Weekly Reports May 25, 2023
New Motorcycle Safety Law
Motorcycle Safety Law being signed by Governor DeSantis. The implementation of the Law will is a joint effort between three organizations, ABATE, ALR, and LAMA to create a statewide motorcycle safety and awareness program.
Weekly Reports May 18, 2023
LEGION REPORTS
Memorial Day Service to Honor the Fallen – May 29, 2023
May 15, 2023 – The American Legion “U.S.S. Tampa” Post 5 invites the community to its Memorial Day event with family-friendly environment to show support for our military’s sacrifices. The two-day event begins with Luminaries at 8:00 p.m., Sunday, May 28th and concludes Monday, May 29th with the Memorial Service from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The ceremonies are at the American Legion, “U.S.S. Tampa” Post 5 located at 3810 W. Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, Florida 33609.
This year centers on “Be the One” to eliminate the stigma related to mental health treatment, and in turn, lower the number of veterans who die by suicide every day. We honor those who have fallen and are still in the battle for their lives. This focus is in collaboration on the goals of the American Legion National Commander and Ellsworth “Tony” Williams (American Legion Post 5 member and Veterans Counseling Veterans founder). Veterans Counseling Veterans, Inc., (VCV) is a veteran-led nonprofit providing training, education, advocacy, mentorship, and service (TEAMS) to veterans and their families in the areas of mental wellness and suicide prevention.
The number of veterans who die by suicide every day is estimated at between 17 and 22. The American Legion has elevated Be the One to be its top priority, empowering veterans, servicemembers, their family members and civilians to act appropriately when a veteran may be at risk. This event intends to bring more awareness to the problem while providing resources to those who may be able to help save the life of a veteran.
Sunday’s luminary observance requests that friends and family come out any time after 8:00 p.m. and have a moment of silence at the cemetery after sunset. No official ceremony will be presented. The Luminaries will be left out for visitations throughout the night with no official service or ceremony. The sight of all the candles lit is breathtaking and a symbol that we will never forget for our tomorrow, they gave their today. Volunteers will set up starting at 5:30 p.m.
The Memorial Service is organized by the American Legion Cemetery Corporation President Alyse Duffy and presented by Terry Doan (American Legion Post 5 Member and Board Member of the Cemetery) as the Master of Ceremonies. The first guest speaker will be Emily Peake, District winner of the American Legion Oratorical Contest, a sophomore at Cambridge Christian School, and placed 3rd in the Department of Florida Oratorical Contest as the youngest contestant. The second guest speaker will be Lt. Col. Jeremy “Scooby” J.C. Shoop (ret.) was a career Special Tactics Officer and served within Special Operations for three decades, the mainly as a plankholder with the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, an Air Force Special Operations Command unit. The ceremony will include special guests from the Boys State and Girls State Delegations. The invocation will be performed by Chaplain (Colonel) Eric J. Albertson is the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Command Chaplain as a special staff officer responsible for providing strategic guidance on spiritual, religious, and ethical matters pertaining to the force. Vocal tributes by Gail Cooper, American Legion Unit 5 member. The raising of the flags to full staff will still take place at the closing of the ceremony at 12:00pm (noon) to memorialize those who gave their lives serving the United States of America.
Feel free to bring a flag Monday and show support by flag waving along Kennedy Boulevard. Wreath registration is available if your group would like to place a remembrance wreath during the Post Everlasting portion of the ceremony to be part of the Roll Call. If any group would like to place their organization’s personalized remembrance wreath in the ceremony, bring it to the registration table between 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Memorial Day. All branches of the military will be represented, as well as the remembrance wreaths announcement.
Since 1922 the American Legion has been honoring the fallen with a Memorial Day Service. The event provides a venue for all ages to give thanks for our military’s sacrifices. The significance of the cost our soldiers have come to bear to preserve our way of life and the freedoms granted by their choices will never be forgotten. We asked them to give their all…they did. They ask to be remembered one day a year, and we will.
Weekly Reports May 11, 2023
LEGION REPORTS
Dennis R. Bruland
With deep regret, we report the passing of Past Southwestern Area Commander Dennis R. Bruland of Punta Gorda, Florida, who passed away on Monday, April 17, 2023, at the age of 74.
The Department was just made aware of the services for Dennis, which will be held today. The Burial Service will be held from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm at the Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Rd., Sarasota, FL 34241. A Celebration of Life will be held following the Burial Service at 4:30 pm at Moose Lodge 2121, 3624 Loveland Blvd., Port Charlotte, FL 33952.
