The American Legion Weekly Update
April 13, 2007
Contents:
· National Commander’s Message: Our Troops Need Your Help
· ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, Pass War Funding ASAP
· Scouting
· The White House Comprehensive Immigration Reform
· The National American Legion College
· News From Washington D.C.
o Veterans Entrepreneurship Meeting
o Increasing Mortgage Foreclosure
o Reaction to 5th Federal Circuit Ruling on USERRA
· Veterans News
o Wounded Service Members and Their Families Now Eligible for a Free Week-long Retreat
o VA Headstones & Markers
· Military Outreach
o Family Support Network
National Commander’s Call to Action
Our troops need your help and they need your help now!
When it comes to funding our troops, we have no time to waste. The clock is literally ticking for our troops in the field.
That’s why I'm inviting every member of The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of The American Legion to contact their congressmen and senators to demand that they pass a clean supplemental appropriations bill: one that funds our troops without artificial timetables for withdrawal.
In both the House and the Senate, majorities have passed supplemental appropriation bills that set deadlines for withdrawal from Iraq and provide billions of dollars for pork barrel projects.
As the president promised in his speech at American Legion Post 177, in Fairfax, Virginia, recently, he will veto the appropriations bill containing provisions for a “timetable for withdrawal.” If Congress fails to pass a bill he can sign by mid-April, then funding for the troops will be delayed and they will face the following consequences:
Our military leaders will need to take money from military personnel accounts, weapons and communications systems in order to fund programs that protect our soldiers and Marines from improvised explosive devices and send hundreds of mine-resistant vehicles to our troops on the front lines.
The Army will be forced to consider cutting back on equipment repair and quality of life initiatives for our Guard and Reserve forces.
The Army will also be forced to consider curtailing some training for Guard and Reserve units here at home, reducing their readiness, and could delay their availability to mobilize for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Army will be forced to consider slowing or even freezing funding for its depots, where the equipment our troops depend on is repaired. They will have to consider delaying or curtailing the training of some active duty forces, reducing the availability of those forces to deploy overseas.
The Army may also have to delay the formation of new brigade combat teams, which would prevent us from getting those troops into the pool of forces that are available to deploy.
In a recent letter to Congress, the Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Pete Schoomaker, warned, "Without approval of the supplemental funds in April, we will be forced to take increasingly draconian measures, which will impact Army readiness and impose hardships on our soldiers and their families."
The United States Senate is back from its spring recess. The House will return next week. When it comes to funding our troops, we have no time to waste. It's time for them to get the job done.
The men and women of the armed forces in the theater of operation are dependent on this emergency funding to sustain and achieve their military missions.
I'm urging every member of The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of The American Legion to contact their Congressmen and Senators to demand passage of a clean bill: one that funds our troops without artificial timetables for withdrawal.
Here is what you need to do.
Go to to see where your Congressmen and Senators stand on the supplemental appropriations that set a timeline for withdrawing our troops. Call and email them. Tell them you expect Congress to pass a clean war-funding bill now … without the timelines and without the pork.
I am asking all Department adjutants, Auxiliary presidents and SAL adjutants to give this Call to Action the widest dissemination possible. Do it today, do it now, and do it for the troops.
God bless,
Paul A. Morin
ENOUGH is ENOUGH, Pass War Funding ASAP
The top leaders of the two largest veterans’ service organizations in America are telling congressional leaders to pass a clean war-funding bill as soon as possible for the sake of our troops serving in harm’s way.
In a joint letter sent to House and Senate leaders yesterday, and delivered to every member of Congress, American Legion National Commander Paul Morin and Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander Gary Kurpius made their point crystal clear: “This critical funding request must be void of any language that directs the conduct of military operations or troop movements based on timelines established by Congress rather than the commanders on the ground, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or by the Commander in Chief.”
Morin and Kurpius told Congress they should consider and debate the President’s FY 2007 Defense Emergency Supplemental Appropriations request and only amendments directly related to the ongoing cost of war. “The men and women of the armed forces in the theater of operation are dependent on this emergency funding to sustain and achieve their military missions,” they told congressional leadership.
“Everyone wants the war to end, but how it ends is just as important,” Kurpius said. “So with all due respect to the small majority in the new Congress who voted to withdraw the most of our 140,000 troops from Iraq next year … you are wrong.
