Commander Roberts' Christmas Message

My Fellow Members of The American Legion Family,

I am so thankful to see that we are doing well this year and I am proud of the work that you all are doing for this great organization. The Christmas season is upon us and it is a time to celebrate with friends and family. It is also a time to be thankful for all of the blessings that we have received and celebrate the birth of our Lord.

Our most heartfelt and sincere thanks to our Nation’s servicemen & women and our Nation’s Veterans. It is because of their sacrifice and the sacrifices of their families that keep our Nation free and safe. Many of those who have been serving in Iraq are coming home hopefully in time for Christmas, but if not, they will be  very soon and I know that many holiday wishes are coming true. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice and will not be coming home ever again, so I ask that you pray a special prayer for them and keep their families in your thoughts and prayers this Holiday Season.

In the spirit of the season, my wife Anita and my daughters Jessica and Jasmine wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Jim Roberts

National Commander

Sons of The American Legion

Detacment of Hawaii Visitation - December 6-10, 2011

This was a short week for me at work as I was bound for the Aloha State of Hawaii to be with The American Legion National Commander Fang Wong (NY) and The American Legion Auxiliary National President Kris Nelson (MN) to represent The American Legion Family during the events surrounding the 70th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

My day started early Tuesday morning with my flight from Orlando to Atlanta and then the long ride from Atlanta to Honolulu. I arrived in Honolulu on Tuesday afternoon and was met by Department Adjutant & SAL NEC Bernard who presented me with a lei and then made sure I got to the hotel safely. Nothing to do the first day, so I grabbed dinner and hit the sack.

December 7th - Very early rise to head down to the USS Arizona Visitor's Center for the ceremonies. I traveled with Bernard for the day. We arrived and I was in awe at what I saw. I have always been fascinated with the history surrounding the attack and I just kept thinking what it was like that day, 70 years ago. The ceremonies were great and nicely done. There were over 120 Pearl Harbor Survivors in attendance which, from what I have heard, is more than in previous years. I was very honored to be there amongst them.

Once the ceremonies were finished, we had an opportunity to visit the visitors center exhibits and there were many and lots of survivors. We then took the launch over to the USS Arizona Memorial so we could view our wreaths and drop a flower from them into the harbor to honor the memory of those 1,177 men who perished aboard the ship. Squadron 291 in California also sent a wreath and I dropped a flower on their behalf also. During our visit to the memorial, there was a brief service conducted by the National Park Service. After the service, Daniel Martinez of the NPS and I spoke briefly and he thanked the Sons of The American Legion for their wreath and said that it means a great deal to many that we take the time to honor those that lost their lives, but also those survivors. I thanked him and told him that is what we do - We honor those who served and those who serve.

From the Arizona Memorial we went to get a quick bite to eat for lunch at Schooner's before heading over to Ford Island. Once on the island we visited the Battleship USS Missouri and were treated to a guided tour. Doc was our tour guide and he did a fantastic job and I learned a lot by listening to him give his presentation. After we finished at the Missouri, we headed to the other side of the island to visit the USS Utah Memorial. A little piece of trivia for you. Did you know that the USS Arizona and the USS Utah are the only 2 ships that remain in Pearl Harbor from the attack? I didn't until this trip. This was the end of the days activities for us. We went back to the hotel for some free time.

December 8 we all got to sleep in for a little while and we departed the hotel about 8:30. Today, I rode with Department Commander Joe McCloskey, Legion National Commander Fang and his wife Barbara. We started off our day at the National Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl Cemetery) where I was honored to place an American Legion Family Wreath with National Commander Fang and National President Kris at the cemetery. Additionally we had The American Legion Band from Post 6 in Holland, Michigan that played during our visit with them. Great band and one of only a few that have been together for over 70 years. We continued our visit to the cemetery by visiting the maps at the top of the stairs and then placed flowers at the Sons of The American Legion monument on the walkway.

From the Punchbowl we had lunch and then drove over to the Honolulu VA and had a tour of the facility and learned about the process that Veterans go through to get their benefits. It was all very interesting. We didn't get to the clinic due to some time constraints and we needed to get back to the hotel to get ready for the banquet.

We arrived at the banquet and met a Pearl Harbor Survivor - CSM Sterling Cale and he presented Commander Fang, President Kris and I with commemorative coins for the 70th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack and an autographed calendar. CSM Cale is 90 years old. I was so moved to have received the gifts from him. This was the highlight of my day.

