Hope everyone had a lovely Holiday Season and A Happy New Year. We all can be proud of the first half of the National Legion Year, 01 July thru 31 December 2011.

We have continued to provide support to our needy Veterans, Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve personnel and their families.

Our membership is at over 86 per cent and we are several hundred members ahead of this time last year. A very special thanks to everyone.

We as American Legion members must or should know what the Four Pillars of the American Legion are and know and understand what the American Legion stands for and its overall operation, from National through Department, District, Post, all the way down to the actual members, all should know how every level is inter woven.

To help our Legion members obtain more information we must hold more training through the Department. The American Legion National College holds a week long training session each year at National Headquarters in Indianapolis during the month of October, each year. Every year, two or three of our Colorado leaders are selected to attend this week of American Legion training. Everyone has an opportunity to be selected.

Three years ago we, The American Legion State of Colorado, started our own Colorado American Legion College (CALC). During class the following topics are covered: The Four Pillars, leadership styles and opportunities, mentoring, writing resolutions, proper way to run post meetings, strategies to promote Legion programs, recruiting new members and how to keep current members and many other topics.

At the Legion Mid-Year Conference on 28 January 2012 Saturday from 1:15 to 3:15 p.m. there will be a two hour CALC training session. Everyone is welcome! Please come and take part in learning more about our Legion. This year we will be holding two CALC training days. We will be doing Legion College I and II. Legion College I will be in Colorado Springs and Legion College II will be in the Denver Metro area. We are planning to have one session in April and one in May. Word will be coming out on Legion College I and II in the near future. Please plan on attending, learning about the Legion, and sharing information and your experience with other legion members. This will be a great opportunity, don’t pass it up.

All American Legion Members, in the State of Colorado, stand up and salute our Posts for their great effort in MEMBERSHIP to-date – as of 10 November 2011 the Department is at 77.31% — this is great and we all can be very proud. UNITED WE STAND – working together we can make 100% by 31 December 2011. Our standings: Of our 14 Districts 11 are over 75%; Posts at 100% + 20; and Posts 75% to 99.99% 74.

This is great. Let’s keep our membership drive going. I want to thank all the post and members who held and took part in the many Veteran Day functions around the State. Also, thanks for remembering our need veterans, military personnel and those needing help in your local communities by proving then Thanksgiving baskets or providing meal at your posts.

Let’s not forget the many youth programs we have that need help from all posts; Baseball, Boys Scout, Boys State, Junior Shooting and Oratorical. Every post should be supporting at least one of our youth programs.

The holiday season is upon us and this is a great time of year to be involved in helping others. Volunteer opportunities with veterans are abundant. Serving a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal at a VA homeless shelter, to a military family or a family in your Community will make a world of difference to veterans and families in need. Also, remember to give gifts to needy families with small children, what a wonderful way to make a small child smile and happy at Christmas.

“United We Stand” – Not only as Legion, Sons of the Legion, Auxiliary, Youth and Legion Riders, but as Legion Members representing our Department, Districts and Posts. It is very important that all members continue to spread the work of what The American Legion stands for and what we do in support of all Veterans, Active Duty Military Personnel, their families and our many Youth Programs.

Also, it is very important that we keep involved in our Community functions and providing assistance where needed. This is how we get our veterans interested and asking how they can help and be involved. Yes you are right, I am leading into Membership. You and I are members of The American Legion – WHY? Because we know what The American Legion stands for, what we do and believe in.

By passing this on to our fellow veterans they will want to be part of The American Legion. I just spent five (5) days in Indianapolis at the October 8-12 National Fall Meeting. The most important part for me was our membership workshop and meetings. I learned a great deal on how to get our current members to renew and get new members to join. We will be holding membership meetings to pass this information on to all Legion members.

In our Western Region there are 15 states, to date in total membership we are number 3 in the region and for the Nation we are number 28. In our Western Region caucus meeting I made a challenge and stated that Colorado, come next May at the National membership cut of date we would be number ONE (1) and in the National standing we would be in the top 10. What all the other Western Region State Commanders said I will not repeat, but I think we had better be number one.

We have members in our posts and we must keep them. There are about 440,000 veterans in the State of Colorado and we have a couple thousand DMS members in our holding computer bank just waiting to be transferred into your post. Let’s put our efforts together and get out there and keep the members we have and get the others signed up and moved into our local Posts. If we do this the Colorado will be “Best in the West”.

