ALASKA LEGIONNAIRE. Cold War veterans reminisced at Chena Lakes in North Pole Alaska..

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1 ALASKA 1641 POW/MIAs still unaccounted for - Why? LEGIONNAIRE VOL. 95 No 6 Nov/Dec 2014 Cold War veterans reminisced at Chena Lakes in North Pole Alaska.. The American Legion Department of Alaska 1550 Charter Circle Anchorage, AK Cold War veterans came from all over the states to remember where they had served on Nike sites in Alaska. Nike sites were active from A two day conference was held in Anchorage. Then they came for a tour of the interior of Alaska. They visited the military installations. They finished their tour with a dinner hosted by American Legion Post 30. Harry Schuster/ prepared the scrumptious meal. Chena Lakes recreation site had been a Nike site in the 60s. Two of the veterans remember where their guard post was and took the group of 25 on a tour of where the guard post, the barracks, & the motor pool used to be.they had a wonderful time and are looking forward to visiting Alaska again. Terry Huisman PDC s Corner By W.E. Gene Franks How well do we work and play together while serving the veterans of our nation? Many times we forget why we joined this organization, we get so involved in our own world that we forget the meaning of the words in the Preamble to the Constitution of The American Legion. Most of our posts have three entities, The American Legion Post, The Sons of The American Legion, and The American Legion Auxiliary. While the Post and the S.A.L. are closely linked, the S.A.L. is a Post program, the Auxiliary is a separately chartered organization and while separate the Auxiliary provides an immeasurable amount of support to the posts. Most of us have from time to time referred to these three entities as The American Legion family. This is so true. Now there may be some who say we can do without them, but from experience it won t work. We need to learn to work and play well with each other in order to make the organi- zation function at its best. When one part of the triangle is upset, then the remaining parts will feel the effect. The end result is that the veterans we serve are the real losers in the long run. As with any organization, its strength is in its membership. The American Legion is no exception to this rule. Yes, we do need new members to help carry on the voice, traditions and programs that The American Legion established the day it was founded. Many of these new members are being brought in by the Direct Mail Solicitation (DMS); however I feel that we are not putting enough emphasis on our current members. Many of our current members with 2, 5, even 10 years are not renewing their membership. (con t page 8) Inside... Taps...pg. 4 NEC News...pg. 5 Serive Officer News...pg.4 Auxiliary News...pg. 7 Happy Thanksgiving s Corner By Ernest L. King, Sr. The Gift of Giving Did you buy a total stranger a Christmas gift today? Did you visit the vet center today? Did you volunteer at one of the many functions that desperately need our help at this time of the year? If you haven t, please consider those families of departed veterans who need our help... Too often when we lose a love one that was part of our veteran s family, we lose the family too. They feel lost and left out. Make sure you offer to bring their children or grandchildren to the children Christmas party at your local post. Talk about how happy you are to see them. Remember part of being a legion family is remembering to take care of the family our fellow veterans have left behind. WAS IT A SUC- CESSFUL YEAR? From a personal viewpoint you may say that it was. From The American Legion viewpoint, you may have doubts. We have transferred many Legionnaires to Post Everlasting this year. These were our comrade-in- arms, many who had sacrificed much, both in conflicts and to the Legion. Remember, these Comrades are not gone unless forgotten. And the subject that everyone gets tired of hearing, MEM- BERSHIP. We are down this year from previous years. Is it due to the economy, waiting until the last minute, just forgotten, or have you lost interest in The American Legion or your Post. If you haven t visited your Post lately, drop by, make a meeting. Should you not be happy with what is being done within your Post, the meeting is the place to voice your opinion and possibly make changes. Keep up the good work and to each and every one of you have a Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas this holiday season. REMEMBER: IT S NOT THE PRICE YOU PAY TO JOIN, IT S THE PRICE YOU PAID TO BE ELIGIBLE.

