July/August 2016 - The American Legion

July/August, 2016
Volume XCIII
Beth Linn Elected
State Commander
James pins Beth’s commanders pin on.
Beth Linn is a 14 year member of Wright-Irion Post 5 in
Scottsbluff and was elected and installed as the American
Legion Department Commander on June 26, 2016, concluding the Nebraska American Legion’s 98th annual department convention in Kearney.
She is eligible in The American Legion through her service in the U.S. Army and National Guard from 1983-1989.
Beth was a MP and served both in the United States and
West Germany.
Beth has served her post as a 100% Post Commander and
100% Post Adjutant. She has also served as Finance Officer,
Children & Youth Chair, POW/MIA Chair and Public Relations Chair.
She also was District 4 Vice-Commander, District 4 Commander, Area D Vice-Commander and Senior Vice Commander.
Linn has attended several National Conventions, a national Membership Conference and a national C&Y Conference. She is a graduate of the Nebraska Leadership School, The
American Legion Extension Institute and is a 2004 graduate
of The American Legion College.
Beth is also a member of The American Legion Auxiliary
Unit 324 – Stapleton.
She gained her membership through her father’s service
during Vietnam.
Number 5
Past National Commander Honored for Changing
The World
Harry W. Colmery changed
the world. The American Legion past national commander
drafted the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 – the
GI Bill – which propelled the
United States to superpower
status, launching an era of U.S.
prosperity that continues today.
Colmery can be credited for
such phenomena as averting
economic disaster when millions of U.S. troops returned
home from World War II,
democratizing higher education, making home ownership affordable for average
Americans, driving forward
racial equality, establishing an all-volunteer military,
revolutionizing health care
for veterans, and turning the
American dream into an American reality for generations.
Until 2013, however, Colmery’s legacy was hardly remembered in Topeka, Kan.,
where he lived and worked for
more than 60 years. On June
22, 72 years after he watched
President Franklin D. Roosevelt sign the GI Bill into
law, Colmery was immortalized. More than 200 veterans,
military personnel, family
members and business leaders
attended dedication ceremonies for the Harry Colmery
Memorial Plaza near the the
Kansas state capitol building.
The plaza features a statue of
Colmery saluting men and
women of the U.S. Armed
Forces, with a panel of bronze
figures behind him depicting
the civilian professions they
would assume after discharge.
The American Legion’s
Department
of
Kansas
worked
with
volunteers
and the Colmery family to
raise funds, design and construct the memorial park.
"Harry Colmery represents
the best of what it means to be
an American veteran, an engaged citizen and servant to
others," National Commander
Dale Barnett told the crowd.
"(He) saw it as his personal
duty to fulfill what we in The
American Legion call an ‘individual obligation to community, state and nation.’ He fulfilled that duty at every level
– from his local church, Boy
Scouts, the Topeka Chamber
of Commerce, the state Bar
Association and The American Legion, to name just a few.
And, as he was doing so, Harry
Colmery just happened to shift
the course of human history."
American Legion Past National Commander and current
Department of Kansas Adjutant Jimmie Foster said, "He
was a living example of every founding principle of The
American Legion – support
for veterans, strong national
security, mentorship for youth
and American patriotism."
Now, his legacy is cast in
bronze so that future generations will understand what one
individual can accomplish for
his community, state and nation.
"In all the years that our family has witnessed grateful veterans expressing their appreciation for the GI Bill… and
how it transformed their lives,
we simultaneously wondered
how to preserve that story so
that it might inspire others,"
Mina Steen, a granddaughter
who worked closely with the
memorial committee throughout the project, told a crowd
at the ceremony. "Our prayer
is that it will stand over time,
commemorating a great human
effort and political decision
that served our veterans and
country ever so well. Grandfather would be very pleased."
By Daniel S. Wheeler,
National Adjutant
Legion Statement Regarding Commission on Care Report
The Commission
on Care, a 15-member
panel tasked by Congress with trying to fix
the Veterans Health Administration,
released
its
report
Monday.
The American Legion
issued the following
statement following the
release of the report.
The American Legion
appreciates the hard
work from all of the commission members and we
look forward to working
with this administration
and the incoming Congress and administration
to ensure veterans are
provided with the high
level of expert health care
that they have earned.
The American Legion
has always maintained
that increased privatization of
veteran health care services
is not in the best interest of
veterans or the American taxpayer. While we are still reviewing the complete report,
we note that the Commission
had a very limited interaction with veterans who actually use Veterans Affairs (VA)
health care, and even less
time spent in VA facilities.
The report also based many
of their recommendations on
outdated information. Over
the past two years, VA has
transformed customer service,
community engagement, and
lessened wait times while seeing more patients than ever
before. The Commission’s
report seems to focus only on
the abilities of the VA prior
to the new leadership taking
over more than two years ago.
We believe that recommendations of privatization that some
are trying to mask as “Choice”
fail to take into consideration
that veterans already have a
myriad of choices, more so
than most Americans. Choosing to see a contracted primary
care physician as opposed to a
VA primary care physician is
a choice most veterans using
VA health care already have
through their private insurance,
Tricare, Medicare, Medicaid
or several other options. These
“choices” also come with additional expenses to the veteran. Converting VA health care
to an insurance payer will increase out-of-pocket expenses
for veterans who rely solely on
VA for all of their health care
needs, and who may not have
alternate insurance options.
The American Legion is
pleased to see the Commission address leadership succession planning and accountability as these were some
of the areas The American
Legion suggested when we
met with the Commission.
Again, The American Legion looks forward to working with Congress, and the
administration to ensure veterans are well served by our Department of Veterans Affairs.
Inside
Page 3 History
Page 4 Convention
Pictures
Page 5 Calendar
Center pages-The
Auxiliary Star
Page 7 TAPS
Page 8 Pictures
Commander’s
Corner
NEBRASKA AMERICAN LEGION
Department Headquarters Office
Physical Location:
5600 P Street, Lincoln, NE 68505
Phone Numbers:
Adjutant & Staff - (402) 464-6338
FAX - (402) 464-6330,
24-hour access
Business Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Central), Mon-Fri
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5205, Lincoln, NE 68505-0205
Web site:
http://www.nebraskalegion.net
dwsalak@windstream.net
E-Mail Address:
Editor
comdirlegion@windstream.net
Beth Linn
Department Commander
To my Nebraska American Legion Family. I am honored to be writing my first letter to you as State Commander. Thank you for the trust you have placed in me
as your 2016-2017 Commander. It is indeed an honor.
I am Beth Linn from Scottsbluff, Nebraska and I am a 15
year member of Wright – Irion Post 5 in Scottsbluff. I am
also a member of Auxiliary Unit 324 in Stapleton and a Legion
Rider with the Central Sandhills Chapter out of Broken Bow.
I grew up on the family farm located south of Gandy, Nebraska. I graduated from Stapleton Public Schools in 1981 and
attended Frontier School of the Bible in Lagrange, WY, for a
year before entering the Army in 1983. I did One Station Unit
Training to become a Military Policeman at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. I then was stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia and Wharton Barracks, Heilbronn, West Germany. I also did 2 years
with the Nebraska National Guard in Columbus when it was
the MP Unit. I graduated from Chadron State College in May
of 1996 with a Composite Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.
My husband, Jim, and I live just outside of Scottsbluff. We have
2 children: Patrick and Briana and 1 son – in – law, Michael. They
have blessed us with 4 grandchildren: Mike, Nate, Kiara and
Angel. My parents are Harold and Mary Joedeman from Stapleton and my parents-in-law are Jerry and Janet Linn of Thedford.
My theme for the year is “Don’t give up, We’ve got this”.
I chose this theme because it has been my family’s motto
for the last several years. It has made us stronger as a family. We don’t give up and we support each other. The Nebraska Legion Family has become part of that strong support group. You have prayed for my family, you have
given us shoulders to lean on and you have cried with us.
The love and strength you have given me is immeasurable.
The Legion helps our veterans in so many ways. Operation Comfort Warrior, Soldiers’ Wish, Temporary Financial
Assistance, National Emergency Fund, Child Welfare Fund,
The Legacy Fund and many other ways. But most veterans
do not know how many ways we support them. We do not
inform the public enough about what we do. We need to
change this. Think outside the box and sometimes outside
the state. I do not know all the answers but I am willing to
look. We help around the world. We reach out to others to
get the needed information and guidance to help our veterans
and their families. More than once I have been contacted by
individuals who are not part of the Legion Family but know
that I am a Legionnaire to assist a Veteran or a Veteran’s family member who are in need. I have contacted National to obtain the needed contact information of the Legion Post in their
area. Across this country, people have received their benefits
because someone reached out. We will continue the fight for
our veterans to receive the benefits they are owed. We do not
back down. We will not stop. This is what we do. This is
why we are Legionnaires. The oath we took does not expire.
National Convention is in Cincinnati, Ohio this year.
This will be one of the first things I attend. Please contact
me if your Post, County, or District has an event you would
like for me to attend. If I am unable to attend, I will send
my Senior Vice-Commander or the Area Vice Commander.
Don’t Give Up, We’ve Got This
Beth Linn, Department Commander
Page 2-The Nebraska Legionnaire-July/August, 2016
Dear Members:
On behalf of the Cheyenne
VAMC patients and staff, we
would like to extend our appreciation to you for your donation of the newspapers. Your thoughtfulness reflects
the concern that you feel for
our Veterans and for the service they provided to all of us
while in service to our country.
Without your support, we
could not provide these special items that make hospitalization more bearable.
Your thoughtfulness also reflects the concern and compassion that our community feels for our Veterans.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Linda G. Brown
Chief, Voluntary Service
Dear Junior Law Cadet
Staff
I would like to thank you for
the opportunity of going to the
Junior Law Cadet Program.
I had a great experience and
learned many new things. I
am so glad this program was
available to me and I hope
you continue it. Thanks again,
Alexa Dougherty,
O’Neill High School
Dear American Legion:
Thank you very much for
the opportunity to apply for
the Samsung Scholarship.
I am beyond honored to
have been chosen as the
national finalist this year.
Thank you for all of the opportunities that Boys’ State
presented and I will continue to work on making
these opportunities count.
Sincerely,
Austin Gronewold
American Legion Department of Nebraska Senior
Vice Commander Beth
Linn spoke during the
dedication on Memorial Day, at the new Veterans Memorial Monument in the City Park in
Curtis. ”All gave some,
some gave all and some
are continuing to give,”
Linn said, pointing out
three World War II veterans Bob Furrow, Ward
Schick and Virgil Towne,
seated in a place of honor for the dedication.
Provided by Connie Jo
Discoe, McCook Gazette.