Dennis was a U.S. Army Vietnam War Era Veteran. He was a member of Punta Gorda Post 103 with 46 continuous years of membership. Dennis served as Post Commander from 2006-2007, 13th District Commander from 2006-2008, and Southwestern Area Commander from 2008-2009. At the Department level, he served as Department Veterans Preference Chair from 2007-2009, Department Law & Order Chair from 2009-2010, and Veterans Benefits Chair from 2014-2016. At the National level, he served on the Constitution and By-Laws Committee from 2006-2017 and the Legislative Council from 2015-2019.
At this time, there are no details regarding where to send condolences. Any new information will be communicated to you through email as well as posted on the Department’s website.
Weekly Reports May 4, 2023
LEGION REPORTS
Welcome Home Weekly
Join us May 13, 2023, as Dana-Howard-Weekly Post 130 Members Honor & Celebrate the homecoming of our founding Post namesake 2nd Lt. Pharis E. Weekley.
Weekley’s remains were recently located after 80 years! In his honor and for his family we start the day with a motorcycle and car procession from Post 69 Avon Park, South to LaBelle Post 130. We are needing a flag line from the foot of the bridge at Barron Park in LaBelle to Post 130 with flags and yellow ribbons for his family, as they return to LaBelle. This is going to take a lot of Patriots – please join us and help stand the line if you can.
Dana-Howard-Weekly Post 130 will be hosting a Welcome Home Picnic around Noon on the 13th.
Download our flyer for complete details.
Weekly Reports April 28, 2023
LEGION REPORTS
Indianapolis High School Senior Wins American Legion Oratoricals Earns $25K Scholarship, National Championship
INDIANAPOLIS (April 23, 2023) – A home-schooled senior from Indianapolis capped a busy weekend of competition in her home city by earning a $25,000 college scholarship and first place in The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program – “A Constitutional Speech Contest.” Haley Bock’s winning prepared oration was titled “The Black Hole of American Democracy: American Territories are Where Voting Rights Vanish.”
Bock started the weekend as one of 49 state or department champions in the 84th annual contest. She advanced to the championship through three rounds of intense competition. She was sponsored by American Legion Post 3 in Indianapolis.
Ian Chung, a senior from Vestal, N.Y., earned a $22,500 college scholarship with a second-place finish, while Emma Johnson, an 11th grade student from Powell, Wyo., earned $20,000 and third place in the competition. The scholarships account for a small portion of post-secondary scholarships that The American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans organization, awards annually.
In her prepared oration, Bock opened her remarks about Luis Segovia, a U.S. citizen and Guam resident who served tour tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Illinois National Guard.
“Luis Segovia was willing to give his life for his country,” she said. “He protected Iraqi citizens’ right to vote. But back home in America, Luis, along with four million residents of the American territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands were denied their right to vote.”
“They’re calling out but they’ve yet to be heard,” she concluded. “So, who will give them their voice? When will we all speak out, rise together, and grant those the rights they too have fought for and deserve?”
In each round of the weekend competition, orators delivered a rehearsed 8- to 10-minute address and a randomly assigned 3- to 5-minute oration on a constitutional topic, each without the benefit of notes and in front of a live audience, including the judges. The nearly 1.7-million-member American Legion developed the contest to encourage young people to improve their communications skills and to study the U.S. Constitution. More than $3 million in scholarships have been awarded over the history of the contest.
Three High School Orators to Face Off Sunday for Top National Honor in American Legion Competition
INDIANAPOLIS (April 22, 2023) – Out of an original 49 contestants, only three remain as finalists in The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program, “A Constitutional Speech Contest.” The three survived two intense rounds of competition today and will vie for the championship during tomorrow’s finals which will be webcast live at 10 am Eastern Time on www.legion.org and on Facebook live at The American Legion National Headquarters page.
The top prize, a $25,000 scholarship, will be awarded to Haley Bock of Indianapolis, Ian Chung of Vestal, N.Y. or Emma Johnson of Powell, Wyo. The second and third place winners after tomorrow’s competition will receive $22,500 and $20,000 scholarships respectively. Each of the 49 competitors are department (state or regional) champions.
The other 15 semi-finalists who competed in this afternoon’s competition are Mahee Haswani (Calif.), Mae Webster (Colo.), Nurfat Ishaque (Fla.), Andrew Fleming (Ga.), Bridger Benson (Idaho), Thanvee Paga (Iowa), India Young (Ky.), Andrew Kil (Mich.), Emily Aloise (N.H.), Guhan Krishnan (Ohio), Jesse LaBahn (Okla.), Henry Overbay (S.C.), Abigail Whicker (Tenn.), Trenton James McMillen (Va.) and Emma Lo (Wash.).
