Time flies, they say. It sure has as it doesn’t seem very long ago that I was on stage at Convention being sworn in as Department Commander. As of this writing, there is about six weeks until the 2009 Convention. It has been a tremendous experience and one that I’ll never forget. There are many memories that I will cherish forever.

Right after Convention, we had a short DEC meeting and shortly after went to Indy for the Orientation. I was really hyped up as I watched the District Commanders plan their strategy to become 100% in membership. The enthusiasm was there at that time and I was optimistic that we would be a 100% Department by Round-up. I have read the hand-writing on the wall and really don’t think we are going to do it. That being the case, it is I who must take the responsibility for the failure as the Commander along with some District Commanders who lost the drive and enthusiasm along the line for whatever reason. It is the old story about the horse to water and not making him drink. The Department offered all the membership tools available along with a very charged up Membership Team of Kerry Gill, Howard McBride and Charlie McDonald, Kit Watson and I. These offerings were either disregarded or thought of as old hat. To the contrary, they were proven guidelines to recruiting, renewing and retention.

To the outgoing District Commanders, I thank you for your service to the Department. To the incoming District Commanders and the second year Commanders, I wish you the best and hope you will break this curse of not making a 100% Department. I would like to thank Kit Watson and all the Department Staff for all the help they gave to me throughout the year. They are a knowledgeable, efficient and caring Staff as well as very nice individuals who made my job a lot easier.

My thanks to my Wife Karen who traveled extensively with me this year and was a godsend making sure I had not only clean clothes but also the right clothes. Karen and I express our deepest appreciation for the warm receptions and kindness we were given everywhere we went. We made a lot of new friends and renewed a lot of old friendships.

To those of you who supported my two projects, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. The Veteran’s Memorial Stone for the Cemetery of the Alleghenies is a completed project and dedicated. We still need donations to the National Memorial being built in Shanksville commemorating Flight 93 and those brave souls who gave their lives for this country. I feel the Pennsylvania American Legion should be a major contributor for this project. Please help.

My best wishes to Joe Socha in his upcoming tenure as your Department Commander. To all my mentors, some still here and some who have passed, Thank you for all you have done for me over the years. To all the friends who have stood by me, thank you for being there for me and your faith in me. To my District, the great 29th….you guys are the best and a huge Thank You for all you have done to help promote my career in the American Legion. Without your help and encouragement, I wouldn’t be writing this today.

Thank you Pennsylvania American Legion family… I will never forget you.

W. J. Sandy Sandell
Department Commander

Congratulations to all the District Commanders on hitting the 85% target.  One thing we must remember is that if your target date is met by having 150 to 200 new members, then you have an equal number of non-renewals.  This is not how to play the game!  Your Posts need to make a concerted effort by personal contacts to renew delinquent members.  The numbers tell me that we are lacking in this area.  Sure, we can sit back and bask in the glory of making all our targets so far, but I can guarantee that if we don’t hunker down now and get the job done, we won’t be basking in the glory of being a 100% Department come Round-up in June.

I have great confidence in the leaders of this Department, but quite frankly I am getting a little nervous.   We have all been to Membership Workshops, Motivation seminars and Membership meetings so I cannot believe that any Post Commander, Post Adjutant, District or Vice Commander isn’t aware that we are striving to be a 100% Department.

Up to this point, I have left the job of Membership mostly to the individual Membership teams, but as your Department Commander I feel now is the time for me to address the issue.  If we fail to meet our goal, then it is I who must step up and carry the blame and I will do so.  I will tell you straightforward that I am not too proud to beg for your help.  I did so as a District Commander and Vice Commander and the Posts, Districts and Section came through with 100%.  Can we do it?  Sure we can, but it will take all the commitment you can muster to get the job done.  So, I am begging, imploring or whatever you might call it.  Will you help? Having “been there, done that,

Well, here it is four months and change since I was elected to serve as the Department Commander.  I must tell you that no moss is growing on the tires of the new Department vehicle as I have racked up 7500 miles plus as of this writing.

