Message from the Commander

Transcription

1 Message from the Commander I m out on the road visiting the various District Conventions and hope to see you at your District Convention. CONTENTS VA Searching for Last Doughboys 2 Dept. News & Events 3 Convention Info 4 We need to keep working membership, as we still have several districts that are not a 100% yet. So let s not stop now! See you somewhere down the road! Butch Sparks Department Commander 20th District Celebrates Legion Birthday 6 Post 321 Visits Nursing Home 9 1st Division Run to the Wall 10 Last Month s Trivia Answers 12 We Made History!! Membership is on track!! Greetings to the entire American Legion Family!! The Detachment hit a milestone in March which was we achieved the 80% target date set up by National. That has not happened in about 10 years, what an accomplishment the Squadrons, Districts and Division members have made. It is a collective effort from the entire membership, congratulations guys!!!! Now, let s get 100 % by the end of April, that s right, the end of April!!! (continued, p.2)

2 The Legion Times Volume 89, Issue 1 April 2007 Executive Director William West Editor F.G. Adams Send all correspondence and submissions to: The Legion Times 3401 Ed Bluestein Blvd. Austin, TX T: / F: times@txlegion.org The Legion Times assumes no responsibility for material submitted and reserves the right to edit any submissions. Editorial deadline is the 20th of every month for inclusion in the following month s issue. Subscription is included in the annual American Legion, Department of Texas dues. Contact the American Legion, Department of Texas for extra copies, or copies for non-legionnaires. The Legion Times is the official publication of the American Legion Department of Texas Member of: American Legion Press Association Texas American Legion Press Assoc. Texas Press Association. The Legion Times is published online 12 times a year by the American Legion, Department of Texas For those of you that missed my homecoming you missed out on a great time, and I would like to thank all of you that did attend. At the Spring D E C we had three guests, Ray Giehl the leading candidate for National Commander, Bill West the Department Adjutant, and someone who is always a pleasure to have at our functions Jackie Brown from Headquarters. A lot of business was accomplished, not to mention the officers that did not have there cats. Looking ahead, keep the membership coming in, I will be traveling in the next three months, and so, if I come to an area near you have membership to turn in. You can go on our web site and take a look at my schedule at In closing, take time to remember and honor all the veterans in this great country of ours for preserving our freedoms. Until Next We Meet We Will Always Be, THE SONS Richard Squeek Bartholomew Detachment Commander VA Searching for Last Doughboys of World War I Only Four Believed Still Alive WASHINGTON -- With the number of known living American veterans of World War I now standing at four, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking public assistance in determining whether others are still alive. These veterans have earned the gratitude and respect of the nation, said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. We are coming to the end of a generation that helped bring the United States to the center of the international arena. Nicholson noted that VA usually knows about the identity and location of veterans only after they come to the Department for benefits. None of the four known surviving World War I veterans has been on the VA benefits rolls. The Secretary asks members of the general public who know of a surviving World War I veteran to contact VA. To qualify as a World War I veteran, someone must have been on active duty between April 6, 1917 and Nov. 11, VA is also looking for surviving Americans who served in the armed forces of allied nations. Information about survivors can be ed to ww1@va.gov ; faxed to , or mailed to the Office of Public Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs (80), 810 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, DC About 4.7 million men and women served in the U.S. armed forces during World War I. About 53,000 died in combat, with another 204,000 wounded. The four known surviving World War I veterans are John Babcock, 102, from Puget Sound, Wash.; Frank Buckles, 106, Charles Town, W.Va.; Russell Coffey, 108, North Baltimore, Ohio; and Harry Landis, 107, Sun City Center, Fla. Babcock is an American who served in the Canadian Army. The other three survivors were in the U.S. Army. 2