Commander ..................................................................Beth Linn, Scottsbluff
Senior Vice Commander..................................................Jim Costello, Omaha
Area A Vice Commander................................................Geri Thomas, Omaha
Area B Vice Commander ...............................................Doug Frahm, Amelia
Area C Vice Commander ...............................................Gary Wooten, Wilber
Area D Vice Commander..............................................Dick Bennett, Elwood
Adjutant ...........................................................................Dave Salak, Omaha
Activities Director....................................................Brent Hagel-Pitt, Lincoln
Public Relations Officer.......................................John E. Thompson, Lincoln
Chaplain.........................................................Dr. Willian Jackson Jr,, Lincoln
Historian.......................................................................Jennifer Salak, Omaha
Judge Advocate ..........................................................Robert Black, Bellevue
Finance Officer .............................................................Mark Novak, Dawson
Sergeant-At-Arms......................................................James Linn, Scottsbluff
Asst. Sergeant-At-Arms.......................................................Debra Day, Utica
Service Officer .......................................................Steven A. Burger, Lincoln
National Executive Committeeman…..….............Jerry Landkamer, Norfolk
Alternate NECman........................................................Bill Crosier, Kearney
District Commanders
Dist. 1.............Terry Cogdill, Chadron
Dist. 2..............Ken Meyer, Creighton
Dist. 3.............Ken Hanel, West Point
Dist. 4.......Larry McCracken, Alliance
Dist. 5..........Marv Donnelly, Hershey
Dist. 6.........William Berney, Spalding
Dist. 7...............Joe Osthoff, Weston
Dist. 8.................Bob Sadil, Omaha
Dist. 9...............Tyre Nelson, Curtis
Dist. 10........Jesse Green, Hastings
Dist. 11............Rodney Rose, Roca
Dist. 12.Norm Vanderkuur, Talmage
Dist. 13Kevin McKinney, Tecumseh
Dist. 15............Gerald Wolf, Lincoln
The Cornhusker State
(USPS 376-180)
(ISSN 0028-1875)
Official Publication of The American Legion Department of Nebraska.
Published monthly except for January/February; April/ May; July/August and October/November which are combined into one issue.
Subscription included in annual membership dues.
For non-members $8.00 for a years subscription.
John E. Thompson..........................................................Editor
Dave Salak....................................Publisher’s Representative
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE: L. Geraldine Thomas, Omaha; Paul A. Evans, Bayard and Julie
Schnitzler, Gibbon.
EDITORIAL OFFICE: Editor, The Nebraska Legionnaire, 5600 P St., P.O. Box 5205, Lincoln,
NE 68505. Phone (402) 464-6338. Send correspondence, articles and photo submissions to
above address prior to monthly submission deadline. The Nebraska Legionnaire assumes no
responsibility for material submitted.
ADVERTISING: Rates available upon request to Editorial Office. The Nebraska Legionnaire
reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. Advertising published on behalf of an individual or
organization does not constitute endorsement or reflect the policy of the Nebraska American Legion.
NON-MEMBER SUBSCRIPTION: $8.00 per year, payable in advance. Send change of address
and subscription order to Editorial Office.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Members send old mailing label and complete new address to: The
American Legion, Department of Nebraska, P.O. Box 5205, Lincoln, NE 68505-0205. Nebraska’s
mailing labels are now produced internally, and are maintained on a separate list from the labels
for the National Magazine. Address changes should be reflected within 2-3 weeks after receipt.
Periodical Postage Paid at Lincoln, Nebraska and at additional mailing offices.
Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to P.O. Box 5205, Lincoln, NE 68505-0205
Dannebrog Michelson-Larkowski Post 241 presented
Kalen Cumming a certificate for obtaining his Eagle
Scout Award. Pictured (l-r) Post Adjutant Don Vogt, SAL
member Kalen Cumming and Post Commander Leanna
Obermiller. Kalen graduated from Centura High School
in May and is departing in July to join the Navy Seabees to become a utilities man. We wish him all the best.
It’s History
E
By Department Historian Jennifer Salak
Last month I wrote about Past National Commander Galbraith’s challenge to evaluate our
Legion programs to prepare for the future. In June I had the privilege of attending several sessions of the 76th Annual Cornhusker Boys State held on the University of Nebraska’s main
campus. What I experienced in that short amount of time was not only inspiring but a testament to the importance of promoting this extremely popular Legion program and continuing to send young Nebraskans to Lincoln to learn about government, leadership and teamwork.
Boys State was started in 1935 by two Illinois Legionnaires – Hayes Kennedy (Department
Americanism Chairman and Loyola Law Professor) and Harold Card (Boy Scout Chairman and
Junior High School Teacher). During that time, camps known as Young Pioneer Camps were popping up all over our country teaching young people that democracy had outlived its usefulness and
should be replaced with fascism – a form of government in which an extremist right-wing dictator rules over society. Kennedy and Card were so disturbed by these camps that in response, they
developed a different kind of youth camp – one that would teach young men the importance and
value of a democratic government and their responsibilities as American citizens to preserve it.
Thus, the first Boys State was held in June of 1935 on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. According
to the September 1936 issue of The American Legion magazine, over 600 young men travelled
from across the state to participate. The boys slept on cots in barn stalls normally reserved for
prized cattle, horses and sheep. Out of 600 boys, only one complained about being too cold in the
barn at night. This was easily rectified by Card who showed the young man how to stuff newspapers in the folds of the blanket to provide the warmth of several blankets. It was here on these
fairgrounds that the structure of the modern day Boys State was born. Boys were divided into
towns, learned about various government positions from prominent members of the community,
held elections and participated in extracurricular activities like sports, band, choir and journalism.
This inaugural Boys State was so successful that at the 1935 national convention, the program was sanctioned by The American Legion as an Americanism Program and other departments were encouraged to start their own programs. Nebraska held its first Boys State
at the University of Nebraska in 1938. Although some things have changed since 1938 (for
example, the fee to sponsor a young man ranged between $10 and $12.50, and boys were required to pass an entrance exam), the basic premise of the program remains the same
– learning about government, leadership and teamwork through hands-on experiences.
The 76th Annual Cornhusker Boys State Program truly embodied the concept of learning by
doing. Students gained a greater understanding of government by talking with state legislators,
visiting the state capitol, debating issues, campaigning and holding elections. They received advice on becoming leaders in their schools and communities from guest speakers like U.S. Senator
Ben Sasse, Governor Pete Ricketts, UNL Coaches Mike Riley, Amy Williams, Tim Miles and
John Cook and motivational speakers Dr. Joanne Owens-Nausler and Scott Backovich. Students
also learned about teamwork throughout the week and during their visit to the Nebraska National Guard Base in Lincoln. For a look at the class of 2016, visit www.cornhuskerboysstate.org.
The reasons for wanting to go to Boys State varies for each student – they want to learn
more about government, their fathers and brothers attended, they heard from classmates
how fun it was, they might get selected to attend Boys Nation in Washington DC, etc. However, at the end of the week-long program, most will agree that it was a life changing event.
The Boys State Program started in the 1930s as a response to extremist ideologies trying to undermine
the democratic way of life. Even though 80 years have passed since the first Boys State was held, the
program remains just as popular today as does its importance considering our nation and democracy
continue to face threats from hostile extremists. As Legionnaires, it is up to us to ensure our youth have
a full understanding of our government and the importance of preserving it for future generations.
2016 is the first year since 1999 that the Department sent over 400 students to Boys State.
Our goal for future years is to send 425 students. We can accomplish this by continuing to promote Cornhusker Boys State throughout the year and making sure we send every eligible high
school junior to this premier program. As Past National Commander Galbraith said, we must
evaluate our programs to prepare for the future. Boys State is one of those American Legion Programs that we need now more than ever to prepare our young people for the future of our nation.
Straight
Talk
Steve Burger
Department Service Officer
VA Announces Telemental Health Clinical Resource
Centers During Telemedicine Association Gathering
VA is a leader in Telehealth, Caring for more than 677,000 Veterans through telehealth in fiscal year 2015; Telemental health Hubs
Further Expands Capacity.
MINNEAPOLIS – As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
works to improve Veterans’ access to health care, its telehealth
services play an integral role in that process, said Dr. David J.
Shulkin, VA’s Under Secretary for Health. Dr. Shulkin spoke today to members of the American Telemedicine Association attending the group’s 2016 conference in Minneapolis, where he also
announced the establishment of five VA Mental Health Telehealth
Clinical Resource Centers to provide enhanced mental health access and services to Veterans in remote locations.
VA is recognized as a world leader in the development of telehealth services that are now mission critical to the future direction
of VA care to Veterans. VA uses health informatics, disease management, care and case management and telehealth technologies
to facilitate access to care and improve the health of Veterans. VA
currently services more than 677,000 Veterans through telehealth;
that amounts to approximately 12 percent of the 5.6 Million Veterans who receive healthcare from the VA .
VA’s Mental Health Telemedicine Clinical Resource Centers will
provide Veterans, particularly those living in rural areas, with rapid access to mental health services where local barriers exist. This
expanded effort will help close the gap in access to mental health
care, in particular, in those traditionally underserved communities.
“We are in the midst of the largest transformation in the history
of VA with MyVA, which means we are reorienting what we do
around the needs of our Veterans and providing care when, how
and where they want to receive that care,” said Dr. Shulkin. “These
mental health telehealth resource centers will provide our Veterans
in underserved areas the expert mental health providers they may
not otherwise be able to obtain locally. We know that we are doing
more in telehealth than any other healthcare system and connecting mental health providers to areas hard to recruit and retain.”
The Mental Health Telehealth Clinical Resource Centers will be
located in Charleston, SC; Salt Lake City, Utah; Pittsburgh, PA;
and a consortium of facilities in Boise, ID; Seattle, WA; and Portland, OR. The fifth facility, already operational in West Haven,
Conn., is a specialty hub focused on the most severe and complex mental health issues, such as chronic depression and bipolar
disorder . The others are expected to be available in the summer,
with the priority given to VA medical facilities in urgent need of
additional mental health providers.
VA Telemedical Service at a glance
• Chief Telehealth modalities include Clinical Video Telehealth
(CVT), the use of real-time interactive video conferencing, sometimes with supportive peripheral technologies, to assess, treat and
provide care to a patient remotely. Home Telehealth (HT), a program into which Veterans with chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes,
congestive heart failure, etc.) are enrolled that applies care and
case management principles to coordinate care using health informatics, disease management and technologies such as in-home
and mobile monitoring, messaging and/or video technologies; and
Store and Forward Telehealth (SFT), which uses technologies to
asynchronously acquire and store clinical information (e.g. data,
image, sound and video) that is then forwarded to or retrieved by a
VA provider at another VA location for clinical evaluation.
• Since fiscal year 2003, VA has provided Veterans with access to
mental health services through more than 1.8 million telemental
health encounters.
• VA’s national Store-and-Forward Telehealth programs operationalize this definition to cover services that provide this care using
a clinical consult pathway and a defined information technology
platform to communicate the event/encounter between providers,
as well as enabling documentation of the event/encounter and the
associated clinical evaluation within the patient record.
• VA Telehealth Services are available for more than 45 specialty areas of care. Top areas for VA telehealth services are mental
health, rehabilitation including audiology and speech pathology,
retinal imaging, primary care, weight management, cardiology,
and dermatology..
If Legionnaires have questions they can contact their
Post Service Officer or my office at 402-420-4021
Steve Burger, State Service Officer
Page 3-The Nebraska Legionnaire-July/August, 2016
98th Annual Department Convention
Athletic Committee Chairman Jody Moeller presented Ken Meyer a special award for his years
on the Athletic Committee and his dedication to the American Legion baseball program.
Robert “Bob” Swanson was the recipient of the
Cody Kerr Award for his work on behalf of veterans and the American Legion. Past Department
Commander Jim Sidel made the presentation.
Past Department Commander Doug Boldt and
Mike Reimers presented
Area B Vice-Commander
Shannon Falk the Crowbar Award “just because.”
Past Department Commander Mike Reimers passes the van
keys and credit card to Department Commander Beth Linn.