2 Page 2 Alaska Legionnaire Nov/Dec 2014 THE AMERICAN LEGION DEPARTMENT OF ALASKA DOMICILIARY GIFT SHOP 3001 C St. Anchorage, AK Please come and join the American Legion Family on Saturday, December 6, 2014 from 10AM 2PM Help kick the Christmas Holidays off for some of our veterans that need a little extra help this Christmas Season. For more information, contact Peggy Bateman, Gift Shop Chairman at peggy@anch.net DEPARTMENT OFFICERS Ernest L. King Sr.,...P.O. Box , Anchorge, AK First Vice...Scott Kline Schoenbar Rd., Ketchikan, AK Second Vice... Elexzanderia Carr Ambler Cir., Anchorage, AK Finance Officer...Gene Franks Charter Circle, Anchorage, AK Alvin Diaz Walnut Ave. Kenai, AK Sergeant-At-Arms...Kirk Waldhaus Cape Circle, Anchorage, AK Chaplain... Matt Larson...PO Box , Wasilla, AK Historian... Clare Sullivan...PO Box 2089, Seward, AK Judge Advocate...Ken Jacobus K St, Ste 200, Anchorage, AK Executive Committeeman...Nate Carter Sentry Dr. # 503,Anchorage, AK Executive Committeeman...Marjorie Ream... PO Box , Wasilla, AK Executive Committeeman... Kyle A. Parkerson Reedyke Circle, Anchorage, AK NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMEN NEC Committeeman...Jim Pisa Hampton Drive, Anchorage, AK Alternate Committeeman... Harry Pawson Crowberry Circle, Anchorage, AK DEPARTMENT COMMANDER S AIDES Con Miller Post 30...Jim Scott Holmes Rd., North Pole, AK Susitna Valley Post Dave Webster...HC 30 Box 12885, Wasilla, AK Ketchikan Post Hunter Davis...PO Box 23470, Ketchikan, AK Muldoon Post 29...Mark Sledge Deborah Lane, Anchorage, AK Chappie James Post Ruby Stewart E. 5th Ave., Anchorage, AK st Vice & Membership Chairman By: Scott Kline National convention was good, hot but good. Our first night was spent at the baseball game and just standing up top by the concession stands it was nice to talk to a few local passer byers. Many legionnaires were wearing some kind of legion brand clothing or hats and it made a lot of the folks ask questions about who we were and what brought us to Charlotte. My first question to them was, Did you serve?, Was your father or grandfather in the military? There are still a lot of people that don t realize they are eligible for membership in at least one of the groups of the American Legion. One person I had asked was aware of a post in his area and yes he was eligible. I had application already filled out and handed to him and he assured me that he would drop by the post and join. He even mentioned about the Legion Post having steak night and other functions. So, our functions are somewhat being noticed but the word still isn t getting out there. At the membership conference the National organization is jump starting a new digital outreach, per say. The IT guys have been working on some digital media stuff to get us out there more. So, THE ALASKA LEGIONNAIRE (USPS ) OFFICIAL Bi-MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF The American Legion, Department of Alaska 1550 Charter Circle, Anchorage, Alaska Member of The National American Legion Press Association W.E. Gene Franks, Managing Editor Diane Berry, Editor The Alaska Legionnaire (USPS ) is published bi-monthly for $3.00 yearly subscription. Office of publication is The American Legion, Department of Alaska, 1550 Charter Circle, Anchorage, Alaska Periodicals postage paid at Anchorage, Alaska. Printed by Anchorage Printing, a private firm in no way connected with The American Legion, Department of Alaska. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members and families of The American Legion, Department of Alaska, and other approved subscribers. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts and supplements, does not constitute endorsement by The American Legion, The Department of Alaska, or Anchorage Printing, of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. For information on advertising, call (907) , fax to (907) or to: legion@anch.net. SUBSCRIPTION RATES ~ PAYABLE IN ADVANCE Members of The American Legion, Department of Alaska subscription included in payment of annual dues. ALL OTHERS: United States and possessions - $5.00 per year; Foreign - $10.00 per year. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Alaska Legionnaire, 1550 Charter Circle, Anchorage, Alaska in short, JUST ASK. You may be surprised to find out that more people than you think, especially here in Alaska, may have served before. Also remember, if you don t have applications you may not get a new member, think of your two minute spiel and have applications, it s that easy. Our membership goals are very attainable, JUST ASK. Our new Mike Helm out of Nebraska gave a very good acceptance speech. He has been a very dedicated Legionnaire for a long time. What an honor for the Department of Nebraska, whose National had a basic message as far a membership was concerned, stay the course. Next in line is Dale Barnett out of Georgia, what a guy and has quite the story of his post military years. Went on to be a teacher in one of the toughest school districts outside of Atlanta. True dedication to our nations youth & guiding them down the straight and narrow path. Very exciting stuff for our American Legion. A very big congratulations goes out to Kevin Collier who is next in line for SAL National. Kevin has worked hard and it s now paying off. We all need to rally behind Kevin and show Second Vice By: Elexzanderia Carr As we head into the busy holiday season keep in mind the following dates in November. Get out the vote. In 1920, during The American Legion National Convention in Cleveland, the organization went on record urging all American Legion men to become qualified voters. Since then, the organization has passed countless similar resolutions advocating Legionnaires to not only exercise their constitutional responsibility to vote; but to also encourage others to do the same. American Education Week recognizing teachers and students above the norm.. Thanksgiving is coming up. Share a meal with a needy family. Make your hospital visits. December; December 7,1941 (Pearl Harbor Day ) not many WW 2 VETS LEFT. On December 16/1944 the Battle of the Bulge. Have a safe and happy holiday. Keep all servicemen and women in your thoughts, especially those far from home. For God and Country Elexzanderia Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