Well, the summer sure went by fast, and now we are into September and the cool weather is upon us. Before long we will see snow in the mountains, I of course, love snow when I can look up into the mountains and see it, but not when it is under my feet.

September is a great month to really get serious about our American Legion Membership. The first National Goal of 50% by September 14 has gone by and we all did very well. The Department was at 59.56 %; 12 of our 14 Districts were over the 50% and 120 of our 165 posts were over 50 %. A great job done by everyone, thank you. Now we must keep renewing our members for 2012 and continue signing up new members.

Use the new National online renewal process for next year’s program – go on line and renew through National using your credit card, an easy way to renew your membership for 2012. From our Colorado Legion Members we have over 1,000 members that have renewed their 2012 since 01 July 2011, under this National program. Also, you can use the Department’s new “Colorado Advanced Membership payment Plan” (CAMPP). You can sign up for 3, 5 or 10 years either on line using your credit card or fill in the application and use your credit card or check and mail it to the Department. No more worries about your dues and no more notices from national to pay your dues. If your post dues go up you don’t pay the new dues until you renew after your 3, 5 or 10 years. This is a Great Deal.

Posts don’t forget our DMS Legion Members, they are easy to transfer into your posts, this program really needs to be used. We have to realize how important it is to be a member of The American Legion, the great opportunities we have to support our Veterans, Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve personnel and their families and our many Youth programs.

As veterans, we know how important it is to feel that our service is appreciated. As we continue to provide support for our Veterans they will realize how important The American Legion is and want to become involved and help other veterans. “United We Stand” working together we can accomplish so much.

Not even two months into being Department Commander and I am finding out what a great position within the American Legion this is. Already, I have met and talked with many members and I am very pleased to say everyone is dedicated to supporting The American Legion and the Legion Family.

Our members are excited about the support being provided to help our Veterans, Active Duty Military, National Guard, Reserves and their families. Also the great support and commitment that we provide for our Youth Programs.

I have found out very quickly how much there is to do, but it is fun. I am at the Department Headquarters every day for two or three hours and I have really learned why our Department runs so well.

The staff at the Department does an outstanding job. It is amazing to see how National and Department work so close together. It is an ongoing process to see how much work goes through the Department every day, but it is never held up, the Department, District and Post officers and members are kept informed and up to date on everything that is happening.

With the electronic equipment we have today everyone or all most everyone has a computer , if you are not receiving BLASTS from Department that are being sent out to provide up-to-date information, then just send an e-mail to Elaine Bock, Department Office Manager at — ebock@coloradolegion.org.

To move forward from today into tomorrow we must keep working as a united Legion, not separate districts and posts.

Every district and post should have their own web-site. This is a great way to keep members informed and promote what is going on. You need to check the department web site to keep up with what is going on. If you need assistance in setting up a district or post web site call Department and ask for assistance.

My motto for this year is “UNITED WE STAND” I believe that the Legion, Sons of the Legion, Auxiliary and Juniors working together can do so much more than if we go down our own separate roads. This year we will all be working together to help and assist each other as a team. We will also be working to raise funds to support the Fisher House.

Thank you for your support. By working together we can make this a GREAT YEAR for The American Legion State of Colorado.

As your new Department Commander I want to thank all Legion members for your support in electing me as your commander for 2011-2012.

It is a true honor and privilege for me to be your Commander. I look forward to working with all our distinguished Blue Hat Legion Members, our Department, District and Post Officers in our great State of Colorado.

My Motto Is; “United We Stand.” Our Legion Family, American Legion, Sons of The Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and our Juniors, all by working together can accomplish our goals and have an impressive year.

“United We Stand” in support of our Four Pillars of Service; Fostering a Strong National Security, Taking Care of Veterans, Mentoring the Youth of Our Nation and Promoting Patriotism and Honor.

This year, as in past years, we will have many changes and challenges. We can overcome many of these by moving our current way of doing things, and how we work our programs, out of the last century and into the 21st Century. We live in a new age, if we want to keep up with the times and bring in new young Legion members and keep them around we have to ‘change’ a lot of our ways.

I am looking forward to a splendid year. I expect to get out into the field and visit many Posts. My commitment to all Post Commanders is that if you are having a special event at your post, in your community, or any event that you would like to have a Department Officer there, we will be there, if at all possible. Just contact the Department, as much in advance as you can, and give them the information and it will be worked out.

