Michigan Legion Media Room

Veterans began checking yesterday for this years National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in Wisconsin. More than 100 Veterans from across the country are in Milwaukee today through Sunday for the 2014 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival. Robert Cooper, from Martinsburg, W.Va.,, tunes a folk harp for a rehearsal which culminates with on Sunday  with a stage performance at Milwaukee Theater. The Festival, presented by VA and the American Legion Auxiliary, showcases the artistic achievements of Veterans from across the country who placed first in national art, music, dance, drama and creative writing division competitions. The Veterans will participate in workshops, rehearsals and artistic interaction sessions, culminating in an art exhibit and stage show performance, open to the public. Among many other therapeutic benefits, the Festival encourages artistic expression to help Veterans dealing with PTSD and other psychological issues.  More than 3,500 Veterans particip...

Listed below are the events I have for the next 14 days here in the Metro Detroit area.  I have also attached my latest event listing which has 5 new items on it.  You can also go to the Legion 328 website to download any flyer for these future events.  http://www.legionpost328.org/events.html    You can get a monthly view of events by going to: http://www.michiganveteranresources.com/Events.aspx You can also find many other veteran events on the State of MI Veterans website & Detroit Public Televisions' new Veterans website: http://www.michiganveterans.com/home/Calendar.aspx http://www.veterans.dptv.org/all-events/ ANNOUNCEMENTS! "Attention Women Vets" The State of Michigan, Deptartment of Military & Veterans Affairs & Michigan Women's Commission, are trying to get a handle on the needs of the approx 50,000 women veterns in the state. Pl...

The American Legion’s National Commission on Children & Youth is very concerned about the welfare of our nation’s youth. This brochure was designed to help you and your child keep trick-or-treating safety in mind during this Halloween season. Every year around October 31, children’s’ fantasies come true. They look forward to dressing up as their favorite character and knocking on neighbor’s doors to ask the age-old question “Trick or Treat?” Not too surprisingly, they usually get what they want- a bag full of sweets and goodies. However, even children’s fantasies can sour if parents and children do not properly prepare for a safe night. Please take the time to review the safety tips and suggestions in this brochure and share them with your child. Together, you and your child can make Halloween a fun and safe night. As long as Halloween activities are sponsored and promoted in our various communities, the National Commission on Children & Youth believes chi...

A message from The American Legion Department of Michigan Once upon a frightful Halloween night an amazing thing happened! Children in all the towns and cities across the country had a fun and safe night of trick-or-treating. Mothers and Fathers walked with their young sons and daughters as they collected their treats. Older children always walked with small groups of other children. Nobody went out be himself or herself and everyone carried a flashlight. Every child knew his or her phone number and home address just in case they got separated. They knew to dial 911 in an emergency or 0 for the operator. All children knew to never go anywhere with anybody they didn’t know and without permission from their parents. Children stayed in their own neighborhoods and stopped only at homes that were well lit. They knew better than to ever go into any house no matter what the person at the door said. Everyone used sidewalks when possible or walked facing traffic. They ne...

We have a parade route, using Woodward Avenue., beginning at the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 9, at 2951 Woodward Avenue, at Temple S, at 11 AM.   We will go south on Woodward Avenue, to Elizabeth St, and turn left (East) to Witherell St, where we again turn left (North) to the main entrance to Comerica Park, where the parade will end. A Ceremony will take place at 1 PM, in the North parking area in front of Comerica Park. We will be honoring a number of Vietnam Veterans, nominated for the service in Vietnam, as well as their service post-Vietnam and Military life.   The south parking area in front of Comerica Park is for the use of parade participants. It's suggested that those car-pooling to the parade drop off participants at the staging area. Then, drive a vehicle to the Comerica Park lot, and leave the vehicle there,and come back to the staging area. Once the parade/ceremony has ended, the vehicle is there to be used to transport particip...