3 Nov/Dec 2014 Alaska Legionnaire Page 3 From the Director, No way, how can the riding season be ending already! I suppose that Bobby has just had way too much fun cause you know what they say about how time flies. Having said that our American Legion Riders were very busy this summer and we took part in many events. I ll spend a short time reminiscing before getting down to business. This summer started out very busy with our annual trip to Trapper Creek and Byers Lake for Memorial day weekend with the First Annual Ride for Respect riding from Anchorage to Seward supporting a very worthy cause on the first weekend of June and our own ROMP held at Post 5 the second weekend of June. Yea we had our butts in the saddle for a while and if you remember it the way I did we were a little tired and very wet! As the weather improved we dropped in a couple Ice Cream Runs and we had the unfortunate opportunity and honor to join post 35 in providing a memorial service escort for Pvt. Wallace who had fallen in the service of our country. The last event that we participated in was the ALRA Anchorage Promotional Pride Ride to promote the creation of a Chapter of the ALR in Anchorage. We were successful as during the ride members of Post 1 and 28 came together in the backyard at Post 29 and elected officers. It all came together and our newest ALR Charter now can be found at Jack Henry Post 1, and I want to thank Mark Berg for all the effort and time he put forth in bringing the new ALR Chapter to fruition. State Chapters and the ALRA gave $ dollars total to the Legacy Run. This year Nationwide and the ALR brought in a cool $1,000, in donations, bringing the Legacy Run scholarship fund to well over 4 million dollars. Next year I feel we can reach the $10, mark, so I want to challenge every Chapter in Alaska to raise at least $ toward the legacy run. I know that a few Chapters already contribute a whole lot more than that. If every chapter that hasn t contributed, our total will go up dramatically. Our National has made it a goal to raise a million dollars for each of the Legions major charities. The Legacy Run is one, so I don t think I would be too far out of line to issue that same challenge to Posts in the Department of Alaska without ALR Chapters! Looking forward to the summer of 2015 I have a few ideas that we need to think about and start planning. The ALRA Anchorage Promotional Pride Ride was just too much fun not to repeat although next summer I think maybe we can do it on a weekend not filled by the Air Show and we can include a visit to Chappie James Post 34 this time. Also I want to propose we dedicate a long weekend of riding and take the ALR northward and visit our Riders in the north and visit their new Post now that they are all moved in. We are doing a bunch of activities down here and John, Russ and Vicki have been to most of them. I am pretty sure John could possibly be the most traveled Rider in the State as he seemed to show up everywhere. I hope the upcoming winter season finds everyone involved on the maintenance projects they need to get done on their bikes making them dependable and safe for next summer. Now is the time to get those brakes done, tires changed, cables lubed and leaks fixed. Include all the other things that bugged you about your bike s ride and performance last summer. If you are like me you are already talking about what cool items for the bikes we are buying ourselves for Christmas! Get it done so when spring does get here we can Get On Our Bikes and Ride!

4 Page 4 Alaska Legionnaire Nov/Dec 2014 Matt Larson, Department Chaplain William R Alter Post 33 Calvin E Anderes Post 03 Emil Churchill Post 06 Jay D Emery Post 35 Peter J George Post 13 Al Griseto Post 11 J A N S C O T T Taps Taps Like the blink of an eye Like the briefness of the wind Left to wonder why Left to miss you because Life forever changed Hope and joy return yet still Donald M Groff Post 57 Lester Olds Post 06 Kenneth E Phillips Post 33 Donald E Sherwood Post 29 James Spoo Post 33 ALASKA LEGIONNAIRE OPT OUT FORM YES! I would like to view the Legionnaire online at instead of receiving it through the mail. Please permanently remove me from the Legionnaire mailing list. This option will not effect any of the Legion mailings. NAME: Membership No : Address: City: State Zip Code Signature: Please mail this form to : The American Legion, Department of Alaska, 1550 Charter Circle, Anchorage, AK or fax this form to (907) O R I T O R I C A L N E W S Service Office News By: Alvin Diaz - Department The Affordable Healthcare Act. The VA recently sent out a flyer explaining Healthcare and how it will affect you. If you did not get a copy, let the service office know and we will send you a copy. So here we go. 1: VA wants all Veterans to get health care that improves their health and well being. 2: If you are enrolled in VA health care, YOU do not need to take additional steps to meet the health care law coverage standards. 3: The health care law does not change VA health benefits or Veterans out-of pocket cost. 4: If you are not enrolled in VA health care, you can apply at any time. Call your Service Office for assistance or information at What are the benefits of enrollment in VA health care? Means you have medical care, immediate benefits of health care coverage, no enrollment fee, monthly premiums or deductibles. More than 1,400 places available to get care. This is just the Readers Digest version on Affordable Healthcare and VA Health Care. For more information call your local service office or go to the VA website at or call VETS (8387). WE encourage all Veterans to apply for VA Health Care. With the Affordable Health Care Act (Obama care) in affect, many Veterans are applying for VA Health Benefits by submitting the 10-10EZ. One of the questions that keep popping up is Can the VA deny me if my income is too high? The answer to that is, VA Healthcare eligibility is determined by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and VHA rules are constantly changing. If you were previously denied VA health care because your income was too high, we recommend that you reapply because you may be eligible for Priority Group 8. What are the VA s health care groups? VA set up eight priority groups to make sure that certain groups of veterans are enrolled before others. A veteran is assigned a priority group based on eligibility status, with one (1) being the highest priority. To find out more on the priority groups, you can go to or contact your local service office at VA DENTAL INSURANCE PROGRAM (VADIP): The VA provides comprehensive dental care to Veterans who MEET ELIGIBILTY STANDARDS ; however the benefit is not available to many veterans. VA Dental Insurance Program offers enrolled Veterans and beneficiaries of VA s CHAMPVA the opportunity to purchase dental insurance at a reduced cost. VA is offering this service through Delta Dental and MetLife. VA- DIP is a three year, national pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing a dental insurance plan to eligible individuals. Eligibility for VADIP: Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program and CHAMP- VA program beneficiaries are eligible to participate in VA- DIP. For more info, check out the website at healthbenifits/vadip. Or you can call Delta Dental at or or MetLife at or www. metlife.com/vadip/index. Or call your local Service Office at Oratorical News By Jan Scott - Department Oratorical Chairman I have just returned from Indianapolis, Indiana where all the Chairman met to ensure contest uniformity and consistency across all the Departments. Department