American Legion Department of Vermont Monthly Bulletin
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American Legion
Department of Vermont
Monthly Bulletin
August 2019 “For God and Country”
Department of Vermont Commander
Ronald LaRose
My Fellow Legionnaires,
We are beginning month two in my tour as your Department Commander
and no word yet on impeachment! Hopefully, that stays at the White House level!!
Starting this month, we will have a team visiting various sites around the
state to share some knowledge with our District/County Commanders and Post
Officers to make these people more efficient in performing their duties. If you cannot make the training
scheduled for your District, look at the calendar and try to attend another training session. These opportunities
will only benefit the incumbents in these positions and strengthen the Department. This training is one of my
goals for this year.
Another goal of mine is to stabilize the drop-in membership. This puts individual Posts on the spot to
work hard in your communities to not only renew memberships but also to reach out to non-Legion members
living in your area about joining our great organization. Revitalization: I witness this firsthand in one Post this
spring with three Posts in attendance. Each one of these Posts walked away with at least two new members. It
can be done! Ask for a listing of veterans living in your county and start making the calls.
There are veterans in all of our local communities that at some time in their lives they are in need of
something. Whether they are a Legion member or not, we have a duty to check on these veterans to insure
they taken care of. Don’t be shy!
Like most of you, the month of July is a good month to get away with the family for some down time.
I am in Maine with my family and am enjoying the down time.
For those of you wanting to take a meaningful personal trip, travel to Bennington and visit the
Veterans Home. It will do you good and it will be good for the residents.
See you at one of the training sites.
For God and Country,
Ron LaRose
Department Commander
802-453-3818 (w) 802-453-7663 (h) 802-989-8573(c)
ronaldllarose@gmail.com
Preamble Of the Constitution of The
American Legion
For God and Country we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:
To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America;
To maintain law and order; To foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism;
To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the Great Wars;
To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation;
To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses;
To make right the master of might; To promote peace and goodwill on earth;
To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy;
To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.
The Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation,
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all
2
Department of Vermont Monthly Bulletin
Table of Contents
Department Commander 1 Department Historian 21
Legion Act 4 Children and Youth 22
Senior Vice Commander 5 Legion VT Baseball Tournament 23
Northern Area Commander 6 Committee Assignments 24
District Two Commander 7 Upcoming VT Conventions 25
District Three Commander 7 Post Service Officers 26
Addison County Commander 8 Legion Family Newsletters 26
Boys State 8 Pownal Clam Bake 26
Essex County Commander 9 VT Vets Home Picnic 27
Washington County Commander 10 Rip Off Tickets Reporting 28
District Four Commander 11 VA Veterans Outreach 30
Bennington County Commander 11 Post Everlasting 31
Your American Legion 12-13 Northern Vermont Veterans Expo 32
Upcoming Events 14 Attention Posts 33
Jeffrey Holmes Post 84 15 Hardwick Post Bingo 33
Membership Renewal 16 100th Vermont T-Shirts and Coins 33
Convention Committee 16
Caladinia County Commander 17
District Five Commander 17
Commanders Project 18
Calling All Posts 18
Salute to Veterans 19
Training on the Road 20
3
LEGION Act signed into law
The American Legion Website story
Jul 30, 2019
.6K
In a significant legislative victory for The American Legion, President Trump signed a bill July 30 that
declares the United States has been in a state of war since Dec. 7, 1941.
The American Legion sought the declaration as a way to honor approximately 1,600 U.S. servicemem-
bers who were killed or wounded during previously undeclared periods of war.
The LEGION Act (Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service Act) also opens
the door for approximately 6 million veterans to access American Legion programs and benefits for which
they previously had not been eligible.
“Recognizing the service of these wartime veterans is the right thing do and it is long overdue,”
National Commander Brett Reistad said. “The families of those who were killed or wounded during these
wartime acts should take pride in knowing that we recognize their sacrifice and service. Moreover, we are
proud to welcome any of the six million living veterans from the previously unrecognized periods into our
organization and call them ‘Legionnaires.’”
Now that the legislation has been signed, The American Legion’s eligibility criteria immediately
changes from seven war eras to two: April 6, 1917, to Nov. 11, 1918, and Dec. 7, 1941 to a time later
determined by the federal government. No other restrictions to American Legion membership are changed.
The law’s journey began on Feb. 14 when Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., introduced S. 504, along
with Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. A companion measure, H.R. 1641, was introduced in the House by Reps. Lou
Correa, D-Calif., and Ben Cline, R-Va.
Reistad expressed gratitude to the bipartisan members of Congress for passing the legislation.
“We are grateful that President Trump fully acknowledges the importance of The American Legion by
signing the LEGION Act in the White House today – just one week after it passed the House of Representa-
tives,” Reistad said. “In an era of partisan gridlock, Republicans and Democrats in Congress overwhelmingly
recognized the importance of allowing thousands of honorable but previously ineligible veterans the right to
join the largest and most influential veteran’s organization in the country.”
Reistad pointed out that existing American Legion membership
applications are in the process of being updated but can still be used. “In the
meantime, I recommend that prospective Legionnaires and recruiters write
‘LEGION Act’ in the eligibility date section of American Legion membership
applications if they fall outside the previous war eras,” Reistad said. “The
larger pool of veterans now eligible for The American Legion will also open
their family members to eligibility in the Sons of the American Legion and
American Legion Auxiliary as well.”
4
Senior Vice Commander
Catherine M. Tester
Hello Legionnaires,
Hard to believe August is already here. This month I will be attending the
Membership Training at National where I will be presenting our membership plan.
