The American Legion Online Updates & Discussions

Mil Con, VA Appropriations Bill Earns Full Support of The American Legion

2009-07-10T13:07:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON (July 10, 2009) - The national commander of the nation’s largest veterans’ service organization expressed appreciation for the House’s passage of H.R. 3082, a bill that would greatly increase VA funding.
The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Appropriations for FY 2010, would provide $48.2 billion in advance appropriations for three VA medical accounts: Medical services; medical support and compliance; and medical facilities.
“This additional funding is an 8 percent increase compared to fiscal year 2010,” said National Commander David K. Rehbein. “There are many people in Congress to thank for this increase, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey and Subcommittee Chairman Chet Edwards. These members and this bill put veterans first and is a reminder that this nation cherishes the service and sacrifice of those who have worn the uniform.”
The bill, which also includes other provisions that The American Legion supports, provides an additional $4.4 billion for the Veterans Health Administration in 2010. It provides additional money for mental health services, homeless veterans and medical research. The bill includes funding for 28 new Vet Centers and 30 new Community Based Outpatient Clinics.
Overall, HR 3082 would provide $77.9 billion in discretionary spending for FY 2010, including money for the Global War on Terrorism. The House passed the bill Friday afternoon.

“There are many things to like in this bill,” Rehbein said. “It is pro-veteran and pro-military. I urge the Senate to follow suit and for the president to sign it.” Shortly after his election as National Commander, Rehbein testified before a joint session of the Veterans’ Affairs Committees and outlined The American Legion’s funding recommendations for FY 2010 and support for advance appropriations for VA medical care accounts. This bill would meet or exceed those recommendations.
“VA exists to fulfill its obligation to veterans. It is our position that we should let them.” Rehbein testified at the time. The Legion believes that if HR 3082 is made law, VA will be in a much stronger position to deliver quality service.
With a current membership of 2.6 million wartime veterans, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and the mentoring of youth. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation.
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Media contacts: Joe March or John Raughter (317) 630-1253 or Craig Roberts (202) 263-2982. A high resolution photo of Nat. Cmdr. Rehbein is available at www.legion.org.

Legion participates in Community Covenant program

2009-02-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Submitted by hsoria on Thu, 02/05/2009 - 7:37am.
Thursday, February 5, 2009

The American Legion announced its support Jan. 30 for the nationwide Community Covenant program, which fosters effective state and local partnerships that improve the quality of life for U.S. servicemembers and their families. Cities and towns pledge their support at signing ceremonies for military families with written covenants, which often have included specific programs and initiatives designed to make life easier for warriors and their loved ones.

Craig Whelden, a retired Army major general, leads the Community Covenant effort. He said the program began as an Army-only operation, but quickly expanded to include all branches of the armed forces - including reserves and the National Guard.

"We're in the seventh year of this war, and it's the longest war in our nation's history with an all-volunteer force," Whelden said. "So the secretary of the Army thought this would be an opportunity to engage the American public in their communities, and raise the level of visibility of the dedication and sacrifices of our servicemembers."

Whelden said the Community Covenant aims to inspire the leadership in cities, towns and states to conduct signing ceremonies that visibly demonstrate their support for military families. "It's an opportunity for the military to also thank the community for the support they provide."

Last year, 85 signing ceremonies took place at state capitols, fairgrounds, colleges, high schools, town halls and sports stadiums. They were often attended by mayors, members of Congress, governors, National Guard adjutants general and other military officials. Fifty-two additional ceremonies were conducted in communities near military installations across the United States, from Fort Lewis, Wash., to Fort Stewart, Ga. So far, 11 Community Covenant signings are scheduled for this year and dozens more are in the planning stages.

Whelden's organization has identified more than 1,500 "best practices," from national initiatives to local programs, that offer effective community support for troops and their families. For example, 35 states provide full tuition to military families for higher education. Many nonprofit organizations help military families with their financial needs, such as The American Legion's Temporary Financial Assistance program (for families with children who are minors). Other groups focus on assistance to children and youth who experience trauma and loss, such as the Legion-endorsed Operation Military Kids.

"I'm a Legionnaire," Whelden said. "And The American Legion seems to be a very good fit for the kind of support we're looking for. The Legion doesn't need to spend any money on this. We're just asking its members to help us with our outreach efforts to the mayors and other civic leaders in their communities."

While Community Covenant provides a basic text for documents that are signed, states and communities have added their own unique pledges, with specific references to programs and activities that will help them achieve their outreach to military families.

A sample covenant text reads, "We, the Community, recognize the commitment Soldiers and their Families are making every day. The strength of Soldiers comes from the strength of their Families. The strength of Families is supported by the strength of the Community. The strength of the Community comes from the support of Employers, Educators, Civic and Business Leaders, and it Citizens."