final contest must conform with National Contest procedures, rules and regulations. We had a presentation on the procedures, rules and regulations of the oratorical contest. How to continue to increase contest participation was also on the agenda. We had a presentation on various uses of internet and computers which included several helpful sites to reaching out to students. We discussed groups to approach other than schools such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and home school programs. We practiced tabulation procedures. We used both the paper and pencil process and the Excel Spreadsheet Tabulation Program. We also had a presentation on tie breaking procedures. I want to encourage you to participate in this program by looking for a contestant now. We can work as a family by including the Auxiliary, Sons, and Legion Riders to accomplish this undertaking. The rule has changed and a post can send more than one participant to the Department Contest. The Department Contest will be held in Anchorage on February 27 and 28. I have materials and will help you at all levels. I am happy to explain or convince people to participate in this program. Please contact me with concerns, ideas, names of possible contestants. Jan Scott janscott1@alaska.net

5 Nov/Dec 2014 Alaska Legionnaire Page Calendar of Events November Nov 1st National Veterans Creative Arts Festival Nov 1st Membership Retention Month Nov 2nd Daylight Savings Time Ends Nov 4th Election Day - Get Out and VOTE Nov 10th Marine Corps Birthday (1775) Nov 11th World War 1 armistice (1918) Nov 11th Veterans Day Post 6 & Auxiliary Veteran s Day Dinner 5pm on MUST have a ticket to attend, limited to 150 people, see Jack or Marilyn for your ticket(s) Potluck Salad or Dessert - main entrée provide Nov 14th Women Veteran s Recognition Ceremony Nov 16th-22nd American Education Week Nov 23rd-29th National Family Week Nov 27th Thanksgiving Nov 27-28th Department Offices are closed Nov 27th-Dec 31st Holiday Donor Blood Drive December Dec 1st Holiday Donor Blood Drive Dec 7th Pearl Harbor Day (1941) Dec 15th End of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2011) Dec 17th Hanukkah Dec 20th Panama/Operation Just Cause (1989) Dec 25th Christmas God Bless the USA Dec 31 New Years Eve Women Veteran s Recognition Ceremony Friday, November 14th 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Alaska Senior Center 1300 E. 19th Ave Anchorage, Ak p.m. Information Fair 2 p.m. Ceremony 3 p.m. Reception For information call Sinnamon Bovey Women Veteran Program Manager (907) Merry Christmas National Executive Committeeman From the Doghouse By: Jim Pisa STAY THE COURSE, National Mike Helm of Nebraska, wants all legionnaires to stay the Course and continue to live and honor the great traditions and values established by our founders nearly 100 years ago. Helm stated that these policies and traditions that got us here will continue to guide us forward. Helm will be making a visitation to our Department Convention in April KEVIN FINALLY GETS THE GO AHEAD: The convention was a great success, where our very own Kevin Collier was nominated for National of the Sons of The American Legion for the year Congratulations to Kevin and all the Alaska Legion Family for their hard work and support. By the time this is put to print it will be Veterans Day, November 11th. A little history on Veterans Day or Armistice Day as it was originally called. With the ending of World War I on November 11, 1918 and the fighting ceased and went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918 is generally regarded as the end of the war to end all wars. On June 1,1954 November 11th became VETER- ANS DAY a day to honor American Veterans of all wars. I known that there are and will be may ceremonies held throughout Alaska with many Veterans organizations hosting their local ceremony. Get out to honor all our Veterans, past and present and say THANK YOU ELECTION DAY: Exercise your right to vote on Election Day, November 4th. This is why we as VETERANS served in the military to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States. And now we must do so by voting. Voting is the responsibility of everyone that loves our country. LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP : BRAVO ZULU to all our Alaska Legion Riders for their generous donation of $ to the scholarship fund. The national riders this year alone raised ONE MIL- LION DOLLARS during their annual ride. Congratulations to the Department of Alaska s two newest Legion Riders Chapters. General Buckner Chapter 16 in Homer and the newest, Jack Henry Chapter 1 in Anchorage. Well done to all of the riders that have been working many years to get a chapter in the Anchorage Bowl area. LEGION BASEBALL: Congratulations to all our Department Post that have sponsored and supported American Legion Baseball. To Russ and his devoted crew of volunteers that have spent countless hours in the operations of the program. Well Done to all the teams and players that played this year. Looking forward to another great year of American Legion in the spring. UPCOMING REMINDERS: Time to start making visits to our local schools and reminding them of our Oratorical contest held after the first of the year. Boys State and Girls State, it s never to early to start pushing the program for next June. (con t from page 7) Penny Mazonna ALA President Department of Washington and Lisa Williamson, National Constitution and By-Laws Chairman, Department of Alaska. I know that many of you are very busy planning upcoming events such as: Early Bird Dinners, Halloween Parties, Veterans Day Celebrations, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Remember to keep track of volunteer hours, veterans/veteran families assisted and monies that are raised/spent for these functions. Also, keep a record of the programs that you were able to include in these activities. This information will all be included in your reports later in the year. Good luck and have FUN! Please plan to participate, either physically or monetarily (perhaps both) to our Christmas Gift Shops. These Gift Shops are a great opportunity to lend a helping hand to our veterans. I look forward to taking part in this annual event with my Department of Alaska American Legion Family, as we experience the joy and gratitude that we share with our veterans. Membership! Here is a Big High 5 to all of the Units that have reached 100% or more for the 2014 membership year. To the rest of you, please put the petal to the metal. Many of you are so close to making that 100% goal. It is time to make a few personal contacts and give gentle reminders. Remember to work the programs that your Unit has chosen to concentrate on and keep records that will make completing your end-of-year reports not so stressful. Our Unit, Post and Squadron volunteers work very hard for our veterans and our communities. Please make certain that they know how much we value their time and effort.

