Category: Adjutant’s Corner

[From Gray & Associates, L.C.] The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) continues to grow. According to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Under Secretary of Health Dr. Elnahal, the VHA now has 400,740 employees, an historic high. The organization has “far surpassed” the goal of hiring 52,000 […]

COMMANDER’S MESSAGE Dear American Legion Family members and friends, It was two years ago when we were collectively dismayed at how swiftly the Taliban reasserted control over Afghanistan. Once the withdrawal of American troops gained momentum, we only knew it was a matter of time. […]

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee met Wednesday afternoon to review the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) implementation of the Honoring Our PACT Act. That legislation, which greatly expands veterans’ access to care and benefits for health conditions related to toxic exposures during their military service, […]

26 Jun 2023 • Military.com • By Patricia Kime  The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a case on the handling of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs — a proceeding that could provide additional education benefits for roughly 1.7 […]

20 Jun 2023 • Military.com • By Amanda Miller  Post-9/11 combat veterans who served between 2001 and 2013 have until Sept. 30 to enroll in Department of Veterans Affairs health care. The date will conclude a one-year “special enrollment period” provided by the PACT Act. […]

By PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN • STARS AND STRIPES • June 8, 2023  Legislation drafted by a group of U.S. senators aims to alleviate the military’s ongoing woes in attracting new members by allowing recruiters greater access to high schools and colleges. Introduced Wednesday, the Military […]

June 9, 1921: Highly decorated World War I Army Col. Frederic W. Galbraith of Ohio is killed in an automobile accident in Indianapolis while serving as second national commander of The American Legion. A revered leader in the fight for veterans benefits and care, his […]

Military Times; By Blake Stillwell • Jun 5, 02:49 PM  Listen, there are a lot of benefits to military service. There are so many the military actually hires people to explain them all to you. But chances are good this information was in a handout packet […]

June 6, 1944: American Legion founding leader Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., 56, lands on Utah Beach in the first wave of the Allied D-Day invasion of World War II. His Higgins boat misses the landing area by approximately a quarter-mile, and Roosevelt, Jr., is […]

The tax bill has passed and electronic pulltab games will be decimated in exchange for a nominal tax reduction, audit changes and a cap on manufacturer revenue shares. We expect the revenue losses to be 100-150 million dollars. The Tribes pushed for a full rollback […]

By Vincent J. “Jim” Troiola, National Commander, May 31, 2023 Dear American Legion Family Members and Friends, During my travels, I’ve had the pleasure to meet face-to-face with men and women currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. These are not customary meet-and-greets with a simple […]

As you are all aware, electronic gaming rules have been changed by our state representatives. Why they did this is unexplainable and will eventually hurt our American Legion programs and post operations. A summary of the changes follows; SUMMARY OF 2023 LAWFUL GAMBLING STATUTE CHANGES […]

May 30, 1920: Paris Post 1 Commander Col. Francis Drake represents The American Legion to help oversee Memorial Day observances for fallen U.S military personnel buried in temporary cemeteries across Europe. May 30, 1921: Four unknown American soldiers of the Great War are exhumed from […]

By JUSTIN WM. MOYER • THE WASHINGTON POST • May 29, 2023  WASHINGTON — Thousands of Harley Davidson motorcycles revved up outside the Department of Defense’s headquarters. Excited children waved American flags at passing riders while the more timid among them plugged their ears to […]

Military Times: By Leo Shane III • May 22, 12:00 PM  Ahead of Memorial Day remembrances, Department of Veterans Affairs officials have added 300,000 new names to their online registry of deceased veterans and service members interred at national cemeteries across the country. The four-year-old Veterans […]

From the National Adjutant, Daniel S. Wheeler; You may recall part of our decision to invest in INDYCAR marketing was to amplify our message on one of the biggest stages in sports. The Indy 500 is one of the largest sporting events in the world […]

By BRIAN MCELHINEY • STARS AND STRIPES • May 20, 2023  Bill Lins stuck it out in the U.S. Marine Corps for as long as he could. Enlisting in 2004, Lins, 38, served in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. On that last deployment, his unit […]

15 May 2023 • Military.com • By Rebecca Kheel  Billions of dollars of veterans benefits could be imperiled if the U.S. defaults on its debts, though the full extent of the fallout is uncertain because of the unprecedented nature of a default. About $12 billion […]

American Legion National Convention Sites and Dates   Year        Dates           Location   2023       Aug 25 – 31   Charlotte, North Carolina   2024       Aug 23 – 29   New Orleans, Louisiana   2025       Aug 22 – 28   Tampa, Florida   2026       Aug 28 – Sept 3 Louisville, […]

Racer.com; By Marshall Pruett • May 13, 2023 7:04 PM ET  Christian Lundgaard led most of the opening lap of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, but the polesitter quickly fell prey to Alex Palou who used superior tire strategy and pace to lead 52 of the 85-lap […]

By ROSE L. THAYER • STARS AND STRIPES • May 12, 2023  The requirement to live in a state for more than 90 days before applying for citizenship could be waived for military spouses under a new bill introduced Friday by House lawmakers. Reps. Marilyn […]

Sen. Kaine introduces national version of state anti-housing discrimination law for veterans, low-income families  By Ian Munro • The Virginian-Pilot • May 01, 2023 at 7:32 pm  Sen. Tim Kaine reintroduced a 2018 bill meant to stop housing discrimination against veterans and low income families […]

Sen. Amy Klobuchar introduces bipartisan legislation for military veterans  By Noah Caplan • Published: May. 1, 2023 at 11:21 PM EDT • Updated: 8 hours ago  ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Eric Andringa is a retired Lieutenant Colonel. In his 28 years of service and 18 […]

‘They’re Not Able to Cover Their Rent’: Housing Top Concern as Congressional Panel on Military Life Starts Work  Military.com 25 Apr 2023 • Military.com • By Rebecca Kheel  Enlisted personnel and junior officers are very concerned about being able to afford housing, the chairman of […]

Military Times By Meghann Myers • Apr 25, 04:20 PM  The United States Vietnam War Commemoration is calling on all Vietnam War veterans and their families to head to the National Mall May 11-13 for a “welcome home” event featuring performances, speakers and a chance […]

Earns $25K Scholarship, National Championship INDIANAPOLIS (April 23, 2023) – A home-schooled senior from Indianapolis capped a busy weekend of competition in her home city by earning a $25,000 college scholarship and first place in The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program – “A […]

The American Legion MAR 24, 2023 The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that surviving spouses or children of a veterans who died from a PACT Act-related condition may qualify for VA benefits, including monthly benefits through the VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Program. Surviving […]

National Legislative Division Weekly Update From The American Legion National Organization The American Legion held a press conference with Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., who have led the bipartisan effort to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs. The two senators have raised […]

Associated Press: By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR • today  WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a number of improvements in access to mental health care on Thursday to reduce suicides in the military, but held off on endorsing more controversial recommendations […]