By Elexzanderia CarrAdjutant’s Corner

By W.E. “Gene” FranksCommander’s Corner

VOL. 98 No 01 January/February 2017

1618 POW/MIAs still unaccounted for - Why?LegionnaireALASKA

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R

Post 03Lester Constuble

Post 06Theodore HauxRichard Lentz

Post 12Dave Kammerer

Post 13Jeremy DeTemple

Charlie DanielsRonald James

Dave HillGrant SmithFrank Okert

Carl DominicksPost 22

Wayne C. GreenDarlye Chinn

Post 29Paul Bauer

Terence WarrenPost 33

William AffleckPost 34

Tank JonesMayfield EvansDexter Antoine

Post 57Corey Brown

Post 75Charles Hubbard

Norm BeanPost 2222

John PierceMatt Tempest

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. . . . . . . . I n s i d e . . . . . . . . .ALRiders ..........................................pg 2 Oratorical .........................................pg 2Auxiliary ..........................................pg 7 SAL ................................................pg 6Boys State ..........................................pg 3 Service Office ....................................pg 4Historian ...........................................pg 2 Taps .................................................pg 4 NEC ................................................pg 5 Vice Commanders ............................pg 3

Well, here we are again at the start of a new year. As you will notice, many articles within the Legionnaire are on upcoming events. One of the first and most popular will be the S.A.L. annual 32 oz. steak feed being held at Spenard Post 28, January 28, 2017. The proceeds from

this event are split between the Boys and Girls state programs. The finals for the Oratorical contest will again be held in February in Anchorage. Last year Cheyenne Mathews, sponsored by Joseph T. Craig Post 3 in Ketchikan, represented the Department of Alaska very well by placing 3rd in the National Finals held in Indianapolis. First place winners in Indianapolis receive a $18,000.00 scholarship. Department has already had inquiries concerning Boys State and has already received one application. You should have received or will be re-ceiving your “packets” for Boys State for this year. Although Boys State will be held in June, it is never too early to get started on distributing the information to your local schools. If you have a local firefighter or law enforcement officer that you think should be considered for a National award, their applications need to be into Department by mid January. January should be your “first call” for your Post elections, and your elec-tions need to be completed by the first of April. This year the Department convention will be held at Lynn Canal Post 12, Haines, AK April 27-29, 2017. You should receive the convention packets the first part of January and if you are interested in “running” for a Department office you should have your Post endorsement letter or a letter of intent for the position you are considering. In addition a copy of your DD214 or appropriate paper work should be on file with Department Headquarters. One of the most important forms that our National Headquarters re-ceives during the year is the Consolidated Post Report. The information that you submit is consolidated into one compiledreport and this information is reported to Congress as to the accomplish-ments of The American Legion during the year. Even if you feel you have not accomplished anything, submit the form for accountability. It also helps if you do not wait until the last minute to complete the information. You should have a running “log” of the things that you and the Post have completed during the year. As in the past couple of years, we are still ahead of the National aver-age for “on line” renewals for membership. This does not mean that our membership is improving, it just means that more Legionnaires are taking advantage of this service and convenience. Remember that if you have not renewed your membership by 1 February you are delinquent. After being under the weather a little, I’m glad to say that Linda Schmitt, our Department Auxiliary Secretary is back up and running. Thanks for all you do Linda for the Auxiliary.

Let’s ring in the New Year and be excited about telling our story about the American Legion. Don’t forget to keep pushing membership. Ask yourself how many people you have spoken to about the Legion or new/renewing members you have signed up. Have you qualified to receive the National Commander pin by signing up three members? Commanders: It’s time to promote our programs, oratorical contest, and Boy’s and Girl’s State. It’s also time to start thinking about members of your post that should be recognized for doing a great job. In the past we have had only a few en-tries – sometimes only one. Let’s have some competition in the areas of Command-er, Adjutant, and Legionnaire of the Year voted on by the members of your posts. I reiterate: Please don’t forget those Consolidated Post Reports. I would love to see a 100% turn-in on this. Show what your post has accomplished during the year and make our National Commander proud of Alaska. On November 5th, I participated in the Veterans Parade in downtown Anchor-age, and in the Silver Tea hosted by the Unit 1 Auxiliary. On November 9th I participated in carrying the flag for Post 21 during the ceremony honoring women veterans. November 12th found me visiting the Post 4 bazaar in the Pioneer Home. The bazaar is an outstanding event that raises funds to finance both memberships and caps for the post members. On December 3rd I participated with the Director of the Veterans Administration (VA), the SAL, the American Legion, and the La-dies Auxiliary in cutting the ribbon to the VA Domiciliary; we assisted the veterans in purchasing and wrapping gifts for their families. What a warm feeling to see so many of you volunteering to help out our veterans. Thank you for a great job! On December 4th it was my honor to attend a dinner at Post 35 in Wasilla that was held to honor our WWII and Korean War veterans. It felt good to hear the stories from these veterans who paved the way for us. The children’s choir who sang the patriotic songs after the dinner must have worked really hard on them because they did them all from memory. A sobering moment came after the children fin-ished singing because they read the numbers of all of those veterans who had been killed, or were casualties, in all of the wars America has fought in as a nation. The children did such an outstanding job. Thank you Post 35 for a great meal and for your gracious hospitality. With that in mind, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, will always be “a date which will live in infamy” as the United States was catapulted into WWII. This year will mark the 75th anniversary of that attack. In upcoming dates: January 19th is the 80% membership target due date. In late January 1968, the Tet Offensive began in Vietnam. With this in mind I am asking you to please keep all Vietnam veterans (and the veterans of all of our wars) in your thoughts and prayers. February is Americanism month – one of the Four Pillars – so please visit high schools and promote our programs. February 8th is the 85% membership target date. For those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries in Janu-ary and February, I wish you much love and happiness. I want to express my sincere thanks to the Post, Legion members, Legion Rid-ers, and Auxiliary units, to include 40/8 members, for their prayers, cards, flowers, phone calls, and visitations to the hospital, and for attending the funeral services for my late husband PDC James H. Malone. God bless my wonderful Legion Family. I am still embracing the moments as your Commander. “Keep Pushing!”