December 9 was another early morning as we were going to Hickam Air Force Base to observe the Repatriation Ceremony for the arrival of remains from several locations across the globe including Laos, Europe, Canada and Papa New Guinea. When we arrived I had the opportunity to meet several national leaders from the other Veterans Service Organizations and Major General Stephen Tom the Commander of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). Sons NEC Bernard Lee asked if I wanted to sit or stand. Of course, I wasn't sure what that meant but I saw the formation and chose to stand with them to welcome home our nations fallen dead.

Other than being at the Pearl Harbor Ceremony, this ceremony was the most moving event that I have ever taken place in. I stood with National Commander Fang Wong, National President Kris Nelson and the National Leadership of the other VSOs. I was overcome with emotions as the remains of 6 servicemen were taken off of a C-17 aircraft by an honor guard, made up of servicemen & women from each of the Armed Services, passing by where we stood and placed into a special bus for transportation to JPAC. That was just plain amazing and I was very humbled and honored to be there to represent the Sons with The American Legion Family.

After the ceremony we visited JPAC and met with JPAC Commander, Major General Steven Tom he was very interested in the Sons of The American Legion and we spoke about what we do in support of The American Legion Family. It was a good discussion and we both agree that we need to make sure that our younger generation knows about the services and sacrifices that our men & women in the Armed Services had made to keep our Nation free. I was able to present him with a pin and thanked him on behalf of all of the Sons of The American Legion for his service and what he is doing to make sure that no US Service Personnel are left behind. Once our briefing was completed we took a tour of the facility and it is amazing the amount of work that is done to identify the remains of those brought back or those who are listed as unknowns.

Today was another great day to be the National Commander of the Sons of The American Legion. Words can't express my feelings and emotions for this visit.

I go home tomorrow with one more function and that is the Department of Hawaii Executive Committee Meeting in the morning I was told no necktie, so I will be in traveling attire.

Special Thanks to Bernard, Joe, Andy and The Hawaii American Legion Family for making me feel welcomed and for all of the hospitality. I had a great time and I look forward to being able to return again.

Honoring Those Who Served - Thanksgiving - Seminole, FL

This Thanksgiving my family and I decided that we were going to volunteer with The American Legion Family at Post 252 in Seminole to serve Thanksgiving Dinner to the patients from the Bay Pines VA Medical Center. This will be our first year that we did not cook dinner at home for our family.

We arrived on Wednesday evening to meet with Detachment Commander Bill Kelly, Department Commander Fletcher Williams and Department President Diane Rousseau and many more members of The Florida American Legion Family. Ron Van Wie of Squadron 252 made it a point to introduce me to some of the Squadron members. Most of the work was done by time we arrived, but it gave us a chance to get checked into our hotel before heading out to dinner.

Dinner was awesome - We ate at good seafood restaurant in Reddington Beach called the Conch Restaurant with Detachment Commander Bill and his girlfriend Barbara, Department President Diane and her husband Chuck.

Thanksgiving Day we arrived at Post 252 to begin our day. About 1130 or so the buses from the Bay Pines VAMC started showing up. Department Commander Fletcher, Detachment Commander Bill and I along with other Legion Family members greeted them as they arrived. I swear there were about 275+ veterans that came. My daughters along with several young SAL members were serving soft drinks and water to them all. Dinner was served buffet style and for those who couldn't go through the line, dinner was brought to them.

I had an opportunity to visit with each table of veterans to speak with them, thank them for all they have done for us and make sure they had everything they needed. I had some great conversations with our veterans.

My thanks to The American Legion Family of Post 252 in Seminole for the invitation to come over and be a part of this event. I hope that I will get the opportunity to get the invitation to return next year.

This was the experience of a lifetime for me being able to serve those who served our country. It was a great day being your National Commander.

Thanksgiving Message to Membership

Earlier this month we all participated in Veterans Day, where we remember and give honor all of the men and women who served in our Nations Armed Forces around the world.

Now we are gathering with our friends and families to reflect and be thankful for all of life’s blessings. I personally want to say thanks to all of those who are serving in our Nation’s Armed Forces, our veterans and their families. We owe a great debt to you for your service and sacrifices. THANK YOU!!! This will be the first time that I will not be doing Thanksgiving at home. My family and I have decided to participate with The American Legion Family of Post 252 in Seminole, FL and serve Thanksgiving Dinner to the veterans from the Bay Pines VA Hospital. We are looking forward to honoring, thanking them personally for their service and being a part of their family for the holiday.

It is with my hope that we all take time to give thanks to our veterans in your own way this holiday.