The Community Covenant Web site has a wealth of information, including a list of state and local "best practices," an event schedule, media and press coverage, and a step-by-step guide for organizing a community signing ceremony.

To see a slide show about the Community Covenant program and its Web site, click here.

VA clarifies voter registration policies

2008-10-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Thursday, October 9, 2008
Last month, VA clarified its policy on assisting veterans voter-registration activities, with particular focus on inpatients and residents of VA community living centers. State and local election officials and non-partisan groups are welcome at VA hospitals and outpatient clinics to help VA officials register voters. But such assistance must be coordinated by those facilities in order to avoid disruptions to patient care.

Peter Dougherty, VA's director for homeless veterans programs, said that VA was concerned about political candidates and their supporters, who would enter hospitals without reasonable notice, to register patients for voting. "That's not really fair to patients, it's really not fair to the health-care system, and we don't support partisan activities," Dougherty told the Online Update.

VA's policy requires that information about the rights of patients to register and vote, and other patients' rights, be posted in every VA hospital, and that patients be provided a copy of these rights when they are admitted to a facility.

"We're happy to work with county and city election officials on nonpartisan registration activities," Dougherty said. "If you want to come down and do a one-day registration drive, we'll work with you to make that available. We don't allow people to just sort of wander through patient-care rooms." He tells a story about one election official who tried, three times, to register a veteran at a VA hospital. "Finally, that veteran turned around and said, ‘For the third time, I don't want to talk to you,'" Dougherty said. "And we want to respect the right of that veteran not to get harassed."

Dougherty said that some people wanted to come into VA medical centers unannounced. "Under our policy, those people did not get what they wanted," he said. "Our requirement still says to notify us in advance, and give us some assurance that your activity is non-partisan."

Every VA hospital is now required to publish a written policy on voter assistance, allowing patients to leave the hospital to register and vote, subject to the opinions of their health-care providers. Patients unable to leave the facility must be assisted to register and to vote by absentee ballot.

In their written policies, VA hospitals are required to determine where, when and how voter registration activities will be conducted. They will also develop procedures to coordinate offers of assistance from state and local governments and from non-partisan organizations. VA's Regional Counsel offices will help to determine whether or not groups offering registration are non-partisan, as required by law.

Voluntary service program managers at each of VA's 153 hospitals will be responsible for implementing the new policy, and for providing timely and accurate voting information to patients. They will also obtain and maintain materials that are needed to assist veterans with voter-registration requirements.

The Veterans Voting Support Act (S. 3308), which would bolster federal protection of voter registration opportunities for all wounded veterans, is now pending in Congress.

Legion says "no" to The Veterans Corporation

2008-09-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

The American Legion has withdrawn its support for The Veterans Corporation (TVC), currently being investigated by Congress for misuse of funding. In a resolution passed at its 90th National Convention last month in Phoenix, the Legion said it "no longer supports the continuing initiatives or existence of the National Veterans Business Development Corporation" - TVC's official name.

Of the $1.4 million budget allotted to TVC for this fiscal year, the veterans centers in Boston and Flint, Mich., have received $30,000 apiece, and the veterans center in St. Louis has received $15,000.

Responding to the Legion's resolution, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., told the Online Update, "Given these recent developments, I don't blame The American Legion - a group that TVC was supposed to develop a key partnership with to help vet-owned businesses - for essentially giving TVC a vote of ‘no confidence.'" Kerry is chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which has been investigating TVC since March.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, ranking member of the committee, told the Online Update that "repeated attempts to gain access to documents and TVC employees have been met with delay and evasion. Despite these stonewalling tactics, we will do everything possible to ensure a full and complete investigation of TVC.

"The American Legion's resolution is indicative of the good will TVC has squandered within the veterans' community," Snowe said. "I hope that, in light of this resolution, TVC re-examines its course of action."

Recently, Kerry's committee has been forced to issue subpoenas to obtain many TVC documents for its investigation. Several TVC officers, including acting president John Madigan and former CEO Walt Blackwell, have hired an attorney, Andrew Herman, to represent them - with funds intended to support veterans centers across the country. Herman said Madigan and others have refused to hold informal conversations with the committee, despite guarantees that the talks would not be held under oath and that counsel would be present.

"The Veterans Corporation receives virtually all of its money from Congress," Kerry said. "But instead of spending this money to help foster the development of veteran-owned businesses, TVC is using taxpayers' dollars to pay for lawyers who will defend TVC's current and former executives against our committee's investigation. And now, they're hampering our bipartisan investigation by refusing to fully cooperate."

On Sept. 3, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship sent a letter to TVC Board Member Jeffrey Gault. It lamented TVC's lack of cooperation and said the only option available to the committee is "to subpoena (TVC officers and board members) for appearance at a congressional committee hearing, where they would be questioned under oath."

