This fall, members of your Post, Unit Squadron or Chapter can take one day and learn about the many different programs and projects concerning the Pennsylvania American Legion. For a $15 registration fee, “students” choose one of eight courses, which will be filled on a first come first served basis.
The General Course provides information on all Department programs, activities and more.
The Adjutant Course is a 1/2 day course which covers membership, various forms as well as other information. The first half of the day will be spent in the General Course.
The Auxiliary Course is an all day class that covers issues pertaining to the Pennsylvania American Legion Auxiliary.
There will also be a 1/2 day SAL Course. The first half of the day will be spent in the General Course
The Service Officer Course is an all day class that will give insight on filing claims and assisting veterans in need.
The Home Association Course is an all day class that will educate attendees on bookkeeping, IRS forms, small games of chance and the Home Association’s relationship to the Post.
Another class is the Legion Riders Course for the entire day. This will inform the students about the different aspects of the Legion Riders.
The final program is the Chaplain Course for those who are or may want to become a Chaplain and will explain your obligations and duties within your Post as the Chaplain. The first half of the day will be spent in the General Course.
For your convenience Department offers tow “colleges”. Choose to attend October 30, 2010 at Cumberland Valley High School (Mechanicsburg, PA) or November 6, 2010 at the Latrobe High School in Latrobe PA. Opening program begins at 8:30 am with all classes starting at 9:00 am.
Registration fee includes course material, a full course lunch and a Legion College pin.
Both facilities are non smoking.
Click Here for the Legion College application
Click Here for the 2010 Pennsylvania American Legion Tournament bracket. Congratulations Spring City!
View a video of the 2009/2010 year in review.
The 2010 Department Convention held at the Harrisburg Hilton Hotel was a great success. View the great pictures below.
2010 SWEEPSTAKES WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE - $10,000
Rose M. Bouchard
Ligonier, PA
1ST PRIZE - $2,500
Robert L. Porvaznik
Whitehall, PA
2ND PRIZE - $1,000
Joseph L. Barnhart
Council Bluffs, IA
3RD PRIZE - $500
Paul A. Moore, Jr.
Clearfield, PA
4TH PRIZE - $250
Charles Kalmanowicz
Swoyersville, PA
5TH PRIZE - $250
Kerry A. Heckman
Hamburg, PA
6TH PRIZE - $250
Ronald W. Yingling
Duncansville, PA
7TH PRIZE - $250
Robert Longnecker
Elizabethtown, PA
8TH PRIZE - $200
Carol L. Wajda
Shavertown, PA
9TH PRIZE - $200
Joseph D’Anna
Avella, PA
10TH PRIZE - $200
Kenneth W. Emswiler
Blakeslee, PA
11th PRIZE - $200
Michael E. Krug
Boyers, PA
12TH PRIZE - $200
Teresa M. Krankota
Conneaut Lake, PA
13TH PRIZE - $200
William N. Gibboney
Tyrone, PA
14TH PRIZE - $200
Warren J. Ola
Buffalo, NY
15TH PRIZE - $200
Karen J. Still
Newport, PA
16TH PRIZE - $200
Mary C. Ryan
Dushore, PA
17TH PRIZE - $200
Charles H. Hoffman
Hanover, PA
*Received a $250 bonus for being in attendance.
As the department convention is approaching, I’m preparing several mini-movies to be shown before, during, or even right after the convention sessions. The mini-movies will be pictures of our Pennsylvania American Legion “Posts-in-Action” set to patriotic music. And I want to include pictures from your Post, your District, your programs!
This year’s Pennsylvania American Legion Department Convention will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg from July 15th to the 18th. After the convention, I will post the mini-movies to Department’s website for everyone to view.
The mini-movies will be made from pictures of the events involving our Pennsylvania Legion Posts. You can send pictures of your Post meetings, Christmas party, Oratorical contest, summer picnic, Legion baseball, testimonial dinner, the front of your Post building, Memorial Day parade, Veterans Day event, visiting a local school, welcoming home our current military, flag burning ceremony, or any other event held by your American Legion Post supporting your community, children & youth, Americanism and of course our veterans.
The mini-movies will be similar to the movie shown at the January Housing for Homeless Veterans benefit dinner. If you did not see the movie you can go to Department’s website to view the movie.
You can:
Send me your pictures taken during the 2009 -2010 membership year via email no later than June 15, 2010
Send as many as 25 pictures to be included as part of the mini-movies – you can send as many emails as necessary to send the 25 pictures
Write your Post # on the subject line of the email
Or mail a CD with the 25 pictures on it to Shannon Kyle, 2072 Rockfield Road, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 15243 – please include your Post number with the CD
Do Not send the actual pictures – I need the pictures by email or CD only
If you don’t have pictures then ask around; you may have a Post Historian, Post Adjutant, Post Commander, or even any other members from your Post can have pictures from this current membership year 2009-2010.
Click Here for a copy of the 2010 Memorial Day Speech from National Headquarters
Washington (April 20, 2010) — Less than a week after The American Legion urged Congress to give jobless veterans the “proper training and tools” they need to gain employment, three U.S. senators introduced a new bill today that will help America’s veterans get back into the civilian work force.
The Veterans Employment Act of 2010 was unveiled at a press conference today in front of the U.S. Capitol by its three sponsors: Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and Mark Begich, D-Alaska.
“This bill appears to be a legislative home run because it touches all the bases in addressing key challenges faced by our unemployed veterans,” said Peter Gaytan, executive director for The American Legion here.
“Senator Murray and her colleagues are focused on critical areas that will also provide help for those veterans who are entrepreneurs. For instance, the bill’s Veterans Business Center Program will prove to be a valuable asset. And, once this legislation is passed, The American Legion looks forward to participating in the semi-annual Veterans Entrepreneurial Development Summit,” Gaytan said.
Mark Walker, one of several Legionnaires at the press conference, testified April 15 before the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, calling upon its members to step up congressional action to provide more employment opportunities to veterans - especially those returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This bill contains several provisions that The American Legion has been advocating for some time,” Walker said. “It will expand GI Bill education benefits to include apprenticeship and training programs, so that veterans can get the licenses and certificates they need for new careers. It also calls for small-business training and counseling, and creates pilot programs to help veterans market their military training more effectively in the civilian sector.
“These are some of the same issues that I just testified on last week before a congressional subcommittee,” Walker said. “Veterans deserve all the job opportunities we can give them -in health care, IT, green jobs - so they can take care of themselves and their families. And The American Legion is going to continue its dialogue with Congress to ensure that employment for veterans remains a high priority.”
Murray’s bill also addresses training requirements for two Dept. of Labor job categories: disabled veterans’ outreach program specialist (DVOP) and local veterans’ employment representative (LVER).
“As a former DVOP in North Dakota, I am fully aware of the important role these positions can be in helping veterans overcome employment barriers and become more marketable,” said Steve Robertson, legislative director for The American Legion.
“Veterans have so many transferable skills that most potential employers need - solid work ethic, self-discipline, reliability, mission-oriented and team players,” he said.
According to a news release from Murray’s office, the new bill is the “first legislation that takes a comprehensive approach to addressing skyrocketing veterans unemployment rates. The bill includes a series of proposals that improve training, skills transition, education, and small business assistance programs.”
Current Dept. of Labor statistics indicate that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are among the hardest hit of unemployed Americans, with an alarming jobless rate of 14.7 percent. Among younger veterans (18 to 24 years old), the 2009 unemployment rate was 21.1 percent.