UP TO NOW!
Issued Bi-Weekly from State Headquarters at Watertown, SD 57201

Ron Boyd - Department Adjutant / Public Relations Officer

Enclosed for all recipients is a letter from Wolfgang Migge, Department Children & Youth Vice Chairman and Special Olympics Representative requesting individual Posts to make a donation to Special Olympics at the Spring District Conventions.

Enclosed for Post Commanders is a copy of the entry form for the 2004 American Legion Baseball season. If your Post will field a baseball team this year, the yellow-colored entry form must be completed with the name, address and phone number of the Post Athletic Officer.

The completed form, $70 entry fee and certificate of insurance must be sent so they reach State Headquarters by Saturday, May 15, 2004. The fee will be $110 for registrations received May 16-31, 2004 and $160 for registrations received June 1-15. Teams not registered by June 15, 2004 will be ineligible for post-season tournament competition.

Teams will not be allowed to register until they prove that they have insurance, which is mandated by state and national rules. As a reminder, your team should not even commence practice until they have the required insurance. All teams sponsored by a Post must be registered.

Once a team is registered, State Headquarters will send a copy of the national and state rule books, a plastic-wrapped packet containing various forms from National Headquarters, plus pertinent information to a person named as the Post Athletic Officer.

The 2004 Spring District Conventions have been planned in accordance with the following schedule:

• District 1 - April 14, Centerville
• District 2 - April 13, Flandreau
• District 3 - April 15, Watertown
• District 4 - April 30, Sisseton
• District 5 - April 29, Brentford
• District 6 - April 12, Mitchell
• District 7 - March 29, Tripp
• District 8 - March 30, Gregory
• District 9 - March 31, Martin
• District 10 - April 21, Gettysburg
• District 11 - April 19, Lemmon
• District 12 - April 3, Piedmont
• District 13 - April 1, Rapid City (Post #22)
• District 14 - April 20, Mobridge.

Past Department Commander Wayne Slade, who passed away Tuesday, February 17, 2004, was laid to rest, Saturday, February 21, 2004 in Alexandria, SD. Funeral services for PDC Slade were held earlier the same day at the United Methodist Church in Mitchell, SD.

PDC Slade served The American Legion for 59 years with dedication and devotion. He served as Department Commander in 1972-1973, Alt. National Executive Committeeman 1973-1977, National Executive Committeeman 1977-1981, Member National Employment Committee 1981-2003, and as Vice Chairman of the National Employment Committee from 1984-2002. PDC Slade also served as Department Vice Commander, District 6 Commander, Hanson County Commander, Chairman State Membership Commission, and for many years as the Department Children and Youth Chairman.

PDC Slade served with the Army Air Corps in the South Pacific during World War II.

PDC Slade is survived by his wife Bonnie and sons Robert and Gary. Cards and memorials may be sent to PDC Slade’s widow, Bonnie, at PO Box 75, Fulton, SD 57340. The family has requested that memorial donations be designated for the SD American Legion Children and Youth Fund, PO Box 67, Watertown, SD.

Meade Post #33 in Sturgis has endorsed Robert L. Kusser as a candidate for District 12 Commander.

State Commander Wayne "Red" Vetter of Cresbard has announced a new incentive for those membership workers who continue to pursue both new members and renewals.

Commencing February 1, 2004 every membership recruiter who signs one new member or is personally responsible for getting the membership dues of two renewals will be eligible for a monthly drawing for $50.00.

The drawings will be held on the last day of each month (or on the following Monday if the month ends on a weekend). In order to be eligible, the Post must forward the renewals or new memberships to State Headquarters.

Posts must ensure that State Headquarters is informed who the recruiter is on all renewals during this period and that the name of the recruiter for all new members is provided when the memberships are sent to State Headquarters.

The following is an update on the legislative bills being watched by The South Dakota American Legion in the 79th Session of the South Dakota State Legislature. These bills have all been previously reported in the Up To Now.

HB 1060 – Has been signed by the Governor.

HB 1090 – Passed the Senate State Affairs Committee on 2/18/04 and was passed by the Senate 34-0 on 2/19/04. The bill will now be forwarded to the Governor for signature.

HB 1091 – Passed the Senate State Affairs Committee 9-0 on 2/20/04. The bill now goes to the Senate floor.

HB 1200 – Passed the House on 2/12/04 and was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee where it was deferred to the 36^th Legislative Day thereby killing the bill.

HB 1217 – Received a Do Pass recommendation from the Senate Education Committee, was placed on the consent calendar and passed the Senate 34-0 on 2/20/04.

