American Legion World Series in Corvallis is 'all set' to begin
Friday, August 20, 2004
NORM MAVES JR.
Jim Quinlan, the American Legion's national program director from its headquarters in Indianapolis, has seen 18 American Legion World Series, so he knows what he's talking about when he declares Corvallis absolutely ready to stage this year's event.

The series begins today and runs through Tuesday.
"We're pretty much all set," he said Thursday. "All 160 players and eight teams are here, the meals are all set and the umpires and baseballs are here.

"All the volunteers are bending over backwards. Of course they're spoiling my staff so much I'll never be able to live with them."

But Quinlan saved his best adjectives for Hansen Stadium at Taylor Field, the Corvallis High School stadium that will play host to the 2004 tournament.

"The field is drop-dead gorgeous," he said. "It's manicured from dugout to dugout and is absolutely beautiful."
That's because Eric Dazey, the high school coach and American Legion assistant coach, has been working hard to get it ready.

"Oh, it's been about 14 hour days for the past three weeks," Dazey said as he prepared to walk the coaches around the stadium. "We had a crew of five or six guys on the stadium and three or four guys on the field.

"We re-sodded in some key areas, redid the mound and home plate, painted the bleachers, had the press box rebuilt, redid parts of the dugouts and put in a temporary set of bleachers."

The stadium now holds 3,500, so the organizers got a professional to organize the ticket sales. Elaine Van Vliet, the retired Oregon State University ticket manager, ran the pre-sale out of her Corvallis home and sold 900 all-series passes.

It starts at 9:30 a.m. today, when Edmond, Okla., takes on Boyertown, Penn. Paducah, Ky., and De Land, Fla., play the second game right afterward.

In the evening, Portland, Maine, faces Boulder, Colo., at 4:30 p.m. with Eden Prairie, Minn., facing Northwest regional champion Kennewick, Wash., in the second game.

The championship game is Tuesday at 1 p.m. If a second game is necessary, it will be played at 7 Tuesday night.
Legion Veterans Celebrate 85 Years of Service
By CARRIE GAYNE, Staff Writer
OSWEGO -- Fifty-three post commanders and 85 years ago this past Sunday, the charter for the William S. Monaghan American Legion Post 268 was signed.

Since then the location of the legion has moved and its membership has grown to around 900, including veterans, auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion.

The largest and one of the oldest, if not the oldest, American Legions in Oswego County, the original site where veterans gathered was located at the corner of West Third and Bridge streets near what is now The Sting. In 1945, the legion moved to the corners of West Fourth and Bridge streets to a building once used as a Presbyterian church.

The legion was named after William S. Monaghan, who was born in Oswego in 1868, was raised in the city, and served in World War I.

According to old newspaper clippings on display at the legion, Monaghan was killed in the line of duty within the last 10 minutes of the war in St. Souplet, France.

Reportedly, he was the last soldier killed in the war.
Valiant warrior
Prior to his death, Monaghan was noted for his exemplary service in the military. Receiving a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and a Victory Medal for serving in three major operations, he was promoted several times. He was also demoted, but did that voluntarily.

Monaghan was known as an expert shot, and, in one story from an old newspaper, it was written he shot a German pilot through the lungs with his rifle from 2,000 feet.

According to the story, Monaghan and other troops were under heavy fire from the German plane when he decided to draw his rifle and take the shot. Monaghan was about to receive a commission as lieutenant for the notable act when he was killed.

Monaghan's portrait will appear in the fifth panel of the "Salute to the Armed Forces" mural which is dedicated to the Army. The mural is hung on the Bridge Street side of the Legion building.

It was shortly after Monaghan's death that the Legion in Oswego was chartered with Fred Gallagher serving as the first post commander. Robert Brace is the current post commander.

The legion was incorporated in 1937.
An honor to lead
For Tim Dopp, past post commander for the legion, the role he played for two years was one of honor. He said he thinks the others who have served as post commander feel the same.

Don Cole, finance officer for the Legion, said he thinks many people don't know what the Legion does.
Being part of the Legion is being part of a national organization that works to influence Congress, and on a local level, the Legion helps the community.

