-845-5924
PLEASE NOTE CELL PHONE OUT OF SERVICE AT THIS LOCATIONEvery Monday’s & Thursday’s – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Jackson County Office of Veterans Affairs Lansing Ave – Jackson, MINOTE MUST CALL FOR APPOINTMENT AT THIS LOCATION – (517)-788-4425
Every Tuesday 9:00 am to 4:00 pmMust Call for Appointment (517) 788-4425
Lansing American Legion Headquarters Office212 N. Verlinden Ave – Lansing, MI 48915 – (517)371-4720 – ext 12
Every Wednesday – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Battle Creek VA Medical Center – (269)-966-5600 ext5500 Armstrong Rd – Battle Creek, MI – (269)-330-6543
Every Friday – 9:00 am to 4:00 pmPlease Call to Assure Times and Locations – Also note First come First Served
PLEASE NOTE SCHEDULE TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Patrick J. Kline, Field Service Officer – Covers the Following Area’sCell Phone 989-280-3009 – [email protected]
Emmett County Office of Veterans Affairs – Petoskey, MI – (231)-348-17801st & 3rd Friday’s of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Traverse City Vet’s Center – Traverse City, MI – (231) 935-00513rd Thursday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Charlevoix County Office of Veterans Affairs – Charlevoix, MI – (23)1-547-72201st Thursday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Roscommon County Office of Veterans Affairs – Roscommon, MI – (989)-275-60473rd Tuesday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Kalkaska County Office of Veterans Affairs – Kalkaska, MI – (231)-258-33701st Monday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Cadillac VA Out Patient Clinic – Cadillac, MI (888) 838-64462nd Tuesday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Clare County VA Out Patient Clinic – Clare, MI – (989)-386-81131st & 3rd Wednesday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Gaylord VA Out Patient Clinic – Gaylord, MI – (989)-732-75253rd Monday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Cheboygan VA Out Patient Clinic – Mackinaw City, MI – (888-838-64462nd and 4th Monday’s of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
U.P. COVERAGE AREASSchoolcraft County Office of Veterans Affairs – Manistique, MI – (906)-341-3669
1ST Tuesday of Each Month – 10:00 am to 1:00 pmRapid River American Legion Post 301 – Rapid River, MI – (906) 233-1587
1st Tuesday of Each Month – 2:00 pm to 5:00 pmMenominee County Office of Veterans Affairs – Menominee, MI – (906)-863-5691
2nd Wednesday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pmMarquette American Legion Post 44 – Marquette, MI – (906) 225-0781
2nd & 4th Thursday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 12:00 pmNewberry American Legion Post – Newberry, MI – (906) 293-8711
2nd Thursday of Each Month – 2:00 pm to 5:00 pmSault Ste Marie VA Out Patient Clinic – Sault Ste Marie, MI – (906)-495-3030
2nd and 4th Fridays of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pmIron Mountain VA Medical Center – Iron Mountain, MI – (906)-774-3300
4th Tuesday of Each Month – 9:00 am to 4:00 pmL’anse American Legion Post – L’anse, MI – (231)-280-3009
4th Wednesday of Each Month 9:00 am to 4:00 pmMunising American Legion Post 131 – Munising, MI (906) 387-2697
4th Thursday of Each Month – 2:00 pm to 5:00 pmPlease Call to Assure Times and Locations
PLEASE NOTE SCHEDULE TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT OUR DETROIT OFFICE NOW ONLY HAS THREETELEPHONE LINES COMING INTO THE OFFICE – IF THESE LINES ARE ALL BUSY
YOU WILL BE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO OUR OFFICE VOICE MAIL – PLEASELEAVE A MESSAGE OR CALL BACK AT A LATER TIME TO TRY AND REACH US.
WE HAVE AN OFFICE POLICY TO GET OUR CALLS RETURNED WITH A 48HOURS PERIOD. WE HOPE THAT THIS HELPS OUR CLIENTS WITH ANY QUES-
TIONS THAT THEY MAY HAVE ON THE STAFF GETTING CALLS RETURNED.THANK YOU.
American Legion Veterans Affairs and RehabilitationMr. James C. Topps, Director
Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building Room 1210477 Michigan Avenue Detroit, MI 48226
Office Phone – (313)-964-6640 or (313)-964-6641 Office Fax(313)-964-5697
groceries. That’s what we do in VeteranAffairs and Rehabilitation and it works.
