LEGION REPORTS
Department Membership Summary
Post Membership Summary
Weekly Reports – May 16, 2019
Weekly Reports – May 9, 2019
Kirby Stewart American Legion Post 24 held its third 100th Anniversary Pistol Match
(R) 1st Place David Youngclaus, (C) 2nd Place Dan Roberts, (L) 3rd Place Jerry Ham
Bradenton ~ On April 17, 2019 the Kirby Stewart American Legion Post 24 held its third 100th Anniversary Pistol Match at the Shoot Straight Range in Sarasota, FL. Six members participated in this iron sights only match for pistols and revolvers shooting three stages consisting of Slow, Timed and Rapid Fire. The top three shooters received awards at the May 3nd Post Meeting. First Place went to David Youngclaus, 2nd Place to Dan Roberts and 3rd Place to Jerry Ham, Chairman of Pistol Competitions.
Our next competition is open to Legion Family Members and will be held after Memorial Day on May 28th at the Shoot Straight Range in Sarasota. Anyone interested in shooting should contact Jerry Ham at the email address indicated below. We are also interested in friendly low pressure competition shooting against other veterans organizations in the Manatee County area. If interested, please contact us at the email address below.
For God and Country,
Jerry Ham, Chairman Pistol Competitions
Post 24 Bradenton, FL
thecommish1672@verizon.net
Weekly Reports – May 2, 2019
Phil Hearlson
We are sorry to report that Past Department Commander, Phil Hearlson, was admitted into the hospital on Saturday, April 27th. He was admitted after sustaining injuries from a car accident earlier in the week. Phil is currently in ICU. Any new information will be shared through email and on our website.
Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers.
Get well wishes can be sent to 14050 SE 53rd Ave., Summerfield, FL 34491-3121.
***UPDATE 5/1/2019*** PDC Phil Hearlson is improving, but will remain in ICU at Advent Hospital of Ocala. Please check back here for any updates.
Get Ready for the 2019 Dept Convention
Are you ready?
The American Legion, Department of Florida is gearing up for its 101ST Annual Statewide Convention to be held June 27-30, 2019 at the World Center Marriott, Orlando, FL.
We hope that you will be joining us this year for this four-day event of learning, comradery, and fun. Here are a few things to help you get prepared:
VENUE
The main venue, the World Center Marriott, is now completely sold out. We hope you have already made your reservations, but if not, we do have two overflow hotels very close to the main venue:
The Caribe Royale Orlando is offering their standard rooms for $139 plus tax, per night and villas for $314 plus tax, per night. To book now, call (888) 258-7501, and be sure to ask for The American Legion, Department of Florida room block. A mandatory $12.50 resort fee per night is also required. All reservations require a non-refundable first night room and tax deposit, which MUST be paid by credit card.
Buena Vista Suites is offering their standard rooms for $129 plus tax, per night and villas for $304 plus tax, per night. To book now, call (800) 537-7737, and be sure to ask for The American Legion, Department of Florida room block. A mandatory $14.95 resort fee per night is also required. All reservations require a non-refundable first night room and tax deposit, which MUST be paid by credit card.
Click here for more information, including parking information.
AGENDA
A tentative Agenda is available online. We strongly recommend that you wait closer to the event before printing this agenda, as there are likely to be minor changes. View our tentative agenda by clicking here.
CLASSES
Each year the state convention offers a wide variety of leadership trainings available to all members for the development and betterment of their local American Legion Post.
The pre-registration form for Post Service Officer Training School is now available online. This is a two-day, informative VA&R class that covers all veteran benefits. A certificate and certification card are provided upon completion. To attend you must pre-register, attend both days (Thursday/Friday), and be appointed Post Service Officer by your Post Commander. The course is filled based off first come, first served interest. Click here for additional information.
Online pre-registration is also available for PROJECT: VetRelief Advocate Training. Attendees can expect a closer look into the VetRelief Advocate role, and not just an overview of the program. Be sure to pre-register as space is limited. Click here for additional information.
All other classes do not require registration and are open to attend as space is available.
The American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion and American Legion Riders will also conduct their own series of courses.
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION RAFFLE
The American Legion, Department of Florida is proud to announce its upcoming Centennial Celebration Raffle where you could win OVER $15,000 in awesome prizes; including the *BONUS RAFFLE* drawing for a chance to win an American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Three-Coin Set.
In the next 2 to 3 weeks, a select group of members will receive the Centennial Celebration Raffle packet. To participate, complete and return the enclosed tickets for your chances to win these exciting prizes!