3 DEPARTMENT OFFICERS C. W. Butch Sparks, Department Commander James McNair, Department Vice Commander Charles Denson, Chaplain Kenneth Mueller, Treasurer Julian Weisler, Judge Advocate William Moore, Historian Glenn Scott, Sergeant-at-Arms Ronald Cherry, NEC Conrad Roberson, Alt NEC James Prendergast, IPDC William West, Adjutant Bob Squyres, Director of Internal Affairs Edward Reyes, Department Service Officer (Houston) Joe Petrillo, Department Service Officer (Houston) Kimberly Parmer, Department Service Officer (Waco) Raymond Wildman, Department Service Officer (Waco) DIVISION COMMANDERS Bob Roberts, 1st Division Commander George Bannon, 2nd Division Commander Paul Altherr, 3rd Division Commander Johnnie Washburn, 4th Division Commander DISTRICT COMMANDERS Jimmy Walker, 1st District Commander Jerry Millwood, 2nd District Commander Larry Mims, 3rd District Commander Mark L Thomson, 4th District Commander Mike Phelan, 5th District Commander Glen Newman, 6th District Commander John Palasota, 7th District Commander Dana Young, 8th District Commander Don Daft, 9th District Commander Dan Musgrove, 10th District Commander John D Davis, 11th District Commander Walter Starr, 12th District Commander John Seyfert, 13th District Commander James R Carney, Jr., 14th District Commander Oscar Flores, 15th District Commander James (Dave) Crowder, 16th District Commander Ronnie Pietzsch, 17th District Commander Barry Schoenhals, 18th District Commander Joseph Kelley, 19th District Commander Al B Saunders, 20th District Commander Billy Rollwitz, 21st District Commander Lynn E Sparks, 22nd District Commander Emery Deem, 23rd District Commander D e pa r t m e n t News & Events Upcoming Events District Spring Conventions Division Spring Conventions Reports due to Dept HQ Post Data Forms April 15th Department History Contest Once again this year the Department History Contest will be held at the Department Convention in Irving. Those Post and District Historians entering a Narrative History or Yearbook/Scrapbook should have their entries into the Department Historian at the Convention by 10 a.m. on Friday June 29th Judging will take place at 1030 a.m. and the results will be announced on Saturday at the Convention. Any SAL Detachment or Division is welcome to submit an entry, but the only official entries are for Posts and Districts. Due to the History room having to close down at 3p.m. on Saturday, entries should be picked up as soon as possible after the announcement of winners. When the History room closes the History books will be kept in the Department Office at the Convention and can be picked up there. LEGIONNAIRE INSURANCE TRUST Almost Four Decades of Partnership for a Healthy America For more information about the Legionnaire Insurance Trust affordable insurance plans and superior service call toll-free, , or visit our Web site at: AGIA 3

4 2007 Department Convention Information The 89th Annual Department Convention will be held in Irving, Texas June 26 July 1, The American Legion and the SAL housing and meetings will be in the Westin Hotel. The Auxiliary will be housed and meet in the Sheraton Hotel. Westin Hotel $82.00 per night room rate West John Carpenter Freeway Irving, TX / DO NOT MAIL YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS INTO DEPART- MENT! RESERVATIONS DEADLINE - JUNE 2, 2007 ADVANCE REGISTRATION $ ON SITE $35.00 NAME POST NO. NAME POST NO. NAME POST NO. NAME POST NO. AMOUNT ($25 per person) DEADLINE for advanced registration is June 5, 2007!!!! (Do not include Auxiliary or SAL registration in the same check) Mail to Headquarters: The American Legion 3401 Ed Bluestein Blvd Austin, TX Pre-registration forms can also be found on the Department Website;. More information and schedule to come, watch the Department Website and Legion Times for details. Veterans Benefits Seminar American Legion Post 351 located on Hwy 250 in Hughes Springs, TX (Across from Reeder-Davis Funeral Home) will host a Veterans Benefits Seminar on Saturday, May 19th. Registration will start at 9:00 am, and all counseling will be on a first come first served basis. However, all wishing counseling will receive help. Representatives from the VA Regional Office in Waco, TX, the American Legion, TX Veterans Commission, TX Veterans Land Board, and others will be on hand to discuss and help with any questions and claims. For more information contact the following: Bobby Baker, Post Commander or GNUTS -- There will be a GNUTS SOCIAL, Saturday, June 30, 2007, at 4:31 PM in the Oak Ballroom in the Westin Hotel. The social is for all interested parties. Previous members, current members, and new members can pay your 2007 Membership dues PDCC -- There will be a breakfast for all Past District Commanders Club members, Saturday, June 30, 2007, at 7:00 AM in the Gallery III Room in the Sheraton Hotel. The breakfast is for current members of the Past District Commanders Club. Membership dues can be paid at the breakfast. PAST DISTRICT COMMANDER CLUB BREAKFAST BREAKFAST SATURDAY, JUNE 30, :00 AM GALLERY III ROOM SHERATON HOTEL NAME: ADDRESS: CITY, ST, ZIP: Number of Tickets X $15.00 = MAIL TO: Past District Commanders Club Attn: Ernie Rivard PO Box Duncanville, TX PAST DEPARTMENT COMMANDERS DINNER -- There will be a Reception and Dinner for all Past Department Commanders Saturday, June 30, The reception will be at 5:30 PM in the Commander s Suite to be followed with a dinner. POC: PDC Jim Prendergast. The dinner is by invitation only. Invitations will be mailed. 4