"We're big into giving back to the community," Cole said. American Legion Post 268 awards scholarships each year, gives money to Hospice, the Salvation Army, Boy Scouts and other organizations for youth and also gives to fellow veterans. The auxiliary also helps veterans who are in local nursing homes.

"It's really sad people don't realize what the American Legion does, like the big donations back to the community," Cole said. "That's what we're all about -- to give."

As a national organization, the American Legion lobbies in Congress each year to make sure veterans receive their benefits.

"Veterans' benefits are not locked in," Dopp said. "We have to keep lobbying."
"We're tied into a big organization that does a lot of lobbying for all veterans, not just members," Cole said. "There's still a lot more to be done

The Moberly Monitor-Index:
Veterans news
This season marks the 79th anniversary of American Legion Baseball, the finest amateur baseball league in the country. American Legion Baseball became a national program of the organization by convention action in 1925 and the first National Tournament was held in 1926. The American Legion, America's largest and fastest growing veteran's organization sponsors this annual competition.

Nearly $15 million is spent each year by local Legion posts to sponsor the 4,405 registered baseball teams and other athletic teams in their communities. The purpose continues to be in 2004 the same as it was in 1926, an investment in America's youth.

The history of American Legion Baseball has proven that American youth receive on the baseball diamond a thorough understanding of the true value of sportsmanship, leadership and individual character building.

By this time, all states have completed their yearly play, have conducted the district, zone and state tournaments to achieve their state champion which advances to one of the eight regional tournaments. Here in Missouri, Blue Springs won over Columbia in the stae tournament and will represent Missouri at the regional tournament in Crowley, La. Regional qualifying teams then travel to Covallis, Ore. for this year's Legion World Series. The title game will be broadcast by ESPN as it has been since 1988.

Nearly $1 million is spent on transportation, meals and lodging for the 1,400 players who compete each year in the Regional and National Championship tournaments. Major League Baseball contributes a substantial amount to help offset part of this cost. The American Legion Life Insurance Trust Fund underwrites the remaining amount and other youth activities programs of the American Legion.

The Quaker Oats Company, makers of Gatorade, present scholarship monies each year to outstanding players. In addition many colleges award scholarships to thousands of Legion players each year. Hundreds of major league baseball players had their beginning in the American Legi onbaseballprogram.Manyofthoseplayersarenowinthemajor league baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

This information has been presented by the American Legion Department of Missouri, David Shafer, Commander, in conjunction with your local Bazan Bailey American Legion Post 6, Kevin Bartholmey, Commander. Membership is open in The American Legion to qualified veterans of military service. Contact your local Post for more information.

Letters:
Stop talking, help veterans
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
When will politicians shut up and do something to help our veterans? Our elected officials seem to be more interested in using divisive issues such as gay marriage, abortion and weapons of mass destruction for their own self-preservation rather than finishing a job that they started. I say first things first. Let's tackle these issues after every U.S. veteran has been given access to quality medical care and other vital support.

We are the United States of America because of the strength and bravery of our service men and women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Yes, we tie yellow ribbons around everything we own, we wave flags and we throw parades for our returning soldiers, yet we do not demand more from our elected officials in the care of our national heroes. We claim to be patriots, yet true patriots would be outraged every time we saw or read a news story about a veteran who has to go, hat-in-hand, to the government to get through the red tape to health care and other services.

We can talk about terrorism until we are blue in the face, but how do we show true gratitude to those who have stood beyond the protective arms of the Secret Service and defended the principles we believe in and the freedoms we enjoy? We can start by eliminating red tape to health care, ensuring that every soldier has the very best supplies to do his or her job, and by making sure that their families are well cared for. Then when soldiers return, we need to commit whatever resources are necessary to help them adjust to civilian life.

