DEPARTMENT NEWS BULLETINS
Al King Elected Commander
The 88th Annual Convention of the Department of Mexico elected Al King of Post MX-09 to be Department Commander for the Legion year 2007-08. Commander Al, a 32 year
veteran of the US Navy, has served the Department as Commander previously in 2004-05. Since that period he has served as First Vice Commander of the Department. More
information about the 88th Annual Convention is available at this link.
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National Commander Paul A. Morin visits Mexico
We were priviledged to receive National Commander Paul A. Morin when he visited Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Chapala. The itinery for Commander Morin and his aide, Mark
Avis, began when they arrived in the evening of June 10. The 11th they toured Mexico City and visited the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon at Teotihuacan.
Tuesday Commander Morin and members of the DEC received a country briefing at the US Embassy given by Ambassador Tony Garcia and his staff. The briefing was followed by
a visit to Alan Seeger Post MX-02 before he departed Mexico, DF for Guadalajara. On the 12th he was received by some 40 members of posts MX-07 and MX-09 at Alvaro Castillo
Post MX-07. That afternoon he arrived at Chapala in time to greet the DEC. After that, his last event was as the guest of honor for a sell-out crowd at a reception and
dinner held at La Nueva Posada in Ajijic. Some 200 guests attended.
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The 88th Annual Convention of the Department of Mexico
Our 88th Annual Convention was hosted by Chapala Post MX-07 on June 14 & 15, following National Commander Paul A. Morin's visit to this Department.
“New Business” included several amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws and other resolutions (to see text of resolutions adopted, click here).
The officers elected and/or appointed for the 2007-2008 Legion Year are:
| Commander | Al King | MX-09 |
| Adjutant | William Shetz | GT-02 |
| First Vice Cmdr. | David Lord | MX-14 |
| Second Vice Cmdr. | Ed Bradley | PC-02 |
| Finance Officer | Art Herbruger | GT-01 |
| Judge Advocate | Mark Walker | GT-02 |
| Historian | Carl Anderson | PC-02 |
| Chaplain | Larry Clonts | MX-07 |
| Sgt. At Arms | Mike Wood | |
| Service Officer | David Lord | MX-14 |
| Assist Svc Off. | Joe Conway | MX-09 |
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NEWS FROM PREVIOUS LEGION YEARS
National Commander to visit Mexico
Paul Morin, National Commander of The Amereican Legion will visit Mexico
from June 10- 14, 2007.
He will be in Mexico City through the 12th when he will receive a "country briefing" at the US Embassy. On the 13th he will tour Guadalajara, have
lunch at Post 3, and then go to Chapala to greet the DEC and to be recieved at Post 7 where a dinner will be held in his honor.
Commander Morin's travel
commitments will not allow him to attend the Department Convention which will be held in Chapala on the 14th and 15th.
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D.E.C. Held in Antigua, Guatemala
The Department Executive Committee met in Antigua, Guatemala for its Fall D.E.C. Meeting two weeks after the Fall Meetings were held in Indianapolis, IN.
After Commander Louie Regalado appointed Joseph J. Conway as Department Service Officer, we had an almost full slate of officers. Only the Historian and our Sgt. at Arms
P.D.C. Sally Bennet were absent; Sally's absence was due to her up-coming knee surgery. Most Committeemen were represented with proxies.
The reports presented show that we have made a pretty good start on this Legion Year, but because of the up-coming increase in dues to the national organization, we need to
get our annual renewals submitted to the Department HQ within the next two or three weeks or they will cost the Department an additional $4.50 USD which can not be charged against the
Post or individual Legionnaires. Southern Vice Commander Bill Shetz reported upon his efforts to promote our service to veterans via contacts in the various U.S.
embassies located South America and Caribbean countries as well as the countries where we presently have active posts. (see Post Locator page)
As always seems to happen, whenever we promote our service activities we pick-up new members. To date Bill's biggest success seems to be coming from Chile, but he has received
correspondance from several countries.
The National Executive Committeeman's very complete report on the Fall Meetings in Indianapolis can be found HERE.
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Department Legionnaires Attend 88th National Convention in Salt Lake City
Commander Louie Ragalado lead a delegation of six Legionaires from this Department when they represented the Department of Mexico at the
88th National Convention held in Salt Lake City from August 25 through the 30th.