As always, however, we need your con-tinued support in our efforts to restore thestaffing and funding levels. Whether youare only a dues paying member or fullyinvolved in your Post, District orDepartment activities your voice counts.At this time it most especially counts withour Michigan Legislature to ensure appro-priate funding for VA&R. We need torestore our funding levels at the Statelevel and we also need to lobby our Legionleaders to support this program internal-
ly.Mr. Topps has advised that the work-
load continues to increase as does theprocessing time experienced within theVA system due to this increased work-load and the lack of experienced of VAadjudicators, which is primarily due to theretirement and replacement of employ-ees in the VA. At a time, when ourstaffing was reduced due to fewer dollarsavailable from the State, and subsequent-ly the Department, this is critical to those
ContinuedVA & RVeterans and their families to whomwe provide assistance to navigate theFederal Benefit system.
Given the current economic con-ditions and our shortage of staff, Icontinue to beseech you at the Postand District level to find someone tostep up as your local Service Officerto provide direction to those Veteransand their families looking for assis-tance and either begin the processdirectly by filing some paperwork,give them the information they needto gather supporting documentationand or putting them in contact withour Staff.
I would also like to offer my Thanksto all of the members of thisCommittee and to the members ofour VAVS sub-committee, who most-ly go unrecognized but perform suchvaluable assistance to our hospital-ized Veterans and the CBOC's intheir areas, for their continued inter-est and involvement in these mostimportant discussions.
We encourage attendance for thosewith an interest at our meetings, atany and all Post Service Officer train-ings at the District Level, at our annu-
al training for Post Service Officers inSeptember and at Fall Conference.
Finally, I must ask each Post andDistrict Commander to ensure thatthe appropriate appointment of theService Officer be included in thePost Officers list which is sent toDepartment. We have instituted aCorrespondence Course for ourService Officers which will provide auniform training program so that wemay better serve those Veterans nav-igating the VA System for any bene-fit to which they are entitled and thistraining is becoming essential in ourability to provide the best service.Without your contact information wecannot get the information to them.Please also provide email informa-tion when available as this is the quick-est way to get information out andprovide updates.
I hope to receive your Post / DistrictService Officer reports for the yearbeginning May 2011 thru April 2012for review and selection for awards bythe Committee at DepartmentConvention so that they may be pre-sented at Fall Conference.
Thank you for your continuedservice and efforts on behalf of all ofour Veterans.
By National Veterans Affairsand Rehabilitation Commission
On February 12, 2012, thePentagon released a message onbehalf of the Surgeon General tosuspend the use of ForensicEvaluations during the MedicalEvaluation Boards until further notice.
The notice stated, “ForensicEvaluations are frequently used inthe Civil and Criminal Legal pro-ceedings, as well as for certain fitnessfor duty determinations and confi-dence remains with this practice.Forensic evaluations introduce vari-ance into the MEB process.”
All service members who receiveda Behavioral Health Evaluation in aForensic Department or by a ForensicCertified Provider, specific to theMEB process between January 01,2007 and February 12, 2012 andwho’s diagnosis of Post TraumaticStress Disorder was downgraded arerequested to contact the Warrior and
DID YOU RECEIVE ABEHAVIORAL HEALTH EVALUATION?
Family Hotline at 1-800-984-8523,overseas: DSN (312) 421-3700;Stateside: DSN: 421-3700, or e-mail,[email protected] The hotline is available twentyfour/seven.
Those personnel who fall within theguideline stated above are stronglyencouraged to contact the Warriorand Family Hotline as USAMED-COM will provide reevaluation forany soldier with concerns aboutpotential Forensic Behavioral Healthevaluation during their MEB process.Reevaluation will be conducted inaccordance with Standard ClinicalPractice Guidelines utilized by DOD.
The communication from theArmy is a direct result of 71 of 181service members diagnosed with PostTraumatic Stress Disorder whosediagnosis was downgraded to MoodDisorder and or Anxiety Disorder atMadigan Army Medical Center. 14of the 71 downgraded PTSD claims
In the coming weeks Post’s will beginto have election of officers. The officerin charge of sending the Departmentmembership has a stressful job.Membership is everything to our Legion,both on the Department Level and thePost Level. Every meeting we have is“How’s membership?” . Here atDepartment we realize procedures areforgotten and due to volume can some-times be missed. We ask you pass thesenotes on to the next person who will besending in the remittance sheets andmembership cards, etc to Department.We hope you find these useful.
