Please complete this form and return it with your check payable to AL Dept of PA.  The American Legion, ATTN:  Debbie Watson, PO Box 2324, Harrisburg, PA  17105.  No seat will be reserved without a payment.  Deadline for seat reservations is July 15, 2012.  The bus is non-smoking but will make one scheduled stop to eat.  This is a 47 passenger bus and every seat must be reserved or the bus trip will be cancelled!  A full refund will be issued if it’s cancelled.

This is a benefit tournament for an American soldier wounded in an IED attack while on patrol in Afghanistan.  Adam survived the attack but is a multiple amputee as a result of the injuries.

Adam is from Whitehall, PA.  He has been undergoing treatment and care for his injuries for over 2 years at various locations including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda Maryland and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Texas.

All event proceeds go directly to Adam for use in his care and treatment.

Two person teams with an entry fee of $50 per team.  (No refunds unless tournament is cancelled.)  Double elimination tournament.

Entry fee includes tournament, food, beverages, and one door prize entry.  Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 teams.  Team check-in starts at 8:00 am and the Games scheduled to start at 9:00 am.  Non-tournament playing spectators $10 for food and beverages. $5 for door prize entry; limit of one door prize entry per person.

Please contact Carl Trinko at 215-939-1861 or Ken Benjamin at 267-560-2957

Click Here for a copy of the poster

Click Here for a copy of the registration

The American Legion Post 605 in Dallastown, PA is holding a veterans benefit Chili Cook-Off on Saturday March 24, 2012.  The event will begin at noon and run until 4:00 pm.  The Cook-Off is being held at 57W Main Street in Dallastown sponsored by Chapter 605 Legion Riders.  Awards will be given for Most Unique, Best Overall, People’s Choice, and Best Table Presentation.  Amission donation is $5.00.  Proceeds benefit Veteran’s Organization & Programs.  For more details contact 741-2218 or 246-7763.

To the editor:

The recent behavior of the Occupy Oakland movement, as reported by the Associated Press, where public buildings were raided, property destroyed, and flags burned is reminiscent of a near identical incident in Dallas, Texas in 1984.  There, a small group of anarchists, challenging the politics of the time, vandalized the city, destroyed public property, stole an American flag and burned it in the streets of Dallas.  That incident led to the 1989 landmark Supreme Court case, Texas v. Johnson, in which flag desecration laws were ruled unconstitutional.

Some in Oakland, and elsewhere, are quick to remind us that flag burning is a “right,” yet those same voices condemn it as “unpatriotic” and “contrary to the spirit” of the movement.  It is, I would say, both unpatriotic and contrary, and not just to the movement, but to the thinking of the majority of Americans who believe the flag should have a measure of legal protection from desecration.

For more than 17 years, the Citizens Flag Alliance, with the support of the American people, has worked closely with Congress to secure an amendment to the Constitution that would prohibit flag burning and other acts of desecration.  We continue to work to that end.

In doing so, we realize that amending the Constitution should not be undertaken lightly.  It ought to have sustained, very substantial popular backing before being sent to the states for ratification.  Not many proposed amendments could pass that test.  But the Flag Protection Amendment does.  For nearly two decades, the overwhelming bulk of the American people have supported, and the 50 states have petitioned Congress for, the amendment.

Demonstrators for any cause ought to give thought to this: those who lived through or those who have studied the civil rights movement can attest that the American flag was an important symbol in those times, too.  Not one to be burned, however, but one to be carried high and proud by those demonstrating against injustice that was far greater and much deeper than that for which those in the Occupy Movement rally today.

Sincerely,

Richard D. Parker

Chairman of the Board

The Citizens Flag Alliance, Inc.

Williams Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

The bill from U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, effectively prevents the Pentagon from closing the base. A face-to-face meeting with Air Force officials, which was brokered by Murphy, is scheduled for the Pennsylvania delegation this Thursday at 1 p.m. to discuss the 911th.

“Congressional intervention is needed to stop the Air Force from making a hasty and unwise decision,” Rep. Murphy said in a statement. “The 911th is one of the most cost-effective bases in our military. I’m putting down a legislative marker that stops the closure and ensures there’s a deliberate review of the Air Force realignment.