Neighborhood Legal Services Michigan Presents: Assistance for Homeless Veterans – Removing barriers to housing Child support, expungements, tickets, etc. When:    November 7 , 2014   9:00am – Noon   Where:   Room B1290, first floor, red area   Meeting limited to 15 Veterans per date- More dates to be scheduled   Contact Veterans Justice Outreach Program for reservations 313-576-1000 Extension 65537 

Listed below are the events I have for the next 14 days here in the Metro Detroit area.  You can also go to the Legion 328 website to download any flyer for these future events.  http://www.legionpost328.org/events.html   Clicking on "attached flyer" for each event either below or on the future listing will get you the flyer for that event. You can get a monthly view of events by going to: http://www.michiganveteranresources.com/Events.aspx You can also find many other veteran events on the State of MI Veterans website & Detroit Public Televisions' new Veterans website: http://www.michiganveterans.com/home/Calendar.aspx http://www.veterans.dptv.org/all-events/ ANNOUNCEMENTS! "Attention Women Vets" The State of Michigan, Department of Military & Veterans Affairs & Michigan Women's Commission, are trying to get a handle on the nee...

Michigan Women's Commission to Survey Female Veterans Findings Will Help Policy Makers Develop and Deliver Targeted Services to Michigan's Women Veterans   Detroit – The Michigan Women's Commission today announced a plan to survey women veterans living in Michigan to better understand their needs and the challenges they face. The survey will include questions on women veterans' military service, health status, and use of various veterans' services.  The data, which will be collected anonymously to ensure participants' confidentiality, will be shared with policymakers so they can better meet the needs of Michigan women who've served in the military.  Michigan is home to more than 50,000 women veterans. "Many Michigan women may not think of themselves as veterans because they may not have served during wartime or in combat-specific roles," said Susy Avery, Executive Director of the Michigan Women's Commission.  ...

Good response from the Burn Pit. I would add that one thing this response and Commander Helm's response is missing is the lesson to our local Posts who are seeking membership.  Like politics "All good Public Relations is local"  and if your Post wants to grow with younger members then it needs to be an active Post, with activities other then drinking.  Why can't a Post act like Team RWB?  Why can't a local Post do more in a community?  Why can't a Post have a running team in a Marathon? We can try to explain why the article is wrong or misleading, but it still has very true experiences in it that we need to admit too and do our best to fix. Who will carry the flag? A response to the Washington Times | The American Legion's BurnPit

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN LEGION INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA OCTOBER 15 - 16, 2014 Resolution No. 12: Support Joint Services Transcript Evaluation of Military Training and  Experience of Veterans, Active-Duty, Reserve and National Guard Personnel Origin: Register Resolution No. 2704 (MI) Department Executive Committee Submitted by: Veterans Employment & Education Commission WHEREAS, Veterans are in need of academic post-military degree and certificate credentials universally recognizable by employers for employment opportunities; and WHEREAS, The Department of Defense (DOD) has already spared no expense to provide our military personnel with some of the best vocational training in the nation paid for by past federal budgets of the United States; and WHEREAS, DOD establishes, measures and evaluates performance standards for every occupation within the Armed Forces; and WHEREAS, The American Council on Education (ACE) has evaluat...

Listed below are the events I have for the next 14 days here in the Metro Detroit area.  I have also attached my latest event listing which has 5 new items on it.  You can also go to the Legion 328 website to download any flyer for these future events.  http://www.legionpost328.org/events.html    ANNOUNCEMENTS! "MI Freedom Center at Metro Airport" Many of you know I volunteer at the Freedom Center (our version of a USO) at Metro (Delta terminal) once each week. Next month the center will celebrate its 3rd anniversary. To date the center has hosted over 106,000 (not a typo) veterans, active military, and their family members. They could use more support since they are hoping to open a second center at the North Terminal that serves all other airlines at Metro. If your group can help contact John or Diane at 810-545-8343 or vial email . We are currently missing 25% of the troo...