2 0 1 7 U n p a i d Po s t O f f i c e r s

Page 2 Alaska Legionnaire January/February 2017

THE AMERICAN LEGIONDEPARTMENT OF ALASKA

DEPARTMENT OFFICERS 2016-2017Commander................................Elexzanderia Carr..........................4300 Ambler Cir., Anchorage, AK 99504 First Vice Commander.................Kirk Waldhaus.............................13126 Cape Circle, Anchorage, AK 99515Second Vice Commander...............Nate Carter.............................2250 Sentry Dr. , Anchorage, AK 99507Adjutant-Finance Officer................Gene Franks...............................1550 Charter Circle, Anchorage, AK 99508Service Officer....................................Martin Carlton.................................8351 Henry Cir., Anchorage, AK. 99507Sergeant-At-Arms.................................Art Bell..............................1770 Morningtide Ct., Anchorage, AK 99501Chaplain.............................................Hunter Davis............................................655 Park Ave.,Ketchican, AK 99901Historian...........................................Ray Hollenbeck......................1457 N. Pioneer Peak Dr., Wasilla, AK 99654Judge Advocate...................................Ken Jacobus.................................310 K St, Ste 200, Anchorage, AK 99501Executive Committeeman.................Mark Berg........................... 7913 Arlene St. Anchorage, AK 99502Executive Committeeman..................Billy Smith........................... 2817 Talkeetna St., Fairbanks, AK 99709 Executive Committeeman..........Kyle A. Parkerson ............1266 Broadway Rd. Unit 1, North Pole, AK 99705

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMENNECommitteeman.............................Jim Pisa..................................4043 Hampton Drive, Anchorage, AK 99504Alternate Committeeman..............Steve Huisman.....................................4700 Rivers St., North Pole, AK 99705

DEPARTMENT COMMANDER’S AIDESDorman H. Baker Post 11..................Howard Majors Jr................................3279 Jefferson Dr., Fairbanks, Ak 99709Susitna Valley Post 35......................Matt Larson...................................PO Box 870491 Wasilla, AK., 99687George H. Plumley Memorial Post 20...Tom Schanrock........................53235 Thunder Rd, Kenai, AK 99611Joseph T. Craig Post 3..........................Deb Davis........................................655 Park Ave., Ketchican, AK 99901Chappie James Post 34........................Mayfield Evans................... 7500 Sportsmens Pt. Cir., Anchorage, AK 99502

From The

American Legion,

Department of Alaska

DEPARTMENT SPONSORED

INSURANCE PROGRAMSThe Legionnaire Insurance Trust

has been The Department of Alaska’s

sponsored member benefits program since 1988 and continues to fulfill our members needs while

being the only such program to benefit our Department for 26 years.

For more information on the products and ser-vices provided by the Legionnaire Insurance Trust

call: 1-800-235-6943or visit our web site at:

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O r a t o r i c a l N e w sBy Jan Scott

907-460-6707 Department Chairperson janscott1.js@gmail.com

THE ALASKA LEGIONNAIRE(USPS 012-100)

OFFICIAL Bi-MONTHLY PUBLICA-TION OF

The American Legion, Department of Alaska

1550 Charter Circle, Anchorage, Alaska 99508

Member of The National American Legion Press Association

W.E. “Gene” Franks, Managing Editor

L. Diane Berry, Editor

The Alaska Legionnaire (USPS 012-100) is published bi-monthly for $3.00 yearly subscrip-tion. Office of publication is The American Legion, Department of Alaska, 1550 Charter Circle, Anchorage, Alaska 99508. Periodicals postage paid at Anchorage, Alaska. Printed by Anchorage Printing, a private firm in no way connected with The American Le-gion, Department of Alaska. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members and families of The American Legion, Department of Alaska, and other approved subscribers. The appearance of advertising in this publica-tion, including inserts and supplements, does not constitute endorsement by The American Legion, The Department of Alaska, or An-chorage Printing, of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, reli-gion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. For information on advertising, call (907) 278-8598, fax to (907) 278-0041 or email to: legion@anch.net.SUBSCRIPTION RATES ~ PAY-

ABLE IN ADVANCEMembers of The American Legion, Depart-ment of Alaska subscription included in pay-ment of annual dues.ALL OTHERS: United States and pos-sessions - $5.00 per year; Foreign - $10.00 per year.

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Alaska Legionnaire, 1550 Charter Circle, An-chorage, Alaska 99508.

H i s t o r i a nBy Ray Hollenbeck

This is my second year as the Department Historian. Last year the narrative did not even exceed 20 pages. In a department the size of Alaska We should easily exceed 100 pages. So again I am requesting articles from all the post along with photos on what their post are doing. This isn’t limited to official events either. It could be anything from just day to day operations to special occasions. Also current photos of your post and the current officers. When I was the historian for Post 35, the annual narrative was over 120 pages that was just one post. With all the post help we could easily have that amount. Final word THE MORE THE BETTER.

When you read this the holidays are in the past. I hope your holidays created memories for you and your families and friends. If you are like me, you are happy our daylight is getting longer even if it is SLOWLY!! Nothing like a winter in Alaska to make you appreciate sunshine.

It is a good time to approach high schoolers about the contest. With the new semester just beginning which means that students have a little more time. Still time to prepare a speech, students and parents need to know this is a unique opportunity. We need to include the information that Samantha O’Conner who participated in the Oratorical Contest during her senior year in high school. She spoke at the American Legion’s National Oratorical Conference on September 26, 2015 in Indianapolis. “You’re building citizenship, you’re teaching constitutional knowledge, and you’re allowing (students) to do an impromptu speech that others don’t include. It’s all very meaningful. So it’s really important as you’re recruiting that you’re focusing on those benefits.” Now is the time to set your post contest date, time and location. Post contest can be held at the post, local school or library. You will need an odd number of judges, a timer and a moderator. You need to consult the web site www.legion.org/oratorical. If you have problems or questions about running a contest contact me. I have hard copies of the Chairman’s Guides, if you want them contact me. The Department Contest will be held in Anchorage on February 24-25, 20017 at Central Middle School, 1405 E Street. On Friday the contestants will have a walk through and sound check of the rooms so they are familiar with the ‘lay out of the land’ for Saturday. Saturday morning the first contest happens with the winners advancing to the afternoon. The winner of the afternoon advances to the National Level which includes a $1500 scholarship for par-ticipation. The National Level is on April 21 to 23 in Indianapolis, IN when the winners from other states compete. It has the same format as our Department Level. The scholarship monies are much higher with the top three being $18,000 for first, $16,000 for second and $14,000 for third. Our students here in Alaska have the power to earn these big bucks. Our contestant last year, Cheyenne Mathews from Ketchikan won over $23,000 in two years of participation. We just have to let them know the opportunity is there. That is where YOU get involved. Get the word out on the street.