The recipients of District Citizenship Medal Awards were honored at the Saturday, June
25 meeting of the Department Convention. They are listed as follows with Post: Front
row (1-r) Alvin Semin, Dwight Post 110; Stan Brodine, Elm Creek Post 316; Howard
Davis, Arapahoe Post 96; Steve Bartos, Lincoln Post 3; John Prochazka, Wilber Post
101; Kevin Nordhagen, Omaha Post 1; Stanley Dryak, Niobrara Post 224. Back row (1r) Glen Kotschwar, Chadron Post 12; Tom Sherman, Tecumseh Post 2; Wayne Eggert,
Hallam Post 294; Jesse Wiseman, Homer Post 97; Larry McCracken, Alliance Post 7.
Nebraska Eagle Scout of the year Jacob Sykora of
Papillion and the newly elected Boys’ State Governor Ruben Aguilar of Lincoln were special guests and
made presentations to the attendees at the convention.
No Medal – Just Home
Donald Nelsen
The following is a partial
list of Prisoners of war and
Missing in Action over years.
The Revolutionary War: 18152
POW and 1426 MIA. The War
of 1812: 20,000 POW and 695
MIA. The Civil War: Union:
194,743 POW/MIA the Confederacy: 214,856 POW/MIA.
World War II: 124,079 POW
and 30,314 MIA.
Korea:
7140 POW and 8025 MIA.
The number of Americans
unaccounted for in Southeast
Asia as of June 9, 2016 is
1618. Of these, 17 Nebraskans
were unaccounted for. Nine
were presumed Killed in Action but bodies were not recovered. Eight Nebraskans have
a PRESUMPTIVE finding
of death. I do not agree with
PRESUMPTIVE FINDINGS.
We have more information
on one of my heroes: TED
GOSTAS. From the earlier
article we know Ted was held
in solitary confinement by the
NVA for four years and six
months and then for another
year for a total time of just
about five and one half years.
Let us see: 4 1/2 years times
365 days in a year=1,642.5
Days and this times 24 hours
in a day = 39,420 Hours and
this times 60 minutes in an
hour equals 2,365,200 minutes
in Solitary Confinement. From
personal letters and internet
articles I want to
add the following.
“So when they
butt-stroked me
to the head from
an AK-47 and
I was bleeding
down the side of
my face and they
threw me back in
the cell I could
put my fingers
into; the impression...and I just
Page 4-The Nebraska Legionnaire-July/August, 2016
said, 'heal me, little army'. But
do you know in retrospectwhen I was captured they
blew up a rocket in the room
with me and my men-and in
all honesty and without any
lies at all, I wish that had killed
me. I'm telling you the truth."
Ted continues, “I held a man
tightly in my arms as he died
in Vietnam. I had whispered in
Barry's ear: when we get over
this and we're rescued, I'll see
that you get the
Medal of Honor.
And he says,
Mr. G. I don't
want any medal,
I just want to go
home.' And he
didn't. He died in
twenty minutes”.
On March 16,
1973 after a total of five years,
five months and
fifteen days Ted
Gostas was re-
leased and sent home. He
said when he arrived at Denver's Fitzsimmons Hospital he was out of his mind.
"My psychiatrist considered
me the most tortured prisoner
of war in the Vietnam War...
because I was the highest
ranking intelligence officer
captured. And I had the worst
attitude. I laughed at everything. Even when they were
killing me I was laughing, because I was crazy. I went completely ka-flooey in prison."
He will not lead parades,
nor does he consider himself
a hero. He signs his art work
with a WELCOME HOME
VETERAN, He is no longer
25, rather 77, but he still has
that USA spirit about him.
When he is called from our
ranks he will go to that place
where he is a HERO and will
remain so forever. So much
thanks to you, and your fellow
POW'S. WE OWE YOU!!!
GOD PLEASE
WATCH
OVER
AND
PROTECT OUR
TROOPS
The presenter of the Insulter Award was Doug
Boldt of Callaway Post 59.
Doug presented the award
to Brent Hagel-Pitt (HP)
of Bennet Post 280, this
year's worthy recipient.
Your No-Cost LegionCare Coverage Legionnaires,
Could Be Expiring Soon. Reactivate Now! I see this time and time again
If you enrolled in the Legionnaire Insurance Trust’s LegionCare No-Cost AD&D Program prior to 1/1/2015, your coverage
is set to expire on August 31, 2016. To make sure this doesn’t
happen, all you have to do is reenroll today on www.TheLIT.
com. It’s no cost to you and now it never expires as long as you
remain a member of the Legion Family.
What is LegionCare? All dues-paying Legion Family members
have the opportunity to enroll in LegionCare; a complimentary
NO COST accidental death benefit provided to you by the Legionnaire Insurance Trust.
LegionCare provides you with:
• $5,000 in Accidental Death Coverage for covered accidents
that occur if you are traveling on official Legion business. *
• $1,000 for all other covered accidents.
• 24/7 protection that covers members at home, at work and
while they are travelling away from home.
Plus, LegionCare is now available to all members of the Legion Family including the American Legion Auxiliary and Sons
of the American Legion members 18 years and older.
You are guaranteed this NO COST benefit with no health questions, no hidden qualifications … and no reason to pass up your
opportunity for this important benefit.
Sign up now and you’ll be covered for as long as you maintain your membership in the Legion Family. This new “one and
done” approach will save you from needing to re-enroll every 5
years.
Does this apply only to those that enrolled prior to 1/1/2015?
No! If you haven’t signed up for LegionCare at all yet, you can
enroll now on www.TheLIT.com. Don’t miss out on this valuable benefit provided to you by the Legionnaire Insurance Trust .
To Enroll or Reactivate, visit www.TheLIT.com or call 1-800235-6943.
* For purposes of the Legionnaire Insurance Trust, a member
of the Legion Family, with current year’s dues paid, could be
eligible for the $5,000.00 Accidental Death benefit if he/she is
traveling to, attending, or returning from an official function at
which the he/she represents his/her Post, District, Department,
or National Organization in an official capacity. Bonus benefit
for Legion business travel in not available in MN and NH.
American Legion Night at
the Races at I-80 Speedway on Friday, August 5.
We want everybody to have
an opportunity to enjoy the
races. To obtain free tickets
please call John at Department
Headquarters 402-464-6338
American Legion Night and I will make sure that you
are provided with all the tickets
at I-80 Speedway
We have received 4,000 you need. We hope that you all
tickets to be handed out for have a great night at the races.
Events Calendar
July
4 Independence Day
19-23 Junior Shooting Sports Championships-
Colorado Springs, CO.
22-30 Boys and Girls Nation, Washington, D.C.
28-30 National Membership Meeting, Indy.
August
3-7 Baseball Regional Tournments
11-16 Baseball World Series, Shelby, NC.
21-24 Legacy Run to Cincinnati, OH
26-Sept. 1 American Legion National Conven-
tion, Cincinnati, OH. September
5 Labor Day
11 Patriot Day
16 POW/MIA Recognition Day
16-18 Children & Youth Conference, Indy.
23-25 Americanism Conference, Indy.
25 Gold Star Mothers Day
Special Note:For information pertaining to
American Legion Baseball go to:
www.nelegionbaseball.net
when attending funerals. At no
time is the wearing of a Legion
cap in a place of worship permitted UNLESS you are part
of the Color/Honor Guard or
the Commander of such detail.
The cap is to be removed when
entering the place of worship
and held over your heart.
One other tidbit of information regarding Cap Etiquette
and funerals:
1. At the graveside, the hat is
held over your heart during the
ENTIRE service unless you are
part of the Color/Honor detail
or Commander of such detail.
Non-legionnaires
looking
at some Legionnaires with
hats on and others with hats
off would easily get the impression we don’t appear to
know the rules. All of us need
to comply with these standard rules so that we appear
uniform at these functions.
Dave Salak
Uniform Cap Etiquette
o The left side (emblem side)
of the cap is reserved only for
the Legion emblem, city, county, district, or state lettering.
o If desired, the following items must be placed
on the right side of the cap:
*Additional lettering, restricted to either the name of
a Post or to an officer title,
such as Past Commander
*Cap insignias or badges
for past or present officers
*Consecutive membership
insignia, membership stars,
and/or authorized Legion or
military service decorations
o Names or nicknames
of
individual
members
cannot be used on caps.
o The Legion uniform cap
should be worn by its members only when in attendance
at official Legion meetings
or ceremonies or as official
guests at patriotic or other
civil functions or by individuals when officially representing The American Legion on public occasions.
o A member is considered
to be in uniform if wearing
an official Legion uniform
cap. Therefore it is not proper
to wear the cap while eating
a meal at an official Legion
or civic luncheon or dinner.
o The cap should be worn
in a place of worship only by
the Guard of Honor, Color
Guard, and Commander of
same while in marching order
or standing guard. When returned to and seated in pews,
the cap should be removed.
o Legion posts marching in
formation into a place of worship should uncover at the
door, hold the cap with the
right hand over the heart until the arrival in the pews and
commanded to take seats, remaining uncovered during the
entire service. At the close of
the service, upon command,
the post shall arise, the members holding the cap with
American Legion Family and Friends
I hesitate to mention names as I may leave someone out,
therefore I want to thank everyone that made our NNCCSAL
fundraiser, held during our state convention in Kearney Nebraska, a huge success. To those that donated items for the silent auction, raffles, purchasers and donors, the support shown
was fantastic. A special thank you to those that gave and received buzz cuts and of course the "Barber of Callaway". Finally that group of individuals that has stepped up to serve on
the campaign committee to help make this endeavor possible.
Your continued support has been overwhelming and makes
me realize that I have made some very special friends through
this organization. All of this is proof positive that there is no
challenge that we cannot take on. Service to our Veterans, children, communities and state will always be a priority. Working
together WE can and WILL make a difference! Thank you again.
Danny Smith
Candidate for National Commander
Sons of The American Legion
the right hand over the heart
will march out of the place
of worship and recover after
marching through the door.
o Legion members not in
formation will uncover upon
entering the place of worship and remain uncovered
during the entire service
and will recover after leaving the place of worship.
o When at a funeral, the cap
should be held over the heart
as one approaches the casket
and is not at any time worn
in a place of worship (except
by the Guard of Honor, Color Guard, or Commander of
same while in marching order or standing guard.) At the
graveside, the cap should be
held in the right hand over the
heart during the entire service.
In cold and inclement weather,
the cap should not be worn.
o
In Legion meetings,
the cap should be worn except during moments of the
Pledge of Allegiance, prayer,
and when standing in silent
reverence in memory of departed comrades, when the
cap should be held with the
right hand over the heart.
o Female members of the
Legion should wear their
caps in the manner prescribed for female personnel of the armed services.
Page 5-The Nebraska Legionnaire-July/August, 2016
Chaplain’s
Corner
COMMANDERS NOTES
Dr. William Jackson
Department Chaplain
“Morality, Ethics, Leadership”
What is it about someone who stands out among the crowd of onlookers, seeming straight, tall, and oozing with confidence and selfassuredness. Hey, maybe that image fits, you...or you...or maybe
you just sitting there...wondering...could I? should I? will I? can I?
Well, get off that self-imposed throne of yours—no, not your toilet— smile—and listen up to what the Lord has to say about being the
HWIC (head woman in charge), or the HMIC (head man in charge).