Signed by Kerry and Snowe, the letter goes on to say the "veterans centers TVC is supposed to support are in danger of closing due to lack of funding, but TVC staff is instead spending money on attorney's fees to ward off a congressional inquiry of TVC's activities."

"The Veterans Corporation's actions have reflected poorly on the distinguished principles and virtues of the American military and its retired heroes," Snowe said.

In Resolution No. 223, The American Legion says The Veterans Corporation "is no longer fully engaged in providing entrepreneurial education, services and advocacy to promote and foster successful veteran entrepreneurship within the veteran business community."

RELATED STORY

THE VETERANS CORPORATION

SENATE SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE

HOUSE SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE

South Carolina Legionnaires "Walk for Vets" on Sept. 11

2008-09-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

(Editor's Note: Are Legionnaires in your post or department organizing a Walk for Veterans, Freedom Walk, or other activity on Sept. 11? If so, let The American Legion Online Update know about it. Send us a story and some photos.)

The American Legion Department of South Carolina will step out for a 21-day Walk for Veterans on Sept. 11. The marathon walk will start on U.S. Highway 178 at the North and South Carolina state line, and finish at Battery Park in Charleston, S.C., on Oct. 4.

Legionnaires and other veteran supporters will follow a route that goes through 21 cities and towns with American Legion posts.

Department of South Carolina Commander James H. Holland said the walk has three purposes. "My goals are to raise the awareness of veterans in their communities and in South Carolina, to tell The American Legion story, and to raise funds for The American Legion Legacy Scholarship," he said. The Legacy Scholarship provides college funding to children of U.S. servicemembers who have died on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001.

More than 30,000 Legionnaires live in South Carolina, representing 190 posts. The state also claims more than 400,000 veterans in its population of about 4.3 million.

Similar walks, including a Freedom Walk in Washington, will take place across the nation Sept. 11. To participate in the South Carolina Walk for Veterans, contact Holland at (803) 260-2925.

AMERICAN LEGION DEPARTMENT OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Boys Nation convenes at Marymount University

2008-07-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

The 2008 session of American Legion Boys Nation got under way last week at Marymount University in Arlington, Va. The program officially began when 98 "senators" arrived July 18, representing 49 state programs. Three days later, they elected new leaders: President Joseph Riley of Tennessee, Vice President Dominick LoBraico of New Jersey, President Pro Tempore Joseph "Wells" Ellenberg of Georgia and Secretary of the Senate Travis Nordgaard of Minnesota.

"I've been interested in leadership and politics since I was about 6 or 7 years old," Riley said. "It feels pretty wonderful to be elected president of Boys Nation." In fourth grade, he had a map on his wall of the Electoral College, and closely followed the 2000 presidential election. "I actually predicted that it would come down to Michigan or Florida," he recalls.

Riley and LoBraico came up with a party platform that addressed key issues facing the nation. "One of the most important issues today is the economy," LoBraico said. "Our stand is to make sure that spending in Washington is more responsible, and to support industries and companies that don't outsource jobs."

LoBraico didn't plan to run for any office at Boys Nation, but he quickly made friends who formed the nucleus of a movement in his party to get him nominated and elected as vice president. "I'm grateful and amazed," LoBraico said. "It's a great feeling to see my party get behind me with their support."

LoBraico and Riley are both highly impressed with the quality of students who participated in Boys Nation this year. "It's good we have these young men from all over the country who really care about the issues facing our government," Riley said. "Sure, we debate over our differences, but then we get together as friends. There is so much argument between conservatives and liberals, we sometimes forget that practical solutions exist."

During their week-long stay, Boys Nation participants are visiting prominent sites in Washington; they have also met with senators from their home states, and discussed, debated and voted on hundreds of pieces of Boys Nation legislation.

American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser spoke to Boys Nation at Greenbelt American Legion Post 136 in Maryland on July 20. The next day, Conatser and the Legion's national chaplain, Elliott Foss, joined two Boys Nation senators to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns.

The American Legion started the program in 1946 to provide young men with a meaningful understanding of our nation's political process. Selection of participants is based on academic achievement, leadership potential and previous activities related to the Legion's Boys State program.

Since last Friday, Boys Nation senators have conducted their own party conventions, nominated candidates for office, heard them debate, and elected leaders. They also have attended a memorial service and visited war memorials at the National Mall. Other activities have included trips to the Iwo Jima Memorial and U.S. Supreme Court.

For more information and photos of the Boys Nation experience, visit their Web site.

BOYS NATION WEB SITE
TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS

PHOTOS OF WASHINGTON WAR MEMORIALS

MARINE CORPS WAR MEMORIAL

U.S. SUPREME COURT

Ohio offers in-state tuition

2008-07-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland signed an executive order July 8 that established The Ohio GI Promise, which changes Ohio's residence requirements to allow all veterans of the U.S. military, their spouses, and dependents who choose to attend Ohio colleges and universities, to do so at in-state tuition rates.

