November - American Legion

Transcription

Legionnaire
The Minnesota American Legion and Auxiliary
Riders still dominate Department discussion
Volume 96, Number 11
For God and Country
State’s ALR asks
DEC again for OK
of constitution
For the third Department Executive Committee meeting
in a row, the hot topic was the American Legion Riders.
In July, the DEC was made aware that it had never voted
on the Riders’ constitution which had been presented to the
committee a couple of years ago. In August, the DEC decided not to approve the Riders’ constitution because of liability issues brought forth by then Judge Advocate Don Walser
and Adjutant Randy Tesdahl.
Neither were at the recent meeting in Mahnomen –
Walser has retired and Tesdahl is out on sick leave – but the
issue was still on the front burner.
Scuffy Paulson, a Legionnaire from Rushford Post 94
and president of the Department’s Riders, gave the executive board a history lesson on the emergence of the Riders
in recent years.
The origin of the Riders was in Michigan, and it quickly
spread to other states including Minnesota. In 2010, the
state’s Riders began to work on a constitution in order to
establish a statewide organization. The Riders are considered by The American Legion as a post program.
It took many meeting to get the Riders to agree on a constitution. “It was a big deal to get all of us on the same
November 2014
National’s Sloan
says it’s a decision
for the Department
NATIONAL SPEAKER -- Assistant Director for
Internal Affairs Bill Sloan spoke at the Fall Conference
in Mahnomen. He said the Department of Minnesota
would have to make its own decision on American
Legion Riders state organization.
If the Department of Minnesota was looking for an easy
answer to its quandary over passing a constitution for the
American Legion Riders in the state, it didn’t get one from
Bill Sloan.
Sloan was the featured speaker at the Fall Conference,
and his subject was the Riders. Sloan is an assistant director of Internal Affairs in Indianapolis, and he is the resident
expert on the The American Legion Riders.
While he provided nearly two hours of information on
the Riders from his national perspective, he shied away
from addressing Minnesota’s problem specifically. “We
must let the Riders and the Departments figure this out for
themselves.”
In Minnesota, the Riders have proposed a constitution,
but the Department has not approved it mainly because of
liability issues.
“I know you have fears about liability and other things,
but you can work it out.”
Sloan noted that he has not received calls for help from
Minnesota in four or five years. “That’s an indication of
strong leadership in the Department and strong leadership
in the Riders.”
Leading candidate Barnett welcomes his third career opportunity
Continued on Page 2
Dale Barnett has had two careers and is about to embark
on another.
Barnett, the leading candidate for National Commander,
spoke at the Fall Conference in Mahnomen.
“I had no intention of having a career in the military,” he
said. “All I wanted to be was a high school teacher and
coach.”
But an appointment to West Point after high school
changed all that. After graduation and commissioning in
1974, he began a 22-year career in the Army.
Although he didn’t serve in Vietnam, he witnessed how
veterans were treated when they came home from that war.
“Shame on American society and shame on our history.”
He said veterans since then owe a lot to the Vietnam veterans who made sure that the country has never treated
returning soldiers and sailors in that way again.
Barnett served in the first Gulf War in mechanized
infantry unit and earned a Bronze Star. He retired in 1996 as
a lieutenant colonel and began his second career and first
love: high school teaching.
Barnett applied to teach in a very tough school in
Atlanta. “Now that was really a combat job.”
When he applied for the job, he was asked why someone
with no teaching experience would be qualified to teach in
such a challenging school. Barnett told of his Amy background. “And he recognized what a veteran can bring to the
job force.”
At the school he introduced both the Oratorical Contest
and Boys State as opportunities for the youth. He coached
various sports including cross country where his teams won
regional titles. He was named teacher of the year in 20052006 at his high school.
He retired from teaching in 2011, and next year he will
likely be elected the commander of the nation’s largest veterans group. “I’m now embarking on the capstone run of
my life.”
He said his theme would be the famous Army motto:
Duty, honor, country.
“All of us showed our duty by coming into the military
service — and now by being members of The American
Legion. We do so much to help veterans and their families.”
Honor, he said, was often represented in the military by
the uniform. “But now all we wear is our Legion cap. But
people recognize the Legion and respect what we do.”
And finally – country. “There’s no country I’d rather live
in than the United States of America, and I’m proud to say
that.” He said the Legion plays a key role in the nation as a
promoter of patriotism.
Bucky Bacaner
Merchant Marine
was just the first
of his adventures
Page 10
Continued on Page 2
LEADING CANDIDATE -- Georgia’s Dale Barnett
spoke at the Fall Conference.
Legion Day at ‘U’
hoops is Dec. 19
The annual Legion Family Day at the University of
Minnesota Gopher Men’s Basketball will be held Friday
evening, Dec. 19, in a game vs. the University of Seattle.
Tickets will be $20 for the event.
Prior to the game, The Department’s official color guard
from the Third District, will present the colors.
For more information or to order tickets contact Steve
Walter, ticket sales executive, at the University. His phone
is 612-626-1592. His email address is: [email protected].
Legion basketball fans can also order tickets online. For
the link, go to the Department of Minnesota website at
mnlegion.org.
The Gophers, the winners of last year’s National
Invitational Tournament, are coached by second-year mentor Richard Pitino. They are expected to have another
strong team this year with a blend of new recruits and players returning from the NIT championship team.
Riders back at DEC
Page 2
Minnesota Legionnaire
November 2014
Continued from Page 1
page,” Paulson said.
In a 2012 DEC meeting the constitution was accepted,
but never acted upon. Many of the Riders considered it a
done deal, and Paulson said that then Department
Commander Don Pankake indicated to the Riders that the
constitution was in place.
But when Paulson went back at one point to get a copy
of the constitution, he said he was told by the Department
that it didn’t exist.
Paulson reminded the DEC that the Minnesota Riders
had raised $87,000 this year for the Legacy Scholarship
Fund, the most by any Department in the nation. “We do
everything as volunteers. Everything we do is on our own
dime. We don’t want a penny.”
Paulson reiterated that the constitution gave the Riders a
state level organization that allowed them to have meetings
and plan events.
Rick Oelschlager, the Riders liaison with the Department
last year, addressed the liability issue which seems to be the
sticking point. It had been brought up in August that recognizing the Riders at a state level could provide legal ties that
could lead to lawsuits involving the Department. If it was a
post program that would not happen.
At that meeting, Walser also said the cost of insuring a
Riders’ run might be cost-prohibitive. Oelschlager disagreed. “That information was very erroneous. If it was not
false, it was at least misleading.”
He pointed out that every Rider has personal motorcycle
insurance, plus, he said, it would only cost about $150 to
$200 to insure a ride.
Past Fourth District Commander Bird Partridge said that
if the Riders’ have the answers to the liability issues, then
he had no problem with a state constitution.
Commander Peggy Moon noted that a half day was to be
spent the following day at the Fall Conference with Bill
Sloan, assistant director National’s Internal Affairs division
talking about the Riders. “We’ll find out tomorrow if we
can co-exist.”
Paulson said again that the Riders are a post program,
but are only seeking a constitution to coordinate statewide
activities, such as runs and raffles. He said the lack of action
on the constitution has left a “bad taste” with many Riders.
“They will leave you just as fast as they came,” he said.
“I beg you to reconsider our constitution.”
Moon said again that the Riders are one of the Legion’s
most important programs in terms of fund raising, membership and visibility. In other business, the DEC:
-- Heard from Membership Director Pat Logan that
Minnesota has been ranked first in the nation in membership for the past two months. Using the baseball theme for
membership, he said, “Now we need to keep this going the
entire nine innings and not just the first two innings.” He
said there would be a revitalization Dec. 2-5 for the 10th
District in Osseo and volunteers were needed. He also said
there would be “interleague” play between the 4th and 5th
District in a membership challenge coming up.
-- Convention Corporation President Phil Bellefieulle
said that a questionnaire is being distributed seeking information and thoughts on upcoming meetings. The questionnaire is on the home page of the Legion’s website: mnlegion.org.
-- Was presented a fiscal year report by Treasurer
Richard Horn. The Department finished the 2013-14 year
with a net gain of $32,333. Horn said the loss in membership dues was the biggest problem facing the Department,
and that more income will have to come from revenue
enhancement programs. For the coming year, the estimated
revenue for the Department will be $1.21 million and the
estimated expense will be $1.206 million.
Resolution 35 guides
Legion Rider program
FROM RESOLUTION 35 AS VOTED ON BY THE
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE
AMERICAN LEGION ON OCTOBER 17-18, 2007
AND AMENDED BY RESOLUTION 32 BY THE
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE
AMERICAN LEGION ON MAY 4-5, 2011
All American Legion Rider groups must be a program supported by a Post or Department of The
American Legion and shall uphold the declared principles of The American Legion as well as conform to and
abide by the regulations and decisions of the
Department, Post or other duly constituted Department
governing body.
The following guidelines are recommended for The
ALR program of The American Legion:
All members of The American Legion Riders shall
be current members of The American Legion, American
Legion Auxiliary or Sons of The American Legion
Each ALR member shall establish and maintain
membership by owning, individually or through marriage, a motorcycle licensed and insured as required by
state law
ALR programs may allow for continued membership
for those members who have given up motorcycle ownership because of age, illness, injury, or other reasons
outside the member’s control
All ALR members shall strive to maintain the image
of The American Legion, at all times upholding The
American Legion name and emblem, which symbolizes
the integrity and principles of this great organization
All The ALR groups shall avoid the perception of
being a “motorcycle club” or biker club”
The only recognized The American Legion Rider
logo is that which is copyrighted and sold through The
American Legion National Emblem sales
All Members will obey the motorcycle laws of their
state
No use of rockers with the ALR patch because
touching the patch violates trademark laws of the ALR
patch
Sponsoring organization (Post and Department) will
review liability insurance coverage to ensure that adequate coverage is available to cover the organization to
include coverage for any specific special riding events.
American Legion Rider groups shall abide by The
American Legion Constitution and By-laws as well as
the established Post and Department directives.
The American Legion National Headquarters and the
respective Departments shall maintain general oversight of ALR Program as regards to proper use of the
name and emblem of The American Legion, ALR and
The American Legion Legacy Run, and compliance
with the National Constitution and By-Laws of The
American Legion.
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Sloan
Continued from Page 1
He pointed to Resolution 35, first passed by the National
Executive Committee in 2007, as the official stance on the
Riders. It says, he noted, that Riders are “a program supported by a post or department.”
Sloan pointed to the fact that all of the guidelines in
Resolution 35 are recommendations and not requirements.
“We didn’t want to be too specific.”
He said around the country issues have arisen about who
can be a member, how big a motorcycle they must own, are
volunteers okay, can you allow males spouses of female
Riders, and what to do about Riders who are getting too old
to ride.
All chapters, he said, must align with a post, much like
the Sons of the American Legion. The Auxiliary is a completely different case, though, because they are a separate
organization. If a post folds, the SAL and Riders must fold
also, but an Auxiliary unit may continue.
In what may be a key element for Minnesota, Sloan said
that across the nation, Riders are trending away from having constitutions, and, instead, are using “standard operating procedures” or other kinds statewide organizational
documents that don’t have the legal weight or legal problems of a constitution.
All Riders groups are expected to make monthly reports
to the posts on finances and activities in order to satisfy the
legal demands of trademark laws. The post, he said, maintains authority over the Riders and can remove officers,
install officers, and approve bylaws. The post must be a signatory on all Rider chapter checks.
Insurance varies widely across the country, Sloan said. “I
don’t have much advice to give you. It’s different in all 50
states.” He recommended going to the agent who handles
the post insurance and talking to him about Riders liability,
and how to cover that liability and provide event coverage.
Sloan concluded by saying that at the beginning, many
thought the Riders would be a “flash in the pan.”
“A lot of people expected the Riders to fall on their face.