The Department actually rated six elected delegates plus the National Executive Committeeman, but three persons who had expected to be
present as delegates had to cancel their travel plans due to personal reasons.
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| As is always the case, the national convention was an opportunity for even experienced Legionnaire delegates to learn about our organization
and the programs it operates at the state and national level. This was realized through the combination of attending meetings of the
national commissions and the convention committes they support, by attending specialized training sessions, seminars and/or up-dates,
by talking to exhibitors in the exibition area, and, of course, by hearing the reports of all the convention committees as they
reported-out their resolutions and plans for the new Legion Year.
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The national convention always features addresses by high level representatives of the government: the 88th convention was no exception.
We heard from the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, the Honorable James Nicholson, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield, Secretary of State
Condeleeza Rice, and finally by President George W. Bush.
Secretaries Rumsfield and Rice came before the convention on Tuesday, the opening day of general sessions and Secretary Nicholson spoke
on Wednesday, but then the normal
order of business was changed. |  |
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The most important speaker, President Bush, did not speak until the third and last day of general sessions.
Normally the third day is
reserved for finishing committee reports and the election of the new national commander and his vice commanders. The President's address
served to keep Legionaires in
the convention city a tad longer than normal, since the third day of the general session is usually rather sparsly attended. That was not
the case this year, as the hall
was full to overflowing with delegates to the Legion and Auxilary conventions, guests, active duty military personnel, and some few other
local residentes, including a
group from a high school government class. |
DUES INCREASE APPROVED.
The National Dues will be increased to $13.50 (from $9.00) on January 8th. For the present rate of $9.00 to apply, membership cards
must be received at National before the
date of the increase. Because of the slowness of our mail system, Department Commander Louie Regalado is asking that all Posts get
their annual renewals into the mail by
November 15th. Membership renewals sent to Department after that date will most likely cost the Department $4.50 USD (our dues can not
increase until the next Legion Year - this
was approved at the Department Convention in June).
The last increase in national dues was also 50%, and that was back in 1994, twelve years ago. Since then, inflation has been greater than
the increase. Combine this with
financial losses during two consecutive Legion Years and the threat of losing the remainder of our WW-II members, and you can understand
why a dues increase was considered.
Again, PLEASE submit all of your Post's renewals as soon as possible. You might even approve a Post level resolution to pay now and
collect later !
The convention activities this year were quite similar to those of other national conventions. The following is a general resumé of what
we did while in Salt Lake City.
On Saturday morning and afternoon there were meetings of the standing Commissions; following these meetings we went to a local post with
PDC Royce Wheeler to share in the fellowship of a dinner for the national commander and other department commanders who served together
the year she served us as department commander. “Generation Parties” like this are a common activity at the annual national convention.
Sunday is always a busy day; this year the activities includedattending the ANIVICUS breakfast as guests of Adjutant (& PDC) Royce Wheeler,
attending Convention Committee meetings followed by the National Patriotic Religious Ceremony held in the Conference Center of the L.D.S.
Church, and finally, marchinig in the Convention Parade.
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Monday morning we all attended the FODPAL breakfast (FODPAL stands for: Foreign and Outlying Departments and Posts of The American Legion;
it consists of the departments of Alaska, France, Hawaii, Mexico, Philippine Islands, and Puerto Rico, along with China Post No. 1 and
the Canadian posts). After this breakfast, delegates attended either the pre-convention meeting of the NEC or the POW/MIA update. The
always popular Four Corners Party was not on our agenda this year, because for the second time in two years, four of our delegates were
off attending a reception in honor of those departments which had achieved at least 96% of their annual membership goal by using
“traditional methods” (that is, without taking into account new members recruited through the DMS - direct mail solicitation program) .
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The convention general sessions began on Tuesday, but not before all the delegates had passed through special security checks prior to
being addresses by Secretaries Rice and Rumsfield.
One of the special presentations was a report on the Legion Riders' fund raising motorcycle ride from Indianapolis to Salt Lake City. At last report, they
raised over $170,000 for the American Legacy Scholarship Fund which gives assistance to the orphans of service members who died on or after Septermber 11,
2001. |
After a long day of addresses and committee reports which ran continuously without a
lunch break, we had a very little time to recuperate before attending the National Commander's Banquet.