From my family to yours we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and my thanks to you all for everything that you do for The American Legion Family.

Jim Roberts
National Commander
Sons of The American Legion

Detachment of Florida Fall Conference - Orlando - November 18-20, 2011

This visit was to my home Detachment for the Fall Conference. I arrived on Friday afternoon in time to see the National Commander of The American Legion Fang Wong (NY) do his Q&A session for the Department. Lots of good questions for the commander. From thier it was off to speak to the Florida American Legion Riders. The riders had a large turnout. I was so glad to have the opportunity to speak to them as I am grateful for all of the hard work they do for The American Legion Family.

After the meetings were over it was time to go out to dinner and we had Japanese for dinner (one of my favorites) and then back to the hotel to get ready for the meetings on Saturday.

I have to say this was a working meeting for me as am I not only the National Commander, but I am also a Detachment Assistant Adjutant so I was running the A/V equipment for our meeting. We had the best meeting in a long while. NEC John, Commander Bill and Sgt-At-Arms Mike visited both The American Legion and THe American Legion Auxiliary meetings and the Auxiliary was having a workshop like no other meeting I have been to in 20 years. I had a great time, and I know they were having a great time. That evening we had the Commander's and President's banquet - the entertainment was fabulous with a female impersonator singing and dancing.

Sunday wrapped up with The Legion Family Joint Memorial Service and then the ride home.

Thanks to my Florida Legion Family for a great weekend.

Detachment of Virginia Fall Conference - Williamsburg - November 4-6, 2011

What an awesome trip this was. I arrived at the Newport News airport at about 10:00am and was met by the Detachment NEC Jeff Evans who made sure that I go to the hotel and checked in. The ride was beautiful to see the changing colors of the leaves, but it was a little chilly.

Once we got checked in to the hotel, NEC Jeff, NECA Steve Gower and I went down and visited Colonial Williamsburg. What a nice place steeped in history and tradition. The people were dressed in clothes from the period (18th Century). Learned that the first call for the continental congress happened in a local tavern. We had visited the church grounds and the capitol. Good couple of hours spent walking around looking at the old buildings and learning a few things about the creation of the colonies.

From there we went back to the hotel to get a little down time before the Detachment Executive Committee Meeting. The Executive Committee Meeting was well attended by the officers. A few questions of me during the meeting that were answered. Lots of really good discussion about the future plans within the Detachment.

After the meeting we headed out to dinner. Dinner was at the Aberdeen Barn - what a nice restaurant and they served a great meal, which included a Delmonico steak & baked potato. On the over to the restaurant we saw a pancake house about every 20 feet (or it seemed that way). If you ever want breakfast you should come to Virginia :)

Saturday was a busy day as we had opportunities to attend The American Legion Auxiliary Meeting. they had a packed house. It was a bit tight for all of the speakers from the Legion and the Sons on the stage but we had some fun with it. I gave my remarks and thanks the Virginia American Legion Auxiliary for all of their support for the Sons. After attending the Auxiliary meeting we attended the Department Public Relations Committee where social media was a topic of discussion. I learned a couple of things relating to creating a strategy for the use of social media before launching. Will help you to identify things you want to do with your social media site(s).

The Sons of The American Legion had a very well attended meeting with 23 Squadron represented. They had many things that happened during their session to including donations over $5000 to programs of The American Legion Family. I was also surprised to accept a check for the National Emergency Fund in the name of my father James Roberts Jr. who passed before the convention. Very emotional for me. THANKS TO YOU ALL!!! Congratulations to Past Detachment Commander Nolan Warnick who was recognized by the Detachment for his dedication to the organization over the years. I was proud to present him with a plaque and a diamond Past Detachment Commander's Pin on behalf of the Detachment of Virginia. I have known Nolan for some time and know of his dedication and this was a well deserved recognition.

I cant forget the drill team that came in and performed for the Sons during their meeting. Made up of both males and females from 5 to 18. They did a wonderful job and I took some video which I will post soon.

I also had an opportunity to speak to The American Legion and I was a little nervous, but I made it though my remarks about this years program for the SAL and promoted the Detachment too as they are doing good things to support The American Legion Family. When I asked about how many were dual members a large amount of legionnaires raised their hands. I could only remember what PNC Jimmie Foster used to say "If you are not dual, you are not cool!" so I thanked them for being cool.

Last meeting was the American Legion Riders - another great turnout. I thanked them all for what they do for The American Legion Family and presented the Director with one of my pins for the year.

