By Tim Engstrom The Minnesota Legionnaire Have you ever wondered about the Post numbers? Why is Minneapolis 1, Shakopee 2, Jordan 3, Lakefield 4, Worthington 5 and so on? The nearest answers can be found in an excellent history book by Ben Gimmestad called “Legion […]
Military Times By Leo Shane III • Sep 28, 05:29 PM Veterans Affairs physicians will begin screening all department patients for military-related toxic exposures starting in November, the latest step in efforts to understand the scope and severity of injuries caused by burn pit smoke […]
The PACT Act is a historic new law that will help VA provide health care and benefits to millions of toxic-exposed Veterans and their survivors. Since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law on August 10th, VA has been hard at work on implementing […]
Military Times By Katelyn Peters • Sep 27, 04:32 PM While the GI Bill will not change dramatically for 2023, there are still updates that veterans should familiarize themselves with to get the most from their benefits. In addition, there are education and tuition assistance […]
Military Times By Vincent Troiola • Sep 27, 03:06 PM Recently, I was in a room with several thousand veterans and a simple request was made, “If you, or someone close to you, has experienced mental health issues, please stand.” As I stood up, nearly […]
Mike, The American Legion’s “Buddy Check” program has been a great tool for our membership, and we were proud to endorse legislation that expands this program to VA. This legislation has since been included in a comprehensive package that includes dozens of bipartisan mental healthcare […]
NBC News Sept. 24, 2022, 7:00 AM EDT • By Melissa Chan Tony Miller killed countless enemy forces while deployed in Iraq, where his Army unit captured so many high-value targets that they received a valor award. “Violence was good,” said Miller, a paratrooper, who […]
Military Times By Leo Shane III • Friday, Sep 23 Veterans could see their benefits boosted by the biggest margin in four decades after Congress on Thursday finalized plans to guarantee that veterans’ checks see the same cost-of-living boost as Social Security payouts. Federal officials […]
Minnesota gives endorsement to Kelley Adelsman WILLMAR — Past National Commander Dan Ludwig of Red Wing Post 54 stood at the podium on Friday, July 15, and addressed the floor at the American Legion Department of Minnesota Convention in Willmar. “I move this convention endorse […]
By NANCY MONTGOMERY • STARS AND STRIPES • September 17, 2022 An exhaustive study four years in the making has found nearly a 40% higher rate of veteran suicides than that reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The study’s interim report, based on service […]
St. Cloud’s health care system could lose about fifth of staff By Tim Engstrom The Minnesota Legionnaire ST. CLOUD — As of July 11, there were 390 union employees in the St. Cloud VA Health Care System who have requested religious or medical exemptions from […]
These are images from Tuesday, Aug. 20, to Thursday, Sept. 1. Click on an image to enlarge it. Right-click to download it. See a gallery from the first three days of the convention by clicking here.
These are images from Saturday, Aug. 27, to Monday, Aug. 29. See scenes from the second half of the convention on Tuesday! Click on an image to enlarge it. Right-click to download it. See a gallery of photos from the last three days of […]
By SARA SAMORA • STARS AND STRIPES • August 31, 2022 WASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department has declared all 23 health conditions outlined in the recently enacted PACT Act “presumptive” from the date the bill was signed, reducing the burden on veterans or their […]
By SARA SAMORA • STARS AND STRIPES • August 22, 2022 WASHINGTON — The day President Joe Biden signed into law a bill to expand health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins, Marine veteran Jerry Ensminger filed one of […]
JR Radcliffe • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel • Published 10:12 a.m. CT Aug. 23, 2022 Once upon a time, the American Legion National Convention completely took over Milwaukee. Back in 1941, when the prestigious event chose Milwaukee as its destination, the city scrambled for ample hotel […]
Aug. 23, 2022, 5:00 AM EDT • By Courtney Kube A think tank says that military veterans are more likely than the rest of the public to be arrested and has launched a new commission to determine why and how the problem can be addressed. […]
Aug. 24, 1982: American Legion membership is available to those who served from this date through July 31, 1984, during what is known as the Lebanon/Grenada era. U.S. military personnel were deployed to Lebanon on a peacekeeping mission following a U.S.-brokered cease fire between Israel […]
19 Aug 2022 • Military.com • By Thomas Novelly Applications to the service academies dropped significantly this past year — ranging from 10% to nearly 30% — as the military continues to grapple with recruitment woes amid a national dip in college enrollment across the […]
Aug. 22, 1941: The U.S. Navy commissions the USS American Legion, and her World War II career begins, including landing some of the first troops at Guadalcanal, supplying a hospital, conducting rescue missions and training exercises. American Legion receives two battle stars during World War […]
By Lorna Schmidt Catholic Charities Editor’s note: The American Legion Department of Minnesota supports the passage of the bill mentioned in this piece. Please help us get it passed in 2023. Nearly 20,000 Minnesotans experience homelessness every night. This staggering statistic underscores the extent of […]
President Signs Honoring Our PACT Act, American Legion Commander Praises ‘Patriotic Advocates’ WASHINGTON (August 10, 2022) – The American Legion National Commander Paul E. Dillard praised President Biden and the bipartisan majority of congressional members who supported the most comprehensive veterans’ health-care legislation in decades. […]
The Minnesota Legionnaire RICHFIELD — Lawmakers showed up left and right for a meeting about the future of Minneapolis-Richfield Post 435. And that future does not involve selling the property. There were state Reps. Emma Greenman, Patricia Torres-Ray, Michael Howard, Donald Raleigh and Kaela Berg. […]
Senator Smith’s Bipartisan Legislation to Secure Health Care for Veterans Exposed to Radiation Passes Senate The Atomic Vets Act was passed as part of the historic PACT Act WASHINGTON, D.C. [8.3.22] – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that her bipartisan legislation securing health […]
By David Lerman • Posted August 2, 2022 at 7:40pm More than 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic substances on overseas deployments will gain easier access to health and disability benefits under a bill that cleared the Senate Tuesday. The 86-11 vote ended […]
Press release Contact: Minnesota Commander Jennifer Havlick 218-206-5796 Aug. 3, 2022 Veterans of wars in the Middle East who were exposed to toxic burn pits will finally get the VA health care they deserve as a result of the U.S. Senate passing the PACT Act […]
Scheels Top 20 Rankings Rankings for Div. I teams in Minnesota American Legion Baseball are released every Thursday during baseball season. This is the rankings for July 21. (in parentheses is last week’s rank) 1. Hopkins (1) 2. Stillwater (2) 3. Forest Lake (4) 4. […]
We have received a number of calls at the department offices about the “member since” on the 2023 membership renewal notices. All the notices have the last year paid not the year you joined The American Legion. Rest assured that your membership record reflects the […]
Greetings, USA Water Ski and Wake Sports is happy to announce a Veterans Learn to Ski Clinic in Perham, Minnesota funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Through this grant, the Big Pine Lake Water Ski Team will host an […]
By SARA SAMORA • STARS AND STRIPES • July 18, 2022 WASHINGTON — Nine Republican senators have written a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough urging the agency fulfill its promise to provide health care to veterans in a timely manner based […]