Wednesday was dedicated to more of the normal convention addresses, awards ceremonies, and committee reports. |
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| Among the awards recipients was our own PDC Arthur
Herbruger who recieved an award for being one of four department commanders who achieved at least 96% of the annual membership goal using "traditional methods" (i.e.
without Direct Mail Solicitation - DMS). At the close of business,
the Western States Caucus (13 states, the Philippines, and Mexico) held its annual meeting in which our president, past national commander
Bruce Thieson (CA) and secretary Barry Snyder (OR) were re-elected.
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| The final day of the convention began two hours before the opening gavel because of the requirement that once again all delegates and
guests had to pass through special security checks, this time before President Bush's arrival. During his address, we were given a major
policy statement when the President assured us that the United States would not withdraw from Iraq or Afganistan until the newly
installed democratic governments shall be able to provide for their own security. This guarantee was made to us, not withstanding
falling public opinion relating to how long the U.S. military presence should last in the countries mentioned. |
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| After the President finished with his address and greeting the public, he withdrew from the Convention Center, but standing security rules
required the doors to the hall to remain closed for an additional 20 minutes. The local newspaper observed that this was somewhat of a
hardship for some folks who had too much juice for breakfast. (Ye webmaster, who is a coffee-holic, took appropriate precautions – that
is, they were not telling tales on me.) |
| Following the President's address, we heard the last two reports from convention committees and then proceeded to the election of the
National Commander and his National Vice Commanders.
The photo page of this Convention Report show his supporters marching around the convention center in their tricorn hats.. . and, yes,
that is PDC Art Herbruger carrying our standard. | 
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Paul A. Morin of Massachussetts was elected Commander. His Vice Commanders are:
a) , (b) , (c) , (d) , and (e) who is from the Western States Caucus and will be concentrating most of his activities in
the Western States region. Following the election and installation of the Commander the convention was closed by outgoing national
commander, Tom Boch (CO). |
Because of travel connections, PDC Art Herbruger and NEC John Hayes stayed over to take flights the next morning. This meant they were able
to attend a reception for
the newly elected national commander Thursday evening.With that reception, we finished our attendance at the 88th National Convention of
The American Legion.
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For more photographs, see Convention Photos Page.
Photo credits: All photographs: John E. Hayes
MX-07 Legionnaire Elected Commander - Louie Regalado to lead the Department in 2006-07
Hometown "favorite son" Legionnaire Louie Regalado was elected Department Commander when the 2006 Annual Convention was hosted by Chapala,
Jalisco Post MX-07 on June 22
and 23. [ For other election results, please see the
Officers page of this site. ]
Resolutions presented to the Convention are found in this web site at the following page:
Resolutions 2006 . Included among these is
one which would result in a name change for this Department. Another proposes a Legion-wide competition for Post and Department Internet Sites. Others are the
resolutions relating to Foreign Relations
which we submit every two years in accordance with the Legion's policy that resolutions with legislative intent be renewed prior to the start of a new Congress.
National Executive Committeeman John Hayes shocked the majority of the delegates when he reported upon the attempt by the National Internal Affairs Commission to cancel
the
charter of this, the oldest Department in our American Legion.
(see link) [
Trivia Fact: France became a Department
two years after we did].
While our NECman staved off this
year's attack, he emphasised that it only takes one successful attack to negate all of our previous successes in defending ourselves. The first response of this
Department
must be to increase our membership and to get it submitted earlier --
much earlier-- than is normal for us. After we comply with this most important aspect of
our life
within The American Legion, then we need to work at the other tasks we have done so well in previous years, tasks such as supporting the Service Officer function and
drafting resolutions that can affect all of
our nation's veterans. [Often we see with more clarity from our off-shore perspective than do others closer to "local" situations -- an example might be this year's
resolution on Geographic Literacy. See
Resolutions_2006.]