1. The Post sends in $29.50 ($7 forSAL) per NEW and RENEWINGmembers to Department.
2. Members, who renew ONLINE,do not send Department the $29.50($7 for SAL) or the left 2 sections ofa membership card of those mem-bers. If you want to know who hasrenewed online, contact Departmentor check on “MY Legion”. Just sendthe member their card.
3. If a member is transferring intoyour Post from another AND THEYHAVE ALREADY renewed at theother Post you ONLY need to send
Tips from Department“Sending Membership Notes”
Department a Member Data Form.4. If they need to renew AND transfer
membership then send the 2 left sec-tions, mark transfer box and include$29.50 ($7 for SAL) for renewal.
Note: What is a DUPLICATE? I received acheck from Department for Duplicates fromNational, what are those? Those are memberswho have paid twice in one membership year.
Please refund them their second payment. Why did they pay twice? With online
renewal some are renewing online, but notletting their Post know they renewed.The Post makes contact and the personthinks, “hmmm maybe I did not renew”
and pays again. Or the membershiprenewal crosses in the mail and theyreceive a renewal notice from Nationaland pay a second time. When you receiveduplicates back please refund the namedmembers.
Update on Michigan Veteran CenterRobin Puckett, Homeless VeteransService Coordinator
I would like to give an update aboutthe Michigan Veterans Center in Detroit.The women’s wing was set up accord-ing to the VA standards. It was equippedwith a security system, panic alarmsand a private bathroom. Also, a windowwith a curtain was installed to be ableto see who was in the hallway or at thedoor.
Then after this was finished for ourwomen veterans, the VA came and theysaid that they needed to be housed sep-arately. Our women are now housedelsewhere. Items that were delivered tothe center were delivered by the admin-istrator, Tyrone Chapman.
Land has been claimed and a new
facility will be built, the plans are forabout three years to completion. Therewill be a separate wing designed just forour female veterans.
I would like to thank the units thathave through of our female veterans.Tyrone Chapman has guaranteed methat anything collected and deliveredfor our veterans will be delivered person-ally.
Let’s not forget we will have womenveterans come to our stand downs. Andonce again I would like to let you knowhow much I appreciate your supportand love of our veterans. Both homelessand otherwise. There should be no rea-son why we should ever have a home-less veteran. They defended our free-dom and country; we now have to helpthem.
Department Delegation PromotesVets in Washington
Mary Anne Yuncker, LegislativeChairman
American Legion Auxiliary membershave been participating in legislativeactivities in various ways while follow-ing the objective to promote and sup-port the American Legionpriorities/agenda.
This time of the year is typically thebusiest time for legislative work on astate level. The state of Michigan meetsfor approximately 28 weeks, primarilyfrom January to June. Nationally legisla-tive work is done year round, withCongress meeting 174 days in 2011.
The American Legion’s LegislativeCenter web page is a valuable informa-tion resource. The Dispatch also pro-vides information. The American LegionAuxiliary’s Advocacy Guide explainshow to be an advocate starting at thegrass roots level. If you would like thispamphlet, contact me and I will get itto you.
The American Legion believes that themost important issues in the comingmonths will be funding related. Thefiscal year 3013 Department of Defensebudget proposal has anticipatedchanges in retirement, healthcare, another benefits. Curbing the jobless rateof veterans (nearly 1,000,000 veteransare currently unemployed) and the flagamendment are also high on the list.When soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan
were asked by the American LegionNational Commander, Wang Fong, andhis aides what the American Legion
could do for them, they replied thattheir biggest concern was not for them-selves, their safety, comfort, or supplies,but rather to take care of their families,their retirement and their GI benefits.This is our legislative responsibility aswe vigilantly make our position clear toour legislators; reminding them of ourpriority to ensure the veterans the careand benefits they so surely deserve.
The following are items of particularinterest as policy priorities for the 112thCongress:
1) Protection of the VA and the Dept ofDefense from funding reductions
2) Continuation of the VA home loanprogram
3) Breaking the Senate log jam (Thereare 19 bills that have been passedby the House and are waitingSenate action)
4) Disabled Veterans tax ( the removalof tax on disability and retirementbenefits for disabled veterans)
5) The Flag Amendment (the protectionof Old Glory from acts of physicaldesecration)
As Congress discusses and decides onthese issues, keep your legislatorsinformed of our position on them. Itonly takes a small “gift of time”.
Thank you for allowing me to repre-sent you in Washington last month. Wemet with several Congressional offices,presenting our agenda. I learned a lotand felt our Michigan delegation did agreat job.