Didn’t get a packet? No worries, just complete our online form before May 31, 2019 and we will mail one to you. After May 31st, you will only be able to purchase tickets at our Department Convention, June 27-29, 2019.
DEPARTMENT CONVENTION BOOK
Advertise in the 2019 101st Annual Florida Convention Book! Take advantage of this unique opportunity to advertise your business or Post, send well wishes, special recognition, special announcements and more. Legion Members get half off all advertisements.
We provide our attendees, free of charge, with an annual convention book, very similar to a yearbook. This book would be a great resource to advertise your products and services to interested veterans and patriots, as well as support The American Legion.
Hurry and get your advertisements in now, the deadline of May 1st, has been extended to May 15, 2019. Click here to purchase online.
HISTORY BOOK
We’re also pleased to announce the upcoming release of The American Legion, Department of Florida- Our History – 1919-2019 book. This book details the first 100 years of the Department of Florida, with fascinating facts for each decade and lots of photos depicting some of our greatest accomplishments.
This book will be a limited edition, one time run only, with limited quantities. Available in paperback or hardcover. Pre-order your piece of history now, and get the Department of Florida Centennial lapel pin FREE. Reserve your copy now at floridalegionstore.org.
*This book is different from the History and Directory book sold previously. It includes a more comprehensive Department History and does not include the member directory.
2018-2019 DEPARTMENT CONVENTION T-SHIRTS
Get your Official Convention T-Shirts showcasing the 2018-2019 year. This year’s shirt will be red in Gildan soft style; available in Men and Women’s crewneck. Sizes tend to run a size small; extended sizes, 2x -5x, brand and style may vary. Pre-order now at floridaleigonstore.org.
COMMANDER’S AND PRESIDENT’S BANQUET
The Commander’s and President’s Banquet will take place Friday, June 28, 2019 at the World Center Marriott, Orlando in the Canary Ballroom. A farewell to outgoing Department Commander, Dianne Boland and outgoing Department President, Michele Degennaro. The Banquet will feature a German Dinner Buffet and entertainment by Not Quite Fab (a popular Beatles Cover Band) A cocktail hour will be served prior to the banquet, tickets are required to attend and are available online for purchase. Tickets must be pre-purchased and are limited.
TEXT ALERTS
Sign-up now for Florida Legion Text Alerts, by clicking here or texting FLCON to 41372. You’ll get important announcements, reminders, exclusive Emblem Sales Discounts, a chance to win prizes and interactive fun! Activities include: Legion Quest and Lost Lectures.
VENDORS AND SPONSORS
Approximately 3,000 American Legion members will be in attendance at Department Convention, making this an excellent opportunity for vendors to showcase their products and services. Our vendors are vital to the success of our events. If you are interested in becoming a vendor or know someone who may be interested, please click here to learn more.
DISTRICT CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCES
District Constitutional Conferences will begin starting May 4, 2019. Your District Conferences are important to attend. Please view a complete schedule by clicking here.
DEPARTMENT CONVENTION DEADLINES
Department Convention deadlines are fast approaching for Posts and delegates. Please click here for more information.
Dept of Florida Centennial Celebration Raffle
The American Legion, Department of Florida is proud to announce its upcoming Centennial Celebration Raffle where you could win OVER $15,000 in awesome prizes; including the *BONUS RAFFLE* drawing for a chance to win an American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Three-Coin Set.
In the next 2 to 3 weeks, a select group of members will receive the Centennial Celebration Raffle packet. To participate, complete and return the enclosed tickets for your chances to win these exciting prizes!
Didn’t get a packet? No worries, just complete our online form before May 31, 2019 and we will mail one to you. After May 31st, you will only be able to purchase tickets at our Department Convention, June 27-29, 2019.
On June 29, 2019, ten (10) CASH winners and one (1) BONUS winner will be chosen for the following Centennial Celebration Raffle prizes:
BONUS DRAWING PRIZE:
American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Three-Coin Set with authenticity certificate
Enter to win these great prizes by sending in your tickets along with a suggested donation of $5 per ticket, six tickets for $20 or all twelve tickets for $30! For a chance to win a remarkable piece of history, include your gold ticket with an additional $5 donation.
By mailing in your tickets with your gift, you play and important part in our programs that serve our brave service members, their families and honor the legacy of the 1.6 million Veterans in Florida. We are making a difference one Veteran at a time!