New Home for MX-09
As of the first of July, Post MX-09 (Ajijic, Jalisco) will be moving into a new post home:
Hooper's Eagle Bar & Grill located on the Carretera
Chapala-San Nicolas No. 12. (Tel. 765-4414)
Meeting Day continues to be Second Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. | |  |
May 24: The Veterans Administration has admitted that an unauthorized removal of veterans' personal information has resulted in the possible loss of precisely
that information which can be used for opening fraudulent credit card accounts, taking auto loans, etc. This affects all veterans with post-Vietnam service dates and some
with earlier service. See more information on the following government web site:
http://www.firstgov.gov
The Year 2006 Department of Mexico Annual Convention will be held in Chapala, Jalisco on
June 21 & 22. These are the dates set at the 2005 Convention, but
there is a change. This is that the Host Post will be Chapala Post 7. There is a slate of candidates which was prepared (in accordance with our By-Laws) at the Winter D.E.C.; this slate
assures us that there will be at least one candidate for each position. Nominations from floor are also in order. Candidates should arrive ready to meet the electors
at the "Meet the Candidates Night".
There will be a Department Executive Committee ("D.E.C.") Meeting on Tuesday the 20th and again after the close of the Convention on the 22nd.
GT-01 Legionnaire Elected Commander - Art Herbruger to lead the Department in 2005-06
Arthur Herbruger was elected Department Commander at the 86th Annual Department Convention held at the Paradise Villiage
Resort and Spa (Nuevo Puerto Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico) on June 15 & 16, 2005.
Other newly elected officers are Al King (MX-09; First Vice Cmdr), David Lord ((MX-14; Second Vice Cmdr), Ken Johnson (CR-16; Judge
Advocate), Loren Moss (MX-07; Historian), John Hayes (MX-05; Finance Officer), Sally Bennett (MX-04; Chaplain).
A convention news article will be published here as soon as ye Webmaster has time to write-up all the goings on.
Until then,
let is simply be stated that David Lord and Post MX-14 put-on a first class convention; if anyone missed attending, it will go down
in the record books as that person's missed opportunity of 2005. The location was really first class and the cost was a tremendous
"ganga" (bargain).
Commander Al King leads Dept. of Mexico contingent at National Convention.
The entire authorized delegate strength plus one alternate were present at the 86th Annual National Convention which was held recently in the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN. This impressive site includes 4,000 hotel rooms and extensive convention facilities.
Saturday the National Commissions review all resolutions submitted for consideration by the Convention and each makes its recommendations to the corresponding Convention Committee. Foreign Relations Commission member Tom Hogan (MX-04) and NECman John Hayes (NEC Liason to the Foreign Relations Commission) assured that our resolutions received a favorable treatment.
Sunday the Covention Committees such as Americanism, Foreign Relations, Internal Affairs, National Security, etc. met and considered all the resolutions that had been submitted. Also on Sunday morning the Annual Patriotic Church Service was held.
In the afternoon we had the traditional Convention Parade. This year the Parade was somewhat different because the convention hotel, which was sufficiently large to house most of the conventioneers,is quite a distance out of town. We simply marched from one side of the hotel around 1-1/4 mile worth of perimiter road, and then passed in review. While it is true that in recent years most of the spectators are fellow Legionnaires / Auxilary members and SAL, this year that was all who served as spectators. Lucy King, Commander Al’s wife, and Past Dept. Commanders Royce Wheeler and Sally Bennett wore charro style dresses and traditional wide brimmed sombreros. The males in the contingent wore guayaberas in a variety of colors. Because of our standing among other FODPAL departments in the membership competition, we marched second behind 100% Puerto Rico. Since the Fodpal departments always march in the “van” of the parade, we are always among the first departments to pass in review.
Monday is a sort of day of rest during which the National Executive Committee meets, as do many “generations” of Department Commanders who meet with their respective National Commanders. This is also when the FODPAL (Foreign and Outlaying Departments & Posts of the American Legion) departments hold their annual breakfast meeting. This year we were honored with the presence of National Commander John Breiden (TX) and five Past National Commanders including Jake Commer (MA), Clarence Bacon (MD), Bruce Thieson (CA), Al Lance (ID), and Bill Betweiler (LA) who served as Master of Ceremonies. Two of the Candidates for National Commander appeared before our caucus: Tom Bock (–’05) & Paul Morell (-‘06) and we received a delegation representing the Leading Candidate Tom Cadmus (MI). At lunchtime the Past Department Commanders Club holds its big luncheon. Soon after it finished, the Four Corners Party began at a local Legion post. The Departments of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico always put on a great event; it is really the one place you can expect to run into your Legion friends from other Departments.
