AL Riders get their statewide structure

Legionnaire
The Minnesota American Legion and Auxiliary
Volume 97, Number 4
For God and Country
April 2015
AL Riders get their statewide structure
By Al Zdon
Minnesota’s American Legion Riders got their statewide
organization following action by the Department Executive
Committee at Royalton.
The Standard Operating Procedure, passed by a voice
vote that sounded unanimous by the DEC, will allow the
Riders a statewide structure – while emphasizing that the
ALR remains a post program.
The Riders for the past several years had been trying to
get a constitution passed by the DEC, but those efforts were
not rewarded. This past fall, Bill Sloan, National American
Legion Internal Affairs assistant director in charge of the
Legion Riders, came to Minnesota’s Fall Conference and
suggested a Standard Operating Procedure instead of a constitution.
That SOP says the Riders “is a program of each
American Legion Post,” but that “Periodically, they unite
with other American Legion Riders throughout the State of
Minnesota to raise funds and facilitate communication.”
The SOP establishes a statewide executive committee of
the Riders that will include ten district ALR representatives
who will, in turn, elect a director and a secretary at an annual meeting, which is called the “Legionville Romp.”
The director will have “full power” to carry out the mandates and policies of the Riders as established by National
Resolution 35.
Prior to the vote, Department Commander Peggy Moon,
who had not appointed an official liaison to the Riders this
Continued on Page 2
APPLAUSE FOR RIDERS -- American Legion Riders President Scuffy Paulson got a standing ovation after the
Department Executive Committee approved a Standard Operating Procedure for a statewide Riders structure.
State convention
will be held in
Redwood Falls
Americanism bills
draw support of
Legion leadership
A bill in the Minnesota Legislature that would call
for high school seniors to pass an Americanism test
before graduating has received strong support from the
state’s Legion leadership.
“It’s obviously something I’m very excited about
and it has my wholehearted support,” said Past National
Commander Dan Ludwig of Red Wing. “If you don’t
understand our heritage, if you don’t know who we are,
it’s hard to be a good citizen.”
The bill is part of a nationwide effort called the
“Civics Education Initiative” sponsored by the Joe Foss
Institute. Joe Foss was the leading Marine fighter ace of
World War II, a Medal of Honor recipient, and he was
governor of South Dakota.
The institute hopes to have the measure passed in
every state by Sept. 17 of 2017. Minnesota is being targeted as one of the first 18 states to pass the bill. Five
states have already passed the measure.
The test the students would have to pass is the test
Continued on Page 3
The 2015 Department Convention will be held at
Jackpot Junction Casino near Redwood Falls. The Legion
and Auxiliary Conventions are sponsored by Redwood
Falls Post and Unit 38.
The convention will begin Thursday, July 15, and conclude Saturday, July 18, with the election of new officers.
A registration form is on Page 3 of this issue.
Registration is $15 per person until July 1, and $18
thereafter.
The official headquarters for the convention is the
Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel. Those attending the convention must make their own housing arrangements with
the hotel, 507-697-8000 or 800-946-2274.
Housing reservations are on on a first-come, first-serve
basis. Rooms will be $75 per night. Deadline for room
reservations to get the Legion rate is June 15.
The hotel also has RV sites. There are other hotels in the
Redwood Falls area.
The convention will conduct the annual business of the
Minnesota American Legion.
There will be a Department Executive Committee meeting preceeding the convention. A parade will be held Friday.
The Coast Guard
Mounted Patrol
in World War II
Page 8
Olivia youth is top Scout
Cody O’Halloran, a senior at BOLD High
School, has been selected Eagle Scout of the Year
for Minnesota, earning a $1,000 scholarship.
O’Halloran, the son of Mike and Julie
O’Halloran of Olivia, did his Eagle Scout project
for Olivia Post 186.
His project was a two-tiered landscape plan in
front of the Legion building. It features red, white
and blue flowers, three flag poles, and a memorial
donated by a local family.
O’Halloran worked with his troop and his family
to construct the landscape, and he was able to get
donations and discounts from local businesses.
He also raised $1,787 at a fund-raiser, but only
spent $715 on the project. He donated the remaining
money to the post.
O’Halloran has also taken care of the project by
watering and weeding the plants.
Continued on Page 2
CODY O’HALLORAN
Legion Day at Twins
slated for May 15
The 15th annual
Minnesota
American
Legion Family Day with
the Twins will be held
Friday, May 15, in a game
vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.
Commander Peggy
Moon will throw out the
first pitch. Gametime is
7:10 p.m.
Tickets are $23 for
Home Plate View seats.
To order, call 1-80033-TWINS, hit “0” to talk
to an attendant, and refer-
ence the American Legion
promotion. There’s a $5
service charge. Or call
Nick Corcoran at 612659-4083.
Page 2
Minnesota Legionnaire
April 2015
DEC approves Rider’s SOP
Eagle Scout
year, named Paul Hassing of Montgomery to the post. It
was approved by the DEC.
Hassing told the DEC that Riders mainly “want to have
fun, raise money, and give that money away.” He said the
SOP would provide a structure that would help communication and planning on a statewide basis. “Somebody has to
be in charge.”
Fourth District Commander Dan Williams moved that
the SOP be approved, and the motion was seconded by Tom
Sanders, 10th District Commander.
Past Department President Bill Goede, Plainview, rose
to oppose the SOP, arguing that the Riders were strictly a
post program and that creation of a statewide structure
could lead to legal or liability problems.
It was those concerns that kept the DEC in the past from
approving a statewide constitution for the group.
Goede noted that nobody was opposed to the great work
the ALR has done, it was only a matter of the danger of creating a statewide organization.
Two sections in the SOP do state that the Minnesota
American Legion will have no financial or legal responsibility for the state ALR.
It was pointed out that figures from National showed that
only 38 posts in the state had Rider chapters, less than seven
percent of all posts statewide. The Riders in attendance
immediately challenged those figures.
Scuffy Paulson, First District, came to the front and
introduced himself as “president of whoever we are.”
Paulson, who has been leading the battle to approve the
constitution at recent DEC meetings, said Minnesota was a
national leader in ALR – as shown by last year’s $87,000
donation to the Legion Legacy Fund, the most of any state.
He said Minnesota needed to take a leadership position by
approving the SOP. “We set the bar in Minnesota, let other
people follow us.”
He said the SOP “allows us a flow of communication.”
Paulson said it was time to act and not put it off anymore. “Let us get back to raising money and doing what we
do best. Let’s kick this can behind us.”
Past National Commander Dan Ludwig said he favored
the SOP. He too stated that the ALR will basically remain a
post program, but that the SOP would help the Riders coordinate statewide rides. He said the proposed SOP was not a
perfect document, but it could be amended in the future.
“Together we need to march forward on this.”
Continued from Page 1
“I was very glad to be able to give back to the American
Legion. They have been very supportive to my Boy Scout
Troop and to my high school. I was glad to be able to dedicate my landscape project to all the veterans who have so
bravely served our country.”
O’Halloran is in the upper 11 percent of his class with a
3.873 grade point average.
He has been active in BOLD’s high school choir, band
and pep band. He also played baseball and basketball. He
participates in the Future Farmer’s of America organization
along with the Math League.
He belongs to the National Honor Society and has
worked on other charitable projects.
O’Halloran joined the Scouting program as a Cub Scout
for three years and then as a Boy Scout for seven years. His
troop helped serve and clean up at the Flag Day program at
the Olivia Post.
He was also involved in the youth group of St. Aloysuis
Church.
O’Halloran plans on becoming a veternarian, and hopes
to start his college career at the University of Minnesota,
Morris, and then attend the University in the Twin Cities.
Viagra?
Thinking of
*
Try ‘The Silver Bullet’
Department Adjutant Randy Tesdahl, who in the past had
spoken strongly against a statewide ALR organization, and
said he was still “concerned about a full-blown department
level executive committee.”
He noted that other Legion programs are able to function
without such an SOP.
Goede took the floor again and questioned a section of
the two-page SOP titled “Amendments.” The section reads:
“This SOP may be amended by a vote of 2/3 of all the active
members of the ALR within the Department of Minnesota,
after being presented in writing to the ALR director.”
Goede wondered how a document that needs DEC
approval can be amended by the Riders themselves.
In the end, the SOP was passed. Paulson was given a
standing ovation by the people present at the meeting.
In other business, the DEC:
— Accepted cancellations of post charters for DeGraff
Post 362, Maynard Post 252 and Minneapolis Calhoun Post
231.
— Heard a report from Tesdahl on the state and national
conventions. He told the DEC that there will not be one big
room for the hospitality events on Friday night at the state
convention, but that each district will have to rent its own
suite at $150 a night, and that the events would be held
throughout the hotel. He said it was ever more difficult for
the Convention Corporation to negotiate for a large room.
He said the Minnesota delegation would be housed at the
national convention at the Holiday Inn on Lombard Street
in Baltimore. Car parking would be $25 a day and room
rates would be at $161 a day.
— Heard from Pat Logan, Membership Director, that the
Minnesota Party would be a cruise of Baltimore Harbor that
would include dining and dancing. The cost would be
$82.50 per person.
— Was told by Tesdahl that the membership card pickup
would be held June 25-26 at Department Headquarters in
St. Paul, and that district commanders should make appointments for a time to pick up their materials in those two days.
He said that when they pick up their materials, they could
meet with Department staff and learn more about their roles
in the organization.
— Learned that details on a $50,000 donation to
Legionville would be announced soon.
— Was informed by Commander Moon that the
Department has received a check for $5,500 for its share of
the profits from National Emblem Sales.
— Was urged by Moon to support legislation that will
provide the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs with
an additional $10 million this year so it won’t have to lay
off 85 people, mainly in the state Veterans Homes.
V 4 V announces grants
The Veterans 4 Veterans Trust Fund announced five
grants totaling $84,000 for March.
The Disabled American Veterans will receive $32,000
for a Northeast Minnesota Transportation Program, helping
veterans get to heath care facilities.
The Veterans on the Lake Resort will get $7,000 to put a
fence around the facilty’s swimming pool.
The Minnesota Veterans Home at Silver Bay received
$25,000 to assist in building a permanent band shell.
The Military Order of the Cootie received $10,000 for
assistance with the “Venison Program” which provides
venison meals to veterans at state and federal facilities.
The Allina Associated Foundation received $10,000 for
the “Honoring Veterans Program,” which helps veterans
have quality end-of-life care.
*Viagra is a registered trademark of Pfizer &
is not associated with Great Health Nutrition.
It only takes one!
No Prescription needed . Low
Cost . 36 Hour Performance
1360 University Ave.
651-645-2315
5192 Central Ave. NE
763-571-5544
1668 Robert Street
651-453-9150
Attention Veterans!
This is your northern
Minnesota resort. Barrier-free
and open 12 months a year.
Gateway to the BWCA.
800-777-7538
email: vetlake@frontiernet.net
All cabins have a lake view.
www.veteransonthelakeresort.com
RESORT FOR DISABLED VETERANS,
ACTIVE DUTY AND ABLE BODIED
VETERANS, DISABLED GENERAL
PUBLIC AND FAMILIES.
April 2015
Endorsements
and vice commander of 3M
Post 599.
He presently serves on
the 4th District Leadership
Team.
He served consecutive
terms as the Fourth
District’s
Commander,
2012 - 2013 and 2013 2014.
Partridge is a member of
committees at the state and
District levels.
By
Dennis Henkemeyer
He serves on the
Department of Minnesota
Executive Committee.
He currently serves on
the
Department
Post
Development Committee.
In the 40/8, he is Chef
De Tran of Voiture 791.
He is a member of the
Sons of the American
Squadron 39 of North St.
Paul.
CARROLL PARTRIDGE
Americanism bill in state Legislature
Continued from Page 1
given to those seeking U.S. citizenship. The 100 question
test asks about American history, government and heritage.
Students must answer 60 percent of the questions correctly.
In Minnesota, the House version is HF 1497 and the
Senate bill is SF 1674.
“It fits our emphasis on Americanism to a T,”
Department Commander Peggy Moon said. “At Boys State,
we give a Minnesota government test. At Oratorical
Contest, it’s all about the Constitution.”
Moon and Ludwig have been named by the Foss
Institute to a Minnesota advisory council on passing the initiative.
“Those who are becoming citizens need to pass the test.
Those of us lucky enough to be born here need to know this
stuff too,” Moon said.
The initiative “is a first step to ensure all students are
taught basic civics about how our government works,”
according to the Foss Institute.
It has been found, for example, that among college graduates in the United States, only 42 percent could put the
Battle of the Bulge in the correct war, and only 15 percent
could name the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (John
Roberts.) At the same time, 96 percent could identify Lady
Gaga.
In Minnesota, the bill faces a special challenge this year
because it was introduced late due to delays getting the language of the bill from the Foss Institute.