“Congress’ failure to fund the troops sends a clear message to them,” Morin said. “The Commander in Chief sent this bill to Congress over two months ago. I don’t understand how some in Congress can play ‘chicken’ with troops’ lives, training, equipment and unit deployments that affect all our military families too. I just don’t get it and I’m not alone,” Morin added.
Morin and Kurpius also told Congress, “As leaders of our respective wartime veterans’ service organizations, we strongly encourage the removal of all restrictive language designed to influence the conduct of military operations and troop movements,” Morin said. “Our knowledge about warfare and the evils of terrorism were learned in the hard school of experience. With all due respect to you and your colleagues - first things first - take care of the troops. They are the ones placed in harm’s way,” Morin added.
“You were wrong to force a showdown with a president who vowed beforehand to veto any measure that contained artificial troop withdrawal language,” both commanders told Congress. “And you were wrong to add almost $20 billion - for programs unrelated to the war - on top of the $103 billion requested by the Defense Department.
In a nutshell, not funding direct combat operations is the same as having your hands tied in a knife fight, they said.
“Unrealistic restrictions and troop withdrawal timelines will tie the hands of our battlefield commanders to maneuver their forces, and that will break the morale of our troops in the field - and to those of us who have been there and done that, morale means everything in a war zone,” Kurpius added.
Morin and Kurpius agree that there are signs of hope and progress in Iraq, and it’s all because of new leadership with a new plan of action, but it’s a plan that is totally dependent on a funding package for the proper training, equipping and fielding of our forces. With it, the surge has a chance of succeeding; without it, the surge is doomed to failure, and it will be the common soldier and his or her family, not the politician, who will pay the price.
This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, the veteran leaders reiterated.
“This issue is about American men and women who we sent to war and now some want to pull back before they finish their job. The time to debate the war is not in the funding bill that keeps our troops alive. If they need funds, it is the responsibility of Congress to provide them the money so that they can accomplish their mission,” Morin and Kurpius said.
The sooner their job is done, the sooner they come home. That’s how you “Support the Troops.”
Paul A. Morin, of Chicopee, Mass., is the national commander of The American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans’ service organization. Gary Kurpius, of Anchorage, Alaska, is the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., the largest organization of combat veterans in the country. Collectively, the VFW and Legion have 4.5 million members.
Scouting
The American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year scholarship applications have been received from the Departments of Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Applications were due April 2. The National Americanism Commission at the spring meetings will select the Eagle Scout of the Year and three runners-up.
Immigration
Advance information about the White House's "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" proposal is making the rounds this week on the Internet after it was allegedly leaked to the media, most likely intentionally. The proposal seeks middle ground between the Administration and Republicans in Congress. Critics call the plan another amnesty proposal despite claims from the White House that it is not amnesty because more fines and other restrictions have been added in the path to citizenship. Based on how it is currently being proposed, the White House plan provides:
· Provides a guaranteed pathway to citizenship for 12-20 million illegal aliens;
· Immediately creates a legal status for 12-20 million illegal aliens
· Allows current illegal aliens to stay legally in the U.S. for an indefinite period of time
· Does not require a return to their native country before applying for new Z-visa 5
· Gives illegal aliens healthcare, education benefits and back credit for Social Security wages.
It is likely that the Administration's plan will be thrown into the mix with proposals originating in Congress. The American Legion's position is to eliminate the illegal population in this country by attrition through by enforcement approach. If the incentives that prompt people to enter this country illegally were removed, the issue would take care of itself in a few years. The Americanism Commission will consider a comprehensive resolution at its Spring meeting at which time it will outline a strategy for dealing with the illegal immigration problems.
The American Legion National College
Now is the time to prepare for the Class of 2007. This year's session runs from November 4- November 9, 2007. Course curriculum is a combination of lectures, small group workshops and practical exercises. Students will receive training in leadership, sales and marketing, communication and fundraising. Focus is on self-taught small group sessions under the supervision of graduate facilitators, national staff members, contracted professional speakers, and national officers. Major emphasis is placed on core programs, management techniques and the development of leadership skills necessary to increase visibility of programs, growth in membership and public awareness of The American Legion, The American Legion Auxiliary and The Sons of The American Legion.