GIVE 10 TO EDUCATIONMary Dubay, Education Chairman
One of the easiest ways to participatein the Education program is through Give10 to Education activities. This activityallows members to participate either indi-vidually or through their Unit. They canspend a little or a lot according to theirmeans.
National has sent out a Give 10 toEducation report form which lists manyideas for this activity including but notlimited to: books, soup labels, box tops,pencils, pens, crayons, flags, pop tabs,and donations. The education committeeincluded this form in the last Unit mailingand we hope that you all received it.
National has also issued a new direc-tive in the Give 10 to Education Award.They would like the Units to submit theiractivity to the Department Chairman who
will then submit it to the National organ-ization. National still plans on puttingthose names that are submitted on aNational Honor Roll Wall as stated in theaward. Please submit your information tothe Education Chairman, Mary Dubay at922 Huntington, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043or [email protected] and put Education inthe subject line.
With Memorial Day just around the cor-ner, there is still time to get into the schoolswith the Veterans in the Classroom pro-gram. This is another activity, like Give 10to Education, that can be done year round.It is never too late to participate in eitherof these activities.
If you have any questions, please don’thesitate to contact myself, or the EducationCommittee members, Barbara Keif andAnne Michell.
APRIL: CHILDREN & YOUTH MONTHJanice Hafeman, Children & Youth Chairman
Well Ladies it’s hard to believe I’malready writing an article for the Aprilpaper and that can only bring us to onevery important month: Children andYouth month. We have six well puttogether objectives for this year. As stat-ed in the program guide they areRecreation, Education, Career, Arts andCulture, Civic Engagement, and Healthand Fitness.
The recreation objective is probablythe easiest; that’s the fun stuff. There areseveral projects units can think of thatshow our children we care, whether it’sa community carnival or a family gath-ering welcoming home our soldiers.
As parents and grandparents I under-stand we are all busy, however we needto ensure our children are properly edu-cated to meet the future. There are sev-eral volunteer organizations that canbe sought out and that may be fine forthose of us in larger cities and you may
be asking, what I can do in small com-munities. What about the local schools?They always need someone to tutor, justread to the children. Or your unit maywant to help take school children to amuseum or cultural event. Sometimes,they need just a hug or a “grandmoth-er” or parent to talk to. Don’t forgetabout giving moms or dads a break.
Remember, all civic engagements areimportant, and just by our presence weare spreading the word or the AmericanLegion Family. Support our First Lady,Michelle Obama in introducing healthand fitness to our young people Withall the pressures our young people facetoday, they need our help more thanever.
Check out our guide for agencies notmentioned and other ideas your unitmay be interested in. Please rememberour committee chairperson’s specialproject of the Mott Children’s’ Hospital.Just remember whatever you do make itfun.
Poppy Days May 17-19Kiberly Champion, Poppy Chairman
The American Legion Auxiliary, theLegion, the SAL and Juniors distributePoppies every year. The MemorialPoppy reminds us about the millionswho sacrificed their lives to help keepus free and the program is one of themost beneficial Auxiliary Programs forVeterans and their families. Help tosupport our Veterans by distributing thePoppy on Poppy Days, May 17, 18, and19, 2012.
Colonel John McCrae’s messagestates “We shall not sleep, though pop-pies grow In Flanders Fields” and “wehave not forgotten”. Remember PoppyDays by showing are support to ourVeterans. Everyone can help no matterwhat age. The more time each andevery one of us spends out in our com-munities during Poppy Days not onlyhelps with the donations but also
spreads awareness.Many distributors are needed this year
more than ever, not only for the olderVeterans, but for the many men andwomen coming home disabled fromthe current situation overseas. Theirneeds are going to be many. We alsoneed to educate the public on howtheir donations are used and the answersimply is to assist and support Veteransand their families.
Also, please come to the PoppyBonanza at the Grand Rapids Homefor Veterans on May 5, 2012 at 10:00a.m. The Veterans are going to show ushow they make Poppies and you willalso get a chance to make some your-self. Look for the flyer that is beingsent in a unit mailing. Make sure thatyou share the information with everyoneat your Post and Units.
I hope everyone can help make thisyear a successful year.
Grand Rapids Home for Veterans3000 Monroe N.W., Grand Rapids
for a
Saturday, May 5, 201210:00 a.m. in the All Purpose Room
Veterans will demonstrate how poppies are made and also giveyou an opportunity to do some hands-on assembly
of your own.All Legion, Auxiliary, SAL, and any interested
individuals are welcome to attend.Please call no later than April 28 if you will be attending
so we have a count for planning purposes.(Program will last approximately one hour.)
