Phone (605) 886-3604 - Fax (605) 886-2870 - email sdlegion@dailypost.com

• Potter Post #3 of Chamberlain has endorsed Donald Schulte for the office of Area Vice Commander for Districts 2,5 and 6.

• Arthur Peterson Post #136 of Chester has endorsed Warren Johnson for the office of District Commander for District 2.
• Morrison Weber Solem Post #111 of Bridgewater has endorsed Joe Christensen for the office of District Commander for District 6.
• Gertje-Van Lith Post #229 of Big Stone City has endorsed Tom Scoblic for the office of District Commander for District 4.

Enclosed for all recipients is the Official Call for 2002 Spring District Conventions that start Tuesday, April 2. All recipients are encouraged to provide the widest possible dissemination of this information to the members of their Posts.

Also enclosed for all recipients is a letter from Wolfgang Migge, Vice Chairman of the Department Children and Youth Committee - for Special Olympics - soliciting donations for Special Olympics. In the past, we have passed the hat at each District meeting and taken up a collection for Special Olympics. If each Post would make a special effort to make a donation or take up a collection at your Post meetings, our annual donation to Special Olympics would be greatly enhanced. Post contributions to the Department Special Olympics fund will be called for at the District meetings.

Enclosed for Post Commanders is a copy of the brochure from National entitled April Is Children & Youth Month. The American Legion and the Auxiliary have been actively involved in children's issues since the early 1900's. In 1938, April was formally designated as Child Welfare Month and has continued on an annual basis. During this special time, we urge each of you to show your community that The American Legion family is committed to Children…Our Most Precious Natural Resource!

The 2002 Spring District Conventions have been planned in accordance with the following schedule:

• District 1 - April 6, Centerville
• District 2 - April 3, Arlington
• District 3 - April 2, Estelline
• District 4 - April 13, Big Stone City
• District 5 - April 12, Cresbard
• District 6 - April 4, Ethan
• District 7 - April 5, Tyndall
• District 8 - April 18, Reliance
• District 9 - April 19, Philip
• District 10 - April 11, Gettysburg
• District 11 - April 10, McIntosh
• District 12 - April 20, Lead
• District 13 - April 21, Rapid City
• District 14 - April 27, Leola

Nine South Dakota Legionnaires will attend the annual Washington Conference for American Legion leaders from around the nation. The event will be Sunday, March 9 through Wednesday, March 13.

Attending from South Dakota will be State Commander Vernon Sip of Wagner; State Adjutant Ron Boyd of Watertown; NEC Paul Evenson of Renner; Donald Clarke of Wessington, Vice Chairman of the National Security Commission; Gerald Goetzinger of Martin, member of the Membership and Post Activities Committee; Darrell Haskell of Conde, VA&R Region 6 Vice Chairman; Wayne Vetter of Cresbard, VA&R Commission, Executive Session; Ron Tolrud of White, Commission on Children and Youth, Region 6; and Don Mason of Platte, member of the Public Relations Commission.

In addition to attending various meetings of the committees and commissions to which assigned, the attendees will participate in Hill Day on Tuesday, March 12. They will attend a National Legion Rally at 9:00 a.m., and then along with other Legionnaires from across the nation, depart for Capitol Hill to visit with the South Dakota Congressional delegation. Tuesday evening they will participate in the National Commander’s Reception Honoring Members of Congress.

Late last year State Commander Vernon Sip announced a drawing would be held to give away three free nights, during the 2002 SD American Legion State Convention, in the Presidential Suite of the Rapid City Ramkota Hotel. He further announced that second prize would be three free nights in a regular single or double room at the same hotel during the same time frame. Every South Dakota Legionnaire who had paid his/her 2002 dues by December 31, 2001 was to be eligible for the drawing.

The drawing was held during the Midwinter Conference in Oacoma and the winners are:

1^st Prize – Clyde L. Cooley of Spearfish Post #164

2^nd Prize – Bluch L. Fire Thunder Sr. of Manderson Post #302

Nomination forms for each Post Legionnaire of the Year in competition for District Legionnaire of the Year are to be submitted to the respective District Commanders at least 15 days prior to the District’s Spring Convention meeting.

Posts are reminded to select their Post Legionnaire of the Year at the regular March meeting if they have not yet been selected. With conventions beginning on April 2, nominations should be on their way very soon.

Nomination forms can be found in the 2001-2002 Post Adjutant’s Administrative and Awards Manual, between pages 6 and 7. (Three sheets of white paper contain the instructions, report form and a suggested worksheet/form to use for scoring the candidates during the selection process).