“Trust in the Lord, with all thine heart, and lean not on thine
own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He
will set straight thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5,6). Now you and I know
that God Himself did not say this, but, guess who did, along with
dictating an entire book of the Bible’s Old Testament? Not sure,
huh? How about if I throw out this “bone:” he was the richest
and wisest man on the planet at one time. Still not sure? OK.
How about I give you one of the letters of his name, like “S?”
You got it! Solomon. You know: the guy with many wives
and concubines and children? He was also the son of David,
Israel’s greatest king. Even the queen of Sheba came to verify
his reputation. Solomon also admonished that “...all is vanity...”
(Ecclesiastes 1:2). Now that’s from a man with all those wives
to support. Would your wife (or husband for the reverse situation) go for that? Solomon learned a hard lesson from his appetite not being held back: he sinned against God by lusting
after his wives’ and concubines’ gods, to his ultimate demise.
But what does this ancient tale of kingship have to do with
us Legionnaires, inclusive of all our American Legion family?
Comprehend this statement, too: "Power tends to corrupt, and
absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men [and women]
are almost always bad men [or bad women].” (Sir John Dalberg-Acton, 8th Baronet from 1837 to 1869, England). This is
not to say that any of us—Lord forbid—would dare tarnish the
great reputation of the American Legion through our selfishness, but let’s face it, that does not necessarily go for the rest
of our American socio-culture. Uh...in case some of you didn’t
know, there’s a war of words going on over our nation’s future,
featuring a cross-section of issues, like: genderless restrooms,
homosexual marriage, congressional ineffectiveness, nonpresidential leadership, religious contentions (i.e., Muslins versus
everyone else, and each other), worthwhile political candidates,
lack of citizen power (i.e., loss of our republicanism), and so on.
Where will it all lead, if people like us Legionnaires don’t
step up and not only continue our pledge to uphold the ideals
of America, like mom, apple pie, and so on—but really, we
ALL know about God, country, and family. Our America has/
is/will be open to different faiths, such as Islam, Hindu, Hari
Krishna, besides the ole standbys of Lutheranism, Catholicism,
Baptists, Methodism, Judaism, and Atheism. We, as Americans, do not look down our noses at those different from us,
because our fore-parents came to this land to forge a new nation where EVERYONE is free to worship his or her deity,
as long as EVEYRONE shows respect to the other’s faith. If
God, Christianity’s Creator, shows no respect of persons (Acts
10:34), who are we to pass judgment on another’s beliefs?
Actually, that judgment between good and evil, or simply right
and wrong, to express our firm awareness of morality and ethics,
is now called into question to deal with an unprecedented crisis
that may threaten our way of life as never before. It’s not the
furor over the upcoming presidential election, genderless restrooms, homosexual marriage, mercy killings, Obamacare, or the
war against ISIS. It’s much more grave than all of these. It deals
with...each of us...being true to what you KNOW to be true.
A time is coming in America when we’ll be tested, as Legionnaires, to maintain our faith in the Lord amidst increasing
calls for equality for everyone, no matter any one’s faith, and
no matter any one’s traditions, in accordance with Holy Scripture’s depiction of our last days heading into the end times (2
Peter 3:3). To be a leader of humankind in these trying times,
especially among our fellow Legionnaires, is to stand the test
of others’ call for compromise, tolerance, complacency, mediocrity, and selfishness. It has been foretold, in Scripture, of
this trial for all of us in the coming years (Romans 8:35). The
clouds of trouble are brewing as mentioned with the genderless restrooms, etc. The testing is here and now. But with God’s
grace and provision, a way will be made for all believers to
withstand the struggle, and persevere (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Dr. William Jackson
Department Chaplain
Page 6-The Nebraska Legionnaire-July/August, 2016
S.A.L.
Notes
Keith Kearns
Detachment Commander
We have another state convention behind us. My goals
for this year is to have 100%
membership by December
31st, and I am challenging all
squadrons to increase their
membership by 5+ members
and show national that Danny
Smith is the best candidate
for national Commander. As
we all know it takes a lot of
money to run a campaign, if
every squadron does a fundraiser in support of Danny,
it will make his job a lot
smoother. Big or small we can
all do our part. Remember Nebraska will be under a microscope while Danny is running.
Keep up the good work and
always remember. Our motto is for God and Country.
I do plan on visiting with all
Commanders and Adjutants in
each District time and date to
be set by District Commanders.
My motto for the year is
MARCHING FORWARD and
as an organization together
we can do great things for our
community, state and nation.
In closing, remember that
any time you have a problem, don't be afraid to ask for
help. Remember you have
a counter part in the American Legion that can help you
with that or give me a call
or email and either I will or
one of the officers will come
out and give you a hand.
Detachment Commander
Bobby G Baker Phone 402791-2126
Email
JBBaker1111@wmconnect.com
Outgoing SAL Commander’s Letter- I would like to start
out by thanking the Sons of The American Legion for having
the faith and trust to let me serve these past two years as your
Commander. These have been a full two years and they have
moved by so quickly it is hard to believe the time has passed.
This past year especially. It all started in Kearney at the 2015
Convention and ended in Kearney as well. I could almost say it felt
like no time had passed at all. As your commander I have had the
privilege of working this past year with Commander Mike Reimer
and President Barb and they have been inspiring in watching all
that they have done for veterans and The American Legion Family.
I hope that many of you were able to attend the convention in
Kearney, we had a good meeting followed by a very educational
training session. The members who were able to attend participated in a program that helped build understanding of The American Legion, its purpose and touched a little bit on the Four Pillars.
Those members that attended were able to take part in some good
question and answer and learn more about our great organization.
With this year’s convention we are seeing great changes with a
new commander and he has some great ideas to move this organization into the future. Bobby Gene Baker who has served as the
Eastern Area Vice-Commander was elected to be our commander
and he has a great leadership team under him to help our SAL members across the state. With going into a new year, we need to get an
early start on membership. This past year we went into the home
stretch trying to catch up with those last few members to get renewals taken care of and it is always much easier if we take care of our
membership early. I know this can sometimes be a challenge, but
your SAL leadership can be a great help with ideas and suggestions
of ways to stay up on this important part of your squadron duties.
If you are from a Post that has yet to charter an SAL Squadron,
please give this a lot of thought. By involving your sons in The
American Legion family, you share all the great things that we
do with them. In a lot of cases, your sons may be helping out at
Post functions anyway, I know this happens in small Posts across
the State. In small towns, people just come together and help out.
Let’s make this official, if you have a squadron, ask them to join, or
better yet, get them a membership as a gift for a birthday, anniversary, or just because you love them type of thing. If your Post does
not have a squadron, talk to your post leadership about the possibility of chartering a squadron. If having a squadron as part of your
Post family isn’t something that would work at this time, you can
always have your sons or grandsons join a squadron from a neighboring Post. They can belong to the Legion family, and know they
are part of the family when they are helping out around your Post.
In closing, I want to again thank everyone for the chance they
gave me to serve and hope that new opportunities will continue to allow all of us to serve our Veterans and Communities.
Sincerely
Keith Kearns
Past Detachment Commander
WE NEED PICTURES
AND STORIES
LET US KNOW WHAT
YOUR POST, SQUADRON
OR RIDERS ARE DOING.
WE TAKE ITEMS FOR
ARTICLES AND PICTURES BY
E-MAIL AT
comdirlegion@windstream.net
Pictured is Thomas Landkamer (SAL Squadron
16 Vice-Commander and
SAL Detachment Sergant at Arms) conducting
a flag etiquette program
for 7th graders at Christ
Lutheran School in Norfolk. He does this on an
annual basis to promote
patriotism in the schools.
South Omaha Squadron 331 recently donated
$500.00 to the Eastern Nebraska Veteran’s Home
earmarked for their Activity Fund. Pictured (l-r)
Al Kalskett Squadron 331 Commander, Jeff Smith
E.N.V.H. Interim Administrator, Karl Frederickson,
Pat Zymola Detachment Assistant Sgt-at-Arms.
The American Legion Riders
The 2016 riding season is in full swing and American Legion
Rider chapters across the state are gettin’ at it as usual, and in
a big way! There’s not enough space on this page to list all the
events and great causes your ALR chapters have sponsored,
lead or participated in thus far. So, here are a couple highlights.
The Western Sandhills Post 34 and Hemingford Post 9 ALR
chapters joined forces on Memorial Day at the yearly Hemingford Parade of Flags event. As reported by Casey Walton (Gordon
Post 34 ALR & Assistant ALR Liaison – WEST), it was a sight to
behold! Each circle of U.S. flags contained the names of fallen
Veterans from the area. It was
three city blocks long. What an
awesome and beautiful tribute.
GREAT JOB to the GORDON
& HEMINGFORD ALR Chapters! GOOD TEAMWORK!
As reported by Scott Spicer
(Millard Post 374 ALR &
Assistant ALR Liaison –
SOUTHEAST), on June 14th
(Flag Day) Millard Chapter 374 performed a flag replacement ceremony at Walnut Grove Retirement Community
and then gave motorcycle rides to 20 residents. For many it was
the first time they had ridden on a motorcycle and ranged in age
from 57 to 94 years young! The residents look forward to the
activity each year and talk about it for months afterwards. Even
though the residents have changed over the years, the appreciation for the flag ceremony and the excitement of the motorcycle
rides remains the same. Giving back and honoring community is
a key part of our mission. BRAVO ZULU Millard Chapter 374!
Look for updates about good deeds done by other ALR chapters
in future issues of the NE Legionnaire. Stay safe my friends!
Ride as One, Band Together as One....for Those Who Served and
Serve Today.
Kind regards,
Brian Mann
Nebraska State Liaison
American Legion Riders
More details of these events are
discussed in Brian’s report above.
The Western Sandhills Post 34 and Hemingford
Post 9 ALR chapters joined forces on Memorial Day
at the yearly Hemingford Parade of Flags event.
Millard Post 374 ALR on June 14th (Flag Day) performed
a flag replacement ceremony at Walnut Grove Retirement
Community and gave motorcycle rides to 20 residents.
Anderson, Darrel K., Decatur,
Korea
Baldus, John H., Lincoln,
Vietnam
Baroch, Patrick E., St. Paul,
Vietnam
Beem, Elmer H., Sutherland,
Korea
Behmer, Duane, Norfolk
Bily, Ferdinand J., Omaha,
WWII
Bitten MD, Dan, G., Gordon,
Korea
Blue, Kenneth R., Ogallala,
WWII
Bohlmeyer, Wayne P., Lincoln, Vietnam
Bolejack, Michael D., Lincoln, Vietnam
Bornemeier, Carl L., Lincoln,
Korea
Boslau, Byron L., Lincoln,
Korea
Bouwens, Oscar L., Lincoln,
Korea
Brady, John R., Omaha,
WWII
Breiner, Larry C., Broken
Bow, Vietnam
Catania, Salvatore F., Plattsmouth, WWII
Catania, Sebastian J., Omaha,
WWII
Christie, Robert G., Elkhorn,
WWII
Clark, Jerry, Cody
Coleman. Wilbur G., Pleasant
Dale, Vietnam
Conner, Charles E., Lincoln,
Vietnam
Denton, Lyle E., Lincoln,
Vietnam
Dinges, Emanuel, A., Lincoln,
WWII
Dopheide, Jerome C., Butte,
Korea
Druliner, Jerome A., Lincoln,
WWII
Engel, Louis R., Doniphan
Fickel, Jack L., Columbus,
Korea
Field, Duane G., Winside,
Korea
Folck, Glenn D., Plainview
Fret, Richard C., Norfolk,
WWII
Gerren, Warren G., South
Omaha, Korea
Godwin, Chas. M., Lincoln,
Korea
Graf, Marvin R., Wymore,
Korea
Graves, Jay C., Omaha.
