POST 24 NEWS AND VIEWS MARCH 2009 ISSUE

POST 24 NEWS AND VIEWS
MARCH 2009

Post Commander, Frank Molina

Auxiliary President, Deirdre Nye
SAL Commander, Kim Scott

ALR President, Michael Smith
Lead Bartender, Jeff Sweet

Bingo Chairman, Barb Klein
Adjutant, Don Aiton

Editor, Karen Goodman

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Meetings
Auxiliary Meeting, March 4, 6:30p

District 3 Meeting, March 8, Benson

Marine Corps League, March 9, 7p
E-Board Meeting, March 11, 7p

ALR Meeting, March 14, 9a
SAL Meeting, March 18, 6:30p

Blind Vets, March 21, 10a

Post Meeting, March 25, 7p

Pot Luck, Monday, March 2, 6:30pm - Bring a dish to share. This month’s theme is Irish, Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Pool Night, Every Tuesday @ 6:30p. Happy hour drink prices for all players. The entry fee is $5. Cafe Legionnaire is open and will serve pool night specials.

Karaoke, Every Thursday @5:30p. And it’s Taco Night too!!!

Bingo, Every Friday, Doors Open @5p, Early Birds @6:30p, Regular Games @7p. Enjoy Café Legionnaire’s Friday Fish!

Play SLINGO, Saturday 3-5p, sponsored by the SAL and Sunday 3-5p sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary.

Café Legionnaire is open Tuesday, 6-8p, Wednesday thru Friday, 11a - 8p, Saturday, 9a – 8p (Breakfast 9 – 11a) and Sunday 2-6p.

The Post will be hosting the Blind Veterans from the Tucson VA on Saturday, March 21. Join us at 10a for a rewarding day of volunteerism.


POST COMMANDER
Frank Molina
February has passed and March is here and with her comes summer. Thank God! At this time I would like to thank our Post Adjutant Don Aiton for the wonderful job he did with his helpers delivering and setting up our new shuffleboard at our Post. Everyone is enjoying it! Also, a special thanks to the Ladies Auxiliary for the wonderful job they did with the recent benefit and memorials for our passed members, in particular Ernie Escapule and Chiva Esquer. These things can’t be planned and the ladies always are able to jump in and provide a beautiful and effortless remembrance for the family’s of the deceased. Last but certainly not least a special thank you to our Post Color Guard and support team; Tony Perotti, Anthony Molina, Kim Scott, Al Jepsen, Chuck Klein, Don Aiton, Kenny Seifert, Russ Freeman, Michael Stout and Michael McKay and Frank Chadwick. Beautiful job men! “For God and Country.”


AUXILIARY PRESIDENT
Dierdre Nye
As February comes to a close, we are comforted not only by the fair warm weather but also by the warm friendship that has comforted us through a trying month. The benefit for Juan Esquer was a magnificent success. Our own Commander Frank Molina made a cameo appearance and played guitar. The music of Jay Bird and his friends was professional. Sandi Freeman and Dee Dee Molina worked very hard collecting donations, as always the town of Tombstone both the businesses and the Private sector came to the aid of another family in need. It makes one feel honored to live in a town that takes care of those in need, and a good few of this town are Legionnaires and Auxiliary.

Saturday the 21st of February was a special day for the American Legion Auxiliary in Cochise County. Roy Fourr Unit 24, hosted an initiation tea. District 3 President Sencie Patchin invited Units 11 from Douglas, 16 from Bisbee, 45 from Benson and 52 from Sierra Vista. There were 21 Auxiliary members initiated. The ceremony was indeed a wonderful experience. The last Unit 24 Initiation Tea was in 2004. Unit 24 President Deirdre Nye has suggested that Unit 24 have an Initiation Tea every year in February. This will honor in a timely manner those members that have contributed to the advancement of The American Legion Auxiliary programs and activities dedicated to God and Country, and to acknowledge with a certificate dedicated members that have been with Unit 24 for many years. Twenty three Continuous Member Certificates were written and called, for Unit 24 alone. District 3 President Sencie Patchin presented Certificates of Appreciation to Anna Graves, Chaplain, for both Unit 24 and District 3, for her unfailing mentoring and support throughout the years. A Certificate went to both Deirdre Nye and Susan Schubert for their work establishing The Veterans Outpost on South 4th Street. Unit 24 President Deirdre Nye presented Certificates to Susan Schubert, Mary Jo Burns, Sandi Freeman, Anna Graves, Evelyn Holder, Lillian Hritz, Sensie Patchin, and Dee Dee Molina. It was wonderful seeing Eve amongst us again.

