2020 The American Legion Boys State in Montana

Enrollment now open for The American Legion Boys State in Montana

Rising high school seniors with outstanding leadership,
character and community service qualities encouraged to apply
1/2020 – Now in its 73 rd year, The American Legion Boys State program is accepting
applications for 2019. Boys State will be held June 7 th – 12 th , in Helena.
The American Legion Boys State is a unique summertime educational program for boys
entering their senior year of high school. The program focuses on participation and
personal experience in a model state, complete with governmental bodies and elected
public officials. It is designed to mirror the structure and operation of state government
while providing training in practical citizenship, leadership and character through a non-
partisan lens.
“The American Legion believes our government is only strengthened by teaching
today’s youth to understand and appreciate the democratic process,” said Brett Reistad,
National Commander of The American Legion. “It’s programs like The American Legion
Boys State that help America remain strong and ensure our freedom for future
generations.”
The American Legion Boys State program consists of classroom work, lectures and
hands-on activities that promote learning by doing. Each participant is known as a
“citizen” and becomes an integral part of the process assuming specific responsibilities
as an elected or appointed official. Enrollment fees are paid by The American Legion
posts, businesses or other civic organizations.
Former delegates that participated in The American Legion Boys State programs across
the country over the years continue to inspire current students to apply. Past graduates
that went on to have a career in the public eye include President Bill Clinton, athlete
Michael Jordan, rock star Jon Bon Jovi, news personality Tom Brokaw, and former U.S.
Peace Corps director Gaddi Vasquez, to name a few.
“The college application landscape remains incredibly competitive,” said Greg Pohle,
director of The American Legion Boys State program in Montana. “High school students
are looking for extracurricular activities that can help them develop skills and experience
that will stand out in the crowd. Selection in The American Legion Boys State is a
testimony to the character and leadership of each participant and is an experience
recognized by employers, U.S. service academies and university admissions boards.”

For more information on The American Legion Boys State program and how to apply,
contact Greg Pohle, at 406-855-0056 or directoralmtbs@gmail.com or Gary White, at
406-324-3989 or amlegmt29@mtlegion.org. Complete details on the program can be
found at www.mtlegion.org under “Programs”.
About The American Legion
The American Legion is the largest wartime veterans service organization with nearly 2
million members in 12,875 posts in communities across America. Chartered by
Congress in 1919, The American Legion is committed to mentoring youth and
sponsoring wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor,
promoting a strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow
servicemembers and veterans.

2019 - 2020 Newsletter Volume 3 Jan-Mar

Post Officers for 2019 – 2020

Commander – Scott Turner

            406-218-9980

1^st Vice Commander – George Deaderick

            520-371-2087

2^nd Vice Commander – Don Helmbrecht

            406-381-6661

Adjutant / Historian – Doug Mason

            406-546-4244

We will be electing a new Post Adjutant this year. Here is the job description and responsibilities:

The adjutant shall have charge of and keep a full and correct record of all proceedings of all meetings, keep such records as the department and National Organizations may require, render reports of membership annually or when called upon at a meeting, and under direction of the commander handle all correspondence of the Post.

The adjutant is a lot like the 1^st Sergeant in an US Army company. The adjutant assists the commander in the administration of the post. Membership takes most of your time. However, with the post’s new computer, online membership and the new post office this task will not be so time consuming.

Sergeant-At-Arms – Bob Koellermeir

Service Officer – Mike Warner

            406-363-9838

Post Chaplain – Martyn Reiss

Executive Committee Members – Allen Bjergo,

Ike Slaughter, and Don Bratsch

Junior Past Commander – Edna Nasca

Committees

Americanism – Chairman Doug Mason

            Oratorical Contest – Fred Upchurch

            McGruff Kits – George Deaderick

            School Survey – George Deaderick

            Boys State – George Deaderick

Ceremonials – Chairman Bob Koellermeir

            Honor Guard – Doug Mason

                        Funerals

                                    McLaverty – Aug 18, 2019

                                    Scott – Oct 30, 2019

                                    Kennedy – Dec 16, 2019

Children and Youth – Chairman Corey Johnson

            Scholarships

                        Grace Neal

            Temporary Financial Assistance

Economic – Chairman Don Bratsch

            Job Opportunity / Career Day – Pat Clover

                        AAR of first Job Opportunity / Career Day. On Wednesday, November 13 the first symposium was conducted. 40 to 50 students attended.    