Sarah Brooks, Hospital Representative (616) 243-3520Kim Champion, Department Poppy Chairman (248) 373-1962
Have you ever wondered how poppiesare made? Now is your chance to find out
THE MIGHTY 5TH DISTRICTChristine Merlington, 5th DistrictPresident
I cannot believe that most of the yearhas already come and gone. My visits tothe Units of our awesome 5th Districthave been pleasant and very informativeand a whole lot of fun.
My special project this year has beenraising funds for the Grand Rapids VeteransHome and a few of its special programs.These include the Service Cart that Sarahand her wonderful group of volunteerskeep going, and also the area which makesit possible for the veterans to go to eventssuch as Tigers Baseball or a Redwingsgame. I have been very pleased that theUnits of the 5th District have embraced myproject as much as I have. My family hasmany Veterans and this project is verydear to me. At this time we have reached$1280, and still have plenty of year left togo.
I have visited eleven units so far. I wasamazed at my first Four ChaplainsMemorial Service this year. It is an amaz-ing story. I have been in the Auxiliary forjust over seven years, I am very gratefulthat the ladies of the 5th District placedtheir faith in me. We will continue topromote community service and help forour Veterans. There are eighteen units inthe 5th District and I look forward to meet-ing them all.
We held the Junior Overnighter inNovember here in the 5th District. It washeld at my home post#287. There was alot of fun had by all, but the juniors learneda lot also. Not a lot of sleep was accom-plished but oh well.
We will continue to push forward formembership and reach a goal of 100%,and very honored and proud to be a mem-ber of the Auxiliary, and the Mighty 5thDistrict.
6th District Busy this SpringJanice Hodges, District 1st VicePresident
They 7th District seem to be doingwell. In membership, February’s reportshows us with 77.45%, which putsus in 9th place. We have 2 goal units.However, we have several units thathave not paid 2011-12 mandatorydues that are to be paid 30 days priorto department convention for votingprivileges.
We have had some bumps in theroad and are trying to smooth themout. Several units have sent in reserva-tions for the 2012 Girls State Session.
Remember to order your poppies wellin advance and please check them foraccuracy upon receipt. Future eventsinclude girls State get together for del-egates, alternates and parents. We willbe having a Past District Commandersand President’s Dinner at Leslie Post491. Date will be announced at a laterdate. I am sure we have plenty of timeto improve our membership and otheractivities.
We wish Donna Palmer the bestalways, and thank you for your sup-port. May you all have good healthand memories, and may Irish eyessmile upon you.
The 92nd Annual Convention of the American LegionAuxiliary, Department of Michigan is hereby called to beheld in Kalamazoo, Michigan June 28-July 1, 2012.
The Convention is called for the purpose of electingofficers for the ensuing year, considering amendments tothe Constitution, By-Laws and Standing Rules, receivingreports of the National Executive Committeewoman,Department Officers and Chairmen, electing Delegatesand Alternates to the 92nd National Convention and forthe transaction of such other business as may be broughtbefore it.
REPRESENTATION
ARTICLE VI, SECTION 2: The Annual Convention shallbe composed of Delegates and Alternates qualified as fol-lows:
a. Delegates and Alternates shall have paid theirNational and Department dues for the current yearto Department Headquarters not less than thirty (30)days prior to the convention.
b. Delegates and Alternates must be over eighteen (18)years of age, except as provided in the Constitution,Article III, Section 2 (a).
c. Delegates and Alternates must be elected at a Unitmeeting duly called for that purpose: notice ofsaid meeting having been given no later than two(2) weeks prior to election.
d. Alternates shall have priority in order of their elec-
tion.ARTICLE VI, SECTION 3: Each Unit of ten (10) or moremembers shall be entitled to one (1) Delegate and one(1) additional Delegate for every one hundred (100)members or major fraction thereof.
a. Units may send Delegates or Alternates only ifthey have paid their Mandatory Funds for the cur-rent year to Department Headquarters not lessthan (30) days prior to Convention.
b. Units will be permitted to vote from the floor onlyif they have complied with all mandates and arerepresented by at least one (1) Delegate or Alternate.
c. Units organized during the year (after July 1) willbe given the privileges of the Convention floor.
THE NUMBER OF DELEGATES ALLOWED WILL BEDETERMINED BY THE UNIT’S MEMBERSHIP INTODEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS ON MAY 29, 2012.