Hello Legion Family, I hope you all had a marvelous holiday season. The American Legion Riders throughout our state have continued doing a great job supporting our posts and events benefiting our communities and our veterans. We continue to work on putting together batches of deployment boxes for some of our troops overseas. I hope we all will keep them in our hearts, minds and prayers as they serve our country and fight for our freedoms. Chapter 1 recently has been involved in putting together family care boxes for some of those in our community who are less fortunate than most, I hope each and every one of our members has had the opportunity to give back in one fashion or an-other. Please continue the great support of your posts community programs and get involved, remember one pair of hands lightens the workload a great deal, not to mention the ideas you have, can make a difference. I hope that each and every one of you has a wonderful and prosperous New Year.

ALRiders ~ Mark Berg ~ Director

1st Vice Commander NewsBy: Kirk Waldhaus

2nd Vice Commander NewsBy: Nate Carter

January/February 2017 Alaska Legionnaire Page 3

A l a s k a B o y s S t a t e D i r e c t o r

K e v i n C o l l i e r (907) 317-8029 k c o l l i e r @ a l a s k a . n e t

As I’m writing this we are still a few days from the January 19 target to meet our goal of 80%. I see by the latest report that about one third of the posts have already reached that goal. And another third are at 75% or better. The next target date is February 8 at 85%. Remember, All ya gotta do is ask! Last month I talked about some of the ideas for recruiting and renewing members. Since then I’ve been asked about some more tools and information to help. I think the best way to get some of the ideas and strate-gies that work is for us all to hear it from the folks that are making things work.

On the American Legion national web site there are more than 20 short videos on subjects relating to membership recruit-ing. Just go to the national web page www.legion.org and select the “MEMBERS” menu. On the left side of the screen you will see the item “MEMBERSHIP AND POST ACTIVITIES” select that. Scroll down and you will see the section labeled “RECRUITING VIDEOS.” There are four short videos there. Below those four there are buttons to go to more. Each of the Recruiting Videos averages about five minutes on various subjects. The topics discussed are such things as: Membership recruiting Tips, Community Outreach, Retaining the First Year Member, Membership Toolkits, Selling Points, Confronting Resistance, and more. Also there are videos about Creating Community Awareness, and the Value of Communi-cations Tools. Included in the collection are a couple of videos about successful district revitalization programs. I know those don’t di-rectly fit our situation here in Alaska. But, with a little tweaking those programs could easily be tailored to work in any com-munity. All it takes is a bit of imagination. Don’t forget, if you haven’t signed up on www.mylegion.org yet please do so now. For the individual legion member there is much information. For the post Commander and Adjutant in the Post portion of the site there are tools to help with iden-tifying those members that need to be contacted about renewing their membership. That’s about all I’m going to carry on about this time. Check out those videos. Coming next issue I plan to talk about retention. There is a bunch of information and tips available. I’ll be highlighting many of those tips and giving you some ideas for implementing retention programs. Just remember the most important thing is...YA GOTTA ASK!

The Americans Legion’s Family Support Network (FSN) has had to change with the times since it was first created in 1990 to aid military families who were experiencing difficulties during the deployment of their family’s service members as part of the nation’s call-up of forces for Operation Desert Shield/Storm. These deployment support problems were more prevalent in 1990 in the Reserve and National Guard units who had activated members with little notice. Issues such as delayed pay and benefits were compounded with the service members’s need to request assistance from the Department of Defense while the were deployed to Southwest Asia. Local post and Legionnaires stepped into the gap in order to help their local military families when the request for aid came through. Fast forward more than 15 years to the present where assistance can be requested with the speed of the Internet, an email or a phone call from a mobile phone to their service member while they are deployed; however, that still doesn’t mean that the mission of the American Legion and FSN is not just as vital as ever...it is! An offer to help a pregnant spouse of a deployed service member in raking leaves or shoveling snow is just as vital as helping them when a pay issue occurs within their lie. Legionnaires know their communities and local resources that can help a military family. But how does the service member’s family know about the assistance that Legion family members or a post can offer? Unless the local Legion family steps forward to provide the local military unit or military family with an opportunity to know what your post can offer in assistance, they may never know unless they happen to run across a reference to our programs on an Internet search. Take the opportunity to knock on the door of the nearest military facility and military families in your community and introduce yourselves. Become the resource for when they have a problem that could be solved by the FSN program. Provide a copy of our Troop & Family Support handout which lists several easy links to providing troop assistance: A copy can be found at (WWW.legion.org/pub-lications)

The American Legion Alaska Boys State is an objective citizenship training program which includes individual responsibility to the community, state and nation. American Legion Alaska Boys State is easily classified as a Leadership Action Program where High school juniors participate in a practical gov-ernment course designed to develop in the young citizens a working knowledge of the structure of government and to impress upon them the fact that their government is just what THEY MAKE IT. It is our goal that each young man attending American Legion Alaska Boys State sessions will return to his community a better citizen. Part of our goal is that this experience will have stimulated in him a desire to become an active citizen and leader to make contributions which will help to make his community a better place in which to live. To incite in these young citizens a determination to maintain our form of government. To develop in these young men a full understanding of our American traditions and a belief in the United States of America. American Legion Alaska Boys State is not a recreational camp but a leadership training camp. The American Legion Alaska Boys State Pro-gram is open to qualified male High School Juniors (those who will be seniors during the 2017-2018 school year.) and are at least 16 years of age. We are asking all American Legion posts to consult with area high school principals/guidance counselors and ask them to recommend a group of boys as possible candidates. The American Legion Post Committees interview each candidate and select those best qualified. Remember this is an investment in the future of your community, the state and quite possibly the nation. The American Legion Alaska Boys’ State Counseling staff is comprised of American Legion members, Sons of the American Legion members, and former American Legion Alaska Boys’ State members, many of whom have been with the program for a number of years. Their services have contributed much to the success of this program. We are always looking for volunteers to help by being a counselor. Or if you are not able to volunteer we are also looking for assistance with any donations to help sponsor students from outlying communities where there is no American Legion Post. This will be our 50th Annual American Legion Alaska Boys State Program and it will be held starting at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday June 11, 2017 through Saturday June 17, 2017. This year’s program will be held at Wilderness Lodge at St Therese’s Camp near Wasilla. The Tuition remains $300 per student. Please get the information into your Schools and Invest in our future leaders of tomorrow!! If you have any questions or need additional information – please do not hesitate to email or call me.