Imagine that today you were not in your home, with your family, walking your dog, having coffee, taking your kids to practice, watching a movie, or catching a quick bite. Imagine that today you could not hit the snooze button, send an e-mail, sing along to a favorite song, or enjoy the cool whir of an AC. Would you have missed today? Would someone have missed you? Our service men and women have given up their todays, and their yesterdays and tomorrows for that matter, so that we can enjoy ours, however we see fit - whether we go out or sleep in.

Doesn't that deserve our undivided attention?
Judy Mastin
Chicago
Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald:

Let freedom and memories ring
John F. Moeur/Herald Managing Editor

Dallas Jones survived Pearl Harbor. He lived through World War II. Hundreds of thousands of his comrades in arms didn't. Millions of civilians also perished in the six years of global conflict.

The Weldon resident and other local veterans don't want the memory of these losses to fade and are seeking to remind everyone of the men and women serving in harm's way today.

So they have borrowed an idea from a New Jersey American Legion post - ring every bell in the Valley for one minute at 9:04 a.m., Sept. 2 - the exact moment Japan formally surrendered to the Allies aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Harbor, 59 years ago.

"This is our way of showing we remember the people who were killed in World War II ... I knew more than a hundred of them ... people I served with," Jones said this morning.

He was part of a Navy aviation squadron that lost half its members in battle.

"We haven't forgotten and we still remember. We hope this will also be an inspiration for everyone who is still in the service," he said.

The Northampton and Halifax Veterans Service offices are encouraging the massive ringing of church and other bells throughout the community.

In seeking community support, the New Jersey American Legion post wrote, "The restoration of peace after a six-year conflict that claimed millions of lives is too important to this nation and to our state to become a footnote in the history books. Many of us believe it was the direct intervention of a higher power that guided us - as individuals and as a people - through those bloody and tumultuous years."

Jones hopes that the bell-ringing will provide the Valley community with "an opportunity for reflection on sacrifices borne by our countrymen, for prayers of thanksgiving and for a joyful acknowledgment of the merciful protection of our Creator."

General cleared in church speeches case

By Rowan Scarborough
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Pentagon's top investigator has cleared a general of the most serious accusations concerning his addresses to church groups in which he invoked Christianity in the war against Islamist terrorists, but did find the officer committed minor infractions of military regulations.
The Pentagon inspector general did not substantiate complaints that Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin misused his Army uniform, violated travel regulations or used improper speech when he addressed 23 church groups on his views on faith and warfare. Investigators also found Gen. Boykin did not improperly accept speaking fees.

But the IG report did find that Gen. Boykin violated three rules: He should have gotten clearance from public affairs on the content of his speech; he should have told audiences that his remarks were his own views, and not the Pentagon's; and he should have filled out a form showing that one group reimbursed him $260 for travel.
In that case, there was no finding that Gen. Boykin in any way violated expense-account rules. In fact, the Pentagon encourages private groups to reimburse military personnel for speaking-engagement expenses.
Gen. Boykin, a legendary figure in the special operations community, is now the Pentagon's deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. The former Delta Force commander's hard-charging style in the war on terror has made him a favorite among Pentagon policy-makers, who came to his defense yesterday.
One official, who asked not to be named, said the disclaimer violation was nit-picking because the topic of his speeches was his faith, not Pentagon policy. And, the rule on getting after-hours speeches approved beforehand by public affairs is so obscure that officials could not remember the last time such a case arose.
The source said military regulations are not clear on the issue of when personnel may, or may not, wear their uniforms when talking to public groups after hours.
The report also does not directly criticize Gen. Boykin for the remarks he made. A second defense source said free-speech guarantees permit military personnel to give their opinions.
It is now up to Army acting Secretary Les Brownlee to determine if Gen. Boykin should be punished. In such minor cases, an officer can simply be counseled against repeating the infraction.
In one of 23 speeches looked at by the inspector general's office, Gen. Boykin talked about battle warlords in Somalia in 1993. "I knew my God was bigger than this," said Gen. Boykin, an evangelical Christian. "I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol."
In another speech, he said, "We in the Army of God, in the house of God, kingdom of God have been raised for such a time as this."
The Washington Post in yesterday's edition first disclosed the IG's report, which has not been made public.
Gen. Boykin issued an apology to anyone offended by his remarks. The IG report calls for Mr. Brownlee to take corrective action, but also notes that Gen. Boykin was not prevented from giving the speeches when he sought legal advice beforehand.
Gen. Boykin is working at the Pentagon on meeting one of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's top priorities: improving the intelligence take so troops can move at a moment's notice to kill or capture terrorists.
When news of his speeches broke last fall, Mr. Rumsfeld, and Gen. Richard B. Myers, Joint Chiefs chairman, quickly came to the defense of the three-star general.
So did many conservatives. "Lt. Gen. William G. 'Jerry' Boykin, the former Delta Force commander, seems to be exactly the kind of warrior America needs to lead us in battle against the kind of fanatics we face," Pat Buchanan, one-time Republican presidential candidate, said in an October 2003 column.