Evening of the 21st. Mardi Gras. A GREAT SUCCESS, thanks to Sandi Freeman, Ann Bliss and Dee Dee Molina. Perhaps next year the House Committee will be able to be more involved. The Auxiliary has been working very hard to help the Legion, and it has been an honor. What a great job Decorating Committee.

Ann Bliss Unit 24 Sergeant at Arms is now also our Slingo Chairman, thank you Ann. Slingo has turned out to be the best fundraiser ever. Please ladies of our Auxiliary, can you sign up at least one day a month for two hours. It is as much fun working it as playing the game.

Nancy Sperry is now 24’s Memorial Chairman. It is indeed hard to step down as helping those that grieve is very dear to me. Nancy I know will do it well, and in the true spirit of our Unit we will all be there to help her in every way.

Monday the 2nd of March is Pot Luck. The theme is Irish, "corned beef and cabbage". Some of us may not know why God allowed whisky to be invented. It was to keep the Irish from ruling the world.

Saturday March the 7th, is The American Legion Auxiliary Rummage sale, it is the same day as several Churches sales so we hope to do well.

Have a magnificent month, and look for updated reports on the board between the bar area and the hall on the ladies bathroom side.

God Bless.

ALR PRESIDENT
Michael Smith
The next meeting of the ALR will be Saturday March 14 and then Saturday April 11, at 0900.


VETERANS AFFAIRS AND REHABILITATION
Susan Schubert
Our biggest accomplishment this month was holding the first meeting of our spousal peer support group for spouses of veterans with PTSD and/or TBI. Darla Davies is doing a wonderful job as leader and we are looking forward to the group growing. If you'd like to attend, meetings are at the Veteran's Outpost (121 S. Fourth, next to the trolley stop) at 7pm on Mondays.

DISTRICT 3 PRESIDENT
Sencie Patchin
The upcoming District Meeting is on March 8th at 1:30PM in Benson at the Methodist Church. I hope that you can make the meeting. Nominations of district officers will be opened at this time. The Address for the Church is 636 S HWY 80.

Thanks to all Auxiliary members who attended the Initiation Tea, we sure did have a great time and I believe that there were 20 Auxiliary members initiated. A full report will be given at the District meeting and I did hear a lot of people saying that they would like to see it done again next year.

On Feb 23 Karen Smith, Sheerie Tucker, Ann Graves and myself visited the JROTC at Buena High School. What a nice time we had. We were in the classrooms with the students and were shown around the Area. Unit Presidents, have you been thinking how to raise money for the JROTC? Remember that it is the Department President’s special project.


Marine Corps League
Bill Pakinkis

The Wild West Detachment, MCL, will have its next scheduled meeting on Monday, March 09,2009 at 7:00PM at Post 24. Regular Membership is open to all Active Duty, Reserve, Retired, or Former Marines and FMF Navy Corpsman who served more than 90 days on Active Duty. Associate membership is also available. For more information contact Detachment Commandant Frank Sutherland at 378-2120 or PDC/AZ Bill Pakinkis, at 457-3511. "ONCE A MARINE, ALWAYS A MARINE". On Saturday, February 21, 2009, Marines from the Wild West Detachment, participated in the 64th Anniversary Parade, in Sacaton, AZ on the Gila River Indian Reservation commemorating the Flag Raising on Iwo Jima, on February 23, 1945. The Wild West Detachment received a standing ovation from the crowd at the reviewing stand due to the fact that we were from Tombstone, Frank Sutherland was an Iwo Vet. and Bill Pakinkis was a new inductee to the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame, the same honor bestowed to Ira Hays, one of the Flag Raisers on Iwo.


POST AND UNIT NEWS AND VIEWS
The pool tables will be refurbished. The Post has purchased the shuffleboard from the VFW in Sunsites. The TV on the west wall has been replaced with a new flat screen TV. All of these projects are funded by bingo profits.

The Post will interface with the Fort Huachuca Chaplin’s to see if there are any young GI’s/families that need help.

Volunteers are still needed for the Legion’s March 8 golf tournament. See Mike Stout if you can assist.