"Ohio's GI Promise is possible because of the renewed commitment to the GI Bill from Congress," Strickland told The American Legion Online Update. "In the same spirit of that renewed commitment, veterans from across this great country are welcome to attend any of our University System of Ohio schools at the same in-state tuition rate as Ohio residents."

Because the new GI Bill, known as the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, completely covers in-state tuition for public universities, the governor's action means that veterans can attend colleges in Ohio for free after they have been accepted.

The Ohio program comes on the heels of legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on June 30. The new GI Bill essentially doubles college benefits for eligible troops and veterans, and allows veterans to transfer those benefits to spouses and children.

Strickland said Ohioans "recognize and celebrate the sacrifices that all veterans have made in serving this country. We believe that these veterans and their families should have the greatest possible access to the benefits that they have earned."

Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut said veterans "bring maturity, motivation and leadership" to the classroom. "They are precisely the kind of students Ohio needs in its colleges and universities."

The Ohio Board of Regents will work with the American Council on Education (ACE) to certify all Ohio colleges and universities as "Servicemember Opportunity Colleges," allowing all college credit received during military service approved by ACE to transfer to any University System of Ohio institution.

OHIO COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY INFO

Feds need to follow up on business commitment to disabled vets

2008-07-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

Something's gone wrong with the federal mandate to use small businesses owned by disabled veterans. The law is on the books, but it's not being properly enforced. As a result, federal contractors are not creating many jobs for disabled veterans and their businesses. Instead, some federal agencies are using larger, more familiar companies that get the lion's share of contract money.
Joe Sharpe, deputy director of The American Legion's National Economic Commission, says that some agencies technically fulfill their requirements, but "when you really look at the fine print, these aren't contracts that you would consider to be veteran-owned. These contracts really don't produce many jobs for veterans."

For example, the Small Business Administration awarded about $100 million worth of contracts to disabled veterans in 2006. One contract for $300,000 went to one disabled veteran's small business, and $99 million went to a large company headed up by a disabled veteran. So an average of about $50 million was spent for each disabled veteran hired.

"The veterans community (didn't) see this agency as really meeting its goal," Sharpe says. "It's nothing really meaningful. And so there's a lot of disappointment about that."

In 1999, Congress enacted Public Law 106-50, the Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Business Program. This legislation created The Veterans Corporation (investigated by Congress for misuse of funding) and the Office of Veterans Business Development in the Small Business Administration. More importantly, the law required federal agencies to award no less than 3 percent of its prime contracting and subcontracting funds to service-disabled, veteran-owned businesses (SDVOBs).

The program got off to a rough start. From 2001 to 2003, a yearly average of 0.2 percent of federal contracting funds found their way to SDVOBs - embarassingly short of the program's goal. Instead of getting about $7 billion in contracts annually, disabled veterans and their businesses got an average of about $450 million.

Yet the program has some success stories, such as Charles Baker of Owings, Md. A disabled veteran, he is president and CEO of MCB Lighting & Electrical. Besides owning his own business, which has supplied lighting to many federal buildings in the Washington, D.C., area, Baker has also saved our government (and taxpayers) a lot of money - more than $1.2 billion. In 1994, he won a federal award for energy and water conservation.

"My passion is innovation, creativity, looking at processes and figuring out a better way to get it done," Baker says. Like Sharpe, he is unimpressed by the current process used to award business contracts to disabled veterans. He reminds us that the 3-percent requirement isn't just a goal. "We have a mandate that is not being enforced. We need to look at the process and how we can get from where we are now, to where we need to be.

"The problem is that if you aren't Lockheed Martin," Baker says, "if you don't have the brand, they don't think you have the capability or capacity." One weakness of the status quo, he explains, is that federal contracting offices have no training requirement when it comes to small businesses. In fact, such training didn't even exist for federal contractors until about three years ago.

Baker says federal agencies "have to do all other types of cost and pricing, all other types of requirements, but small business training is still not mandatory. It is an option."

Perhaps this is why Sharpe has noticed a lot of ignorance among contractors about Public Law 106-50. "It's disconcerting that the federal government's not making more of an effort to work with these (disabled veteran) small business owners," he says.

In fairness, Sharpe points out that many federal agencies don't realize that a mandate exists; they know nothing about the requirement to allot 3 percent of their contract funds to SDVOBs.

Baker says that some improvements are being made, and that new research tools and databases are becming available to federal agencies. "Every contracting officer needs the tools to help disabled service veterans to become viable, sustainable small business owners," he says. "If you're there and you're capable, then you should get the contract."

Best intentions aren't nearly as good as quantifiable results. While Congress passed a law to assist SDVOBs, enforcing it has been problematic. "There are a lot of good laws on the books, but there's nothing written into them about compliance and repercussions, which gives us the impression that these laws were just done to placate constituents," Sharpe says.