“We missed the deadline for getting bills on the Docket,”
said Randy Kelly, a spokesman for the Foss Institute in the
Midwest. Kelly, former Mayor of St. Paul, is helping lead
the effort to pass the bills.
“We may have to use some extraordinary measures,” he
said. “But we want to make sure the bill gets a hearing in
both the House and the Senate.”
A hearing on the bill has been set for April 7 in the House
Education Committee. Moon said all Legionnaires and others interested in Americanism should attend the hearing and
lend their support. The meeting is at 8 a.m. at the State
Office Building.
Kelly said the bill has strong bi-partisan support. In the
House, it is sponsored by Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City
and Rep. Kurt Daudt, R- Crown, the Speaker of the House,
and 33 other House members.
In the Senate, chief sponsors are Thomas Baak, D-Cook,
Majority Leader, and Sen. Chuck Wiger, D-Maplewood,
chairman of the Education Division.
“It’s important that we contact our state respresentatives
and senators to strongly support these bills,” Ludwig said.
“We all need to be teachers. We need to teach our children,
or grandchildren and everybody else what it means to be an
American. These bills are a significant step in that direction.”
OFFICIAL CONVENTION PRE-REGISTRATION
A registration fee of $15 for each person attending, whether a delegate, alternate or a guest, must accompany this form. Make this check payable to AMERICAN LEGION POST 38 with “Department Convention” in memo line. No credit
cards will be accepted.
Registration at the door and after July 1 will be $18.
Mail to:
Carrie Werner, Redwood Falls Post 38, Box 354, Redwood Falls, MN
56283.
Legion Post # __________
District___________
SAL Sqdn.__________
Auxiliary Unit________
Name__________________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________
City, State__________________________________Zip___________________
pDelegate
pAlternate
pDelegate at Large (Auxiliary)
(Please check one of the above.)
Page 3
Sons of The
American Legion
Partridge endorsed for vice cdr.
The Fourth and Fifth
Districts have endorsed
Carroll "Bird" Partridge for
2015 - 2016 Department of
Minnesota
Vice
Commander representing
the Fourth and Fifth
Districts.
Patridge served in the U.
S. Navy and he is a veteran
(1967 - 1971) of the
Vietnam War era.
He an active member
Minnesota Legionnaire
pGuest
If additional pre-registrations accompany this request, this pre-registration form
should be photo copied for each person. The $15 registration fee should be
enclosed for each person.
Please, only one registration blank per person.
Licensed, bonded, insured
What a terrific month this has been for the Sons of The
American Legion here in Minnesota.
Let me start with the annual SAL Spring Conference
which was held at the Anoka American Legion Post Home
on 21 March.
We had over 60 members representing close to 30
squadrons in attendance for this educational meeting.
In addition to reports from the various committeemen
and officers, we heard from two ad hoc committees that
were appointed at the fall conference back in October.
The first was from Chairman Brandon Rogat who presented to us a very informative power point presentation on
activities for members between the ages of 10 and 18.
This project would mirror that of the Juniors weekend at
Legionville and the whole purpose is to get those members
in that age group more involved in our organization.
The second ad hoc committee report was given by PNC
Joe Mayne and addressed the need for a revamping of our
current committees and commissions.
The restructuring will now be presented after a couple of
revisions to the delegates to the detachment convention and
if approved will be forwarded to the Department of
Minnesota for their approval.
Membership is going gangbusters and at this writing we
are sitting at over 93% of our membership goal for the year.
However, we have a long way to go with our renewals.
If memory serves me correctly, we are presently at
around 82% and last year we ended with a percentage of
around 93%. Renewals is where we have to concentrate our
efforts over the next couple of months.
Finally, what can I say about my commander’s project;
the Minneapolis Fisher House?
During our spring conference the total collected to date
was at $25,475.00. Contributions to this project have been
overwhelming and I cannot say thank you enough.
God bless all of you.
Page 4
Minnesota Legionnaire
April 2015
COMMANDER’S
COLUMN
By Peggy Moon
Happy Spring Legionnaires. Finally it looks like this
long, cold winter is behind us, and I for one welcome the
new season.
Thank you to everyone who traveled to Walker to attend
my testimonial. I hope you had a great time. Thank you to
Past National Commander Butch Miller for a wonderful
talk - he is still an inspiration to all of us. He had a great
time visiting his home state, and even took some time to
visit the Post in Walker. And thank you for the gifts. You
are all so generous, and it was an evening I will never forget.
I also want to thank my post, Kriesel-Jacobsen Post 560
of Zimmerman, for all the hard work they put into the
evening. I cherish my home town, and they’re part of the
reason I do. Thank you also to our Adjutant Randy Tesdahl
and Cheryl Fraser. What a wonderful job they did entertaining everyone.
As I write this, we are in the middle of revitalizations.
The Fourth and Fifth District is now completed, and the
Sixth District will happen April 9-11. I am really excited
that we are doing this now, at this time of year, as typically
we start seeing our membership numbers slow down to a
trickle at this time of year. Up to now, the work was easier, but we still have many members who have not renewed,
and we need to find new members to join our organization.
Our work and dedication to our fellow veterans, the children of our country, and our communities need us today
more than ever. Our forefathers worked with determination
to give us the organization we have today, and we must not
Mail Call
Opportunity
To the Editor:
Our American Legion National Commander, Mike
Helm, has issued a call for support for the Legislative
Priorities for the 114th Congress. He specifically called out
the issue, "Provide help for Veterans struggling with mental health issues and brain injuries,” as one needing special
attention. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) and
Traumatic Brain Injury (PTI), comprise the bulk of these
disorders.
Upon researching the issue and what is being done at the
Federal level, it is obvious that funding for research and
treatment is woefully inadequate (measured in millions)
when compared to funding for developing and maintaining
readiness for war (measured in tens/hundreds of billions),
many elements of which are obsolete, others of no value in
meeting current and future threats. This wide chasm in
funding for warfighting materials over warfighters welfare
shows a low priority for post conflict, life long effects of
brain damage on affected veterans and their families.
Commander Helm pointed out that medical treatments,
primarily drugs, along with periodic counseling, are helpful
in controlling symptoms of PTSD and PTI, but inadequate
in restoring veterans to the lives they left to serve.
Transition back into civilian life after the adrenalin rush,
stress laden, combat experience is very difficult for many,
especially those without supportive families and meaningful careers to return to. The families are similarly affected
since they have little understanding of the symptoms that
suggest mental impairment and how to best support their
returning member.
Disruption in personal/family income and returning to
pre-combat roles contribute additional stress.
These conditions can and must be addressed. It is a
moral imperative. Adequate funding must be made available to the agencies responsible for research, medical treatment, and advancing mental health issues.
Additionally, and equally important, the value of the
social and economic sides of the problem must be recognized. In that regard, The American Legion and Veterans of
Foreign Wars (VFW), in cooperation with the Veterans
Administration, can utilize thousands of existing clubs and
volunteers across the nation to provide social settings
where victims of traumatic experiences will find others to
communicate with while having the opportunity to participate in many veteran and community support activities provided by these facilities.
National Commander Helm has already started this
process by identifying the urgent need for treatment beyond
pills and counseling. In that respect, The American Legion
let them down.
We learned recently that the City of Minneapolis was
awarded the 2016 Medal of Honor Convention. This weeklong convention will take place September 26-October 3,
2016. The agenda will feature a wide range of events,
including school visits, memorial services, meet and greets,
and concerts. The week will conclude with the Patriot
Award Gala, a black-tie affair attended by upwards of 2,000
guests. The Congressional Medal of Honor was created by
President Abraham Lincoln in 1861, and has been bestowed
to fewer than 3,500 individuals. Presently, there are only 81
living recipients. I’m sure you’ll hear more about this prestigious event as the months go on.
Another issue I have been working on is the Civics
Education Initiative sponsored by the Joe Foss Institute.
Joe Foss was another Medal of Honor recipient and a veteran pilot from WWII. He founded the institute to educate
our youth on the importance of America’s unique freedoms, and to inspire them into public service. The Civics
Education Initiative would require high school students, as
a condition for graduation, to pass a test on 100 basic facts
of US history and civics, from the United States Citizenship
Civics Test - the test all new US citizens must pass. The
goal is to pass legislation in all 50 states by a certain date,
September 17, 2017, the 230th anniversary of the U.S.
Constitution. Former Mayor of St. Paul, Randy Kelly, has
been hired to promote this initiative, and has asked me to
serve on the Advisory Board for Minnesota, for which I
have proudly consented. This initiative certainly fits in
well with our Americanism Program, and I believe it should
be supported by our American Legion.
I ran into County Veteran Service Officer Dave Hanson
from Faribault County when I was in Wells, and he advised
the Post membership that the Department of Veterans
Affairs has changed the way it determines eligibility for VA
health care, change that will result in more veterans having
access to the health care benefits they’ve earned and
deserve. Effective 2015, VA eliminated the use of net worth
as a determining factor for both health care programs and
copayment responsibilities. You may want to make an
appointment with your CVSO to see if this change affects
your eligibility.
In closing, Carl and I both wish you a Happy Easter.
This is one of my favorite holidays, and I hope you all have
a great time with family and friends. Spring is here.
has stepped up to the plate and declared we are ready to
serve by expanding our role in post service support across
the nation. American Legion and VFW Clubs are ideal for
gathering and distributing information regarding employment, training, and the wide range of veteran services available to them. All new initiatives need starting places and
people with the knowldge and drive to make them successful. The American Legion Club in Park Rapids is a proud
example of accomplishment in providing veteran and community services.
We have the place and the people. The Members and the
Ladies Auxiliary are a rich source of people resources needed to get moving on this issue. For example, in Park Rapids,
we are especially grateful to have star Auxiliary member,
Lynn Spilman, now District 6 Vice President, taking special
interest in this vital issue. Lynn simply gets things done.
She has spent thousands of hours over the past 20 years in
all facets of Legion activities - administration, recruitment,
and fund raising - not only for the Legion but for needy
causes within the community.
What is needed is direction from the Veteran's
Administration down through The American Legion and
VFW chains of command to establish common goals and
activities/training required to meet them. The friendly
doors of the clubs offer easy access and supportive environments for veterans across the nation Veterans need to
know what we offer and where we are relative to where
they live. The American Legion and VFW are primarily
self-sustaining, volunteer organizations. As such, we are
immediately available . We want to help. Put us to work.
Good things will happen.
Lee Purrier
Park Rapids
Sleeve patches
To the Editor:
According the the U.S. Flag Code, it is appropriate to
wear an American Flag on the left or right sleeve. When
worn on the left sleeve, the union would appear toward the
front and the stripes would run horizontally to the back.
When worn on the right sleeve, it is considered proper to
reverse the design so that the union is at the observer’s right
to suggest the flag is flying in the breeze as the wearer
moves forward (hence the name, “backwards flag”).
Occasionally in this newspaper, one sees it displayed
improperly. Please encourage your members to observe
proper etiquette.
Loren Hoyhtya
Deer Creek
Chaplain’s
Corner
By
Steve Klinkner
Well, the March weather brought the warmth of spring
early and was greatly enjoyed by everyone! My wife and I
went on a bus tour vacation with the Leon Olsen Band to
Arizona. The trip down was a challenge driving in a snow
blizzard thru New Mexico and over the mountains into
Arizona before we got out out of it. Didn’t know Minnesota
was such a large state for winter weather! We had lots of fun
meeting new people from Minnesota and Wisconsin on the
bus and making acquaintances with those residing in
Arizona. I was wearing my Madelia Post 19 American
Legion Jacket at one of the dance festivals when a man
came up to us and said he was born in Madelia but moved
away when he was 6 years old. He shared that he was a
WWII veteran and reminisced about the community in its
earlier years. Interesting to meet so many Veterans wherever you happen to go and how easily Veterans connect with
one another.
As we have followed this Band for some time now, I
have to commend them on their final performance after the
dance is over to have everyone form a large circle and recognize all of the Veterans to stand in the middle of the floor.
We then sing “God Bless America.” It always makes me
feel proud to stand in the middle with all of these Veterans.
At one of the Arizona dances, I got to stand next to my
Uncle Melvin, 90 years old, and a WWII Veteran. What an
honor! As we stood, I looked at the other Veterans, most of
them had tears in their eyes, gathered together for this
recognition, with their comrades, and a chance to show their
pride of serving our Country, United under one God. This
should not be taken for granted.
On another note, my daughter called me to inform me
that my 8 year old grandson will be calling me to inform me
that Easter season is here and when will we get the little
baby chickens? It will be his first time experiencing baby
chickens as we have talked about it for the last two years
after attending a Farm Show. For some reason he thinks he
has to sleep in the chicken coop with them; don’t know
were he got that idea from….
And yes, Easter is the season of new rebirth and have we
prepared our selves? The vast majority are not ready for the
Judgment and will be lost forever in eternity, but only a few
are ready to go to Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14). We don’t
know when that day will come so we must always be ready.