6 Page 6 Alaska Legionnaire Nov/Dec 2014 VETERANS DAY SPEECH 2014 The American Legion Media & Communications Commission Seventy years ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed what many historians consider the greatest social legislation ever passed by the U.S. Congress. As popular as the GI Bill remains today, it took the horrific cost and bloodshed of World War II to remind many Americans just how great a debt is owed to our veterans. In 1932, thousands of World War I veterans camped out in Washington, D.C., to petition their government for bonuses that they felt were owed. Their campsite was forcibly overrun by the U.S. Army, and at least two veterans were killed by the police. President Franklin Roosevelt told The American Legion National Convention in 1933 that quote No person because he wore a uniform must thereafter be placed in a special class of beneficiaries over and above other citizens, unquote. While Roosevelt would later prove himself to be a great wartime commander-in-chief, what he and others failed to realize at the time is that veterans were not asking to be part of a special class. They just wanted a shot at the American dream that they fought so hard to defend. Most Americans profess to truly love our veterans, especially at gatherings like this on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. And while their feelings are usually sincere, it is important to remember that veterans are defending us 365 days a year. The heroism that has been demonstrated time and again by veterans from the American Revolution to the Global War on Terrorism is sometimes unnoticed by those of us who enjoy the security that their sacrifice has provided. Army Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha has seen war at its very worst. While serving at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan, he and his comrades awakened to an attack by an estimated 300 enemy fighters on October 3, According to his Medal of Honor citation, Staff Sergeant Romesha took out an enemy machine gun team, and engaged in taking out a second, when he received shrapnel wounds from a rocket propelled grenade. He continued to fight on. He killed at least three other Taliban fighters and directed air support to destroy 30 other enemy fighters. After receiving the nation s highest military medal, Staff Sergeant Romesha said he felt conflicted. The joy, he said, comes from recognition of us doing our jobs as soldiers on distant battlefields but is countered by the constant reminder of the loss of our battle buddies. My battle buddies. My soldiers. My friends. Staff Sergeant Romesha s attitude is not hard to find among the living Medal of Honor recipients. They will never forget the sacrifice of their friends and neither will the Gold Star families, who will have to cope without the embrace of their loved ones. The innocence of their grieving children will be challenged by the dramatic change affecting the balance of security and comfort in their family routine. The hearts of these families will feel the sharp sting of their loss, leaving them only with memories of their loving mom or dad. Life as they have known it will be much harder from now on. Our debt to these heroes can never be re-paid but our gratitude and respect must last forever. For many veterans, our nation was important enough to endure long separations from their families, miss the births of their children, freeze in subzero temperatures, (con t page 8) CHANGE OF ADDRESS Fall Camperee Boy Scouts of American the Great Alaska Council, the Denali District held their annual Fall Camperee with the Geo-caching Merit Badge. The dates were Sept. 26, 27, 28, The Camperee was held at the South Rolly Lakes campgrounds. American Legion Jack Henry Post 1 sponsored the Camperee with a generous donation. The Scouts and adult volunteers did not have to pay for the camping, Camperee Patches, or the Merit Badge patches. There were 159 in attendance, with 101 Scouts, 58 adults and Merit badge volunteers, and 53 Scout took the Geo-caching Merit Badge. Post 1 was represented by Lyle Brown Member, Geo-caching Merit Badge councilor and Ray Untiet Post 1 Finance Officer. On Saturday Sept. 26, 2014 morning there was the flag ceremony, scout oath, law, and prayer; Then the Geo-caching Merit Badge 1st Vice 2nd Vice Adj/Finance Chaplain Sgt. At Arms Historian Exec. Committeeman NEC Alt. NEC Boy Scout Chairman By Ray Untiet Sons of the American Legion Detachment of Alaska Mike Jimerson Dave Dieckgraeff Rhett Apiki Kevin Collier Rolph Aaraseth Douglas Blair Jim Kemphill Dave Webster Alan Dykstar Jeff Axhelm Howard Fruhwirth Jr John Whitlock THE ABOVE IS A PAID ADVERTISMENT course. The course ended early in the afternoon. The Scouts had a serve project, to clean all 98 fire pits in the Campsites, which was done. There was also a cooking contest, meat cooked over an open fire, which was won by Troop 82 with pork chops. The other contest was a clean and organize camp site which was won by Troop 125. The ribbons were handed out at the final Camp Fire, which included songs and skits. Last but not least since I m the Boy Scout Committee Chair. I had the Eagle Scout of the Year nomination forms there and answered any questions on them. Two were handed out. I also had American Legion applications, 2 of those were handed out. Finally if a post would like to charter a Cub Pack, Scout Troop, and/or a Venture Crew please contact me. If a post or maybe Dept. would like to sponsor a Camperee let me know. Using this form, provide new address, attach entire address label from recent paper, mail to: Alaska Legionnaire 1550 Charter Circle Anchorage, Alaska Name New Address City, State, Zip *** Attach Old Address Label Here *** Congratulations Henry Davis of Eagle River & Sarah Amundsen of Anchorage for being awarded the Samsung Scholarship. Good luck with your college careers! PUT LIFE INTO YOUR MEMBERSHIP PUFL Keep a good thing going - become a Paid Up For Life (PUFL) member of The American Legion. Avoid the effects of inflation by never having to pay a dues increase. And if you carry American Legion Life Insurance, you ll never risk its lapsing because you forgot to pay your dues one year.