But they’ve just been growing and growing and growing. A
lot of people are getting more involved in Legion programs
because of the Riders.”
National Commander Candidate Dale Barnett, who was
attending the conference, also had high praise for the
Riders. “They have brought us out of the post home and
into the community. They are very visible and have been a
great success.
“I think this organization is much better because we have
Legion Riders. They’re here to stay.”
Sloan also talked about the Legacy Scholarship Fund
which was created to give scholarships to the children of
military killed after 9-11. He said that the Riders have been
so successful in raising money for the scholarship (currently about $8 million) that there has been some talk of capping the fund.
He also noted that there is a federal program, the Fry
Scholarship, that is very similar to the Legion Legacy
Scholarship.
Sloan said the national Legion “is examining other ways
we can help active duty personnel and their dependents.”
He said it would probably be years before that decision
would be made.
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November 2014
Milbrath endorsed for Vice Cdr.
Commander for 2 years.
At his home Post, he is a
Past Commander, a member
of the Executive Board for
12 years, and a member of
the Color Guard for 15
years. For the Post, he also
served as Service Officer,
Adjutant,
2nd
Vice
Commander, and 1st Vice
Commander. Currently, he
is the Post’s Finance
Officer.
In the Third District, he
was District Commander
for 2010-2011, and served
the District as a Vice
Commander
and
as
Membership
Director.
Currently, he is the
Chairperson
for
the
Children
and
Youth
Committee.
At the Department he
was appointed to serve on
the
Brain
Science
Foundation, and currently
appointed
to
the
Legionnaire
Insurance
Trust Program.
He served 3 years active
duty in the Navy on the
U.S.S. Kitty Hawk Aircraft
Carrier CVA-63 from 196265.
Milbrath worked his way
through Mankato State
College and received a B.S.
degree
in
Business
Administration and a Minor
in Sociology.
He has three children
and two grandsons. His
wife Rita is a member of the
Auxiliary Unit at Post 311.
JOHN MILBRATH
10th District seeks help for revitalization
The 10th district will be holding a District revitalization,
December 2-5. Working with the National organization, the
district will be contacting at-large members, form the
national lists that have not been released to the Department,
along with veterans who have never joined The American
Legion.
The scope of the revitalization will be all of suburban
Hennepin County, Anoka County, and the city of Otsego, in
Wright County.
“We are looking for our fellow legionnaire’s help, in
staging this effort,” said Membership Director Bill Johnson.
“Our primary need is people who are willing to contact
prospects, to be assigned to a local post in the area. You
will need a cell phone and a charger. We will have prepared
scripts for you to use.
“We also will need people to do correct contact, by either
dropping off literature, or talking to prospective member
personally. If you are uncomfortable doing this, don’t be
afraid to volunteer. We will find a job for you.”
Volunteers can also take back valuable information to
show the other Districts in the Department how it is done.
“Talking to members of the 4th and 5th Districts, it went
so well they plan to do another one in March,” Johnson
said.
If you would like to join in this effort, contact Bill
Johnson at 763-424-2229, or by email Johnson at
[email protected]. You can also mail him at: 10404
Yorktown LN, Maple Grove, MN 55369. Please include
what dates and times you are available for Wednesday and
Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
There will be a training session on Tuesday afternoon, on
Dec. 2.
A Chistmas gift
for the reader in
your family
Give the gift of Minnesota
military history to your loved
one.
War Stories II
has 35 stories about
Minnesota veterans and
over 300 pictures.
To order simply go to
www.mnlegion.org. Credit
cards accepted.
Or use the blank below.
Mail to: Books
Room 300A
20 West 12th Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
Name__________________________ Phone____________
Address__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Please send me _____ copy(ies) of War Stories Volume II
Cost is $29 per book. Includes shipping and handling.
Please send me _____ copy(ies) of War Stories Volume I
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Page 3
Minneapolis VA
accredited for pain
rehab program
Endorsements
John W. Milbrath was
endorsed by Elysian Post
311 for the position of
Department
Vice
Commander for the First
District and Third District
American
Legion
Department of Minnesota
for the year 2015-2016.
Milbrath is a paid up for
life member of The
American Legion, a dual
member of the Sons of the
American Legion, a member of the VFW Post 1562
in Faribault and a member
of the 40/8 of Voiture
Locale 281 in Mankato.
At the county level,
Milbrath is currently the
County Commander for Le
Sueur County Council, and
served
as
a
Vice
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation
Facilities (CARF) International announced that the
Minneapolis VA Health Care System’s Chronic Pain
Rehabilitation Program (CPRP) has been accredited
for the maximum accreditation period of three years.
It is the only chronic pain program in Minnesota to
be CARF accredited.
“This is an important acknowledgment from an
independent organization that our Veterans are receiving high quality pain care,” said Michael Armstrong,
MD, Chief of the Minneapolis VA’s Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation Service.
The Minneapolis VA’s CPRP began in early 2014,
serving veterans throughout a six state area. To date,
12 veterans have successfully completed the program.
The program provides an intensive, interdisciplinary four-week outpatient treatment program for
Veterans with chronic pain. The program focuses on
improving the quality of life and functioning of the
whole person – not just the site(s) of pain. This is done
by addressing all of the factors that are impacted by
chronic pain like complex physical functioning, mood,
work, leisure/hobby activities, and relationships.
Working with a team of pain specialists (physicians,
psychologists, pharmacists, nurses, physical therapists,
occupational therapists and recreational therapists),
participants join others with chronic pain to learn
about and practice skills to achieve greater control
over their pain and their life when a cure isn't possible.
Throughout the group-based program, various types
of treatments and therapies are presented to help each
participant improve self-management of their pain
symptoms and return to a more active and fulfilling
life.
CARF International is an independent, nonprofit
accrediting body whose mission is to promote the
quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services
through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement services that center on enhancing
the lives of the persons served.
Page 4
November 2014
COMMANDER’S
COLUMN
By Peggy Moon
Happy November. Time is sure going by fast.
We have all just returned from our 2014 American
Legion Department of Minnesota Fall Conference, and
what a wonderful turnout we had. Thank you, everyone, for
taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this conference. I’m sure you learned a lot about all of our programs, and are as excited as I am to see them to fruition.
Thank you to Irvin Blix American Legion Post, Unit, and
Squadron 16 for all the hard work and dedication you gave
to deliver to us a very well run event. The registration went
exceptionally smooth thanks to all of your volunteers. If I
had any issues that cropped up along the way, Conference
Chairman Denise Milton took care of them immediately. I
couldn’t have asked for more.
Our one snag in the entire event was that Department
Adjutant Randy Tesdahl and Department Service Officer
Tom Newman were unable to join us. Unfortunately,
Randy fell the week before, obviously trying to maneuver
some type of fancy fishing experiment, and broke some
ribs. We missed you, Randy, and hope you are starting to
heal. Our prayers are with Peggy, who I know is by your
side. Tom and his wife welcomed their daughter, Savanah,
into the world, and he was needed at home.
Congratulations, Tom, to you and your wife as you enjoy
this new chapter in your life.
Jeremy Wolfsteller, our Assistant Department Service
Officer, along with Al Zdon, our Communications Director,
did a remarkable job filling in for both of you. They were
constantly at my side throughout the conference, and I
appreciated their support. It reinforced my admiration of
our entire Department staff.
We were honored to have the leading candidate for
Mail Call
VA Staff dedication
To the Editor:
It was interesting to read the Legionnaire Editorial titled
“Legion must also be supporter of VA” (October 2014) and
its emphasis on the value of a caring VA staff in the provision of quality health care for Veterans.
In my travels throughout the U.S. visiting VA health care
facilities as a member of the Legion’s System Worth Saving
Task Force, I found real dedication by VA staff in providing
excellent and compassionate service to Veterans and their
families. The competency of Physicians and other staff
members is very high and each of the VA facilities is fully
accredited by the national health care inspection teams from
the Joint Commission and other national health care review
bodies which also review private facilities. In addition,
most VA Medical Centers are closely affiliated with a
Medical School that watches carefully the quality of services provided by VA as a training ground for their physicians.
I believe the VA has some problems with access to the
system as evidenced by the findings related to scheduling of
Veterans for care. These problems are mostly related to the
success of the system in delivering care that is respected
and sought by Veterans. Since the mid 1990’s, the veterans
cared for in the VA System has risen from 3.5 million veterans cared for to almost 9 million today. If the system is
so broken and poor in quality, why is there such a demand
to receive care at VA facilities?
The question then arises, why do veterans seek care in
the VA? Health care, perhaps more than any other business
or industry is care delivered by people. The care deliverers
must be highly qualified but also must be committed to
proper and compassionate care of those who have honorably served this country. With very few exceptions, this is
the case in the VA, and most veterans know it.
In addition to the qualified, committed staff at VA facilities, each medical facility has volunteers that support the
caregivers and provide a very valuable service in so many
different ways. Many of the volunteers are veterans themselves who have received care in VA facilities and want to
help their comrades return to good health. Members of veteran’s service organizations such as the Legion and its valuable Auxiliary members are heavily involved in helping as
volunteers as are other community organizations and individuals. You don’t often find this same connection and
commitment to veterans in the private health care sector.
Lastly, but very important is the help one veteran patient
gives to his or her fellow veteran patient. I have seen over
National Commander, 2015-2016, Dale Barnett of Georgia
with us the entire time. He is a West Point graduate, and
very involved in our American Legion Programs. He delivered a stirring speech Saturday morning, and we can rest
assured that we will have great leadership next year.
We also had a very insightful presentation from Bill
Sloan from our National Staff concerning The American
Legion Riders. I believe he helped ease some concerns, and
gave us some direction in how to proceed with this most
valuable program. Thank you to all The American Legion
Riders for attending this session. It was very impressive to
see you all there and want to be a part of our future.
As I mention our future - this is November, and once
again we return to the polls to elect our own political leadership. Please make sure you understand the issues concerning our troops, our veterans, our families, and our communities. Be active in your community, and offer assistance
to those that may require transportation to the voting
precincts. Also, thank you to all who volunteer to work at
the polls assisting us in this process. I know it’s a long day,
and we appreciate your committment.
During the first week of December, the 10th District will
be conducting a revitalization, and are asking for our help.
Please contact their Membership Director, Bill Johnson, for
details. This is a great opportunity to learn how you can
help your district grow as well.
For those of you that are keeping track of my mileage I am now up to 11,023 miles. It’s been a wonderful month
of membership dinners, deer hunting experiences, another
trip to Indianapolis, and many, many committee meetings.
I’ve learned so much about our wonderful programs, and all
the volunteer work it takes to institute them. However, on
top of the mileage, I have also had to replace one of my
tires. It seems we ran over a rebar in a parking lot, and the
darn thing was completely unrepairable. One brand-spanking new tire is now ready for recycling. After a few hours
at the dealership, I was back on the road. Let’s pray that’s
the only thing that will need repair this next year.
I want to wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving.
This is probably my favorite holiday of the year. It’s a time
when we stop what we’re doing, and count all the blessings
we have in our life. I’m sure as you reflect over this last
year, you will be able to be thankful for so many friendships
and special occasions. Carl and I are especially excited
about the birth of our sixth grandchild, a girl, who is expected about that time. She’s actually due December 1, but our
daughter has a tendency to deliver early. Oh well, more
about that next month. Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy
each other.
and over the veteran patient help another veteran patient in
the dining hall, in the rehab clinic, in recreational activities
and in numerous other ways. The veteran patient supports
his/her fellow veteran patient as they did while in the military service itself. They rarely lose that comradery and
desire to protect their fellow service member whether in
combat or in a medical care setting. You will rarely find
that same sense of support and caring of one veteran for
another in a private facility.
Without going into a discussion of the many successes of
the VA health care system in providing excellent care, it is
still the people that make the system work. Staff, volunteers and the veteran patients themselves make it happen.