UNIT CREDENTIAL FEESStanding Rules (Department of Administration) creden-tial fee is $5.00 for each delegate, $1.00 fee will becharged for lost credentials for Department Convention,must be paid by the Unit for each Delegate to which itis entitled by virtue of its membership.
DELEGATE AT LARGEARTICLE VI, SECTION 4: All elected and appointedDepartment Officers, all members of Department Standing
2012 AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY CONVENTION CALLCommittees, the Hospital Representatives and their FirstDeputies of the VA Hospitals, Grand Rapids Home forVeterans, D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans and all non-VA Hospital Chairmen and their First Deputies shall beDelegates-at-Large to the annual Convention and entitledto vote.
ARTICLE VI, SECTION 5: All Past Department Presidents,as long as they remain members in good standing in aUnit in this Department, shall be Delegates-at-Large tothe annual Convention and entitled to vote.
STANDING RULES (DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION)A credential fee shall be paid for each Delegate-at-Largefor the Department Convention. All credential fees col-lected for Department Convention shall be allocated tothe printing account to help defray the cost of the AnnualReport Book. Credential fee is $5.00.
CONVENTION REGISTRATION FEEThe fee of $10.00 charged by The American LegionConvention Corporation must be paid by ALL DELE-GATES, ALTERNATES, DELEGATES-AT-LARGE ANDGUESTS. Convention program book, badge, etc. will begiven only on presentation of the Corporation’s receiptat the registration desk. The registration fee of $10.00 mustbe paid even if housing is not required. The conventionregistration fee of $10.00 is to be mailed to the AmericanLegion Convention Corporation with a registration form.
Do you like to fish? Are you a Veteran? Did you know there are groups in Michigan who want to say thank you
and take you fishing? There are events coming up just for veterans to enjoythe great outdoors. Yes, even if you are in a wheelchair they will help youfish.
Army National Guard Armory , Manistee, Michigan; Mandatory CaptainsMeeting is May 18th, Tournament, BBQ, Classic Car Show, River Walk,and Awards Banquet is Saturday, May 19th. The car show and weigh-inshow are “Open to the Public” from 12 noon to 3:00 pm. Please visitwww.tightlinesfortroops.com for Registration and Sponsorship Forms andmore information.
“Tips-Up for Troops”6th Annual Charity Bass Fishing Tournament is for Veterans and Military
Service personnel. Kensington Metropark, Brighton, Michigan; Saturday,June 9th, 2012 – Weigh-in show and other activities are “Open to thePublic”; 9:00am – 4:30pm. Please join us in a day of celebration with food,fun, entertainment, and games for the whole family.
“Hookin’-Up Heroes”The 3rd Annual Charity Bass Fishing Tournament is for Veterans and
Military Service personnel. Newaygo State Park; Saturday, June 9th, 2012.Weigh-in show and other activities are “Open to the Public” from 12:00noon to 4:00pm.
NEWAYGO STATE PARK PRO/AM TOURNEY9:00 am - registration begins, or earlier if you wish10:00 am - launch, brown bag lunch will be provided2:59 pm - tournament ends, boats will gather on main lake outside of
launch channel before 3:00 pm3:00 pm - helicopter fly-over from Air Station Detroit weigh-in begins
immediately following fly-over
“Wallyeye’s for Warriors”The 2nd Annual Charity Walleye Fishing Tournament is for Veterans and
Military Service personnel. Bay City, Michigan; Mandatory CaptainsMeeting is Friday, June 16th, with the tournament Saturday, June 17th,2012.
Weigh-in show and other activities are “Open to the Public” from 12:00noon to 4:00 pm.
For more information on how to register for these events con-tact the Brain Injury Association of Michigan at (810) 229-5880or visit www.biam.org and click their Events link
APRIL IS VETERAN OUTDOORACTIVITIES MONTH
“For more than a generation therehas not been a full-time military hos-pitality lounge in the State ofMichigan.” said Ken Pratt, presidentof Michigan Armed ForcesHospitality Center, Inc., a new non-profit organization spearheading theeffort. “Starting this November thatwill change with the opening ofFreedom Center. Located adjacent toGate A43 in the McNamaraTerminal, the 1,100 sq. ft. Freedom
THE METRO AIRPORT FREEDOMCENTER IS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS
Center will serve members of theArmed Forces and their dependents.Hosted by a dedicated staff of trainedvolunteers, the special needs of thethousands of military travelers whotravel through Detroit Metro month-ly will be now be met seven days aweek, 365 days a year.”