The last event for the day was the reception and banquet to honor Candidate for National Legion Commander Daniel Dellinger and National Vice President of The American Legion Auxiliary Peggy Thomas who is a candidate for National President. Peggy wasn't able to make but she was on assignment for National. Dinner was good and the entertainment that followed was good.

I would like to thank Detachment Commander Leonard Smith, Department Commander Doug Ramos, Department President Diane Cabot and Legion Riders Director Chuck Talley for everything. My special thanks to the Virginia Sons for making my trip a memorable one and to NEC Jeff Evans and NECA Steve Gower for being my guides during the weekend.

National President Kris Nelson's Homecoming in Minnesota - October 14-16

My next trip was to the Department of Minnesota to attend National President Kris Nelson's Homecoming in Minneapolis. Along with me was my wife Anita and we got to fly 1st Class on the way up. Good times.

When we arrived we were met by Steve Sullivan who made sure we got to the hotel from the airport. Thanks Steve. Once my wife and I got settled in we went over to the Mall of America and did a little shopping for a gift for Kris and I found, what I thought was the perfect gift. A sterling covered and engraved note pad and pen. It was something, I thought Kris could use during her year as National President.

That evening we attended a "Taste of Minnesota" Dinner which was very good. Entertainment was awesome and we had a great time dancing a enjoying the music. Of course, I didn't do a lot of dancing.

Saturday was the day I was looking forward to. We took a trip over to the Historic Fort Snelling and you talk history. There we had an opportunity to visit the Fort and talk to the staff who were all dressed up in period clothing. It was a very cool experience. After the Fort Snelling visit, the group went back to the Mall of America. This allowed us to get some lunch at the food court, pick up our gift for Kris and do some walking around to do a little more shopping.

That evening we attended the Homecoming Dinner. This was a very well attended function that was emceed by Past National Commander Dan Ludwig (MN). We had a great time.

My thank to Kris, Terry and the family for the great time. Also to The Minnesota American Legion Family for the great hospitality that was shown to my wife and I while we were there.

Fall National Executive Committee Weekend - Oct 6-10, 2011

This was my first out of state travel since the election in August. I flew out a day early so I could have some time to prepare and be ready for the weekend. I left Orlando at 0600 on my way to Indianapolis. Pretty uneventful flight. The weather was beautiful for our entire trip.

Friday was registration and the reception for the Detachment Commander's and Adjutant's who were here attending their school. Had some fun during the reception as I introduced Vice Commander Danny as being from Kansas when he is from Nebraska and I forgot Vice Commander Steve's last name for a moment. I guess I drew a "Blank", which is his last name. Go figure, I would get a little flustered at my first session. the reception was a great time. From there we attended the National Committee Meetings where a lot of work is being done for the betterment of the Sons of The American Legion. The last thing for the day was to head out to dinner with the Florida Gang.

Saturday was an early day so we can get started for our meetings. Opening session was through pretty quick as I kept my remarks down. We had a jam packed schedule due to the number of activities that were taking place at the Hotel. So I figured that the less remarks I made, the more time the Detachment Commanders and Adjutants would have for school. The highlight of the Saturday session was Craig Fugate the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency came by to present information to our National and Detachment leadership. He gave some great remarks and I was very humbled about his comments about me to the membership. His message was very well received and our National Homeland Security and Civil Preparedness Committee Chairman, Harl Ray was very excited to get the message and know that he will be working with FEMA to learn and pass the message about how we can be more involved locally. My personal thanks to Mr. Fugate for attending.

Sunday - National Chaplain Bill Towns (OH) performed a great religious service with many members that participated. After the service, we honored the accomplishments of the Detachment Commander and Adjutants for successfully completing their Institute. The Committee and Commission Chairmen all gave their reports to the National Executive Committee and by their reports it sounds like a lot of great work was done this weekend. To hear about the session, make sure to contact your National Executive Committeeman or Alternate. They should have all of the details.

Finally, I was honored to give the Sons of The American Legion report to the National Internal Affairs Commission of The American Legion. Wanna talk about being nervous!!! It was a good meeting and I just had to remember, be good - be brief and be gone. They received our report with no questions of the officers in attendance. My final function was to address The American Legion Auxiliary during their President's and Secretaries workshop - I had a great time with them and didn't even need a script.

Thanks to all who attended the NEC Meetings and congratulations to the Detachment Commanders and Adjutants.