5 TEXALPA -- There will be a breakfast for all TEXALPA members, Sunday, July 1, 2007, at 7:00 AM in the Gallery III Room in the Sheraton Hotel. The breakfast is for current members only. Dues may be paid at the breakfast. Some current business and future plans will be discussed. TEXAS AMERICAN LEGION PRESS ASSOCIATION BREAKFAST SUNDAY, JULY 16, :00 AM GALLERY III ROOM SHERATON HOTEL NAME: ADDRESS: CITY, ST, ZIP: Number of Tickets X $15.00 = MAIL TO: Texas American Legion Press Association Attn: Robert Squyres 3401 Ed Bluestein Blvd Austin, TX Economic Division Rolls Out 2007 Job Fairs The American Legion has a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Recruitmilitary and Military.com that will allow The American Legion to have a presence in all of their job fairs around the country. The main purpose of these job fairs is to provide veterans more outlets for employment while promoting The American Legion. This is an extremely important opportunity that could have an incredibly positive impact for veterans and our organization. All departments have been notified of upcoming job fairs in their states. They are strongly encouraged to participate. The Economics Division is requesting that all departments: 1. Prepare staffing for the upcoming events in your respective departments at least 2 months in advance (Prepare to give out many Legion information materials and the services that are available to veterans). 2. Once you have organized which post will participate let our division know we will send you additional pamphlets and handouts to assist you if you require them). 3. Send out fliers, s, faxes, fliers, and notifications of the upcoming job fairs at least 1 month in advance. Notify everyone within your department all the way down to each individual. Spread the word even if you are employed, YOU CAN HELP OTHERS! 4. Reach out to your local National Guard and Reserve units and notify them of the upcoming job fair. Contact them and promote the job fair at every drill. 5. Reach out to returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Here is list of dates and location for the State of Texas if you or your Post, District or Division would like to participate please contact the Department Headquarters or visit or com Houston, April 5, :00 am 3:00pm Dallas, April 12, :00 am 3:00pm Austin, April 16, :00 am 3:00pm Dallas, July 12, :00 am 3:00pm San Antonio, July 16, :00 am 3:00pm Houston, August 30, :00 am 3:00pm Austin, October 30, :00 am 3:00pm Dallas, November 14, :00 am 3:00pm Dallas, November 29, :00 am 3:00pm New ad rates are now available! Your ad could be here! For more details us at times@txlegion.org Do you have an event or announcement for us to place in the next issue of the Legion Times? us at times@txlegion.org 5

6 The Mighty 20th District of The American Legion Celebrates the Legion Birthday with the US Army San Antonio Recruiting Battalion The American Legion Alamo Post #2, under the leadership of Post Commander Jose C. Martinez established through the efforts of 2nd Vice Commander Lawrence Romo a partnership with the US Army s San Antonio Recruiting Battalion. This partnership will have far reaching programs with both groups working to help out each other. The American Legion will periodically provide a venue for the US Army to conduct training for the recruiters and future soldiers. Future soldiers are individuals who have enlisted that are awaiting departure to basic training. The American Legion will also promote a US Army career to potential recruits and advertise the 2K bonus program to military retirees that find recruits for the US Army. The US Army will pay $1000 to a retiree once the recruit completes basic training and another $1000 after the recruit completes Advanced Individual Training. The US Army Recruiting Battalion will promote American Legion membership and invite American Legion members to certain future recruitment events. The first event held by this new partnership was the joint observing of The American Legion Birthday on March 17, The actual anniversary date is March 15th, however to assure the largest participation possible, the Post elected to conduct the event on Saturday, the 17th. (Retired), who spoke to over 60 future soldiers and 24 recruiters and veterans. General Sanchez has a distinguished US Army career and served as the Commander of coalition forces in Iraq from June 2003 to June He was the highest-ranking Hispanic in the United States Army when he retired on 1 November He spoke about multiple areas he considered of the utmost importance to new recruits such as the Oath they will take; the importance of integrity; the necessity for an allegiance to the President and those Officers and senior Enlisted placed above them; the attributes of personal and moral courage; their values; the need for diversity and leadership; he placed a large emphasis on the need for education; and challenged each of them to Dare to Dream. The General is captured as he spoke to the recruits above. General Sanchez answered several questions from various future soldiers from what his US Army career was like, to what military family life is like, to how he thought we should engage with Iran, North Korea and the likes. In the photo above the recruits listen intently to the Generals remarks. This first event was augmented with the attendance of Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez, US Army After the speech, the 20th District Commander, Al Saunders spoke about how the American Legion enhances the quality of life for not only our veterans but also Active duty members, and their family. He also spoke about the value of American Legion membership. Some recruiters actually joined on the spot. (continued, p.7) 6

7 Afterwards the Officers and members (pictured below from left to right are Linda and her husband Javier Perales and Bill McColley) of American Legion Post #2 served lunch the future soldiers, recruiters and the veterans in attendance. Above is the Post Commander, Jose Martinez, General Sanchez, 1st Vice Commander Javier Patron and 2nd Vice Commander Lawrence Romo. In the photo below is Major McPherson Commander of the Recruiting Battalion as he presents a parting gift to General Sanchez for offering his time to assist with the orientation of the new Army members. In the final photo below is General Sanchez with 20th District Commander Al Saunders. The recruiters conducted some additional training to prepare the future soldiers for basic training covering many of the common maneuvers that they will be required to master. 7

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9 Post 321 delivers 150 insulated cups to the Bonham nursing home. 9

10 1st division run to support the wall at Fair Park. Dallas Tx. On Saturday, March 17 10

11 1st division run to support the wall at Fair Park. Dallas Tx. On Saturday, March 17 (continued) 11

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