I look forward to sharing my plan with you once it is approved by National.
The department will soon have quotas for the upcoming year. I look forward to working with the County,
District and Post Commanders to set realistic, attainable quotas.
Thank you to Jefferey Holmes Post 84 for their hospitality and camaraderie shown to my husband and
I when we attended their 100th Centennial BBQ celebration in July. Great food, great conversation and best
of all, presentation of many membership awards. I was new to the American Legion when this post was char-
tered in 2011 and I did not know the history of the chartering of this post. Look for an article on the history of
this post in this month’s bulletin.
The Vermont American Legion Baseball Program was alive and well in Colchester this past week and
hats off to Director Scott Steeves and the host team, Cannons Baseball, for a well-run tournament. Mother
Nature made it interesting and challenging, but in the end it all worked out. Congratulations to the Brattle-
boro Post 5, Department of Vermont Baseball Champions and good luck at Regionals.
Many of us are off to National Convention August 23 – 29 and will bring back many fond memories
and new ideas.
Looking forward to seeing you around the state in my travels.
For God and Country,
Catherine M. Tester
Sr. Vice Commander
ctester2663@gmail.com
802-989-3755
Arlington Post 69 celebrating Lt. Colonel
Robert Sausville 100th birthday. Picture are
Post 69 Legionnaires with Robert.
HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY!
5
Northern Area commander
Tom Scanlon
As a Post Adjutant, this is the time of the membership year that is the
most demanding of time due to the large receipt of membership renewals. We
all know that membership is important and dwindling significantly. We must
work hard at recruiting new members and “Re-Connecting” with old ones who
have not been around for a number of years. The membership “green sheets”,
Form 13-077, that come with the new membership cards are a valuable re-
source. I keep a binder with the old ones and go back each year trying to locate
data on members who have not renewed over the years. Each year I am able to
get a few back. This happens with a phone call or a knock on their door, and
sometimes even with a letter telling them they are missed and that they are an
important asset and we need them to come back. However, personnel contact always works best.
The LEGION ACT has been approved by both houses of Congress and has been signed by the Presi-
dent. This opens the door for many new eligible members. The act expands membership eligibility to honora-
bly discharged veterans that have served on federal orders since the onset of World War II without any gaps of
time, up to the present. It is imperative that we maintain our viability as our veteran’s advocates, by virtue of a
strong membership and the political influence this brings. We all need to be out there talking about how im-
portant the work that we do is. We have to aggressively search and recruit this new membership base. Go to
www.legion.org and learn about the legion and what it does so you can become an informed member. This will
assist you in “selling” this great organization…. All Legion members are recruiters…. Do your part….
Here is the link to the District/County Commander’s Guide, which is a great resource and has very use-
ful recruiting information for new members:
https://www.legion.org/documents/legion/pdf/district_commander_guide.pdf
The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is
who you become. Your integrity is your destiny; it is the light that guides your way. - Heraclitus
For God, Country, and Community
Tom Scanlon
tscanlon@aol.com
6
District two Commander
Mark Cloutier
Welcome fellow Legionnaires. It’s hard to believe that it is August already.
By now all posts should be starting to process memberships. Please remember that all posts can pro-
cess their own memberships through mylegion.org. If you don’t know how it works, please feel free to reach
out to me and I can walk you through it. It’s simple, doesn’t take long and it saves Melodie a ton of work, and
she has mentioned that she really appreciates it as she has tons of other things to work on.
All post should be getting a visit from myself, their County Commander, or both of us so we can com-
plete post evaluations. I look forward to start visiting the posts in the 2nd District. I was only able to visit a few
posts last years and plan to stop by all this year.
There are Five dates set for “Training on the Road” sessions. The date for the 2nd district is
28 September 2019 at Lyndon Post 30 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Topic that will be discussed are Adjutant,
Finance, MyLegion.org, Membership, Service Officer, and District Commanders. These training dates are
open to all Legionnaires, and all are strongly urged to attend. Hope to see you all there.
My contact information is 802-279-9102 cloutier.mark@gmail.com
Mark Cloutier
2nd District Commander
For God and Country
district Three commander
Lew Graham Jr.
Greetings to all,
American Legion Baseball had a great season this year. The leadership, cooperation and partici-
pation were phenomenal. These youngsters are a wonderful example to all. Congratulations to the winners and
sincere appreciation to all who supported the program.
I have been installing our legion officers in several posts and enjoying meeting old friends and new.
Please let me know if you need an installation. My schedule is open.
County Commanders, please let me know when you are doing evaluations. I would like to attend if we
can coordinate schedules. It is always a pleasure to visit a Post and this is a good time to catch up with them.
My phone is 802-279-0441. Email is vermonter@charter.net.
I hope to see you at fall conference in October at Barre Post 10.
For God and Country,
Lew Graham, Jr. Check out our veteran support agency
802-279-0441 www.fowlersrandr.org
Respite/training for veterans
vermonter@charter.net
7
Addison County Commander
Alan Smith
The first wave of membership is flooding in, now is a good time to contact those that
have not renewed their membership in a few years.
With the passage of the “Legion Act” I expect Posts will gain a few members. Even though the eligi-
bility dates have been changed it is still a requirement that applicants have to have served at least one day on
Title 10 federal orders. Ask for a DD-214.
Installed Vergennes officers on July 11, all Addison County Posts have been installed. I’m fortunate to
have three well run Posts to oversee.