The Judgment will happen when the Lord comes again. No
one will be exempt. If we are not ready, it will be too late to
try to get ready when we are standing before the Lord in
Judgment. Our eternal fate is sealed either when we draw
our last breath or if the Lord comes before we die.
Is your name in God’s Book of Life? If it is not then
“Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into
the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). How do we make sure
our name is in the Book of Life? Jesus says “Not everyone
who says to Me ~ Lord, Lord ~ shall enter the kingdom of
Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven”
(Matthew 7:21). Jesus says that we must “Be faithful until
death and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation
2:10). We must do God’s will and continue to do his will if
we expect to go to Heaven. Are you ready for the judgment?
Happy Spring to all the Veterans and their families and
keep our service men and women that are away in this
Easter season in your prayers.
The Minnesota
Legionnaire
Official Publication of and Owned Exclusively by
The American Legion, Department of Minnesota
Al Zdon, Editor
First published in 1920 as the Hennepin County Legionnaire,
the Minnesota Legionnaire is now in its 96th year of publication. It is published monthly by The American Legion,
Department of Minnesota, Room 300A, 20 West 12th Street,
St. Paul, MN 55155-2000. Periodicals postage is paid at St.
Paul, MN, and at additional mailing offices. The Legionnaire
is a member of the Minnesota Newspaper Association and
the National American Legion Press Association.
SUBSCRIPTION: $10 for non-members. Members receive
the Legionnaire as part of their dues.
PHONE: 651-291-1800, 866-259-9163, FAX: 651-291-1057
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The American
Legion, 20 W. 12th Street, St. Paul, MN, 55155-2000. (USPS
No. 013-679.) (ISSN No. 1644270)
ADVERTISING RATES: Contact Al Zdon, 651-291-1800
E-MAIL: azdon@mnlegion.org
WEBSITE: www.mnlegion.org
BOARD OF PUBLICATION MEMBERS: President Peggy
Moon, St. Paul; Vice President Don Amundson, Blue Earth;
Secretary Randy Tesdahl, Elk River; Treasurer, Richard
Horn, Melrose. Board Members include: Bob Locker, Fridley;
Clinton Burt, Slayton; Joe Bayer, Minneapolis; Pat Logan,
Bloomington; Virgil Persing, Columbia Heights; Chris
Ronning, Maple Grove; Sandy Fredrickson, Glenville.
April 2015
What’s Happening
Mazeppa Dedication
The Mazeppa Post 588 and the Mazeppa Veterans Honor
Guard will dedicate the Mazeppa Veterans Memorial at 11
a.m. on Saturday, May 23. For more information, contact
Jeff Josselyn at 507-358-1802 or jeffyjoss@yahoo.com.
Poetry Contest
The 4th annual Children’s Military Poetry Contest will
be held in April, sponsored by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.
The theme of this year’s contest is “Celebrating the Veteran
in my Life.”
The contest is open to all children, K-12, in three age
categories.
For
more
information,
email
poetry@franken.senate.gov or call 651-221-1016.
StandDowns, Legal Help
The Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans is sponsoring several Stand Downs with legal help, and Legal
Clinics in the next month.
-- StandDown for veterans at Becker County
Fairgrounds, Detroit Lakes on Thursday, April 23. It will be
held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an opening ceremony at 11
and a StandDown Court and legal clinic from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. Services include meals, VA benefits, clothing, housing,
haircuts, driver’s license, employment and chaplaincy.
Please bring your DD214. For more information, call 218722-8763.
-- StandDown at Brainerd at the National Guard Armory
on Wednesday, April 8. It will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
with an opening ceremony at 11:30 and the StandDown
Court and Legal Clinic from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more
information, call 218-722-8763.
-- Drop-In Legal Clinic for Veterans at Fergus Falls on
Wednesday, April 22, from 10 a.m. tok 3 p.m. at VFW Post
612. Services include housing, employment, benefits,
expungement, wills, debt collection and family law. For
more information, call 218-722-8763.
-- Drop-In Legal Clinic for Veterans in Minneapolis at
the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Flag Atrium Balcony
Room, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., on Tuesday, April 14. For more
information, call 651-200-4750.
-- StandDown at St. Cloud on Friday, April 24, from 9
a.m. to 2 p.m. at the St. Cloud National Guard Armory. It
will not have a court, but will feature some legal services.
This StandDown is sponsored by United Way and not
MACV. For more information, call 1-800-543-7709.
Last Days in Vietnam
The PBS American Experience film “Last Days in
Vietnam” is available for free screenings in Minnesota communities. The film is available free of charge to a host
organization, but there can be no charge or fundraising
associated with the screening.
The film shows the bravery of the South Vietnamese and
the U.S. military in the final days of the war. For more
information contact tran_vu@wgbh.org.
Operation Blue Jay
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Operation Blue Jay
in 1951 built the Thule Air Base in Greenland. Many of the
men in the project were recruited in Minnesota.
Col. David Arnold at the National War College is doing
research on Blue Jay and would like to hear from
Minnesotans who participated. Call 202-685-3658 or email
david.c.arnold.mil@gc.ndu.edu.
Discover Aviation Days
Anoka County Airport at Blaine, Janes Field, will host
the Discover Aviation Days on May 30-31. It will feature
experimental, hombuilt, civil, corporate, military World
War II and other vintage aircraft. There will also be aircraft
rides, the Golden Wings Museum, and military displays.
There will be breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11:30, and lunch
from noon to 4 p.m. There will be a hangar dance on
Saturday night. The event is free, with a donation for parking. Call 763-568-6072 for more information.
MHS seeks war photos
The Minnesota Historical Society is seeking photograph
donations from Minnesota veterans. In particular, the society is interested in photos from the Gulf, Iraq and
Afghanistan wars, and, second, photos that illustrate
Minnesota’s homefront during war eras.
For more information, contact Jessica Ellison at jessica.ellison@mnhs.org.
Richfield Craft Fair
There will be a craft, bake sale, book sale, and merchant
vendor on April 19 at the Richfield Post from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. The address is 6501 Portland Ave. S., Richfield. For
more information, call 612-481-2148.
Minnesota Legionnaire
Page 5
Women Veterans Salute
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs “Salute
to Women Veterans” will be held Saturday, May 16, from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cragun’s Resort near Brainerd.
The keynote speaker will be Peggy Moon, first woman
Comander of the Minnesota American Legion and first
women chair of the Commander’s Task Force.
All ages, eras, branches and transitioning military
women are welcome. There will be discount room rates,
workshops on art, meditation, entrepreneurship, and VA
healthcare for women. The event will also feature networking, benefits information, vendors and resources and health
practitioners on site.
Photo Exhibit
“Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service
During World War II” will be featured at the Historic Fort
Snelling Visitors Center from April 24-July 5 and from
Aug. 25-Oct. 31. The photo exhibit opening and reception
will be Sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m.
Over 6,000 Japanese Americans trained in Minnesota
during World War II.
The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Historical
Society and Japanese American Citizens League. For more
information call 612-726-1171.
Round Tables
Minnesota round tables on military history have
announced their April schedules:
-- The St. Croix Valley Civil War Roundtable will feature
“Patriots of Brooklyn (Minnesota)” with speaker Darryl
Sannes on Monday, April 27. This is a dinner meeting at the
Lowell Inn in Stillwater. Call Steve Anderson at 715-3861268 to make a reservation or get more information.
-- Owatonna Veterans Open Roundtable will feature
“American Prison Camps in Owatonna and the Upper
Midwest” with Jerry Yokum and Jerry Ganfield on Tuesday,
April 14, at 7 p.m. The event is held at Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church. Contact: Dave Thomas, 507-451-9466.
-- World War II History Round Table at Fort Snelling
History Center will feature “Air War in the Mediterranean”
with author Col Robert Ehlers and will include combat veterans of that era. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday,
April 9, with an admission of $5.
-- Rochester Veterans Roundtable will feature “Bomber
Crew Training and World War II Bombing Missions” with
Elizabeth Strofus, Ken Micko, Vincent Parker, and Doug
Ward. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, April 13, at
Autumn Ridge Church with a $5 admission.
National Vice Commander Paul Sanford, Kansas, visits Minnesota
The National Vice Commander played no favorites, visiting both the 4th and 5th District efforts at revitalization.
In St. Paul, Sanford, third from left, met with Fourth District Commander Dan Williams, Dave Baughman,
Department Commander Peggy Moon, Membership Director Pat Logan and Micky Ostrum.
On a tour of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center in
Minneapolis, Sanford was welcomed by Director
Patrick Kelly.
NVC Sanford toured the Minnesota American Legion
Headquarters in St. Paul and was toured around by
Fourth District Commander Dan Williams and
Memberhip Director Pat Logan.
Thank you
In the Fifth District, NVC Paul Sanford met with, from left: Department Vice Commander Dennis DeLong, District
Vice Commander Ray Eiden, Vice Commander Gary Martin, newly signed-up member Sarah McGinty, and
Sanford.
We would like to send a message of appreciation for the
expression of sympathy after the death of our oldest son,
Michael. Our American Legion Family is the greatest.
Bob and Gloria Lindquist
Page 6
Minnesota Legionnaire
Taps
April 2015
Dahl, Lowell M. 91, Army veteran of World War II, died
March 14, 2015. He served in the adjutant general’s office
and was stationed in Japan. He was a member of Waseca Post
228.
Gorham, Robert B., 88, Army Air Corps veteran of
World War II, died March 10, 2015. He was a member of
Mora Post 201.
Ahlness, Steven, 63, Army veteran of the Vietnam War,
died March 10, 2015. He was a member of Mora Post 201.
Hanson, Dennis, 70, Coast Guard veteran of the Vietnam
War, died Feb. 10, 2015. He was a member of New London
Post 537.
Halvorson, John, 95, Army Air Corps veteran of World
War II, died Feb. 12, 2015. He was a member of New London
Post 537.
Herman, Alvin P., 80, Army veteran of the Korean and
Vietnam Wars, died March 4, 2015. He served in the signal
corps. He was a member of Elysian Post 311.
Aldrich, Robert, 90, Army veteran of World War II, died
March 12, 2015. He was a member of Bertha Post 366.
Deschane, Magdelene A., 95, Army veteran of the
Korean and Vietnam Wars, died March 7, 2015. She was a
surgical nurse and served in several locations including the
121st Evacuation Hospital in Korea and Landstuhl Hospital
in Germany. She retired as a lieutenant colonel. She was a
member of Deer Creek Post 283.
Hanson, Clayton Wesley, 88, Navy veteran of World War
II, died Feb. 21, 2015. He was a member of Granite Falls Post
69.
Dixon, Larry C., 95, Navy veteran of World War II, died
Feb. 28, 2015. He was an aviation machinist’s mate second
class. He was a member of Long Prairie Post 12.
Bolstad, Victor, 86, Army veteran of the Korean War,
died March 15, 2015. He was a member of Hayfield Post 330.
Dahnert, Rodger Dale, 81, Navy veteran of the Korean
War and Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War, died March
18, 2015. He also served in the Army Reserve, retiring in
1988. He was a member of Waseca Post 228.
DeLaHunt, Ronald, 93, Army veteran of World War II,
died March 19, 2015. He served in the Mediterranean Theater
and earned a Purple Heart. He was a member of Little Falls
Post 46.
Hemgren, Scott C., 53, Air Force veteran of the Lebanon/
Grenada War era, died March 12, 2015. He was a member of
Zimmerman Post 560.
Schultz, William P., 79, Marine Corps Veteran of the
Korean War, died Feb. 7, 2015. He was a member of Willmar
Post 167.
Lindblad, Thomas R., 81, Air Force veteran of the
Korean War, died Feb. 7, 2015. He was a member of Willmar
Post 167.
Lawrence, Maynard A., 87, Army veteran of the Korean
War, died Feb. 25, 2015. He was a member of Willmar Post
167.
Olhausen, Jimmy L., 78, Air Force veteran of the
Vietnam War, died Feb. 26, 2015. He was a member of
Willmar Post 167.
Warzecha, Frank F., 87, Army veteran of World War II,
died March 7, 2015. He served in the Aleutian Islands. He
was a member of Holdingford Post 211.
Runninger, Paul Glenn, 67, Navy veteran of the Vietnam
War, died Feb. 27, 2015. He was a gunner’s mate on patrol
boats in the River Rats. He earned two Purple Hearts. He was
a member of Houston Post 423.
Seratzki, Herman, Army veteran of World War II, died
Feb. 11, 2015. He was a member of Onamia Post 395.
Jorgenson, Gene Olson, 90, Army veteran of World War
II and the Korean War, died Feb. 28, 2015. He served in
Europe during World War II and later re-enlisted in the Army
and served in Germany. He was a member of Lowry Post 253.
Barber, James C., 83, Army veteran of the Korean War,
died March 4, 2015. He was a member of Winthrop Post 315.