As Commanders and Adjutants, we often struggle to identify Legionnaires who are willing to volunteer to actively to support their Post’s (and District’s, and Department’s) programs.

Posts that own a “home” — especially if they operate a “lounge” — generally have little or no difficulty finding volunteers to assist with social events. Finding volunteers to successfully conduct Legion programs and/or Veterans Support projects (which is the sole reason that Congress granted and thus far allows The American Legion to keep our tax-exempt charter!) is too often a challenge, at least for a number of our larger posts.

I believe we can largely solve this problem by polling our members’ wants, needs and skills. This will be especially important with those members who rarely (or never) attend Post meetings or only participate in social functions.

Here in Colorado, we have 22,500 customers — Legionnaires throughout the state about whom we know little more than whether and when they’ve paid dues. Any enterprise so poorly acquainted with its “customer base” is doomed to fail.

Fortunately, we know the solution. We have 21^st Century technologies to survey, tabulate and make available to Districts and their Posts a mission-critical Members’ Preferences Database. Such an invaluable tool will alert leadership at all levels to the Legion Programs which are of greatest interest to regional and local Legionnaires. This will provide an important, rational basis for communicating regularly with the foundation and backbone of our organization — our Legionnaires.

Today is the day we need to create and put into play every proven strategy available, to vault our American Legion into the 21^st Century!

Commander Frank McCurdy

Department of Colorado                                                                             

Gar Williams, Department Commander                 (970) 734-5600

PO Box 153                                                 email:gar@coloradolegion.org

Craig, CO 81626

THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

For over a year I have been saying that one of the twenty first century problems with our organization, is that we have to get the American Legion out of the post and into the community.

Our National Commander, Dave Rehbein has provided us with a very great tool to accomplish this task.

In February Commander Rehbein signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, (USAREC). The MOU states that the American Legion will assist the Army in qualifying future soldiers by providing mentoring and tutoring when requested and within the capabilities of the individual post. In exchange USAREC will assist American Legion Posts where ever possible.

At first glance this does not seem to be a very important document with little effect on the American Legion or USAREC. The first glance could not be farther from the truth. This document permits and encourages the local recruiters to interact with the American Legion at the Post, District and Department levels. It provides the tools for the American Legion Post to be recognized in the community, expand children and youth programs, the Blue Star Salute, TS2, Boys State, Oritorical Contest, Drug Awareness Programs, National Security, and numerous other programs. The MOU gives the local legion post access to military guest speakers, military displays at Legion events, new members willing to work for the good of the legion family, access to potential Legion, Auxiliary and Sal members.

By now you are thinking how does all this work? What is it going to cost my post?  Where does my post fit into this program?  How do I start this process?

I will attempt to provide some of the answers to your questions.

First, I can tell you that the cost in dollars to your Post is very minimal. It will take a few dedicated and very rewarding hours of your time to become involved in securing the future of our Army, our Nation and the American Legion.

The entire relationship process began in September 2008 when Roy Vapp, an American Legion member in Nebraska contacted your Department Commander and suggested working with the Denver Recruiting Battalion. Over the next four months LTC. Medina, Commander of the Denver Recruiting Battalion and his staff worked very closely with the Department Commander and the Office Manager, Elaine Bock to put together the overwhelming Swearing In Ceremony and Purple Heart Presentation at our Mid Year Conference in Denver.

In February the Denver Battalion contacted our Office Manager and requested assistance with their Safety Stand down. Through Elaine’s efforts Post 23 donated the use of their meeting room and a group of Boys State supporters, prepared a lunch that raised money for our Boys State Program. With these successes, and the MOU in place, the next step is simply falling into place.

Through the Denver Battalion Headquarters, new recruiters are being requested to contact the local American Legion Post when they are assigned to a Recruiting Station in your community. When contacted, the post should welcome these soldiers into the community, assist them and their families with the things that make them welcome.

Introduce the recruiter to members of the community, make them feel at home. Inform them of which areas are the best to live, where to shop, who provides the best services, be it a garage, car wash, plumber, electrician, carpenter, babysitter, pre-school, schools or soccer team for their children. Introduce their wife to the Auxiliary members, so that they will “know someone in the community”

Auxiliary members can invite the recruiter’s wife to join them for coffee, lunch or shopping. A meal or desert provided when the family is moving in can be most welcome, and can start a lifelong friendship. These simple courtesies cost practically nothing, and at the same time you are creating the support network the military family lost when they left a military installation.