Drew Peterson of Salem, 2003 SD American Legion Boys State Governor, and Tara Trask of Wall, 2003 SD American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Governor, were honored by the SD State Legislature on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 when they were introduced in both the House and Senate chambers during the 79^th Session of the South Dakota State Legislature in Pierre.

The day started with a luncheon at the Pierre American Legion Post Home and was followed by their appearances in the House and Senate where the two young leaders were the subject of a Legislative Commemoration which had been passed in the House of Representatives the previous day.

Both young Governors were accompanied by their parents and by State American Legion Commander Wayne "Red" Vetter of Cresbard and State American Legion Auxiliary President Irene Sears of Rapid City.

Following their introductions in the House of Representatives and the Senate the two governors met briefly with South Dakota Governor M. Michael Rounds in his office in the State Capitol.

In July of 2003, Commander Vetter asked each District Commander to make a pledge as to where their individual District’s would be in their membership recruitment by February 15, 2004. Commander Vetter announced that he had divided the Districts into five categories based on their membership goals and that the District that pledged the highest percentage of membership by the February 12^th date, and met that pledge, could receive $250 in cash - to be used for any purpose that the District desired. If the District that pledged the highest percentage did not attain its percentage pledged, then the award would default to the next highest District within that category that did. If none of the Districts in a particular category reached their pledge, then the award would not be made.

The categories and pledges were as follows: Category I, 800-1000 members, consisted of District 9 bidding 90%, District 11 bidding 93% and District 12 bidding 94%; Category II, 1001-1500 members, consisted of District 4 bidding 92%, District 8 bidding 94.5%, and District 10 bidding 90%; Category III, 1501-2100 members, consisted of District 3 bidding 92% and District 13 bidding 90%; Category IV, 2101-2400 members, consisted of District 5 bidding 90%, District 6 bidding 93%, and District 7 bidding 93.5%; and Category V, 2401 and up members, consisted of District 1 bidding 91%, District 2 bidding 95.6% and District 14 bidding 96%.

The winners are: Category I, District 12 at 94% (made their bid); Category II, District 8 at 94.5% (made their bid); Category III, District 3 at 92% (made their bid); Category IV, District 7 at 93.5% (made their bid); and Category V, District 1 at 91% (District 14 – the high bidder did not make their 96% bid, and District 2 – bidding 95.6% did not make their bid).

The $250 awards will be presented at the Spring District Meetings.

The American Legion National Headquarters tasked each Department Commander with selecting one Legionnaire from within their Department to represent the WWII Veterans of each Department at the Dedication of the National World War II Memorial on May 29, 2004 in Washington, D.C.

Department Commander Wayne Vetter has announced that he selected Past Department Commander Glenn Green of Pierre (member of the Lake Preston American Legion Post) as the representative from South Dakota. Green joined the US Army in 1942, saw duty in the South Pacific and was discharged as a Staff Sergeant in 1946.

Green is a 58-year Paid-Up-For-Life member of The American Legion. He originally joined the Willow Lake American Legion Post and subsequently transferred his membership to Lake Preston when he moved there. He was Lake Preston Post Commander in 1950. He subsequently served as Kingsbury County Commander and was elected District 2 Commander in 1954. That year he was also elected to serve on the Department Administrative Committee. He was elected as Department Vice Commander in 1956 and also served as the Director of Membership for the Department that year. He served as Department Commander in 1958. He subsequently served as the National Executive Committeeman for South Dakota from 1963 to 1977. Green is a former Director of the South Dakota Division of Veterans Affairs and has served on several American Legion National Commissions, Committees and Councils.

Forms for nominating Boys Scouts for The American Legion 2004 Eagle Scout of the Year Award are now available from State Headquarters. Nomination forms can also be downloaded from the Internet on The American Legion WebPages at www.legion.org/events/evt_eaglescout.htm.

All Posts are reminded that the deadline for nominations to reach State Headquarters in Watertown is March 1, 2004.

Nomination forms for each Post Legionnaire of the Year in competition for District and Department Legionnaire of the Year are to be submitted to the respective District Commander 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 February or March meeting if they have not yet been selected.

Nomination forms can be found in the 2003-2004 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.)

This year, as we have added the additional Department Legionnaire of the Year category, it is essential that Posts pay particular attention to the eligibility criteria for this award. Don’t waste your Posts chances of having a winning candidate by nominating someone who is not eligible.

2004 membership stands at 24,979, or 93.85 percent of the Department's 2004 membership goal.

The Department of South Dakota can still make it "OVER THE TOP" and attain or surpass our membership goal for the first time in many years. But it takes TEAMWORK.

If your team is inactive or dormant – won’t you breath new life into it and help us GET THE JOB DONE!