Hanson, Richard Nicholas, 92, Army veteran of World
War II, died Feb. 10, 2015. He was a member of Rush City
Post 93.
Norton, Willard, 83, Army veteran of the Korean War,
died March 2, 2015. He was a member of Bertha Post 366.
Pederson, Robert Bruce, 79, Air Force veteran of the
Korean War, died Feb. 14, 2015. He had a 20-year career and
served on bases around the world. He was a member of
Alexandria Post 87.
Patrick, Richard Joseph, 89, Army veteran of World War
II, died Feb. 15, 2015. He served in Company C of the 361st
Infantry as a rifleman, messenger and bugler and fought in
Italy around Rome and the Po Valley. He was the father of
Mendota Heights Police Officer Scott Patrick, killed on duty
in 2014. He was a member of Alexandria Post 87.
Woodruff, Lee Elroy, 92, Army Air Corps veteran of
World War II, died Feb. 7, 2015. He served as an airplane
mechanic. He was a member of Le Center Post 108.
Ruegemer, Eldred N., 74, Army veteran of the Vietnam
War, died March 9, 2015. He was a member of Cold Spring
Post 455.
Sime, Stewart L., 82, Army veteran of the Korean War,
died March 11, 2015. He was a member of Marietta Post 156.
Yocom, Steven F., 92, Army veteran of World War II, died
Feb. 25, 2015. He served in occupied Japan. He was a member of the Honor Guard for Emmons Post 317.
Collinge, Marlowe D., 81, Navy veteran of the Korean
War, died Feb. 26, 2015. He served in Japan. He was a mem-
ber of Minnesota Post At-Large 1982.
Carlson, Vern, 87, Army veteran of World War II and
Navy veteran of the Korean War, died Feb. 18, 2015. He was
a member of Pine River Post 613.
Anderson, Richard C., 84, Marine Corps veteran of the
Korean War, died March 5, 2015. He was a member of North
Branch Post 85.
Galkin, Peter G., 94, Army Air Corps veteran of World
War II, died Feb. 13, 2015. He was a member of Albert Lea
Post 56.
Dobie, Robert E., 91, Navy veteran of World War II, died
March 1, 2015. He was a past commander of Amboy Post
276.
Pedersen, Dennis Allen, 72, Army veteran of the Vietnam
War, died Feb. 16, 2015. He was a combat veteran. He was a
member of Hector Post 135.
Stavish, Robert B., 68, Army veteran of the Vietnam War,
died Feb. 14, 2015. He was a member of Flensburg Post 136.
Maves, Alvin, 87, Army veteran of the Korean War, died
Feb. 24, 2015. He was a member of Hayfield Post 330.
Zahler, Donald B., 84, Army veteran of the Korean War,
died Feb. 26, 2015. He was an airplane mechanic. He was a
member of Paynesville Post 271.
Webber, Wallace Anderson, 91, Marine Corps veteran of
World War II, died March 17, 2015. He was a past commander of Wheaton Post 80.
Harrison, Roger, 92, Navy veteran of World War II, died
March 17, 2015. He flew TBF Avenger torpedo bombers
from aircraft carries. He finished the war as a lieutenant. He
was a member of Brainerd Post 255.
Borak, Robert Joseph, 73, Navy veteran of the Vietnam
War, died Feb. 23, 2015. He was a member of Chaska Post
57.
Rider, Gilbert W., 90, Army veteran of World War II, died
March 19, 2015. He was a member of Deerwood Post 557.
Tompt, Dawin F., 88, Navy veteran of World War II, died
March 24, 2015. He served on the USS Richmond in the
Pacific. He was a member of Willmar Post 167.
Engelmeier, David, 80, Navy veteran of the Korean War,
died March 21, 2015. He was a member of Cold Spring Post
455.
Simon, Albert R., 68, Army veteran of the Vietnam War,
died March 8, 2015. He was a member of St. Joseph Post 328.
Walter, Howard, 86, Navy veteran of the Korean War,
died Feb. 9, 2015. He served on the USS Sphinx. He was a
member of Faribault Post 43.
Tonjum, Richard Sr., 76, Army veteran of the Vietnam
War, died Feb. 3, 2015. He joined the Navy in 1955, and later
served in the Army and in the Army Reserve. He was a member of Faribault Post 43.
Boyd, Clare A., 96, Navy veteran of World War II, died
Feb. 6, 2015. He served in the Pacific. He was a member of
Faribault Post 43.
Geyen, John H., 82, Army veteran of the Korean War,
died Feb. 22, 2015. He was a member of Maple Lake Post
131.
Schlie, Herman C., 84, Army veteran of the Korean War,
died March 17, 2015. He earned a Purple Heart in the war. He
was a member of Morristown Post 149.
Evenson, Marvin Joseph, 87, Army Air Corps veteran of
World War II, died March 15, 2015. He was a member of
Hector Post 135.
Benton, Melvin T., 90, Navy veteran of World War II,
died March 21, 2015. He was a member of Park Rapids Post
212.
Hughes, Gene, 64, Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, died
Feb. 11, 2015. He served on the USS John C. Calhoun as a
torpedoman. He was a member of Granite Falls Post 69.
Hanson, Clayton Wesley, 88, Navy veteran of World War
II, died Feb. 21, 2015. He was a member of Granite Falls Post
69.
Kennedy, Joel W., 76, Navy veteran of the Vietnam War,
died March 18, 2015. He
was a member of Mora Post
201.
Weidendorf, Jerry L.,
81, Army veteran of the
Korean War, died March 17,
2015. He was in radio communication. He was a member of Mora Post 201.
District
2015
Klatt, Richard G., 82,
Goal
Air Force veteran of the
1
9,976
Korean War, died March 17,
2015. He was a staff ser2
8,110
geant. He was a member of
3
12,486
Maple Lake Post 131.
Lounsbury, Dewey D.,
4
2,554
87, Navy veteran of World
5
2,959
War II, died March 18, 2015.
6
12,698
He was a member of Eden
Valley Post 381.
7
7,245
Nye, Frank, 83, Army
8
4,768
veteran of the Korean War,
died March 14, 2015. He
9
7,443
served 20 years in the
10
11,243
National Guard. He was a
At-large
2,340
member of Hackensack Post
202.
Totals
81,822
Veterans Affairs
and Rehabilitation
By
Tom Newman
So the question is asked – “What is the status of The
American Legion’s analysis of the recommendations submitted by the Military Compensation and Retirement
Modernization Commission?”
The Military Compensation and Retirement
Modernization Commission (MCRMC) released its final
report with 15 recommendations on Jan. 29. Since that time,
The American Legion, as well as many stakeholders in the
military and veterans’ communities, have been poring over
the details, trying to determine the best course of action.
Congress is now starting to conduct hearings on the subject, as legislation will soon be considered to implement
some or all of the recommendations. The Legion will be testifying in March before the Military Personnel
Subcommittee of the House Committee on Armed Services.
Some of the provisions are good and supported by The
American Legion. There is increased emphasis on financial
education, support for a mandatory Transition Assistance
Program (TAP), support for better collaboration between
the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, support
for military families by recognizing the struggles military
children sometimes go through with frequent school transfers — all of these could be helpful to members of the military and their families.
Other recommendations raise questions. The reform of
retirement plans as presented is complicated and could have
negative impacts on veterans. Changes to health-care plans
would mean adding additional management burdens to military families, and there are potential negative impacts to
education benefits if all programs besides the Post-911 G.I.
Bill are allowed to sunset.
The American Legion is taking the 15 recommendations
of the commission as an opening to create a dialogue about
these issues, and an attempt to engage all of the stakeholders to determine the best course of action for those who
serve. First and foremost, we are talking to over two million
men and women who have worn the uniform that make up
our membership. The Legion is also engaging “think tanks”
to discuss the issues with senior analysts, talking to multiple committees on Capitol Hill (including Armed Services
and Veterans Affairs), and trying to encourage deep thought
about the impact of these decisions.
The first and foremost principle is to protect the integrity of the All-Volunteer Force. The men and women who
fight for this country, and have fought for this country,
deserve to have promises kept and to have benefits that do
not negatively impact their willingness to serve. Rather than
looking at each recommendation piecemeal, it’s important
to recognize that many of them are deeply intertwined with
others. You cannot change how parts of a service member’s
finances work without extensive training on managing
those finances; you cannot give the service members short
shrift.
Furthermore, where there is overlap in jurisdiction, such
as with the education benefits, The American Legion is
pushing for joint hearings on Capitol Hill between Armed
Services and Veterans Affairs to ensure the full impact of
these decisions will be studied before decisions are made.
It is important to take the time to get these decisions
right, rather than rush to reform a complex system and
potentially negatively impact millions of service members,
their families, and the veterans who have served before.
tnewman@mnlegion.org
Membership Chart
As of March 25, 2015
Total
2014
9,918
8,026
12,421
2,530
2,936
12,627
7,167
4,727
7,378
11,189
2,338
81,257
Total
2015
9,358
7,550
11,792
2,420
2,728
12,126
6,758
4,457
6,991
10,678
2,560
76,047
Percent
of Goal
93.81
93.26
94.44
94.75
92.19
95.50
93.28
93.48
93.93
94.97
81.06
93.70
Same
Date ’14
9,649
7,844
12,062
2,451
2,843
12,258
6,984
4,590
7,189
10,893
2,264
79,027
April 2015
Minnesota Legionnaire
Page 7
Carl Moon, husband of Department Commander Peggy Moon, did the invocation and the benediction.
Commander’s
Testimonial
Department Commander Peggy Moon was the guest
of honor at her testimonial in Walker at the Northern
Lights Casino.
Husband Carl and daughter Angie presented gifts for
the commander.
The Department Membership team presented
Commander Moon with a glass bowl. Membership
Director Pat Logan made the presentation.
Past National Commander Butch Miller, originally from
Wabasha, Minnesota, was the featured speaker.
Department President Chris Ronning brought greetings from the Auxiliary.
A table held some of the
gifts
presented
to
Commander Moon.
Moon’s Zimmerman Post and Auxiliary 560 turned out en masse for the event.
Wayne Gilbertson of
Zimmerman Post 560
was the master of ceremonies for the testimonial program.
Adjutant Randy Tesdahl and Cheryl Fraser provided the musical entertainment for
the night, recreating an act they had done many years ago.
Semper
Paratus
Page 8
Minnesota Legionnaire
April 2015
T
By Al Zdon
he Coast Guard’s role in World War II is not as
well known as the other service branches.
Those interested in the war might know that the Coast
Guard patrolled the Atlantic coast guarding against German
subs, and that Coast Guard cutters protected Allied convoys
across the ocean.
Some might know that Coast Guard helmsmen were
used on many of the boats involved in invasions, and others
might know Coast Guard cutters plied the waters off
Normandy during the D-Day invasion, and rescued over
400 Allied soldiers, airmen and sailors.
A few might even know that Hollywood actors Gig
Young and Cesar Romero served honorably in the U.S.
Coast Guard.
But hardly anybody knows about the Coasties riding
horses up and down the Carolina coast during the war, or
when they cornered a huge sea monster.
Iver Anderson knows about it. He was there.
A
qqqqqqqq
nderson was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the
son of Swedish parents. His father was born in
Sweden, and his mother was born in America of
Swedish parents.
His dad had apprenticed himself to pay for his transportation over, and worked as a carpenter in New York until
the loan was paid back. Free from his contract, he bought a
motorcycle and headed west. He was working as a streetcar
motorman in Kansas City when he married Anderson’s
mother.
Iver Anderson turned 20 in 1942, and he knew that he
was about to be drafted. He asked his dad what he should
do. “My dad told me to go where the food and the bed were
in the same place.”
That meant either the Navy or the Coast Guard. “My
friend and I went down to the Navy recruiter, and he told us
all about the Navy. We asked him if we signed up that day,
which was a Saturday, when would we have to go? He said
Monday. We looked at each other and said, ‘That’s too
soon.’ ”
Nearby was the Coast Guard recruiter, and he had a better answer: “Two weeks.”
Anderson joined the United States Coast Guard on Oct.
7, 1942, and got on a train bound for somewhere. “We had
no idea where we were going. We knew there was Coast
Guard training on both coasts.”
It was a military troop train with bunks three deep in the
Pullman cars. When the train went through Terre Haute,
Indiana, the recruits knew the East Coast was their destination.
“We had four weeks basic training at Manhattan Beach
in New York. It used to be a very nice resort with cabins on
the beach. The Merchant Marine Academy was just up the
coast.”
Like most recruits, the new Coast Guardsmen marched
and drilled and learned discipline. “You have to learn to do
what somebody tells you. One morning I couldn’t get out of
bed. I cleaned the head every morning for a week.”
The recruits also learned to paddle a life raft. “It’s not as
easy as it sounds. You have to sit up on the bench and rotate
the oars as you paddle. It was like a cadence count. If you
miss the cadence, you might fall off the bench and into the
water.”
