Sons of The American Legion Elect Mike Moss National Commander - From the October MI Legionnaire

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 have the renewal rate of or over 90 percent.

Moss' goals for this year include raising:

• SAL membership to 370,000 members,
• $50,000 in donations for the Legion's National Emergency Fund,
• $400,000 in donations for The Legion Child Welfare Fund, and
• $90,000 in donations for the Legion's National Endowment Fund.

Other elected SAL officers include National Vice Commander's Greg “Doc” Gibbs (East), Jeff Evans (South), Ron Wyatt (Central), Charles Keith )Mid-West), and David Swafford (West). And National Membership Chairman George Lasinski, National Adjutant Brian O’ Hearne, National Chaplain Harl Ray, National Commander’s Aide Ken Yanke, National Historian Mark Klilstrom, and National Liaison John Kerestan.

Printed in the October 2014 MI Legionnaire.

The American Legion Department of Michigan represents over 70,000 members in the State of Michigan. The American Legion was founded in 1919, based on “The Four Pillars”; veteran rehabilitation, Americanism, child welfare, and national security and continued above all its mission as a consumers’ advocate for veterans. For more information contact the Michigan Legion at 517-371-4720 ext 16, mark@michiganlegion.org, or visit our website at www.michiganlegion.org.