Post 24 Commander’s Corner

It sure is sad the amount of Legionnaires that have reported to the high Commander of us all since last month's article. We have hosted a few funeral receptions and it is nice that the hall was available for these families. One less thing for them to worry about.

Membership renewal seems to have come to a standstill. If you have not paid your 2013 dues then you are not in good standing and cannot transfer to another post and have lost all privileges, your subscription to the monthly Legion magazine and the quarterly Maine Legionnaire. We currently are at 86%, which means approximately 70 members have not renewed.

The Post hosted the 70th Anniversary for the Four Chaplain’s ceremony this past Sunday. It was a great program and we had a good turnout of spectators. A lot is happening this month including the following: February 9 is a Welcome Home party for Joe Bruns. February 16 there is a Texas Hold’em tournament in the afternoon followed by a Mexican meal that evening followed by the Valentine Dance sponsored by the Mexico Fire department featuring the band Roadhouse.

On February 23 is the benefit supper and dance for Donald Hodsdon’s family. There will be a Chinese auction along with comedians Dennis Fogg and Cloutier performing at 7 p.m. and the band Roadhouse with a guest drummer will play from 8 to midnight.

As you can see things are happening at the Legion and remember events on the hall side are open to the public, that is you and your friends, so come over and check out the events.

The next monthly meeting, for nomination of officers, will be March 3 at 6 p.m. with the supper at 5. If you or you know of anyone interested in holding one of the officer positions, please be at the meeting. This is for the Legion, Ladies Auxiliary and the Sons (SAL) as well. Many positions will need to be filled.

The American Legion’s Position this month is on National Security. The American Legion, since its founding in 1919, has advocated for a strong national defense in order to protect America, deter aggression and ensure that the nation possesses strength and capability to respond to all threats to America’s vital interests

Our military must not only win in our current asymmetrical warfare on two major fronts, our forces must also be prepared for possible future conflicts with nation-states. We must not make the mistake of training the military to only fight the most recent war; rather, our forces must be in readiness to fight all significant threats to our vital national interests.

The resulting operations tempo of the Global War on Terrorism has come at a cost. U.S. Armed Forces urgently need to be reset, reconstituted, and revitalized. Continued over-commitment and a decline in our strength or a gap in readiness will undermine the U.S. Armed Forces capability to complete its range of missions from combat overseas to providing civil support at home. The Legion therefore advocates for even more land forces in order to improve readiness for all missions and to reduce the stress on our currently over-stretched yet superb warriors and units.

Finally, and just as important, are the quality-of-life issues for our nation’s heroes and their families. Our servicemembers and their families deserve, and have earned, the best quality-of-life standard and benefits that a grateful nation can offer. Without high quality-of-life standards, it will be impossible to recruit and retain outstanding personnel so necessary to protect America and our freedom and to sustain our vital interests.

In this time of severe budget concerns, The American Legion has enhanced its efforts before Congress and the American people to ensure that the calls for a “Peace Dividend” and to reduce funding for both servicemembers pay allowance, and equipment, are voraciously countered by common sense.

The American Legion’s Program this month is on National Emergency Fund. The American Legion has been actively involved in meeting the needs of both the community and American Legion family members. In the ‘20s, the American Legion entered into an agreement with The American National Red Cross, later called the The American Red Cross, to assist them in disaster relief and fund raising.

The program became known as The American Legion’s Disaster Relief Program and worked in conjunction with The Red Cross for about 50 years. Over that time, The American Legion through its many local posts assisted our nations’ residents with housing assistance, food, supplies and cleanup after a number of major disasters.