Your efforts can help the new recruiter become successful in his mission, which reduces the stress of the long hours, and isolation from the military community. Lower stress levels allow the recruiter to live a happier life and be a productive member of your Legion Post. By doing this we have completed the mission of TS2 and Operation Re-Connect for a military family.

At your next meeting, or better yet, create a local media event at the Army Recruiting Office by presenting the Recruiter with an American Legion Certificate of Appreciation signed by the National Commander and National Adjutant, thanking them for their service. This type of media event provides valuable publicity for your American Legion Post and the Recruiter.

The recruiters have daily contact with high school students. They meet with these youth frequently. They can identify and direct potential candidates for Boys State, Girl’s State, Oritorical Contest, Legion Baseball and other children and youth programs to the post, making our jobs easier and increasing participation in our programs.

Recruiters can supply the post with information on new soldiers, and their families. Armed with this information we, the American Legion should contact the families of new soldiers immediately after the new soldier has reported for duty.

We need to present them with a Certificate of Appreciation for their son or daughter’s service, and a Blue Star Banner, while explaining the benefits of “Connecting Military Families” secure web sites for personal communications, and other benefits available to the soldier and his/her family.

We are not there to get the family to join the Legion, merely to thank them and provide information. Eventually these families will become supporters of the American Legion, and many will choose to join our ranks after they have seen what we are doing for our military. We are recruiting them by demonstrating that we care for veterans, not asking for membership!

The future soldiers that the recruiters will refer to the Legion, Auxiliary and SAL for education assistance, tutoring, and mentoring, will see firsthand what the American Legion Family is about. We are being entrusted with helping them achieve a major goal that they have set for their lives, becoming a United States Soldier.

These future soldiers will remember who helped them achieve their first “adult goal” for the rest of their lives. You will become their hero, and they will be proud to join YOUR American Legion Post because you helped them become a soldier.

The future soldiers, and the present soldiers are the future of the American Legion, if you do not step up to this mission, you are causing the demise of your American Legion Post, Unit and Squadron.

Recruiters can also assist the American Legion by being speakers at Post, Squadron, Unit and District Meetings. Assisting with Honor Guards and ceremonies by providing us with refresher training and access to current information. Your local recruiter can provide you with valuable military updates and other information.

Recruiters frequently know what deployed troops need in the way of comfort items, recreation items and support packages, where, how, and to whom to send them to achieve your post’s specific charitable goals.

New soldiers frequently contact their recruiter when they are having problems in the military. Unfortunately, the recruiter has access to only the resources that are available the rest of the military to help a soldier once they are in the service. In many cases, the local recruiter can let a post know when help is needed, and an American Legion Program such as TFA can be utilized to assist with the situation.

Would you like to have a climbing wall, a military vehicle, a military display or presence at a Legion event, or parade? Your local recruiter can help you with securing these types of project support.

Your elected Department Officers, Headquarters Staff, and upcoming Legion, Auxiliary and Sal Officers are committed to making this program work for the benefit of the U.S. Army and the American Legion. Are you willing to do your part to make this program a success?

By: Gar Williams, Department Commander

Congratulations are in order for Col. Akam, Brigade Commander of the United States Army Recruiting Command and National Commander Dave Rehbein. Col Akam recently uncovered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), between the US Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), and the American Legion in Nebraska. The long unused MOU called for cooperation between USAREC and the Legion in several areas, with the legion and auxiliary mentoring future soldiers that were having difficulty with academic requirements, and recruiters assisting the local legion post with their activities.

    Col. AKAM revised the MOU and sent it up his chain of command. On February 26th, the Commanding General of USAREC, LTG Benjamin Freakley and National Commander Dave Rehbein signed a new agreement on behalf of both organizations.

    The MOU provides the Legion and USAREC with some very powerful tools we can use to improve the perception of the American Legion in our communities. The legion will have the ability to meet future soldiers and their families so that we can provide them with information on the programs we have available for them, Blue Star Banners, answering questions about the military, Family Support Network, Children and Youth Programs are just a few of the opportunities which we can utilize to be recognized in the community as a supporter of our service men and women.

    We forged a very strong working relationship with the Denver Recruiting Battalion at our Mid Winter Conference. The MOU will serve to strengthen that relationship.