The Golden Ticket
Centennial BONUS Raffle
Return your enclosed golden ticket with an additional suggested donation of $5 for a chance to win the LIMTED EDITION Centennial American Legion Coin Set with US Mint certificate of authenticity: includes $5 Gold Coin, Silver Dollar and Clad Half Dollar.
Golden tickets are independent from Centennial Celebration Raffle and will be kept separate. Winner will be drawn on Saturday, June 29, 2019 during the Annual Convention and streamed live on Facebook.
WANT MORE CHANCES? Contact Jennifer Cooper at (407) 295-2631 or by email.
Dept of Florida Membership Drive Event
The Department of Florida will be holding a Membership Drive at Florida’s 32nd Annual Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion at Wickham Park in Melbourne, FL. This is the Nation’s largest veterans reunion to be held May 9th – 12th. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will also be on display May 5th – 12th. The Public is invited to attend.
The Department of Florida is asking for volunteers to assist in our Largest Membership Drive. If you are a Legion, Auxiliary or SAL member, we need you! Volunteers are needed to work a couple hours Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon – 6:00PM.
If you can volunteer, please email membership@legionmail.org with your availability.
Weekly Reports – April 25, 2019
National Emergency Fund, Tornado Outbreak and other storms
Today and tomorrow, many of the states across the Southeast, Northeast, Ohio Valley and others will be affected by these devastating severe storms. According to The Weather Channel, for the deep south it’s a 6 in 10 chance there will be tornados, and up the Eastern Seaboard and points north, a 4 in 10 chance. We just want to remind you of the National Emergency Fund. As long as the location from where an application is coming from has been declared a natural or state of emergency disaster, (either state or federal declaration) the members or posts in your department can apply for funds.
Reminder, for Legion and SAL members, they must have been displaced (by damages) or evacuated from their primary residence. The fund can provide grant monies to cover their out of pocket expenses (food, clothing, shelter, medicines, etc.). Not meant to replace or repair damages to their home or outbuildings or vehicles. Receipts for these expenses are needed. Photos are needed. Insurance paperwork, to include what their deductible will be, is helpful. As much information provided is helpful when consideration is given to these members. And they must have been active at the date of the disaster and date of application.
For posts, proof of what programs will suffer as a result of post not being able to operate normally (usually the Consolidated Post Report is extremely helpful). Operations or supplies to their social quarters is not provided for. Insurance paperwork is helpful. Photos are needed.
Bottom line, provide to us as much information as you can so we can do our best to make a good determination to assist our members and post to get as closely back to normal as possible after the disaster hits.
The link below provides where you can download the form. Please share with all your contacts in those states that have been adversely affected.
https://www.legion.org/emergency/apply
Please send to us any printed applications in the mail, fax to us at: 317-630-1413 or scan/e-mail to Internal Affairs at ia@legion.org
Thank You to Legionnaire Insurance Trust (LIT)
Legionnaire Insurance Trust (LIT) has been a long-time partner to the American Legion, Department of Florida. We are grateful of their support and service to our veterans and their families.
Legion to VA: ‘Fix Communication Breakdowns’
(INDIANAPOLIS, April 11, 2019) — Calling it a case of “mission delayed turning into mission failure,” American Legion National Commander Brett P. Reistad called for VA officials to implement a plan to prevent future communication breakdowns between home-care social workers and VA medical centers.
Reistad specifically referred to the case of a veteran who had to undergo a partial leg amputation due to delays in receiving home health consultations after being discharged from the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. The patient, who was treated for diabetic ketoacidosis and an ulcerated foot abscess, “did not receive the necessary home health care,” according to U.S. Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner.
The patient required frequent changes to his wound dressings. As a result of the veteran not receiving the necessary care, an infection occurred which later required a below-the-knee amputation. Investigators determined that social workers were directed to stop entering home health care consults into the Computerized Patient Record System due to a lack of training.
“The U.S. Office of Special Counsel assured the president that VA has taken the necessary steps to prevent similar problems in the future,” Reistad said. “The American Legion certainly hopes that those assurances are well-founded. Too many veterans have lost their limbs on the battlefield. They should not be losing limbs due to bureaucratic malpractice. We thank the whistleblowers who helped expose this case. It reinforces why The American Legion supported legislation that protects these brave employees. The American Legion believes in VA. It’s why The American Legion visits VA medical facilities across the country as part of our System Worth Saving program, so we can identify critical needs and share best practices. We will certainly review this latest incident again as part of our SWS agenda. We also believe that recent reforms such as the Mission Act and increased accountability will improve an already-strong VA system. That said, tragedies such as what happened in Indianapolis should never occur. We expect VA to learn from this and act accordingly.”