Tuesday the Convention’s General Meetings officially begin. We heard President Bush on Tuesday and Senator Kerry on Wednesday. Other opening day speakers included Secretary Princippi of the VA and Acting Secretary of the Army Brownlee.
Wednesday’s lineup of speakers worked around various Committee reports. A rather early adjournment was scheduled because the same room was to be the site of the National Commander’s Banquet. All of the convention seating had to be removed so that the dinner set-up could be effected. This year a new attendance record was set when 2,714 persons attended. The entertainment consisted of an hour and twenty minutes of the Oakridge Boys playing their classic songs from the 60s and 70s as well as music as recent as their latest recording release.
Thursday we had the last of the committee reports followed by the election of the National Commander for the Legion Year 2004-05.
Tom Cadmus of Michigan was elected by acclimation. Following the Commander’s election and installation, the five National Vice
Commanders were elected and installed. These include Marco A. Valenzuela of Arizona who will serve as the Vice Commander from The
Western States Caucus (to which we belong). The 86th National Convention was then declared closed. Following this the NEC met again.
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Nat'l Cmdr. Tom Cadmus |
New Mérida-Progreso post organizingOn Sunday the 11th of July the organizational meeting of the new Merida-Progreso post
will be held at Casa Isidora in Progreso, Yucatán. Address: Calle 21 No. 117 (between Calles 58 & 60), Time: 6:00 pm (Yankee time).
86th Annual Convention held in Antigua, Guatemala – Al King elected Commander 2004-05
Post GT-02 was the Host Post for the 86th Annual Convention held June 11-12 in Antigua, Guatemala.
Al King of Chapala Post MX-07 was elected Commander for the coming Legion year.
Other Election Results:
| First Vice Commander: | David Lord, MX-14 |
| Second Vice Commander: | Bill Shetz, GT-02 |
| Finance Officer: | John Hayes, MX-05 |
| Judge Advocate: | Ed Bradley, PC-02 |
| Historian: | Art Herbruger, GT-01 |
| Sgt.-at-Arms: | Bill Menninger, CR-10 |
| Nat’l Executive Committeeman: | John Hayes,MX-05 |
| Alternate N.E.C.: | Jack Freitag, GT-01 |
The Post-Convention D.E.C. ratified Commander Al’s nominations of Royce Wheeler to continue as Department Adjutant and David Lord to continue as Department Service Officer.
This year’s convention had a much better attendance than the year 2003 convention held in near-by Guatemala City. This greater participation was attributed to the increase in activity in several of the newer posts.
The 86th Convention opened with the national anthems of Guatemala (sung by a choir from a local junior high school) and the United States. This was followed by opening remarks by the Commander and a representative of the Governor of the Department in which Antigua is located. The other opening day event was the Post Everlasting Ceremony produced by Art Jennings of Mexico City Post MX-02. (The names of this year’s Post Everlasting Ceremony will be posted on this site within a week.)
Reports were presented by Department officers and committees. The same issue, membership, was included in serveral reports because our success in this vital area can make or break the Department in the eyes of those who look at us from outside the countries that make-up our jurisdiction. As of June 2 we needed 119 more members to hit 100% of our goal at National. At the close of the Convention, that number was in the 70s. Everyone thinks that we can make 100% of our goal so long as we keep working to the end of the Legion year.
When Post Reports were presented, the Convention received comprehensive reports on what the various posts of the Department have been doing during the year, with a particular emphasis on the service given to the local communities in which they are located.
There were a large number of resolutions presented; these fell into two categories:
a) New subjects and
b) Standing Resolutions.
The new resolutions had to do with a possible name change for the Department, changing it from the Dept. of Mexico to the Dept. of Latin America, and a resolution asking for greater support in the training of Assistant Dept. Service Officers. This second resolution was presented as a result of a considerable amount of discussion concerning the activities of the Service Officer at Post and Deparmtent levels.
The other class of resolution corresponded to resolutions that the Department has submitted in previous years and is now resubmitting because if adopted, they would be part of the National Organization’s legislative program for the new Congress. By Legion rules, such resolutions expire with each Congress and have to be resubmitted in election years so that our lobbyests have the authorization to lobby Congress concerning the particular issues. Most had to do with the area of Foreign Relations but we also have a number of resolutions that are typically considered at the national convention by the Americanism, National Security, and/or VA&R Commissions.
