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Upcoming
Events!
2009 Spring Conference March 20-22 - VA Beach Resort, VA Beach
$83
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2009 State Convention July 9-12 - Sheraton Richmond West, Richmond
$94
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2009 Fall Conference October 30-November 1 - Holiday Inn, Hampton
$71.00
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2010 State Convention July 8-11 - Sheraton Richmond West,
Richmond
$99
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2010 Fall Conference October 29-31 Holiday Inn, Hampton
$74
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2011 State Convention July 14-17 Roanoke Plaza Hotel & Holiday
Inn, Roanoke |
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Film
Makers to Document Story of The American Legion
-Portion of proceeds will benefit
Legion programs
INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 29,
2009) – The American Legion has signed a contract with a California-based
production company to produce a documentary on the history of the
nation’s largest veterans service organization.
“The American Legion
not only wrote the original GI Bill, we have been a leading voice
for veterans and the military since 1919,” American Legion
National Commander David K. Rehbein said. “From the elevation
of the Department of Veterans Affairs to cabinet-status to the administration
of some of the most successful youth programs in the country, The
American Legion has too many noteworthy accomplishments for me to
mention here. Moreover, we continue to be as relevant and influential
as we have ever been. I am pleased that we have reached an agreement
with Blackhorse Productions to document the illustrious history
of The American Legion.”
The National Executive Committee passed Resolution 6 during its
October 2008 meetings, which authorized The American Legion to negotiate
an agreement with Blackhorse Productions, a 10-year-old film production
company that specializes in military documentaries. The project
will be completed at no cost to The American Legion and is expected
to be completed by the end of the year. It will then be available
for purchase on DVD, with a portion of the proceeds being allocated
to The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund, Child Welfare Foundation
and National Emergency Fund. Members will be able to purchase the
DVD at www.legion.org or at the 2010 National Convention. Information
will be provided in The American Legion Magazine and in other publications
when the product is available.
“Preserving history and teaching viewers about the contributions
and sacrifices made by our veterans is a passion for Blackhorse
Productions,” said Jason Heit, CEO of Blackhorse Productions.
“We are very excited about this project and can’t wait
to meet Legionnaires during the filming. We want to raise
awareness so people everywhere can know the fascinating story of
The American Legion.”
With a current membership
of 2.6-million wartime veterans, The American Legion was founded
in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans
affairs, Americanism, and the welfare of children. Legionnaires
work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000
posts across the nation.
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A
Message From The VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network
Dear Veteran:
The VA
Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network cares about you and your health.
We want you to know about an important tool that’s
available to you. It’s My HealtheVet, an online Personal
Health Record just for you.
On this
site you can monitor your vital signs, fill your prescriptions,
track your diet and exercise, graph your health readings, record
your family’s medical history and much more!
We hope
you will visit www.myhealth.va.gov
to learn more. If you have questions, please contact
your local VA facility which will be glad to assist you.
Thank you
for allowing us to provide for your health care needs.
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America's
Wars
The Department of Veterans Affairs
A fact sheet and statistics
on Service Members, including Death's, Woundings, and Dependents
beginning with the American Revolution through September 2008.
(Open
document)
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Six
More Weeks of Winter?
I am sure
many of you followed the winter weather forecast of Punxsutawney
Phil where the groundhog saw his shadow signifying six more weeks
of winter. However, things have been heating up here in Virginia
with all the many successful Americanism activities that were
held in February and there are more planned for March. It seems
to me that our American Legion Family is doing a lot to end the
cabin fever of winter and welcome the warmer spring weather.
Many posts,
districts, regions have completed their Oratorical contests and
if the caliber of the speakers that I witnessed at the Northern
Region Oratorical contest are representative of the young men
and women around the Commonwealth of Virginia, we can look forward
to a very exciting competition at the State Finals at the Department
Spring Conference in Virginia Beach.
The same
holds true for JROTC Drill Team competition. At the Northern Region
JROTC Drill Competition, there were many young men and women from
area high schools who obviously had put a lot of time and effort
into practicing and working together as a team. I can’t wait
to see the State Finals at the Department Spring Conference in
Virginia Beach with the best of the three regions strutting their
stuff.
While these
very visible competitions have been going on at many of our legion
posts and high schools, many legionnaires have been working very
diligently with the elementary schools to have the students write
their essays for the Middle School Essay Contest. Some entries
have started coming in but a quick reminder that the essays are
due in by March 1, 2009. The forms for the contest are available
on the Department web site under “forms and downloads.”
The winners will be announced at the Spring Conference in Virginia
Beach.
There are
also many posts sponsoring Boy Scout, Cub Scout and Explorer groups
that are very active in our communities year round as well as
Junior Shooting Sports Teams practicing for their upcoming competitions
in March and April. Please come out and support these outstanding
youths and future leaders.
