The Department's Post by Post membership statistics for the Veterans Day target date are enclosed to all recipients of the Up To Now.

Also enclosed to Post Adjutant's is a new form that can be used to provide "Snow Bird" address information to the National Headquarters of The American Legion. It is important to note that National indicates that this service ONLY works if the member moves between two addresses at the same time each year. The member must provide a summer and a winter address and the approximate dates they move to/from each. Since most mailings from National are printed weeks in advance, you must allow 6-8 weeks from the initial change before this will take affect.

Ten District Membership Chairmen and 30 Post Commanders win Veterans Day membership awards for their superior performance in the 2004 Membership Drive being conducted by the South Dakota American Legion.

The ten District Membership Chairmen will each be recognized during a membership breakout session at the Midwinter Conference in Oacoma in February. Each will receive a Legion belt buckle in recognition of their efforts to ensure that the District has collected at least 75% of the 2004 goal and has no "goose egg" Posts. Those to be honored include:

• District 1 - Doug Meyer of Humboldt
• District 2 - David Owens of Iroquois
• District 3 - Delbert Petersen of Hayti
• District 4 - Bernard Rolstad of Sisseton
• District 5 - Larry Lindhorst of Cresbard
• District 7 - Gary Coleman of Wagner
• District 8 - Melvin Lee of Winner
• Distict 10 - Robert Pierce of Onida
• District 12 - Phil Anderson of Piedmont
• District 14 - Gerald Sandborn of Leola

The 30 Post Commanders will each receive a specially designed baseball cap for having attained 100% or more of its 2004 membership goal by the Veterans Day cutoff. The Post Commanders will also be recognized during the membership breakout session at the Midwinter. Those to be recognized include:

• District 1 - Joe Burggraff of Dell Rapids Post #65;
• District 2 - Clair Hicks of Badger Post #260, David Carlson of Erwin Post #241, Leo Leonard of Ramona Post #216, Gene Bloker of Wentworth Post #161 and Roger Fritz of Colman Post #278;
• District 3 - Jerry Wicks of Carpenter Post #153 and Delbert Petersen of Hayti Post #217;
• District 4 - Bernard Lesnar of Grenville Post #267, Tom Sannes of Webster Post #40 and Neil Erdahl of Rosholt Post #48;
• District 5 - Steven Meyer of Virgil Post #268, Robert Brodkorb of Wolsey Post #59, Rod Fortune of Rockham Post #57, Robert Artz of Mansfield Post #289 and Frank Oberle of Mellette Post #151;
• District 6 - Lloyd Priebe of Pukwana Post #201 and Jerry Grabenstein of Letcher Post #93;
• District 7 - Ardell Horst of Geddes Post #56, Almon Adam of Pickstown Post #282, and Marvin Walz of Alsen Post #44;
• District 8 - Ted Schmitz of Bonesteel Post #36, and Kenneth Ven Kekerix of Witten Post #167;
• District 9 - Melvin L. J. Young of Allen Post #317, and David Seamans of Draper Post #301;
• District 10 - Robert Joachim of Agar Post #271;
• District 13 - Mason Miller of Edgemont Post #172, Bill Merchen of Rapid City Post #320, and Patrick Yellow Hair of Batesland Post #281;
• District 14 - Ron Nehls of Claremont Post #262.

Three American Legion Posts within the Department will also be recognized at the Midwinter Conference in Oacoma in February for having met and exceeded their 2004 membership goals and having shown the largest percentage over that goal within their goal-size group: Those individual Posts are:

• 15-74 goal-size group - Pukwana Post #201 with 111.11% of goal.
• 75-124 goal-size group - Geddes Post #256 with 102.06% of goal.
• 200-299 goal-size group - Webster Post #40 with 100.40% of goal.
• 300 and larger goal-size group - no Post yet at 100%.

The following individuals have announced their intentions to be candidates for the office of State Commander of The American Legion, Department of South Dakota and have received the endorsement of their home Posts:

• Piedmont Valley American Legion Post #311 of Piedmont has endorsed Philip C. Anderson for the office of State Commander of The American Legion, Department of South Dakota in 2004-2005.
• Sidney L. Smith American Legion Post #24 of Aberdeen has endorsed Gene Schumacher for the office of State Commander of The American Legion, Department of South Dakota in 2004-2005.