Supporting SDVOBs with federal business is not only good for veterans - it's good for the country. Investing in people pays dividends for the future. Yet agencies that could do the most good seem to balk at the prospect of awarding contracts to disabled veterans, who can deliver high-quality products or services on schedule and within budget.

"Why aren't we doing more to see to it that the servicemembers, who have put their lives on the line, are no longer dependent on government subsidies for the rest of their lives?" Sharpe asks.

Why, indeed? Until federal agencies adhere to the letter of the law on their obligations to SDVOBs, the current situation is summed up well by Baker: "Let's stop sending our young men and women off the cliff when they come back home, promising this pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that just is not there."

(Editor's Note: For additional comments from Charles Baker, click on the link below.)

CHARLES BAKER VIDEO INTERVIEW

President Bush signs Post-9/11 GI Bill

2008-07-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

President George Bush signed legislation June 30 that guarantees far greater educational benefits for veterans. The new GI Bill, officially named the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act, passed both houses of Congress earlier in the month. Starting in August 2009, veterans will be entitled to receive up to $90,000 over 36 months for college tuition, room and board.

"This legislation is a tribute to our system of government and those who labored to bring it to fulfillment," said Marty Conatser, national commander of The American Legion. "What a tremendous way to say ‘thank you' to our men and women serving so courageously in uniform."

Conatser said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi "worked relentlessly to develop consensus with the House, Senate and executive branch to bring this bill to fruition. Thanks in large part to her committed leadership, this momentous piece of legislation will resonate as a landmark in American history."

The American Legion, led by Past National Commander Harry Colmery, wrote the original GI Bill of Rights - the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. According to many historians, that legislation changed the course of U.S. history. A generation of heroes was able to attend college, join the middle class, achieve home ownership and live the American dream.

The current legislation, championed by Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., John Warner, R-Va., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., will provide more than $62 billion over 10 years in college funding for veterans. The new bill provides veterans who served in the military for at least three years full tuition at any in-state public college or university, along with monthly housing stipends and cash allowances for textbooks. Benefits can also be used at private schools.

Besides providing equality among active-duty, National Guard and reserve members, the bill eliminates the need for each servicemember to pay $1,200 as an "entry fee" for the benefits. Those who have paid into the current Montgomery GI Bill will not receive refunds, but they will qualify for the new GI Bill. Everyone who has served on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, will receive the new educational benefits.

"Legionnaires are especially grateful to Sen. Jim Webb for authoring the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act that led to today's new GI Bill," Conatser said. "His commitment and resolve to restore the kind of comprehensive educational benefits that our warriors deserve, and earned, never wavered."

The measure includes a provision that allows veterans who served at least 10 years to transfer some or all of their educational benefits to spouses or children. Servicemembers earn such transferability for their spouses after six years of active duty, and for their children after 10 years.

Conatser said that giving veterans "the resources they need to accomplish their mission, while providing them with a true GI Bill for the 21st century in a single piece of legislation, is truly an historic event that will benefit America for years to come."

To read a preview of "The Road to a Better GI Bill," which will appear in the August issue of The American Legion Magazine, click the link below.

THE ROAD TO A BETTER GI BILL

SEN. WEBB VIDEO INTERVIEW

WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL

Illegal immigration: We need a national dialogue

2008-07-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Crime, terrorism and dependency on scarce government dollars are some of the major reasons why the nation's largest veterans organization is concerned about illegal immigration. So concerned, in fact, that The American Legion today began a nationwide outreach to alert Americans to the dangers posed by illegal aliens and the government's reluctance to seriously address the issue.

Through a radio campaign, news releases from posts across the country, letters to newspaper editors and a concerted outreach to leading U.S. media personalities, at both the national and local levels, The American Legion offers a free booklet about illegal immigration that not only discusses the far-reaching problems it is causing but also provides a cogent strategy to address the issue.

"American Legion members have served in the U.S. Armed Forces throughout the world so that Americans can feel safe at home," National Commander Marty Conatser said. "We have seen Third World countries. We have seen poverty, political instability, disease and war. Today, we see the threat that open borders present to our homeland.

"With 14,000 posts and 2.7 million members, I am asking Legionnaires everywhere to start a national dialogue that needs to happen now. As a nation at war with operatives sworn to kill Americans, our government must shut down our open borders and take decisive action to address a crippling national problem."

The booklet, "A Strategy to Address Illegal Immigration in the United States," is available for download. A free hard copy can be requested by sending an e-mail to acy@legion.org. Conatser asks Legionnaires to obtain a media kit, visit radio stations, and tout the package of six 60-second radio spots that addresses various problems with illegal immigration and offers the booklet free to listeners.