If you
haven’t noticed a theme building here, there will be a number
of great examples of today’s youth present at our Department
Spring Conference at Virginia Beach. I hope that you will consider
attending the conference to see the outstanding young men and
women compete. In addition, you will be able to learn what we
have coming up in the next few months. The Spring Conference runs
from Friday, March 20, 2009 through Sunday, March 22, 2009
With the
warmer weather coming soon we can look forward to American Legion
Baseball starting, and interviews being for the Boys State and
Junior Law Cadet programs.
As I mentioned
earlier, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes by
many legionnaires, auxiliary and SAL members. If you have not
already started, please gather the volunteer information that
your post members are putting in to make our programs so successful.
If you have not already received your reporting forms from our
Department Headquarters, please watch your mailbox for these important
documents.
I would
like to thank everyone for all their time and effort in making
our Americanism program so successful this year. Please keep up
the good work and we will see you in Virginia Beach!
John
Kokernak
Department Americanism Chairman
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American
Legion Extends Operation Comfort Warriors
INDIANAPOLIS
(Feb. 6, 2009) – The nation’s largest veterans organization
will continue its fundraising to purchase comfort items for hospitalized
troops recovering in U.S. military hospitals around the world
after doubling its $50,000 goal for the holiday season.
“The American
Legion family and its friends have raised more than $115,000 that
we have used to purchase sweatsuits, DVDs, puzzles, portable electronics
and other gifts for the wounded heroes recovering at Walter Reed,
Bethesda and numerous other military hospitals,” said American
Legion National Commander David K. Rehbein. “We delivered
many of the items before Christmas. But even though the
holiday season has long passed, the war continues. The military
does a good job of taking care of its own at these facilities,
but we want to do more. The need continues so therefore Operation
Comfort Warriors will continue.”
Donors can make online contributions by visiting www.legion.org/ocw
or by sending a check to Operation Comfort Warriors, PO Box 1055,
Indianapolis, IN 46206. Administrative and promotional costs for
Operation Comfort Warriors are paid by The American Legion, allowing
100 percent of the donations to be spent directly on the troops.
With a current membership
of 2.6 million wartime veterans, The American Legion was founded
in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans
affairs, Americanism, and mentoring youth. Legionnaires work for
the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts
across the nation.
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The
American Legion Champions re-Introduction of Vets Health Care Reform
Bill
WASHINGTON, DC (Feb.
12, 2009) -- The Chairmen of both the Senate and House Veterans’
Affairs Committees have today re-introduced bills designed to streamline
the funding of Department of Veterans Affairs health care programs
and initiatives.
At an afternoon press conference, Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka
(D - HI) and Congressman Bob Filner (D - CA) announced the advancement
of identical bills entitled the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform
and Transparency Act of 2009.
Among the provisions of the bill is long sought-after advance appropriations
for military veterans’ health care administered by the Department
of Veterans Affairs. The advance appropriations mechanism allows
Congress to vote on funding levels a year in advance of the current
budget cycle.
“Advance-appropriations of VA health care funds will have a
couple of great benefits for our constituency,” says David
K. Rehbein, National Commander of The American Legion. “Knowing
what money will be coming to them well ahead of time will facilitate
the VA’s acquisition of the personnel, equipment and facilities
needed to provide the best care possible. It will also facilitate
better Congressional oversight of the funds’ disposition,”
he continued, “thus helping assure that the monies will be
spent as they should be.”
Similar legislation was introduced by Senator Akaka and Congressman
Filner this past September, but it was too late in the legislative
season to gain favor. Considering that now-President Barack Obama
was a co-sponsor of the original Senate bill, it is hoped that the
Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009
will be adopted in a timely fashion.
For years, veterans service organizations had argued in favor of
mandatory veterans health care funding, as it is for Social Security,
Medicaid, and Medicare. “While this newly introduced
legislation might not have the ultimate benefits of automatic funding,
it is a very fine proposal nonetheless and, on behalf of our nation’s
veterans and veterans-to-be, we applaud Chairman Akaka, Chairman
Filner and their many co-sponsors for it,” concluded Commander
Rehbein.
The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009
has been a bi-partisan product. Though it has been introduced by
Democrats -- Senator Akaka and Congressman Filner -- chief co-sponsors
include Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine as well as Senators
Mark Begich (D-AK), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Barbara Boxer (D-CA),
Russell Feingold (D-WI), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Mary Landrieu (D-LA),
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Lisa Murkowski
(R-AK), John D. Rockefeller (D-WV), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Debbie
Stabenow (D-MI), John Thune (R-SD) and David Vitter (R-LA). On the
House side co-sponsors include Republican Congressmen Walter Jones
of North Carolina as well as Representatives Phil Hare (D-IL) and
Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (D-SD).
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