I will be making appointments to visit Addison County Posts for evaluations in the next month or two.
If you have any questions or need assistance with Legion business, don’t hesitate to call me, I don’t
have all the answers but usually know where to look for them.
For God and Country,
Alan Smith
post19@accessvt.com
Boys State Director
Dave Cobb
Greetings from Boys’ State!
Here’s the results of our scholarship awards from 2019. Many thanks to these Vermont colleges and universi-
ties for supporting our delegates!
American Legion Department of Vermont Scholarships
Richard C. Curtiss – Henry Wu, Essex High School
Harry Loyzelle – Dylan Roussel, Rutland High School
Norman Messier – Colby Switser, St. Johnsbury Academy
Castleton University
Liam Rocheleau, BFA St. Albans
Norwich University
Luke MacKintosh, Mill River Union High School
Jacob McMahon, Poultney High School
8
Middlebury College
Nathan Wu, Essex High School
Daniel Graves, Mill River Union High School
SAMSUNG Scholarship
Caleb Benz, Middlebury Union High School
Dates for 2020
The dates for Boys’ State 2020 are Sunday, June 21 through Friday, June 26. The location is Northern
Vermont University – Lyndon.
Boys’ Nation 2019
Our two delegates successfully completed their time in Washington DC from July 19 – 26. Vermont was rep-
resented by Trevor Mackay of Rutland (Rutland High School) and Patrick Kwass of South Burlington (Rice
Memorial High School).
We’re looking for a few good people…
The Boys’ State Committee is looking for a representative from the 4th District. Please contact Dave for
more information.
Questions and comments can be sent to me at dave.cobb.vt@gmail.com
With Respect and Gratitude,
And for God and Country,
Dave Cobb
Director, GMBS
Essex County Commander
Richard Baribeau
Hello Essex County,
It has been a very busy month here in Canaan with the remodeling of the post. Thanks to Home Depot
with the grant that has been a very big help. They have asked if I knew of any other post they may need some
help, You do not have to be in Essex County, if your post needs some help feel free to contact me and we can
get you in touch with the right people.
Richard Baribeau
Essex County Commmander
rbaribeau@myfairpoint.net
603-538-7474
9
Washington County Commander
Chris Wood
Greetings from Washington County- I hope everyone is getting a chance to get out
and enjoy summer in Vermont. This month I would like to focus on project that Squadron 59 in Waterbury is
working on. Our post lost two World War II Veterans last year, and we are now down to just four left on our
post roll. Our Squadron Commander is working to get certificates signed by the U.S. President honoring the
service of all W.W.II Veterans in the State of Vermont, and he is asking for your help. We would like to col-
lect a list of every W.W.II Veteran in the State of Vermont and the post they belong to, so please consider
helping out in this endeavor by sending your list me at chriswood0869@gmail.com or to our mailing address
at PO Box 417 in Waterbury.
In other news, I would like to take a minute to recognize some of the great events that have taken place
around Washington County recently. Sorrell Maynard Post #63 in Northfield has done an outstanding job of
hosting a community breakfast on the first Sunday of each month, so well done. The Legion Riders from Post
#3 in Montpelier took part in The Epic ride for Dignity and remembrance 2019 with several Veteran ceremo-
nies and donations. Doing great things to represent the Legion Family. This is also the season for post pic-
nics, steak and lobster feeds, and other summer celebrations. I hope to see some of you out at these events!
Chris Wood
Washington County Commander
chriswood0869@gmail.com
Communication Breakdown...
The reason the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines squabble among themselves
is that they don't speak the same language. For example, take
a simple phrase like, "Secure the building."
• The Army will put guards around the place.
• The Navy will turn out the lights and lock the doors.
• The Air Force will take out a 5-year lease with an option to buy.
• The Marines will kill everybody inside and make it a command post.
10District Four Commander
Christina Moore
Hi fellow legionnaire's.
I hope by now everyone has heard about the American Legion Act that was signed by the President.
Now everyone who has served at least one day since Dec 7, 1941, has an honorable discharge can belong to
the Legion. The National Commander said membership forms are being redone but until they're available you
can write per The Legion Act in the space for war era. Now is the time to go out and get all the eligible veter-
ans we can to join our great organization. Tell them why you joined the American Legion. I joined to make
sure that no veterans were buried without a color card. It's my honor to serve on the color guard for West Rut-
land Post 87. Share your good experiences with these veterans and invite them to join.
To all the posts in the 4th District if you were not able to attend the training at West Rutland Post 87, I
will be contacting you for the training that will be held at the Chester Post on September 18 from 5:30 to 8:30.
All officers are invited to attend.
If anybody needs anything, please contact me.
Christina Moore
4th District Commander
Cell: 802-236-9091
skittlestaz65@gmail.com
Bennington County Commander
Joe Bump
Greetings from the southern tip,
The days are flying by. Seems like yesterday we were getting ready for graduations and already we
are into the 2nd half of summer. Hope you have all enjoyed this summer so far. I have been out and about, so
if I haven't made it to your post, I will get there. I would like to stop by and just say hi, before we get to the
business of evaluations and such.
We were well represented at the DEC meeting and discussed training, fall conference and mid-
winter. Hope you are all making plans to attend. I am looking forward to seeing you at the training in Rut-
land in a couple of weeks. If you can't make this one, please make an effort to get to one of them.
If you have any functions going on at your post, let me know and we will publish it in the bulletin. Mean-
while, keep the pillars in mind. Membership is always going to be a challenge, but I am sure that we will put
our best foot forward and meet the objectives. There are some fundraisers out there and I will talk about them
when I come around.