Finance – Chairman Corey Johnson

Foreign Relations – Chairman Allen Bjergo

Graves Registration and Memorial –

            Chairman Doug Mason

House and Entertainment –

            Chairman Don Helmbrecht

Legislative – Chairman Ike Slaughter

Membership – Chairman George Deaderick

            Goal – 220

            As of January 15, 2020 - 140

Public Relation – Doug Mason

            http://corvallispost91.blogspot.com/

            https://www.facebook.com/corvallispost91

            corvallispost91@gmail.com

            https://centennial.legion.org/montana/post91

Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation –

            Chairman Mike Warner

National Security – Chairman Ike Slaughter

            Law Enforcement Officer of the Year –

            Randy Baird

                        Nominee Sergeant Brad Weston

            Firefighter of the Year –

            Active Duty Reconnect – Ike Slaughter

Active Duty Military Reconnect

23 Jan 2020

1500 – Guests Arrive Bitterroot River Inn

1800 – Dinner at The Edge Restaurant, Post #91 members are invited to attend please RSVP to Ike Slaughter at slaughteri@aol.com

24 Jan 2020

0830 – Ski Lost Trail Powder Mountain, Post #91 members are invited to attend

1800 – Dinner at Main Lodge Triple Creek Ranch by inviation

25 Jan 2020

0915 – Breakfast at Camp Sula, Sula, MT

1000 – Snowmobile Lost Trail Area

1630 – Dinner Blue Joint Restaurant, Darby MT, Post #91 members are invited to attend

26 Jan 2020

0900 – Ski Lost Trail Powder Mountain, Post #91 members are invited to attend

            Disaster Preparedness and Response Team –

            Doug Mason  

Auxiliary Unit of Corvallis #91 –

            President Linda Niezgodzki

Terry Nobles Squadron

            of Corvallis Post #91

American Legion Riders

            of Corvallis Post #91 –

            Director Don Goodnight

KG7SPL of Corvallis Post #91 –

              POC Doug Mason

KG7SPL will provide radio support for the sled dog races on Lost Trail Pass on Saturday the 18^th and Sunday the 19^th of January. We need volunteers to man checkpoints along the race route. We also need snowmobiles to transport people and patrol the race course.

Calendar of Events

Wed, Jan 15         7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library        Winter Survival

Sat, Jan 18 and Sun, Jan 19              KG7SPL provides radio support for the sled dog races at Lost Trail

Thu, Jan 23 – Sun, Jan 26                Active Duty Military Reconnect

Wed, Feb 19        7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library

Sun, Mar 15                       American Legion Birthday

Wed, Mar 18        7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library        Post Officer Nominations Opened

Sat, Mar 21          Department Oratory Finals at Helena

             

Wed, Apr 15        7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library        Post Elections

Sat, Apr 18          10 am    District #5 Meeting at Hamilton

             

Wed, May 20       7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library

             

Mon, May 25       10 am    100^th Memorial Day Parade

Mon, May 25       12 pm    Memorial Day Cemetery Cermony 

             

Wed, Jun 17         7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

Tue, Jun 30                        End of 2019 -2020 Fiscal Year

Agenda of Meeting Conducted by Corvallis Post #91, The American Legion, Department of Montana, Inc. Type of Meeting: Regular Membership Meeting Date of Meeting: 15 Jan 20

Location of Meeting: Corvallis High Library

Opening Time:

Attendance: Post Officers -          Post Members -           Guests -

Preamble:

For God and country, we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:

to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America;  

to maintain law and order;

to foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism;

to preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the great wars;

to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation;

to combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses;

to make right the master of might;

to promote peace and goodwill on earth;

to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy;

to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.

Guest Speaker: Harry Lee from Bug Out Montana

Minutes from December 2019 Meeting

2020 Membership Goal is 220 – Membership as of 14 January 2020 - 140

Commander’s Report:

          See Newsletter

          American Legion Basic Training: https://www.legion.org/alei

Upcoming Events:

Wed, Jan 15         7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library        Winter Survival

Sat, Jan 18 and Sun, Jan 19              KG7SPL provides radio support for the sled dog races at Lost Trail

Thu, Jan 23 – Sun, Jan 26                Active Duty Military Reconnect

Wed, Feb 19        7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library

Sun, Mar 15                       American Legion Birthday

Wed, Mar 18        7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library        Post Officer Nominations Opened

Sat, Mar 21          Department Oratory Finals at Helena

             

Wed, Apr 15        7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library        Post Elections

Sat, Apr 18          10 am    District #5 Meeting at Hamilton

             

Wed, May 20       7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

              CHS Library

             

Mon, May 25       10 am    100^th Memorial Day Parade

Mon, May 25       12 pm    Memorial Day Cemetery Cermony 

             

Wed, Jun 17         7 pm      Post Membership Meeting

Tue, Jun 30                        End of 2019 -2020 Fiscal Year

For the Good of The American Legion:

Sick Call or Memorial:

Closing Time: Motion for adjournment was made at _______pm_____ by_____, second by_____, motion approved.