I commend the Section and District Commanders for the job they have done in attaining the 65% target date of November 5^th, with 4 Districts surpassing 75%. ( 14^th  E, 11^th C,10^th E and 36^th W).  The rest of the Districts are doing a great job and are hot on the heels of the leaders. I would be remiss if I didn’t include my thanks to the individual Posts and their Membership Teams as I know you are the ones that make the District and Section Commanders look good.

Even though we have achieved our 65% target, we cannot afford to get complacent and assume that the last 35% will just somehow roll in.  We have to work a little harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which is 100%.  Although I am very proud of the job done so far, I can afford to be “100% prouder

It comes as no surprise that I have been pretty busy since the Department Convention having put 4800 miles on the new Department vehicle. Other than the foul up with the shuttle buses, the National Convention was great and I am sure everyone in the Pennsylvania Delegation will agree. Well, discounting the extreme heat of course. The Embassy Suites hotel designated to Pennsylvania was real nice and the staff was most helpful and friendly. It was good to get back to though.

As my first project, the Department Adjutant Kit and I met with the appropriate people on Thursday, September 4, 2008 to initiate the plans to place a Pennsylvania American Legion memorial stone in the Cemetery of the Alleghenies to honor our Veterans from all wars and conflicts. This is not a large project and we expect to garner the necessary funds through donations from the Legion Family of the Pennsylvania American Legion. We have a need to be represented in this beautiful cemetery so please give what you can to this project. If you get a chance to visit the cemetery, please do so as I was in awe at how beautiful it is. The cemetery being in the 25th District, I have been told that the District is considering also placing a memorial stone there and that would be great.

At the National Convention in Phoenix, Resolution 226 from California was approved and calls for the national organization to support and endorse the creation of the Flight 93 National Memorial to be located in Somerset County Pennsylvania without any financial obligations. It is a shame that Pennsylvania didn’t initiate this resolution but at least it got done. I received from the National Organization a request that we partner with the National Park Foundation to help raise funds for the memorial. I have taken this on as my project and again plan to solicit funds from the Pennsylvania American Legion Family. This will be a National Park and Memorial dedicated to those brave souls that overcame the terrorists and most likely saved the Nation’s Capitol. We of the Pennsylvania American Legion have an obligation to support the memorial and I know I can count on the Legion Family in Pennsylvania. Information on both projects will be distributed by the Department very shortly. Every Department in the National Organization has been asked to help raise funds and I ask for your help as I feel Pennsylvania American Legion should be one of the top fund raisers for this project. The cost of the Memorial will be 30 million dollars and so far they have raised about half of that so there is some work to be done before the dedication in 2011.

Many Membership workshops have been held throughout the Department. I am disappointed in the turnout of most of them as the people that the information is targeted to are not attending…. Post Commanders, Post Adjutants and Post Membership Officers. We had asked the District Commanders to contact each Post in their respective Districts and advise them of the need to attend the workshops. This may have been done is some cases but all indications point to a lack of communications. We have set a goal of 100% membership for the Department which hasn’t been done in 18 years and we will surely not attain that unless everyone does their job. Remember, Commitment is the Key! With out your commitment we will stay in the same old rut we have been in for 18 years. Congratulations to all the Districts on hitting the target of 45%. It only gets harder from here on in but I have confidence that we will get the job done. My thanks to the Membership Team, Kerrie Gill, Pete Wasco, Charles McDonald and to Ron Conley for the job they have done in the presentations at the workshops.

 

Be safe, be proud, be healthy.

Sandy Sandell, Commander

 

I was overwhelmed by the support of all the Districts in Pennsylvania upon my nomination and election to the High Office of Department Commander.  I am humbled and grateful for the confidence placed in me.  After the blur of events at Convention, I have hit the road running and will continue to do so as I plan to be as visible as possible.

With the election of three new Vice Commanders, a great Membership Committee and an outstanding roster of Committee Chairmen and Vice Chairmen, I anticipate a stellar year for the American Legion, Department of Pennsylvania.   I stand ready to assist any Post, County, District, Section or individual Legionnaire and make only one promise….I will do the best job I can as your Department Commander and expect no less from everyone.

We have a need to place Pennsylvania American Legion Memorial in the Cemetery of the Alleghenies and that will be by primary project for this year.  Information will be disseminated as plans are solidified.

God Bless You and Yours, Our Troops, The American Legion and the United States of America

For God and Country