Tom Mullon
Eagan
Just Doubletalk
To the Editor:
Re: Your editorial “Legion must also be a supporter of
the VA.”
The editorial is nothing but doubletalk. The truth always
hurts. You should ask for a contribution from the VA.
The VA (people who work there) cover for each other
and are doing a hell of a job doing so.
My word and theirs are completely different.
Robert Mellema
Aitkin
Marine in jail
To the editor:
A Marine with at least two tours in Iraq is in jail in
Mexico and where is The American Legion. We should be
on every news media outlet complaining about the treatment of this Marine. Our Legionnaire Magazine should
have been full of letters asking what the legion was going
to do about this travesty. I have been a member of the
Legion for 41 years and for the first time I am ashamed of
the Legion. We write great stories about World War One,
Two and Korea . Where are the stories about the Gulf War,
Iraq and Afghanistan? Look around your post where are the
young Solders, Airmen, Sailors and Marines? We worry
about the way the VA is treating us. What about the way
they are treating these young soldiers? A good way to start
would to start raising hell about this Young Marine being
held in Mexico. Maybe if they thought we cared about
them, they would join the Legion.
John Finnegan
Wadena
Chaplain’s
Corner
By
Steve Klinkner
Recently I attended the American Legion Chaplains
Conference in Indianapolis. My wife and I toured the
American Legion Headquarters and met The American
Legion National Commander Mike Helm in his office. He
shared information about the veteran memorial parks, monuments, museums and historical buildings near the Legion
Headquarters that we could visit during our stay. There is
endearing pride shown for our veterans.
The Chaplains Conference was very informative with 26
State Chaplains in attendance. The theme for this year is
“For God and Country.” The focus is getting “God and
Country” back into our schools and communities. From my
point of view, I think the politicians have forgotten “God
and Country.” They are advocating to remove “God” from
the Pledge of Allegiance. Remember when we used to say
the Pledge of Allegiance before we started school each day
and before games? We the people of America have to speak
up to our congressmen to remember where our daily freedom came from – “God and Country.”
I read an article in an old 1990 Minnesota farm paper
one day after I returned from Indianapolis and it read like
this: Eight year old Jimmy was busy drawing a picture. His
mother was looking over his shoulder and asked “Jimmy,
what are you drawing?” “I am drawing a picture of God”
responded the enthusiastic artist. “But nobody has ever seen
God” his mother replied. “They will when I have finished!”
exclaimed Jimmy.
What kind of a picture of God are you drawing? How big
is our God? Is he still alive? One of our astronauts, flying
far out in space, said that he could not help but believe in a
great God, who, he believed, created and organized such an
indescribable universe.
It is good, at times, to ask ourselves some questions, like
is God really necessary in my life? We live in a day of selfsufficiency. Many have called it a materialistic age. We recognize and are grateful for the great discoveries of science.
Man is a marvelous creature, but he has his limitations.
Many of us have grown weary of those “God is dead” and
“the Church has served its day” articles. Much of this that
we have read has been coming from those who are not willing to pay the price of letting God really live in their lives.
What do these messengers of a new way offer in the place
of God and the faith that the Church has contributed
through out the centuries?
In the rear window of a car I saw going to a Legion
Department rally one day read “My God is alive, I’m sorry
if yours is dead”. He is alive for I saw him today at a church
dinner where a little baby was sitting next to his mother, his
God is alive.
I also received an article with a very good message from
my friend, Don Amundson, former Department Chaplain.
In 1954, The American Legion sponsored a series of network TV broadcasts called “Back to God.” On one of those
telecasts, President Dwight Eisenhower appeared from the
White House and thanked The American Legion for urging
Americans to acknowledge God in their daily lives. Then
the President said, “As a former soldier, I am delighted that
our Veterans are sponsoring a movement to increase our
awareness of God in our daily lives. In battle, they (the veterans) learned a great truth, that there are no atheists in the
foxholes.” Can you imagine this happening today?
The Minnesota
Legionnaire
Official Publication of and Owned Exclusively by
The American Legion, Department of Minnesota
Al Zdon, Editor
First published in 1920 as the Hennepin County Legionnaire,
the Minnesota Legionnaire is now in its 95th year of publication. It is published monthly by The American Legion,
Department of Minnesota, Room 300A, 20 West 12th Street,
St. Paul, MN 55155-2000. Periodicals postage is paid at St.
Paul, MN, and at additional mailing offices. The Legionnaire
is a member of the Minnesota Newspaper Association and
the National American Legion Press Association.
SUBSCRIPTION: $10 for non-members. Members receive
the Legionnaire as part of their dues.
PHONE: 651-291-1800, 866-259-9163, FAX: 651-291-1057
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The American
Legion, 20 W. 12th Street, St. Paul, MN, 55155-2000. (USPS
No. 013-679.) (ISSN No. 1644270)
ADVERTISING RATES: Contact Al Zdon, 651-291-1800
E-MAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.mnlegion.org
BOARD OF PUBLICATION MEMBERS: President Peggy
Moon, St. Paul; Vice President, Don Amundson, Blue Earth;
Bob Locker, Fridley; Secretary Randy Tesdahl, St. Francis;
Treasurer, Richard Horn, Melrose. Board Members include:
Clinton Burt, Slayton; Joe Bayer, Minneapolis; Pat Logan,
Bloomington; Virgil Persing, Columbia Heights; Chris
Ronning, Maple Grove; Sandy Fredrickson, Glenville.
What’s Happening
Remember the vets
Pepitos Parkway Theater will have a three-day event on
Veterans Day weekend honoring three wars. On Sunday,
Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. there will be a salute to Vietnam veterans
with a showing of the documentary “Beyond the Divide.”
There will be speakers from the Vietnam era. Tickets are $5.
On Monday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m. the Korean War vets
will be honored with a showing of Pork Chop Hill. Free
Admission.
On Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 6:30 p.m. World War II veterans
will be honored with war guests and a showing of “Why We
Fight.” Free admission. For more information, call 612822-2104.
Camp LeJeune Eligibility
Veterans who served at Camp Lejeune for at least 30
days may be entitled to VA Care as “Category 6” veterans.
The conditions eligible are similar to Agent Orange conditions. Family members may also be eligible for benefits.
For
more
information,
go
to
this
link:
www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/camp-lejeune/.
Festa Italiana Salute
Festa Italiana MN will salute veterans on Sunday, Nov.
9, from 2-6 p.m. at DeGideo’s Restaurant and Bar in St.
Paul. There will be a presentation on Minnesota Italians in
the military. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
There will be Italian buffet, silent auction, wall of wine, and
a raffle for a USS Arizona flag. For more information, call
651-765-1813. Proceeds go to area charities.
Military Appreciation Dinner
The 6th annual Military Appreciation Dinner will be
held Friday, Nov. 7, from 6-9 p.m. at Trinity Evangelical
Free Church in Lakeville. The program will highlight
Vietnam Vets. There will be dinner, entertainment and
prizes for each veteran and one guest. Reservations are
required: www.lakevilleyellowribbon.org.
Drop-in Legal Clinic
There will be a Drop-in Legal Clinic on Tuesday, Nov.
Taps
Balfanz, William, 68, Navy veteran of the Vietnam War,
died Sept. 24, 2014. He served in the military for 26 years.
He was a member of Champlin Post 600.
DeCeault, Joseph, 94, Army veteran of World War II,
died Oct. 12, 2014. He was a member of Park Rapids Post
212.
Proudfoot, William R., 88, Navy veteran of World War
II, died Oct. 9, 2014. He served in the Armed Guard,
defending Allied merchant ships. He was a member of Park
Rapids Post 212.
Minnick, Michael, 58, Marine Corps veteran of the
Vietnam War, died Oct. 7. 2014. He was a member of
Marshall Post 113.
Olson, Eugene, 84, Navy veteran of the Korean War,
died Sept. 23, 2014. He was a member of Willmar Post 167.
Maurer, Kenneth J., 86, Army veteran of the Korean
War, died Sept. 19, 2014. He served in the 82nd Airborne
and made 15 jumps. He was a member of Rice Post 473.
Anderson, Loring, 83, Army veteran of the Korean
War, died Sept. 22, 2014. He served in France. He was a
member of Princeton Post 216.
Jacobson, Henry, 89, Army veteran of World War II,
died recently. He served in the infantry in the South Pacific.
He was a member of Tyler Post 185.
Reker, Milo, 93, Merchant Marine veteran of World War
II, died Oct. 4, 2014. He was a member of Round Lake Post
461.
Hanson, Harold L. “Stub,” 102, Navy veteran of World
War II, died Sept. 22, 2014. He was a member of Blue Earth
Post 89.
Miller, Larry A., 60, Army veteran of the Vietnam War,
died Sept. 21, 2014. He was a member of Albert Lea Post
56.
Beaver, Phillip, 83, Navy veteran of the Korean War,
died Sept. 17, 2014. He was a member of Albert Lea Post
56.
Peterson, Merlin S., 77, Army veteran of the Vietnam
War, died Sept. 9, 2014. He was a member of Albert Lea
Post 56.
Flicek, Ralph Roman, 88, Army veteran of World War
II, died Oct. 4, 2014. He was a member of Lonsdale Post
586.
Moser, Robert Fred, 81, Army veteran of the Korean
War, died Sept. 18, 2014. He was a member of Hayfield
Post 330.
Severson, Calmer LuAllen, 79, Marine Corps veteran
of the Korean War, died Sept. 28, 2014. He was a member
of Hayfield Post 330.
18, at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis from 9 a.m. to
2 p.m. The clinic will feature housing, employment, benefits, expungement, debt collection, and family law. There
will be attorneys and Minnesota Assistance Council for
Veterans staff. The Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ceresi law
firm is a sponsor. For more information, call Sara
Sommarstrom at 651-224-0292.
Round Tables
The St. Croix Valley Civil War Round Table will meet on
Nov. 24 and the subject will be “Bugling in the Civil War”
with bugler Bill Crowder. The dininer meetings are held at
the Lowell Inn in Stillwater. For more information, call
Steve Anderson at 715-386-1268.
The Scott Hosier Veterans Round Table in rochester will
feature “German POW Camps at Algona, Owatonna and
Whitewater,” with Leon Swendsen, Gerry Ganfield, Earl
Timm and Betty Peterson. The program will be on Monday,
Nov. 10, at the Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester.
Admission is $5.
The World War II Round Table at Fort Snelling will meet
on Thursday, Nov. 13, with the Harold C. Deutsch Lecture.
Speaking will be Douglas Waller, author of “Wild Bill
Donovan.” He will present a profile of Donovan and a
review of some of the OSS operations.
The program will be at 7 p.m. at the Fort Snelling
History Center. Admission is $5.
AFSC open house
The Armed Forces Service Center will have an open
house and dedication ceremony on Monday, Nov. 10, from
10 a.m. until noon at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport in Lindbergh Terminal 1.
The program will be at 10:30 a.m. and will dedicate the
MSP Airport Veterans Celebration Wall. Speakers will
include Jeff Hamiel of the MSP Commission, Carl Madden
of the AFSC and LTC Larry Walzer of the Marine Corps.
RSVP by Nov. 5 by calling 612-726-9156. Attire is business casual or service uniform. Parking has been arranged
in short-term parking.
McGraw, Rolland J., 83, Navy veteran of the Korean
War, died Sept. 29, 2014. He was a medic. He was post
adjutant and finance officer for Franklin Post 308.
Higgins, Edward Jr., 83, Army veteran of the Korean
War, died Sept. 26, 2014. He was a member of Eyota Post
551.
Byrne, Donald, 90, Army veteran of World War II, died
Sept. 10, 2014. He served in the Philippines and knew the
future president of that nation, Ferdinand Marcos. He was a
member of Millerville Post 527.