State Commander Wayne "Red" Vetter of Cresbard has announced the following Department appointments:

• Robert Miller of Kimball has been appointed to the Legislative Committee to fill out the remainder of the unexpired term of Lenny Hammrich of Mitchell. The term will end in 2005.
• Neal D. Stanley of Faulkton to a three-year term on the Educational Loan Committee.
• Ollie Redden to the VAVS Committee to fill out the remainder of the unexpired term of Walter Rausch of Hoven who resigned. The term will end in 2004.

Donn Grandpre, Chairman of the South Dakota American Legion Employment Committee has announced that the committee has selected the Employer of the Year for Hiring Veterans.

Selected as this year's recipient, in the Small Category (50 or fewer employees), is Asphalt Paving and Materials Co. of Huron, SD.

The company has 39 employees 9 of whom are veterans for a 23.07 percent veteran employment rate. Eight (8) of the 31 male employees are veterans and one (1) of the 8 female employees is a veteran. Of the 12 persons employed during the past year, 3 have been veterans.

The company's application asks for Veteran Status, and military experience is influential in the selection process.

Asphalt Paving and Materials Co. of Huron will receive recognition during the 2004 American Legion Department Convention in Pierre in June 2004.

The South Dakota American Legion Veterans Affairs Volunteer Service (VAVS) Committee will hold its annual meeting on Friday, November 21^st at the Pierre Post #8 American Legion Post Home. The session will include discussions on ways and means of assisting hospitalized veterans and consideration of other initiatives to improve our volunteer services to our hospitalized comrades and residents of the Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veterans Home.

This week, November 16-22, is American Education Week. The American Legion is a co-founder of American Education Week. Our organization has a long-standing interest and commitment to American Education. The American Legion believes a strong education program is important and significant in maintaining American traditions and instilling in our young people a sense of personal obligation and responsibility.

The theme for American Education Week this year is "Great Public Schools for Every Child - America's Promise". This theme should remind each of us that we have a duty and a responsibility to see that our children are prepared to take up the roles of citizens and leaders in the years to come.

Every American Legion Post in South Dakota should endeavor to sponsor some sort of event, with their local educators, to mark this 82^nd anniversary of the founding of American Education Week.

During the District Americanism Officers' Seminar, which was held in Mitchell in July, it was stressed that one of the responsibilities of the local Post Americanism Officer is to ensure that the Americanism materials are delivered to the local school system. Without this vital link, our Americanism program is not going to be successful.

Local Post Americanism Officers have all received an Americanism packet from State Headquarters. In this packet there were additional instructions for the local Post Americanism Officer to deliver the materials and to make contact with the local school.

This is the time of year when students need to be aware of our High School Oratorical Contest. These contests are in the not-too-distant future. Also, students need to be aware of the information on Boys State so that they can plan their involvement in that and other activities. All too often we hear from students who say that had they known about the program earlier, they would have taken part in it, but by the time they found out about it, they were already committed to some other activity.

Local Posts need to ensure that the Americanism Officer has made contact with the local school system and that the school system has been provided with adequate information about our Americanism programs. Only with this pro-active approach will we ensure that our programs are being made available to all of our students.

The following individuals' names have been drawn as the most recent recipients of the Savings Bond membership incentives being offered by State Commander Wayne "Red" Vetter:

The winner of the Veterans Day drawing for a $200 Savings Bond is:

• Roland Wicks of Carpenter Post #153.

All members who have paid their 2004 membership dues by the drawing date are eligible for the $200 Savings Bond drawings. There are two more drawing of this type - Pearl Harbor Day and the end of the year. Pay your dues now to ensure that you are eligible.

The winners of the $50 Savings Bond drawings held every Friday are:

• November 7 - Ralph Pesicka of Dupree Post #124
• November 14 - Ted Schmitz of Bonesteel Post #36

Every Legionnaire who recruits a new member is eligible for the weekly drawings for a $50 Savings Bond. There are six more opportunities to win a $50 Savings Bond. Make sure that your Post Adjutant is sending the information and dues on your new recruits to State Headquarters prior to Friday of every week to ensure that your name is in the drawing.

2004 membership stands at 21,778 or 81.82 percent of the Department's 2004 membership goal. Keep up the great work. With everyone's help, this can be a banner year for The American Legion, Department of South Dakota.

STATE HEADQUARTERS THANKSGIVING HOURS

State Headquarters will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 26 and 27, because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

This schedule follows the schedules of National Headquarters of The American Legion and the Codington County Courthouse, the latter facility being where State Headquarters is located.