The American Legion annually honors The American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year at its National Convention. The winner of the competition receives a $10,000 scholarship and the three runners-up each are awarded a $2,500 scholarship.

Forms for nominating Boy Scouts for The American Legion 2004 Eagle Scout of the Year are now available from State Headquarters. State Headquarters must receive nominations no later than March 1, 2004. A Panel will then select the Department Eagle Scout of the Year and that nomination will be submitted to National Headquarters in Indianapolis, IN. The National 2004 American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year will be announced during the 2004 Spring Meetings of The American Legion in Indianapolis in May of 2004.

Nomination forms can also be downloaded from the Internet on The American Legion Webpage at www.legion.org. From this main page, select Programs and Events, and then select Scouting. From the resulting page, you will be able to download the 2004 Application.

Support for the Boy Scout movement came at The American Legion’s first National Convention in 1919. Today, there are more than 2,500 Boy Scout units sponsored by Legion Posts throughout the country.

Supporting Boy Scout activities is natural for Legionnaires, who bring their service-learned skills and experiences as veterans to help build character and positive traits in "Young America". Few other Post activities generate more goodwill from the community.

Based on Post activities reported to State and National Headquarters, there are currently 33 Scouting units in operation in South Dakota that are sponsored by American Legion Posts.

Brochures, registration cards and other pertinent information related to the 2004 South Dakota American Legion Boys State will be mailed next week to all high schools and Legion Posts in the state. Please be on the lookout for these packets.

Two important items to remember are the April 1 registration deadline and the $115 per boy registration fee. Fees and registration cards for boys selected to attend South Dakota American Legion Boys State must be sent to the Boys State Registrar, Wyland Borth, 110 W. Prospect Ave., Apt. E, Pierre, SD 57501.

Journalism City applications are also being distributed by Registrar Wyland Borth to all schools. Completed Journalism City applications must also be sent to Borth at the above-listed address. The deadline for Journalism City is Saturday, January 31, 2004.

Do Not send the $115 registration fee with the Journalism City applications. If the boy is selected, his registration fee will be collected later.

Department Commander Wayne "Red" Vetter of Cresbard has announced the following appointments for The American Legion, Department of South Dakota Athletic Commission.

• Dale Kurth of Claremont is re-appointed to an additional one-year term as Chairman of the Commission.
• Robert Hausmann of Bonesteel is re-appointed to another five-year term as a member of the Commission.
• Elton Blemaster of Pierre is appointed to finish out the unexpired term of Dan Kelley of Pierre on the Commission. Kelley’s term was to expire in October of 2005.
• REVISED MIDWINTER SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

There have been some minor realignments of the schedule for the 2004 Midwinter Conference, which will be held February 6-8, 2004 at the Cedar Shore Resort in Oacoma. Below is the corrected schedule of events:

10:00 a.m. Administrative Committee

12:00 noon Registration Desk Opens

1:00 p.m. Executive Committee

6:00 p.m. Go-Getters Reception

6:30 p.m. Go-Getters Smorgasbord

8:00 a.m. Registration Desk Opens

8:30 a.m. Joint Opening Session

State Veterans Home and C&Y

10:30 a.m. Breakout Sessions

Session for Post Adjutants

Americanism

Session for Post Historians

10:30 a.m. SAL

12:00 noon Lunch

1:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions

How to write a resolution

Americanism

VA&R/Post Service Officers

3:00 p.m. Membership Panel Discussion

and Membership Awards

6:00 p.m. Social Hour/No Host Cocktails

7:00 p.m. Joint/Legion/Auxiliary/SAL Banquet

8:30 a.m. Legion Family Memorial Service

Posts are reminded that those Posts interested in hosting the 2005 sporting events for The South Dakota American Legion have until Thursday, January 15, 2004 to submit invitations to State Headquarters.

The State Bowling Tournament will be held during three or four weekends in March and/or April 2005.

The State Golf Tournament will be held either the third or fourth weekend in June 2005.

Tentative dates for the Class "B" State Baseball Tournament are July 27-31, 2005.

Tentative dates for the South Dakota American Legion State Championship Baseball Tournament are August 3-7, 2005.

To ensure that participating baseball teams take home some money to help defray expenses, the State Athletic Commission requires that bidders for the baseball tournaments guarantee a split of $2,500 in the State "B" Tournament and $7,500 in the Championship Tournament.

This is a reminder to Posts that nominations for The American Legion Department Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician of the Year are due at State Headquarters in Watertown by January 16, 2004.

These individuals will be recognized at the SD American Legion Department Convention in Pierre in June 2004.

Information and nomination forms are available from State Headquarters in Watertown.

The following individuals are the most recent winners of Commander Vetter’s New Membership Recruiting Incentive $50 Savings Bonds:

• Bill Huntimer of Dell Rapids - December 19^th winner.
• Rick Kiewel of Rapid City - December 26^th winner.

The single award remaining for this series of incentive awards is for early payment of 2004 membership dues. This will be the final drawing for a $200 Savings Bond, drawn at the end of the day on Wednesday, December 31. The drawing will be from the entire membership roster of The American Legion Department of South Dakota consisting of those members who have paid their 2004 membership dues and those dues have been forwarded to Department Headquarters by their home Post. If someone at the local Post is holding your dues, you are ineligible for the drawing. 2004 membership dues must have been received by State Headquarters in Watertown to establish your eligibility.

Local Oratorical Contests are supposed to be completed by January 11, 2004. Following shortly behind the local contests are the District Contests which will be held in accordance with the following:

• Dist 1 – Jan 18 at the Hurley American Legion Post at 2 p.m. Storm date – Jan 25.
• Dist 2 – Jan 18 at the Arlington American Legion Post at 2 p.m. Storm date – Jan 25.
• Dist 3 – Jan 18 at Lake Area Vocational Technical School, Watertown at 2 p.m. Storm date – Jan 25.
• Dist 4 – Jan 18 at Sisseton American Legion Post at 2 p.m. Storm date – Jan 25.
• Dist 5 – Jan 25 at Wolsey Elementary School at 2 p.m. Storm date- Feb 1.
• Dist 6 – To be announced – no information available at this time.
• Dist 7 – Jan 25 at Yankton Middle School at 2:30 p.m. Storm date – Feb 1.
• Dist 8 – Jan 18 at Colome American Legion Post at 2 p.m. Storm date – Jan 25.
• Dist 9 – Jan 18 at White River High School 2:30 p.m. CST. Storm date – Jan 25.
• Dist 10 – Jan 25 at Gettysburg High School at 1:30 p.m. Storm date – Feb 1.
• Dist 11 – Jan 23 at Lemmon High School at 10 a.m. MST. Storm date – Jan 30.
• Dist 12 – Jan 18 at Spearfish High School at 2 p.m. Storm date – Jan 25.
• Dist 13 – Jan 18 at Rapid City American Legion Post #22 at 2 p.m. Storm date – Jan 25.
• Dist 14 – Jan 17 at Aberdeen VFW Post at 1 p.m. Storm date – Jan 24.

2004 membership stands at 23,685 or 88.98 percent of the Department’s 2004 membership goal.

The Midwinter Conference is the next major membership target date. Commander Vetter has pledged 92 percent of goal for the National Big Twelve Competition which ends on February 11, 2004. To reach the 92 percent mark the Department needs 517 more members. Any Posts that are holding membership, regardless of the number you are holding, please forward them to State Headquarters as soon as possible. We need everyone’s participation in our membership drive.