“The Air Force may not be in compliance with existing law that requires congressional approval to close any base with more than 300 civilian personnel.”

Original cosponsors of the legislation include Reps. Jason Altmire (PA-4), Mike Doyle (PA-14) and Mark Critz (PA-12).

You can also buy an ad at 1/2 page ad $40.00 and a full page ad at $70.00.  Again, the checks can be mailed to Herb Herman, PO Box 632, Fredericktown, PA  15333-0632.

Room reservations can be made by calling Debbie Watson at Department Headquarters 717-730-9100.

Click Here for the flyer

It is estimated that over 11,000 children have lost a parent in the war overseas. That number continues to grow each day. The Legion is actively working to ensure that all those children who want a post-secondary education will be provided one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the Legion doing with the money collected?
A. Each donation goes into the Legacy Scholarship trust fund, which earns interest to be used for scholarships. Currently, the fund’s principal is $4.8 million. In 2008, $36,000 in aid was distributed to students.

Q. What happens to the trust fund’s principal?
A. The trust fund remains untouched and grows with each donation. Scholarships are funded by the interest, which has awarded $191,970 in aid since 2004.

Q. Where has the money gone so far?
A. Scholarships grow in number and dollar amount each year. The first renewable scholarship was worth $2,000 and awarded in 2004. A year later, three $2,000 scholarships were given out. In 2006, six $5,000 scholarships were granted. Eight were awarded a year later for $4,500, and the scholarship number grew to 11 – $3,720 each – in 2008. Sixteen recipients each received $2,250 in 2009. in 2010, $46,000 in awards weer distributed in this manner: 10 scholarships at $4,000 each, and three scholarships at $2,000 each. In all, $191,970 has been granted.

Q. Who decides who gets scholarships and how much is awarded?
A. The national treasurer, with the National Finance Commission’s approval, determines the interest amount available for scholarship funding. By resolution, the National Americanism Commission is empowered to establish further rules, regulations and guidelines for the selection and awarding of scholarships with emphasis on financial need, leadership, scholarship and citizenship. The National Americanism Commission has delegated these duties to the National Committee on Education, which implements the scholarship program.

Q. If an active-duty servicemember is home and is killed outside of war, is his or her child still eligible for the scholarship?
A. The same rules always apply. The deceased parent must have been on active duty with the U.S. military or National Guard, or as a federalized reservist. The place of death is irrelevant, provided that the death happened on or after Sept. 11, 2001.

Q. Will we get a report on how scholarships are being used?
A. During May meetings, the National Committee on Education reports to the National Americanism Commission about the scholarship recipients and status of the program. The report is included in the National Americanism Commission’s report to the National Executive Committee. A separate copy of the report is sent to each department and posted on the American Legion Riders Web site.

Q. Say a soldier dies when his daughter is 2 years old. She won’t go to college for 15 years. Is that money being put away for her?
A. The money is in the trust, but she has to apply for her scholarship when she is a senior in high school. The number of eligible applicants and money available will determine the scholarship amount.

Q. How much do we need to raise?
A. Obviously, the more money the fund has, the more interest it will accrue for scholarships. If there was enough money in the principal, full college scholarships could be awarded each year. Unfortunately, that day is far off. It is thought that eventually a minimum of $20 million will be needed to meet the expected need for scholarships.

Q. Will someone be contacting these children, or will they have to find the scholarship on their own?
A. Ideally, the names and addresses of children who lost a parent would be readily available. Unfortunately, that isn’t possible. The scholarship information is contained in the Legion’s “Need a Lift?” publication, which lists scholarships, grants and loans available for veterans and their children. The information is on the Legion’s Web site, and booklets are distributed annually to public and private high schools across the nation. A representative from a local Legion post should be able to provide the family with the scholarship information and other benefit information at the time of the servicemember’s death.

Q. How many times can a student apply?
A. Students can reapply for the scholarship up to six years maximum. A waive can be obtained if the student is the National Guard or reserves and is activated. A waiver may also be obtained if the student embarks on a church mission. The student must be full-time and continue making adequate progress toward a degree.