Anderson’s first duty was in Boston as a switchboard
operator at the Coast Guard station there. He lived in the
city in an apartment.
“We lived right on Beacon Hill at 64 Pinckney Street.
When Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women she lived on
that street. Boston is a very historic town. We ate meals at
the custom house, and so we would leave our apartment,
walk around the state Capitol, and go to the custom house.
Iver Anderson joined the Coast
Guard in 1942. His service during World War II took him from
Boston to duty all down the East
Coast and finally to the
Philippines at the end of the war.
Later, during a hitch in the Navy,
he witnessed four atomic bomb
tests in the Pacific.
“I went to church in Cambridge, right near Harvard. To
me that was good duty. Good duty is any duty that’s on
shore.”
He stayed there about a year before he and others in the
office were replaced by SPARs, women Coast Guard members. The SPARs acronym comes from the motto of Coast
Guard: “Semper Paratus, Always Ready.”
Anderson and his friends had been undergoing defense
training. “We had to learn how to box. Jack Dempsey was
one of our coaches. We learned how to knock a .45 out of a
guy’s hand. And we learned how to fight with a knife.”
Anderson was first sent to Charleston, S.C., for patrol
duty around the docks, and then to Savannah, Georgia,
where much of the ammunition bound for the European war
was loaded onto the ships.
“One day when the guys were unloading a boxcar of
shells, one of them slipped off the rack and was rolling
around the floor of the boxcar. The guys came running off
that train because they thought it would explode. I knew it
wouldn’t because the shell didn’t have a detonator in it, so
I told them to get back to work.”
His next duty station was his favorite.
“When we were in Boston, my buddy, Lou Guiette, and
I would go to this stable and ride horses all the time. When
I found out the Coast Guard had this horse patrol, I thought
that was great. Instead of paying to ride a horse, now they
were going to pay me to ride a horse.”
Anderson was sent to Hilton Head Island. “A lot of people don’t realize that from Maine down to Florida, the
whole East Coast has this series of outer islands. That’s
where the Coast Guard was often stationed.”
His actual duty was on Hunting Island, just north of
Hilton Head. “We built a barracks and stable. There were 15
of us. We rode the horses with a cavalry saddle, it was split
in the middle to protect the horse’s back. We were riding
cavalry horses that came from Fort Riley, Kansas. They
weren’t young horses.
“At night for fun, we’d race the horses down the beach.
Some really enjoyed it, and they’d actually come down the
beach and run in the water to go faster. Others would just
hop along.”
IVER ANDERSON
At home in Bloomington
The men would go on four-hour patrols up and down the
beach. “We were looking for anybody who came ashore.
We had just received notice that a German soldier had come
ashore on Long Island with two backpacks of demolition
stuff. He was caught by a Coast Guard guy on patrol. They
alerted all the stations on the East Coast.”
A
nderson carried a pistol in a holster and there was
a machine gun in a holster on the horse.
“My horse’s name was Bill. When I’d talk to him, his
ears would flap. We could communicate with each other.
“One night it was pitch dark out on the beach. I couldn’t
see my hand in front of my face. It was a bad night. All of
a sudden, my horse stopped and his ears moved forward. I
couldn’t get him to budge and inch. He knew something
was out there on the beach. He had better eyes than I did.”
“They told us to yell, ‘Who goes there?’ and I did. But
no one answered. My heart was really pounding. I pulled
out my .45 and held it in my hand. We never carried a flash-
IVER ANDERSON
In the Coast Guard during World War II
light with us because then you become a target. I radioed
back to the station what was going on and gave them my
location.”
A second Coast Guardsman was sent through the woods
to a spot on the other side of the mysterious beach visitor.
As he approached the spot from the opposite direction, his
horse also stopped and wouldn’t move.
By this time, all 15 of the shore patrollers were involved.
“The rest of the guys went through the woods and were trying to look through the sand dunes to see what was on the
beach. It was about 2 in the morning, and we just waited for
daylight.”
When the first rays of dawn illuminated the beach, the
wary patrollers hoped they could finally see what had halted their horses and kept them up all night. They strained
their eyes, and they could finally see it. It was big. It was
green.
It was a turtle.
“It was this huge sea turtle, several feet across, and she
had come up on shore to lay her eggs.”
(Nature fans, please skip over the next sentence in this
story.)
“The cook came down and killed the turtle, and we had
turtle soup for days.”
April 2015
Minnesota Legionnaire
Page 9
A
nderson next was assigned to a wooden cutter in
Savannah that had previously been used to chase
down smugglers. “It was a beautiful boat, all
wooden, with mahogany all over. It still looked like a yacht,
but it had two depth charge racks on the stern. When we
patrolled the harbor each day, we’d go by a shrimp boat and
they would give us a five-gallon pail of shrimp.”
His next job was to operate a small boat that took a harbor pilot out to ships leaving the harbor. When the ship was
clear of the harbor dangers, Anderson’s boat would pick the
pilot up again. Anderson manned the engine and the steering, and the other Coastie was in charge of throwing the line
to the ship and helping the pilot in and out of the boat.
Anderson took a test at this time to see if he could get
into the Coast Guard Academy. His scores weren’t good
enough for the academy, but they did land him in one of the
branch’s elite schools for sonar training in New London,
Connecticut.
After school, he finished his East Coast duty with a tour
in Key West, Florida, doing anti-submarine patrol using
sonar. “You could tell on the Doppler whether a sub was
moving towards you or away from you.”
One day, a French submarine that had escaped Nazi control in France came into Key West. “We got permission to
go aboard, and we tried to talk with one of the French crewmen. He offered us some wine, and we said ‘Sure.’ He got
out the wine and his cup. Before he poured the wine, he
tapped the cup against the bulkhead to get the cockroaches
out. We said, ‘No thanks.’ ”
With the war winding down in Europe, Anderson was
sent to Oakland, California, and then took a transport ship
to Leyte in the Philippines. Soon, he was part of a patrol
operation up and down the west coast of the Philippines.
“The canteen on the base was open to both petty officers
and officers. I was in there one day and I ran into an officer
from my hometown. He suggested that we go out and have
a beer together. I said I couldn’t do that because I couldn’t
get into the officer’s club. He said that would be no problem. We went back to his room. We were about the same
size, and I just put on one of his uniforms. So there I was
having a beer in officer khakis with ensign bars on my collar.”
By this time, Anderson had earned enough points to be
sent back to the United States. He finished his duty in
Washington D.C. in the legal department at Coast Guard
Headquarters. He also served on the national Coast Guard
color guard.
His sister came out to the Nation’s Capital to work and
live, and when he was visiting her he met a woman named
Elaine who was the part-time caretaker of the apartment
complex where his sister lived. She was also in the service.
“She was a first class yeoman and I was a second class
sonar man so she outranked me. But I asked her out to dinner, and she accepted. She became my wife.”
Iver Anderson and his horse “Bill” at Hunter Island off the South Carolina coast.
Anderson and his machine gun on Hunter Island.
Anderson poses with his pistol on the Carolina shore.
Anderson perches on a railing aboard a Coast Guard
patrol boat in Savannah harbor.
Anderson, at left, is shown with the Coast Guard
honor guard in Washington, D.C.
A
nderson left the Coast Guard, but in April 1947
he joined the Naval Reserves as a sonar man.
“When the Korean War came along, I asked the
officer who would be activated first, the older petty officers
or the young guys we were training. He told me it would be
the young guys. He was wrong.”
Anderson found himself on active duty stationed aboard
the USS Sproston (DDE-577) a vintage World War II
destroyer the Navy was just taking out of mothballs to beef
up the Pacific Fleet because of the war.
“We left San Diego and went up to Long Beach to pick
up ammunition and then to Hunter’s Point. We knew something was up because we had a bunch of spooks aboard –
Navy intelligence. I think they just wanted to see what kind
of a crew we were. When we got to Hunter’s point, they left
the ship.”
When Sproston left the harbor and went under the San
Francisco Bay bridge, it was one of four destroyers escorting a seaplane tender the USS Curtis (AV-4). As the ship
passed the bridge, the captain came on the speaker and
announced their orders. They were heading to Eniwtok in
The U.S. Coast Guard Mounted Patrol on Hunting Island in South Carolina. Anderson is at right.
the Marshall Islands as part of Operation Greenhouse.
Greenhouse was the United States’ fifth in a series of
atomic bomb tests, scheduled to take place in April and
May of 1951. The Soviet Union had tested its first nuclear
bomb a year and a half earlier, and the U.S. was doing a
group of tests to try and keep the upper hand in the arms
race.
“We all had to sign a piece of paper that said we would
not talk about what we were doing for 25 years.”
Anderson’s job as a sonar man was to be on the ship’s
bridge and instruct the captain about any information from
the ship’s sonar team. He wore earphones connected to the
sonar room.
“We knew that Russian subs had followed us as we
crossed the Pacific.”
During the four tests, Sproston was stationed 13 miles
away, at the edge of the horizon. Earlier, while patrolling
for the Russian submarines, the ship got close enough to the
island where the test was being conducted so Anderson
could see the setup.
“It was just like a water tower, but on top of it was the
atomic bomb.”
On the day of the test, the men were issued thick goggles. “We’d put on the goggles, and then they’d tape all
around them. Then a sailor with a five-cell flashlight would
come up and shine it in your face and ask if you could see
anything. I couldn’t see a thing.
“But when that bomb went off, it was just like looking at
the sun through those goggles.” Once the explosion itself
was over, the men on the bridge could take off their goggles
and look at the column and then the mushroom cloud form.
On one of the four tests, the men could see ripples coming across the water. “We were wondering what the hell that
was. But when they reached the ship, it was like all our fiveinch guns going off at once. That was a hell of a noise.
Those ripples we saw were caused by the sound waves
coming at us.”
Anderson recalls that the government would construct
various types of buildings on the islands to see how they
stood up during the explosion. “The only building that survived was a dome.”
The men on the bridge were tested with a Geiger counter after the blasts, but only one time did it register radiation.
“I had to wash my hands three times and there was still radiation. They wanted to make sure we didn’t have radiation
on our hands before we ate anything.
“On another test, they sent up a balloon to check the
upper winds. The balloon started moving toward us. The
skipper ordered the ship to move at flank speed in the opposite direction. We didn’t want to be under that wind.”
When the four tests were completed, the four destroyers
Page 10
Minnesota Legionnaire
April 2015
escorted Curtis back to the United States. Anderson spent
the rest of his active duty time in the Atlantic, patrolling the
north Atlantic. “One time we got so far north that the ship
was just encrusted with ice. The waves were crashing above
the bridge. They ordered us into Halifax until the ice melted.”
Homeport for Anderson at the end was Norfolk, Virginia.
I just remember those signs on the stores and cafes that said
“Sailors and dogs are not allowed.”
Anderson held a variety of jobs, retiring as a chief security officer at the IDS Tower in Minneapolis. He and Elaine
had four children, eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Elaine died in 2003.
In 2007, Anderson traveled with the Waconia Lions Club
to Washington DC to see the World War II Monument.
Anderson lives in an apartment in Bloomington that is
stuffed with memorabilia from a long lifetime. At age 93, he
has had cancer removed from his face and an operation on
his nose, also to remove cancer.
“I went to the VA and told them I was an atomic veteran,
but they told me the cancer was just because I got sunburned when I was a kid.”
Iver Anderson as a sonar man in the Navy.
A patch was created for Operation Greenhouse, part
of the U.S. program to test atomic weapons.
Anderson met his wife, Elaine, when they were both
stationed in Washington DC. She outranked him.
2014 Minnesota American Legion financials
Telephone
NEF Disbursed
Misc. Expense
Total HQ Exp.
INCOME STATEMENT
SEPTEMBER 30, 2014
Department Income
Department Dues Income
Less: MN Legionnaire Portion
Revenue Enhancement Program
Grants
Investment Income
LIT Insurance - (Royalities)
Donations / Contributions
In-Kind Rent
Miscellaneous Income
Total Department Income:
$830,712
$(244,149)
$112,923
$$94,819
$144,633
$2,319
$71,015
$16,771
$1,029,043
STATEMENT OF BUDGET
EXPENSE
Headquarters Exp.
Administration Salaries
FICA Expense
FUTA Expense
SUTA Expense
Grp. Health & Life Ins.
Employee’s Ret. Fund
Unbudgeted Expense
Audit Expense
Inv. Management Fees
Furniture & Fixtures
Gen. Office Expense
Elct. Eqp., Mint & Mod.
