The American Legion, Department of Florida is proud to announce the winners from the State Oratorical Contest held, March 10, 2018:
1st Place – $2,500 and representing Florida at National Oratorical Contest Caleb Wilson, Western Area, Post 84
2nd Place – $1,500 Greta Dieck, Central Area, Post 8
3rd Place – $1,000 Holly Stidham, Northern Area, Post 27
$500 Winners
Ricardo Barrios, Eastern Area, Post 63
Chika Ojukwu, Southern Area, Post 385
Sheyla Ravelo Perez, Southwestern Area, Post 323
We’d like to extend a special thank you to All the Posts, Districts, and Area Chairmen that helped support these students with their journey to the State Contest; Department Oratorical Chairman, Meri West, for her dedication and support for the Oratorical Program; The Judges, Tabulators, and Time Keepers for your help and support at the State Contest; and to our contestants and all attendees for your support and participation.
A replica of PT Boat 562 recently was dedicated and presented to American Legion Post 273. Pictured, from left, are first vice commander Mike Haygood; post member Harry Mulder, who donated the boat to the post; Monte Palmer; Commander Jim White and Adjutant Dan Koker. [Photo courtesy of Anthony Torregrossa]
A replica of PT Boat 562 was dedicated and presented to American Legion Post 273 Madeira Beach executive officer Monte Palmer, 94, who served on the boat during World War II.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs is hosting a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Ardie R. Copas State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Port St. Lucie on March 20, 2018 at 2 p.m.
The new 120-bed state veterans’ home will be located near 10700 SW Tradition Parkway in the Port St. Lucie community of Tradition. Parking will be adjacent to the ceremony site.
A reception will immediately follow the ceremony at Tradition Town Hall, 10799 SW Civic Lane. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony and reception will take place at Tradition Town Hall.
Rick Johnson – All Aboard!!! It’s official, the Legion Family cruise is a go! It’s been about eight years since the Legion Family cruised together, and it’s high-tide we do it again.
There are limited spaces, based on a first-come-first-serve basis. You’ll need $100 per person to book now, and during the next couple of months various promotions will be offered. Don’t delay and miss out on this opportunity.
We will be boarding the Carnival Liberty from Port Canaveral on September 13, 2018, journeying to Nassau, and returning to Port Canaveral on September 16, 2018. Please see the attached flyer for complete details and full pricing information.
To make your reservations, please contact Maureen Williams PVP, at 800-819-3902 ext 85931, be sure to mention the American Legion Group Code 1KNQ25 to take advantage of our special rates.
Please note, this is not an official “Department of Florida” organized event. For all questions and requests for additional information, contact Rick Johnson, 2nd Vice Commander at 954-242-4496 or rickjtank@hotmail.com.
During the 2017 Department Convention, the membership voted to adopt a new method for voting for Department Officers. All voting for Department Officers will now take place via ballots and scanned with electronic tabulation machines. This will provide a private setting in which to cast secret ballots and expedite the voting process. This guide will provide some pertinent information for the voting process at your 2018 Department Convention.
The annual election of Department officers shall be by special order of business, the results of which should be announced at 1:00 P.M., or as soon as practical thereafter, on the day set for adjournment of the Convention or at the call of the Chair.
Voting for all elected Department Officers shall be by official ballot provided upon registration to any Posts so registered based on paid delegate strength. All official ballots are the responsibility of the acting chairman of each delegation and shall not be replaced for any reason under any circumstances.
How does Department come up with delegate strength? Each Post shall be entitled to two (2) delegates and two (2) alternates and to one (1) additional delegate and alternate for each additional (100) one hundred members provided that the per capita tax is paid fifteen (15) days prior to the Department Convention.
Additionally, according to Section 6, Article 5 of the Department Constitution, a member of the Department Executive Committee shall be a delegate Therefore, the Post that they are a member of will receive one additional vote.
Each Post will receive one (1) official ballot for every paid delegate at the time of registration with the exception of the Past Department Commander’s ballot, which will be provided on the floor at the time of voting as detailed in Section 6, Article V of the Department Constitution. Ballots may either be voted collectively by the acting chairman of each delegation or individually by Post delegates to the Convention. The vote of any delegate absent and not represented by an alternate shall be cast by the majority of the delegates present from the Post.
Those candidates having an endorsement on file at Department by May 30, 2018, will be pre-printed on the ballot. The ballots shall provide for a write-in candidate for each office, should one be nominated off the Convention floor without prior endorsement by their respective Post.
