ROBERT H. BURNS AMERICAN LEGION POST #16 LEGION LINES & VIEWS October 2013 PO Box 1137 Covington, La (985)

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1 ROBERT H. BURNS AMERICAN LEGION POST #16 LEGION LINES & VIEWS October 2013 PO Box 1137 Covington, La (985) Commander: James Lacassagne Chaplain: Bishop Chopin Cusachs Executive Committee: 1 st Vice Commander: Mark Herman Service Officer: Matt Cole William Rosevally 2 nd Vice Commander: Ray Hartley Judge Advocat Julian Rodrigue, Sr. Charley Craddock 3 rd Vice Commander: Open Historian: Ray Hartley Emil Johansen Adjutant: Roy Kellum Sgt.-at-Arms: James Livermore H.T. Terry Sharp Finance Officer: Mike Peats Stacy Miller. Post americanleg16@bellsouth.net Post website: --- There is a critical need for Bingo workers. We have lost several volunteers and really need help!! Please volunteer, even if you can only spend a few hours with us. Please call Mike Peats at We really need help!!!!! Jack-Pot Bingo!!! We especially need workers for Wednesdays. Call Mike Peats at (985) Game times Wednesday night at 7:30pm and Friday Morning at 10:00am. Regular winners are $200 per game --- Jackpots $ Progressive Jackpots Maximum $6000 with 50 balls or less. Workers need to be there at least 1 hour earlier. POST MEMBERSHIP: 2014 Cards are now available!!! Dues are $30 1st Vice Commander Mark Herman reported that Post 16 membership for 2013 stands at 233 paid up members for 57%. The membership year runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 each year. PUFL (Paid Up For Life) membership is available and on the time payment plan, Ask about it Let s get the membership year started right by getting your dues paid early. October Birthdays Best Wishes and Happy Birthday Mike Peats, Mary Leaycraft, Dottie Mendel, Martha Meyers, Cynthia Kellum, Roy Kellum and James Cope If you want your birthday listed contact the Post and give your name and month. Monthly Membership Drawing Just pay your dues to be entered in the drawing for that month Robert H. Burns American Legion Post 16, August, 2013 membership drawing was won by Mr. William Mayfield. Mr. Mayfield is the son of Irvin and Marilyn Gorgas and is the owner of A-1 Glass in Covington. Mr. Mayfield donated the $50 gift card back to the American Legion Post 16 to use for whatever charity we thought best. Pictured with Mr. Mayfield is Post 16 Finance Officer Mike Peats.

2 Page 2 Commander s Remarks: First, let me thank the members who attended our September Meeting. The weather was lousy, but we had more than enough people present to conduct business. Please keep up your support by attending as often as you can. This month we had our second Hunter Education Class at the post. We graduated 51 young people. We are expecting even more at the class in November. We also kicked off our Boys State and Oratorical Contest Preparations (The local access channel has the latest School Board meeting, and you can watch Mike Peats explain the program to the Board). We Held our annual Day of Remembrance Ceremony at the Justice Center on 9/11. A lot of you turned out to see us honor our First Responders. Something new, we have posted the Planned Events Schedule on the Post Website: I hope this will help you to attend more of our events. As always, if you have questions, give us a call. I'll be looking for you at the October 1 st meeting. Dinner is at 6:00 PM and the meeting starts at 7:00 PM. For God and Country, James (Jim) Lacassagne Post Commander Chaplains Corner Sick Call Bishop Chopin Cusachs Sick Call Report: The following Legionnaires and Auxiliary members are in our thoughts and prayers: Jennifer Corbett, Mae and Avery Mooney, Dwight Johnson, Bay Welch, Cheyenne Lafleur, Lorraine Flanagan, James Jernigan, Roy and Cindy Kellum, Terry Charrier, Elmer Hathaway, Sandra Sharp, Clinton Lounsbury Bobbie Peterson, Frank Rogers, Joe Dash, Leon Ferrier, Bert Bickham, May Hartley, Frances Rosevally and Bishop Chopin Cusachs. Commander Ethan Sharp: The Sons of the American Legion I want to thank everyone that paid their 2013 dues. We reached 100% for 2013 and received a Ribbon and Plaque, Great Job. We are currently at 75% of our goal. If you have not yet paid your dues please get them in soon so we can reach our goal for Danny McArthur is the Squadron Adjutant and is asking all members to contact him at ( ) to update Squadron files. We are required to maintain eligibility documents (DD-214 or other Honorable Discharge) for all members. At the November meeting we will be reviewing the Squadrons Constitution and Bylaws and voting on them.