7 Nov/Dec 2014 Alaska Legionnaire Page 7 From the Desk of the Auxiliary President I attended National Convention in Charlotte, N. C. from August along with 16 other Auxiliary members from the Department of Alaska. As usual it was on the warm side of things but not unbearable. Our newly elected National President is Janet Jefford of the Department of Connecticut and she will be attending our Department Convention April 22-26, 2015 in Seward. The American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Alaska is proud to announce that Sue Diaz of George H. Plumley Memorial Unit 20 in Kenai, is the newly elected Western Division National Vice President. Good luck to Sue as she travels the Western Division this year. Also representing the Department of Alaska at National this year are Beverly Eads of Robert G. Blair Unit 17 in Kodiak who will take over as National Executive Committeewoman (NEC) and represent our interests at National; Lisa Williamson of C. Russell Huber Unit 57 in Fairbanks who is serving this year as National Constitution and Bylaws Chairman; and Marge Blankenship of Peters Creek Unit 33 in Chugiak, By Penny Mazonna Department President From the SECRETARY S DESK By Linda Schmitt, Auxiliary Secretary Western Division Community Service Chairman. Congratulations to all of these women as they work to represent the Department of Alaska at the Division and National levels of our organization. At this point in time, I am extremely busy getting ready for the Fall Workshop, Girls State DEC and Department Executive Committee (DEC) meeting that is occurring October at Susitna Valley Unit 35 in Wasilla. We are very excited for this year s Workshop as we were one of ten departments selected by the National organization to receive specialized training on a number of topics. The training is being presented by two National chairmen (one of whom is our very own Lisa Williamson) and the second is Mary Davis of the Department of Washington who is this year s National Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation chairman. Mary is also the leading candidate for National Vice President. This training is being provided to us free of charge and for that reason I don t know if and when we will ever have another opportunity for this kind of specialized training from National. I am hopeful that we will have a fantastic turnout and that all Units will be represented at this event. I will let you know how the Workshop turned out in the next issue of the Legionnaire. Mark your calendars for 10AM- 2PM December 6th to attend the Domiciliary Gift Shop in Anchorage at 3001 C St. This is one of the highlights of me and my husband s holiday season each year. The entire Legion family converges on the Domiciliary to help recovering veterans select and send Christmas gifts to members of their immediate families. Many of these veterans are homeless and addicted to different substances and in many instances have not seen their families for many, many years. There is no cost at all to the veterans, we buy the gifts, we help the veteran select the gift, we wrap the gifts, they fill out a card to accompany the gift, we prepare the gift for mailing and we mail the gift. Last year we provided gifts for 52 veteran s families. We also have a gift shop in Fairbanks at the Fairbanks Rescue Mission. For more volunteer information at either one of these gift shops, please contact Peggy Bateman for the Anchorage Gift Shop on her Cell: or via peggy@ anch.net or Cassey St. Rose for the Fairbanks Gift Shop, Cell: or via pageluv@gmail. com. Donations are always much needed and very much appreciated. If you would like to make a monetary donation please send all donations to: ALA Department of Alaska, Attention: Domiciliary, P.O. Box , Chugiak, AK Have a safe and sane Happy Halloween and a very Happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones. Please remember our service men and women in your prayers each day as we approach this Holiday Season and always remember to thank a veteran for your eligibility in this wonderful organization! From the Desk of the ALA Girls State Director By Yvonne Lamb I do hope that all of you had a wonderful summer. I know that mine was terrific and went by way too quickly. Kudos to all of our delegates who attended the American Legion Auxiliary National Convention in Charlotte, NC. Congratulations to all of our Department ladies now serving as National officers and chairman: Susan Diaz, Unit 20 (Western Division Vice President), Lisa Williamson, Unit 57 (National Constitution and By-Laws Chairman), Beverly Eads, Unit 17 (National Executive Committee) and Marge Blankenship, Unit 33 (Western Division Chairman, Community Service). I know that you will all have a fantastic and productive year. Thank you for all that you do to represent the Department of Alaska and our national organization. Congratulations to our newly appointed American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Director, Yvonne Lamm, Peters Creek Unit 33 and Co-Director, Beth Anderson, General