The Freedom center is always inneed of volunteers, to learn morevisit www.ifreedomcenter.org, email:[email protected] phone John McCandless,Michigan Armed Forces HospitalityCenter, Inc., 313-610-5600 orMichael Conway, Wayne CountyAirport Authority, 734-942-3558. Ifyou are traveling stop by.
BOYS STATEWe are getting close to the final days
of recruiting for the Boys State Program.This will be a very special year for ussince we are celebrating our seventyfifth birthday. Michigan Boys State wasincorporated in 1937 and our first classwas held in June 1938 with 838 stu-dents. We had 268 1n 2011. It would benice to get a lot closer to our first atten-dance size. Until the early nineties, wewere hosting almost one thousand
boys in our program. I believe by mak-ing a team effort, we can get closer tothese numbers. It has been reported bymany of the parents that they drop of aboy on Sunday and pick up a youngman the following Saturday, due to allthe boys accomplish in this worthwhileprogram.
This year we will have the honor ofhaving Past National CommanderRobert Turner at our opening ceremo-ny in Midland, Michigan. Bob is thehost of our Boys State internationaldirector’s conference in Indianapolis,Indiana and the Boys Nation program.The Texas Boys State program increasedtheir numbers by 124 students in 2011.I was told they accomplished this by
going around the state and educatingtheir Legion family on what the pro-gram is and what they do for the Boys.This should also work for Michigan.There are so many of our members thatdon't know what we do. Please give mea call if your post would like a presenta-tion or Boys State information.
We will have our new seventy five yearBoys State pin available for sale this yearat five dollars each. It's a very nice pinwith the state of Michigan and 75 yearsmarked on it. You may contact any ofthe Boys State committee members to getone. On Thursday, June 21 we will holda blood drive during the Boys State pro-gram. This has been a productive effortto donate needed blood to the Red Cross.
I invite any of our Legion family tostop by Northwood University inMidland, Michigan to observe our pro-gram in action. I know you will beimpressed. You may even get a freelunch.
Thank you very muchNelson O'BryanDirector,Michigan Boys State
For the last twoyears, ACOHardware haspartnered with theReconnect Com-mittee and theAmerican Legion
Department of Michigan to collectover $40,000.00 dollars to fund theWounded Warrior Retreat programand have offered to collect donationsfrom their customers again this yearfrom May 21st to July 4th 2012 inhopes of increasing the availablefunding to this program. ACO isoptimistic that we can top$30,000.00 this year. ACO hasrequested our assistances with thecollection process this year.
What is the Wounded WarriorRetreat Program?
The Reconnect Committee hasestablished relationships with hotelowners/managers, tourist compa-nies, and local chambers of com-merce who are looking for ways to
help our returning wounded war-riors. They have been providinghotel stays, meals, and activities toreturning veterans. The funds raisedhelp offset traveling expenses ormake up the difference where busi-nesses cannot provide.
“We would like to let you all know wehad a GREAT time at the Island!!! It wasjust what we needed, and we were treatedwith great respect! We were busy the wholetime we were there (even when it was cold).The time of year was perfect and we espe-cially had a great carriage ride. So we aresending out a "GREAT BIG THANKYOU" to: Gary, Dr. Mark Kane, andthe AMERICAN LEGION” – LyleS.
We are also using the WilwinLodge for retreats for groups of vet-erans in need of different means oftherapy. Dr. Kane a psychologist,who treats veterans, has been bring-ing groups of veterans to the lodgewith tremendous results.
“I would like to thank the members ofthe American Legion Post in the Upper
MICHIGAN LEGION PARTNERS WITH MICHIGAN BASED ACO HARDWARE STORES TO RAISE MONEY
FOR OUR WOUND WARRIORSPeninsula, Mr. Lou Oberle, Mr. BobConsidine and Mr. Gary Tanner for givingus the opportunity to spend time at theWilWin lodge. It was a great setting forme and the other veterans to enjoy ourselveswhen so many of us find very little enjoy-ment in our lives otherwise. And, best ofall, the retreat was a sincere act of graciouslove given to us with no expectations or hid-den agenda.” – Veteran 1
How can the Post take advan-tage of this Public RelationsOpportunity and support the
Wounded Warriors?
• Meet the Manager of your localAco Hardware Store
• Members of the AmericanLegion Family volunteer at thestores to engage the customersand distribute donation slips.Help the ACO staff ask cus-tomers for donations.