Qualifications: (1) Legionnaires with military service from 1982 or later
(2) Candidates must have completed The American Legion Extension Institute prior to submitting application
The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, July 20. The Department Adjutant or Department Commander must endorse each candidate's application. To obtain an application or for more information, please contact Dave Elmore in the Internal Affairs Division at the National Headquarters.
News From Washington D.C.
VA Home Loans Reminder
Many veterans have misunderstood VA Home Loan Increased Entitlement since 2004.
The Veterans Benefits Act of 2004 increased VA home loan eligibility. Veterans who qualify for the home loan benefit may obtain a no down payment home loan of up to $417,000. Qualified veterans purchasing a home in the high cost areas of Alaska, Guam, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands may obtain a no down payment home loan of up to $625,500. The Five Easy Steps To A VA Loan are:
1. Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE).
2. Decide on a home and sign a purchase agreement
3. Order an appraisal from VA. (this is done by the lender.) Ordering an appraisal can be done via the Internet using TAS (The Appraisal System) at .
4. Apply to a mortgage lender for the loan.
5. Close the loan and move in. We support all veterans in obtaining a home loan.
Senate Confirms Casscells as DoD's Top Doctor:
Army Reserve Colonel, Dr. S. Ward Casscells, who has served tours in Iraq and had been wounded, was confirmed by the Senate on March 29 as the new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs replacing Dr. William Winkenworder, Jr. who is returning to private life. For Dr. Casscells, a cardiologist and graduate of Harvard Medical School, this assignment culminates a brilliant medical career to include serving with the National Institutes of Health. He will need his attained skills and experience at a time when the medical military system is under fire largely because of the outpatient treatment scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Dr. Casscells said "Although copays and deductible for Tricare have been flat for 12 or 13 years, there is an interest in Tricare fees being raised because the private sector is raising theirs, but there are other efficiencies which can be sought." Dr. Casscells had also lead humanitarian aid missions in the wakes of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Asian tsunami in 2004.
Action: Dr. Casscells certainly sounds like the man for the job. Dr. Casscells also said that troops and families can help hold down health care costs by becoming more involved in their care, whenever possible. He also recognizes that any increased Tricare fees run the risk of making it harder for the Services to recruit and retain our very best people.
Reaction to 5th Federal Circuit Ruling on USERRA
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Federal Circuit (Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee) ruled against a USERRA stipulation regarding arbitration in Garrett v. Circuit City Stores in May 2006. The Court held that USERRA provision protecting employment rights of members of armed forces did not preclude enforcement of individual contracts to arbitrate such disputes. This decision was not appealed to the Supreme Court and is determined final.
Staff of The American Legion Economics Division met with other VSO’s, the National Employment Lawyers Association, and Public Citizen to coordinate a plan to ensure that the federal USERRA law supercedes this court decision. We ask that any Legion member that is currently in litigation regarding USERRA contact the Economics Division.
The American Legion currently does not have any policy regarding arbitration however, we do support the strongest veterans preference laws possible at all levels of government and opposing any attempt to weaken such laws.
Veterans News
Wounded Service Members and Their Families Now Eligible
for a Free Week-long Retreat
ALEXANDRIA, VA, April 9, 2007 - The National Military Family Association (NMFA) is now accepting applications for a free getaway vacation for wounded service members and their families. Working in partnership with The Blewitt Foundation, NMFA will select participants to embark on Destination R&R.
The Blewitt Foundation created Destination R&R to honor the sacrifice of wounded service members and their families and to provide them with the opportunity for family rejuvenation and fun. The first Destination R&R retreat will be held this summer, from August 5 to 9, at the Turf Valley Resort, near Baltimore, MD. It will focus on fun for all ages and enable sharing, connecting and healing for families.
This pilot event is The Blewitt Foundation's first initiative to support military families experiencing severe injury or illness of their service member. Destination R&R is a unique program that serves the family as a group, at no cost. All expenses will be paid for the selected participants, including travel.
This retreat is offered to service members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, as well as members of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who were wounded or experienced emotional trauma or illness related to their service in the Global War on Terror. Members of the National Guard and Reserve in either activated or drilling status are eligible, provided their injury was sustained while on active duty or training.
Apply now. Applications are only accepted online, www.nmfa.org/destinationRR <..> , and must be submitted by midnight May 4, 2007.