Taps

L e g i o n n a i r e I n s u r a n c e T r u s t P r o g r a mc a l l : 1 - 8 0 0 - 2 3 5 - 6 9 4 3 o r v i s i t o u r w e b s i t e a t : w w w. t h e L I T. c o m

Page 4 Alaska Legionnaire January/February 2017By: Hunter Davis, Department Chaplain

Veterans Service Office ~ Martin Carlton Another year is coming to an end and a new one begins. Steve Powell, Jamie Carlson and William “Hunter” Davis have made great strides in assisting Veterans. As of December 1, Hunter began moving into his office in the National Guard Armory in Ketchikan. As of the printing of this newsletter, Hunter will have been moved into his new office. More information will be provided when it becomes available. To insure timely filing and decision making, the VA distributes claims equitably across the country. Although you submit your claim in Alaska, it might be assigned to a VA regional Office in the lower 48. The idea is the veteran will not notice a difference in the claim processing except to be more efficient. That does not mean there are no problems Steve Powell is working hard in the Kenai Peninsula, Jamie Carlson works alongside me in the Anchorage office. I am resigning as the Department VSO at the beginning of the year. It has been an experience I will never forget. Working with the Anchorage VA has given me an insight as to the challenges that the VA faces in serving the vets. The bureaucracy that is involved can be time consuming. Thank you Chad and your team at the VBA for your hard work. For some good news, Fred Richardson is in training to take over my position. A note from Fred: Thank you Marty, you will be a hard act to follow... Some of you may know me from conventions or from my home post, Peters Creek 33. I’m still in training but Marty is guiding me along. I never realized how much is involved but I’m sure I’ll pick it up.

Gerald E. Anderson Post 35Joseph W. Anderson Post 5Moses K. Aola Post 28Emmett R. Cale Post 01

Walter Harmon Post 28James Hefty Post 28 Bruce Kullander Post 5Sam K. Medsker Post 30

Thomas J. Miller Post 3 Ernest W. Rogers Post 25Dale M. Walters Post 35Lawrence A. Willard Post 12

A new year is upon us. New challenges to be overcome await us. Change is what happens a second from now. The Past is another country.Reading the Alaska Legionnaire and The American Legion magazine, I am always struck by the sheer amount of new that fills

their pages. That content represents a lot of creativity. Articles, ads, jokes, barometers, events, functions…all new. And yet how often do we just skim the article? Skip right over the ad? Laugh at the membership barometer (that is, everyone below MY post)? Read every article, every column, every ad? Nah, that takes too much time, TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) seems to be the default for many of us. Time. The difference between new and old is time. How fast that happens is a matter of interest and perspective. I am interested in military history. I can dip into any era, any continent, and find something of interest. Time is immaterial to a written history. As long as the book exists, or the file is saved, I can still be there. Alexander the Great was in Afghanistan in 330 B.C. Accounts of his invasion and occupation are still available. Henry V of England defeated the French at Agincourt in 1415. Stonewall Jackson out-maneuvered and out-fought far larger forces in the Valley of Virginia in 1862. A million men were killed or wounded at the Battle of the Somme in 1916, in four-and-a-half months. It is out of that last one, The Great War, that the American Legion was created. Something new, something hopeful, something to “…preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the Great War[s]…” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? A new organization to remember the Past, that vast country. Veteran’s organizations were not new, this is true, but none then recognized the sheer scope of the world-wide conflict that was the Great War. It was a new way of war and the Legion was a new way of recognizing the efforts of those who fought. 2016 marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The United States entered the war late in 1917, and by June of 1918 was fully engaged. To the exhausted European armies, the Americans came in with a lot of energy. A new optimism began to make itself apparent. By mid-Summer of ’18, following Belleau Wood, the end could be seen, though there was still a great deal of blood-letting to come. Post meetings open and end with the Chaplain offering prayer. We use the same one to bless us in our discussions, and another to send us safely on our way. So, we do not change our prayers, but rather, we rely on every member present to hear it for the first time, each time. For that is what prayer is, a new request every time. Something new.

Again this year we will have a Consolidated Squadron Report Form, there will be some changes on the form from last year and will be coming out some-where around February or March. As soon as I receive them I will be sending them out to the Squadrons. In the meantime remember to keep track and record everything that you do so it can all be put on the Consolidated Squadron Report Form by Detachment Convention. As we start out a new year remember to gather all of the information from the appropriate sources such as from your membership for hours, returned checks or bank statements for the donations so that next year’s Consolidated Squadron Report Form is easier to fill out and perhaps more detailed on what you actually accomplished throughout the year. We need to do better in reporting what we do on the “Consolidated Squadron Report Form”. This is perhaps the most important document your Squad-ron can complete. We only had about 4 of the 18 active Squadrons fill out the Consolidated Squadron Report Form. The information that you enter on the “Consolidated Squadron Report Form” is combined with that of all of the other Squadrons and reported to The American Legion to show what we as the Sons of The American Legion have done and accomplished throughout the year. The American Legion subse-quently sends this on to Congress to show what the American Legion Family has done throughout our Communities, our State and the Nation. All this information of what we do as a Family helps maintain our non-profit status. Let’s see if the Detachment of Alaska can get 100% reporting this year. As you prepare to go into elections for this upcoming year and select your Squadron Officers it would be greatly appreciated if you would take the op-portunity to turn in your Certification of Officers. Please do so as soon as possible after your elections! This helps the Detachment Commander and myself in having points of contact at your Squadron. It is also time to start thinking about running for an Office at the Detachment level. If you are interested in running please be sure to get the support of your Squadron and Post and send a copy of your letter of intent and support to the Detachment Headquarter as soon as possible. The address is 1550 Charter Circle, Anchorage, Alaska 99508. The letters of intent for Detachment Officers need to be received no later than 5:00 pm Monday March 06, 2017. Conventions are a great way to learn not only what is going on in the state but also the nation as far as The American Legion Family goes. You also get the opportunity to see some of your longtime friends and to meet new ones. Hopefully you will be able to attend the Department/Detachment Conven-tions in Haines this April and we will see you there. Take a moment out of your day to say “Thank You!!” to our American Heroes – our Veterans. Remember every day we should pay tribute to our vet-erans by celebrating our freedom and the men and women who fought for our country. Always remember that with out the sacrifices of our veterans this country would not be the great Nation that it is. They have given of themselves so that we all may live in peace and enjoy all the rights and privileges we have being an American Citizen. All veterans gave something of themselves; some even gave all to ensure our blessings of life, liberty, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. the web page www.sal.legion.org. I would like to personally thank each and every one of the veterans for their service and sacrifices that they made. God Bless you and God Bless America.If there is anything that any of your Detachment Officers can do to assist you or answer any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. My email is kcollier@alaska.net. Hope to hear from you soon. Remember Our Commitment Keep it Every Day!