Miller, Merwin S., 87, Navy veteran of World War II,
died Sept. 6, 2014. He was a member of Elysian Post 311.
Scheer, Verlin Harold, 65, Air Force veteran of the
Vietnam War, died Sept. 29. He was a member of Wood
Lake Post 556.
Staples, Kenneth Arthur, 87, Army veteran of the
Korean War, died Sept. 8, 2014. He was a member of
Champlin Post 600.
Berghuis, William H., 100, Army Air Corps veteran of
World War II, died Sept. 25, 2014. He served in the 15th Air
Force and flew 51 missions in Europe. He earned several
Air Medals. He was a member of Edgerton Post 42.
Bressem, Richard, 75, Army veteran of the Vietnam
War, died Sept. 22, 2014. He was a member of Pequot
Lakes Post 49.
Brekke, Raymond G., 88, Air Force veteran of the
Korean War. He was a member of Faribault Post 43.
Korff, William D., 91, Navy veteran of World War II,
died Sept. 23, 2014. He was a chief petty officer and trained
as a sonar man and to be an officer. He was a post commander of Faribault Post 43.
Shotwell, Peggy, 81, Navy veteran of the Korean War,
died Sept. 25, 2014. She was a member of Park Rapids Post
212.
Terwey, Erwin “Ike,” 85, Army veteran of the Korean
War, died Sept. 23, 2014. He was a member of St. Joseph
Post 328.
Teich, Douglas Roy, 67, Army veteran of the Vietnam
War, died Oct. 3, 2014. He was a member of Pine City Post
51.
Lewis, Jim, 82, Air Force veteran of the Korean War,
died Oct. 2, 2014. He served in the 440th Signal Company
in the Fifth Air Force in Japan and Korea. He was a member of Hayfield Post 330.
Braun, Brad A., 61, Air Force veteran of the Vietnam
War, died Sept. 15, 2014. He was membership director of
Clear Lake Post 354.
November 2014
Page 5
Veteran Photos Sought
Minnesota and Wisconsin communties with an
Associated Bank outlet will be creating a display of veterans and active duty military personnel in uniform. The photos will be on display. The different branches in each state
will be competing against each other for the best display,
and $2,500 will be awarded to the post in the city that wins.
Veterans Day in St. Cloud
The St. Cloud Metropolitan Veterans Council will help
sponsor the 8th annual Veterans Day Parade on Sunday,
Nov. 9. It will begin on the west side of the St. Cloud VA
Medical Center, proceed across 44th Street and end at
Apollo High School.
The parade will be at 1 p.m.
The council will also sponsor a Veterans Day Program at
1:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 in Building 8 (Auditorium) at the St.
Cloud VA. Jeremy Wolfsteller, the Department of
Minnesota Assistant Service Office, will provide the
keynote address.
Veterans and the public are welcome.
Wolfsteller given Jaycee
award for young Minnesotan
Jeremy Wolfsteller, the Assistant Department Service
Officer for the Department of Minnesota, has been recognized with the Minnesota Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young
Minnesotans Award.
Wolfsteller is a combat-wounded veteran who works
with other veterans at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.
He was presented his award at a recent meeting of the
Hopkins City Council.
He qualifies as an entrant into the Ten Outstanding
Young Americans award.
The award has been given out in Minnesota since 1951
and it recognizes the efforts of young adults who have contributed to our state through service, thought and influence,
community involvement or entreprenuership.
Those awarded the TYOM through the years include
Walter Mondale, Dave Winfield, Tim Penny, Paul Douglas,
Wheelock Whitney and Al Zdon.
Veterans 4
Veterans grants
$5,000 to Shop
Ship and Share
At the October Minnesota Veterans 4 Veterans
Trust Fund monthly meeting, a grant for $5,000 was
awarded to the American Legion Fourth District
Department of Minnesota. It was approved by the
eight member board of directors to support their
“Shop, Ship, and Share” program.
The mission of the Shop, Ship and Share program
is to bring a piece of home to the brave men and
women serving in the battlefields across the world. It
is felt that this program is extremely important, especially during the holidays when the stress of being
deployed can be a fatal distraction.
The program sends donated items not readily
available to our service members who will be spending the December holidays away from family and
friends.
Further information on how you can help on this
program can be obtained by contacting the American
Legion
4th
District
Adjutant
at
[email protected]
or
at
http://www.mnlegion.org/html/state_info_htm
The Minnesota Veterans 4 Veterans ( V4V ) Trust
Fund is a 501c(19) non-profit organization established as the result of the 2006 sale of Lake
Minnetonka Big Island Disabled Veterans Camp. The
non-profit organization has eight board members, two
veterans each who are appointed by the DAV, VFW,
MOPH, and American Legion. The board oversees
the funds from the sale of the island to the City of
Orono and has a grant application process on their
website. Grants are made to organizations serving
MN veterans in a way that conforms to the criteria the
V4V
has
documented
online
at
their
website.....Website: mnv4v.org
Page 6
November 2014
District Commanders
FIRST
DISTRICT
Myron Ehrich
Commander
Greetings from the Big Red First.
This month is Veteran Day's-Nov 11th. Let us honor
those that have served, those that are in active duty at this
time and the families of these dedicated veterans.
In observance of Veteran's Day, I will be attending the
Triton Public School Veteran's Day program with other military veterans.
On September 27th, I had the privilege to go to Camp
Ripley for the district commander outing. The weather was
great and I had a good time with other district commanders.
In November, American Education week is observed.
Let us say thank you to our wonderful teachers.
I can not forget the Marine Corp Birthday on Nov 10th.
Happy Birthday to my fellow Marines.
As always, keep our Service Personal in your prayers.
God Bless the USA.
SECOND
DISTRICT
Jennifer Kafka
Commander
More than one a day. That is how many members of our
active-duty military, National Guard and Reserve forces
have committed suicide over the last year. Simply put, we
are losing more service members by their own hands than
we are by the enemies at hand. Only those who experienced
firsthand the horrors of combat can understand why most of
these young men and women feel compelled to take such
drastic and permanent measures. As Veterans Day ceremonies and parades occur throughout the country, it is
important that we commit ourselves to do everything possible to prevent these needless and tragic deaths. We are their
friends, their family, their co-workers and their neighbors. It
is up to us to ensure that every veteran feels that his or her
service to this country is appreciated by their fellow
Americans. There are many tangible ways that we can
acknowledge their sacrifice, but the easiest is to simply say,
“Thank you for what you have done for our country.” If a
veteran is showing signs of unhappiness or depression,
encourage him to seek help through the VA immediately. If
there is difficulty obtaining the benefits that veterans are
entitled to, let them know that The American Legion has
thousands of trained service officers nationwide that will
help navigate the bureaucracy free of charge. And if that
veteran has made the supreme sacrifice, remember the price
that has been paid for our freedom and offer your support to
the loved ones left behind. But Veterans Day is a time to
honor not just those who have fought for us in battle, but, in
fact, all of the outstanding men and women who served in
our nation’s Armed Forces since our founding more than
239 years ago. Not all veterans have seen war, but a common bond that they share is an oath in which they expressed
their willingness to die defending this nation.
THIRD
DISTRICT
Duane Anderson
Commander
Greetings from the Thundering 3rd.
Another busy month for the Commander of the 3rd
District. Seems like the time to write another newsletter
approaches way too rapidly. The days are getting much
shorter rapidly and the colorful leaves are steadily falling to
the ground with hints of colder days to come.
Last month I attended several membership meetings and
or dinners throughout the district. These included
Morristown Post 149, New Prague Post 45, Lonsdale Post
586, Chaska Post 57 and Elysian Post 311.
The last week of September I was able to attend the
annual organizational meeting of the National Security and
Foreign Relations Committee held at Camp Ripley. This
was an informative meeting that included getting a tour of
Camp Ripley and being able to spend some time getting to
know the other district commanders from around the state.
The 3rd District also organized and conducted the annual appreciation dinner to honor our County Veterans Service
Officers and Post Service Officers. On October 6th, Vice
Commander James Entinger held a membership rally at
Silver Lake Post 141.
The rally was rather well attended but the training seminar that was to follow was canceled due to lack of participation. I will close by wishing all veterans a memorable
Veterans Day and may you be able to participate with other
Veterans and friends on a day set aside to honor you.
Embrace Change/Maintain Mission.
FIFTH
DISTRICT
Wayne Glanton
Commander
Greetings from the Fighting Fifth.
Being the commander of the Fifth District has be very
rewarding and busy. I looking forward to the rest of the year
being very enjoyable. I went with the group on the VA hospital visitation on the first Sunday of the month. We had a
group of 18 Legionnaires. We gave out needed supplies that
they wanted. Our most popular item was playing cards.
Some of our group are getting ready to go to the Fall
Conference slated to be in Mahnomen at the Shooting Star
Casino sponsored by Bagley Post 16. This should be a
enjoyable Conference.
This year the Commanders project is a recliner chair
with wheels for the VA Hospital. The head nurse said that
this is very much needed and will help them to move
patients more easily. There’s a new program to pay up for
life with a $100 discount. Check it out. It is a good deal for
us. No more dues. For more information call 800-433-3318.
Now is the time to start planning your Christmas
Program and New Year Party.
The American legion is for veterans, their family, and
community. Keep up your good work. God bless The
American Legion, America and our friends.
SIXTH
DISTRICT
Carl Moon
Commander
On October 4th our District hosted the Annual 6th and
9th District Rally at Cross Lakes-Fifty Lakes Post.
Ownership of the infamous "Leg" was at stake. For those
of you who do not know about the "Leg" it is awarded to the
District with the lowest percent membership turn-in for the
week preceding the rally and is given to help motivate that
District to "get a leg up" on membership. I was unable to
attend the Rally, due to work, but our posts, my stand-in
Vice Commander Dewayne Collins, and our Membership
Director Jim Lucas, did an outstanding job. Needless to say
"Thank You 9th District" for keeping that "thing" for another year. I also want to thank Mel Buesseler, Department
Vice Commander for the 6th & 9th, for putting the Rally
together.
The Department Fall Conference will have come and
gone by the time you are reading this article. I have been
looking forward to seeing everyone especially my fellow
District Commanders. There should be lots of good
Information to take back to our District Posts and I want to
encourage everyone in attendance to discuss the topics presented and get our members Invigorated about our programs and get them Involved. I know there will be issues
that we all will not agree upon, but we must remember to do
what is best for our fellow Veterans and our Organization.
Veteran's Day is fast approaching. Please keep our veterans, especially those on Active Duty and those who are
Homeless , in your prayers. I want to wish those Posts having Veteran's Day Programs success and thank you for your
continued service to our Veterans.
Commander Peggy and I also want to wish everyone a
very happy Thanksgiving.
SEVENTH
DISTRICT
Victor Gades
Commander
Greetings.
By the time you read this, you all should have participated in one of our greatest freedoms -- the right to vote in
a free election, a right that our forefathers handed down to
us and one that we have fought and died for. On Veterans
Day let’s not forget the sacrifices that many men and
women have worked and sometimes given their lives for.
November is the month that my home Post has its Post
Everlasting Service during the regular meeting; it is one
meeting that I hate to miss. Make a point to be present when
your Post performs this ceremony. Those that have passed
deserve your attendance.
As I attend other Post meetings and functions, it is amazing how the smaller Posts have such a large percentage of
members involved in day to day operations of their Posts.
They ask how many members at my larger Post attend
meetings and are involved with Post activities. This question is asked many times and I have to say that many larger
Posts have the same number of members at the meetings as
the smaller Posts have. Here is where we need to improve
at all Posts. We need to be involved and active. Let’s get
our organization out before the community. Let the people
know what we stand for -- how your Post and the Posts with
Auxiliary Units and Sons Squads work together to make an
impact on their communities with their activities. They certainly are proof that working together we can make a difference.