Depreciation Expense
Insurance (Other)
Program Promotions
Travel Expense
Emergency Fund
Rent Expense
Budgeted
$291,500
$22,300
$400
$950
$50,306
$29,150
$0
$8,300
$4,400
$1,000
$54,500
$81,120
$0
$11,133
$1,000
$15,351
$500
$0
Disbursed
$288,061
$22,670
$317
$364
$44,934
$32,789
$0
$8,300
$6,803
$230
$55,805
$34,289
$27,507
$11,133
$472
$8,212
$0
$71,015
$7,990
$2,000
$0
$581,900
$8,435
$2,000
$3,024
$626,359
Special Budget
Citizens Flag Alliance $450
Legal Expense
$2,000
Tot. Spec. Budg. Exp. $2,450
$423
$0
$423
Rehab Expense
Salaries
MDVA Salary Offset
FICA Expense
FUTA Expense
SUTA Expense
Group Health Ins.
Emp. Ret. Fund
General Office Exp.
Rehabilitation Comm.
Total Rehab Expense:
$106,786
$0
$7,642
$126
$146
$26,505
$4,442
$4,651
$0
$150,298
$111,000
$8,492
$200
$450
$24,100
$11,600
$6,000
$0
$161,842
Committee Expense
Americanism
$7,000
Blood Program
$250
Chaplain’s Fund
$1,600
Child. & Youth Comm. $3,000
Commander’s Budget $31,500
Conv. Corporation
$4,500
Dpt. Conv. Comm.
$4,300
Dpt. HQ Cnf. & Conv. $26,000
Department Treasurer $3,600
Emp. Committee
$1,200
Energy & Cons. Comm. $1,500
Executive Committee $30,000
Exec. Cm. Cntg. Fund $3,000
Finance Committee
$3,200
Fund for Hosp Vets
$800
Historian
$1,400
$5,642
$235
$1,054
$3,519
$32,500
$1,945
$3,401
$31,942
$3,600
$1,000
$1,501
$27,329
$0
$2,878
$220
$963
Ins. Trust Committee
$2,000
Judge Advocate
$4,000
Law & Order Comm.
$1,000
Leg Ins. Trust Scholar
Legislative Committee $3,500
Memb. (Inc. Vice Cdr.) $50,000
March. Dept Color Gd. $3,000
NEC
$4,000
Nat’l. Conv. Delegates $35,000
Nat’l. Sec./Foreign Rel. $8,000
Operation Post Home $300
Post Dev. Committee $4,000
Public Relations Comm.$21,000
Res. Assign. Comm. $1,000
Servicemen’s Center
$300
SAL Advisors
L.I.T. Advertising
$3,500
Trophies & Awards
$1,000
Legion Riders
$700
USAA Expense
$3,400
Strat. Planning Comm. $5,000
Credentials Committee $1,000
Sarent-at-Arms
$500
Alternate NEC
$2,000
Tot. Comm. Expense $277,050
$1,153
$4,000
$629
$176
$1,970
$44,009
$0
$4,000
$35,200
$7,894
$0
$1,641
$12,511
$900
$300
$53
$3,425
$445
$522
$3,375
$1,695
$974
$500
$2,000
$245,101
GRAND TOTAL Budget vs. Actual
$1,023,242
Total Undesignated Revenue
Total Undesignated Expense
Change in Net Assets
$1,022,182
$1,029,043
$1,022,182
$6,861
Auxiliary Note:
The Minnesota American Legion Auxiliary has
decided not to publish its financials in the
Minnesota Legionnaire. When the Auxiliary audit
is completed, the financials will be sent out in a
unit mailing.
April 2015
Minnesota Legionnaire Page 11
District Commanders
FIRST
DISTRICT
FOURTH
DISTRICT
SEVENTH
DISTRICT
Myron Ehrich
Commander
Dan Williams
Commander
Victor Gades
Commander
The month of March has been a busy one, thus far for
me. On March 2nd, I attended a supper held for the National
Auxilary President at the Plainview Legion Post. It was
well represented by the 1st District.
On March 3rd, I headed to Owatonna Legion Post 77, to
celebrate the Legion's birthday. It wasn't a fun day for traveling due to nasty weather. On March 4th, I attended
Veterans On The Hill in the Twin Cities. It was very well
attended. On March 5th, I went to the Blooming Prairie
Legion Post 52 for yet another birthday celebration.
On March 6th, I attended a fish fry for past district commanders that was held in Austin at their Legion. The meal
was very good. On March 7th, I headed to Royalton to
attend the Vice Commanders Appreciation Rally.
Congratulations to Les Shaunce on receiving the award.
Now on the 21st of this month, I will be headed to
Walker for Department Commanders Testimonal that will
be held at the Northern Lights Casino.
Please put my testimonal on your calendars. It will be
held on April 11th at Dodge Center Legion Post #384. It
will start at 5 p.m. with a social hour.
The meal will be served at 6 p.m. The $15 will consist of
Windsor pork chop, baked potato, cream corn, coleslaw and
a roll.
RSVP to Roger Kabage at (507)413-2121 or 18034 Co
Hwy 34, Dodge Center, Mn 55927.
SECOND
DISTRICT
Jennifer Kafka
Commander
Before I go any further I would like to say congratulations to the American Legion Riders Department of
Minnesota. I wish you the best in your upcoming Legacy
Rides.
As I sit here and think about what I want to say this
month, all that comes to mind is all the great men and
women I have had the privilege and honor to have met. I
think of how all over the state testimonials will be going on
to say thank you to officers that have said “I will help The
American Legion be the best it can be”.
I would like to take this time to express my pleasure in
serving with such amazing men and women. I have learned
so much from so many and I couldn't have been effective
without the other 9 District Commanders, you gentlemen
have been a great importance in my year and I thank you for
all you do. Department officers and staff have been amazing and patient with me and have helped make this year
doable.
I wish I could be at everyone's testimonials but unfortunately that isn't possible. So I say thank you, you gave your
time and that is the most important gift there is.
I would also like to say thank you to all who give their
time each and everyday. Without you, I wouldn't be doing
what I'm doing.
This time of year many observe Passover, Resurrection
and yet others take time to simply reflect and plan. Take a
moment to consider the sacrifices down through the years.
President Abraham Lincoln concluded his speech at
Gettysburg with the following words “… that from these
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for
which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we
here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in
vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of
freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
As members of this great organization, The American
Legion, we must always remember our purpose which is
summarized within our Four Pillars: Veterans Affairs and
Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism and
Children & Youth.
This causes us to remember those who paid the full
measure, those still missing and those unable to serve any
longer. Remembering this distinguished group becomes a
driving force to ensure our Four Pillars are visible within
our cities every day. Let’s continue to do the good work of
the American Legion.
Calendar; April 8th District meeting @ Arcade Phalen
Post 577 7:00 PM; April 19th VA Visitation at 1:00pm;
April 24th Joint District Testimonial at Arcade Phalen Post
577 5:30 Social / 6:00 PM Dinner. Contact Shelly (651)
777-7104 shelly.putz@yahoo.com for details-We hope you
can join us; April 25th Department Spring Round-Up Rally
at Duluth Post 71.
Keep those memberships coming in.
FIFTH
DISTRICT
Wayne Glanton
Commander
Greetings from the fighting 5th. At the Appreciation
Rally the fifth district has moved up one space and is now
out of the bottom.
Good going to all the membership chairmen.
Commander's project is going along fine and we are looking to finish this project soon. Please consider a donation to
this project.
Our visit to Veterans Hospital on the first Sunday is a
very worthwhile project. Some of the veterans are a long
way from home and need someone to talk to about their
experiences in the service.
There are about 25 regular Legionnaires who come
every first Sunday which provides a very rewarding experience. Our next rally is April 25th, the Spring Rally in
Duluth at Post 71.
Hope to see you there. Lastly the 5th District oratorical
contest winner Issac Winnes finished second in the state.
My congratulation to him. And to Andrew Rose Sr. oratorical director.
THIRD
DISTRICT
SIXTH
DISTRICT
Duane Anderson
Commander
Carl Moon
Commander
Greetings from the Thundering Third
Is spring really here? I’ve had a difficult time finding
words to put in this month’s Legionnaire Commanders article. It’s been another month of Legion activities and rallies
as usual but also was a month of some unexpected life happenings.
About six weeks ago, my wife Jane was diagnosed as
having uterine cancer while she was vacationing in Mesa
Arizona. The rest of last month is a bit of a blur as one
might expect. I made a fast trip to Arizona and we drove
back for treatment at Mayo in Rochester. Jane has now had
surgery and we are told that the cancer has been removed
and her prognosis is extremely good.
I wish to thank all the folks of this American Legion
Family for all the prayers, well wishes, and support given
by you during this time. I think we are back on track and
looking forward to continuing with life as we know it.
The Third District is still at work trying to finish up on
this year’s membership renewals and still looking for new
members to help keep our numbers strong. If you have an
acquaintance or friend that is a veteran and is receiving help
or benefits from a County Service Officer or the VA and is
NOT a Legion member you should be able to point out a
couple of reasons why they should become one.
Embrace Change/Maintain Mission
It was a pleasure for the Sixth District to host the
Appreciation Rally held at the Royalton Post on 3/7/15.
Once again, we did it. All Districts exceeded the 90% Rally
Goal. Way to go team. I especially want to congratulate the
Eighth District and Commander Spence for getting their
Big Bats up to the plate and hitting the Grand Slam. Our
bats were a little sluggish, especially after working so hard
getting to First Place, but the $100 earned for hitting the
Triple will go towards my project; Legionville.
Congratulations to our Vice Commander from the North
Irv Tooker for being selected as the District Vice
Commander of the Year. Irv stepped up to the plate when
ever asked and never took his eye off of the ball. Thanks
for all your help Irv and keep up the great job that you are
doing for our District and your fellow Veterans.
As I mentioned, again, in last month's article, our
District Revitalization is slated for April 9-11 at the
Brainerd and Little Falls Posts. I will let you all know how
it went in next month's article.
At the Washington Conference, in one of our break-out
sessions, I was inspired by Past National Commander
Rehbein's comments about how important the Four Pillars
are to our organization but more importantly that those
Pillars are only as good as the bedrock they are built on; i.e.
membership.
Greetings from the Mighty 7th
April is Children and Youth Month. Individual Posts
should be working with their respective Auxiliary on coordination of Children and Youth activities. Working together
is what we can do to be more effective. This is the time to
start completing a Post officer candidate list and remember
that once your officers are elected. The Department needs a
Post Officer list submitted. You do need to submit a Post
Officer list even if they are the same as the previous year.
Consolidated Post Reports should have been received by
now. Let’s have one hundred percent participation this year,
these reports are not to be taken lightly. They are vital to
The American Legion and the information contained shows
just how involved we are. You may be a small Post and you
do one or two events. They may seem insignificant, but they
add up to a surprising amount of work.
Let’s not forget Boys State Candidates. This is a good
program and we need all the participants we can send. I
have not heard a negative word from anyone who has
attended.
EIGHTH
DISTRICT
Wilson Spence
Commander
We have certainly have had a very good winter this year
for northeastern Minnesota.
A research team at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center
has developed a wheelchair for veterans who can not walk,
that allow the veteran to stand up and move around while
standing. The wheelchair prototype would allow the wheelchair bound veteran to greet someone at the door while
standing and shake the person’s hand while standing just
like any of us do when someone comes to the door. The
wheelchair would allow the veteran to stand while cooking
at the stove and move across to the cabinet to obtain the salt
or other spice to add to the pot. The research team has
developed this wheelchair prototype from a grant from the
Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). The team has sent
their plans to VA Central Office for permission to continue
to develop this project. This would be an exciting improvement in the quality of live of many of our paralyzed veterans.
Attention to all District Eight women veterans: On May
16, 2015, a Salute to Women Veterans is scheduled at
Cragun’s Resort. All ages, eras and branches of military
women are welcome to this free retreat. Our Department
Commander Peggy Moon is the featured speaker. Please
make every effort to attend. To register call Jennell Stai at
612-970-5787.
At the last membership the Eight District hit a home run
in membership and received $150.00 and the only district to
receive this amount at this rally. Please keep up your hard
work in asking others to join this great organization. I
thank you for all you do for your community and the
American Legion family.
TENTH
DISTRICT
Tom Sanders
Commander
This year has been just rolling on by and I know I don't
have many columns left to write. So I wanted to express my
gratitude to all of the "Mighty" 10th American Legion
Family for the support in making my year as District
Commander very fun and memorable. Congratulations to
Gloria Burt on your 10th District Vice Commander of the
year. She comes from Osseo Post 172 and is your North
Hennepin County Vice Commander and is well deserving
for her hard work and so are the rest of the Vice
Commanders.
The 10th Districts combined project "Helping Paws" has
and still is going great. On behalf of American Legion
Family of the "Mighty" 10th District and all who have
generiously donated to the project our thanks to you. If you
have an interest in our project you can talk to any of the
District Officers, whether Legion, Auxiliary, Sons of the
Legion, or American Legion Riders, they will help you with
information and how to donate.