Nominations for Department Officers shall be from the floor of the Convention. Nominating speeches shall be limited to five (5) minutes each. No more than two (2) seconding speeches shall be made for each candidate, each of which shall not exceed two (2) minutes.
Immediately following nominations, ballot voting shall begin on electronic scanning equipment provided by the Orange County Supervisor of Elections. All ballot voting shall be completed by 1:00 p.m. except Posts still in line to vote at that time. Once all the votes have been scanned the election is closed and tally begins.
A team of election officials will oversee the election process. These officials shall consist of an employee of the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office, the Assistant Department Adjutant, and the Department Assistant Judge Advocate or a representative appointed by the Department Commander in his/her absence.
The election officials will examine any ballot rejections to determine the intent of the ballot. If a ballot reflects votes for two (2) candidates for the same office that ballot will have that one (1) office’s vote cancelled and the balance of the ballot cast as presented. Should duplicate ballots be presented, the scanners will reject the votes from both ballots.
The election officials will supervise the vote tally collected by the scanners. The candidate for each office that receives the most votes shall be declared the winner. The results will be placed in an envelope which will be presented to the Secretary of the Convention (Department Adjutant) on the Convention stage to be announced.
In cases of a tie vote, a roll call of Posts for the purpose of casting their votes for the tied candidates shall continue until one candidate receives the majority of votes cast, the roll call is complete or until there shall be only one candidate for a particular Department office.
All official ballots will be retained as permanent record of the Department for a period of two (2) years.
WASHINGTON — As part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) ongoing efforts to modernize and improve Veterans’ experience with the disability claims process, VA unveiled its latest enhancements to the Decision Ready Claims (DRC) program, which will expand the pool of Veterans, surviving spouses and service members eligible to participate in the program.
“These enhancements are another key step in modernizing VA’s benefits delivery to Veterans to a fully digital operating environment,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “With electronic claims processing as a foundation, VA’s innovation will improve service to Veterans, their families and survivors.”
In addition to claims for increased disability compensation (commonly known as claims for increase), Veterans will now be able to file certain claims for direct service connection, presumptive service connection and secondary service connection. Additionally, surviving spouses will be able to file certain claims for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, and transitioning service members will be able to file pre-discharge claims less than 90 days from leaving the military. Veterans who choose to submit their claim under DRC can expect to receive a decision within 30 days from the time VA receives the claim.
To file under DRC, Veterans must work with an accredited Veteran Service Organization (VSO) representative, who will ensure all supporting evidence — such as medical exams, military service records, etc. — is included with the claim submission. This advance preparation by the VSOs allows claims to be assigned immediately to claims processors for a quick decision.
In the future, VA aims to expand the DRC program, where possible, to ensure more Veterans can get faster decisions on their claims. For more information about DRC or to find an accredited VSO representative, visit https://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/DRC.asp.
More than 60 volunteers from Post 273, in Madeira Beach, joined together to feed over 100 local veterans and families at their annual Veterans Christmas Day Party.
They would like to send a special thank you to Boy Scout Troop 371, from Largo, for their service!
Commander Steve Shuga has been on the road a lot this month. Who can blame him for being tired and dozing off a little. Unfortunately, Luther sees a “golden” opportunity. mischievous
Luther is a real History buff! How can you go anywhere new, if you don’t know where you have been already? Today, Luther is learning more about the history of The American Legion and Department of Florida.
Department Commander Steve Shuga has finally had it! He is Face-timing Santa. Santa is not too happy either.
LUTHER!!! You’ve done it now! Commander Steve Shuga won’t stand for this….Your antics have gotten totally out of hand!
Commander Steve Shuga has been on the road a lot this month. Who can blame him for being tired and dozing off a little. Unfortunately, Luther sees a “golden” opportunity. mischievous
Luther has learned a lot since his arrival. He is sharing that knowledge with his friends, and now fellow Legionnaires.
Luther is a real History buff! How can you go anywhere new, if you don’t know where you have been already? Today, Luther is learning more about the 
Luther says even though there is no snow in Florida, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy “snow” activities. You just have to improvise! 
Luther isn’t as “sprout” as he once was, and after this morning’s workout, even he can use a little muscle cream.
Oops, we think Luther may have gone a little overboard this time…. the struggle is still real….
Luther knows the importance of staying healthy! He works hard to stay strong and fit! But…. the struggle is real….
Luther is just checking in with Santa. All is well in the North Pole and everything is on track.