Membership at the District level is meeting the goal percentages. We still have posts that are lagging behind. Let’s
get out and get those members renewed and new members
signed up.
Have a good Thanksgiving and pray for our troops that
cannot be with their families.
EIGHTH
DISTRICT
Wilson Spence
Commander
Greetings from the Great Arrowhead 8th District of the
Minnesota American Legion.
The Eight District is very fortunate to have so many
agencies helping veterans. There are two VA Community
Based Outpatient Clinics; a Minnesota Veterans Home; one
of three Vet Centers in Minnesota; a MACV center; and
several highly qualified County and Tribal Veterans Service
Officers. We would like the entire state to know the concern we have for our Nations veterans in this Eight District
of The American Legion.
This month we go to the polls and cast our ballots for the
people to lead our country by making laws that affect all of
us. There is no one else who have earned the right to vote
more than the veteran who has sworn an oath to defend and
protect this great country. We veterans have earned the
right and have an obligation to partake of that right.
Veterans vote.
Opportunity for the members of the 8th District members exists. After the smoke clears and the legislators have
been elected, get to know them. Speak to them about issues
affecting veterans. One issue to be discussed affects veteran’s funerals. The funding has been cut for active duty servicemen attending the funeral of a deceased veteran. The
veterans of the 8th District will be directly affected. The
dignity needed at a veteran’s funeral is being hindered by
the lack of funding. We need to talk to our legislators and
have the budget reinstated.
Membership is a responsibility of each member all we
have to do is ask. Membership in The American Legion is
a power.
TENTH
DISTRICT
Tom Sanders
Commander
Greetings American Legion Family.
As I write this months article I want to tell the "Legion
Family" that this month rememberence of all who served
and all that have paid the ultimate price for our freedom will
never be forgotten. Remembering our Veterans on Veterans
Day comes special for me. My father served in Korea 1950
to 1952 and now rests with God. He like many other veterans never spoke about his experience while he served. It
wouldn’t be until years later that I would learn that my
father had seen things that were not worth mentioning.
My Dad never showed signs of PTSD. He I think was
very strong at heart and family kept him sane. We see some
of our veterans coming back that are struggling with their
experiences away from home. There are progams to help
with these veterans and "Helping Paws" is the 10th Districts
Family project this year and as projects go we need financial support from donations. I hope the "Blue Cappers" out
there can help support our combined project and want to
thank the ones that have already gave us support.
November 15th the 10th District will have a Rally hosted by the Monticello Post #260 at 2 p.m. I’m hoping for a
huge "turnout and turn in" of membership and new rally
goers. We our getting close to the end of the year and we
know by past history it will be getting tougher to get those
memberships in.
As I have in the past and will continue to do in the future
I thank all you who have served or are still serving and are
supporting our troops today. Caps off to you. For God and
Country
Notes from the Fall Conference
November 2014
Service members honored
SSG TODD TURNER
TSGT MICHAEL JOHNSON
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT JAMES E. GIBSON
NS/FR featured speaker
Sons of The
American Legion
By
Dennis Henkemeyer
Later this week the Detachment of Minnesota will be
conducting its annual Fall Conference in Mahnomen,
Minnesota. I am really excited about getting together with
my fellow SAL members, enjoying their friendship and
learning more about this great organization of ours.
Something that I have learned over the last couple of
years is that you are never too old to learn. Our detachment
officers and committeemen are well qualified to talk about
the programs of our organization and I am sure that each
member will be able to take much of this information home
and share it with their respective squadrons.
The annual John Zgoda Memorial Deer Hunt for
Disabled Veterans was a huge success. Three of the four
hunters bagged a deer and enjoyed a number of great meals.
The weather on Friday was not for the weak hearted like the
detachment commander, but we did have a number of SAL
members and hunters that braved the weather and went into
the woods that afternoon.
Thanks so much to co-chairmen Dave Vulcan, Bill Stein
and Steve Bilderback. Plans are in the making for increasing the amount of hunters next year, subject to DNR
approval.
The donations for the Minneapolis Fisher House are
coming in very well at this time. Hopefully, we will see a
lot of donations being made at the fall conference.
If you are not familiar with the Fisher House, please dig
out your August issue of The American Legion Magazine.
Matt Grills wrote a great article that I am sure that you
would enjoy.
The membership program is going very well under the
leadership of Detachment Membership Director Paul
Spyhalski. Paul has laid out a program which is going to
take us to an all time high in membership for 2015. I have
no idea where he came up with the idea, but the program
has a Navy theme.
Together, let’s propel to the top!
MSGT BRYCE HANSON
The
Department’s
National Security and
Foreign
Relations
Committee presented its
awards for outstanding
Guard and Reserve service members at the Fall
Conference.
-- SSG John Angelo,
Army National Guard, St.
Paul.
-- SSG Todd Turner Army
National Guard, Sauk
Centre.
-- MSGT Bryce Hanson,
Air National Guard,
Glencoe.
-- SGT Clay Rich, Marine
Corps Reserve, Apple
Valley.
-- PS1 Jessica Mayberry,
Naval
Reserve,
Rosemount.
-TSGT
Michael
Johnson,
Air
Force
Reserve, Lakeville.
The 2014 Fall Conference was held at
the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen,
sponsored by Bagley Post 16.
Conference highlights included:
-- Minnesota Department of Veterans
Affairs Acting Deputy Brad Lindsey said
that the state’s $50 reimbursement for military funerals has not changed. Federal
funding has been cut back.
-- Assistant Department Service Officer
Jeremy Wolfsteller gave a report on the
Rehabilitation Committee. He said that the
new $1 million entryway into the
Minneapolis VA Medical Center was complete. He said the money from the project
did not come from patient care funds. An
expansion of the center’s emergency
department is now underway.
-- Several Legionnaires described how
they go about recruiting students for Boys
State. Jim Copher, Mound, said the Boys
State volunteers at the post need to go
down to the school and meet the principal
and counselors. Bert Marth, New Ulm,
said it was important that seniors who had
been to the Boys State talk to potential juniors. Larry Pocrnich, Hibbing, said it was
important to start early, and that last year’s
Boys Staters can alleviate the concerns of
the new boys. Ken Meyer of Pequot Lakes
said they have a pizza party at the post for
all applicants and their parents. Lee
Tallackson of St. Louis Park said it wasn’t
unusual for the boys to pay their own way
if the post runs out of funding.
-- Legionville Camp Manager Roy
Kruger gave a history of Legionville
through the years, and the construction of
the new educational facility. He said the
camp is forging a new partnership with
AAA of Minnesota. He said the alumni
programs, where students come back for a
second year, were growing. It was
announced that Bloomington Post was
donating $22,000 to Legionville.
-- Al Davis, Princeton, gave two reports
on baseball. He said Legion baseball has
excellent name recognition in the public
Page 7
and provides a positive image to the public.
He noted that with the high school baseball
season expanding, the Legion season is now
down to about 35 days. He also gave a
report on this past year’s Legion Baseball
accomplishments.
-- Tess Davis, Princeton, described how
to do an application for the Oratorical
Contest. She said that home schoolers and
Catholic schoolers were becoming an
increasingly strong part of the program.
-- Public Relations Committee Member
Jennifer Havlick, Two Harbors, stressed the
importance of getting the word out. “If people don’t know who we are and what we do,
then it’s on us.” She described how to build
a website. “It’s better not to have a website
than to have one that’s never updated.”
-- Phil Bellefieulle, Callaway, said bids
were awarded to Marshall for the Fall
Conference in 2016 and Willmar for the Fall
Conference in 2017. Next year’s convention
will be in Redwood Falls, and the Fall
Conference will be in Pequot Lakes.
-- Jerry Whitcomb, Kimball Post 261,
was named the Legion’s Volunteer of the
Year.
-- Bob Stephenson of Founding Fathers
Brewery gave an update on the agreement
between the Legion and the beer company.
He said it was important for Legionnaires to
convince their bar managers to try the beer.
-- Buffalo Post 270 presented a check of
$10,000 for Legionville. It was the third
installment of a $30,000 pledge.
-- Bill Barbknecht, Underwood, said
everyone should sign up for the LIT free
AD&D policy. The phone number is 800235-6943.
-- Membership Director Pat Logan said
District 6 was in first place overall in membership, and District 2 was ahead in the
Kaisersatt Derby.
-- Chief Master Sergeant James Gibson
gave the Saturday military speech on the Air
Guard in North Dakota and the use of
drones.
Legion launches new media campaign
A letter has been distributed from National Adjutant
Dan Wheeler advising
about a new American
Legion media campaign.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The American Legion is
launching a national awareness campaign to raise
funds to help our organization assist veterans, their
families, young people and
communities.
The first installment of
that campaign will focus on
the mental health needs of
veterans, particularly those
who are battling the signature wounds of today’s war
era: PTSD and traumatic
brain injury (TBI).
Because these messages
will air nationally and
before audiences that may
be unfamiliar with The
American Legion and its
services, you may receive
calls, visits and other correspondences from veterans
in need, or their families.
If the request is routine,
please handle as you usually would, as being a service
organization.
If the need is urgent,
refer the veteran or family
member to a VA emergency
support service, such as:
• Suicide prevention hotline: 800-273-8255, press 1.
•
Texting
service:
838255
• Online chat service:
www.VeteransCrisisLine.ne
t
If a veteran comes to you
or your post as a result of
the message, please be welcoming and helpful.
Offer him or her the
services of the nearest
accredited
American
Legion service officer, who
can easily be found online
at www.legion.org/serviceofficers or connect the veteran to local resources
through your post service
officer or other members.
Please feel free to con-
tact
Chuck
Krupa,
Managing Director of NonMember Fundraising at
317-860-3030
or
[email protected] if you
have any further questions.
DANIEL S. WHEELER
National Adjutant
As reported at the fall
meetings, The American
Legion is launching a
national awareness campaign to raise funds to help
our organization assist veterans, their families, young
people and communities.
The first installment of that
campaign will focus on the
mental health needs of veterans, particularly those
who are battling the signature wounds of today’s war
era: PTSD and traumatic
brain injury (TBI).
The campaign will
launch
beginning
on
Tuesday of this week in various national networks and
time slots.
Membership Chart
District
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
At-large
Totals
As of Oct. 15, 2014
2015
Goal
9,976
8,110
12,486
2,554
2,959
12,698
7,245
4,768
7,443
11,243
2,340
81,822
Total
2014
9,918
8,026
12,421
2,530
2,936
12,627
7,167
4,727
7,378
11,189
2,338
81,257
Total
2015
6,807
5,543
8,810
1,786
2,035
8,944
4,937
3,192
5,048
7,845
1,804
56,571
Percent
of Goal
68.23
68.47
70.56
69.93
68.77
70.44
68.14
66.95
67.82
69.78
57.12
65.55
Same
Date ’13
Page 8
November 2014
Fall
Conference at
Mahnomen
V4V Board Member Marland Ronning presented a check for $20,000 from V4V to the Auxiliary for the Gift Shop program. Marland’s wife, Chris Ronning, Auxiliary president, thought the donation was going to be for $10,000. Department Commander Peggy Moon helped out in the presentation.
Legionnaires filled the conference room at Shooting Star Casino.
The Big Three were introduced to the conference
goers during the Grand March on Friday night. From
left: President Chris Ronning, SAL Commander
Dennis Henkemeyer, and Commander Peggy Moon.
Bloomington Post 550 presented a check for $22,000
for Legionville, Commander Moon’s project for the
year. Presenting was Paul Hassing, a member of the
post.
Scuffy Paulson of the Rushford Post 84, president of
the American Legion Riders in Minnesota, made his
case before the Department Executive Committee
why the ALR’s constitution should be approved.
Floyd Kumerow of Lamberton was named the SAL’s
Legionnaire of the Year. Presenting were
Commanders Moon and Henkemeyer.