"The American Legion is very much in support of legal immigration," Conatser added. "Indeed, the ancestors of countless Legionnaires immigrated here from around the world. However, we are a nation of laws, and since we all swore to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States when we donned our uniforms, we believe strongly that the security and sovereignty of our nation must be our highest priority through stringent enforcement of our immigration laws."

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

American Legion helps homeless vets

2008-07-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that between 150,000 and 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Over the course of a year, about twice as many veterans temporarily find themselves without a roof over their heads. By some credible estimates, veterans account for nearly one-fourth of all homeless people in the United States.

Most homeless veterans are single and male; about half suffer from substance abuse and/or mental health problems. One of three homeless veterans was stationed in a war zone, and two out of three served our country in uniform for at least three years. VA has become one of America's largest providers of homeless service, helping more than 100,000 veterans each year. VA also collaborates with community service providers, such as The American Legion, to expand its efforts even farther.

The American Legion coordinates a Homeless Veterans Task Force (HVTF) among its 55 departments worldwide. Its goal is to augment existing homeless veteran providers, including VA's Network Homeless Coordinators, and the Department of Labor's Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). The task force also attempts to fill in the gaps between programs.

Each Legion department contains an HVTF chairman and an employment chairman. These individuals coordinate activities with local Legion posts to help homeless veterans and prevent returning veterans from becoming homeless in the future.

With help from VA, Project Homeless Connect, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and DOL-VETS (Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service), the Legion has conducted training sessions on how to apply for federal grants in various assistance programs - most notably the "Stand Down" and "Grant and Per Diem" programs.

The American Legion wants to help such programs as a "force multiplier," enabling posts and homeless providers across the United States in their efforts to provide homes to veterans. "We may not have the job-specific expertise in the fields of social work and mental health," said Ron Chamrin, assistant director of the Legion's National Economic Commission, "but we do have a huge number of potential volunteers, with an impressive network of resources within their communities."

The American Legion augments homeless veteran providers with technical assistance, employment placement, employment referral, claims assistance, veterans' benefits assistance and - in some cases - housing for homeless veterans; it also provides transportation, food, clothing, cash and in-kind donations. In each Legion department, service officers help homeless veterans with VA compensation and pension claims, and are fierce advocates for ensuring that all VA benefits are made available to homeless veterans.

HVTF SLIDE SHOW

HVRP FACT SHEET

PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT

DOL-VETS

NAT'L COALITION FOR HOMELESS VETS

Join the debate!

2008-07-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

The American Legion and Military.com are teaming up to enable military and veteran voters to pose questions directly to U.S. presidential candidates this election year.
"Debate 2008" is an unprecedented opportunity for veterans, military retirees, off-duty service personnel and others to upload video questions onto the Web. About 44 million Americans belong to the veteran and military communities - almost a quarter of the overall voting population and more than a third of the number who voted in 2004, according to the Department of Defense. The best submissions will be answered on video by those who seek to become the next Commander-in-Chief.

Military.com, the nation's largest online military membership destination with more than 10 million members, is host of the "Debate 2008" Web site, where easy-to-follow instructions are provided for those who wish to upload questions. The site can also be accessed via The American Legion's Web site (see links below).

"This video forum is the first of its kind," American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser said. "Candidates and voters have no better opportunity to learn the highest election priorities of the military and veteran communities heading into November."

Questions must be nonpartisan in nature and directed to all candidates. They should not contain video that includes imagery of campaign materials. Members of the Armed Forces who wish to submit questions must do so while off duty, in compliance with the Hatch Act. Detailed guidelines appear online. Editors for Military.com and The American Legion Magazine will screen and select the videos.

The leading candidates from both major parties will be given equal opportunities to respond to selected video questions. The American Legion Magazine, which reaches nearly 4 million readers a month, plans to publish interviews in a forthcoming issue. Military.com will run the video questions and the candidates' answers on www.Military.com/presidential-debate. The deadline to upload videos for potential use in the interviews is June 15.

DEBATE 2008

Legion backs Petraeus on Iraq

2008-07-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Congress should give Gen. David Petraeus the tools he needs to succeed in Iraq, the head of The American Legion said April 9.

"Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador (Ryan) Crocker both testified that the coalition is making great progress in reducing violence in Iraq," National Commander Marty Conatser said. "I have been to Iraq and have met with Gen. Petraeus. He is a man of honor and is a widely respected expert on counterinsurgency. We will not be able to win a war on terror if we set aside the requests of our military experts in the name of partisan politics."

Conatser pointed out that delegates at the past three American Legion National Conventions have unanimously passed Resolution 169, a measure that supports the Global War on Terrorism.

"It would be unconscionable for Congress to have confirmed Gen. Petraeus as the commander in Iraq, authorized the operation there, and then pull the rug from under him by not giving him the troops and funding that he needs," Conatser said. "More than 4,000 Americans have died there. Every life is precious, but let us not diminish the cause that they died for by surrendering to terrorists, who would ravage the country if we withdrew prematurely."