Until we meet again, have peace and harmony in your life and enjoy the summer.
Joe Bump
makc57@comcast.net
802-733-4101
11Your American Legion
Department of Veterans Affairs 800-827-1000 www.va.gov
American Legion Headquarters 317-630-1200 www.legion.org
Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs 802-828-3379 www.veterans.vermont.gov
Veterans Hospital - White River Junction 802-295-9363 www.whiteriver.va.gov
Department of Vermont Headquarters 802-223-7131 www.vtlegion.org
Department Officers
Department of Vermont Commander Ron LaRose Post 19 ronaldllarose@gmail.com
NEC Man Fred Latour Post 33 fredericklatour41@gmail.com
Senior Vice Commander Catherine Tester Post 50 ctester2663@gmail.com
Department Adjutant Keith Arlund Post 36 keitharlund@yahoo.com
Department Finance Officer Dennis Minoli Post 10 cdminoli@charter.net
Department Chaplain Kenneth Conradt Post 13 howdydoo57@hotmail.com
Department Service Officer Milt Willis Post 67 milton.willis@va.gov
Department Judge Advocate Rebecca Otey Post 19 oteyrebecca@yahoo.com
Alt. NEC Man David Woodward Post 13 dwalvt@gmail.com
Historian Raymond St. John Post 03 stjohnray@hotmail.com
Sgt. At Arms Frederick Stebbins Post 33 stebbins196@gmail.com
Northern Area Commander Thomas Scanlon Post 27 tscanlon@aol.com
Southern Area Commander VACANT
Department of Vermont Headquarters
126 State Street / P.O. Box 396
Montpelier, Vermont 05601-0396
800-501-7131 / 802-223-7131
vtlegion.org
Melodie Ashford, Executive Administrator - alvthq@myfairpoint.net
12District Commanders
District 1 Commander Edwyn Flynn Post 19 skflynn@accesstv.com
District 2 Commander Mark Cloutier Post 7 cloutier.mark@gmail.com
District 3 Commander Lewis Graham, Jr Post 10 vermonter@charter.net
District 4 Commander Christina Moore Post 87 skittlestaz65@gmail.com
District 5 Commander Richard Farmer Post 67 ida9999@vermonttel.net
County Commanders
Addison County (D1) Alan Smith Post 19 amssr@hotmail.com
Bennington County (D4) Joe Bump Post 90 make57@comcast.net
Caledonia County (D2) David Perron Post 30 perrondavid323@yahoo.com
Chittenden County (D1) Jessica Blanchard-Patenaud Post 91 jessblanchard64@gmail.com
Essex County (D2) Richard Baribeau Post 47 rbaribeau@myfairpoint.net
Franklin County (D1) Brian Markwell Post 60 bdmarkwell@gmail.com
Lamoille County (D3) Roland Cleveland Post 33 itotkids30@myfairpoint.net
Orange County (D3) Larry Hart Post 78 larryhart64@gmail.com
Orleans County (D2) John Hurlburt Post 21 bjhurlburt3@gmail.com
Rutland County (D4) William Ferman Post 49 bill956bf@gmail.com
Washington County (D3) Christopher Wood Post 59 chriswood0869@gmail.com
Windham County (D5) VACANT
Windsor County (D5) Ronald Farr RonFarrar@hotmail.com
Sons of the American Legion American Legion Auxiliary
Detachment of Vermont Department of Vermont
salvermont.com vtalauxiliary.org
Dave Hendee - Detachment Commander Karen Degreenia - Unit President
splashbbd@gmail.com karmardeg@gmail.com
- Sr. Vice Commander
Marc Colety - Adjutant
colety@gmail.com
Norman Scolaro - Finance Officer
norbsco@comcast.net
13Important Upcoming Dates – Mark you calendar
2019
Dates Event/meeting Location
August 4 Training on the Road - District 4 Post 87 - W. Rutland
8-10 Membership Workshop and DSO School Indianapolis
15-20 Legion Baseball World Series Shelby, N.C.
18 Training on the Road - District 3 Post 10 - Barre
23-29 101st National Convention Indianapolis
September 15 Training on the Road - District 1 Post 91 - Colchester
18 Training on the Road - District 5 Post 67 - Chester
22-25 National Commander Visit (Tentative) TBD
28 Training on the Road - District 2 Post 30 - Lyndon
October 26 Fall Conference Post 10 - Barre
26 DEC Meeting (After Fall Conference) Post 10 - Barre
January 23-25 Mid-Winter Conference Burlington
June 18-20 Department of Vermont Convention Burlington
20-26 Law Cadets
14Jeffrey S. Holmes Post 84
Jeffrey S. Holmes Post 84 in white river junction,
Vermont has the distinction of being the only American
Legion Post in Vermont to be named in honor of a fallen
service member of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jef-
frey S. Holmes, a native son and fallen Marine from White River Junction born July 28, 1984
lost his life serving his county on Thanksgiving Day in 2004. They currently have 59 members
and are very active in the community supporting the Four Pillars of the American Legion.
The post meets monthly at the Veterans Administration in
White River Junction. Through the VA’s generosity of providing
a substance and alcohol-free meeting space at no cost, it further
allows Post No. 84 to apply a large percentage of any monies
they generate to go directly towards the programs they will be
supporting.
The post held a 100 centennial birthday BBQ in the VA
Pavilion on July 28. Many members, friends and fellow veter-
ans shared a wonderful meal followed by presentation of
membership awards.