SAL Commander Dennis Henkemeyer addressed the
Fall Conference at Mahnomen.
Buffalo presented a check for $10,000 for Legionville,
the third of three installments. Presenting for the post
were Bruce Kottom and Bonnie Hanson.
November 2014
Auxiliary butterflies adorned the stage during the annual membership skit. From left are Junior Honorary
President Jules Efta, President Chris Ronning, First Vice President Sandy Fredrickson and Second Vice
President Carol Kottom.
Two future butterflies waited to emerge from their cocoons. Carol Kottom and
Sandy Fredrickson spread their wings later.
Auxiliary Membership Chairman Judy Ackerman was
the butterfly keeper.
Honorary Junior President Jules Efta spoke to the
Legionnaires at Mahnomen.
Page 9
Jerry Whitcomb of Kimball won the Volunteer of the
Year Award from Operation Post Home. Accepting
was Tess Davis, who nominated him. Presenting were
Commander Moon and Chairman Denise Milton.
Minnesota supported National Commander Candidate Dale Barnett with a check to
defray campaign costs. Presenting was National Executive Committeeman Ray
DeZurik and Commander Peggy Moon.
Fall Conference Chair Person Denise Milton
addressed the conferees.
Membership Director Pat Logan led the audience in a
rendition of “Take me out to the Ballgame.”
Auxiliary President Chris Ronning came down the
hallway to speak to the Legion session.
Northwest Division Vice President Lori Skallerud from
Madison spoke to the Legionnaires.
Merchant
Marine was
just the first of
his adventures
Page 10
B
November 2014
By Al Zdon
ucky Bacaner has had one of those lives from
which great stories abound.
A tough kid from Chicago’s west side, his resume
includes Merchant Marine duty in World War II, bringing
holocaust survivors to Palestine through the British blockade after the war, and a long stint as a researcher at the
University of Minnesota where he invented a drug that not
only saved the life of a president, but also the movie character ET.
It all started in Chicago. “You had to be tough to grow
up there during the Depression,” he said.
Marvin Bacaner was born in 1923 to Jacob and Minie
Bacaner. His father was a Jewish immigrant from Russia
who was drafted into the Russian Army in 1914 to fight in
World War II.
“My father always said he felt more danger from the
anti-Semites in his own army than the enemy.” Finally one
day, Jacob Bacaner threw away his weapon and his cap,
pulled his pants outside his boots and simply walked away
from the army. He made his way to America and settled in
Chicago where his brother lived.
The elder Bacaner learned English from reading the
newspapers and listening to the radio, and he managed to
get a position selling insurance. “We were very fortunate
that my father had a good job. He took care of our family
and the whole extended family.”
The Chicago neighborhood was filled with different ethnic groups. “It was a very tough neighborhood and full of
anti-Semites. Sometimes you had to get into a couple of
fights just coming home from school.”
Bacaner was big and athletic, and few people picked on
him. During the eighth grade, he saw a flier advertising
boxing lessons from Benny Leonard, the former lightweight
champion of the world and one of the greatest boxers of all
time.
“Benny told me I was pretty good, and got me going in
Golden Gloves. I won the Midwest Division in my class.
Benny said I was good enough to turn pro, but I told him
that wasn’t in my plans.”
One of Bacaner’s biggest challenges, though, was a
bully at school. “I asked him why he hated Jews, and he
said because the Jews killed Christ. I said, well that happened 2,000 years ago, and he said, ‘Yeah, but I just found
out about it.’ ”
One day while Bacaner was in the bathroom standing at
a urinal, the bully cold-cocked him from behind and left
him stunned on the lavatory floor.
“We had this thing in school called giving someone ‘the
arm.’ It meant that you made a fist and waved your arm at
someone. It was a challenge to meet them in the alley after
school for a fight.”
Bacaner, still angry from the attack in the bathroom,
gave the bully “the arm” one day. All the kids in the class
were excited to see someone challenge the toughest kid in
school.
“Benny Leonard taught us this boxing move. It was two
quick left jabs, followed by a right cross the body. As soon
as the opponent drops his guard, you hit him in the head
Bucky Bacaner joined the
Merchant Marine in 1942
and his adventures
included being torpedoed
and spending 14 days at
sea in a rubber boat.
After the war he help
being Jewish refugees
into Palestine, and after
that he invented and
patented a drug that
saved a president’s life.
with a left hook. That’s just what I did to this kid. The next
thing I knew I was on his chest and the kids were screaming for me to quit before I killed him. I told them that’s
exactly what I wanted to do.”
But Bacaner was hauled off, and the bully went home in
shame and never returned to school.
After graduating from Chicago’s Austin High School,
where he was a pole vaulter and a clarinetist and saxophone
player in a dance band, Bacaner went to the University of
Illinois at Urbana to study engineering. “When the war
broke out, that’s all I wanted to do was go to war. A friend
of mine had an appointment to the Naval Academy at
Annapolis, and I wanted that too.”
The congressman in his district had given out his last
appointment, but he told Bacaner he could get him into the
Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York.
The ten-week training program was followed by a year
of on-the-job training as a midshipman at sea. “They were
terribly short of Merchant Marine officers in those days. I
served on all kinds of ships.”
The Merchant Marine, especially early in the war, suffered terrible losses. In fact, through the course of the war,
the Merchant Marine suffered the highest ratio of losses of
any branch of service. Of the 215,000 who served in the
Merchant Marine, 9,300 were killed. During 1942, the
Allies were losing 33 merchant ships per week to enemy
attack.
On one voyage to India during his first year, Bacaner’s
ship was torpedoed. “We don’t know if it was German or
Japanese. We never saw the sub.”
It was a great shock to the young midshipman. “There’s
a big noise and a huge jolt. It knocked me right out of my
bunk. When you get hit like that, the whole ship warps. I
couldn’t get my stateroom door open and I was starting to
panic.
“The submarine wasn’t satisfied with hitting us once,
and it circled around and hit us again. This time it knocked
me right off my feet. I was lying on the deck and I looked
MARVIN ‘BUCKY’ BACANER
In the Merchant Marine during World War II
DR. MARVIN ‘BUCKY’ BACANER
At home in Golden Valley
November 2014
at the door and there were the words, “kick-out panel.”
Bacaner in his excitement had forgotten that the designers of the ship had known about the effects of torpedoing
and had put kick-out panels at the bottom of each door so
those inside could still get out if the door was jammed.
“I made it up to the deck to my lifeboat station, but the
boat had been destroyed and all aboard killed by the second
torpedo. If I hadn’t panicked, I would have been on that
lifeboat. That’s when I decided that God had something else
planned for me in this life.”
Bacaner joined 19 others on another lifeboat and got
underway as the ship sank beneath the waves. One of the
survivors was so badly burned, he died after a few days.
“The first mate was in charge, and he had a gun. But he
had so much natural leadership, that nobody questioned his
authority. He would open a can of peas and distribute three
or four to each man. We didn’t have much food or water.
But the first mate told us they had radioed our position
when we’d been hit, and there would be boats looking for
us. We stayed hopeful.”
The men survived on hope and the rain water they could
catch in the boat cover. Fourteen days went by.
“Finally, an Australian man-of-war came by and picked
us up. It was a miracle.” Of the 128 crewman aboard the
merchant ship, only 19 survived.
Minnesota Legionnaire Page 11
O
n another occasion, Bacaner was firing a 50 caliber gun at an attacking aircraft. “There were two
of us on each gun crew, one guy to fire the gun
and the other guy to change magazines. I yelled out “magazine” to get fresh ammo, but nothing happened. I looked
over and my magazine guy was dead from the strafing. I
had to get out of my belt and load the magazine myself.”
In another attack, he may have shot down an attacking
aircraft. “We had two 50 calibers, and one of us got him.”
Bacaner said he heard some harrowing tales from merchant mariners during the war. “I ran into one officer who
had been sunk twice in one day during a run to Murmansk
in Russia. Can you imagine that, twice in one day? That
water was so cold your survival rate was about one minute.
He was a little goofy when I met him, but he had a right to
be.”
In the course of the war he guesses he did ten trips across
the oceans. In addition to the Merchant Marine, he also
served in the Army Transport Service which used Army
ships and Merchant Marine officers. He helped bring the
U.S. troops to the Anzio beachhead in Italy.
“My last cruise during the war was on a hospital ship,
and it was my job to make sure all the medical equipment
kept going. If something was broke, I had to fix it. It spurred
my interest in bio-medical engineering which I focused on
in later years.”
When war ended, his last assignment was to take munitions back to the United States from Antwerp.
“We were loading all the unused bombs and shells, and
it was a very slow process because it all had to be done by
hand. All of a sudden, somebody yelled, ‘fire!’ Someone
had left a rope on a smokestack, and it was on fire. The
other ships were supposed to help us fight the fire, but they
just pulled out to sea. I don’t blame them. If we’d gone off,
we’d have blown Antwerp right off the map. In the end, we
were able to control the fire ourselves.
“By that time in the war, I really wasn’t afraid of anything. God had saved me so many times, that I just decided
it wasn’t my time to go.”
While ashore in Antwerp, Bacaner saw a British captain
decked out in kilts and wearing a small Jewish star patch on
his uniform. “So I went up to him and asked about his uniform. He said he wore the kilts because he was in the
Gordon Highlanders, a famed Scottish regiment, and the
patch was because in his spare time he was an officer in the
Jewish Brigade.”
Growing up in Chicago, Bacaner had become a strong
Zionist. He felt that Jews must have their own country.
“I told him I was very interested in what they were
doing, and he invited me to his barracks to meet some of the
other guys. I was a lieutenant commander by that time.
They told me that by day they were British officers and by
night they helped Jewish refugees get to Palestine. I was
very interested.”
Europe at that time was full of Jewish and other refugees
— often stateless people whose hometowns and families
had been taken away by the war. The effort to bring these
people to Palestine was called “Bricha” or “flight.” The
process of getting these people to Zion was very hazardous.
It was illegal for refugees under the Soviet government in
Eastern Europe to leave, and illegal by British law for them
to settle in Palestine.
“I asked them what I could do, and they said they needed both food and compasses. I told them I could get them K
rations right away, but I’d have to think about the compasses.”
His thinking led to the liberation of four free-standing
box compasses from an unnamed source. When the ship
came back to Charleston, S.C., Bacaner went ashore to a
marine supply store and bought four compasses out of his
own money to replace the ones he had borrowed.
In the United States, he was contacted by one of the leaders of his old Zionist youth group. “He told me, ‘Don’t sign
up for another ship. We have something for you to do.’”
Bacaner volunteered to help.
Refugees line the rail on the converted Canadian Corvette Josiah Wedgwood after it was captured by the British
on June 27, 1946. Marvin Bacaner, the ship’s engineering officer, mixed with the passengers and left the ship
with them. He later escaped.
Over 2,700 passengers, many of the suvivors of the
Nazi death camps, waited aboard the Wedgwood after
it had been captured.
Bacaner stands on a ladder aboard the Wedgwood,
one of the first ships in what would become the Israeli
navy.
On the Wedgwood’s first voyage, the passengers
were offloaded to a Turkish ship which brought them
to Palestine.
Page 12
November 2014
“They had purchased two Canadian corvettes, sort of
like small destroyers, to be used to transport these people. I
helped tow the corvettes to City Island, New York.
Everything had to be overhauled. I was the engineering
officer, and I was in charge of reconditioning the engines
and recruiting and training the ships’ engineering crew. It
was top secret. The ships were registered to Panama, and
we were using Panamanian papers. These were the first two
major vessels the Israelis had.
“There was no question in my mind that God had saved
me so I could help create the state of Israel and protect it.”
Once the ships were seaworthy, they both sailed to
Europe. One ship, the Haganah, went to Sete, France, and
the other to Savona, Italy. “Both those small ports were still
controlled by the partisans and they allowed the refugees to
come on board.”