Sons of The American Legion Elect Jim Roberts as their National Commander

On Sunday, August 28, 2011 the Sons of The American Legion during their 40th National Convention elected Jim Roberts to serve as the National Commander. Present with Jim was his wife, two daughters, mother and sister. Missing was his father, James K. Roberts Jr. who gave Jim his membership as a birthday gift in 1978. Mr. Roberts or Mouse as he was known to his friends had a stroke back in June and he passed away on August 20th as a result of complications from the stroke.

The entire Florida American Legion was present when Jim was installed by Florida NECA Dennis Boland, Department Chaplain Robert Vick and Department Sgt-At-Arms Art Schwabe. All did a fantastic job.

Jim's wife Anita and his children Jessica and Jasmine participated in the ceremony. Wife Anita presented Jim with his National Commander's cap and his children presented him with his National  Commander's nametag.

After the new officers were installed it was time for the parade - what a great time had by all.

Commander Roberts' Give Remarks After Installation to Convention Attendees

National Commander David, National Officers and my fellow members of The American Legion Family.

WHAT CAN I SAY – I can only say thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity to serve this great organization as your National Commander. There are so many people that have had a hand in this and I know that I am gonna miss someone – so let me apologize now, just in case.

THANKS to the installation team from the Department of Florida NECA Dennis Boland, Department Chaplain Bob Vick and Department Sgt-At-Arms Art Schwabe.

THANKS to my Grandfather James K. Roberts Sr. and my Father James K. Roberts Jr. for their sacrifices and their service in our nations armed forces that have allowed me to be eligible to be a member of the Sons of The American Legion. My grandfather, a World War 2 Veteran, passed many years ago and my father, a Vietnam Veteran, had a stroke at the end of June, and recently passed away due to complications resulting from the stroke. My father gave me my start in The American Legion Family and for this I am eternally grateful.

THANKS to my family & friends who are here today. My mother Theresa Danderson, my sister Jennifer Todd and fellow SAL member & long time friend Reamonn Cummings. Thank you for being here it means a lot to me that you all could make the trip. One person that I was very close to was my grandmother, Virginia Roberts. She lived in Pennsylvania and was always interested in what I was doing for the Sons of The American Legion. As a teenager, when I would visit her in Pennsylvania, we would always visit the local American Legion Post to support their programs when we could. I even participated in a couple of 4th of July parades with them. I am sad to say that she passed away while we were in Reno at the National Convention, but I know that she, along with my Grandfather and Father, are looking down on us today with a smile on their faces.

THANKS to my FLORIDA AMERICAN LEGION FAMILY – This year under the leadership of Department Commander Fletcher Williams, Department President Diane Rousseau and Detachment Commander Bill Kelly - your leadership and teachings have allowed me to be successful over these last 34 years. From keeping me out of trouble in my teenage years, to supporting my wife and I when our kids were born, and for your untiring support during the campaign. I learned so much from you all and I continue to learn from you. Things like “always remember where you came from” and “the higher you go in the organization, the more people you work for.”

THANKS to my American Legion Family of Post 4 in Lakeland, FL – I am so thankful for all of the encouragement and support. We have had to overcome some serious challenges in the years and we have prevailed. Over the last 2 years that we have worked together to grow and get closer together, and I appreciate all of your support.

THANKS to my mentor, my teacher and my friend Detachment of Florida Adjutant Ed Sheubrooks. You, your wife Diane and daughter Rebeka have always been supportive my family and I and you all are true friends. However, words can’t express my gratitude for all that you personally have done to keep me going in the right direction and that was a lot. Of course, that was a little easier said then done sometimes. As I made mistakes, you gave me lessons to learn from them. As I did good things you gave me that positive feedback I needed to continue learning and to continue moving forward.

THANKS to my wife of 20 years Anita and my children Honorary Junior Department of Florida President Jessica and Honorary Junior Department of Florida Vice President Jasmine. You all have been the backbone of this journey. All of the support and understanding over the years as I have missed some birthdays, anniversaries and other things while traveling and doing the many things that we do as an American Legion Family. Without you and your support I would not be standing here today. Thanks for not getting too upset when I would drag you all along with me to attend meetings, functions and other things. And for being there when I got home to say welcome home, I love you and give me a big hug.

THANKS to all of our veterans and those currently serving our Nation who are in attendance today. It is your service that gives us all the freedom to do the things that we do as an organization and as individuals. So I say again – Thanks to you and your families for your service and sacrifices.

Good Afternoon – my name is James K Roberts III “but y’all” can call me JIM and I am very humbled and very honored to have the opportunity to stand before you today as the National Commander of the Sons of The American Legion. I have been a member for the last 34 years and have had a lot of opportunities since I started in 1978. The American Legion Family has given me so much and I am and always have been glad to have the ability to give a little something back.