VA HEADSTONES & MARKERS
The VA furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a Government headstone or marker for the grave of any deceased eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world. For all deaths occurring before 11 September 2001, the VA may provide a headstone or marker only for graves that are not marked with a private headstone. For deaths after that date a headstone or marker will be provided regardless of whether the grave is already marked with a non-government marker. Headstones and markers are provided for eligible spouses and dependents of veterans only when buried in a national, military post/base, or State veterans cemetery.
Flat markers in granite, marble, and bronze, and upright headstones in granite and marble are available. The style chosen must be consistent with existing monuments at the place of burial. Emblems of belief for placement on Government Headstones and Markers are available can be viewed at www.cem.va.gov. Niche markers are also available to mark columbaria used for inurnment of cremated remains.
When burial or memorialization is in a national cemetery, a headstone or marker will be ordered by the cemetery officials based on inscription information provided by next of kin. When burial is in a private cemetery VA Form 40-1330, application for Standard Government Headstone or Marker (PDF), must be submitted by the next of kin or a representative, such as a funeral director, cemetery official, or veterans counselor, along with veterans military discharge documents, to request a government-provided headstone or marker. Do not send original documents, as they will not be returned. Application for National Guard or Reserves who are entitled must include a copy of the Reserve Retirement Eligibility Benefits Letter with the application. Use of the Fax service at 1(800) 455-7143 can save up to seven days in obtaining a marker. This toll free fax service is only available for headstones or markers being placed in private cemeteries. All state veterans, military and post cemeteries must submit their applications by regular mail. The form and instructions are available at www.cem.va.gov. The application form on the website can be filled in and printed for submitting by mail or fax. If you mail forward to:
Memorial Programs Service (41A1),
Department of Veterans Affairs, 5109 Russell Road, Quantico, VA 22134-3903. Questions about a headstone or marker application can be directed to VA’s Memorial Programs Service applicant assistance unit at (800) 697-6947. Persons not eligible for a headstone or marker are:
· Anyone whose only separation from the Armed Forces was under dishonorable conditions or whose character of service results in a bar to veterans benefits.
· Anyone ordered to report to an induction station, but was not actually inducted into military service.
· Anyone convicted of a Federal capital crime and sentenced to death or life imprisonment, or convicted of a State capital crime, and sentenced to death or life imprisonment without parole. Federal officials are authorized to deny requests for headstones or markers to persons who are shown by clear and convincing evidence to have committed a Federal or State capital crime but were not convicted of such crime because of flight to avoid prosecution or by death prior to trial.
· Anyone convicted of subversive activities after 1 SEP 1959. Eligibility will be reinstated if the President of the United States grants a pardon.
· Members of groups whose service has been determined by the Secretary of the Air Force under the provisions of Public Law 95-202 as not warranting entitlement to benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Military Outreach
Is your loved one deployed to OIF/OEF? Did a faucet break and you can’t stop the leak? Grass need mowing but you can’t start the mower? Is the rent coming due and there’s not quite enough cash in the kitty? There is help as close as your telephone and the nearest American Legion Post.
The American Legion’s Family Support Network continues to provide immediate assistance to service personnel and families whose lives have been directly affected by Operation Iraqi Freedom and America’s war on terror.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the nation’s active-duty military has been on high alert, and National Guard and Reserve units are being mobilized in record numbers. As a result, the families of these men and women often find themselves unable to meet normal monthly expenses, and assistance is needed for a variety of everyday chores. These tasks include grocery-shopping, childcare, mowing the lawn, fixing the family car and other routine household jobs.
To address these issues, The American Legion has a 24-hour nationwide toll-free telephone number, 1-800-504-4098, for servicemembers and their family members to call for assistance. Calls are referred to The American Legion department, or state, in which the call originated. Departments relay the collected information to a local American Legion post. The local post then contacts the servicemember or family to see how assistance can be provided locally. Since the creation of the Family Support Network during the first Persian Gulf War, thousands of posts have responded to meet these families’ needs.
Posts are reminded that families in financial need with minor children are encouraged to call on the Temporary Financial Assistance program at National Headquarters to assist. Otherwise, it is up to local posts to provide or develop the resources necessary to meet the need.
Have a Great Week!
The American Legion -- Still Serving America