Waukee, Iowa, Youth Sweeps to Victory, Earns $18K Scholarship in American Legion Oratorical Contest
Patrick Junker of Waukee, Iowa, won The American Legion’s 82nd annual National Oratorical Contest in Indianapolis April 7. Photo by Lucas Carter/The American Legion
INDIANAPOLIS (April 7, 2019) – A junior from Van Meter High School in Iowa capped a busy weekend of competition in Indianapolis by earning an $18,000 college scholarship and first place in The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program – “A Constitutional Speech Contest.” Patrick Junker’s winning prepared oration was titled “The Spread of Constitutional Apathy and how to Quarantine it.”
Junker, who lives in Waukee, Iowa, started the weekend as one of 53 state or department champions in the 82nd annual contest. He advanced to the championship through three rounds of intense competition. Junker was sponsored by American Legion Post 403 in Van Meter.
Caleb Maue, a home-schooled junior from Homer Glen, Ill., earned a $16,000 college scholarship with a second place finish, while Eden Carnes, a home-schooled freshman from Friendsville, Tenn., earned a $14,000 scholarship and finished third. The scholarships account for a small portion of post-secondary scholarships that The American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans organization, awards annually.
In his prepared oration, Junker warned that apathy and ignorance about the U.S. Constitution can endanger freedom. “In a study done by the Freedom Forum Institute, 40 percent of the American survey respondents could not name a single freedom under the First Amendment. The question becomes this, ‘How can we fight and defend our rights if we don’t even know what those rights are?’”
Junker encouraged making education about the Constitution a priority. “We must not only teach students the Constitution, but we must also teach them the importance it has on our everyday life. We must teach them this importance in order to safeguard our future.”
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 2-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.
Weekly Reports – April 4, 2019
Weekly Reports – March 28, 2019
Weekly Reports – March 21, 2019
Weekly Reports – March 14, 2019
16th District Update
So far, it has been an exciting year for the 16th District.
As the largest District in the Department, membership is always a challenge but the Posts in the 16th District have welcomed the challenge and are on their way to meet and exceed their numbers for 2018-2019. I would like to give special mention to a couple Posts that have taken the membership challenge and have performed above and beyond expectations.
First, I would like to thank Post 46 who is at 187% as of February 14th. They have exceeded my expectation in growth, not only in membership but throughout the entire Tarpon Springs community by reaching out to the city government, churches, social groups, and schools. Post 46 has put their old nickname of “Ghost Post” behind them and transformed to a Post that is now considering expanding by creating both Sons of the American Legion and Auxiliary Charters. During this time of expansion, they have also started a Boys Scout Program.
Congratulations are also due to Dunedin Post 275 and Commander Sid Damsgard. Post 275 continues to grow, and they recently passed 101% membership this year while representing and promoting the Four Pillars in their community. Job well done Post 275!
Currently, the 16th District is in 3rd place in the Department. I am proud of all the hard work the Posts of the 16th District are doing in membership.
We are working hard to communicate with our Sons and Auxiliary on a monthly basis. The District staff has worked hard, participating in Staff Huddles at least once a month and meeting on Fridays for “Social Hours” at different Posts within the District. These events provide an opportunity for coordination of calendar events and fellowship. Our District Oratorical Winner is Joseph Corley from Post 79 and will be in the Central Area Contest on the 23rd of February at Cross Bayou Post 252.
The District has also been recognized in Social media on the Department and National stages. Our social media presence has increased by over 300% in the last eight months and is averaging 2,000 unique visitors each week.
In closing, it is with deep regret that I announce the passing of Commander Walter Hartshorne, long time Post Commander of Post 343 in New Port Richey, FL. Walter “Wally” Hartshorne was born in New York on January 23, 1930. He was an 89-year-old Korean War Army veteran and a 61-year member of the American Legion. He transferred from Post 1011 in New York City on October 23, 1993. RIP Wally!!
For God and Country,
Ray Perez
16th District Commander
Governor DeSantis Proclaims Women Veterans Recognition Week in Florida
TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis has designated the week of March 10-16, 2019 as Women Veterans Recognition Week in Florida. Women veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the veterans’ population. There are more than 144,000 women veterans in the Sunshine State.
For more information and resources for women veterans, visit http://floridavets.org/our-veterans/women-veterans/.