WWII
Griess, Jonathan E., Sutton,
Korea
Hajek, John P., Odell, WWII
Hall, Merlin R., Wahoo,
WWII
Halvorsen, Forrest, Syracuse,
WWII
Hansen, Robert W., Lincoln,
Korea
Hansen, Russel E., St. Paul,
Vietnam
Hargrave, Frank J., Omaha,
WWII
Hellweg, Elmer L., Lincoln,
WWII
Hemenway, Oscar, Norfolk,
Korea
Herrington, James J., Beatrice, WWII
Hilmer, Edward D., St. Paul,
Korea
Hinrichs, Elmer H., Hildreth,
WWII
Hopkins, Carrol W., Burwell
Hunter, Glenn E., Decatur,
Korea
Johnson, Arland, Columbus,
Vietnam
Jones, Robert L., Sutherland,
WWII
Keith, Brian H., Omaha,
Korea
Kelly, Leo J., Beatrice, WWII
Klevemann, Delbert J., Columbus, Vietnam
Koepp, Marvin, Wood River,
Korea
Kreitman, Verle, Bassett,
Korea
Laferla, Frank C., Omaha,
WWII
Lauer, Harold W., Pleasant
Dale, Korea
Leo, Thomas M., Omaha,
WWII
Leslie, James O., Lincoln,
Korea
Lockhart, William L., Millard,
WWII
Mangelsen, Victor L., Osceola, Korea
Maresch, Duane C., Omaha,
WWII
Marktan, Frank J., Columbus,
WWII
Mathews, Cicil K., Wymore,
Korea
Mcafoos, C.H., Omaha, Korea
McPhatter Jr. John T., North
Omaha, Vietnam
Merten, Donald J., Albion,
Korea
Mickey, David H., Lincoln,
WWII
Miller, Donald V., Omaha,
Korea
Milone, Sam A., Ralston,
WWII
Moore, Charles L., Albion,
Korea
Morey, Robert B., Lincoln,
WWII
Morgan, Ellis N., Sumner,
WWII
Murphy, Richard, Niobrara,
Vietnam
Nagel, Willard, Beaver Crossing, WWII
Nelson, Wilfred R., Potter,
WWII
Nielsen, Russell H., Plattsmouth
Nieman, Sr. Rudy, Denton
Norden, Paul, Lexington
O’Connor, Richard, Ashland,
Korea
Ohms, Jeanne L., Omaha,
WWII
Olmsted, F. “W, Wayne”.,
Friend, WWII
Opp, Alvin, Lincoln, Korea
Paben, Marvin J., Beatrice,
WWII
Parkee, Jr. Wilbur L., Korea
Paschold, Harold F., Firth
Pitz, Francis J., Juniata, Korea
Powell, William, Gordon
Prockish, Thomas L., Lincoln,
Korea
Rabeler, Henry, Rushville,
WWII
Rembolt, Delbert, Grand
Island, Korea
Renner, Raymond H., Crete,
WWII
Rhodd, Ricky L., Lincoln,
Vietnam
Robison, Donald D., Kearney,
Vietnam
Rowland, Jess W., Lincoln,
Vietnam
Schaffer, Arthur J., Norfolk,
WWII
Schiebinger, Robert D., Lincoln, WWII
Schuster, Harold, E., Lincoln,
Korea
Schwartz, William L., Omaha,
WWII
Scott, Wayne F., Lincoln,
Korea
Seacrest, James C., Lincoln,
Vietnam
Sevrin, Alan E., Omaha,
Vietnam
Shilhan, Richaard, J., Lincoln,
Korea
Sisel, Marvin L., Brainard,
Vietnam
Skanadore, Charles, Gordon,
Korea
Smith, William N., Omaha,
WWII
Smolinski, Richard H., South
Omaha, WWII
Sobczyk, Edward T., Omaha,
WWII
Stacy, Richard J., Kearney,
Korea
Stalnaker, Maurice, Norfolk,
WWII
Stanley, Eugene, Cortland
Steinkruger, Keith, Franklin,
Korea
Stessman, Ted J., Omaha,
Korea
Stoll, Louis “Dave’ D.,
Sutherland, Korea
Suiter, Sr. R., Omaha, Korea
Thompson, Billie D., Superior, Korea
Ullman. Richard J., Beatrice,
Korea
Urkoski, Kenneth J., Monroe,
Korea
Watson, Atwood R., Lincoln,
WWII
Weaver, Donald D., Beatrice,
Korea
Weerts, Michael G., Beatrice,
Vietnam
White, Ted L., Millard
Wichert, Gerald G., Norfolk,
Korea
Wilbern, Dick V., Atkinson,
Korea
Wills, Herbert, Winside,
Korea
Willson, Lewin R., Fremont,
WWII
Woita, Raymond L., Weston
In last months TAPS John
Masonbrink of Shubert Post
222 was listed as Korea and
should have been Vietnam.
Page 7-The Nebraska Legionnaire-July/August, 2016
District
Judges
7
at
Junior Law Cadet candidates
Ashland American Legion Post
and
129.
American Legion, Anderson Post 25, Wymore,
Nebraska, Vice Commander Ken Wellensiek,
is shown presenting 50
year membership certificate to Vietnam veteran Eugene Caspers.
P.R. Halligan Post 163
in North Platte celebrated the Legion's
birthday
and
Commander Scott Halsted
presented
seventy
year membership certificates to three members. Pictured (l-r) Commander Scott Halsted,
Jess Neilsen and Gene
Mitchem. Not able to
attend James Beckius.
At their April meeting Fairbury American Legion
Post 24 Commander Bruce Junker presented a
50 year pin and certificate for continuous membership to WW II Veteran Norman W. Tedrow.
York American Legion Bolton Post 19 recognized Legion members for years of continuous membership in
the American Legion. A “Continuous Membership Certificate” was presented to them at the Legion Steak
Fry. Pictured (l-r) Perry Reichlinger 70 years, Berthal
Reed and Dean Snyder (60), Bill Hardy Commander,
William Shannon and Robert Ocken (50), Dr Harold
Nordlund and Roy McLain (60). Members recognized
but not present were Wesley Trollope and Homer Janzen (50), Dr James Stansberry, Gale Jones and Gerald Hinze (60) and William Gallant deceased 70 years.
American Legion Post 122 Flag Folding Ceremony at
St. Wenceslaus Catholic School in Dodge. The Children
of St. Wenceslaus Catholic School were given a brief
overview of the origin of the American Flag and then
the meaning of the 13 folds of the flag by Commander
Jerry Schulte. The flag was presented to Sophia Dvorak
a 5th grader as a gesture of appreciation for the support the students give to the community. Francis Bayer
and Lenny Kempf folded the flag with Bill Schulte assisting. A question and answer period followed the demonstration with a tour of the school for the veterans, since
all attended the school years ago.
Page 8-The Nebraska Legionnaire-July/August, 2016
Dodge American Legion Post 122 presented certificates of continuous membership awards to
(l-r) Commander Gerald Schulte, Larry Faltine
(50), Clarence Eikmeier (60), Gordon Pilmore (60)
and Adjutant, Lenny Kempf. Not present is Ed Uher (70).
Emerson
American
Legion Post 60 Commander Mick Hassler
presented a Certificate
for 70 years of continuous membership to
Erwin Larson.
Cowles American Legion Post 116 presented Financial Officer Stacy Rasser a
plaque for her outstanding contributions
to the post. Pictured
(l-r) Adjutant Dwight
E. Theobald, Financial
Officer Stacy Rasser
and Post Commandeer Denziel Tavenner.
Carroll Post 165 Commander Ken Hall presented
WWII veteran Stanley J. Morris his 70 year certificate
for continuous membership in the American Legion.
The Legion Chorus from
Hartman Post 84, Columbus provided the patriotic music for the Post's
annual awards night
which included an Honorary Life Membership
for member Chuck Hagel, a former U.S. Senator
and Secretary of State.
The American Legion Auxiliary
Department of Nebraska
The Star
July/August 2016
CORNHUSKER GIRLS
STATE – 2016
March 2015
Youth, Legislation, and Public
Relations.
National President To Visit
My projects include:
(1)
DKearney
ollar Days and Gifts for
Nebraska ALA Convention AtYanks
Who Gave
Girls State was held June
Another highlight of the week
5-11, 2016, on the UNL city was the visit and tour of the Necampus. 398 young women braska National Guard Base.
Janet Jefford, of Manchester, Conn.,
elected
national president of
(2)was
Youth
programs
participated in the week-long proEmma Good (Ainsworth)
the American Legion Auxiliary during
organization’s
94th National
(3)the
“Homeless
Veterans”
proConvention in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 22-28.
gram that was filled with debates, was the recipient of the Samsung
grams in Nebraska
Jefford joined The American Legion Auxiliary through her father
whistle-stop campaigns, a current Scholarship. Emma Redinger
William
Lucas, a WWII Army veteran. She is also eligible through her
events quiz, elections, a govern- (Hastings) and Veronica (Roni)
Your ismonetary
gifts
will
AlbersStorm Army veteran. Jefford
son, Debra
Jeff, a Desert
a member of
Goodalement exam, National Guard tour, Miller (Crete) were selected Girls
promote
these
programs.
Department
of Nebraska
Rameker
Unit 56. President
State Capitol tour, and speakers. Nation senators, and Caitlynn
I want
to thank
Jefford
is the Auxiliary
first Connecticut resident
to represent
the Barbara
American
American
Legion
One hundred fifty-nine Girls Mann (Columbus), and Natalie
Legion2016-2017
Auxiliary as national presidentWashburn
since Helen
Lee
Gilbert Skillman
during the
and
Barbara
Barb
Skillman
State
citizens
volunteered their Schieuer (Lincoln) were selected
1944-1945 administrative year. She has
numerous leadership
posifor held
the foundation
these two Past
tions in the organization at the unit, district
and department
levels,
includtime to make a difference as a part as alternates.
Presidents
have
set
to
move
our
It is my honor and privilege who
are gone
but program
not forgotten,
ing eight
national
chairmanships. She currently serves on the
of the Service Learning activities.
The graduation ceremonies to serve you as your Department and
organization
in
the
right
directhose who
are with
us who
By BARB
SKILLMAN
2014-2019
Centennial
Strategic
Planning leadership team.
The
other citizens
were involved concluded the week-long activi- President for 2016-17.
tion. of
Without
that foundation,
need
our support.
Department President
Jefford
recently retired as vice president
institutional
effectiveness
in Band, Chorus, Places of Interest ties on Saturday morning.
we
cannot
move
with
My theme is “Slice with at Goodwin
Present:College
Supporting
our Conn. She served asforward
in East Hartford,
a commission(Shelton
Art Museum, Memorial
We would like to thank all a Price.” If you slice an apple military
Dear Members,
our
strategic
plan
to
meet
er on an agency
that accredits
schools and colleges, and as presidentour
and
and working
our proStadium,
campus
Scavenger
members
fordone
volunteering
I wouldand
likea to
say thank
you for allunit
the work
you have
this year.
chairman
of
the
Board
of
Connecticut
Training
a communityof the Center,
Centennial
in 2019.
crosswise, you will find a star grams to keep this organization goals
Hunt),
and Girls
Media. me throughout
the week.