3 Page 3 Post Honor Guard and Flag Chairman Honor Guard Commander Clint Lounsbury: The Honor Guard meets on the 2 nd Monday of each month starting at 5:00 PM. The Post Honor Guard represents all veterans in this area. Families of veterans need to be informed of our services. The Honor Guard will meet on Monday, October 14, 2013 at 5:00 PM at the Post. The Honor Guard continues to accept new members who are willing to spend the time and effort required to perform requested duties. We invite you to come join us. Madisonville Library Flag Dedication The St. Tammany Veterans Honor guard performed a flag dedication at the opening ceremonies of the new Madisonville Library on Thursday September 5 th. Our honor guard raised the American, State and Parish flags in the opening ceremony. Present in the picture are the following: Left to right Rudy Sutis and James Lacassagne on the St. Tammany Parish flag, Richard Mecom and Mike Peats on the U. S. Flag, and Percy Naquin and Brad Gauthreaux on the State Flag, with Clint Lounsbury facing the team Fontainebleau Junior High School Flag Dedication The St. Tammany Veterans Honor guard performed a Flag dedication at Fontainebleau Junior High School on Tuesday, September 3 rd, American Legion Post 16 dedicated the flag and new rope for the flag pole. Present at the dedication were the following: left to right back, Assistant Principal -?, Clint Lounsbury, Richard Mecom, Mike Peats, 2 nd row left to right, Paul Resor, Frank Lanzetta, Rudy Sutis, David Rice, front row L to R, The three students were given American Flag Pins and Certificates for Order of the Flag Detail from American Legion Post 16.

4 Page 4 American Legion Posts Targeted by the IRS In the face of reports that The American Legion and other veterans service organizations (VSOs) are being targeted by the Internal Revenue Service, delegates to the Legion s national convention in Houston recently passed three resolutions that include calling for Congress to look into the IRS field investigations into Legion posts chartered under 501(c)(19) or nonprofit status. Auditors with the IRS reportedly are starting to fine Legion posts around the country for not keeping records of veterans DD-214s, the separation document given by the military to prove honorable service, or other valid documentation. The DD-214 reveals Social Security numbers, dates of birth and, in some cases, places of birth and medical information. The American Legion and IRS do not need this information; the information may be "blacked out" and a copy filed by the post. The Legion and the IRS only need your name, dates of service and character of service. Documents with this information need to be kept securely.!!!!!! Notice!!!!!! If your DD-214 or Discharge document is not on file you will be contacted by the Post to get a copy. Please help us get this done. All documents are kept locked in a secure cabinet in the Office at the Post. National POW/MIA Recognition Day The third Friday in September is POW-MIA Recognition Day and Americans across the country will pause to honor those U.S. service members that are either prisoners of war or still missing in action. The day is one of six in which Congress mandates the flying of the POW-MIA Flag; the others days are Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day. The American Legion is committed to achieving a full accounting of all POW-MIAs from all war eras. This means returning living POWs, the repatriation of their remains, or finding convincing evidence of why neither is possible. Resolution No. 288, adopted in 1985 during the 67th National Convention in New Orleans, calls for designating a POW-MIA empty chair at all official Legion meetings as a physical symbol of the thousands of American POW-MIAs still unaccounted for.

5 Page 5 9/11 Day of Rem em brance Robert H. Burns American Legion Post 16 hosted its annual Remembrance day program for the 1 st responders on Wednesday September 11, 2013 at the St. Tammany Justice Center at 5 PM. Members of the Louisiana State Police, St. Tammany Sheriff s Office, Covington Fire Department, Covington Police department and local EMT training organization were present. Our master of ceremonies was Mr. Lane Carson, a member of American Legion Post 16 and Northshore Chapter 741 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post There were approximately 100 people present and the combined Sheriff and Covington Police Honor Guard posted the Colors. Wreaths were placed at the memorial by the First Responder representatives and Mayor Mike Cooper read the Proclamation declaring September 11, 2013 as a Day of Remembrance. Photos: Mr. Lane Carson and Commander James Lacassagne addressing the audience. La Societe Des 40 Hommes Et 8 Chevaux Voiture Locale 224 Fellow Voyageurs, Our next promenade will be October 10 at 7pm. Come and join in the social hour from 6pm to 7pm. It is the Voiture s turn to provide the meal for the next Promenade. If anyone would like to fix something, let me know. If not I will let everyone know what I need you to bring. I am asking all Voyageurs to provide a copy of your DD-214 for the Voiture records. With the IRS going after the American Legion I believe we should have these records before they come after the 40/8. Your help to get this done will be greatly appreciated. The Photo is a POW/MIA table set up at the St. Tammany Justice Center. It was set up for POW/MIA recognition day on Friday September 20, The POW/MIA chair cover was provided by Voiture 224. All other items were provided by Chef de Gare Stacy Miller. If you haven t paid your 2014 dues contact Membership Directeur Mike Peats at Chef de Gare Stacy L. Miller

6 October 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Halloween Safety Month Post Gen. Mtg. 7pm Meal 6pm Parish Fair Parish Fair Parish Fair Parish Fair Parish Fair V224 Promenade 7pm Meal 6pm Columbus Day Post Ex. Mtg. 6:30pm MOPH General Meeting 7PM Election Honor Guard Mtg. 5pm Jackson Vet. Home Visit post th District Conference 9am at Post Halloween