The Post will support the Tombstone High School spring sports poster in the amount of $128. The Arizona Benefits Program will sponsor a hole for $100 in the upcoming golf tournament. The Post is supporting a member in need, so she can visit her husband in the VA, Tucson.


IN MEMORIUM
Please remember the following members who have recently died, Ernie Escapule, Juan (Chiva) Esquer, Carol Herb (a friend of bingo), Laura Keeney, mother to Elaine Perry, Justin Mobley and Robert Cowan.

SICK CALL
James Perry (Gunny) is in rehab for speech therapy after suffering a brain aneurysm. Russ Freeman is recovering at home after successful back surgery. Ernie Molina was in the VA hospital. Ovieta Morgan is recuperating from a nasty fall and broken collar bone.

HAPPY MARCH BIRTHDAY
Jay Rodriguez Mar 4, Ben Jacobs and U.S. Navy Seals Mar 5, Frank Chadwick Mar 6, Anna Linn Mar 7, Jimmy Harvel Mar 9, “Grandpa” Van Curtis and Gwen Bennett Mar 11,
Gail Johnson and Daniel Short Mar 13, Jim Coder and William Workman Mar 17, Joe Huntsman and The American Legion Mar 19, Bob McKee and Jim Burns Mar 20, Mary Musich and Lisa Finn Mar 22, Al Jepsen Mar 24, Robert Gignac Mar 26, Carol Shaffer and Lu Proll Mar 27


Veteran Pensions Update
RAO Bulletin, Mar 1, 2009
If you are a wartime veteran with a limited income and you are no longer able to work, you may qualify for a Veterans Disability Pension or the Veterans Pension for Veterans 65 or older. Many veterans of wartime service are completely unaware of the fact that if they are 65 or older and on a limited income they may qualify for a VA Pension without being disabled. An estimated 2 million impoverished veterans and their widows are not receiving the VA pension they deserve because they do not know about it. The VA has had limited success in getting the information to them. Generally, you may be eligible if:

- You were discharged from service under conditions other than dishonorable, and

- You served at least 90 days of active military service 1 day of which was during a war time period. If you entered active duty after September 7, 1980, generally you must have served at least 24 months or the full period for which called or ordered to active duty (There are exceptions to this rule), and

- Your countable family income is below a yearly limit set by law (The yearly limit on income is set by Congress), and

- You are age 65 or older, or, you are permanently and totally disabled, not due to your own willful misconduct.

With the advent of the Gulf War on 2 AUG 90 (and still not ended by Congress to this day), veterans can now serve after 2 AUG 90 during a period of war time. If your countable income appears to be near the maximum you should apply. VA will determine if you are eligible and notify you. If you do not initially qualify, you may reapply if you have un-reimbursed medical expenses during the twelve month period after VA receives your claim that brings your countable income below the yearly income limit (i.e. These are expense you have paid for medical services or products for which you will not be reimbursed by Medicare or private medical insurance). Countable income for eligibility purposes includes income received by the veteran and his or her dependents, if any, from most sources. It includes earnings, disability and retirement payments, interest and dividends, and net income from farming or business. There is a presumption that all of a child's income is available to or for the veteran. VA may grant an exception to this in hardship cases.

There is no set limit on how much net worth a veteran and his dependents can have, but net worth cannot be excessive. Net worth means the net value of the assets of the veteran and his or her dependents. It includes such assets as bank accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and any property other than the veteran's residence and a reasonable lot area. The decision as to whether a claimant's net worth is excessive depends on the facts of each individual case. All net worth should be reported and VA will determine if a claimant's assets are sufficiently large that the claimant could live off these assets for a reasonable period of time. VA's needs-based programs are not intended to protect substantial assets or build up an estate for the benefit of heirs. The Maximum Annual Pension Rates (MAPR) effective 1 DEC 08 for both living and deceased veteran’s surviving spouse/children cannot exceed the following:

· Veteran or widow/er with no dependents $11,830 or $7,933.
· Veteran with spouse and child or widow/er with a child $15,493 or $10,385.
· Veterans or survivor with additional children: add $2,020 to the limit for each child.
· Housebound veteran or widow/er with no dependents $14,457 or $9,696.
· Housebound veteran or widow/er with one dependent $18,120 or $12,144.
· Veteran or widow/er who needs aid and attendance and you have no dependents $19,736 or $12,681.
· Veteran or widow/er who needs aid and attendance and you have one dependent $23,396 or $15,128.