Bacaner’s ship, the Josiah Wedgwood, loaded up with
about 2,300 holocaust survivors at Savona and attempted to
cross the Mediterranean and slip through the British blockade.
Each of the refugee ships had two commanders: One was
the ship’s captain and the other was Israeli military.
The ship, though, was spotted by the British. “We transferred all of our passengers to a Turkish ship. The British
had no right to board the ship of another sovereign nation,
and so that ship got through to Palestine.”
The Wedgwood headed back to Italy and picked up
another load of holocaust survivors, this time cramming
2,700 on board for the 10 to 15 day voyage. On June 27,
1946, the British intercepted the Wedgwood as it arrived at
Haifa.
“We carried no papers and so the whole crew just mixed
in with the passengers. They took us all to an internment
camp at Atlit.” There the British slowly released the
internees into the Palestine population.
Bacaner escaped in a simple and novel way. “They were
going to transport us somewhere, and I just went in the front
door of the bus and walked out the back door and kept
going.”
B
acaner decided it was time to get on with his
career at that point. “I’d been at war for five years,
I’d had enough.” He returned to Chicago where
he studied pre-med at a University of Illinois campus in
Chicago. He earned his medical degree in 1953 from
Boston University.
After research jobs at Stanford and Berkley, he was convinced to join the faculty of the Physiology Department at
the University of Minnesota, where he taught for 35 years.
Along the way, Bacaner developed a drug called
Bretylium, which could be used to stop the heart’s fibrillation during a heart attack. While the drug was still experimental, he received a call in May of 1967 from former president Dwight Eisenhower’s doctor. Eisenhower had just had
his sixth heart attack, and he was dying.
“The doctor had read one of my papers on Bretylium. He
asked if I could send some right away. I happened to be on
my way to the airport, and I gave a handful of ampules to a
Northwest pilot headed for Washington D.C. A team from
Walter Reed Hospital was waiting at the airport, and they
brought it to the president. It saved his life.
“I arrived in France the next day on my flight and picked
up a newspaper. There were two major stories. One was that
the Soviets had invaded Czechoslovakia and the other was
that the president had been saved by a drug developed by
Dr. Marvin Bacaner at the University of Minnesota.”
Not only that, but in the movie “ET,” when the extra-terrestrial is having a heart attack, the doctor (played in a
cameo role by the movie’s director Steven Spielberg) yells
out to the hospital staff to “bring the Bretylium.” It saves
ET’s life.
The drug was a financial boon for Bacaner and his family, and allowed him to continue his research without seeking grants. He has two chairs endowed in his name at the
University of Minnesota.
B
acaner had two interesting airplane incidents over
the years. “I was in Switzerland, and I was on an
El Al flight to Israel. As we were taxiing out to the
runway, we were attacked by a terrorist group. Bullets were
flying everywhere. The captain got on the public address
and told us in three languages to get on the floor. He was
very calm.
“As I was on the floor, I saw a guy with gun working his
way to the emergency door. It turned out it was a Jewish
security officer. They opened the door, and he went down
the slide, and I went right after him. The terrorists were still
firing at us, and he killed two of them.”
Bacaner then went to the front of the aircraft and
climbed up the slide to go to the cabin and treat the pilots
who had been wounded. The experience was not over for
him, though, as he had to return to Switzerland to testify on
behalf of the security officer who had been accused of murder by the Swiss. The officer was acquitted.
On a domestic flight one time, a man collapsed in the
aisle, and the pilot asked if there was a doctor on board. It
turns out the man was Thomas Anthony Harris who wrote
the famous self-help book “I’m Okay, You’re Okay.”
“He was lying on the floor, and I could see that he had a
burst appendix. He said to me, ‘I’m okay.’ And I said, ‘No,
you’re not okay.’ I arranged to have an ambulance waiting
Dr. Bacaner developed a heart attack drug named Bretylium that helped save the life of former President
Eisenhower in 1967.
Bucky Bacaner and Hadassah at home.
at the airport when we arrived. Maybe I saved his life.”
Hadassah, Bacaner’s wife of 76 years, looked at her husband as he told this story and said, “You never want to get
on an airplane with Bucky.”
Over the years, Bacaner continued his close relationship
with Israel. “I volunteered as a doctor during the Yom
Kippur War, during the First Lebanon War and during the
War of Attrition.
“I was assigned to a tank brigade in the Yom Kippur War.
There’s nothing more powerful than an armored brigade,
and I was with them as they headed across the Sinai toward
the Suez Canal. I remember thinking how far Israel had
come from the time we were bringing in the holocaust survivors. We were so helpless then. What a difference not to
be helpless.”
Years later, he attended a reunion of those crewmembers
who had participated in Aliyah Bet, Israel’s secret navy in
the 1940s. They were joined by some of the refugees who
had been brought to Palestine on the Josiah Wedgwood and
other ships.
“I was introduced to a woman who had two small children, and she remembered me. She told the children that I
had saved her life. The two children came over and hugged
my legs. That’s when I realized I had not just helped save
one generation, but all the coming generations.”
Passengers aboard the Wedgwood flew a banner to
let the British fleet know their feelings.
Bacaner’s drug Bretylium also saved the life of the
movie character ET.
Bacaner had his picture taken with Yaakov Frank, one
of the heroes of the birth of Israel.
Listening Post
SAL DEER HUNT -- The annual Sons of the American Legion John Zgoda Deer
Hunt was held at Legionville. Hunters and volunteers and a deer posed for a picture.
LEGIONVILLE HOSTS -- Legionville hosted the Crow Wing Composite Squadron
of the Civil Air Patrol recently. The CAP teenage cadets did training exercises.
News from around the State
KELLOGG MEMORIAL -- The new “Heroes Memorial” in Kellogg was dedicated in
October. Kellogg Post 546 Commander Ken Pavelka was instrumental in promoting the idea of the memorial. The memorial includes veterans, firemen, policement,
and emergency responders. Pavers paid for the memorial.
BACKUS HOSTS PARTY -- Backus Post 368 recently hosted a kids Halloween
party and 120 kids and adults participated. There were contests for all ages.
PLAINVIEW RE-ENACTMENT -- The city of Plainview had a Civil War re-enactment this summer that included dozens of soldiers. Two graves of Plainview soldiers were also rededicated. Plainview Post 179 was involved in the activities.
BAGLEY FLAG DISPOSAL -- Bagley Post 16 had flag disposal ceremony. Area
Boys Scouts helped with the ceremoney.
WHEATON FLAG DISPOSAL -- Wheaton Post 80 held a flag disposal ceremonly
recently. The public is invited to come and bring old, worn flags.
DEER RIVER HONORS MILITARY DOG -- The Deer River Honor Guard played
taps during a service for Sam, a military dog who served in Iraq. (Photo by Louise
H. McGregor, Western Itasca Review.)
Page 14
The Auxiliary Bulletin
November 2014
No. 15-4
November 2014
Ronning testimonial slated
for Nov. 22 at Osseo Post
President Chris Ronning
Secretary Sandie Deutsch
Department Headquarters, Veterans Service Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
The
President’s
Column
As many things are being done a little different this year,
President Chris will be having her Testimonial on
November 22, 2014 at the Osseo/Maple Grove Post 172. It
will begin at 2:00 p.m. with many fun-filled events to take
place. There will be music, prizes and a few surprises
thrown in as well. The evening will conclude with a dinner
at 6:00 p.m. Please see the flyer that is printed for all the
information and the reservation form.
By
Chris Ronning
October has been a busy month, playing Bingo with our
Veterans at the Luverne Veterans Home, Pheasant dinners,
Unit meetings, membership dinners and let’s not forget our
Fall Conference.
What a ride so far and I have enjoyed every minute of it,
visiting with our Unit members. These ladies do so much
for our organization, but what is happening? We are down
from last year’s membership and we should ask ourselves
WHY. We need everyone’s help, without you the members,
our programs will suffer and so will our service to our veterans, servicemen and women and their families. Who will
step up to the plate and take over where we stopped? Please
renew, rejoin and also bring some new members into our
organization, especially young women to go forward.
We are also celebrating a special birthday, Our American
Legion Auxiliary is 95 years young. I do believe young is
the magic word and only we can do something about it.
Our Gift Shops are coming up in December and thanks
to the Veterans for Veterans (V4V) with a donation of
$20,000, we will be able to give each Veteran a $20.00 gift
card this year. What a heartwarming feeling to know that
there are still people out there who care. Thank you from
the bottom of our hearts for what you do and still are doing.
Your donation will put a smile on everyone’s face. But let’s
not forget our $5.00 bill shower, no Veteran will go without.
November also brings us Veterans Day and I hope that
everyone is planning a program at your Posts to honor Our
Veterans – Past, Present and Future.
My dates are filling up fast for November. If you would
like me to visit with your Unit on your meeting night or any
function you might have, you need to send your invitation
to the Department office attention to Sandie Deutsch. This
includes any of the Districts that would like me to visit.
There is also another big event coming up this month. I
hope you all can come to celebrate with me on November
22nd. This will be a day filled with music, food, door prizes
and visiting with other Unit members. If you never had a
party with me, this is your big chance.
With this I want to wish you and your family a Happy
Thanksgiving and blessings from our House to yours. And
don’t let the turkey get away.
Auxiliary
Membership
as of Oct. 14, 2014
District
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
Sixth
Seventh
Eighth
Ninth
Tenth
Depart.
Total
10-14 Tot.
1,619
1,977
2,208
267
422
3,029
1,246
651
2,243
2,211
83
15,794
Percent
27.69
34.73
40.41
30.69
41.41
42.83
27.69
33.64
44.33
36.72
47.70
10.16
Goal
5,847
5,693
5,019
840
1,019
7,072
4,565
1,935
5,060
6,022
174
43,276
651-224-7634
FALL CONFERENCE
very low and the cost to reprint them has increased dramatically. We will keep you posted after decisions are made on
what will be done with the poppy cards in the future.
Remember, we do have a supply on hand for this year so
don’t hesitate to order. Please note on the form that the shipping costs have changed. Due to the tremendous increase
in shipping charges we had to charge more to offset our
expenses.
The 2015 Poppy orders will be shipped on the dates
requested on the orders. When you receive your Poppies,
please store them in a safe place so they aren’t inadvertently thrown away or wrapped up as a holiday gift. Please
check your order upon receipt and report any discrepancies
to the Department office.
The Department Office wants to assure you that the
Poppies this year are very well made. Our Veterans at the
Hastings Veterans Home have been working very hard. As
of right now 47 Units have already placed their Poppy order
- we would love to have a 100% participation of Units this
year.
Does your Unit know November is “birthday month” for
the American Legion Auxiliary? Will your Unit be celebrating? It was November 10, 1919, when the American
Legion Auxiliary was established by a resolution adopted at
the first National Convention of The American Legion here
in Minneapolis MN. Since then the Auxiliary has grown to
about 10,000 Units and over 800,000 members. This
November is the American Legion Auxiliary’s 95th birthday. We hope you are planning a celebration in your Unit.
The Pearl Harbor Membership Rally will be held at the
Apple Valley American Legion Post 1776 on Saturday,
December 6th. Turn in 3-4:30 p.m., Plated dinner at 5 and
program to follow. Your District President and Membership
Chairman asks every Unit to have membership ready to be
picked up when they or a Legion representative comes to
your area. Check with your Post Commander for your pickup day and time.
Please do not hold membership in your Unit. Mail your
transmittals on a regular basis. Just be prepared to give
those last minute membership to the representative who
comes to pick them up for the rally.
Let’s make this a special Holiday Season for our
Department President Chris and Membership Chairman
Judy as we continue to improve our membership counts.
We started out real slow this fall but have been picking up
very quickly.