The final business of the convention was the election of officers for the new year and their installation. The results of these are indicated, above.
Next year’s convention will be held in Puerto Vallarta at a date in June to be announced.
Jr. Commander Candidate Tom Bock
(CO) visits Winter DEC.
Tom and Elaine Bock were the Department's guests of honor during the period of March 13-17. We've got to thank him not only for taking
so much time out of his very busy schedule, but also for distributing
green
campaign buttons on St. Patty's Day !! Talk about being prepared !!
The visit developed pretty much as planned -- see following article --except that we had much better attendance than we had expected
at the events where Tom & Elaine were present.
[Background story: When the Winter DEC convenes on March 16 in Chapala, it will host not only the members of the DEC but also Colorado's candidate for National Commander for the
Legion year 2005-06, Thomas Bock. At present, Tom is planning on arriving in Guadalajara on Saturday the 13th. He and his wife Elaine will tour the area on Sunday, receive a
mini-country briefing from the Consulate General's staff on Monday, and visit the DEC on Tuesday. He returns to "Cold Country" on Wednesday after another bit of playing
tourist.]
Commander Candidate Tom Cadmus (MI) visits Fall DEC
The "leading candidate" for National Commander during the 2004-05 Legion Year, Thomas Cadmus of Michigan, visited the Department for
four days during October. He arrived on Sunday the 12th directly from Commander John Breiden's homecoming in Houston. Monday was the Columbus Day
holiday, so a planned Country Brief at the Embassy was delayed a day. Dept. Commander Mark Walker, Adjutant Royce Wheeler and NEC John
Hayes accompanied Tom on a tour of Mexico City and a trip out to the Piramids of the Sun and the Moon. Ye Webmaster hopes to have photos
soon to prove that we really did make it to the top of the Piramid of the Sun.
On Tuesday we held the Fall meeting of the Department Executive Committee (DEC) at Post 2 (Celaya 25, Colonia Hipodromo-Condesa). The
meeting was suspended at coffee break time so that a delegation could accompany Mr. Cadmus to the U.S. Embassy where a very complete
"country briefing" was given. This included presentations by personnel from the political, economic, military, and citizen services sections of the Embassy.
Following the briefing, we returned to Post 2 for a delicious lunch and the rest of the DEC's agenda.
(See
NEC Report)
Washington Post September 20, 2003 Pg. 4:
VA Says Some Ex-POWs Are Not Getting Benefits
The Department of Veterans Affairs wants former prisoners of war who
are not getting disability compensation, health care and other
benefits to contact the department. The agency said an estimated
11,000 former POWs are not getting benefits to which they are
entitled. The VA issued the plea in conjunction with National POW-MIA
Recognition Day.
VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi said more ex-POWs
are eligible for benefits as new illnesses are determined to be
related to their captivity. In July, the VA said it would provide
benefits to former POWs with cirrhosis of the liver.
Former POWs are
eligible for
VA medical care and are exempt from health care
co-payments.
Free dental treatment is available if their captivity
lasted more than 90 days.
The VA said more than 23,000 former POWs
receive compensation. The agency sent a letter to 4,700 more to tell
them that they were entitled to benefits. The VA said it is hard to
find many former POWs because they served during World War II, before
Social Security numbers were used as military service numbers.
The VA
is asking anyone who knows of former POWs who are not enrolled for
benefits or who did not receive a letter to call
1-800-827-1000.
We send our condolences to PDC Sally Bennett.
We have been saddened to learn that Past Department Commander Sally Bennett's son Bryan G. Bennett died
on August 23 as a result of an automobile accident. He was returning to Camp LeJeune (Jacksonville, NC)
from a period of leave following his return from Afganistan. A drunken driver apparently crossed the
median of the Interstate highway and hit him head-on. PDC Bennett was preparing to leave for the National
Convention when she received news of the accident.
The Past Department Commanders join with the
DEC in sending Sally our condolences.
The 85th National Convention was attended by five Department of Mexico Legionnaires:
Commander Mark Walker, Adjutant Royce Wheeler, Foreign Relations Commission member Tom Hogan, AltNEC Jack
Freitag, and NEC John Hayes. Immediate Past Commander Sally Bennett was enroute when a family emergency
made it imperative that she skip the convention for the first time in more than three decades.
 | During Sunday's Convention Parade, we marched past the location of the 1919 St. Louis Convocation that ratified the Founders
decisions made at the Paris Caucus which resulted in the creation of our American Legion.