K e v i n C o l l i e r C o n ’ t f r o m p a g e 6

January/February 2017 Alaska Legionnaire Page 5

“From the Doghouse” By: Jim PisaNational Executive Committeeman

J a n u a r y1st

Baseba l l r eg i s t r a t i on opens15 th

Dead l ine fo r Home l e s s Ve t e r an Task Force r e por t sDead l i ne fo r 2016 VE&E award nomina t ions

16 thMar t in Lu the r K ing J r. Day

19 thMid-Win te r member sh ip t a r g e t da t e ( 80%)

27 thVie tnam Cease -F i r e ( 1973 )

F e b r u a r y1 s t

AMERICANISM MONTH (Febr ua r y )De pa r tmen t submi s s ions due fo r Na t iona l Law Enfo rcemen t

Of f i c e r and Na t iona l F i r e f i gh t e r o f the Yea r awa rds5 th

Four Chap l a in s Sunday8 th

85% Member sh ip t a r g e t da t e14 th

Va len t ine ’s Day20 th

Pres iden t s Day24 th

S t a r t o f Opera t i on Dese r t S to r m (1991 )28 th

End o f Opera t i on Dese r t S to r m (1991 )~~~~~~~

Jack Henry Post 1Monday - Homemade Pizza 5:00-7:30

Tuesday - Cribbage 4:30Wednesday - Tacos 5:30-7:00

Thursday - Burgers & Brew 5:30 - 7:00Friday - Steaks 5:30 - 7:30

Saturday - LOL Drawing 3:30Seward Post 5Taco Tuesday

Friday Night SteaksFood Served most nights at Post

Matanuska Valley Post 15Taco Monday

Tuesday Pool LeagueWednesday Dart League/NHL Hockey

Friday Steak NightGeneral Buckner Post 16 Family

2nd Saturday Auxiliary Dinner 6 pmTaco Tuesday 5 pm

Friday Burger & Brew 6 - 8 pm3rd Friday Steak Night 6 pm

George H. Plumley Memorial Post 20Sunday Breakfast 10am - 1pm

Every Friday is Steak Night 6-8 pm with an added Special DishEvery Sunday Breakfast Menu Dishes 10am-1pm

Every Friday Aux Unit 20 Sponsors the Friday Night Raffle 12 pm - 8 pmDrawing (sign up once a day to enter) every Saturday must be present 4 pmMembership drawing (no sign ups) every Sunday must be present 2 pm

Spenard Post 28Monday, Commanders Night~Burgers & Brew 4-8 pm

Tuesday, Taco night 6 pmWednesday Chicken Wings 6 pm

Thursday, Baked potato~all the fixins 6 pmFriday Steak Night with Live band 6-8:30 pm

Saturday, Karoke 8 pmSunday, Make your own ~ Waffle bar & Bloody Mary’s 10-2 pm

Chappie James Post 34Commanders night starting at 6:30pm every Thursday

Susitna Valley Post 35Open Daily @1pm

“ NON-SMOKING” Meeting Nights: Legion: 1st and 3rd Tuesday 7:pm

Auxiliary: 1st Tuesday 7:pm Sons: 1st and 3rd Monday 7:30 pm

Riders: 1st Saturday 6:pmMonday: Football Burger Night 5:30pm - 8pm

Wednesday: Taco Night 6pm - 8pm Texas Hold’em 7pm - ?Thursday: Football - different special every week

Fridays: Steak Night 6pm - 8:00pmSenior Appreciation Dance: Last Thursday of Every Month 2pm - 4pm

C.R. Huber Post 57Sunday Breakfast 10-2

FOOTBALL & NASCAR Every SundayMonday night Football

Thursday Burger Night 5:30-9 PM

“From the Doghouse” By: Jim PisaNational Executive Committeeman2016

Calendar of Events “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year”. Hope everybody had a great holiday season. Now it’s time to get back to work on the programs of The American Legion. The post chairperson for Oratorical and Boys State need to start gathering information from the program chairperson. Then you need to get the information out to the local High Schools, Private Schools and Home Schooled students and promote the program. Over the last sev-eral years the student participation has dropped to only a few students. With little or no participation the program will die. ORATORICAL: Jan Scott is our Oratorical chairperson and is very helpful in getting the information out to the post for distribution. The Oratorical contest starts at post level then on to State. Contact Jan Scott for more information and dates. Last year we had only “FOUR” students participate in the state wide contest. Our State winner from last year, Cheyenne Mathews from Ketchikan, went on to place “THIRD” in the Nation and win a $14,000 Scholarship. Thank You Jan, for all your hard work, and time that you put into the program. BOYS STATE: If you haven’t heard yet, our new Boys State Director is Kevin Collier. Kevin has been involved with the boy’s state program for several years and will do an outstanding job as director. But he cannot do it alone. It takes every post chairperson to find the best candidates in your area. Remember local high schools, private schools and home schooled students are all eligible to attend. For more informa-tion on dates and qualification packages contact Kevin Collier. Kevin is always looking for counselors to volunteer to help in the week long program BASEBALL: It’s never too early to start thinking about your American Legion Baseball team. There have been several changes in the program not only national changes, but in Alaska as well. Russ Baker, our Director of Baseball spends many hours attending meetings with the local coaches but at the national level as well. If your post sponsors a team, get involved. As true baseball fans will say Winter Bad, Baseball Good. MEMBERSHIP: Thought I wasn’t going to talk about it. At the time of this article several posts are below the 70% mark. We all need to get busy and start contacting our delinquent members. If their 2017 dues are not paid by January 1, they have become a delinquent member. If their dues are not paid by February 1, the member is sus-pended with no privileges at the post. All this information can be found in the Officer’s Guide. Remember that your membership is important not only at the post and state level, but also at the national level. When our annual visit to Washington D.C. to visit our Senators and Congressman, they always ask how our numbers are and how are the Veterans doing with health-care, claims status and overall problems that we all occur. We the Alas-kan delegation, will be visiting Senator’s Murkowski and Sullivan and Congressman Young in late February to discuss many Veterans issues that The American Legion will be discussing. In the last article I wrote, I mentioned the Department of Alaska picking up 4 new posts from Japan, Thailand and South Korea. It has been put on hold by National for further study by the ad hoc committee. This will have a big impact on the department membership as well as the communications with the new posts. I will give an update as I hear more from National. ELECTIONS: It’s that time of year again, for members to start thinking about running for a post officer position. Many of us have served in the same office for several years and it’s time for some of us to step up with a fresh set of eyes and ideas. Not only will this help the post but you will also find out there is more to The American Legion then just a 1 hour meeting once or twice a month. And in some cases a meeting every week. So legionnaires step up to the plate and help your post with fresh ideas.