Buddy Check: Wellness check-ins with veterans

As American Legion members, our most sacred responsibility is to look out for each other and our fellow veterans. As a way to reach out to members and former members who may need help, the National Executive Committee passed Resolution 18 during Spring Meetings in May 2019. The resolution calls for Buddy Checks to be conducted Legion-wide on the weeks of The American Legion’s birthday, March 15, and Veterans Day. However, American Legion posts are encouraged to perform this vital function whenever it makes the most sense in their communities.

The idea is to reconnect with veterans who may need assistance but don't know where to go or who to ask. These contacts may be made by a personal visit, phone or email, or a combination. The important part is to reach out to veterans in your community to let them know you care and can provide whatever assistance they may need. It's what we do for our battle buddies. 

How do I organize a Buddy Check?

1. Gather up a team if possible to call or personally visit members and former members of The American Legion. If each member in a team of 10 contacts just 10 Legionnaires or former Legionnaires, 100 veterans can be reached in one sitting.

2. If you don’t have a list of members and former members at your fingertips, visit myLegion.org and download the names of current members and those who have let their memberships expire.

3. Save the file of members and those whose memberships have expired onto a spreadsheet or copy and paste into a Word file to distribute among your team members. Print several copies of the lists.

4. Divide up the call list among your team members. Some may have personal connections with the member or the former member and should make that particular buddy check.

5. Start making connections – either from a quiet place inside the post or from your home – to see how the members and former members are doing, ask if they need anything and invite them to any event or activity planned to help celebrate the Legion’s birthday or Veterans Day.

6. Make sure you thank the member or former member in the beginning and at the end of your call.

7. If the member or former member wishes to renew, be sure to have your post’s payment procedure at your fingertips, the address to send a check or offer to stop by in person to pick it up (another opportunity to connect).

8. Leave contact information in case the member or former member can’t take the call or needs anything in the future.

Sample Scripts

Using scripts makes it easy for your team to make buddy checks on members and former members. Use these scripts, modify them or draft your own before reaching out. Remember, the most important part of the call is to see if the veteran and family are OK, if the Legion can help and to invite them to celebrate any planned centennial events or activities.

DOWNLOAD SAMPLE SCRIPTS WORKSHEET 

Answers to FAQs

When you speak to an expired member or a veteran eligible for membership, they may ask the question: “What does the Legion do?" You can be prepared with quick answers that apply at the national, department and local level using this worksheet:

DOWNLOAD FAQs WORKSHEET 

Reports

To assist you in your efforts, expired members lists can be easily retrieved from the Report Server on myLegion.org

Step 1:
Select “Reports/Labels” on the left-hand menu.

Step 2:
Posts - Open Post Reports folder, click on Revitalization folder to see: Un_Renewed Letters, Un_Renewed_Labels, and Un_Renewed Roster
Districts – Open District Reports folder to see un_Renewed Roster listing
Counties – Open County Reports folder to see un_Renewed Roster listing

3 DISCUSSIONS ABOUT INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT THE END OF 2019 by Allen Bjergo

Below are some points about our primary adversaries, China, Russia and Iran, collected from reports and observations by experts in the field of international relations.

POPULATION;

CHINA: The present population is around 1.4 billion, with a prediction that China will have 1.5 billion people by 2030, and then will decline as the aftereffects of China’s long-term “one-child” policy result in a large aging population, with fewer young people to support them.

RUSSIA: Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia’s population has entered a long-term decline, now below 100 million, with a slight current uptick currently. Its former Central Asian republics have seen increases in population and some try to migrate into Russia for employment.

IRAN: Iran’s population grew rapidly in the last few decades, but now slowing from 4% increase per year to about 1.5%. The present population is about 83 million, and could be 100 million by 2050. About half of the population is under 35, which creates problems for the aging ayatollahs.

ECONOMY:

CHINA: China has had rapid economic growth in the last few decades, as the ruling Communist Party opened to more capitalism, but growth has slowed to 6.2% this year, under stricter rule by President Xi. It is the second largest economy in the world and actually has a GDP larger than the United States. Urban Chinese are building a substantial middle class, but rural people live in a much poorer economy. China intends to be the largest economy in the world, spreading its influence to surrounding countries, as well as investments in Africa and South America. China is pressing its “Belt and Road Initiative” to re-create the Silk Road through Central Asia to Europe.