    I am asking all American Legion Posts to become involved in Operation Reconnect or in this case Operation Connect, by welcoming new recruiters into your post and community. These soldiers are serving America away from the normal military support network, and it’s our duty to help them join our communities by helping them to get settled in the community, and being their “first friends in a new community.” Little things, like which daycare center can take their children, where the good restaurants are, where to get their car serviced or buy groceries, can be daunting tasks for a person new to the community.

    The Denver Recruiting Battalion, which covers all of Colorado and local recruiters, will work closely with the American Legion to support and assist with legion projects in the community, military displays, color guards and support at special events.

    The American Legion has developed a Certificate of Recognition, which can be downloaded from the Internet and printed for active duty members of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.

    Headquarters will prepare these certificates for all the members of the Denver Recruiting Battalion; the certificates will be mailed to the posts where there are Recruiting Stations. The posts are requested to then present the certificates to their local Army recruiters; this is an excellent opportunity for the post to meet these soldiers and invite them to become active members of the American Legion Family.

    Presentation of these certificates provides your post with an excellent opportunity to contact the local media for some publicity and recognition in the community. Additional public relations opportunities are available when presenting Certificates of Recognition to a local fire fighter, police officer, Eagle Scout or a business that displays the POW or American flag every day.

    Its time for all of us to get out of the post and into the community, where the American Legion can be recognized for what we do.

Those who attended our 89th annual convention in Colorado Springs had an opportunity to meet your Department Officers. Frank McCurdy is your Senior Vice Commander, Thresa Arney, Larry Decker, Jim Gates, Jim Gillis, Jon Gooley, and Jim Park were elected as your Junior Vice Commanders. Paul Erickson was elected to serve another term as your Finance Officer, and Eleanor Allen was re-elected as Historian. Robb Smith was elected SGT at Arms.

Thank you to our immediate Past Commander Tim Grabin and his officers for their service during the past year.

My theme for this year is “Soaring To New Heights” , because we have many challenges before us that will largely determine the future of the American Legion.

Once again the “Commander’s Project”, is to increase the funding for the Colorado Children and Youth Foundation. The Colorado Children and Youth Foundation is an American Legion Non-Profit Corporation established in 2003 to provide funding for the Department’s Children and Youth programs from the proceeds of the foundations investments. The foundation still needs to raise approximately eighty five thousand dollars before it can begin funding these worthwhile programs from investment returns. Donations are tax deductible and always welcome. We encourage every post to do some type of fund raising activity for the Colorado Children and Youth Foundation this year.
Every donation, no matter how large or small gets us closer to our goal.

The past few months have created many challenges for the American Legion in Colorado including:
* The new Secretary of the Veterans Administration decided to scrap the existing plans for the Denver VA Medical Center and outlined his plan for a “hospital within a hospital”.
* Gasoline has reached a record high price of $4.26 a gallon, diesel fuel is hovering at $5.00 a gallon and food prices have risen significantly in the past year.
* Bingo revenues at many posts are declining.
* Attendance at conventions has declined and hotel costs have risen.
* The American Legion is “doing business” the same way it has for over thirty years.
* Volunteers have less time to volunteer.

As your department officers, we are committed to improving the Department of Colorado. To improve our department will require us to look at different ways to do things, which brings up the “C” word – CHANGE. We are well aware of the fact that everyone dislikes CHANGE because it disrupts, “the way we have always done things”.
That being said, we must all remember that many changes in the past thirty years have vastly improved our lives.

Thirty years ago gas was 79 cents a gallon, the DMS Program was cutting edge technology and this year the program was placed on hold by our national headquarters while they evaluate the program. Microwave Ovens, DVD’s, Personal computers, PDA’s, the Internet, E-Mail, On Line Purchasing, Cell Phones, I-Pods and Fax Machines hadn’t been invented yet. Mimeographed news letters were the most technologically advanced and best way to communicate with large groups of people, and copies were made with carbon paper not copiers.

We have all survived these technology advances, some with more foreboding than others.
The time has come for the American Legion to embrace the “new” technology available to us.

The first of several meetings with the District Commanders was held at the Convention, where some of the challenges facing every post and district were identified. Immediately after the conclusion of the Convention, your officers met with Jin Cong, and Jon Martinez of our National Headquarters Staff to discuss how we can meet these challenges. Several promising ideas and concepts were identified, and we are developing methods of evaluating and implementing those ideas.

This year, we have a new department level committee, The Technology Committee, whose mission is: “To look at ways that we can do more of the business of the American Legion with less time and expenditures.”

We need your input and ideas on what changes you would like to see in the future.