15Membership Renewal Schedule
During each membership year, National Headquarters sends renewal notices in July, October, January,
March and May. Sometimes, at a department’s request, a special notice may be mailed in February to boost a
department’s renewals.
The accompanying list is the 2020 membership year renewal schedule for transmitting dues to arrive
at National Headquarters by the established dates. This schedule will be followed to remove the names of paid
members prior to a specific mailing. Using the renewal schedule, National Headquarters extracts unpaid
member records, then prints and mails the renewal notices.
2020 RENEWAL NOTICE SCHEDULE
CUTOFF DATES RENEWAL DATES
MAY 8, 2019 JULY 1, 2019
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 OCTOBER 7, 2019
OCTOBER 9, 2019 NOVEVBER 15, 2019
DECEMBER 11, 2019 JANUARY 3, 2020
FEBRUARY 12, 2020 FEBRUARY 26, 2020
APRIL 8, 2020 APRIL 24, 2020
To ensure members do not receive additional renewal notices, mail transmittals to your department
two to three weeks prior to the cutoff date or pay your members’ dues directly to National Headquarters
through your post myLegion.org portal.
Convention Committee
I would like to thank Department Commander
Ron LaRose, for his appointment of me to the Conven-
tion/Mid-Winter conference committee, as the Chair for
one year. I will make sure to have the information in
the newsletter every month to keep you all informed on
what we are doing. I also ask if you have any thoughts
or ideas please feel free to contact me.
Richard Baribeau
rbaribeau@myfairpoint.net
Home 603-538-7474
Cell 603-722-4234
16District five Commander
Richard Farmer PDC
Legion members of 5th District,
With August upon us it will soon be time for the Legion to get back to normal. It is good for
our worker bees to have some time off; they do need a break. Soon we will be back to working our programs
and post functions.
Membership of course will be important, and we will have more on this after we get our quotas. One
of the landmark laws passed by the congress has been the Legion Act that opens up membership dates.
This will affect the Sons of the Legion and the Auxiliary. There will be much more on this later. Looking for-
ward to seeing you soon.
For God and Country,
Dick Farmer
802-885-2641
Caledonia County Commander
David W. Perron
Hello all,
August has arrived, and Country fairs are in full swing, please get out there and spread the word
about the passing of the Legion act by the house and headed to President Trump’s desk for his signature.
Very good news for the Legion and Family.
This month I will be starting my visits to Posts for Post evaluations. I will be contacting all Com-
manders shortly.
Please feel free to call or text me at any time and will find the answer for you or ask until I get the
answer
Please start thinking membership, would like Caledonia to do better this year, if you need ideas
please contact me.
Please keep up the wonderful work throughout are Community’s.
Thank you all for serving
David W Perron
Home-525-3895 Cell 272-2793
Perrondavid323@yahoo.com
17Commander’s project
2019-2020
My commander’s project involves two targets: Green Mountain Council
Mount Norris Boy Scout camp and the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington.
As most of you know, I have been very involved in scouting for many
years and I wanted to give back to Green Mountain
Council what it has given the youth of Vermont. I
hope to raise $5,000 for new tents for one camp site at
Mount Norris.
For the Vermont Veterans Home, they are in
the early stages of designing and constructing a
veterans mobility trail around their campus to be used by the residents and their
families. Initial estimates are around $100,000. I am asking for donations to-
ward this project with no specific goal in mind. Whatever amount we raise will
be used as seed money for this project.
I thank all legionnaires and posts for their consideration towards my
commander’s project.
Ron LaRose
Department Commander
CALLING ALL POSTS!
The Squadron 59 Commander in Waterbury is working to get certificates honoring the
service of all WW II veterans in the state signed by the President of the United States.
If your post is interested in honoring your World War II
veterans, please send their name and post number
to chriswood0869@gmail.com or send to the Post 59 address P.O.
Box 417, Waterbury, VT. 05676.
Thank you for your help!
1819
TRAINING ON THE ROAD
Mark your calendar to attend one of the following training sessions.
These are training sessions hosted by the
American Legion Department of Vermont
Within the different districts at various locations.
These are not district meetings so you can attend a session that works
with your schedule.
1st District 2nd District 3rd District
Colchester Post 91 Lyndon Post 30 Barre Post 10
3650 Roosevelt Hwy 4854 Memorial Drive 320 No. Main Street
Colchester, VT 05446 Lyndonville, VT 05851 Barre, VT 05641
Sunday, September 15 Saturday, September 28 Sunday, August 18
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
4th District 5th District
West Rutland Post 87 Chester Post 67
871 Pleasant Street Route 103 South
West Rutland, VT 05777 Chester, VT 05143
Sunday, August 4 Thursday, September 18
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
TOPICS
Adjutant Finance MyLegion.org
Membership Service Officers Post Commanders
County Commanders District Commanders
These training sessions are open to ALL Legionnaires.
For more information contact:
Cathy Tester at ctester2663@gmail.com or 802-989-3755
20Department Historian
Ray St. John
First off, I want to thank Commander Ronald LaRose for asking me to be the Historian again
for him this year. I will try to live up to his expectations.
On July 29th Montpelier Post 3 Legion Riders joined Legion Riders from across the country that
made a stop at Montpelier Post 3 to present a KIA Flag to Gold Star Family - Steve Gray. They also made a
stop at Randolph, NH to pay respects to the Motorcycle Riders that died their last month
Showing the KIA Flag Presenting the flag to Steve Gray
Another impartment date is July 30, 2019. when President Donald Trump signed S 504 (Legion Act)
that declares the United States has been in a state of war since Dec. 7, 1941. This is a way to honor approxi-
mately 1,600 U.S. service members who were killed or wounded during previously undeclared periods of
war. This also opens the door for around 6 million veterans to access American legion programs and bene-
fits they had not been eligible.