• Provide the ACO Store Manageryour Post #/Name and Addressso ACO can place signs in theirstores with this information on
them. • Advertise the program through
their respective Posts. ACO willproduce flyers if they need themfor this purpose. a PDF versionof material is available atwww.michiganlegion.org/aco
• To tell all of our family andfriends about the WoundedWarrior Retreat ProgramCollection at ACO. ASK forthem to give.
• Have the American Legion postscreate thank you banners to dis-play in their local ACO stores tothank the customers for theirdonations. These can be simplepaper banners or more substan-tial banners depending on thepost's preference. Funding assis-tance for these banners may beavailable if absolutely necessary.
If you have questions about howto take advantage of this programcontact me [email protected] or Cell:(313) 550-4289
DON’T HAVE A ACO NEAR BY?Please send your donation to ACO Wounded Warrior Program, 212 N
Verlinden Ave, Lansing, MI 48915. Make check to Michigan Legion, in thememo – ACO send the donation card below and we will hang it in the office.
STATE BASEBALL REPORTBy Donald Hudon, Chairman
Spring is here and so is AmericanLegion Baseball. Let’s Have Fun!
Reminder that ALL Posts andTeams need to check out the rules anddates as published to submit yourpaperwork in a timely manner.
Brackets for Class A and AAGame 1 Zone 5 (Home) vs Zone 3
2 Zone 1 (Home) vs Zone 23 Zone 4 (Home) vs Winner
of Game 14 Host (Home) vs Winner of
Game 2
Tournament Dates are: District July 19-20 Zone July 26 – 29
State Aug 2-5Class A Marquette - Class AA Adrian
Regional Aug 9-13 Midland
Posts make sure your team has a pic-ture to Department by July 15 NOEXCEPTIONS!
One of our own umpires has beenselected to work the American LegionWorld Series, Terry Myers. A resolu-tion was passed to name the Class AMVP Award after Hal Newhouser.
IMPORTANT DATESJan 1 - May 15 – register atwww.legion.org/baseball after approvalPURCHASE YOUR INSURANCE,must be purchased BEFORE tryoutsbegin.May 15th, 2012 – Insurance DeadlineJune 18th, 2012 – All teams pass ALLpaperwork to District ChairmanJune 21st, 2012 – District Chairmanto hand papers to Zone ChairmanJune 25th, 2012 @ 2pm EST – ZoneChairman to hand papers to StateChairman
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www.harper-enterprises.comManchester, MI
"The contents of advertisements which appear in the Legionnaire are solely theresponsibility of the advertisers. Appearance of any advertisement in theLegionnaire does not constitute either a recommendation, nor an endorsementof the goods and services offered therein."Ca
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WANTEDPrivate collector payingtop dollar for daggers,swords, medals, uni-
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ACCESS YOUR LIT ACCOUNT INFORMATION ONLINE
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As a participant in theLegionnaire Insurance TrustProgram, you now have access toyour account day or night, 24hours a day!
You may access your accountat www.theLIT.com by clickingon the My Account tab and reg-istering today.
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Registration is easy! Just go toyour Legionnaire Insurance TrustProgram website at www.theLIT.com and click on the MyAccount tab at the far right side ofthe page.
Click "Register Today!" on theMy Account tab and follow theinstructions to register. You willneed your Personal Identificationnumber which can be found onyour billing statement or on thefirst page of your certificate orplan description.
Register today! It's simple, safeand convenient. Click here orpaste this address into your webbrowser: https://www.thelit.com/myaccount.aspxSincerely,
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Please call Bill Wazelle at 1-734-728-7313
Need Flags?visit:
emblem.legion.org
Commander Chatman talks to the LegionRiders at Winter Meeting 2012
Everyone celebrated at “Elmo’s Birthday Party” thanks Junior’s
Around the State...
Congressman John Dingell stopped by our 2012 Legislativereception in Washington D.C. on Feb 28th, 2012
Brett Holt and Terry Montgomery share laughs at Winter Meeting
Senator Debbie Stabenow joined the Legionnaires for din-ner on Feb 17th,2012. Along with National CommanderFang Wong.
The Junior’s were present to raise money for the Elmobility room
Tom Romain, Post 97 in Adrian presented a $400 donation toDan Kesterke Adrian High School Band Director with SAL memberJim Cole. The donation was in appreciation for the efforts the
high school band has had on the veterans over the years.
Sons with National Commander Fang Wong
American Legion Post #138 Swear in 4 new members JamesR. Chaney, James Allen Weaver, Denis W. Hayes, and Robert
