Post 16 of Costa Rica Department of Mexico Volume I Number 002 April 2004
COMMANDER’S CORNER As commander of American
Legion Post 16 Costa Rica I would like to take this opportunity to invite all
Veterans and friends to our upcoming luncheon. The name of the restaurant is
OPORTO RESTAURANT. It is located behind
HIPERMAS SUPERMARKET in HEREDIA. This open meeting will be
Tuesday, May 11, 2004 at 1:00 PM Sharp. Representatives from the
American Embassy will attend. The Council General Robin Moritz will be giving a
special speech. The Democrats Abroad and the
Republicans Abroad will attend. Both parties will have all the papers necessary
for Americans to apply for absentee ballots for the upcoming elections. Post 16 feels with all our
fellow soldiers in Iraq making the ultimate sacrifice the least Americans can
do for our country is VOTE. This is our prime reason for
this affair. Howard
L. Singer,Commander
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION At the 13 April 2004 meeting of the American Legion Post 16 of Costa Rica the Articles of Association were signed. The Articles of Association are required to allow the American Legion to be part of a nonprofit association. As the current Costa Rican laws now state, the American Legion cannot accept any donations or contributions; but as an association they can be considered a nonprofit organization and can raise money, hold raffles in order to assist their members and the community.
L-R: Attorney Diego; L.
Ditton; B. McInnis; F. Stacey; G. Sperry; J. Young; K. Johnson; I. Guerra;
J. Tribuzio; and R. Almador. Not Pictured: H. Singer and
T. Larsen Each person
attending the meeting was given an English copy of the Articles of
Association. Attorney Diego is currently
putting the final touches on the document in order to comply with the laws of
Costa Rica. A SPECIAL
THANK YOU! Sad news was recently received that a US Soldier born in Costa Rica was killed in Iraq. Due to some governmental snafus his mother had a difficult time trying to obtain a visa to attend her son’s funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. Thanks to the military contingent at the US Embassy, some interesting parties and Post 16 his mother was able to get a visa and airfare to attend the funeral. In addition to his Costa Rican family, Sergeant Kelly leaves a wife and a 15 month-old daughter. A special thank you to all who care to remember all our fallen service personnel.
VOTER REGISTRATION Health Vision Clinic has provided space for
voter registration. Qualified personnel
who attended the US Embassy seminar will maintain the voter registration desk.
Call Health Vision Clinic at 265-6505 for details.
April 2004 AMERICAN LEGION POST 16 – Costa Rica Page 2
American Legion Post 16 Department of
Mexico Minutes of 13 April 2004 The Post Executive Committee
convened at 12:00 hours then recessed at 13:00 hours for the Regular Post
Meeting, whereupon the Post Executive Committee reconvened. Six
officers and five members and one guest were present. NEW MEMBERS PRESENT: William J. Scovell
and Thomas Dale ITEMS OF BUSINESS FOR REGULAR POST MEETING: The Regular Post Meeting had
only one item of business. The Articles
of Association were presented, explained by the attorney and signed by the
members present. Subsequently
new By-Laws was required in order to complement the Articles of
Association. These were presented and
approved. ITEMS OF BUSINESS FOR THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Convention Report: The Post Commander cannot
attend. The Post Executive Committeeman
for the Department, James Young and the Post Adjutant, Ken Johnson will be
attending. Next Post Meeting: The next meeting will be on
May 11, again at the OPORTO Restaurant at 1:00 pm. It has been decided that it is wrong to
collect and pay for all lunches at the same time, as some members don’t eat,
some prefer a drink, and the taxes and tips can become confusing. For example we were ˘13,592 colonies short,
but thanks to the generosity of Jim Young, it was made up. So remember, the next time each person pays
separately and it is not necessary for every member to order lunch. Memorial Day: We will hold a Memorial Day
ceremony at Health Vision Clinic. It is
planned to plant a flag in the lawn for each serviceman and woman killed during
the present operations in Iraq. Fourth of July: It was decided to participate
in the Fourth of July Picnic hosted each year by the American Colony
Committee. We will need volunteers to
help man the Legion tent. Newsletter: LeRoy Ditton
presented the first edition of the American Legion Newsletter. It was received enthusiastically and he was
encouraged to continue publishing the newsletter. Contributions to the
Association Fund: To assist in the expenses of
preparing the Articles of Association a total of $333.45 was donated by
American Legion Post 16 members. Meeting
Adjourned: American Legion Post April 13, 2004 meeting
was adjourned at 1530 hours. Minutes compiled by: Kenneth J.