During his testimony before the Senate, Petraeus recommended that, after the last surge brigade combat team is withdrawn in July, "a 45-day period of consolidation and evaluation" should precede any further troop reductions. "This approach does not allow establishment of a set withdrawal timetable. However, it does provide the flexibility those of us on the ground need to preserve the still-fragile security gains our troopers have fought (for) so far, and sacrifice so much to achieve," Petraeus said.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., asked Crocker if the mission in Iraq has made the United States more secure. The ambassador said, "First, in the little over a year that I have been in Iraq, we have seen a significant degradation of al-Qaeda's presence and its abilities. Al-Qaeda is our moral and strategic enemy. So, to the extent that al-Qaeda's capacities have been lessened in Iraq, and they have been significantly lessened, I do believe that makes America safer."

Conatser said that Crocker's testimony "made it clear that our troops in Iraq have made us safer here at home. We are fortunate enough to have outstanding men and women who are willing to put themselves in harm's way to protect us. Let's not jeopardize the safety of all Americans by not allowing our troops to do their jobs."

Congress should give Gen. David Petraeus the tools he needs to succeed in Iraq, the head of The American Legion said April 9.

"Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador (Ryan) Crocker both testified that the coalition is making great progress in reducing violence in Iraq," National Commander Marty Conatser said. "I have been to Iraq and have met with Gen. Petraeus. He is a man of honor and is a widely respected expert on counterinsurgency. We will not be able to win a war on terror if we set aside the requests of our military experts in the name of partisan politics."

Conatser pointed out that delegates at the past three American Legion National Conventions have unanimously passed Resolution 169, a measure that supports the Global War on Terrorism.

"It would be unconscionable for Congress to have confirmed Gen. Petraeus as the commander in Iraq, authorized the operation there, and then pull the rug from under him by not giving him the troops and funding that he needs," Conatser said. "More than 4,000 Americans have died there. Every life is precious, but let us not diminish the cause that they died for by surrendering to terrorists, who would ravage the country if we withdrew prematurely."

During his testimony before the Senate, Petraeus recommended that, after the last surge brigade combat team is withdrawn in July, "a 45-day period of consolidation and evaluation" should precede any further troop reductions. "This approach does not allow establishment of a set withdrawal timetable. However, it does provide the flexibility those of us on the ground need to preserve the still-fragile security gains our troopers have fought (for) so far, and sacrifice so much to achieve," Petraeus said.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., asked Crocker if the mission in Iraq has made the United States more secure. The ambassador said, "First, in the little over a year that I have been in Iraq, we have seen a significant degradation of al-Qaeda's presence and its abilities. Al-Qaeda is our moral and strategic enemy. So, to the extent that al-Qaeda's capacities have been lessened in Iraq, and they have been significantly lessened, I do believe that makes America safer."

Conatser said that Crocker's testimony "made it clear that our troops in Iraq have made us safer here at home. We are fortunate enough to have outstanding men and women who are willing to put themselves in harm's way to protect us. Let's not jeopardize the safety of all Americans by not allowing our troops to do their jobs."

PETRAEUS TESTIMONY

Legion helps Parkersburg tornado victims

2008-07-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

When a tornado devastated many homes last week in Parkersburg, Iowa, The American Legion's Department of Iowa immediately responded by securing emergency grants for storm victims. The local Legion post became a community center providing food and comfort to displaced residents, helped out by a department grant. Polk County American Legion members also began to collect clothing and supplies for beleaguered families who had lost everything to the tornado.

Neal Schrage, commander of American Legion Post 285, and the Parkersburg Legion family are working hard to give all the victims good meals and comfortable places to sleep. "It just goes to show that if you have a need, people will help," Schrage told a KCRG-TV reporter. "We have a big need here. And people are pouring in help from everywhere."

The day after the tornado hit, Iowa Department Adjutant John Derner toured the area to assess the damage and facilitate relief efforts. He was soon joined by Howard Hodson, the Legion's Third District commander in Iowa. He began to distribute applications to victims for relief money, provided by The American Legion's National Emergency Fund.

Post 285 is about the only large building left standing in Parkersburg, Derner says. It serves as the command post for FEMA, Red Cross, and Iowa State Patrol rescue and relief workers. The post also feeds about 4,000 people - at a cost of about $10,000 - per day.

"People go through the food line, get Emergency Fund applications, fill them out, and they're delivered to me," said Kathy Nees, programs director for the Department of Iowa in Des Moines. "I process the applications, send them to National Headquarters, and they send us checks." Those checks are then delivered to the folks in Parkersburg. As a matter of fact, National Headquarters has already sent $20,000 in grants and isn't done yet.