The United States and China have such an intermingled network of trade and manufacturing, that every threat or imposition of tariffs and trade disputes rattles stock markets worldwide. The situation in Hong Kong is critical, after the latest voting and Trump’s support of the protestors.

RUSSIA: Export of oil and natural gas is the largest sector of the Russian economy. Trade with the United States has grown to about $20 billion in 2019, but is a fraction of trade with China. After the fall of the Soviet Union, there were efforts to create a capitalist economy, which instead led to a “Mafia-style” economy with oligarchs allied with the communist system looting industries and resources, and leaving most Russians poorer.

IRAN: the economy of Iran is in shambles, in part because of US sanctions, and misrule by the religious leaders and the Iranian military. Iran is the most sophisticated country of the Islamic world, with significant nuclear development and huge reserves of oil and gas.

MILITARY:

CHINA: At this time, China ranks second in the world as a military power, with more than two million active duty personnel, one aircraft carrier, a large fleet of small naval vessels, and bases being built in the South China sea. Above that, is the threat of DF-21 supersonic “ship-killing missiles” which can reach 1246 miles from five land-based sites and cover far out into the Pacific. Our carrier task forces do not have a good “iron dome” defense against flocks of such weapons. Unlike Genghis Khan, China has never reached far out to conquer other countries, but seems to expand its hegemony with a combination of military threat and trade to its near neighbors, trade and investing elsewhere. We have four carrier task forces in the Pacific, with only 168 vessels active around the world. Taiwan and petroleum resources between Vietnam and the Philippines are under threat. A large part of their cyber warfare starts with the military and threatens us.

RUSSIA: Russia ranks as the fourth military power in the world, with about 900,000 active duty personnel, missiles and nuclear weapons. Its air, armor, missile and nuclear submarine assets are well-known, but parts of its military are poorly maintained and neglect has led to occasional accidents and severe pollution. More than China, Russia seeks to extend its influence with aggression, as in Ukraine, Crimea and Syria, or with support to Cuba, Venezuela and subterfuge all over the world, especially engaging in cyber warfare.

IRAN: Iran’s military is active in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and supports active terrorism all over the third world. Iran is also fomenting sophisticated cyber warfare.  It has about a half million active duty personnel, some air and small-vessel naval assets, and uses the Revolutionary Guard to enforce internal order and create threats and chaos around its borders. The recent missile attack on a Saudi oil refinery is an example of Iran’s long-term goal of unexpected punishment to those who are considered enemies and coupled with its increasing nuclear threat and increasing missile capacity means that Iran plans to create long-term trouble.

SO WHAT DO THEY THINK OF US?

CHINA: The Chinese are very proud of their culture, although the leftover shame of colonial times still has an effect. The ideas of freedom and liberty have never been part of their history with the rule of Emperors and now under the Communist Party. This background lets them dismiss Americans as scattered and undisciplined compared to their rigid society, which is increasingly under total electronic surveillance and a system of social credit points for each individual. When interfacing with the wider world, Chinese (and their Vietnamese cousins) show their talent for being merchants and while there are failures and hiccups as the Chinese society tries to meld capitalism and communism, they will continue to insert themselves in the wider world, with ownerships and investments, as well as being willing to steal technology and carry on cyberwar. The Hong Kong protests and so many students overseas may have long-term effects.

RUSSIA: Russians have never really experienced freedom and liberty, whether under the Czars, the Communist rulers and now a corrupt mix of leftover communists and corrupt oligarchs. A leader like Putin is able to carry on under the Russian philosophy of: “We like strong leader”, which allows people to survive as long as they know and follow the rules and create no waves. As with the Chinese and Iranians, some have relatives or connections in the Western world, but there is no way to bring back ideas from our culture and promulgate them among the folks at home; the authorities are watching and have no patience for adoption of Western ideals.

IRAN: Iranians have some admiration for America, in spite of the US misadventures in the distant past and lack of support now. They have connections with those who have escaped and try to use electronic connections to bypass the government and religious authorities.  Sanctions and price rises led to riots recently, with more than 1,000 people shot all over Iran. Students and urban people are protesting, but get little support from older and rural people. Iran suffers from the kind of rural/urban split which affects most countries, including the US, where the urban elites tend to be liberal and conservative rural populations feel threatened by change.