Issued Bi-Weekly from State Headquarters at Watertown, SD 57201
Ron Boyd – Department Adjutant – Public Relations Officer
www.sdlegion.org Email sdlegion@dailypost.com
No. 2938 December 13, 2006
NATIONAL COMMANDER MORIN TO VISIT SOUTH DAKOTA
HOMECOMING FOR NATIONAL CHAPLAIN STAN GRUNEICH
Kelley-Porter American Legion Post 70 in Flandreau will host a Homecoming Celebration for National Chaplain Stan Gruneich on Saturday, January 6, 2007. National Commander of The American Legion, Paul Morin of Massachusetts, will be the keynote speaker.
The Homecoming Celebration will be held at the Flandreau Community Center on the west side of the Flandreau High School at 6:00 p.m. on January 6. Dinner tickets are available for $15.00 each from State Headquarters in Watertown. A coupon for ordering tickets was printed in the November edition of the SD Legion News. Tickets can also be purchased by simply sending a check for $15.00 and information on where to send the tickets to South Dakota American Legion, PO Box 67, Watertown, SD 57201.
The deadline for purchasing tickets is December 27, 2006. There will be no ticket sales at the door. All tickets must be purchased in advance.
Rooms have been blocked at the Royal River Casino Hotel in Flandreau for the function. The cost of rooms is $60.00 per night. Remember to mention that you are with The American Legion when making your reservation. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-833-8666. The Casino Hotel is located at 607 Veterans St. in Flandreau.
This will be National Commander Morin’s one and only official visit to South Dakota during his year as National Commander. Please help The American Legion Department of South Dakota with a good turnout for the National Commander’s visit.
Additionally, we all know that Chaplain Stan has provided many, many years of dedicated and devoted service to The American Legion in South Dakota and he is most deserving of the recognition that will be accorded him by this Homecoming Event. This is truly a “must attend event” for the Legion family members in South Dakota.
MIDWINTER CONFERENCE
The South Dakota American Legion’s MidWinter Conference will be held Friday – Sunday, February 23-25, 2007, at the Crossroads Hotel and Huron Event Center in Huron, SD. The Crossroads Hotel is the Headquarters Hotel for the event, however, Department Headquarters has been informed that all rooms at the Crossroads Hotel have been booked.
Following is a listing of other hotels/motels located in the Huron area that are within easy commuting distance of the Crossroads Hotel/Huron Event Center.
Best Western of Huron – 352-2000
Comfort Inn – 352-6655
Super 8 – 352-0740
Dakota Inn – 352-1400
The schedule of events for the MidWinter Conference have been previously reported in the Up To Now and in the SD Legion News. The full schedule will be repeated in the January edition of the SD Legion News.
MIDWINTER CONFERENCE BANQUET TICKETS
All tickets for the MidWinter Conference Joint Banquet will be by advanced ticket sales only. There will be no tickets available at the door. This helps to ensure that adequate meals are prepared and helps ensure that the local host Post has a definite head count for the event.
Tickets are available from Huron American Legion Post 7, PO Box 1255, Huron, SD 57350. The cost of admission is $22.00 per person. For additional information, please contact Huron Post Comamnder Keith Schrader at 605-352-4893.
David Rehbein of the Department of Iowa will be the keynote speaker for the banquet. Rehbein is a candidate for National Commander of The American Legion for the years 2008-2009.
BOYS STATE FEES TO INCREASE
The South Dakota American Legion Boys State Corporation and Board of Directors recently met in Mitchell and established criteria and developed plans for the 2007 session of South Dakota American Legion Boys State.
The decision was made, after careful review of the financial report of the 2006 Boys State session, to raise the registration fee for the 2006 South Dakota American Legion Boys State session to $150.00 per delegate.
The increase in the registration fee is required due to the rising cost of running the program and the decreased enrollment.
South Dakota American Legion Boys State Director Maurice Reiner of Yankton reported that at a recent conference of American Legion Boys State Directors in Indianapolis, even with the increase of the registration fee to $150.00, South Dakota American Legion Boys State will still be one of the least expensive American Legion Boys State Programs in the nation.
SIOUX FALLS FIRM SELECTED FOR EMPLOYMENT AWARD
John Morrell & Company has been selected as the South Dakota American Legion’s Employer of the Year for Hiring Veterans in the large category (201 or more employees). The nomination emphasized John Morrell & Company’s continuous support for the annual Sioux Falls Veterans Stand Down.
The award will be presented at the South Dakota American Legion’s State Convention in Spearfish in June 2007.
NATIONAL COMMANDER MORIN OFFERS CAP PIN
During the 2006-2007 membership year, National Commander Paul Morin will award his National Commander pin to any Legion Family member who signs up five (5) new members and renews ten (10) members of The American Legion.
A “new member” is any eligible person joining for 2007 who was not a member of The American Legion in the 2006 membership year. This includes “reinstated” members who let their membership lapse (were a member in 2005 but did not renew in 2006).