"As a matter of fact, some more checks just arrived today at 1 p.m. via FedEx," Nees told the Online Update in a June 3 phone interview. "They will soon be in the hands of people who need the money."

Besides financial help out of Indianapolis, the people of Parkerburg are getting material assistance from groups all over Iowa. For instance, American Legion Riders in Washington, Iowa, delivered a truck filled with supplies last week - including a Legion Riders motorcycle escort - and hand-delivered cash donations to Schrage. "Everybody has been coordinating efforts out of the state Legion headquarters," Nees said. "This whole American Legion of Iowa has really stepped up to the plate and helped out in every way - food, money, clothes, baby blankets, you name it."

Efforts are still underway to gather much-need supplies, especially for the Parkersburg American Legion Post, which has been converted into a disaster relief headquarters. Derner is asking Legionnaires for donations of cash, gasoline for generators, sheets, pillows, blankets, personal hygiene items, diapers, and powdered formula for babies.

While Post 285 feeds tornado victims, members of the Legion, Auxiliary, and Sons of the American Legion are working 24 hours a day to support and feed relief workers. Contact Kathy Nees, Department of Iowa, at knees@ialegion.org if your chapter or post would like to assist. Donations also can be made through the department by calling (800) 365-8387.

VIEW DEVASTATION IN PARKERSBURG SLIDE SHOW

Offensive art exhibit: Care to trample on Old Glory?

2008-07-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

A university student's controversial art exhibit left out one important variable: resistance from a determined Legionnaire.
Susan Crane, a 40-year-old education major at the University of Maine at Farmington, displayed a series of U.S. Flags last week on the floor of a student-center hallway.

"My purpose was to figure out how people felt about the flag and (I) gave them a choice to walk around it," she said.

Enter Vietnam War veteran Charles Bennett. The American Legion commander of Maine's District 4 tried to remove the flags from the floor, but university officials threatened to arrest him. Bennett held his ground as he stood in front of the flags, discouraging many students from stepping on them. Even so, some students chose to walk or stand upon Old Glory.

"I am protecting them," Bennett said of the flags. "I am stopping people from walking on them. It is against the law to put the flag on the floors."

While the U.S. Flag Code does not carry criminal penalties, flag-desecration laws were overturned by the Supreme Court's dubious Texas v. Johnson decision in 1989. The American Legion and the Citizens Flag Alliance have been working tirelessly ever since to pass a flag-protection amendment that would give Congress the authority to protect the U.S. Flag from desecration. The measure fell only one vote short of the needed two-thirds majority in 2006, the last time the Senate voted on it.

Currently, the proposed flag amendment sits in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., is the sponsor of H.J. Resolution 12, which is supported by The American Legion.

Back in Farmington, the offensive "art" exhibit has been removed before its intended deadline, not because of bad taste but because a local fire official deemed the display a safety hazard.

Click here for more information on the Flag Code

American Legion: Terrorist-rights ruling endangers U.S. military

2008-06-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

The nation's leading veterans organization reacted immediately to Thursday's Supreme Court ruling that foreign terrorists have U.S. constitutional rights. The ruling came as the result of a challenge by detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who want hearings in U.S. civilian courts.
"To suggest that foreign terrorists, who have never set foot in this country and respect no civilized laws, should enjoy the same rights under our Constitution as U.S. citizens," American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser said of today's 5-4 ruling, "must make America's founding fathers turn over in their graves."

Conatser pointed out that The American Legion has sent delegations to monitor activities, including detainee hearings, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "Two American Legion past national commanders have visited Camp Delta. They found that the detainees were humanely treated, well-fed and provided with medical care that surpasses what many veterans receive. We currently have a distinguished Legionnaire viewing hearings down at Guantanamo. As the deputy commanding general of Guantanamo told our Washington Legislative Conference, if the situation were reversed, these terrorists would define mercy as a knife blade on the back of the neck instead of the front."

Chief Justice John Roberts dissented in the decision. He wrote that the United States enacted "the most generous set of procedural protections ever afforded aliens detained by this country as enemy combatants." Justice Antonin Scalia joined the dissent, writing that the majority's decision "will make the war harder on us. It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed."

"The Supreme Court has made its ruling," Conatser said. "It seems that terrorists taken on foreign battlefields will now be entitled to lawyers at taxpayers' expense and all the other rights that American citizens enjoy. It would have been wonderful if the terrorists had treated Matt Maupin, the U.S. soldier captured and brutally murdered in Iraq, with the same respect. In fact, one of the men on trial, Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed is not only the alleged mastermind of 9/11 but is widely believed to have personally beheaded journalist Daniel Pearl."

Conatser said that The American Legion will look at various ways to protect America within the confines of the latest Supreme Court decision.

Click here for LEGION REPORT OF DECEMBER DETAINEE HEARING