Some income is not counted toward the yearly limit (for example, welfare benefits, some wages earned by dependent children, and Supplemental Security Income). It's also important to note that your medical related expenses are considered when determining your yearly family income. VA pays you the difference between your countable family income and the yearly income limit which describes your situation. This difference is generally paid in 12 equal monthly payments rounded down to the nearest dollar. You can apply by filling out VA Form 21-526, Veteran's Application for Compensation Or Pension. If available, attach copies of dependency records (marriage & children's birth certificates) and current medical evidence (doctor & hospital reports). You can also apply on line through the VONAPP website http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp. For More Information Call 1(800) 827-1000. [Source: www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/pension/index.htm 12 Feb 09 ++]


HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICAN LEGION
The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, war-time veterans organization, devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is a not-for-profit community-service organization which now numbers nearly 3 million members, men and women, in nearly 15,000 American Legion posts worldwide.

Founding
The American Legion's Post Officers Guide recounts the organization's founding:
"A group of twenty officers who served in the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) in France in World War I is credited with planning the Legion. A.E.F. Headquarters asked these officers to suggest ideas on how to improve troop morale. One officer, Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, J ., proposed an organization of veterans. In 1919, this group formed a temporary committee and selected several hundred officers who had the confidence and respect of the whole army. When the first organization meeting took place in Paris in March, 1919, about 1,000 officers and enlisted men attended. The meeting, known as the Paris Caucus, adopted a temporary constitution and the name The American Legion. It also elected an executive committee to complete the organization’s work. It considered each soldier of the A.E.F. a member of the Legion. The executive committee named a subcommittee to organize veterans at home in the U.S. The Legion held a second organizing caucus in St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1919.
As is confirmed by The National Library of the American Legion and its official supporting documents, the first post of the American Legion is George Washington Post 1 in Washington, D.C. Organized March 7, 1919, it obtained the first charter issued to any post of The American Legion on May 19, 1919. Originally, the post was named the “General John Joseph Pershing Post Number 1” in part to its members’ sincere admiration of Pershing as a man, as well as their appreciation for his career as a soldier in the United States Army. However, at the St. Louis caucus that same year, members decided that posts of the American Legion should not be named after living persons, and therefore the "Pioneer Post" was given its new and current name. The post completed the constitution and made plans for a permanent organization. It set up temporary headquarters in New York City and began its relief, employment, and Americanism programs.
Congress granted the American Legion a national charter in September, 1919. Among the founders was Ernest O. Thompson (1892-1966) of Texas, later Lieutenant General of the Texas National Guard, a member of the Texas Railroad Commission, and an expert on petroleum issues.

1910’s; The first national convention of the American Legion was held from November 10-12, 1919, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at which time the attendees adopted a permanent constitution and elected officers to head the organization. The original purpose of the Legion was to "preserve the memories and incidents of our association in the great war". Prior to World War I, few rural, working-class, or even middle-class Americans traveled to Europe. For a majority of urban Americans, their understanding of Europe had been acquired through the European immigrants they knew. Thus the 2 million Americans who had served in the American Expeditionary Forces had very different experiences than their families, friends and neighbors. The American Legion allowed these young men and women who had served "Over There" to re-integrate into their hometowns and to still remain in contact with others who had been abroad. The Legion served as a support group, a social club and a type of extended family for former service men and women.
Some Legion groups engaged in strikebreaking activities during this time and into the 1930s. In 1919, a new American Legion group in Washington was involved in the Centralia Massacre (Washington).

1920’s; The American Legion was very active in the 1920s. It was instrumental in the creation of the U.S. Veterans' Bureau, now known as the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Legion also created its own American Legion Baseball Program. Commander Travers D. Carmen awarded Charles Lindbergh its "Distinguished Service Medal," the medal's first recipient, on July 22, 1927. American Legion national convention was held in Paris, France in September 1927. A major part of this was drum and bugle corps competition in which approximately 14,000 members took part.
American Legion Politics
The Industrial Workers of the World had attempted to organize longshoremen, sailors and fishermen in the 1920s through their Maritime Workers Union. The largest strike, in San Pedro, California in 1923, bottled up shipping in that harbor, but was crushed by a combination of injunctions, mass arrests and vigilantism by the American Legion.