A “renewed member” can be any Legionnaire in good standing for 2006 who is renewing his/her membership for 2007. Reinstated members may be counted as part of the renewals, however, each member signed can only be counted once.
Commander Morin’s goal is to recognize those in the Legion Family who actively recruit and renew the members of the world’s largest veteran’s organization. To maintain the integrity of the National Commander’s Pin, only one pin will be awarded per individual.
A copy of the certification form that should be used for reporting the qualifications of a member for the National Commander’s Pin is enclosed with this Up To Now. Local Posts may duplicate this form as necessary.
OTHER NATIONAL COMMANDER INCENTIVES
The Revere Bowl – A custom bowl will be awarded to the two American Legion Posts from each region with the highest membership above 100% by December 31, 2006. This bowl will also be awarded to one District per Region with the highest membership percentage above 100% by December 31, 2006. Finally, the Department with the highest percentage above 100% by December 31, 2006 will receive the Revere Bow. Nominations will be determined by Department Headquarters.
National Commanders “100% Plus” Pins for Post, District, and Department – Any Post, District, or Department that obtains 100% or more by the Legion Birthday, March 15, 2007, will receive a set of specially commissioned National Commander 100% Plus Pins for the Commander, Adjutant, and Membership Chairman at the Post and District levels. At the Department level, the pin will go to the Commander, Adjutant, Membership Chairman and NEC. The Department Commander’s Pin includes a diamond in the center of The American Legion emblem. Again, nominations for these awards will be initiated by Department Headquarters.
100% Paul’s Minuteman Legion Cap – District Commanders and Department Commanders who exceed 100%, without any losses in the number of Posts in their respective areas – will be awarded a one-of-a-kind blue American Legion Cap. Nominations will be submitted by Department Headquarters.
SPORTS AWARDS TO BE MADE
Posts interested in hosting the 2008 sporting events for The American Legion Department of South Dakota have until Monday, January 22, 2007 to submit their bids and invitations to State Headquarters in Watertown.
The State Bowling Tournament will be held during three or four weekends in March and/or April 2008.
The State Golf Tournament will be held either the third or fourth weekend in June 2008. (The 2nd weekend is the Department Convention in Watertown.)
Tentative dates for the Class B State Baseball Tournament are July 30-August 3, 2008.
Tentative dates for the Legion State Championship Baseball Tournament are August 6-10, 2008.
To ensure that participating baseball teams take home some money to pay expenses, the State Athletic Commission requires that bidders for the baseball tournaments guarantee a split of $2,500 for the “B” Tournament and $7,500 for the Championship Tournament.
Bids will be reviewed by the Department Athletic Commission at its annual meeting prior to the MidWinter and the Commission’s recommendations will be presented to the Department Executive Committee at its MidWinter meeting in Huron, on February 23, 2007.
MEMBERSHIP AWARDS
PUFL Drawings – Since the last edition of the Up To Now, an additional 50 PUFLs have been purchased by SD Legionnaires. In accordance with the 2006-2007 Post Adjtuant’s Administrative and Awards Manual, Department Headquarters has drawn the name of one additional SD Legionnaire who will receive a 50% rebate on the purchase price of his PUFL. The winner is:
Donald A. Paulsen of Post 246 in Wall, SD
The deadline to qualify for any additional drawings for 50% rebate on your PUFL membership is December 31, 2006. PUFL applications received after that date will not be eligible for the drawings. If you are contemplating the purchase of a PUFL, here is an incentive to do it now.
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER & FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS
The deadline for nominations for The American Legion Department of South Dakota Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and Firefighter/EMT of the Year is January 12, 2007. All nominations must be in Department Headquarters in Watertown by that date.
Details related to the program were contained in the last edition of the Up To Now.
Copies of the governing instructions and nomination forms are available from Department Headquarters in Watertown. You can call 605-886-3604 or email sdlegion@dailypost.com to obtain the information and forms.
TRANSMITTAL OF MEMBERSHIP TO HEADQUARTERS
This information is provided for all Posts. It is imperative that any dues that you are currently holding, or that your Post collects or receives between now and the first week of January, must be forwarded to Department Headquarters in Watertown immediately.
The National per-capita dues increase (an additional $4.50) goes into effect for any dues that are received by National Headquarters after January 10th. Department Headquarters must have all dues paid at the current rate in our office by January 9th. Department Headquarters will overnight all dues received at the end of the day on January 9th. If your dues are not in Department Headquarters in time for that overnight package, you will be informed of the need to collect an additional $4.50 from those members whose dues you did not get in to Department Headquarters in time.
All dues transmitted to Department Headquarters after January 9, 2007, must include payment for membership at the $23.50 rate. This includes $10.00 for Department and $13.50 for National Headquarters.
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
2007 membership stands at 22,200 or 85.31 percent of the Department’s 2007 membership goal.