S o n s o f Th e A m e r i c a n L e g i o n D e t a c h m e n t C o m m a n d e r M i k e J i m e r s o n

D e t a c h m e n t A d j u t a n t K e v i n C o l l i e r

Page 6 Alaska Legionnaire January/February 2017

Greetings Gentlemen! By the time this letter reaches you, Christmas and New Year’s Eve will have come and gone. I hope you survived the Holidays okay, especially if you have children or grandchildren! I was able to attend, along with several members from Squadron 16, the ALA Domiciliary gift giving and wrap. What a wonderful turn out again this year by the Detachment of Alaska, and I like to thank those that participated. Great job gentle-men! So let’s remember next year to put this on your schedule. As your Detachment Commander this is one of the most won-

derful things that I get to do all year for our veterans, not only gratifying but very humbling. Donations are accepted and needed all throughout the year, make checks to Department of Alaska (American Legion Auxiliary). A special thank you to Peggy Bateman! Your efforts of organizing this event each year have not gone unnoticed, taking care of our veterans, God Bless You! Upcoming Events: January 28th Annual Detachment steak night fund raiser. This will be held at Post 28, beginning at 4 pm. There will be a DEC Meeting preceding this event. For all those that can volunteer this is a major Detachment fund raiser for our various charitable donations throughout the year, please contact myself. For those of you who don’t know how to get ahold of me I don’t want to talk to you anyway. Due to the price of meat a 32oz. Steak with all the trimmings will be $30. A bargain at twice the cost. I would like to give out a special thank you to those people who opened their mouths about committees. Thank you John Whitlock, Sq. 29 for our Children and Youth Detach. Chairman, and Mr. Loren Estrada Sr. Sq. 35, the last complainer, you are now in charge of Detachment mem-bership. Thank you gentlemen for volunteering. Ask and you shall be appointed. Let’s continue working on our membership numbers, and outreach to our veterans in your communities. Department of Alaska convention will be held in Haines this year, so start your fundraising efforts early, because I know Haines will show us a good time and great convention! (It is dry down there so BYOB and don’t forget the Commander). For God and Country, Mike Jimerson (my last year as commander, again)

Fellow S.A.L. members, Hopefully the New Years was good to you and re-instilled a shinning new vision to you and yours in the belief of this great organization and everything we do for God and Country. Remember the Detachment will be doing their 32 oz. T-bone Steak Dinner! This will be our 21st year doing this event. This years STEAK FEED will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at Spenard Post #28, in Anchorage, Alaska. This fantastic dinner will be held from 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm. The price this year will be $30, with the proceeds going toward The American Legion Alaska Boys State and the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State programs. See one of your Detachment Officers for tickets. There will be a Detachment Executive Committee Meeting at 1:00 pm on the day of the Steak Feed at Spenard Post #28. It is never too early to start organizing your activities for each month, get started as soon as possible in order to ensure success. February is the month that The American Legion Family has dedicated as Americanism Month. Be sure to start planning your Americanism activities for your Post, Unit and Squadron. Several American Legion Posts will be having a Four Chaplains Ceremony. This solemn ceremony pays tribute to the World War II Heroes. For more informa-tion on this go to www.legion.org and look under Americanism – Publications for “Saga of Four Chaplains” The Four Chaplains Ceremony is normally held on the first Sunday in February although I have heard that some of the Post may postpone the Ceremony until the second Sunday due to not wanting to compete with the events around the Super Bowl. Be sure to check with your local American Legion Post to find out when it is scheduled. February also is when The American Legion Oratorical Contest is usually held (If you are in Anchorage the local level will be held at Jack Henry Post #1 on February 11th). This Contest is a great event in which High School Students give an 8-10 minute speech on some aspect of the Constitution of the United States, which also gives emphasis to the duties and obligation of citizenship. Then each of the Contestants will present a speech from an assigned topic that usually tests their knowledge of that topic which is also on some phase of the Constitution of the United States. Check with your local Post, District and Department Oratori-cal Chairmen to see how you might be able to assist them with the program. Another one of the Americanism programs is The American Legion National Emergency Fund. The National Emergency Fund (NEF) has provided over $3,000,000 in direct financial assistance to Legion family members and posts. The National Emergency Fund has kept posts from closing and enabled Legion family members to begin to rebuild their homes and their lives. Eligibility is open to Legionnaires, Auxiliary ** and Sons members, Legion Posts. (** If Auxil-iary membership is less than 5 years continuous. Otherwise, the request will be forwarded to the National American Legion Auxiliary for consideration.). The Legion Family member has to be in good standing – in other words they have to be current with their membership and it has to have been processed at National Headquarters – yet another reason to transmit your membership timely. There were Legion Family members in New York that did not receive assistance from the National Emergency Fund because their membership was still at their Post/ Squadron or Unit – thus it had not been sent into their Detachment or Department to be processed and sent to National – they were not members in good standing. One other area that we should always keep in mind is the education of our communities and our youth in Proper Flag Etiquette, The proper presentation and proper folding of the Flag of our Country. Remember that if you have a nomination for Eagle Scout of the Year, their application needs to be into The American Legion Department Headquarters before March 1st. The American Legion was formed in the spring of 1919 between March 15-17. Hopefully everyone will help his or her Post celebrate the 98th Birthday of The American Legion. The Detachment as a whole has 692 members transmitted out of our year-end goal of 1420 (so far). This is equivalent to 48.2% of our goal. Remember that membership is everyone’s responsibility! Keep up the great job. As of writing this article we have had all eighteen Squadrons turn in membership so far for the 2017 Membership year, This is Fantastic – Thank you and keep the membership The 2016 Membership year the remaining Target Dates are as follows:60% January 19, 2017 / 75% February 8, 2017 / 80% March 8, 2017 / 90% April 12, 2017 / 100% May 10, 2017 / 105% July 19, 2017 The second Membership Postcard Renewal Notice for the 2017 Membership year will be sent out by National Headquarters in January and our members should be sending in their membership dues. The challenge for you is to send in a transmittal with as many members as possible prior to the 60% goal on January 19th and the 75% goal on February 8th. We need your cards into Detachment Headquarters about 1 week prior to the Target Dates in order to get them processed at National in time to count as reaching the goal. Let’s meet or beat each and every one of our goals this year – let us show everyone what the SONS from Alaska can do. Remember that membership is everyone’s responsibility! The National Membership Goal is 400,000 Members. The National Membership theme this year is “Membership Baseball League” – Keep swinging for the fences and bring the membership in over Home Plate - (into The American Legion Family!!) Honor our Veteran’s Service whom our membership eligibility came under by renewing your dues or if you are eligible to become a member of the Sons of The American Legion and have not joined – join the SONS and honor the service of the veteran who has sacrificed so much to protect this great country. Remember it’s Cool to be Dual!!! Who will be our Top Recruiter for the 2016 Membership Year??? Will it be you??? We all need to work on being a top recruiter. This will assist us succeed in reaching all our goals and the 105% challenge that National Commander Jeff Frain has given to Detachment Commander Michael Jimerson and the rest of the Detachment Commanders across the nation. National Commander Jeff Frain has also challenged all members of the Son of The American Legion to be a Super Hero and to sign up at least 1 American Hero (a Veteran) to be a new member in our parent organization - The American Legion. Keep up the great job you are doing in membership. Remember the three “R’s” “Renew”, “Recruit” and “Reinstate”. Do not just sit on it! Keep it rolling in. National Commander Jeff Frain has asked every Detachment to work on what is still being called the “Triple Nickel” – to push membership to retain at least 85% of their current members, reach 105% by National Convention next year (2017) and charter at least 5 new Squadrons. (Con’t on Page 4 )

