As promised, I?Äôm sharing the history, aims and purposes of the American Legion. Last month, I listed all the services we provide for our veterans and commuities. This month I?Äôm sharing the history and purposes of these programs.
American Education Week
The American Legion originated the annual observance of American Education Week back in 1921, in order to focus once a year public attention on the problems, needs, and accomplishments of American schools.The national Education Association was the first to become co-sponsor with the American legion. Today, two other groups are co-sponsors: U.S. Office of Education, and the National Congress of Parents and Teachers.
School Medal Awards
Believing that the grade schools are important in youth for training in qualities of honor, courage, scholarship, leadership, service, companionship, and character, American Legion posts award annually to youngsters who distinguish themselves in these traits.
Boy Scout Sponsorship
The American Legion is one of the leaders in the sponsorship of Boy Scout troops. Thousands of Legionnaires serve as Scout Masters. Countless posts also are making substantial contributions to maintaining existing Boys?Äô Clubs.
Junior Baseball
Approximately 500,000 boys up to 17 years of age play baseball every summer under the supervision of the American Legion. More than 16,500 junior teams now are sponsored annually by American Legion Posts. Hundreds of the greatest major league stars are American Legion Jr. Baseball graduates. The two major leagues contribute $50,000 a year toward the cost of the annual nationwide tournament.
During the 1952 major league season, no fewer than 275 American Legion-trained ball players were on the payrolls of the 16 big league clubs. More than 4,000 others played in the minor leagues.
The objective of this program is to teach bioys the qualities of good sportsmanship, fair play, team work, and respect for rules as the basis for good citizenship.
Boys State
?ÄúLearn by doing,?Äù since the beginning of this program in 1935, more than 500,000 boys have received this dramatic training in civic government. It is the most effective youth-training activity designed to interest teenage boys in the principles of government.
The boys are organized into cities and counties. The boys then form two political parties, adopt platforms, nominate candidates, and elect their government officials, set up their own state legislature, courts, and law-enforcement agencies. They enact their own laws, enforce them, and simulate every function of state government. They learn how a good government depends directly on the individual citizen?Äôs interest and participation.
Boys Nation
The great success of the Boys State program led the American legion in 1946 to inaugurate a Boys Nation held annually in Washington, D.C. In Boys Nation, the federal government is studied. From 50 states, 96 boys attend the annual Boys Nation. They stage mock conventions, elect a ?Äúpresident,?Äù and hold a senate session in the caucus room of the U.S. Senate Office Building. Also, they meet and talk with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the F.B.I. director, U.S. Supreme court Justices, and other government officials. They visit the White House and meet the president and talk about domestic and foreign affairs. They also visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the home of George Washington at Mt. Vernon, the U.S. Capital Building, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.
Oratorical contest
In 1937, the American Legion sponsored an annual Oratorical (high school) contest in order to promote juvenile study of the American Constitution and Bill of Rights. High school students who entered prepared their original orations on some phase of these two vital freedom documents. During 1952, more than 300,000 students entered the 15th annual National High School Oratorical Contest. The national finals were held in Baton Rouge, La. Cliff Thompson of Kansas City, Kan., was the grand-national winner. He was awarded a $4,000 scholarship for any college or university. Second place was Robert John Wysong of Roselle Park, N.J., awarded a $2,500 scholarship. Third place and a $1,000 scholarship were awarded toDon Wright of Santa Fe, N.M., and George G. Russell, Jr., of Miami, Okla., recveived fourth place and a $500 scholarship.
Rehabilitation services
This deals with an activity which has always been the primary concern of the American Legion. The greatest name in rehabilitation is the American Legion. It has no equal in its service to disabled veterans, war widows, orphans, dependent bereaved parents, and all ex-servicemen and women and their families. There is no comparable organization in planning rehabilitation programs based on up-to-date needs because the American Legion has its ears and eyes working through its posts nationwide. No other group can match the know-how brought to this field of endeaver by the nationwide rehabiliation organization.
There is a Veterans Administration today because the American Legion convinced our government that a one-stop agency was necessary to administer veterans benefits.
The national network of approximately 153 government hospitals and 16 homes providing medical and surgical care for veteranssecond to none in the world in quality, is the result of an unceasing fight carried on for more than 33 years by the American Legion so that our disabled and sick veterans might have the finest care possible.
Medical Advisory Service
The American Legion works with the weight of distinguished medical authority behind it, to assist disabled veterans and all ex-servicemen and women and their families. Nearly all veterans?Äô claims for compensation involve medical problems and findings. For this reason, the American Legion has set up a medical advisory board to provide expert counsel and advice on professional matters in the fields of medicine, surgery and other treatments. This board is composed of noted surgeons, physicians, and specialists. It was headed by Dr. Leonard G. Rowntree of Miami, Fla., as Chief Medical Advisor, and Dr. Charles W. Mayo of Rochester, Minn., as assistant to the chief medical advisor. Ten other prominent medical authorities are members of the board and they met periodically.
Considerable progress has been made by the American Legion in extending this medical advisory service along the state level. It is the goal to expand until every post has its own consulting medical authority.
Insurance Advisory Service
The Insurance Advisory Service regularly confers with our National Rehabilitation Commission on all matters involving insurance problems because a great many claims of veterans have to do with government life insurance. This group has been of great aid to the American Legion in its practical approach to the VA insurance problems.
Legion Service Officers
The American Legion maintains a large organization of trained service officers throughout the nation to help veterans with their rehabilitation and re-adjustment problems. These are the men and women who provide free and expert assistance in helping veterans file claims or get hospitalization. Backing up these officers are the specialists in medicine, law, claims procedure, and insurance on the national rehabilitation staff. Thus, expert help for the veteran in need is only as far away as his/her nearest American Legion Post.
Here is some sound advice for every veteran. Don?Äôt try to buck the VA alone. It is alright for David to meet Goliath in combat or it is a fair match for an atom to rip a universe apart. But a lone veteran should never tackle the red-tape-bound VA singlehanded! Not with the American Legion standing by to do it for him/her, equipped with the know-how, the understanding, the experience, the organization and the unselfish desire to serve the veteran.
This is about half of the services the American Legion provides. I will share more with you in future issues of the Tri-County News Plus. Until then, God bless you and our country.
Cindy May
Kimball Unit 261 Secretary