New dates: April 6, 1917 to Nov. 11, 1918
Any time after Dec. 7, 1941
Congratulations go out to Brattleboro Post #5 Baseball team for winning the Tournament & good
luck in the Regional’s in Shrewsbury, MA.
I would like to also stress why Histories are important for your Post.
Why Is a History Important? •
Because it’s a story worth telling
History helps us learn how we got here and where we are going
It helps us understand and appreciate our successes and failures
It can help develop a sense of accomplishment and pride in your Post
It will become a permanent record of the legacy of your Post for future Legionnaires
It can help recruit new members
21Where to Start? •
See what records the Post has retained: minutes, documents, photographs, artifacts, rosters, etc.
Talk with senior members
Use outside resources: local media, libraries, and historic societies.
Appeal to the community for information
Use online resources: archived newspapers, obituaries, library collections, etc.
What to Include in the History? •
Who founded the Post and when?
Who are the charter members and early leaders?
Who was the Post named for and why?
Who are notable members of the Post or notable alumni from youth programs?
What are significant events, projects, and unique/interesting activities?
What makes your Post special or unique?
Dates to remember:
August 2 – Invasion of Kuwait (Operation Desert Shield) 1990
August 4 – Coast Guard Birthday
August 5 – Gulf of Tonkin 1964
August 7 – Purple Heart Day
August 8 – VJ Day (1945)
August 29 – Marine Forces Reserve Birthday
August 23/29 – National Convention - Indianapolis
Ray St. John
Department Historian
Children & Youth Chairman
PDC Barbara Bushaw
Hi Fellow Legionaries,
Congratulations to Brattleboro Post 5 on winning American Legion State Baseball Champions and good luck
with Regionals. I also want to congratulate all the teams on the great season of Baseball. You all battled the
heat, rain and thunderstorms as well.
Let’s not forget the gatherings for all our new Department Officers to learn about your duties and
what the Department can help you with. Look for the training schedule in the bulletin.
22There is Children and Youth Conference in September and am hoping to attend and bring back more
good ideas. We be having a meeting with the Committee when I return to work on some projects, we wanted
to upgrade on.
Have a fun summer with what is left of it. Keep cool.
PDC Barbara Bushaw
Children and Youth Chairman
Vermont American Legion Baseball Tournament
Brattleboro Post 5 Wins State Tournament
American’s favorite pastime, hot dogs, apple pie and BASEBALL. And the Vermont American Le-
gion Baseball tournament did not disappoint. Four teams from the North and four teams from the south met in
Colchester to compete for the Championship Title July 27-31.
Brattleboro Post 5 fought hard to claim the Championship title, being victorious for two games on
Wednesday beating S.D. Ireland in the morning game 9-6 and 5-2 in the final game. The tournament format is
double elimination and S.D. Ireland was undefeated coming into the last day of the tournament.
Congratulations to Brattleboro Post 5 who moves on to the Northeast Regional in Shrewsbury, Mass.
23Department of Vermont
Committee Assignments for 2019-2020
ADVISORY COMMITTEE Fred Latour, CH fredericklatour41@gmail.com
AMERICANISM COMMITTEE Christina Moore, CH skittlestaz65@gmail.com
AMERICAN LEGION INSURANCE Leonard Normandeau, CH
Normandeau.leonard@gmail.com
ATHLETIC COMMITTEE Leon “Scott” Stevens, CH lstevens@vermontel.net
BOY SCOUT COMMITTEE Ron LaRose, CH ronaldllarose@gmail.com
GREEN MOUNTAIN
BOYS STATE COMMITTEE Dave Cobb, Director dave.cobb.vt@gmail.com
CHILDREN & YOUTH COMMITTEE Barbara Bushaw, CH pdcbushaw@yahoo.com
CITIZENS FLAG ALLIANCE COMMITTEE Jim Harlow, CH topsgte8@peoplepc.com
CLUB COMMITTEE Rebecca Otey, CH oteyrebecca@yahoo.com
COLOR GUARD COMMITTEE Ballard Hobart Post #36 ballardhobart@comcast.net
COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMITTEE Kenneth Coonradt, CH howdydoo57@hotmail.com
CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS COMMITTEE Rebecca Otey, CH oteyrebecca@yahoo.com
CONVENTION/MID-WINTER
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE (DEPT.) Richard Baribeau, CH rbaribeau@myfairpoint.net
COORDINATED CHILDREN &
YOUTH COMMITTEE Barb Bushaw, C&Y CH pdcbushaw@yahoo.com
EDUCATION & SCHOLARSHIP
COMMITTEE Huzon “Jerry” Stewart, CH gstewart@vermontel.net
FINANCE COMMITTEE Dennis Minoli, CH cdminoli@charter.net
INTERNAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Fred Latour, CH fredericklatour41@gmail.com
LAW CADET TRAINING COMMITTEE Tom Scanlon, CH tscanlon@aol.com
LEGION RIDERS Lou Furry, Director trollfur@yahoo.com
LEGIONNAIRE INSURANCE TRUST Ron LaRose, Dir. ronaldllarose@gmail.com
LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE Richard Farmer, CH ida9999@vermontel.net
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Catherine Tester, CH ctester2663@gmail.com
ORATORICAL COMMITTEE Karlene DeVine, CH kdevine@myfairpoint.net
POST EVALUATION COMMITTEE Lewis Graham, CH vermonter@chartier.net
POW/MIA COMMITTEE Ron LaRose, CH ronaldllarose@gmail.com
24 Continued on page 22PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE Catherine Tester, CH ctester2663@gmail.com
RE-CONNECT COMMITTEE Tom Scanlon, CH tscanlon@aol.com
REHABILITATION & GIFT FOR YANKS Kenneth Coonradt, CH howdydoo57@hotmail.com
SGT-AT-ARMS Fred Stebbins, CH Stebbins196@gmail.com
SAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE David Woodward, CH dwalvt@gmail.com
TROPHIES & AWARDS Department HQ’s, CH alvthq@myfairpoint.net
VAVS COMMITTEE John Heald, CH jbiamheald@comcast.net
VERMONT VETERANS HOME
COMMITTEE Kenneth Coonradt, CH howdydoo57@hotmail.com
VETERANS PREFERENCE COMMITTEE Barb Bushaw, CH pdcbushaw@yahoo.com
Department of Vermont Convention and Mid-Winter 2020
The 2020 Mid-Winter Conference and Convention were both voted on
and both will be held at the DoubleTree in Burlington, Vermont.