The contest, now in its 84th year, encourages young Americans to improve their communications skills and study the U.S. Constitution. Approximately 6,000 high school students begin competition annually at The American Legion post-community level. More than $3 million in scholarships have been awarded since the inception of the program. The national contestants all competed in Indianapolis, the headquarters city for The American Legion. Previous champions include former presidential candidate Alan Keyes, the late Sen. Frank Church and writer Brent Bozell.Jr. Former Vice President Mike Pence and commentator Lou Dobbs are past state champions.
Weekly Reports April 21, 2023
LEGION REPORTS
Attention Riders: Escorts Need in Florida Area
USA Four Corners Charity Motorcycle Ride Benefitting Tunnel to Towers Foundation is looking for escorts while in Florida. For more information, please visit https://dogood.t2t.org/campaign/usa-four-corners-charity-motorcycle-ride-benefitting-tunnel-to-towers-foundation/c478144
Weekly Reports April 13, 2023
LEGION REPORTS
Weekly Reports April 6, 2023
LEGION REPORTS
American Legion Expects VA to Correct Housing Pay Snafu
WASHINGTON (March 31, 2023) – The head of the nation’s largest veterans organization called on VA to assure student veterans who have been impacted by missed Post-9/11 GI Bill housing stipends today to “quickly make the situation right and assure veterans that it never occurs again.”
“Veterans understand that when they fail in uniform, the only acceptable responses are ‘no excuses!’ and ‘I’ll correct it!’ This is the type of response that The American Legion expects VA to offer all the students who were expecting their housing stipend today,” said American Legion National Commander Vincent “Jim” Troiola. “Yesterday, a senior VA official assured us that their inspector general has been notified and the department is working to ensure that electronic payments reach veterans by Monday and checks are mailed out that same day. They are going to conduct a root cause analysis and contact schools to ensure that they are aware of what occurred. VA will also provide letters to veterans to share with creditors. These measures are a good start. The American Legion understands that when mistakes occur, it is the corrective response that is most important. The American Legion has always believed that VA has a responsibility to serve veterans as well as veterans have served this country. We expect VA to quickly correct whatever flawed process led to this error and ensure that veterans are not further inconvenienced by this delayed payment.”
Weekly Reports March 23, 2023
LEGION REPORTS
American Legion Praises VA Secretary, Slams CBO Proposal
WASHINGTON (March 24, 2022) – The head of the nation’s largest veterans organization double-downed on the Secretary of Veterans Affairs’ assurances that proposed Congressional Budget Office cuts to the VA budget will not happen.
“In remarks to the media yesterday, Secretary (Denis) McDonough said of proposed cuts ‘We don’t think that’s a good idea…Nobody inside VA is talking about it, nobody in the executive branch and I haven’t heard anything about it from Congress…We’re not going to do it,’” Vincent “Jim” Troiola, national commander of The American Legion said. “The American Legion agrees with Secretary McDonough. Veterans have sweated, bled and sacrificed for this country. There is absolutely no way The American Legion would allow unelected bureaucrats from the CBO to reverse the hard-fought gains that veterans have made over the last couple of years. The administration and Congress deserve great credit for last year’s passage of the PACT Act. The American Legion is committed to ensuring that the promises made to veterans are promises kept.”
Troiola pointed out that the CBO is not a deliberating body and does not have the authority to cut veterans benefits. “What I can assure veterans and their families is that The American Legion has a strong legislative team that monitors such proposals, and we would use our loud pulpit to ensure that members of Congress know that such suggestions should be considered dead on arrival.”
Weekly Reports March 23, 2023
Legislative Update
What a wonderful week we had visiting the State Capitol Building and many of our Legislators! Our busy day began with a “Know Before You Go” briefing with donuts and coffee. We broke down into Teams and took off to the capitol building.
Our visitations took us to 12 different Legislators to discuss many items. The American Legion’s first priority was funding for our Boy’s State/Girl’s State program. This is through a higher education appropriation which offsets costs and is paid directly to Florida State University. This appropriation helps us keep our costs per delegate at a reduced rate.
While many of the bills were discussed, with each legislator we focused more on our relationships with each of them. Brainstorming on ideas of possible future legislation and appropriations was discussed.
Here is a list of legislators that we met with:
- Representative Duggan
- Representative Smith
- Representative Benjamin
- Representative Gregory
- Representative Snyder
- Representative Giallombardo
- Representative Casello
- Representative Holcomb
- Representative Dunkley
- Senator Burgess
- Senator Torres
- Alex Vargo, External Affairs Director for The Speaker of House
Click here for legislation that is being tracked with the actions under each item of where the bill is currently sitting.