Johnson, Adjutant
Approved by: Howard Singer, Commander
Image
from PA Dept. of the Amer. Legion
The American
Legion Post 16 of Costa Rica is in the process of planning Memorial Day
Activities for former military personnel, their families and the American
community within Costa Rica. As more details become available they will be
published via email and through other printed media.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, 11 May 2004 at the OPORTO Restaurant
in San Francisco de Heredia at 1:00 pm hours for lunch, to be followed by the
meeting at 1:30 pm. Come
and enjoy a great meal and renew old acquaintances and make new ones.
Concurrent Receipt
or Concurrent Disability Pay (CDP) CRDP UPDATE 25: According to a DFAS website posting, Concurrent Receipt or Concurrent Disability Pay (CDP) is
now called Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP); and, although
the name has changed, the program has not. DFAS said it paid 144,098 retirees
their CRDP payments on time on February 2, 2004 and that it paid 2,620 retirees
whose retired pay is calculated based on a percentage of disability. Due to the
complexity of the calculation, these retirees received their electronic fund
transfer deposits on February 13, 2004. Retirees who receive hard-copy checks
in the mail have been issued payments as well and should allow for mailing
time. On-going CRDP payments will be
paid on the first business day of each month. These
payments will continue without the need for further action from eligible
retirees. In the future, CRDP rates will automatically increase or decrease
based on the percentage of disability reported by the VA. April 2004 AMERICAN LEGION POST 16 – Costa Rica Page 3
The Health Visions Corporation (HVC) was started
in the Philippines approximately 4˝
years ago. Since that time they
have grown. They now are administrators of 19 hospitals in the Phillipines and
have a 210 bed hospital under construction at Angeles near Clark Air Base,
Phillipines. Their latest addition is the old Navy Subic Bay hospital in the
Phillipines. Their prime service in the Philippines is to
provide medical services to all of the retired from the United States Military
forces. They provide all services under
the Foreign Medical Program (FMP), Medicare and TriCare. The retired U.S. Military personnel and their
families all receive total medical benefits, including eye exams but not
glasses. Also there is no dental care
provided at present but HVC is working on a low cost dental care program and as
soon as one is available here they will offer it to members. The medical care for the Retired Military
includes all tests and prescriptions all at no cost to the retiree and family. If the retiree is 65 or older they must carry
Medicare Part B which they must apply for if they do not have it already. This makes you a member of TriCare For Life
and will cost about $50 to $60.00 per month. Because of new legislation this
entire calendar year (2004) will be open season for all those who need to sign
up for Medicare Part “B”. (Article continued next month)
THE AMERICAN LEGION The American Legion Emblem Th ere shines the Emblem of The American Legion, it is your badge
of distinction, honor and service. It stands for God and Country, and the
highest rights of man. Each part of the emblem has a very special meaning.
The Rays of
the Sun form the background of our proud Emblem, and suggest that the
Legion's principles will dispel the darkness of violence and evil.
The Wreath
forms the center, in loving memory of those brave comrades who gave their
lives in the service of the United States, that liberty might endure.
The Star - victory symbol of World War I, signalizes as
well honor, glory and constancy. The letters U.S. leave no doubt as to the
brightest star in the Legion's star.
Two Large
Rings the outer one stands for the rehabilitation of our sick and disabled
buddies. The inner one denotes the welfare of America's children.
Two Small
Rings set upon the star. The outer pledges loyalty and Americanism. The
inner is for service to our communities, our states and the Nation.
Extracted from the National American Legion Web Site
AMERICAN LEGION DEPARTMENT OF MEXICO CONVENTION The Department Convention is June 10, 11, 12, 2004 in Antigua, Guatemala. You are encouraged to visit from June 6-June 13 in order to participate in events and tours planned during this week in addition to the meetings Master
Sergeant Mario Enrique Gonzalez-Acker Post Two is hosting the Convention and
has waived registration fees. William
Shetz, Commander, can be contacted at american_legion2@conexion.com.gt. For
transportation from and to the airport: - contact Post Two for information. Pre-convention
department executive committee meeting: To
be held Thursday, June 10, 4 p.m. The
American Legion Department of Mexico Convention: To be held Friday June 11, 9:30 a.m., and
Saturday June 12, 9 a.m. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