The Mid-Winter Conference - January 23 - 25, 2020
Annual Convention - June 18 - 20, 2020.
25Post Service Officers
The American Legion Department Service Officers are specially trained to provide information
and assistance relating to the VA and other veter-
an’s issues. You can as of March 14, 2019 call our
Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division in our
DC office at (202) 861-2700 or email them at
VAR@legion.org. You can also find a listing of
American Legion certified Service Officers on our
web site at Legion.org/serviceofficers
Department of Vermont Legion Family
Newsletters
In an effort to spread the amazing events and things our Legion
Family does, we are sharing the Detachment of Vermont, Sons of the
American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary Department of
Vermont newsletters. We hope you enjoy reading about our Legion Family.
Sons of the American Legion http:/www.salvermont.com/
Auxiliary Department of Vermont https://www.vtalauxiliary.org/
Pownal Post 90 Clam Bake
August 10, 2019
Noon to 6pm FOOD ALL DAY
Tickets $35.00 purchase at the Post home.
(No one under 21 please)
Route 7 Pownal, Vermont - at the Pavilion
802-823-4626
2627
Non-profit Reporting Requirements for Rip Off Tickets
15 July 2019 CONTACT INFO: Chief Skyler Genest, Office of Compliance and Enforcement
Skyler.genest@vermont.gov 802-828-4942
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: VT Liquor Division Defines Non-profit Reporting Requirements
MONTPELIER, VT – July 15, 2019
In 2015 the Vermont legislature directed the Department of Liquor Control (DLC) to develop and
implement a reporting mechanism to track the manufacture and distribution of break open tickets in the
State. This requested reporting feature addressed the fact that there had been no pre-existing system to
quantify the number of break open tickets that were being sold in Vermont. The DLC, with the assistance of
the Vermont Information Consortium, created and implemented a reporting system at that time.
During the 2018 legislative session the Department of Liquor and Lottery was tasked with creating a
reporting format for non-profits to provide the State with documentation attesting to the funding levels to non-
profits generated through the sale of break open tickets. This request was compelled by the perception that this
essentially unregulated gambling activity was resulting in a significant amount of mis-appropriated funding
resulting from these sales. In other words, the perception was that in many cases the non-profits were only
receiving a fraction of the proceeds being generated by this break open ticket sales. From the viewpoint of the
legislature the break open ticket activity required greater levels of oversight to minimize the amount of
fraudulent misappropriation of funds.
The build out of the reporting mechanism for non-profit reporting has been concluded and the feature is
now operational. The DLC now has a reporting form on its website to provide the necessary tool for the
reporting. The following is a link to the form; https://secure.vermont.gov/DLC/botix.
Effective immediately, non-profit organizations that are involved in generating funding through the
sales of break open tickets are required to submit quarterly reports to the DLC to document how many tickets
the non-profit purchased from a licensed distributor, the serial numbers of those tickets, and the net proceeds
received by the organization through the sale of these tickets. The goal of this quarterly reporting process is to
ensure that qualified non-profits receiving the proceeds of these sales. Detailed video instructions can be found
here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6Bzw9Jq7rw&feature=youtu.be
Failure to file quarterly reports will result in immediate suspension of the non-profits privilege to
purchase break open tickets from a license distributor. The DLC will notify all licensed distributors of non-
complying non-profits and they will be forbidden to sell additional break open tickets to the non-profit until the
reporting has been brought up to date. Selling break open tickets by a non-qualifying non-profit or purchasing
them from anyone other than a licensed distributor is illegal under statute and will fully be prosecuted.
Use the link of the statutes included in Title 7 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated for your review and familiari-
zation, https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/ACTS/ACT073/ACT073%20As%
20Enacted.pdf
(Continued on page 29)
28About the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery, Division of Liquor Control
The mission of the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery, Division of Liquor Control is to serve
the public by encouraging responsible consumption and preventing the misuse of beverage alcohol and tobac-
co through the controlled distribution, education and licensing of sellers, as well as the wise use of enforce-
ment. The Department works to provide excellent customer service in conjunction with our Agency Partners to
operate efficient, convenient, and profitable liquor stores. All profits from the Department’s operations are
contributed to the State of Vermont’s General Fund with over $300,000,000 being contributed since 2000.
