Membership
American Legion Fort Scott Thompson-Harkey Post 25 is in 1st place in 2nd District membership. Today’s numbers have Post at 85 members or 111.84%.
This is Post 25’s third consecutive year at having Post membership above 100%. Be proud of yourself and this milestone achievement. I salute all members who made this possible.
If you have not yet renewed, please do consider doing so. Your dues support the Legion’s efforts advocating for Veterans and their families throughout Kansas and great country. The recently passed Blue Water Navy bill was the result of the Legion’s efforts to insure “Blue Water” Sailors and Marines could receive medical and pension benefits for exposure to Agent Orange.
Volunteer Needs
There will be a workday to start putting the Legion Room in Memorial Hall back together. The first workday is Friday, January 3rd at 10 am.
Baseball Chair for the 2020 American Legion baseball season. The 1st meeting for prospective teams is in late January. Post 25 has received a grant for $1,400 as seed money for this year’s team. Unless we have a Baseball Chair to oversee the coaches and insure that Legion high standards towards sportsmanship and positive charter building are maintained, the grant money will be returned to the City of Fort Scott.
Upcoming Events
January 3. Workday at Memorial Hall. Starts at 10 am.
January 6. Post 25 meet and greet starts at 630 pm in Memorial Hall.
January 6. Post 25 general membership meeting starts at 7 pm in Memorial Hall.
January 16. American Legion Auxiliary Unit 25 meets at 600 pm in Memorial Hall.
January 16. American Legion Post 25 Color Guard meets at 730 pm in Memorial Hall. All Post 25 Legion family members can join the Post 25 Color Guard. This includes Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion Squadron members.
January 31 – February 2, 2020. Department of Kansas Midwinter Forum at Fort Scott.
Informational Items
Kudos to our Legion Family members who “rang the bell” for the Salvation Army on December 17th. 100% of the donations contributed to the red kettle stay in Fort Scott. Bell ringers were Mary Tinsley, Bob and Pamela Belknap, Marilyn Gilmore, Diane Spencer, Myra Jowers, Darrell Spencer and Mike Hansen.
Several Post 25 Legionnaires and Auxiliary members visited Veterans at the Fort Scott Medicalodges on December 23. Only about half of the Veterans residing at the Medicalodges were able to attend. Each Veteran received a Hallmark Christmas ornament and a stocking containing candy and some small personal items.
The Department of Kansas Sunflower for January – March 2020 is attached for your reading pleasure.
Post 25 will be hosting the Department of Kansas Midwinter Forum January 31 – February 2. Please mail in your reservation for the Filet Mignon dinner to be held at the River Room on Saturday, February 1. You can also bring your reservation to our general membership meeting on January 6th. The reservation is in the Mod-Winter Forum attachment.
For more info:
The Military Veterans Advocacy took the Procopio v Wilkie case to the Federal Circuit Courts en banc hearing and won the 9-2 decision Jan 29, 2019. True it was an all hands evolution, but we submitted the legislation to members of Congress for Sponsors to push it through Congress. But regardless, we don’t care who takes credit, we just want to ensure that veterans understand that if they were onboard a ship off RVN, from the ports visited, out to the Straight Baseline, plus 12nm further out to sea, known as the Territorial Sea of RVN, that they file their claims, both veterans and surviving spouses. For those that filed presumptive claims in the past, and were denied, the VA is going back to the original claims denied as filed on or after 25 Sep 1985, and using that effective date of claim to award retroactive checks. Don’t allow your members to believe they had to operate within 12nm of shore. We have deck logs (over 1,700) that we have processed, plus we have Military Installation Contaminant List for those military installations that are on EPA Superfund Sites and National Priority Lists. For those interested.