Originally printed in October 2014 MI Legionnaire By Mark Sutton, PR Director Like any Post that wants to be active, the Post must decide what they will be active with.  The American Legion has over 20 different programs under the 4 founding pillars that a post can promote and actively work.  The Boyce-Bunce-Carpenter Post 195 in Jonesville, Michigan actively promotes “Old Glory”, the Stars and Stripes of our great country.  They do this in 2 ways. The first way they do this is by promoting and selling flags through the American Legion Emblem Sales Flag reward program.  In 2013, this post ranked 9 th in the entire country for “Flag Rewards” and number 1 in Michigan.  Selling through the Flag Rewards program earns the post credits they can use at Emblem sales.  To learn more about Flag rewards visit http://emblem.legion.org and click Flag Rewards on the left side at the bottom. The second way they promote is through the proper disposal...

State Commander article from October 2014 MI Legionnaire - LANSING,MI - WOW!  Isn’t autumn a beautiful time of the year.  It is even better if you ride a motorcycle.  Getting a chance to enjoy Mother Nature’s most remarkable scenery while being close to her on a bike is terrific, whether you ride alone or with friends.  During this time of the year, I really look forward to riding along Huron River Drive between N. Main Street in Ann Arbor and N. Territorial in Dexter at the peak color show.   What an awesome feeling seeing the full colors of Mother Nature at her best.  I am sure you have your special areas to enjoy this fall season.  Please try to find the time to ride, however, please be careful and obey all the rules of safe riding. As you may know I am a Legion Rider.  While I am enjoying the time I get to ride, when I stop for gas, food and other essentials, I am always looking for additional riders to join this organization....

On Aug. 24, during the 43rd Sons of The American Legion national convention in Charlotte, N.C., Mike Moss was elected the SAL's national commander for the 2014-2015 membership year. Moss lives in Colorado and has been and still is very active in the Colorado Detachment. He has served on the national level as the Mid-West national vice commander and is a past chairman of the National Children & Youth Commission. Moss' eligibility for SAL membership is through his father, a Korean War Air Force veteran who flew B-29s and a 54-year member of The American Legion. One of Moss' earliest memories of The American Legion was when he was 8 years old and going to the local grocery store with his mother, also a 54-year member of the Legion Auxiliary, to sell poppies to raise money. Moss' motto is "Building Bridges To The Future." He knows that our future lies with our young people, and he would like membership to be at 100 percent by May 1, 2015 and ...

Listed below are the events I have for the next 14 days here in the Metro Detroit area.  I have also attached my latest event listing which has 4 new items on it.  You can also go to the Legion 328 website to download any flyer for these future events.  http://www.legionpost328.org/events.html    ANNOUNCEMENTS! "MI Freedom Center at Metro Airport" Many of you know I volunteer at the Freedom Center (our version of a USO) at Metro (Delta terminal) once each week. Next month the center will celebrate its 3rd anniversary. To date the center has hosted over 106,000 (not a typo) veterans, active military, and their family members. They could use more support since they are hoping to open a second center at the North Terminal that serves all other airlines at Metro. If your group can help contact John or Diane at 810-545-8343 or vial email . We are currently missing 25% of the troo...

Listed below are the events I have for the next 14 days here in the Metro Detroit area.  I have also attached my latest event listing which has 8 new items on it.  You can also go to the Legion 328 website to download any flyer for these future events.  http://www.legionpost328.org/events.html    You can get a monthly view of events by going to: http://www.michiganveteranresources.com/Events.aspx ANNOUNCEMENTS! "Saturday, November 8, 2014 (SAVE THE DATE) " The annual Detroit Veterans Day Parade will march down Woodward! To join the parade, sponsor, or just more information, see their website or the new flyer . EVENTS! "Thursday, October 2, 2014" The University of Michigan Hospital, Buddy-2-Buddy program, is hosting a 10 week program titled Strong Military Familes . This program is designed to help meet the challenges of parenting dur...