Editor's NOTE:
I am sharing this piece, however, according to Chief Skyler Genest, we are exempt from reporting. See note
below:
Clubs are defined by Title 7 V.S.A. § 2 as the following: Club means an unincorporated association or a
corporation authorized to do business in this State that has been in existence for at least two consecutive years
prior to the date of application for a license under this title and owns, hires, or leases a building or space in a
building that is suitable and adequate for the reasonable and comfortable use and accommodation of its
members and their guests and contains suitable and adequate kitchen and dining room space and equipment
implements and facilities. A bona fide unincorporated association or corporation whose officers and members
consist solely of veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, or a subordinate lodge or local chapter of any national
fraternal order, that fulfills all requirements of section 229 of this title except that it has not been in existence
for at least two years shall come within the terms of this definition six months after the completion of its
organization.
I do believe your organization would be exempt. We will update the weblink you refereneced to be more
clear on the exemption for clubs!
VA Outreach to West Central Vermont Veterans
Eligiblity, Enrollment, and Benefits. Learn how your VA
enrollment now extends to community health services.
August 25
5:00pm
West Rutland Post 87
29Four Legion Baseball Alums Inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame
The American Legion
JUL 22, 2019
There are now 81 former American Legion Baseball players enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In July, the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019 was inducted in Cooperstown, N.Y., with former American
Legion players Harold Baines, Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina and Lee Smith enshrined alongside Edgar Mar-
tinez and Mariano Rivera.
Natchitoches, LA., Post 10 alum Lee Smith joined The American Legion for a
podcast this week reflecting on his time playing American Legion Baseball.
During his induction, Smith recalled his time in rural Louisiana saying, "It
was community that gave me the chance to play baseball."
Harold Baines, who played American Legion Baseball for Talbot Co.
(Md.) Post 70, was emotional talking about his hometown of St.
Michaels. "My journey started in a small town on Maryland's Eastern
Shore called St. Michaels,” Baines said. “I owe a debt of gratitude to
this entire close-knit community for helping raise me as a child and
teenager. I would not be where I would be where I am today in
baseball or in life without so many people from St. Michaels."
Roy Halladay played American Legion Baseball for Lakewood (Co.)
Post 178. The late pitcher’s wife, Brandy, started the emotional speech
by saying, “I’m going to do the best I can to say the things I believe
Roy might have said or would have wanted to say if he was here today.
The thank you’s could and should go on for days when you consider
the impact so many people had on Roy’s career.”
Montoursville (Pa.) Post 104 alum Mike Mussina was inducted on the
first ballot and reflected on all of the help he received along the way.
“I need to thank everyone who was on the journey with me,” Mussina
said. “You’re all piece of a giant puzzle, and whether your contribu-
tion was large or small, the final product would not be complete
without you.”
30Post
Everlasting
VILLA, GARY 10 BENT, WAYNE 55
LEWSI, SR. CARLYLE 10 BIRD, EDWARD 55
JORGENSEN, HERBERT 10 PAYNE, RUSSELL 58
HOUGHTON, WALTER 11 TREMBLAY, WILLIAM 58
ENECAL, EARL 13 RACINE, RICHARD 91
BOURN, LEON 13 KENT, CHARLES 100
KRIZAN, SR., MICHAEL 13 LAFORCE, ALVIN 100
CAMP, JR., ARCHIE 13
COOK, JOHN 13
“Whereas, we humbly bow to
GORMAN, JOHN 13
HARRINGTON, LAWRENCE 13
the will of Devine Providence,
REED, JESSE 13
while ever cherishing in our
BRIGGS, GARY 13 hearts the memory of
BULL, CARL 14 distinguished service to our
STEADY, THOMAS A 14 country and outstanding
BROUILLETTE, ROGER 14 contributions to American
HANNON, FREDERIC 19
Legion comradeship. The
DITCHEOS, JOHN 24
American Legion does mourn
LESSARD, RALPH 24
the passing of these comrades. “
HILL, DELBERT 33
BURNOR, LLOYD 33
MAGOON, DELMAR 33
3132
Attention Posts
We would like to have a section of the bulletin for posts to include their events. We will break
the events down into three categories:
Events that happen weekly, monthly or yearly, i.e. breakfasts, Friday
night dinners, bingo, etc.
One off fundraising events, comedy shows, impersonators, etc.
Legion Family functions, i.e. Past Commanders event, Legion birthday
celebration, etc.
Please send the following information: Post name and Post number,
district, name of event, when (monthly, first Sunday or specific date), cost,
location, and contact information.
Please send this information by the first of the month to be
included in the monthly bulletin. If your events occur monthly, there is no need to submit each
month.
Information should be sent to Catherine Tester at ctester@aol.com.
Post 7, Hardwick, VT
Weekly bingo every Monday night
Doors open at 6:00pm
Games start at 7:00pm.
Auxiliary kitchen open selling hot dogs, hamburg-
ers, chicken fingers, French fries, onion rings,
soda, water, etc.
Available at Department Headquarters
Purchase Department of Vermont 100th shirts
$20.00 and/or a Vermont centennial coins $10.00
The Department of Vermont takes cash, check or
credit cards. YES CREDIT CARDS! Call today to
get your items.
33Like us on the Department of Vermont Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegionVermont/.
Check out the American Legion Department of Vermont website at
vtlegion.org
American Legion
Department of Vermont
P.O. Box 396
Montpelier, VT 05601-0396
For God and Country
34You can also read