A U X I L I A R YFrom the Desk of: President Sue Waldhaus

From the Secretary’s Desk By: Linda Schmitt

January/February 2017 Alaska Legionnaire Page 7

In my last article I said “it’s getting a little chilly out there!” Well as I write this now, IT’S DOWNRIGHT COLD! But we continue on with our busy schedules at home, Post, work.....The holidays are over and I know you had so many wonderful events. The 2016 membership year ended a bit short but now we move on to 2017.A reminder - Dues in-creased for the Dept. by $4.00. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact 2nd Vice Deb Lowndes or Dept. Sec. Linda.

“Back to basics” of leadership and membership working in harmony, is one of my goals for the year. On visitations so far, I see that happening. It takes the effort of everyone to make it happen.. Keep your commit-ment and reason for becoming an Auxiliary member in front of you all the times. MidYear Reports were due to Department chairman in December. I’m trusting that each unit did the job so we can claim 100% reporting. Visiting every Unit is a challenge but I’m still open for dates you can work with. This is a work in progress. If you haven’t scheduled yet, contact Dept. Secretary Linda or me. It is important for leadership to meet on the home ground of the unit. I look forward to visiting and working with you. THANK YOU! to Peggy Bateman, Chm,(Unit 1). Anch. DOM Gift Shop and to Cassie St. Rose , Chm,.(Unit 57) Fairbanks Gift Shop for JOBS WELL DONE! This is one of the most meaningful events for a member to participate in, If you haven’t volunteered, please plan now to do so next year. Thank you Peggy and Cassie and your crews.

THANK YOU too to Post/Unit/SAL 35 for the touching and heartfelt tribute to WWII Veterans at the dinner just before Pearl Harbor Day. What a wonderful afternoon. The food was fantastic, the ROTC Color Guard, the children’s choir and their patriotic songs/sing-a-long – I saw many eyes with a tear.

I have to tell you too, that our Department of Alaska American Legion Auxiliary participated in the “Women Veteran’s Day Celebration” in Novem-ber. We were part of the planning committee. I highly recommend we continue this partnership. My heart was warmed by the Korean War woman veteran who told me this was the first time anyone said thank you to her for her service. It was her first time at this event, Women Veteran’s Day is always November 9 - Just for your information in planning your unit’s activities for next year.

Now we begin our events and planning for the last few months of our Auxiliary year. Now is the time to be thinking of new leadership for our units and department. Unit elections are in March, Department elections are at Department Convention in April. Endorsement letters are required for bids for the department positions. If you have any questions in the proceedure or duties of a particular position please contact your Unit President/Board, Dept. Sec. Linda, me, Dept. Leadership Co-Chairmen Eva / Susan or any Past Dept. President. Each one of you has the potential for leader-ship. Think about moving up, learning more and being that person. Think about how you would tell “Who we are! What we do! and Why we matter!” THE OTHER item I want to remind you of is that YEAR END REPORTS are due to our Department Chairman by APRIL 1st. Please! Please! Please start gathering the info needed now. Remember, if you did the Mid Year Rpt. In Dec. you are halfway already. If you have questions, contact the program chairman. Our aim is for 100% reporting. Wrapping this up for publication:• The invitation stands! In Anchorage? Let’s have a cup of tea!

Enjoy our wonderful, diverse, beautiful Alaska and Enjoy and share our American Legion and Auxiliary mission of service to our veterans, their families and communities. Country & Angel Hugs - Sue

Happy New Year! I hope that you all had a Merry Christmas and Santa Claus was good to all of you! Here we are at the beginning of 2017 and ready to hit the ground running. The first order of business is to get the Call to Convention out and I hope to have this completed by the end of January, so please be watching your mailboxes and email accounts. Along with the Call to Convention, are letters of endorsement for anyone interested in running for a Department office for 2017-2018. Please be sure to contact me for permission to circulate your letters of endorsement prior to your doing so. Also be sure to send me a copy of your endorse-ment letter for my files. Please do not waste time getting your letters put together, April is not that far away and Department Convention is a week earlier this year than normal due to the location of the Convention in Haines. The convention dates are April 20-22, 2017.

Also, please be aware that a number of our Department Chairmen have not contacted the Units with their Plans of Action and it is creating a real hardship on the units who are trying to be conscientious about their reporting. If you are one of these chairmen, please contact the Units with your reporting requirements for your chairmanship. When you agreed to accept your chairmanships, you obligated yourselves to doing the work re-quired. Please be considerate of the Units who want to learn and get them the information that they need to be willing participants in the auxiliary.

Soon I will be sending the Year-End Impact Report to all Units. It is imperative that I have a report from every Unit in the Department of Alaska. This is the report that is all numbers and is added to the totals of the American Legion and the Sons of the American Legion and those num-bers are eventually presented to Congress to garner aid and programs for our Veterans. I was absolutely irate last year when I only received reports from nine of the twenty-two Units in the Department of Alaska. I know that you all do so much more than you are reporting and it just slays me

that you would pass up an opportunity to really walk the walk.

Finally, it is not too early to begin thinking about if you want to attend National Convention this year. This years’ con-vention is going to be held in Reno, Nevada and as a lot of you know, it is not very often that this convention is held on the West coast. If you ever wanted to attend this convention but the cost was prohibitive now would be your chance to complete the Auxiliary picture so to speak. I will have more information available in the coming months regarding National Conven-tion, but do please consider attending this convention as part of our delegation – you won’t regret it we really do have a lot of fun!