The 82nd annual Fall Conference was held at the
Shooting Star Casino and sponsored by the Bagley
American Legion Family #16. The final session on
Saturday, October 25, with the memorable Membership skit
led by Chairman Judy Ackerman. It followed her theme,
along with President Chris Ronning’s of butterflies. We
thank Auxiliary Conference Chairmen Doreen Norgaard
and all those who worked with her for hosting this very successful school of instruction. We appreciate your warm
hospitality and all you did to ensure a smoothly operating
Conference. There were around 200 Auxiliary members in
attendance.
There will be more information and pictures regarding
the Conference in the December issue of the Legionnaire.
95th BIRTHDAY
November is Past Presidents Parley month. Past
Presidents are willing to give your Unit a helping hand.
Please ask them.
If your Unit does not have a Past Presidents Parley,
organize one. Our Department Past Presidents Parley
Chairman Linda Kropuenske will be more than happy to
help you out. See the Unit Guide for further details.
PAST PRESIDENTS PARLEY
PEARL HARBOR CAR CARAVAN
Orders for our 2015 Poppies are being accepted. Prices
for small poppies are remaining the same as last year but
there was a slight increase for the large poppies. An order
form was included in the first Unit mailing. Poppy prices:
Small Poppies - $180.00 a thousand ($18.00 a hundred) for
orders of 500 or less; large Poppies - $18.00 a dozen and the
Poppy Window Display cards are $ .50 each while supplies
last. Our inventory of the window display cards is getting
The Department Office and the Hospital and Home
Representatives want to give a big thank you to the Units
and Posts that have contributed funds to our Gift Shop program. Again this year, the veterans at the four (4) VA
Medical Centers and the five (5) Minnesota Veterans
Homes will be selecting gifts for their loved ones through
our Gift Shop program. About 2,000 veterans participate in
this program. A huge change this year for the Gift Shop is
the amount that was approved by the Department Executive
Committee to spend on our Veterans at the Gift Shop. The
gifts will be of a little more value this year than in the past.
The Gift Shop committee has been busy shopping for the
gifts and would appreciate your Unit’s financial support of
Buffalo Auxiliary Unit
270 has endorsed Carol
Kottom for Department of
Minnesota
First Vice
President for 2015-2016.
Kottom has been an
active member of Unit 270
for 31 years. Her eligibility
is through her husband
Bruce, a veteran of the
Vietnam War, who is currently serving as 10th
District Finance Officer and
Department
American
Legion
Foundation
Committee member.
At the Unit level, she has
held many positions including President. Currently
Kottom
is
Secretary/
Treasurer.
Moccasin Office the last
two years.
2014-2015
Carol will be serving as
Veterans
Affairs
and
Rehabilitation Chairman.
Carol has attended most
District and Department
Conventions,
and
Conferences since she has
been an Auxiliary member.
Kottom has been married for 34 years to Bruce.
Their combined family is
three sons and two grandsons and one granddaughter
As many of you know,
Carol enjoys knitting, crocheting, sewing and reading. She is retired from
Wright County Court
Administration.
2015 POPPY ORDERS
CHRISTMAS GIFT SHOP
Kottom endorsed for 1st Vice President
On the District level,
Kottom has served as
Legislation,
Historian,
Membership co-captain,
Poppy,
Membership,
Children & Youth, VA&R,
Unit Development and
Revitalization , President,
1st Vice President, 2nd Vice
President, Standing rules,
Advisor, Past President
Parley, Secretary , and
Parliamentarian .
On the Department
Level, she has served on
Americanism, Membership,
Girls State Director, VA&R,
Historian, Gift Shop ,
Finance
Committee
,
Leadership and attended
Girls State to work in the
CAROL KOTTOM
Auxiliary Bulletin
Continued from Preceding Page
this program. Those who attended Fall Conference saw the
nice quality and selection of items the veterans may choose
from. Please include a generous cash donation in your
Unit’s annual budget and send it to the department office
earmarked Gift Shop. Let’s support our own Auxiliary programs first.
Donations to the Gift Shops are accepted all year. You
may use Poppy funds and Gambling funds for this program.
The Gift Shop is available to all veterans who are in the various facilities at the time of the Gift Shop including regular
day care patients. The Gift Shop is Chaired by Sally
Strasser and her Committee Member is Deb Bayer. They
are both giving much of their time to make this a very successful event.
What is the Gift Shop? It is where volunteers of the
American Legion Auxiliary work together, with the assistance of the Hospital and Home Representatives to find out
what types of gifts are appreciated and needed. Those items
are purchased and delivered to the facilities.
Where does it Happen? The Gift Shop are set up in the
Veterans Homes and Medical Centers all over the State of
Minnesota. There are 9 facilities and with the assistance of
the Hospital and Home Representatives there will be 9 different Gift Shops in the month of December (see dates
below).
Who does this help? The helps the Veterans and their
families. It gives the Veterans a chance to get a gift that
they don’t expect and it gives them the ability to give their
family members a gift as well.
Who can help? Any Auxiliary member, Auxiliary Junior
member, Sons of the American Legion or Legionnaire
themselves can volunteer.
Our representatives have announced the date(s) of their
Gift Shop at their respective facility.
Fargo VAMC, December 1 (evening)
Minneapolis VAMC, December 2 & 3
Sioux Falls VAMC, December 18
St. Cloud VAMC, December 1, 2 & 3
Fergus Falls VA Home, December 8
Hastings VA Home, December 11
Luverne VA Home, December 4
Minneapolis VA Home, December 3-4 (possibly the 5th)
Silver Bay VA Home, December 11
GIFT SHOP DATES
If your Unit is in need of additional membership supplies, i.e., application forms, transmittal sheets, membership cards, etc., please send your order to the department
office. All supplies are sent from the office upon request.
MEMBERSHIP SUPPLIES
Included in the October Unit mailing were the sewing
patterns of items needed at the various hospitals/homes.
Home Service Chairmen please ask your Unit President for
these items.
Remember: Times are changing; needs are changing.
Please make only those items that are requested by our
Representatives to meet the needs of our veterans. Send all
completed items to the facility that has requested them in
care of our Representative there.
If your Unit has an active sewing group, may we suggest
you contact your local nursing home, shut-ins, etc. within
your own community and “sew for them”. Many of these
local facilities and their needs are overlooked by our Units
and could certainly use your sewing talents.
SEWING NEEDS
By the time you are reading this we will have another
Fall Conference under our belts. I hope many of you
attended. This is a very educational and fun time for all of
our members to get together, learn about our programs and
ask any questions you may have. We have been busy here
in the Department Office as membership has finally started
to come in. Very sincerely I would like to thank all of you
who work so hard to recruit, renew and rejoin but I would
also ask that everyone work just a little bit harder so we
could make our goals set by National. They are high and
some think very impossible to attain but it can be done. The
area we lack in is retaining existing members - we need to
make those calls and explain why it is important to continue to be a member of our organization. After a bit of
research it has been found that we get new members and
they pay one, maybe two years of dues but never hear from
the Unit so they ask why are they sending in dues? Every
Unit needs to make an effort to reach out to all of their
members at least a couple times a year to let them know
what is going on and try to involve them in our programs.
I hope to see many of you at President Chris’ Testimonial
on November 22. Knowing Chris, I can imagine it will be
a day to remember.
From Shorty and myself, we want to wish each and
every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy your
families. I am finally off to Texas to see my kids and grandchildren - I just can’t wait. Until next month——
SECRETARY SANDIE’S NOTES
November -- Past
Presidents Parley
November 2014
An excellent source of information on all our programs,
both department and national, is the 2014-15 Unit Guide.
Any member may order her own personal copy. They are
available from the Department Office at $5.00 each.
2014-15 UNIT GUIDE
Each month a Unit mailing is mailed from the department to every Unit. When you receive yours, be certain to
distribute the information to your Unit Chairmen. If your
Unit is not receiving the mailings, please contact the department office.
A wealth of information and materials is included in
each Unit mailing. It is important to your Unit program
chairmen they receive these materials as soon as possible so
they can develop a meaningful program for your Unit.
I have the ability to send the Unit mailings electronically via e-mail. Please contact the Department Office if you
are interested in receiving the Unit mailing electronically.
You can also go to the Auxiliary website mnala.org and find
all of the Unit mailings by month. You can read the entire
mailing and print out whatever sheet suits your needs.
UNIT MAILING
Hear Ye – Hear Ye – Hear Ye
We will be having a celebration like no other!!!!
Dinner Saturday, November 22nd 2014, to be held
at the Osseo/Maple Grove post home, 260 – 4th
Ave SE—-Osseo, Mn.
The fun and festivities will begin at 2 p.m. with
hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, music and a few surprises thrown in here and there. We will conclude
the evening with a dinner, in President Chris’s
honor, at 6.
The cost is $22.00 per person and we request
pre-paid reservations, please.
November
is
Past
Presidents Parley month.
Celebrate
the
Past
Presidents of your Unit.
Your Unit’s Past Presidents
may even include some that
have served as a President
of the District, Department
and National levels. They
are an invaluable asset and
are ready to assist you in
any way possible. It is the
goal that every Unit in
Minnesota have an organized Past Presidents Parley.
Begin now to think about a
member that you could submit as the Unit Member of
the Year. Along with your
Unit Members the Parley
should place an emphasis
on the women veterans as
their needs are often overlooked and vary a great deal
from the needs of the male
veteran. Please note that
the deadline for the Past
Presidents Parley Health
Care Scholarship is earlier
than the Annual Reports.
Should you have questions,
my contact information is
listed in the Unit Guide.
Please check the November
Page 15
LINDA KROPEUNSKE
Unit mailing, Unit Guide
and Trophies & Awards as
they contain detailed information on these items. Past
Presidents are the best
ambassadors
for
the
American Legion Auxiliary
knowing there is much
information to share to
make each level of the
organization stronger and to
maintain its growth and
positive actions.
We have a block of rooms reserved at the
LaQuinta Inn and Suites, with a reasonable rate of
$67.07 including tax. The block will be available
until November 1st, and are under the Osseo
American Legion. The address for the motel is:
7011 Northland Court
Brooklyn Park, Mn 55428
Phone Number 763-971-8000
Please make checks payable to Osseo Unit 172
and mail by November 15th , to:
Sharon Wilken
617 – 5th Ave NE
Osseo,Mn 55369
————————————————————
CUT-ME-OUT
Names of those attending:
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
@ $22.00 each- $________________
Bookkeeper sought
The American Legion Auxiliary, Department of
Minnesota is currently in need of an experienced
Bookkeeper/Administrative Assistant to work in
the St. Paul Department Office.
If you are available immediately and meet the
qualifications listed below, please apply. As a
bookkeeper, some of the responsibilities may
include, but are not limited to, handling all aspects
of accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliation,
processing
and
paying
bills.
Responsibilities are subject to change based on
experience.
Job Requirements:
Bachelors degree in Accounting or equivalent
work experience required. Qualified candidates
must have excellent communication skills,
Microsoft Office and Excel proficiency,
Quickbooks knowledge, and previous bookkeeping experience. This is a non-exempt position.
Please email your resume to [email protected]
or mail it to American Legion Auxiliary, Sandie
Deutsch, Department Executive Secretary, 20 W.
12th St. #314, St. Paul, MN 55155. The American
Legion Auxiliary offers health, life and disability
insurance, 401K plan and vacation. Salary commensurate with experience.
QUILTERS -- St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in
Roseville has made and donated over 400 quilts to the
Minneapolis Veterans Home. Every new resident
receives a quilt, and at Christmas last year, each resident got a quilt at the Gift Shop.
Page 16
November 2014
JON BROWN
VA DISABILITY APPEALS
952-201-1799
Former VA Decision
Review Officer
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Let a retired active duty
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763-355-8540
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Attention Veterans!
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email: [email protected]
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Name:__________________________________________
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City/State:________________________________________
Phone:_______________Birth Date___________________

November - American Legion

Transcription

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