1930’s; In 1930, the American Legion Memorial Bridge in Traverse City, Michigan, was completed. In that year, the Traverse City city commission decided to purchase dedication plaques for $100 at the request of the American Legion.
By 1931, membership of the American Legion had reached 1 million.
The Sons of the American Legion formed at the American Legion's 14th National Convention in Portland, Oregon, on September 12-15, 1932. Membership is limited to the male descendants of members of the American Legion, or deceased individuals who served in the armed forces of the United States during times specified by the American Legion. In 2007, The Sons of the American Legion celebrated 75 years of service to God and Country. The organization has more than 300,000 members.
According to congressional testimony in the 1930s, several of the American Legion's leaders, including its original bankroller Irénée du Pont, plotted a fascist coup against the Government of Franklin D. Roosevelt called the Business Plot. According to testimony, the plot was averted because Major General Smedley Butler warned Roosevelt of the plan.
In 1935, the first Boys' State (Premier Boys State) convened in Springfield, Illinois.
The American Legion's first National High School Oratorical Contest was held in 1938.

1940’s; In 1942, the original charter of the American Legion was changed in order to allow veterans of World War II to join. Throughout the 1940s, the American Legion was very active in providing support for veterans and soldiers who fought in World War II. The American Legion campaigned for the G.I. Bill, which was signed into law in June 1944.
The first Boys Nation program was held in 1946.

1950’s; The American Legion asked for a congressional investigation into the ACLU for their petitioning to end loyalty-oath laws for public workers such as school teachers during the red scare.
Veterans of the Korean War were approved for membership in the American Legion in 1950.
The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation was formed in 1954.

1960’s; On May 30, 1969, the Cabin John Bridge, which carried the Capital Beltway (I-495) across the Potomac River northwest of Washington, D.C., was officially renamed to the " American Legion Memorial Bridge" in a ceremony led by Lt. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, director of the U.S. Selective Service System.

1970’s; In 1976, an outbreak of bacterial pneumonia occurred among those attending a convention of the American Legion at The Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. This form of pneumonia became known as Legionnaires' disease, or Legionellosis. The bacterium that causes the illness was later named Legionella.

1980’s; After a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the American Legion launched and funded an unsuccessful campaign to win a constitutional amendment against harming the flag of the United States. The Legion formed the Citizens' Flag Honor Guard and it later became Citizens Flag Alliance.

1990’s; In 1993, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts renamed a bridge in the city of Chicopee to the "American Legion Memorial Bridge".
Also in 1993, two members of Garden City, Michigan American Legion Post 396 shared an idea that would bond motorcycle enthusiasts in the Legion from the idea of Chuck Dare and post commander Bill Kaledas, the American Legion Riders was born. Joined by 19 other founding members the group soon found itself inundated with requests for information about the new group. As a source of information a website was set up, and it continues to be a source of information worldwide.
In a letter to U.S. President Bill Clinton in May 1999, the American Legion urged the immediate withdrawal of American troops from Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia. The National Executive Committee of The American Legion met and adopted a resolution unanimously that stated, in part, that they would only support military operations if "Guidelines be established for the mission, including a clear exit strategy" and "That there be support of the mission by the U.S. Congress and the American people".

2000’s; The Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), announced that he planned to eliminate the annual congressional hearings for Veterans Service Organizations that was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In response, National Commander of the American Legion Thomas L. Bock had the following to say:
"I am extremely disappointed in Chairman Buyer's latest effort to ignore the Veterans Service Organizations. Eliminating annual hearings before a joint session of the Veterans Affairs Committees will lead to continued budgetary shortfalls for VA resulting in veterans being underserved."
By 2007, the American Legion Riders program has grown to over 600 chapters in the United States and overseas.


FROM THE EDITOR
Karen Goodman
If you would like to have a copy of the newsletter emailed to you, send your email address to karengoodman66@msn.com or leave the information at the Post. The same can be said for information, articles or commentary you wish to publish. Deadline for the Newsletter will be March 27. Please follow the Post News and photos on our blog at http://post24az.blogspot.com/

Reports received from Post and Unit Officers after the Newsletter deadline will be published in the blog only.

Carol "Crazy Annie, Kim Grieg and Sandi Freeman during Mardi Gras.