The first weekend in May will be busy with President
Robins Testimonial at Monticello Post 260 on Saturday the
2nd and my Testimonial on Sunday the 3rd at Anoka Post
102. At the beginning of the year President Robin and I
knew this was going to be tough for one weekend to do, but
we wish the American Legion Family well and hope to see
you all at our Testimonials.
Page 12
Minnesota Legionnaire
April 2015
Rally at Royalton
AUXY REPORT -- Legion Membership Director Pat
Logan stayed warm with a blanket given him by the
Ninth District’s Tom Norgaard while Membership Chair
Judy Ackerman gave her report.
VICE COMMANDERS OF THE YEAR -- The honorees at the annual Appreciation Rally at Royalton Post 137
were the 10 district Vice Commanders of the Year. From left, front: Gary Lee Davenport, Seventh District; D.
Marvin Hill, Eighth District; Commander Peggy Moon, Irv Tooker, Sixth District; Eric Wilkins, Ninth District; Gloria
Burt, Tenth District. In back: Les Shaunce, First District; Larry Helland, Second District; Mike Maxa, Third
District; Micky Ostrum, accepting for Randy Bastyr, Fourth District; Ray Eiden, accepting for Gary Martin, Fifth
District.
ANOTHER BAT -- Sixth District Membership Director
Jim Lucas won another bat honoring the district for
first place at the rally. Sixth District Commander Carl
Moon and Membership Director Pat Logan presented.
ENTERTAINMENT -- Tim Williams provided the music
at the Royalton Rally.
SHALL WE DANCE? -SAL
Detachment
Commander Dennis Henkemeyer asks his wife
Denise Milton for a dance at the rally. She agreed.
Hill Day at the Capitol
A National Guard band played patriotic music during
the event at the Armory at the Capitol. The Hill Day
had to be moved from the Capitol Rotunda because of
the construction work.
Rep. Bob Dettmer, R-Forest Lake, chair of the
Veterans Affairs Division, supported veterans bills that
are now before the Legislature.
Sen. Tom Saxhaug, DFL-Grand Rapids, chair of the
State Departments and Veterans Division, spoke.
Commander Peggy Moon met with the press at the
conclusion of the rally.
Commander Moon, representing the Commander’s
Task Force which she chairs, addressed the 150 or so
at the Hill Day.
April 2015
Minnesota Legionnaire
Page 13
World War II History Round Table at Fort Snelling
Battle of Leyte was a tough, costly action
O
By Al Zdon
ne of the most dramatic pictures that emerged
from World War II showed Gen. Douglas
MacArthur wading ashore at Leyte in the
Philippines.
He was fulfilling his promise to the Filipino people that
“I shall return.”
Few people ever knew, though, said historian and author
Nathan Prefer, that the original plan was for MacArthur to
land at a pier and not get his feet wet. Unfortunately the pier
was blown up during the landings, and the general had to
wade ashore.
Certainly it made for a better and more dramatic picture.
Prefer, talking to the April meeting of the Fort Snelling
World War II Round Table, brought up the famous picture
as an interesting piece of trivia, but his main lecture was on
the costly and decisive Battle of Leyte – a battle that is little known to Americans, even war historians.
Prefer and a panel of veterans who fought at Leyte
brought light to a battle that claimed over 15,000 American
casualties.
T
he United States, Prefer said, had several options
in mid-1944 as it slowly advanced toward Japan
through island hopping and invasions. One option
was to invade China and establish a foothold there. The idea
was to have forward bases for the eventual attack on the
Japanese mainland.
“Roosevelt met with MacArthur and Nimitz (admiral in
charge of the Pacific Fleet) in Hawaii in July of 1944.
MacArthur, how should I put it, was at his theatrical best
arguing for an invasion of the Philippines. He said, ‘I have
promised the people of the Philippines I will return.’ Nimitz
just said, ‘Well, Okay.’ ”
Now it had to be decided where to attack, and when. The
first choice was Mindanao, the southernmost large island in
the Philippines.
“But Admiral Halsey’s Third Fleet was flying missions
over the Philippines, and they said that resistance in Leyte
was non-existent,” Prefer said. “He was wrong, but it wasn’t his fault.”
Leyte became the target and the date for the invasion was
set for Dec. 15. It was then changed to October, then back
to December, and finally set for Oct. 20 as the logistics of
the attack worked themselves out.
The U.S. force was mainly the Sixth Army, and they
landed at 10 a.m. on the appointed day. By the end of the
day, they had pushed a mile deep and controlled a section of
beach five miles long.
During the afternoon, MacArthur made his dramatic
splash on the shore.
Prefer told the story of Capt. Francis Wai, a ChineseAmerican from Hawaii and a member of the 24th Infantry
Division.
“Wai had recently received a message that his wife had
a baby. This bothered him because he hadn’t been home in
12 months.”
When the advance at one of the beaches was stalled by
Japanese machine gun fire, Wai personally attacked the
Japanese positions through the rice paddies. “He never took
cover.”
He led attacks on several pillboxes, and was killed while
trying to overcome the last one. He received a
Distinguished Service Cross that was upgraded to a Medal
of Honor 40 years later.
Prefer said that one of the Japanese strategies in the war
was to fight the “decisive battle” that would change the
course of the war in their favor. “They tried it at Midway,
but it didn’t work out very well.”
The Japanese commander in the Philippines, Tomoyuki
Yamashita, had only been in charge of the defense forces
for nine days before the landings, but he was committed to
a massive counter-attack that would throw the U.S. back
into the sea. “He had no idea what he was getting into.”
Over the next few weeks, the Japanese brought in thousands of new troops to bolster the 20,000 or so that were
already at Leyte. “The U.S. was completely unaware of the
buildup. They were too busy clearing beaches.”
NATHAN PREFER
BOB SIEFERT
The Japanese also brought in what was left of their
Pacific fleet to try and fight a “decisive battle” at sea. The
Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle of the war,
and it was a major U.S. victory.
Meanwhile, the U.S. forces pushed across the island,
from east to west, and captured a major port on the west
coast of Leyte. Around this time, MacArthur announced a
victory at Leyte, and said the battle was now a “mopping up
operation.”
“It was just a few weeks in, and the battle would go on
for three more months.”
The Japanese kept building up forces at Leyte until they
had achieved a nearly one-to-one ratio of soldiers with the
U.S. The forces were kept in jungle areas while planning
went ahead for the massive counter-attack.
“Suzuki (commander of the Japanese 35th Army on
Leyte) even had plans for the surrender ceremony.”
MacArthur was finally persuaded to bring in fresh divisions, and he did so. Fighting moved from the valleys into
the mountains, and both sides had to endure typhoons and
constant rainfall. The airbases the U.S. had captured were
almost useless because the wet soil could not support the
heavier American aircraft.
The battles of Breakneck Ridge and Kilay Ridge were
intense in the mountainous terrain. “There were no replacements. American units were fighting shorthanded, often
with 20 in a platoon or 100 in a company.”
The Battle of Shoestring Ridge, the name reflecting the
supply situation, in mid-November and the Battle of the
Ridges in early December pushed the enemy back, and
another American division, the 77th, was landed on the west
coast of Leyte on Dec. 7.
By the end of the year, the organized Japanese forces had
been destroyed, although stragglers continued to fight until
May of 1945. “Suzuki gave up the counter-attack when he
found he had no army left.”
The U.S. had 3,500 killed and 12,000 wounded in the
battle. The Japanese lost about 70,000 killed in action at
Leyte.
Five veterans of the battle told their stories at the Round
Table. The session was moderated by Mark Wiens.
D
on Dencker, a Minneapolis native who served in
the 96th Infantry Division, got his start in the
Army in the ASTP program, where the Army sent
soldiers to college for specialized training.
When that program ended, he became an infantryman
and landed on Blue Beach 1 on Leyte during the invasion.
“We were on our way to Yap Island, but when we were
halfway there, we landed at Leyte. We went ashore in LVTs
(Landing Vehicle Tracked) and the Japanese had prepared
some defenses. There were coconut logs with sharpened
points facing outwards. When they dropped the ramp on the
LTV, I got my feet a little wet.”
The Japanese had also prepared an anti-tank ditch on the
shoreline, and the LTVs that got past the coconut logs got
stuck in the ditch. “But the tanks got across by going on the
tops of the LTVs.”
Once ashore, Dencker investigated a pill box by sticking
his head inside. “A Japanese soldier started reaching for his
rifle so I had to shoot him. I never tried that again.”
He recalled another incident where his unit was stuck in
a swamp. “We were there three or four days and we didn’t
have any drinking water. I looked up and saw a coconut,
and I shot it several times. The juice started coming down
and I caught it in my canteen. That solved the drinking
problem.”
B
ob Siefert, from Chisholm, was also in an ASTP
program before joining the 96th Division.
He said the landing was fairly quiet, but on the second
day Japanese bombers started coming over the beachheads.
“I was using my bayonet to clean a cocoanut when one of
the attacks came over. I dove into a foxhole, and I had the
bayonet in the palm of my hand, and the blood just came
spurting out.”
“I went to an aid station where they patched me up. The
guys said he was going to write me up for a Purple Heart
RICHARD MENKEN
DON DENCKER
and I said, ‘Oh, no, you’re not.’ I didn’t want a Purple Heart
for cleaning a cocoanut.”
Siefert said there were only two types of terrain on
Leyte. “You were either up to your neck in water or you
were on top of some ridge.”
Once, in a banana grove, he tried taking shelter behind a
banana tree. “I found out you can stick your finger through
a banana tree. It wasn’t very good protection. There were
pieces of green flying all over me.”
L
awrance Johnson, Le Seuer, was a Browning
Automatic Rifleman in the 24th Infantry Division.
The weapons would fire 20 shells to a clip, and the
BAR soldiers provided much of the fire power for a squad.
“We had a good time,” Johnson said.
The weapon also weighed 29 pounds. “I had an assistant
to carry the ammo, but he got hit and I had to carry it
myself.”
He remembered one soldier who had to use the latrine.
“Just then a Japanese machine gun cut loose. When it got
quiet, we could hear him yell, ‘Does anybody have an extra
pair of pants?’ ”
In the foxhole, he said, the GIs would lay their grenades
on the edge of the hole. “If we thought the Japanese were
coming, we’d pull the pins. But if nothing happened, we’d
have to put the pins back in, and that wasn’t easy. Then they
came out with the three-second grenades. They’d often go
off before they hit the ground. You had to be fast.”
R
ichard Menken, Jeffers, grew up on a farm in a
family of 10.
At Leyte, he took a truck from the beach toward the
front. “The truck went as far as it could go, and I was starting to jump off the back. There were two GIs there, and they
were both pretty scroungy looking. One of them came up to
me and said, ‘Don’t I know you?’ It turns out, he was another kid from Jeffers. We were 5,000 miles from home, and
we ran into each other.”
Menken was trained in anti-tank warfare, but he said he
never saw a Japanese tank on Leyte.
One day after he attended church, he ran into a buddy
and found out the friend was driving a truck and going out
on a patrol. “I said that I’d ride with him if I could, and I’d
ride shotgun. Just then a group of officers came up and one
of them asked me what I was doing there. I told them I had
offered to go along and ride shotgun.
“The officer said, ‘No, you’re staying here.’ I didn’t want
to argue with him because he was getting a little huffy.
“The truck went down the road a ways and came to a T
where it had to slow down. A Japanese machine gun opened
up. Everybody was killed but the driver. I would have been
a goner.”
J
im McDougall, a Navy veteran, was a machine gunner on a PBY Catalina just before the landings on
Leyte. His plane was assigned the job of getting the
plans from MacArthur’s headquarters in New Guinea to the
Third Fleet at sea.
“We took the plans to Palau in our Black Cat (a PYB sea
plane painted black for camouflage). We had an escort of
Navy fighters, which was good because a Catalina was pretty slow. Our only defense was to take it down just above the
water so that nothing could fly under us. We met with a
whale boat and got rid of the plans. The sailors were going
to take them to Halsey’s fleet.
“On the way back they told us we wouldn’t have an
escort. We complained, but they told us our choice was to
fly back or to taxi the PBY back. We decided to fly.”
He also told a story about how his plane landed in a harbor in the Philippines, and three canoes came out to do
some trading with the Americans. The sailors thought they
were driving a hard bargain.
The Filipinos were using pesos issued by the Japanese
occupying army to barter with.
“Pretty soon they had all our blankets, our parachutes,
everything, and all we had was this worthless paper. They
were pretty shrewd traders.”
JIM McDOUGALL
LAWRANCE JOHNSON
Page 14
The Auxiliary Bulletin
Minnesota Legionnaire
April 2015
No. 15-9
April 2015
President Chris Ronning
Secretary Sandie Deutsch
Department Headquarters, Veterans Service Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
The
President’s
Column
By
Chris Ronning
March started out with our American Legion Auxiliary
National President Janet Jefford’s visit to Minnesota.