ROBERT G. BLAIRPOST 17

CommanderWalter Sargent

AdjutantTom SaundersService OfficerMike Nichols

318 Center Ave., Kodiak, AK 99615

Office: 486-3258 / Bar: 486-5757JOSEPH T. CRAIGPOST 3

Meets every Monday, 7pmPotluck every 3rd Saturday

CommanderJames Boyd

AdjutantJim Van HornService OfficerHunter Davis

225-2021, P.O. Box 5121Ketchikan, AK 99901

www.americanlegionpost3.com SUSITNA VALLEY POST 35Commander Matt Larson

Adjutant Ron TravisService Officer James Francois

Monthly Meetings Legion & Aux - 1st Tues 7pm

ALR - 1st Sat 6pmSAL - 1st & 3rd Mon 7:30pm

P.O.Box 870370Wasilla, AK 99687

907-376-3500Mile 46 Parks Hwy

www.facebook.com/post35ak

AURORA BOREALISPOST 21

All Female PostCommander -Tanya McPherson

Adjutant -Ayanna SantiagoService Officer -

Elexzanderia CarrMeeting 3rd Saturday @ 2 pm

Sept - MayP.O. Box 91116

Anchorage, AK 99509Sponsors Dimond Baseball Team

C. RUSSELL HUBERPost 57

CommanderLinda Boisseau

AdjutantRuben Iorga

Service OfficerJimmy L Russell Jr

1st ViceMark Fraley

Sunday Breakfast 10-2followed by:

Football & NASCAR Monday Football

Thursday Burger Night 5:30-9 PM

C. RUSSELL HUBER SQUADRON 57

CommanderDale Toenies

Adjutant Thomas McClelland

Finance OfficerMike Moutoux

1634 S. Cushman St.Fairbanks, AK 99707

JACK HENRYUNIT 1

PresidentSusan Stepsics

SecretaryJill Pawson

Meetings:1st Thursdays @ 7 p.m.

Mailing Address:2208 Romig Place

Anchorage, AK 99503

GEORGE H. PLUMLEY MEMORIAL

POST 20CommanderGregory Fite

AdjutantAl Diaz

Service Officer Ron Engebretson

283-3222, 902 Cook St.Kenai, AK 99611

NINILCHIK POST & UNIT 18

CommanderRobert E. Self

AdjutantDavid Behm

PresidentChris Calabrese

Sec/TreasBetty Randall

Mile 136.5 Sterling HwyPhone 567-3918

SEWARD POST 5Meets 2ND Tuesday 7p.m.

CommanderBobby Dunno

AdjutantMichael Calhoon

Service OfficerDonald (John) Christensen

Taco Tuesday ~ 4 p.m.Steak night Friday ~ 4 p.m.

P.O. Box 306Seward, AK 99664

907-224-5440

DORMAN H. BAKERPOST 11

CommanderWalter E. Crary

AdjutantBilly M. SmithService Officer

Chad Avery Petsch

Pull tab sales at the club

452-2228, 129 First Ave.Fairbanks, AK 99701

LYNN CANALPOST 12

Commander - John NewtonAdjutant - Ralph Strong

Service Officer - Terrance PardeeFirst Vice - William Rostad

766-2530

MATANUSKA VALLEYPOST 15

CommanderTom Domeier

AdjutantJesse Sawyer

Service OfficerBill Kennedy Jr.

Meets 1st & 3rd Mon., 6 p.m.P.O. Box 1146, Palmer, AK 99646

745-4440

www.akpost15.org

S u p p o r t o u r

F L A G !

MULDOON POST 29Meeting 3rd Tuesday @ 6:30 pm

CommanderOliver M. Warren

1st ViceErnest King

Service OfficerKenneth Holmes

1467 Muldoon RoadAnchorage, AK 99504

907-338-3550Fax 907-338-0756

muldoon29@gci.net

Con Miller Post 30

CommanderHarold Schuster

AdjutantTerry Huisman

Canteen ManagerHarold Schuster

3614 Old RichardsonHighway - Moose Creek

907-490-6830P O Box 56615

North Pole AK 99705

Jack Henry Post 1Meets 1st Thursday

@ 7 PMCommander

Art Bell1st Vice Commander

Jim Grant2nd Vice Commander

Mark BergAdjutant -

Tim BenintendiFinance Officer -

Ray UntietChaplain -

David MazackService OfficerSteve Untiet

Sergeant-At-ArmsGus Gillespie

Executive CommitteemenRichard Crook

A.J.DaviesJim Sartin

272-5242, FAX 272-5792P.O. Box 91285

Anchorage, AK 99509

Spenard Post 28

Commander Nathan Carter1st Vice Mike Bloom2nd Vice J.Trace HendersonAdjutant Arnold HeckFinance Kirk WaldhausChaplain Gary Schade Historian Phil Parks

Service Officer Martin CarltonSgt-At-Arms Robert Sorel

Judge Adv. Kenneth JacobusExec.Committeemen: Mike Ihli Galen Rick

Annual Sponsors of• Boys&GirlsState• AL Baseball Service High• BoysScoutTroop214• CubScoutPack214• DimondHighJROTC• Post28 Scholarship Program

7001 Brayton DriveAnchorage, AK 99507

907-344-3841

GRANDE DU ALASKA

GRANDE CHEF DE GAREFinis Shelden(907) 688-3263

GRANDE CHEF DE TRAINBob Myles

(907) 690-1951GRANDE CONDUCTEUR

Tom Schanrock907-283-6192

GRANDE CORRESPONDANTMs Cris Vrabel907-696-4330

CommanderMike Jimerson

1st ViceDave Dieckgraeff

2nd ViceRich Will iamsAdj/FinanceKevin Coll ier

ChaplainJamie Weeks

Sgt. At ArmsChris BedelHistorian

Rolf AarsethExec. Committeemen

Dale ToenisMerlyn T. Hardwick

Doug BlairNEC

Howard Fruhwir th Jr.Alt. NEC

Loren Estrada Jr.

Sons of the American Legion

Detachment of Alaska2016-2017

Patriot Pull Tabs750 W. Dimond Suite 106

10 am to 6 pm 7 days a week

(this ad paid for by Post 28)

January/February 2017 Alaska Legionnaire Page 8General Buckner

Post 16 FamilyCommander

Don RidlAdjutant

William SheldonSAL Commander

Chip DuganAUX PresidentBeth AndersonMeetings - 6 PM

SAL - 2nd MondayLegion - 3rd Wednesday

Aux - 3rd Thursday

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PUT LIFE INTO YOUR MEMBERSHIP

P U F LKeep a good thing going -

become a Paid Up For Life (PUFL) member of The American Legion. Avoid the effects of inflation by

never having to pay a dues increase. And if you carry

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