Called to fight
Posted: August 20, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern

Editor's note: As a special service for our readers, today we begin a series of dispatches from Allan Wall chronicling his transition from civilian life as he prepares to join his National Guard unit in Iraq. Allan will write for us as often as he is able in order to let our readers vicariously experience what people in his position are going through. We hope you will check regularly for Allan's dispatches and encourage your friends and family to do likewise.

© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
MEXICO - Well, it's finally come to pass. My National Guard unit has been called up for Iraq duty.
We're far from alone. Currently, about 40 percent of U.S. troops stationed in Iraq are National Guard or Reserve.
Ridiculed for years as "weekend warriors," guardsmen and reservists are pulling their share of deployments in Iraq and elsewhere. And it puts them under plenty of pressure. U.S. law requires employers to hold jobs for them, but many guardsmen and reserves take pay cuts when deployed. And those who are self-employed are really in a bind. In any case, it places an enormous strain on family life.

In my case, things are complicated by the fact that I live and work in Mexico. That means that I am not covered by U.S. law. My employer in Mexico is not required to hold my job for a 2-year deployment. That means I'm losing my job and my Mexican work permit. And my family will lose the health insurance provided by my employer.

I have lived in Mexico since 1991, and it's been a life-changing experience in so many ways. I have worked here in private schools, teaching English. It's been a great way to learn more about the English language myself. That's because, when you teach English to a non-native speaker, it forces you to see your native language through a foreign set of spectacles.

In my spare time, I'm a writer, and living here has afforded me no lack of material. Some of my articles concern Mexican culture, tourist attractions and my own experiences here in Mexico. Others concern U.S. immigration policy as it relates to Mexico.

Mexico is also where I met my wife Lilia. I was teaching private English classes at the time. I was at the home of my students Alberto and Magda. When class was over one afternoon, Lilia showed up, and Magda introduced her, as Alberto's cousin, as if she had just happened by. Years later, after we were married, I discovered it was no coincidence, Magda had told her to stop by so we could meet.

Lilia is a chemistry teacher (and a very good one). So one of the first questions I asked her when we met was "Do you know all the elements on the periodic table"? Romantic, eh? Well, we did have "chemistry," we became friends and were eventually married. And we were later blessed with the arrival of two boys, David, age 5, and Raphael, age 2.

For me, the greatest heartache of my National guard call-up is the separation from my family. Certainly, the prospect of going to Iraq with the military is itself quite daunting. Just read the news about Najaf and Fallujah, and about the ongoing terrorist attacks. As the mission becomes clearer and nearer, that should loom larger. But that, too, is linked to the separation from my family. And that has to be a problem for every member of the military deploying to Iraq.

I was already in the Army National Guard when I moved to Mexico, and I stayed in the Guard ever since. I travel by bus to Texas, where I report for monthly drills and two-weeks of annual training. Sometimes, when my contract was up, I almost chose not to re-enlist, since it was often inconvenient and time-consuming . But I always wound up re-enlisting.

And so, here I am, called up for duty in Iraq.
When I learned of the deployment, I knew I had to get my personal affairs in order and spend time with my family. As far as the former goal, even at the time of this writing, it's not complete. And I haven't even packed yet!