Buckner Unit 16, Homer, AK. I know that you both gathered a lot of information while attending the Girls State Directors Conference and are excited about this year s program. I look forward to working with you and your staff at the 2015 Girls State session. I would like to say a big THANK YOU to the Units that I have had the opportunity to visit in September and October. September 19, 2014 I joined Department, Ernest King and Detachment, Mike Jimerson, at Robert G. Blair Squadron 16, Homer, AK. September 20th I am very pleased to have this position and look forward to a fantastic year ahead... I am very excited about the up coming session on 6/13/2015-6/20/2015. I am working hard to make this a fantastic American Legion Auxiliary Alaska Girls State. I recently returned from the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Leaders Conference in Indianapolis. There I learned about the many changes occurring in the program. Many of these changes were discussed at the ALA Department of Alaska Fall Work shop that occurred on 10/11 and 10/12/2014, at Post 35 in Wasilla, Alaska. Topics covered were changes to the application, staff back ground checks, and the Logo. We are also changing the venue to St. Theresa s Wilderness Camp in Wasilla, Ak. I gave packets out to all volunteer staff members and units that were in attendance. I have also mailed packets to the units that did not attend. Please call or me if your unit has not received an information packet by 11/1/2014. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that, without your Past Department President, Susan Caswell and Girls State Director, Yvonne Lamm escorted me to Chappie James Unit 34 s Annual Membership Tea. September 26 King and I enjoyed a beautiful Alaskan Fall day as we drove to Detachment Jimerson s Homecoming and visitation at General Buckner Post 16, Homer, AK. September 27th the three of us headed north to Ninilchik Post 18, Ninilchik, AK. On October 3rd, King and I visited with more of our family at Chappie James Post 34, Anchorage, AK. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting your Post homes, the wonderful generosity and fellowship. As well as the variety of cuisine that your cooking staff provided. You are all a great asset to our veterans and your communities. As of this writing ( ) I have a few more visitations on the calendar sponsorship the American Legion Auxiliary Alaska Girls State program cannot continue. Therefore if you do not get local girls to attend the program please DO sponsor girls from outlying areas. Donations of all kinds are greatly appreciated, but monetary donations are needed for transportation of girls from those outlying areas. Airline tickets are a great expense, as we all know, we live in Alaska. You are what makes this program great and I am looking forward to working with each and every one of you. As you know volunteerism that I am looking forward to attending: October 17, George H. Plumley Memorial Unit 20, Kenai, AK; October 18, Peters Creek Unit 33, Chugiak, AK; October 24, Merlin Elmer Palmer Unit 6, Wrangell, AK ; November 1, Jack Henry Unit 1, Annual Silver Tea, Anchorage, AK; December 6, Susitna Valley Unit 35, Wasilla, AK, Annual World War II Veterans Recognition Banquet. I want to thank all of the Units that were able to send representatives to the Fall Workshop. Thank you to our National Chairman, for presenting and sharing your knowledge, information and enthusiasm. Mary Davis, National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Chairman, (con t page 5) is the back bone of the American Legion Family and if you are interested in volunteering for ALA Alaska Girls State do not hesitate to call me. I am thrilled to welcome Jan Scott back to ALA Alaska Girls State, we have all missed her so much. Thank you Jan for your service to this program. If there are any questions please contact me any time. ( ) , [loveysmom2000@hotmail.com]

8 Page 8 Alaska Legionnaire Nov/Dec 2014 Jack Henry Post 1 Meets 1st Thursday Art Bell 1st Vice Jim Grant 2nd Vice Dave Young - Tim Benintendi Finance Officer -Ray Untiet Chaplain David Mazack John Pendrey Sergeant At Arms Elizabeth Ipsen Executive Committeemen Mark Berg , FAX P.O. Box JOSEPH T. CRAIG POST 3 Meets every Monday, 7pm Potluck every 3rd Saturday Deborah Davis Jim Van Horn Hunter Davis , P.O. Box 5121 Ketchikan, AK SEWARD POST 5 Meets 2 ND Tuesday 7p.m. Clare Sullivan Michael Calhoon John Christensen Taco Tuesday ~ 4 p.m. Steak night Friday ~ 4 p.m. P.O. Box 306 Seward, AK DORMAN H. BAKER POST 11 Dave Kent Frederick Bacorn John Lyle Pull tab sales at the club , 129 First Ave. Fairbanks, AK LYNN CANAL POST 12 - Jim Moran - William McRoberts - William Rostad First Vice - John Newton Finance Officer - Tom Quinlan MATANUSKA VALLEY POST 15 Jerry Hoskins Craig Christensen Bill Kennedy Club Manager Theresa Page Meets 1st & 3rd Mon., 6 p.m. P.O. Box 1146, Palmer, AK General Buckner Post 16 Family Fred Yenny Richard Turner SAL Chip Dugan President Nora Anderson Meetings - 6 PM SAL - 2nd Monday Legion - 3rd Wednesday Aux - 3rd Thursday ROBERT G. BLAIR POST 17 Walter Sargent Tom Saunders Mike Nichols 318 Center Ave., Kodiak, AK Office: / Bar: NINILCHIK POST & UNIT 18 Ray DeMoss David Behm President Kirsten Lewis Sec/Treas Betty Randall Mile Sterling Hwy Phone GEORGE H. PLUMLEY MEMORIAL POST 20 James Herrick Al Diaz Zachery Schindler , 902 Cook St. Kenai, AK AURORA BOREALIS POST 21 All Female Post Marjorie Ream Cris Vrabel Judge Advocate Elexzanderia Carr Meeting 3rd 2 pm Sept - May P.O. Box Anchorage, AK Sponsors Diamond Baseball MULDOON POST 29 Meeting 3rd 6:30 pm Williams Timmons 1st Vice Alvin Cleveland Serivice Officer Carol Gross 1467 Muldoon Road Anchorage, AK Fax muldoon29@gci.net JACK HENRY UNIT 1 President Wenda Suddeth Secretary Jill Pawson Meets 1st 7 p.m. P.O. Box 92747, Anchorage, AK Spenard Post 28 Kirk Waldhaus 1st Vice Jason Paugh 2nd Vice Erik Dufford Arnold Heck Finance Mike Bloom Chaplain Sam Grady Historian Robert Sparks Nate Carter Sgt-At-Arms Jeff Welch Judge Adv. Kenneth Jacobus Exec.Committeemen Robert Marquez Trace Henderson Martin Carlton Annual Sponsors of Boys & Girls State AL Baseball Service High Boys Scout Troop 214 Cub Scout Pack 214 Dimond High JROTC Post 28 Scholarship Program 7001 Brayton Drive Anchorage, AK SUSITNA VALLEY POST 35 James Petitio Ron Travis James Francois Monthly Meetings Legion & Aux - 1st Tues 7pm ALR - 1st Sat 6pm SAL - 1st & 3rd Mon 7:30pm P.O.Box Wasilla, AK Mile 46 Parks Hwy C. RUSSELL HUBER Post 57 Cary Toenies Ruben Iorga Linda Boisseau 1634 S. Cushman St. Fairbanks, AK C. RUSSELL HUBER SQUADRON 57 Thomas McClelland First Vice Bill Malkuch, & Finance Officer Darrel Williamson P.O. Box Fairbanks, AK GRANDE DU ALASKA GRAND CHEF DE GARE Billy Smith GRAND CHEF DE TRAIN Ken Bartlett GRAND CONDUCTEUR Tom Schanrock GRAND CORRESPONDANT Alvin Diaz s Column continued from page 1 Is it because WE have not taken the time to mentor them, explain how and what The American Legion does, what we do for our future leaders with regards to Boys/ Girls State, Oratorical, scholarships, etc. I know many of you have heard this time and again. Many of you think you can t contribute, but just remember the recent election where the results were decided by a coin toss. EVERYONE COUNTS November 10, 1775, Happy Birthday Marines Semper Fi Veternans Day Speech con t from page 6 bake in wild jungles, lose limbs, and, far too often, lose their lives. Military spouses have had to endure career interruptions, frequent changes of address, and a disproportionate share of parental responsibilities. The children often had to deal with changes in schools, separation from friends and, hardest of all, the uncertainty of whether or not Mom or Dad will live through their next combat tour. Warriors need advocates and that is why The American Legion exists. We are here to serve veterans, their families and our communities. Veterans need each other, but, more importantly, our country needs our veterans. You cannot fight a war without veterans and while the utopian idea of a society without war is appealing, let us not forget that wars have liberated slaves, stopped genocide and toppled terrorists. Stephen Ambrose once wrote, America s wars have been like rungs on a ladder by which it rose to greatness. No other country has triumphed so long, so consistently or on such a vast scale through force of arms. It has been often said that without our veterans, Americans would be speaking Russian, German or, perhaps, Japanese. Regardless of which view of alternative history you take, we do know that without our veterans America would not be America. And as we look at the Middle East today, we know that there is a large, dangerous and committed group of fanatics that wants us dead. And while ISIS, al Qaeda and other terrorists may lack the conventional weapons of Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan, they are every bit as evil in their intentions. Those who defend us from our enemies must be supported. Whether their service was in Baghdad or Beirut, we need to serve veterans as well as they serve us even when the guns have temporarily stopped firing. The American Legion shows its support for America s heroes through its Family Support Network, Legacy Scholarship Fund, Operation Comfort Warriors, Temporary Financial Assistance and the National Emergency Fund, just to name a few of our programs. Veterans don t ask for much. They do not want to be in a special class, but benefits are a mere drop in the bucket compared to the financial and human cost of war. And while not all veterans see war, all who served in the military have expressed a willingness to fight if called to. You can show your support for these great men and women by hiring a veteran in your workplace, visiting a VA hospital or donating to a veterans program. Companies should understand that it s smart business to hire veterans, and when members of the Guard and Reserves deploy, it is America s business to ensure that their civilian careers do not suffer. Where great Cooks Shop 701 S. Goose Bay Road Suite H Wasilla, Alaska