Each
And thank
you State
for allowing
the privilege
to serve
as unit
youris in that apple. My symbol is an alive
basedand
nonprofit
training center. Jefford has
twomembership
children and two
Our
ingrandthis
well today.
Department
President.
The citizens
time did gotovery
fast and I will
wonderchildren. All are members of The American
Legion is
Family.
All of the
Girls State
be commended
onhave
the delegates
organization
a
privilege.
The
apple with a crosswise slice of an
Future: Planting seeds to
ful memories
of the to
visits,
and to
therepresent
special Auxiliary
had
the opportunity
learnspecial
from meetings,
they chose
them at apple with that star leaning on it. educate youth and nurture new American Legion Auxiliary of
members I have
met and
that local
made and
this year
special.
community
leaders
Girls
State. Two of the girls gave Freedom is not for free, and we members.
the Department of Nebraska
I hope you will attend the Department Convention June 26-28 at the
state
government
officials.
Speme
“Thank
Yous,”
and
I
would
needs each and every one of you
Holiday Inn Kearney. Please come meet our special guest National
in the American Legion AuxilReminders
—
cial
presentations
by American like to share:
President
Janet Jefford.
to
reinforce our purposes. You
iary understand the price paid to Goals for our organization in
Legion
Auxiliary
like
Renee,from National we are maintain that freedom. We in the 2016-17
I have
received members,
our last membership
update
are important to this organization
President
Washburn
giving is in first
I just
wanted
say thanks.
doing well Barb
on renewals
— Nebraska
place;
on ourtoNumeric
goal
through your volunteer
Girls
31-Junework,
6
USA
enjoyState.....................................................................................May
our own “slice” of the • Supporting our Veterans Prowe Story
are slipping
— we are
at 9th place.
the
of Thefast
American
Legion
It was a really fun time here. At “Good Life” thanks to a veteran grams.
your monetary support, your
Have youa renewed
your membership?
do so
today.
Unit
memAuxiliary,
Poppy Presentation
first,IifI not
didn’t
want
to be
here
but --- and that is something we can • Maintaining the strength and
presence
at meetings,
and simply
bership
chairman
please
do
not
hold
any
dues
to
be
sent
in
for
processDepartment Convention...............................June 25-28
Holiday
Inn, Kearney
by Department Poppy Chairman now I do and don’t want to leave. never
being
a
member.
forget.
of the Department of
ing. We need every paid membership we can get our hands on to make
Please make planshealth
to attend
the 2015 DepartmentYou
Convention
Jenice
Bates
and
Past National Being at Girls State has taught me
are all invited to attend
our goals.
Thank
You!
The Apple: a simple symbol. Nebraska.
Historian
Virginiafrom
Nelsen,
and the
much
about
Government
but It canEvery
Unit
President
received
a
“Convention
Call”
to
promote
attendance
to and
I just returned
a special
event so
at the
Harry
S Truman
Library and
the
Department
Leadership
represent Good Health, • Continuing to develop leaderPOW/MIA
Table presentation
by more
myself.
Museum remembering
our President
for hisimportantly,
131st birthday
and Thanks
the 70
Homecoming
reception
on
Septhe Department
The
business
Education,
AmericanConvention.
Values, ship
at all
levels. will take place on Thursday and
Past
Presidents
forday.
giving me the opportunity to and Technology; but today it • Working together in the “Spirit tember 24th at the Davenport
yearsDepartment
since VE Day.
It was aLynne
wonderful
Friday followed by Chairmen reports which include many awards distributed to
I will
the pleasure
attend Girls
State There
on Maywill
31 through
June
Wild
andhave
Gayla
Schmid.to 2015
be here.
be memories
in Davenport
represents
our members.
past, present,Each
and Unit
of Goodwill”.
units and
is allowed delegates andCommunity
alternatesCenter
according
to
6. OurNation
special Senators
guest will be
Northwestern
Vice President
Skallerud
Girls
Kamryn
to cherish
forever. Lori
I will
always future
Nebraska.
More
details will
in the American Legion • Preserving and “stopping the
ISannicks
am looking
forward
meeting
all
the
girls
you
chose
from
your
Unit
to
the
unit
paid
membership
by
May
24.
(2015 Girls Nation Pres- be 5th floor Johnson. Also, Auxiliary.
follow in the September issue
slide” of our membership; reattend this special week.
ident) and Kelsey Thomas shared Friendships that last a lifetime.
REGISTRATION
FEE
—
Delegates,
Alternates
and
Senior
members
will be
of The
Star.
Past: Recognizing our vet- taining members and finding
their Girls Nation experiences. I’m proud to say that I stepped out erans
charged
a the
registration
fee ofnew
$10.00.
who are
roots of our
ones
Also attending were Past Girls of my comfort zone and found an- organization: Those who have • Building “Brand” loyalty
Associated
Together
in Service
Junior members will be charged a registration fee of $5.00,
that fee
will not
Nation Senators Sarah McDonald other me! Without you and all the paid the “Ultimate Price,” those • Focusing on our programs on
Debra
Albers
include the packet with the Convention Annual. Have your 2015 member card
Wellman and Carlin Daharsh and staff, it wouldn’t have been fun.
available for quicker registration.
Megan Swanson, the 2015 Miss Thanks for letting me learn again.
By
JACKI
O’NEILL
Nebraska and a past Girls Stater. I hope to stay in touch with you
say NO. She sang with the trio and
Over the years, Cleo held
Department
Secretary
This year, Taylor Schendt
guys!
Oh. Also, thanks for taking
Girls Nation.........................................................................................July
18-25
quartette
that
represented
the
Demany
other offices and
served
--- from Omaha --- was elected us to the National Guard! It made
The Department Convention plans are set
partment
of
Nebraska
at
the
1953
on
or
chaired
committees
on
Governor; and Jessica Rudolphand
---nowme
some
cooltothings.
we learn
need you
to come
KearneyHave
June
National
Convention
in
St.
Louis.
the
local,
county,
district,
state
from Gothenburg --- was elected
Great
Year!new
WeforLove
You The
All,
26-28 toajoin
us. What’s
this year?
When the Nebraska Permanent and national levels. As a young
Lt. Governor. Girls State held
Love
You
Sincerely,
items onIhand
from
FlagRenee!
and Emblem
sales will
Jackson Unit #175
Membership plan was approved, mother, she took her boys with
its inauguration ceremony inbe
theavailable
Justina
(Boystown)
to Smith
purchase.
Copies of new
recently sponsored a
Cleo became the state’s first Per- her to unit meetings. Cleo was
brochures
and
pamphlets
will
be
available.
rotunda of the capitol on Thursday
Dear ALA Cornhusker Girls Poppy Poster Contest
manent Member. She represented active in the American Legion
Everyone
that
attends
will
receive
a
packet
of
afternoon. After the ceremony, State, Thank you so much for and an Americanism
new
brochures
and
a
Convention
Annual
with
the organization as Department Auxiliary “Cornhusker” Girls
the Girls State citizens had the the opportunity to be in Lincoln Essay Contest.
the chairmen reports and awards listings.
President in 1973-1974. Her State program. She was a mentor
Poster winners are
opportunity to visit their elected
representing
home
town
Membership
cards will be my
available
to pick
up
theme: Pathway of Service. In her to many.
first
through
third
place,
and appointed offices and to meet
therenot
were
bumps
along
for eachWhile
unit. Those
picked
up will
be
Department convention report,
Cleo was a partner of Eight
3rd
Grade
—
Tia
Pick,
their real-life counterparts. mailed from Department
Continued
on next page
Headquarters
after
she
stated
that
the
song
“You’ll
and
Forty
Lancaster County Salon
Brady
Carnell
and
Taylor
Convention. Anyone wanting their cards mailed to the unit membership chairmen
Fleury; 4th Grade —
Never Walk Alone” reminded her #92 for 58 years. She held many
prior to Convention will need to call 402-466-1808 and submit a request.
Abbie Hrouda, Briena
that whatever pathway life takes, offices and enjoyed attending the
Thanks to all of you that submitted your volunteer hours and dollars for our
Gallardo
and Marianna
Past Department
President there are always those who share Pouvoir and Marche meetings.
year-end reporting. Those numbers are so important to this organization when The
Romero;
5th Craigie
Grade was
— born with you.
American Legion reports to congress.
Cleo
Horstman
Past Department President
Faith Pick,
Mackenzie
By the way did you know being an American Legion Auxiliary member liter- January
7, 1922
in Lincoln, the
Membership reached 105% of Cleo was a dedicated American
Schram ofand
ally took an Act of Congress to make that available to you? Please let other eligible daughter
RaeKennedy
and Josephine goal with an increase of 702 mem- Legion Auxiliary member and a
women know how important their belonging to this organization means to our
Harding; 6th Grade —
Cameron.
She
passed
away at age bers over the previous year. The good friend and mentor to many.
Veterans. It’s time to be proud to say - I belong because MY Veteran made it posNayleli Cabrales, Eli
94
on
March
29,
2016.
She was Auxiliary Bowling Tournament She will be greatly missed, but
sible for me through his/her service to this great country and with an Act of
Riedel, and Jocelynn
preceded
in
death
by
her
husband,
was started during Cleo’s year.
memories of her earthly life will
Congress. At Department Convention I will be reporting on what I learned at the
Graves; and Special
John
G. Horstman
Sr., in 1980,
Department Leadership National Conference this May in Indianapolis.
The National Convention be long remembered. God bless
Needs
—
Hannah
See you in Kearney!
husband
T. Bender
in 1984, was held in Hawaii, and two you, Cleo. Peace be with you.
Wahls,Homer
Lucas
Twohig
and
parents.
She is survived large planes took Nebraska delandher
Nate
Coffman.
Her tribute was given by
Essay
winners
by her
husband
Edgarare,
Craigie, egates and families to the land of Lynne Wild at the Department
firstsons
through
third place,
two
and wives,
Charles and paradise.
Convention in Kearney.
The Hartford, which is an approved member benefits
3rd
Grade
—
Diane HorstmanLily
andKorth,
John Jr. and
provider of the American Legion Auxiliary, will be mailing
Deighton
James
and two
Shirley
Horstman
of Lincoln;
members information about their Senior Term Life
Dylan
Kastning;
4th
grandchildren; three great-grandInsurance. These mailings are scheduled to be sent out
Grade — Abbie Hrouda,
children;
step-daughter Eileen and
starting Monday, May 18th. More information regarding the
Cole Jackson and Ellie
husband
Rick
step-son
Hartford can be found on the national website in the
McAfee; 5thCubbison;
Grade —
Fred
Craigie
andMacKensie
wife Diane; four
Members Only section by clicking on Member Benefits.
Taylor
Korth,
step-grandchildren;
and 6 stepSchram and Matthew
great
Lenz;grandchildren;
6th Grade her
— sister
The pictured GirlsInside
State delEmma Redinger, Hastings, Ramona
husband Daryl,
Caden Hill and Schram,
The--- Star
McKensie
andcousins
egates were chosen for special Girls Nation Senator --- --- several
nieces,Kneifl
nephews,
Kaden
Fields;
and
awards
at
the
2016
Girls
State
and
Emma
Good,
Ainsworth,
--- and many friends.