Plainview was our first stop for a delicious dinner and visiting with the members. That evening, we stayed overnight
and headed off to New Ulm for a luncheon. The weather
was not very nice and it kept many members away from a
fun afternoon. We stopped at a very unique German store
for a little snooping (shopping) and then on to Faribault for
another dinner at their Post, again a fun evening and a nice
dinner. Weather still could have been a little better, but it is
Minnesota. After a good night’s sleep we went to
Minneapolis where we visited our VA Facility, including the
Brain Science Center, onto the Fisher House and the
Veterans home, where we also got to tour the Adult Day
Care Center, which is one of my projects.
That evening we had our last dinner at the American
Legion Post in Osseo with great food and entertainment.
The next morning with Marland in tow we headed for
the Armed Forces Center at the airport where we delivered
bags with goodies for servicemen and women when they
come through our airport. That’s when things got ugly.
President Janet’s flight was canceled due to bad weather in
New York, so we found the nearest airport hotel for her and
went out for pizza. What a delightful lady, I wished everyone could have had the chance to meet her.
That was my excitement for the beginning of March.
Lots of birthday dinners and an extra pound here or there it finally caught up with Marland. Yes. Peggy keeps up with
her miles driven, I keep up with my pounds gained. Ugh.
We had a great Department Rally, which was very well
attended and we also had a good Executive Committee
meeting that morning. Our American Legion Auxiliary is
going strong, but we could do a lot better if our membership
would pick up. You all know that without our membership
our programs will suffer, so this is my plea to you, please,
please help Membership Chairman Judy reach goal.
I attended along with Marland, Department Commander
Peggy’s Testimonial, what a great evening. Great company
and great food, as you notice the word food follows me
everywhere. Congratulations, Peggy, you are a very special
lady and a great Commander. We are all so proud of you.
April will bring some Testimonials and I wish I could
attend all of them but some of my other duties are still calling me.
April is also Children and Youth month. Our Juniors are
holding their Department Junior Conference on April 10th
and 11th hosted by the Stewartville Unit. I am so excited to
attend and listen to these young ladies and what they have
done during their year. Our Honorary Junior President Jules
Efta has done a great job and I want to congratulate her on
a job well done.
I actually have an installation in Nisswa this month, a
spring gala in Wayzata, a Spring Fling in North St. Paul and
a mother/daughter banquet in Rochester. I think I will leave
Marland home for that.
Unit Reports, yes ladies don’t be rolling your eyes, it is
already this time of the year and I hope we have 100%
reporting. Please take the time to report about your programs and don’t forget to write a little summary about what
you did.
Don’t forget our volunteers, they bring a smile and lots
of sunshine in our Veterans faces. These ladies work behind
the scene in our VA Hospitals and Veterans home and sometimes get unrecognized. So next time you see a volunteer in
one of these facilities make sure you thank them for what
they do. A thank you goes a long ways.
Marland and I would like to wish each and every one of
you a very Happy and Blessed Easter.
651-224-7634
Department Convention set
for Redwood Falls July 16-18
The 96th annual Department Convention will be held
July 16 - 18 at the Jackpot Junction Casino in Morton hosted by the Redwood Falls American Legion Family #38. A
word of thanks to the Auxiliary Chairman and committee
members for all they are doing to ensure a successful convention.
Housing information will be out in the May Unit mailing. Hotel reservations are to be made directly with the
hotel this year. The registration fee is $15.00 for pre-registration and $18.00 after July 1. They are to be sent to Carrie
Werner, American Legion Post 38, PO Box 354, Redwood
Falls, MN 56283. Make your checks out to AMERICAN
LEGION POST 38 and put “Dept. Convention” on the
memo line.. Please use the registration form. President
Chris Ronning has made this such a rewarding and fun year
- let’s all honor her by attending her Convention.
Don’t forget the Poppy contests that will be held at the
Department Convention. This year there will be two categories; Butterfly Garden Basket and a Bouquet in a Vase
using our Department President’s theme and should include
the programs of the American Legion Family. More than
one entry is welcomed; there will be three places awarded
and a People Choice Award.
Entries must be at the
Department Convention on Thursday, July 17th by 9:00
a.m. Please read your Trophy and Awards packet for
details.
The Department Junior Conference will be called to
order by Jules Efta, the Department Honorary Junior
President on Saturday, April 11th, at the Stewartville
American Legion Post 164 in Stewartville, hosted by our
First District. We are hoping many Juniors will attend their
very own Conference.
On Friday, April 10 starting at 6:00 p.m. the First District
is hosting a “fun” night at the Post for all Juniors. Please
come and enjoy the weekend.
JUNIOR CONFERENCE
Poppy Days will soon be with us. If your Unit has not
ordered its 2015 Poppies we would appreciate hearing from
you soon. We have 68 Units that have not yet ordered.
Let’s have 100% participation in our Poppy Program. If
you cannot locate an order form just write your order on a
plain piece of paper and send it along with your check to the
Department office.
We do have poppies available for any Unit that wishes to
order more. The Department does not carry the Poppy cans
many Units use on Poppy Days. They must be ordered
from National Emblem Sales. Also, we do not have any
more of the Poppy Cards. Emblem Sales also has a card
that is available directly from them.
Governor Dayton has been asked to proclaim May as
Poppy month. A suggestion to all Units is to present a
poppy to your government officials and ask them to wear
the poppy on Memorial Day.
Please remember to promote and display our Poppies all
year round.
2015 POPPY DAYS
Registration fees for the 2015 session of American
Legion Auxiliary Minnesota Girls State were due on March
31st. We do still have openings so don’t feel that because
March 31 has gone by that you still can’t register. Units
may send as many girls as they choose to from the same
high school. Your American Legion Auxiliary Minnesota
Girls State citizens must attend a public, charter, parochial,
private or home school in Minnesota or be a resident of
Minnesota. Reservations are taken on a first come, first
served basis. We are still taking reservations and would like
each Unit to participate. The 2015 session will be held June
7 - 12th at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
The enrollment card, information sheet, pledge and order
form for a Capitol Day polo shirt are due into the
Department office no later than May 1st. Your American
Legion Auxiliary Minnesota Girls State citizen is not considered registered until these items are received. Each
American Legion Auxiliary Minnesota Girls State citizen
who is completely registered will receive a mailing from the
GIRLS STATE
Department office around May 15th which will give her all
of the necessary information she needs concerning items to
bring, the health certificate form, etc. that are required to
bring in June.
Please remember that there are no
refunds being given this year.
We look forward to the 69th annual American Legion
Auxiliary Minnesota Girls State week and another educational and successful session.
The last membership rally of our Auxiliary year, Spring
Round Up Rally, will be held at the West Duluth Post 71 on
Saturday, April 25. Turn in will be from 2 -3 p.m. with the
program following at 3:30 p.m. Our membership on the
National level has been dropping and we need to turn that
around. Please make plans to come to Duluth - what a
beautiful part of Minnesota to spend a weekend. Let’s help
President Chris climb back to the top.
“RENEW-RECRUIT-REJOIN”
All Units received a request for information on your
Unit’s 2016 dues. A second notice went out in the April
Unit Mailing to those Units that haven’t responded to the
first request. This information was due in the Department
office by March 15th. It is critical that this information gets
forwarded on to National. If your Unit has not yet responded, please send in the information as soon as possible. If we
do not receive this information before mid-April, National
will be printing the information they have from last year on
the dues notices. We still are waiting on 203 Units to return
the forms.
DIRECT BILLING INFORMATION
April is Children and Youth month. Plan a special program and invite your community to attend. Let them know
of your involvement and concern for the youth of our
nation. There are a number of programs you can present to
your community. Keep in mind that our children are our
future. We need to get them involved in our programs and
let them know how appreciated they are.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH MONTH
Annual report time is fast approaching. All Units should
be preparing their reports covering the time period April 1,
2014 to March 31, 2015. The white copy is all that needs
to be returned to the Department Office by April 15. It is
important that your Unit report your activities each year and
send them in. The information received on the reports is
then compiled into a Department report that is sent onto our
National organization. These reports become part of the
American Legion Auxiliary record for the 2014-2015 year.
Our National organization gives the information to The
American Legion and they use the information when they
report to Congress each year. Every activity your Unit has
participated in is important. Be proud of your accomplishments and activities and share them. Reports are due in
April 15th. We realize that many of you are unhappy with
the reporting system this year and your comments will be
passed forward. Thank you all for letting me know how
your Units like this new format.
ANNUAL REPORTS DUE APRIL 15th
Trophy and Award entries are also due by April 15th
unless otherwise stated in the rules. Be certain to label each
entry with the name of the award you are applying for.
Follow this year’s rules. A separate entry is needed for each
award unless the Department winner is forwarded for
National competition. Any Unit may apply for any award
whether your Unit has reached its membership goal or not
unless that is a requirement stated in the rules.
TROPHIES AND AWARDS
The National Convention this year will be held in
Baltimore, Maryland. This year the Parade will be on
Sunday August 30, 2015 in Baltimore. When we
Minnesotans go to the National Convention we bring with
us our national colors from our Posts, Units, Squadrons and
our AL Riders join us. When we do this, we typically take
up an entire city block or more of just Minnesota’s atten-
2015 NATIONAL CONVENTION
Auxiliary Bulletin
April 2015
Minnesota Legionnaire
Page 15
National President Jefford visits state
Continued from Preceding Page
dees all carrying their US colors. We often are on the front
page of the newspaper in that city’s morning issue the following day. Let’s make the headline in Baltimore big time
this year and show the friendly state of Maryland how
proud us Minnesotans are of our veterans. Picture the
image of hundreds of United States flags marched 4 abreast
stretching for several blocks? What a sight to see.
More information will be forthcoming regarding the
National Convention.
The Department Office has been extremely busy getting
ready for Junior Conference, Girls State, Annual Reports,
Department Convention, National Convention - never a dull
moment around here. We had a great time on the National
President’s Tour, what a wonderful lady we have leading
our organization this year. I have always thought when you
hear “National President” of anything it is this person that
is almost untouchable - how untrue that is. I have personally met and gotten to know the past four National
Presidents and what wonderful women they all are and how
dedicated they are to our organization. If you ever get the
chance to attend any event when they are in Minnesota, be
sure not to miss the opportunity. Easter is right around the
bend and I, along with Jan and Julie and our families would
like to wish every one of you a very Happy and Blessed
Easter. I hope the bunny leaves you colorful goodies and be
careful of the little brown “eggs” - those probably aren’t so
good! Have a wonderful month and hope to see many of
you in Duluth at the Spring Round Up Rally.
SECRETARY SANDIE’S NOTES
National Auxiliary President Janet Jefford talked to the audience during a visit to Osseo. She also visited
Plainview, New Ulm, Faribault, the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, the Minnesota Veterans Home in
Minneapolis, the Fisher House and the Serviceman’s center at the airport during her tour.
Mar. 24, 2015, Auxiliary Membership
Among other Minnesota gifts, Department President
Chris Ronning presented Jefford with some Loon
Poop.
The entertainment at Osseo was Flamenco guitar
playing and dancing.
Independent Rural Living
Senior apartments for elderly and those with
disabilities. Safe, convenient, comfortable, and
affordable rural living in Southeast Minnesota.
Jefford and Ronning tried their hand at Spanish dancing during the stop at Osseo.
During a stop in Plainview, Jefford posed with
Ronning, left, Plainview Post 79 Commander Adam
Welke, and Unit President Cheryl Nymann. (Plainview
News photo)
Tenth District Junior Honorary President Kiana
Coleman-Woods presented the National President
with a gift.
Also available:
Housing with
Services,
Nursing Home,
Subsidized
Rent,
Homemaker
services
Samantha 507-864-7714
or www.goodshep-rushford.org
Contact:
Page 16
Minnesota Legionnaire
April 2015
PATCHES: I BUY PATCHES THAT I NEED
I AM LOOKING FOR OLDER AIR FORCE, AIR NATIONAL
GUARD, NAVY, NAVY AIR, SHIPS, COAST GUARD, ARMY, MN
NATIONAL GUARD, USMC, JACKETS, HELMETS,
CALL JOE, 612-801-4673 AFTER 6
s Worker’s Compensation
s Social Security Disability
s VA Disability Appeals
Antonio Tejeda Guzman
Attorney at Law
A Veteran serving Veterans
320-262-3669
877-544-3164
214 4th St. SW, Willmar
www.tejeda-guzman.com
Reverse
Mortgages
Call for a free consumer
guide and personal quote.
-- Must be 62 or older.
-- Never make a monthly
mortgage payment again.
-- Receive a lump sum of
cash, credit line or monthly
payments.
-- See how much you
could qualify for today.
NMLS ID #283509
Let a retired active duty
veteran you can trust
show you how you may
benefit from a Reverse
Mortgage.
Mike Kraus
Serving MN and WI
7365 Kirkwood Court North, Suite 300
Maple Grove, MN 55369
763-355-8540
mkraus@muihomeloans.com
18-19, 2015