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 | The Department had resolutions submitted relating to Americanism and Foreign Relations. The latter
was amended to become two separate resolutions, one relating to foreign trade and the second to scholarships and student exchanges.
Both were approved by the Convention. This corrected a series of decisions of the 84th Convention that shocked us when standing Foreign Relations related
resolutions were not renewed.
[National Chaplain during opening ceremonies] |
Our delegation narrowly escaped being fined for trespassing at the Southern Block Breakfast when the Chairman learned
that we had been removed from the Southern Block 15 years ago but were still poaching their grits. As it was, the Grits Gathering
generated more than $6,250 for the National Emergency fund.
| Disabled Veteran Tax. Freshman Congressman Representative James Marshall of Georgia made a tremendously
effective speach against the present law on "Concurrent Receipt".
As he spoke on the subject, he tossed quarters into the audience every time he "made a mistake" and called the subject of that
legislation "Concurrent Receipt". What he says he meant to call it is "the disabled veteran tax". His idea is that
if we change the vocabulary related to the issue, then we will make the principals involved crystal clear so that the response of the
general public will be much more favorable to our cause. |  |
MGen Patrick
Brady |  | Convention Speakers: included VA Secretary Princippi (right), several active duty flag officers,
MGen Patrick Brady the Medal of Honor recipient who leads the Citizen's Flag Alliance (left), and a special appearance by President George
W. Bush.
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 | President Bush spoke during a special session held on the first day of the Convention. While the President's comments were carried on all the network news programs (with notable differences in the points reported) Ye Webmaster
believes that the most notable aspect of the news media coverage of the President's remarks was that all ignored one of his opening
declarations, to the effect that he will do everything in his power to support the passage in the Senate of the Legion-backed Flag
Protection Amendment.
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The President said that "No nation can be neutral in the struggle between civilization and chaos. ... Terrorists have not seen America
running, but rather they have seen her marching. ... We will not wait for known enemies to strike us again. ... Security requires
decisive action - we are on the offensive; we will stay on the offensive. ... Freedom is a threat to their way of life. ... They have
declared war on the civilized world. The Civilized World will not be intimidated. ... There will be no retreat. ... Our only goal,
our only option is total victory.
National Commander's Comments:
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The way the National Convention is organized, the Commander has several opportunities to address
the Convention. Much of what Commander
Ron Conely had to say related to his year-long effort to visit VA healthcare facilities in every state. (He visited them in 49 states
and the District of Columbia.) With respect to positive comments he has received for his efforts, he says simply, "This is not my
year's program; caring for our veterans in hospital is one of the pillars of our American Legion." Leading candidates for the office
of national commander have promised to maintain this focus.
[Cmdr Conley with Auxilary President Elsie Bailey]
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One of the principal elements of the Commander's program to improve the quality of healthcare provided by the VA is the concept of
Mandatory Funding well allocated. We have heard of this before and it will continue to be a banner issue for The American Legion.
Other programs that the Commander emphasised include the September 11th Legacy Scholarship Fund (which will benefit the orphans of service
members who die on active duty on or any time after Sept. 11, 2001), the Child Welfare Foundation which celebrates its 50th year this year,
and the Legion's internal education programs.
While the Commander recommended participation in the relatively new Legion College program by all Departments, he said very emphatically
that anyone who aspires to hold an office in The American Legion needs to take the Extension Course. As soon as he said this,
Adjutant Royce Wheeler went to Emblem Sales and purchased additional course booklets.
 | John A. Breiden, III (TX) was elected as National Commander while Todd White (WY) was elected as the National
Vice Commander with responsability for the Western States Caucus (of which we are a member).
Other national Vice Commanders are Richard G. Denbow (IA), Michael D. Helm (NE), Fang A. Wong (NY), & Clinton E Thompson (NC).
If Commander Breiden looks familiar, it is because he attended our Winter DEC meeting in Guadalajara while still a candidate.
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Next year we travel to Nashville, TN for the 86th Annual National Convention.