Lottery Winners, Service to Veterans, Convention
Special
Session.
Samsung ScholarshipPage
Winner.
Cleo Needs
joined —
the Nate
American
Schedule
2
Coffman,
Jackson
(L
to
R):
Roni
Miller,
Crete,
Miss
Good
will
receive
a
$1000
Legion Auxiliary in March 1946
In Memoriam, Unit Activities, Special Notices, Thank
Stroud the and
Avaof her
YousNation Senator --- Caitlyn scholarship as a finalist
Page
3
Girls
in this
through
eligibility
Fontenot.
Chairman
Reports,
Help Wanted
Mann,
Columbus,
GirlsScholarships,
Nation prestigious
competition.Page 4
husband, John G. Horstman Sr. (l to r): Chaplain Elizabeth Paes, Secretary Jacki O’Neill, Historian
Alternate --- Natalie Schieuer,
Congratulations on a job She called herself a professional Beverly Neel, President Debra Albers, Vice President Kathy Mazur,
Lincoln, Girls Nation Alternate well done.
volunteer – one that could never and National Executive Committeewoman Barbara Washburn.
Freedom, Faith,
Family
From The Desk
Of The Department Secretary —
PAST DEPARTMENT PRESIDENT CLEO HORSTMAN
GIRLS NATION DELEGATES AND
ALTERNATES AND SAMSUNG
SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
2016-17 DEPARTMENT OFFICERS
FARNAM
Pictured (l to r ): Hay Springs Unit 239 members Elvera Rasmussen,
Lou Terry, and Patsy Bridges presented a Gold Star Program to
honoree Vera Hoefer, who lost her brother. Not pictured are Donna
Peters and Vivian Ainslie, who also lost brothers.
EDUCATION
Thank you to the units that
sent in applications for scholarships. It is an all-day job reading
through them, but also rewarding.
We had a National Presidents
winner of the Children of Warriors Scholarship. Congratulations to Cody Richard Lauren
from Unit 9.
The committee awarded 23
scholarships. The units awarded
over $25,500. in scholarships.
Many thanks to all of you units
who Gave 10 for Education and
work in your schools to promote
Education.
Vicki Colson
Chairman
Jackson Auxiliary Unit 175 sponsored an Americanism Essay Contest at Ponca Elementary School! Pictured are Unit President Jane
Dillon with the students who received State Awards! Addie McGill
--- 1st Place for Class II ( 6th Grade), Holden Velez --- 2nd Place for
Class VI (Special Needs), and Brady Carnell --- 1st Place for Class
I (4th Grade).
RALSTON
Ralston ALA #373 member
Mary Lou Smith was honored at
the Eastern Nebraska Veterans
EDITOR’S NOTE
Home on Saturday, April 16th,
at the Volunteer Appreciation
Breakfast. She has volunteered for
36 years --- since 1980 --- when
the original Thomas Fitzgerald
Veteran’s Home was opened.
She still enjoys going out and
playing Birthday Bingo on the
4th Wednesday of the month with
other Auxiliary #373 members.
Patti Howe, ENVH Volunteer
Coordinator, presented her with
her certificate. Please send articles and pictures for future editions of “The Star” to Lorene
Bartos, Editor, 7441 San Mateo Lane, Lincoln, NE 68516 or email to
ALATheStarNE@yahoo.com. Send photos jpg as attachments. Materials for
the next issue need to be submitted by August 10, 2016.
say Contest for the 9th and 10th
Grade Category. Grades 7-12 at Eustis-Farnam
School chose to participate in this
year’s American Legion Auxiliary
State Americanism Essay Contest
sponsored by the Farnam Auxiliary Unit 288. This year’s essay title
was, “How do we keep Lincoln’s
promise to our veterans and their
families?” The first place winner
in each assigned level was sent
Leigh-Anne Lehmann of to the Department of Nebraska
Eustis-Farnam School was the American Legion Auxiliary and
winner of the American Legion entered in the state competition.
Auxiliary State Americanism EsWe are proud to announce
HISTORY
Good Morning, Ladies,
So what did you do three
hours ago that would cause you
to want to remember and share
it? I started this article trying to
think in the future, assuming I am
duly elected as the Department
Historian. If the elections had
taken another route this “history”
lesson would not be known. That
is how what we do as members of
the American Legion Auxiliary
is – unknown - unless we share
it with others. It’s time we take a
“Slice” into the History apple and
share what we do.
Begin to write your Unit and
District “narrative history” for
2016-2017 by researching and
creating a grand opening paragraph for your Unit narrative
history report due to this Chairman by April 15, 2017. That
first paragraph will be when your
Unit was chartered; who were
your chartered members (list
them all); what were your dues;
what programs were in place (list
them); and who were your first
Unit officers (list them). (District
Presidents go back in time with
your District and give a summary
of each five years you have on
record and bring it up through
2016-2017. Your District History
will not have a charter or chartered members, but you may have
per capita dues, maybe specific
District programs/projects. Find
what you can and get it gathered
together and into one document
in 2016-2017.)
The second paragraph will
consist of current Unit Officers
and Unit Chairmen for 2016-2017
(list them); what are your dues
(Senior and Junior); when do you
meet (day of week, time of day/
night); and what programs your
Unit gets involved in and what
you do for your selected programs.
Also, list those Unit members
who have served beyond the Unit
level; i.e., County, District, Department or National. List these
members and be honored that
your Unit has been represented
on multiple levels.
From here on out, your best
source of facts and figures will
be Unit meeting minutes. Keep
records concise, accurate and
updated. Be sure to use members’
names, describe your events/
projects and share your successes
and failures. We learn from them
all. You will dedicate a paragraph
to each month of the year as to
what your Unit has accomplished,
where you have been, who you
have served, what challenges
did you meet and what impact
you had upon others. It is not as
important to know what we have
success with if we do not share
what impact we have had upon
those to whom we serve and
provide for. Remember it is for
others that we serve and it is important that we capture their im-
that Leigh-Ann Lehmann was
awarded First Place for the 9th
and 10th grade level. Her essay
will be entered in the Auxiliary’s
National Essay Competition. Local essay winners were:
• 7th & 8th Grade Level: Amber
Lange, Karrissa Hodge, Gretchen
Hodge
• 9th & 10th Grade Level: LeighAnn Lehmann, Spencer Pleschcourt, Jordan Fangmeyer
• 11th & 12th Grade Level: Southern Timm, Haley Ringenberg, Ali
Jones
pact of our service. Their “Slice”
of the apple is “With a Price.”
327 Units all do great things
for others and the American
Legion Auxiliary and that is the
makeup of your Unit narrative
history report. I would rather
have 327 Units send this Chairman a narrative history by April
15, 2017 than have to judge
13 history books and narrow it
down to one. We are one as an
organization, but we are successful because we are 327 separate
and individualized Units working towards the same goals; just
taking another route to get there.
That is what I feel is important
to our organization. I would like
to see all 13 Districts write their
history from way back when to
present day.
Unit Narrative history should
start from May 1, 2016 through
April 30, 2017. Narrative history
will be on standard white paper
8.5” x 11”; Tahoma font/size 12;
left margin 1.25” and 1” for all
other margins justified; singlespaced block paragraphs (no indentations); double space between
paragraphs and one-side please.
District narrative will begin when
you first created your District.
Next time around we will talk
Unit History Books.
Beverly A. Neel
Department Historian
CORNHUSKER GIRLS STATE – 2016
Continued from previous page
my way, I learned so much about
our State Government and all of
this new information given to
me motivates me to be an active
citizen. Girls State has been such
an amazing experience that I am
definitely considering taking an
active role in the program in the
future. Once again, thank you so
much for this great opportunity!
With gratitude, Nina Ong (South
Sioux City)
A special thank you is extended to Barb Washburn, Department President for 2015-2016;
the Girls State officers – Ashlyn
Wilkes, Nicole Vance, Vice Chair-
man; Roxanne Hiatt, secretary;
Office Help -Vivian Kotrous,
Kaylee Dump; Jacki O’Neill,
Treasurer; the Advisory Board –
Gayla Schmid, Chairman, Kim
Gurley, Lisa Moore, Lynne Wild,
Lori Reimers; Director of Counselors – Brittany Ross, Assistant
Director of Counselors – Shelby
Luettel, Jordanna, Glock; Education Director – Virginia Nelsen;
Rita Wagner, Assistant; Medical Director – Christine Rezek
and Assistant Medical Director,
Charity Elbert; Election Staff –
Kristi Nohavec, Cortney Malone,
Marilyn Johnson, Marge Suchy;
Girls State Store – Charlotte
Zieg, Suzanne Moss, Jessie Kiser;
Media Director – Kari Kolts; and
Asst. Nicole Shively; Senior
Counselors –Michelle Malone,
Kathy Mazur, Annette Gloystein,
Sara Ann Prewett, Cydney Volker,
Carol Nienhuser, Debra Albers,
Shirley Gatreaux; Middle Counselors – Carlin Daharsh, Katie
Bartels, Kalsey Gretch, Christina
Woodside, Emily Slama Helen
King, Hayley King, Morgan Devall; Junior Counselors – Emma
Loberg, Rebecca Riley, Kathryn
Budell, Morgan Kumm, Elizabeth
Krajewski, Kristin Tomjack, Skylar Peterson, Elsa Knight
2016-17 CENTERPIECE AND TRAY FAVOR ASSIGNMENTS
Renee Van Winkle
2016 Girls State Chairman
Bellevue
GI Med Center
GI Veterans Home Eastern NE
Norfolk VA Home
Western NE Home
Western NE Home
Omaha Med Center
10 Cntrpc
215 Tray Fav VA Home 20 Cntrpc 7 Cntrpc
90 Tray Fav75 Tray Fav
24 Cntrpc
July . . . . . . . . . . #310 Gibbon . . . . . . . . . . . . #6 Central City . . . . . . . #353 Louisville . . . . . #172 Neleigh . . . . . . . . . . . #17 Sidney . . . . . . . . #17 Sidney . . . . . . . #364 Naponee
August . . . . . . . . #163 N. Platte . . . . . . . . . .#209 Franklin . . . . . . . . . #3 Lincoln . . . . . . . . . #302 Leigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . #243 Plymouth . . . . . #10 Morrill . . . . . . . . . #146 Rising City
September . . . . . #335 Davenport . . . . . . . . #218 Exeter . . . . . . . . . . . #273 Brainard . . . . . . #73 Newman Grove . . . . . . #12 Chadron . . . . . . . . #12 Chadron . . . . . . . #197 Eagle
October . . . . . . . #316 Elm Creek . . . . . . . . . #225 Eddyville . . . . . . . #273 Brainard . . . . . . #372 Thurston . . . . . . . . . #133 Culbertson . . . . #133 Culbertson . . . #294 Hallam
November . . . . . . #198 Baykin . . . . . . . . . . . . #364 Naponee . . . . . . . . #156 Burchard . . . . #357 Brunswick . . . . . . . . . #57 Hyannis . . . . . . . . #57 Hyannis . . . . . . . #354 Peasant Dale
December . . . . . . #257 Eustis . . . . . . . . . . . . #166 Brunning . . . . . . . . . #273 Brainard . . . . . . #62 New Castle . . . . . . . #95 Curtis . . . . . . . . . . #95 Curtis . . . . . . . . . #222 Shubert
January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .District 11 Jr’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # 7 Alliance . . . . . . . . . . # 7 Alliance . . . . . . . . . February . . . . . . . # 183 Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . # 236 Wolbach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
April . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# 141 Hampton . . . . . . . . . # 288 Farnam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # 288 Farnam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2016 Girls State
May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2016 Girls State
June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2016-2017 DISTRICT PRESIDENTS
District 1
Bonnie Finley
District 2
Marlene Meyer
District 3
Adeline Hanel
District 4
Donna Bratt
District 5
Diane Donnelly
District 6
Vicki Cyboron
District 7
Ann Sabata
District 8
Sally Johnson
District 9
Lois Reiners
District 10
Nancy Griffiths
CONVENTION
SNAPSHOTS
District 11
Judy Bespalec
District 12
Jody Schmale
District 13
Ruth Hietbrink
CHAPLAIN’S CORNER
Isaiah 40:31: But they who wait
for the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles; they shall run
and not be weary; they shall walk
and not faint.
wonderful for our veterans, our
military, and their families in our
minds and hearts and we ignore
those impulses. What would happen if we started the year asking
for insight and guidance? How
about just taking the first step?