The time I've spent with my family - both here and on vacation in the U.S. - has been great, but the shadow of deployment is constantly looming. But when you think of it, life itself is like that. We really don't know when we're going to go, so we should always be getting things in order and spending time with our families!

Lilia's parents, my suegros (mother-in-law and father-in-law) have been very supportive. So have my dad and other family members. Also, my wife and I attend a church here in Mexico - I even teach a Bible class there (in Spanish, of course). Last Sunday we went up to the front and were prayed for. I appreciated that.

My employer has been good to me, even though not required to by Mexican law. A substitute is being hired for my classes. If there's a change and I'm sent back by Sept. 30, I still have my job. If not, the substitute becomes my replacement. Under the circumstances, that's fair.

My wife, Lilia, has been a great help and support in preparing for what's ahead. We're making plans to get through this deployment, all the time hoping that it's cancelled! I know that when I'm gone, caring for our two active boys alone will be a big job for her.

I've explained to David that I'm going "for a bunch of days" and it's really started to sink in. Today he was weeping and lamenting my departure. Said tomorrow would be "a big sad day."

I don't doubt it.
Two U.S. Marines Killed in Action in Iraq
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: August 20, 2004
Filed at 8:31 a.m. ET
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) -- Two U.S. Marines were killed in action in Iraq's volatile Anbar province, the U.S. military said Friday.

One Marine assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force died of wounds received in action Wednesday, the military said in a statement. The second Marine was killed in action Thursday while conducting ``security and stability operations'' in Anbar, the statement said.

As of Thursday, 947 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq in March 2003, according to the U.S. Defense Department

Military Update
By Tom Philpott
Behind Kerry's Call For'Mandatory Funding' Of VA Care
If John Kerry has his way, any veteran who served two years on active duty or, if mobilized, even less, would be rewarded with lifetime access to healthcare from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

That's the logical consequence of Kerry's call for "full, mandatory funding" of veterans healthcare, if the Democratic presidential nominee is elected and Congress accepts his plan to open VA healthcare to any veteran.

"What's critical is that people who served their country and want to go to a veterans' hospital will have the ability to choose to do so," said Kerry, in a phone interview Aug. 18, following his address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Cincinnati.

The Bush administration opposes mandatory funding of VA healthcare. It would require Congress to finance VA healthcare to a level sufficient to cover medical needs of all enrollees, using a per capita cost formula.

Mandatory funding, in effect, would put teeth into the Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 which first authorized the opening of VA healthcare to any veteran. But Congress did not fund open access. Instead it gave the VA secretary authority to control access to stay on budget.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the added cost of mandatory VA health funding at $30 billion in fiscal 2005 and more than $165 billion from 2005 through 2008. That assumes many more veterans will enroll on learning that VA funding is assured. Current enrollment is 7 million veterans but only 5.2 million were expected to receive care in 2004.

As conceived by Kerry and congressional Democrats, mandatory funding also would remove barriers to enrollment, which would mean reversing a decision by VA Secretary Anthony Principi in January 2003 to suspend enrollment of Category 8 veterans -- those with income or total worth above poverty level and no service-connected injuries or ailments.

In an interview, Principi said not only would mandatory funding add many billions of dollars to VA healthcare costs but it would dampen VA and congressional oversight of healthcare spending by relying on a formula.

"We have a responsibility to the American people to...be efficient, effective and to provide high quality care," said Principi. Mandatory funding would end some of the "checks and balances" to do that.

Principi conceded that healthcare funding has been a worry for veterans and support organizations as enrollment grew. But mandatory funding, he said, could change the VA from a provider of healthcare to a "payer" for healthcare, and bring "serious unintended consequences."

VA already "vouchers out" a rising portion of care because VA hospitals and clinics can't meet demand. Mandatory funding would accelerate this growth, though contracting for care is preferred to building more hospitals and clinics which, by 2020, could be deemed excess as veterans from World War II and Korea pass on.

Principi's concern is that as more care is contracted out, the VA could begin to look like any national healthcare system, and pressure would mount to merge, perhaps with Medicare. If that happened, he said, the uniqueness of VA healthcare, from expertise in treating spinal cord injuries to vast experience with post-traumatic stress disorder, could be lost.