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The World War II Memorial is on track for its scheduled opening early in 2004. The Memorial is located
prominently on the Mall in Washington, D.C. While construction is programmed to finish by late March, the "official" opening of the
Memorial will be part of the Capital's Memorial Day celebration. This will be preceeded by a number of events around the country,
including a National Walk-a-thon co-sponsored by The American Legion and the Children's Miracle Network. |
Free Honor Roll listing. An important part of this long over due recognition will be a number of Registries. The principal of these will be the Registry of
Participants. All those who participated in the war effort may have their names and a brief summary of their service included
in the Registry. We encourage all World War II veterans to register themselves. Family and friends of service members (living or
dead) can also make registrations of WW-II veterans. For more information, please see the web site:
www.wwiimemorial.com.
Registration is F R E E .
85th National Convention to be held in St. Louis from Aug. 22- 28
The Department will be housed at the Renaissance Grand Hotel (822 Washington Avenue // Tel.: 314-244 9901)
during the 85th National Convention of The American Legion. Delegates will arrive Friday the 22nd so they can attend meetings of
the National Commissions on Saturday morning.
Sunday's activities include meetings of all the Convention Committees, the National Patriotic Religious Service, and the Parade.
Tuesday the Convention itself kicks off and then it will be really busy until the convention finishes on Thursday with the election of
the 2003-04 National Commander.
The Department rates 7 delegates and 6 alternate delegates. As of a month before the Convention, those attending include:
Commander Mark Walker, Adjutant Royce Wheeler, NEC John Hayes, Foreign Relations Commission member Tom Hogan, AltNEC Jack Freitag and our
immediate past commander, Sally Bennett. Anyone arriving at the convention is pretty much assured of getting accredited as either a delegate or as an alternate. See Royce.
Rocky Point Post 15 provides assistance to explosion victims.
On April 8, an explosion rocked the Casa Brava
restaurant and hotel in Puerto Peñasco ("Rocky Point"), that resulted in devastating
damage. Seven people, including two children, suffered severe
second and third degree burns. The two children, ages 3 and 5, were
transferred to the Shriner's burn center in Sacramento, CA, where
they received treatment for 3rd degree burns.
The 2 children returned
to Rocky Point on 3 July, but will be returning to Sacramento in a month for follow-on care.
Two of the other five victims are still being treated in Hermosillo. The
remaining three are in Rocky Point.
Shortly after learning of the
injuries sustained by the victims, Post MX-15, in conjuction with the
Rocky Point Times, began accepting donations to help the injured
people. So far over one thousand dollars has been collected. On July
12, the Post provided groceries to those families.
On July 15, Legionnaire Dick Tomkins visited
the Maricopa County Burn Unit in Phoenix and with the assistance of
Susan Moran, Patient & Referral Services for Hanger Prosthetics &
Orthotics, arranged to purchase at wholesale prices, compression
bandages needed by the victims. These bandages, reduce the ugly scarring
that occurs with severe burns. Early on, Post 15 received a generous
donation from Crandall-Palmer Post 61 in Avondale, AZ; the Post continues to look for
donations as the medical
supplies are costly.
Legionnaire Tomkins writes, "Mexican social security pays for some of the
treatments, but it's an up-hill struggle. In interviewing the victims,
I never once heard a complaint, a disgruntled remark or a demand for
money or restitution (Costa Brava apparently has run out of money)
from any of the victims. These wonderful people merely accept the
fact that they have been injured, are lucky to be alive, have
received some medical treatment and the Lord willing, something good
will happen mañana.
"To sum it all up, we still need donations to get
medicines, ointments and the bandages to help these families until;
they can get back to work. Any donations would greatly be
appreciated."
CONVENTION 2003. The 2003 Department convention was held in Guatemala City, Guatemala on June 13-14. The host post, GT-01 put on a great event !!
Mark Walker of Post GT-02 was elected Department Commander for the Legion Year of 2003 - 04. Other officers in the coming year will be: Royce Wheeler, Adjutant; Bill Brandt First Vice Commander; Bill Shetz Second Vice Commander; Sam Pelzman Judge Advocate; Marcelo Hernandez Chaplain; John Hayes Finance Officer; Art Herbruger Sgt. at Arms. David Lord was ratified to continue as Service Officer, and Nels Larsen will continue as Assistant Service Officer for Central America.
During the convention Temporary Post Charters were given to Panama Post PC-02 (Panama City) and to El Salvador Post ES-01 (San Salvador).
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