God has given us a gift-a new Instead of asking “Why,” let’s ask
year with new leadership at Na- “Why not.”
tional, Department, District, and
in our Units. We start the new year
Dear Lord,
with new goals. How wonderful
We come before you to praise
to start each year with fresh ideas You always. Thank You for these
and renewed strength. Strength to new leaders and the opportunity
accomplish our new goals as well for a new beginning. Help us to
as strengthening our commitment think and act with the wisdom
to our current programs.
and guidance You give us. We
But, where do you start? The come to You with open minds and
thought of starting something hearts. Amen
new can be scary; we don’t want
Elizabeth Paes
to risk failure. Many times God
Department Chaplain
puts thoughts of doing something
DEPT. SECRETARY
A quick update from the 96th
Annual Department Convention.
Hurray for those able to attend! It was great to see all of you.
Three big items now and
more in the next issue of The Star.
Membership: The convention
body approved a $2.00 dues increase that will become effective
with the 2018 membership year.
Department can begin processing dues in early July. Your Unit
goal for the 2017 membership
year will be a 5% increase of your
total paid membership on June
26, 2016.
Department kicks off the 3rd
Annual Calendar Lottery/Raffle
fundraiser on September 1st. A
report on sales will be included in
The Star. A letter will be mailed
“ALWAYS REMEMBER” WITH MUSIC
What a great honor it is for
me to be writing this --- my first
article as the Nebraska American
Legion Auxiliary Department
Music Chairwoman!
My name is Maureen Beck.
I grew up outside of Wilber, Nebraska, am a graduate of Doane
College, and for the past five
years have had the privilege to
be the 6-12 Instrumental Music
Teacher in Fairbury, Nebraska.
Music has always been such an
important part of my life. For
as long as I can remember, my
family followed my dad and the
various polka bands he plays in
around the state of Nebraska to
Czech Festivals, polka dances, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. My sister and I always enjoyed dancing
to the music with my mom. Both
of my parents always encouraged
my sister and me to do what we
love, and I feel very fortunate to
have their support as I share my
love of music with my students,
church family as the Minister of
Music, and now with all of you!
I believe that music has many
facets, and relates and can be
used within the American Legion
Auxiliary in many ways. In visiting with our new President, Deb
Albers, her theme this year is Slice
with a Price. Although freedom is
most definitely not free, we can
celebrate our freedom through
creating quality musical experiences and using music within our
units. Music’s greatest quality
is its expressivity and ability to
convey emotions.
Music can be uplifting, used
in tribute, or simply be used as
a fun activity. I love to sing, but
as an instrumental music teacher,
I often work with students who
don’t share those sentiments toward singing, so I challenge all of
you to find fun ways to incorporate music within your meetings
outside of just singing. Play a
game, create art from listening to
music, invite youth performers
from the community --- which
could also be an excellent recruitment tactic, too!
As Music Chairwoman, one
of my goals is to introduce and
include songs that are both familiar and unfamiliar during our
honored monthly songs. July’s
songs celebrate our country’s
independence, while the songs
for August celebrate the beauty
to previous purchasers as a thank
you and a courtesy reminder.
Gifts for Yanks who Gave
is a great program that includes
the entire Legion Family. Every
December, the funds received in
this program are distributed to
our Veterans in Veteran Homes.
Each Veteran receives a Christmas Greeting and $20.00, and
their spouse receives $15.00. In
order to secure that the fund will
be available for a few more years,
$24,000 needs to be raised. Discussion is being held on how to
help this program survive. Thank
you for your generosity in helping
this program thrive for all these
years.
Jacki O’Neill
Dept. Secretary
within our great nation. I hope you
enjoy these selections as much as
I do! Have a great summer making music fun!
July Honored Songs:
Hymn: The Battle Hymn of
the Republic
Patriotic: The Star Spangled
Banner by Francis
Scott Key
Fellowship: G
od Bless America
by Irving Berlin
In Memoriam
Notices received
May 10, 2016 to June 10, 2016
Delores Olson . . . . . . . . . Norfolk16
Clementine L Hansen . . . . Grant40
Delores Dobberstein . . . Kearney52
Doris M Olsen . . . . . . . . Kearney52
Ione L Turner . . . . . . . . . Kearney52
Judy D Silvers . . . . . . . . Kearney52
Karen Diestler . . . . . . . . Kearney52
Loretta Hadlock . . . . . . Kearney52
Loretta Houtchens . . . . Kearney52
Lucille Knox . . . . . . . . . Kearney52
Marion Nelson . . . . . . . . Bristow76
Lila Adams . . . . . . . . . Arapahoe96
Norma J Hellner . . . . . Arapahoe96
Violet Schweitzer . . . . . . Bartlett107
Joanne Rahn . . . . . . . . . . . Allen131
Patricia M Versaw . . Bloomington145
Connie Winter . . . . . . . . . . Scotia150
Gertrude E Olson . . . North Platte 163
Christina Mohlman . . . . Blue Hill 176
Betty Strand . . . . . . . . . . Uehling196
Jane Frandsen . . . . . . . . Uehling196
Lois Bowman . . . . . . . . . Uehling196
Betty Cummings . . . . . . . Wallace213
Edna Capek . . . . . . . . . Milligan240
Patricia J Carraher . . . . Spalding299
Wilma J Goering . . . . . . . . Leigh302
Kathleen Ruther . . . . Petersburg334
Carol L Svehla . . . Pleasant Dale 354
Mabel Tadlock . . . . . . . . . Ralston373
THANKS
Please accept my heartfelt
THANKS for all of the hospitalities that were shown to me
during my year as Department
President.
Your friendship and
August Honored Songs:
support meant so much to me as
Hymn: F
or the Beauty of
we worked together to further the
the Earth
mission of the American Legion
Patriotic: America the Beautiful
Fellowship: Krasna Amerika
Auxiliary. (Czech Waltz
Please continue working for
meaning Beautiful
our Veterans and our communiAmerica)
ties, showing your patriotism and
love
of country in all that you
Maureen Beck, Music Chairman
do. If there is anything that I can
help you with, please feel free to
contact me. In Service to God and Country,
Barb Washburn
Past Department President,
2015-2016 American Legion Auxiliary,
I am very honored to be
selected as the recipient of the
3
2
Nurse’s Scholarship in the amount
sages were made by thirty Aux- sisted me with various duties; of $400. Thank you for your geniliary members. These corsages and, above all, many units spent erosity. I greatly appreciate it.
were on display at the Conven- time doing so many projects for
Sincerely, tion, and $1.00 could be donated the Poppy Program. There’s that
Sydney Anderson.
by those attending to whatever tiny flower with a big heart work corsage they liked. The Auxiliary ing thru’ the Nebraska Auxiliary
Emergency Fund would be the members!! What a wonderful
American Legion Auxiliary
recipient of the money donated. way to keep our Auxiliary fam- Committee,
Deshler Unit #352 received the ily close.
By all of us workThank you for giving me the
largest donation of $28. Second ing together, we will make the great opportunity to apply for and
place was Callaway Unit #59, and American Legion Auxiliary a receive the Nurse’s Scholarship!
third place was Praque Unit #254. great organization to belong to. This money will help me pay for
The total amount received was Thank you, ladies. I appreciate schooling so I can become a nurse
$156.00. Thank you, President all that you have done. May your in the future!
Barb, for this idea.
2016-2017 year be as interesting
Jensyn Myers
This year was an enjoyable as this year.
year for me in many ways. I
I want to thank everyone
Jenice Bates
met so many members who aswho
donated black robes to
Poppy Chairman
Cornhusker Girls State. What a
difference this was for the girls. We were not cooking them. They
In 1981, Brainard Unit 273 began an Americanism project presentall appreciated them as much as I
ing flags to the kindergarten on Veterans Day. The first flags were
did. Thanks again.
presented in 1981 by President Donna Steager to her son Robert’s
class. She also presented flags to his daughter Breanne in 2010 and
Renee Van Winkle
his son Wyatt in 2015. Donna has presented every year since, includGirls State Chairman
ing to the kindergarten class of her other sons --- David in 1984 and
Aaron in 1987.
THE TINY FLOWER WITH A BIG HEART, THE POPPY
June 7th at Cornhusker Girls
State was an exciting day for
Katelyn Painter and me. Katelyn is a 10 year old student from
Springview who was one of the
National Poppy Poster winners
last year. I was so glad when she
could join me on stage and tell
about her winning poster. She
showed her poster with pride and
told us she was influenced by the
Medal of Honor being held in a
hand. So, she drew her poster
with that in mind. All 2016 Poppy
Posters that were winners from
their units were sent to Department, judged, and the winners
then sent on to Northwestern
Division for judging. We wish
everyone luck; and, who knows,
maybe one of the posters will be
sent to National!
The units were busy preparing Poppy Window Displays in
their hometown store windows,
Legion Clubs, malls, and many
more areas so they could tell
everyone in the community to
“Always Remember our Veterans.”
These windows were decorated
from May 23rd to May 27th. One
unit was planning on keeping
their display up until Memo-
1
rial Day, while some reported
their communities were very
impressed and wanted the units
to repeat a display next year. A
few pictures were on display at
Department Convention. Thank
you to those who participated.
Poppy centerpieces were
made and judged at District
Conventions and the winners
were brought to Department Convention in Kearney for judging.
Four judges had big decisions to
make from ten poppy centerpiece
entries. The winners were: 3rd
place ---Chadron Unit #12; 2nd
place --- Deshler Unit #352, and
1st place --- Gretna Unit #216.
Congratulations to all three of you
for the beautiful and meaningful
centerpieces. Thank you to everyone for doing a great job on your
centerpieces.
What beautiful poppy cor-
DATES TO REMEMBER
BRAINARD
SAVE THE DATE!
JULY
23-30 Girls Nation – Washington, DC
President Debra Albers’
Homecoming
AUGUST
August 26-Sept. 1 - 2016 National Convention - Cincinnati, OH
Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016
Davenport Community
Center
FOR YOUR ADVANCED PLANING
September 24, 2016 - L
eadership School & Department President’s
Homecoming - Davenport, NE
Pictured (l to r) Donna, Breanne, Wyatt, and Robert Steager.
More details in
the next issue.