"If you lose the VA...you would lose all of those unique specialized programs," said Principi.
Kerry, in his VFW speech, promised to "lead the fight" for mandatory funding, referring to 500,000 veterans denied enrollment from the ban on accepting more Category 8 veterans. Later, in our brief conversation, Kerry didn't balk at the prospect of lifetime care going to veterans with little time in service and no exposure to combat or service-connected ailments.

"I have a plan that's going to provide healthcare to 97 percent of Americans within three years of the passage of the bill," said Kerry. "So it is absolutely logical that veterans should be a priority within that structure."

In his speech, he criticized Bush administration proposals to collect a $250 annual healthcare enrollment fee for veterans with no service-connected conditions and above-poverty incomes, and to increase their co-payments on VA-provided drugs, from $7 up to $15 for a 30-day supply.

Principi defended these decisions. He suspended enrollment of Category 8 veterans last year, he said, because the disabled and poor were getting squeezed out. He also defended the proposed enrollment fee and higher co-payments, calling them reasonable cost-control initiatives. If it's okay for an E-6 retiree to pay $230 a year to enroll in TRICARE Prime, why is it inequitable for a veteran who served as few as two years, and doesn't have a military-related disability, to pay $250, Principi asked.

He also disputed a charge from Kerry that the administration has "has locked out veterans." VA this year, he said, will treat 5.2 million veterans, a million more than before Bush took office.

John Brieden, national commander of The American Legion, said his organization and other major veteran groups are strong proponents of mandatory funding. Open access to VA healthcare had been promised to World War II and Korean War veterans, he said. It wasn't until the Vietnam era that access was limited by income and service-connected ailments.

Congress in 1996 voted to restore VA access to all veterans "but they never intended to fund it," Brieden said.
Kerry now says he will.
Bush won't, which leaves his VA secretary defending an overall "record of commitment" to veterans, which includes a 40 percent rise in VA health budgets over four years.

Officials Committed to Helping Military Members Vote
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2004 -- Defense officials are committed to ensuring military members have the ability to vote from anywhere in the world, DoD's top personnel officer said.

"We're making a decided effort to make sure everyone gets the chance to vote," said David S. C. Chu, undersecretary for personnel and readiness, in an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel.

Voting assistance officers are available on military installations and in units to assist servicemembers in finding information for their home states and districts. These officers can help them register to vote and request absentee ballots.

The U.S. Postal Service has committed to sending voting materials to and from military members overseas via express mail, Chu said. "This year the post office is going ... to expedite the movement of absentee ballots ... to help us be sure they get out there in time and to get back and get counted," he said.

DoD has designated two specific weeks to raise awareness of issues facing military voters specifically and, more generally, everyone who must vote by absentee ballot. The week-plus timeframe Sept. 3-11, which includes Labor Day, has been designated Armed Forces Voters Week. Columbus Day week, Oct. 11-15, will be Absentee Voting Week.

A Defense Department spokesman explained voting assistance officers will redouble their efforts to get information to potential voters during these weeks. Commanders and supervisors will also highlight the importance of voting and options available to troops.

"We want to bring to light the availability of services provided to assist military members and their family members," the spokesman said.

Chu said a good source of information is the Web site of the Federal Voting Assistance Program. The site includes links to absentee voting rules for all states and jurisdictions.

From this site, potential voters can fill out and submit an on-line version of the Federal Post Card Application, which allows individuals to register to vote or request an absentee ballot from nearly all U.S. jurisdictions.

Finally, Chu said, people should be aware they can use a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot to vote in congressional and presidential elections if they don't receive their absentee ballots in time. Information on using this form is also available on the FVAP Web site.

"You can (use this form) if you're a registered voter," Chu said. "And that is one of your last-ditch options."

Joe March
Director, Public Relations
The American Legion National Headquarters
700 N. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Tel: 317-630-1253
Cell: 317-748-1926
Fax: 317-630-1368