The 77^th Session of the South Dakota State Legislature finished the main portion of its 2002 session on Saturday, February 23. Legislators will now return to their home districts and wait until Tuesday, March 12^th before returning to Pierre to spend a final day dealing with bills which have been vetoed by the Governor.

2003 Budget Requests for the South Dakota Division of Veterans Affairs and the South Dakota State Veterans Home were approved at the levels which had been requested.

Legislators enacted a bill that will ensure that members of a color guard are able to enter into a public school in South Dakota with unloaded weapons for the purpose of conducting color guard ceremonies. Another bill will ensure that no one prevents the posting of the U.S. Flag, or the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance or the singing of the national anthem in public school classrooms, buildings or at school events.

Legislators passed commemorations honoring John Rapinchuk of Watertown, SD Boys State Governor; Kendra Dwight of Rapid City, SD Girls State Governor; Sharon Klein of Colome, SD High School Oratorical Contest Winner; the SD National Guard; and the members of the Sioux Code Talkers for their service during World War II.

Concurrent resolutions encouraging the funding for concurrent receipt of disability and retired pay by military retirees who are eligible for both and encouraging that the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to conduct a feasibility study on construction of a state veterans home east of the Missouri River were adopted.

Korean War veterans are now eligible for honorary high school diplomas if they served honorably and did not earn their high school diplomas prior to joining the service during the Korean War.

Legislators modified the law to ensure that members of the South Dakota National Guard were provided with the same protection as their active duty federal service counterparts by passing a bill which provides the same benefits for guardsmen as the Soldiers and Sailors Protection Act provides for members of the federal forces.

Military recruiters in South Dakota are now guaranteed that they will be granted equal access to high school students for recruiting purposes. The new law requires that recruiters be granted access at a reasonable time and place in the same fashion as other groups attempting to recruit or influence the career choices of our young people in school.

Tax relief was again funded for the low-income elderly and disabled at the same $1,000,000 level as it has been for the past three years. The income qualification thresholds were raised slightly, by $250 per category, for the coming year.

This is a good time for Posts to think about any resolutions they may want to submit for consideration at the convention. Resolutions are the way we make changes in our organization. Resolutions are the vehicle that we use to attempt to affect national veterans’ issues and legislation. And most importantly, resolutions begin with individual Legionnaires and local Posts.

Last year at our annual convention, we adopted several resolutions. Some impacted on how we do business within the Department, others were suggestions for change to the National organization, and still others were calls for legislation from Congress. Each and every one was an opportunity taken by an individual Legionnaire or Post to express their thoughts and ideas to higher authority with the hope of affecting change.

If you have concerns or ideas that you would like to bring forward to make changes in our organization or to influence legislation, a resolution is the place to start. You can find information on how to write a resolution in The American Legion Officer’s Guide. The next step is to take the resolution to your local Post meeting and request that the local Post adopt the resolution. After the Post has adopted the resolution, you can take the resolution to a District meeting and request that it be adopted at that level or you can forward it to State Headquarters.

Exercise your right to influence the future of our organization. Put your ideas in the form of a resolution and submit them today. You may just have the idea or the answer the organization has been waiting for. Do it today!

Thank you to all the membership team workers at all levels who worked so diligently and gave of their time and efforts to help the Department make the Big Twelve pledge of 91.5% by February 13^th. Your hard work and determined efforts resulted in the Department being awarded $2,000.00 toward the purchase of computer/technology equipment. The Department is now the proud owners of a new top-of-the-line digital camera and photosmart printer.

The next membership target date is March 17, The American Legion’s Birthday. To qualify for awards listed in the 2001-2002 Post Adjutant’s Administrative and Awards Manual, membership cards and certifications must be in State Headquarters on or before March 17. Awards available on this target date include:

A $250 cash award to the District in each of two goal-size categories that has enrolled the highest percentage over that District’s goal (must be over 100%).

District delegations at the State Convention will be assigned seating areas in the convention hall in an order based on the percentage of membership attained by this target date.

March 17 is also the deadline for qualifying for the Post Go-Getter Medallion for having exceeded 95% of goal .

Parade banners and determination of parade positions will be based on membership attained by this date.

2002 membership totals 25,542, or 91.83 percent of the Department’s 2002 membership goal. This total is 459 members ahead of the 2001 membership total on this same date a year ago.

If you have not yet paid your 2002 dues, or donated some of your time and effort to assist in our quest to make sure that each and every eligible veteran in South Dakota has the opportunity to reap the benefits of membership in this great organization – Won’t you please take the time and DO IT TODAY!