I am a very proud member of The American Legion Family and you are going to hear me say this a lot this year. Why, because we are a family. Our Family is made up of members of The American Legion, The American Legion Auxiliary, The American Legion Auxiliary Juniors, the Sons of The American Legion and The American Legion Riders and together we work on many programs that benefit our members, veterans, children & families and non-members. Americanism programs like Boys State/Nation, Oratorical Contests and Flag Education & Protection. Children & Youth programs like the Child Welfare Foundation, Operation Military Kids and Children’s Miracle Network. Veterans Affairs programs like the Veterans Affairs Volunteer Service (VAVS) program. These are just some of the things we do and we do these well. Why? Because we do them together as The American Legion Family.

As National Commander, my theme will be “GETTING BACK TO BLUE”. Everything starts at the level where we wear “BLUE CAPS” and “BLUE NAME TAGS”. This is where the “rubber meets the road”, “where the metal meets the meat”, or “where the water meets the fire”. I could go on and on, but you can make one up for your profession. It is these members in our Squadrons, Posts, Units and Chapters that make us look good because it is where most of the work is being done. So, I have a couple priorities that I think will help us to be successful in getting back to blue, they are Communications, Commitment and Recognition.

First is Communications. This is a high priority for me as I believe that we have to be able to effectively communicate at all levels of our organization, and by using every means possible. This means using different methods to get our message out. One method is the use of Technology - So much is done over the Internet these days and I think that the use of technology could only help us more with getting our message out. So, I want to encourage all of our Squadrons and Detachments to publish a web site, use social networks and publish articles in their newsletters, if they do not already do so. Many of those men & women who serve in the armed forces today use technology to stay in touch with family and friends across the globe. More and more people are turning to social networking sites to communicate. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Skype are becoming more and more popular for the sharing of information in near real-time. These are tools that we should take advantage of to reach our members, but also those that are not.

I use each of these tools and I will continue to use social networks to give everyone the ability to see, through my messages, what life is like being the National Commander of the Sons of The American Legion.

However, no matter how much technology there is we can’t and must not forget that personal and/or face to face communications. You and I know that a good handshake and the personal touch really makes an impression, it fosters the exchange ideas and works toward the development of personal relationships. All of which we need in order to be successful.

Good and positive communications can only enhance our ability to be successful with our programs. Using all of the tools available will help us to reach those within our American Legion Family, but also those who are not members.

Commitment – I have found over the years that it doesn’t matter what position we have or hold in The American Legion Family, it only matters that we do it well, we do it properly and to the best of our ability. We must continue to be committed to our membership and The American Legion Family. Our commitment as a “FAMILY” means that we do and accomplish so much more by working together.

Our commitment to serving our Nations Veterans and those currently serving in our Nations Armed Forces – my motto “Honoring Those Who Served”. I want to continue the effort to have a representative from the Sons of The American Legion in every VA Hospital in the nation. This can only help solidify our commitment to our brave men and women who have served and are serving our country. Our commitment to supporting our Nations children through the various Children & Youth programs that we have, and there are many. I want us to continue our commitment to lead the way in donations to The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation and my goal for this year is for the Sons of The American Legion to raise $400,000. I know we can do it.

This leads me to, recognition. We all know that a big “THANK YOU” goes a very long way. We need to recognize those members who are out there and doing good work for The American Legion Family. I feel that recognition of the things our members do goes a long way to keeping our members coming back. Coming back to help us out in our Squadrons, Posts, Units & Chapters and more importantly, coming back to renew their membership.

How about membership? Nice segway huh? The National Membership Program for next year will be the Great 2012 National Membership Trail Ride. I want us to slow down a bit and take time to be with our membership. This does not mean to slow down your membership transmittals.

We all know that a lot of time is spent working on recruiting new members and let me tell you…new members are the easiest to get, because all we have to do, in most cases, is ask. The area where we see problems is in membership retention. We lose tens of thousands of members every year and we do not know why. So my focus will be on membership renewals, the better the renewal rate, the better our membership growth will be. We must not be satisfied to sign up 5 new members just to have 3 current members walk out the door never to be seen again. I will be the first one to tell you that I don’t have all the answers, but we have to find ways to keep our members actively engaged in the programs of the Sons of The American Legion. This is why I am asking for the Sons, as we head down the trail, to obtain a 90% or better renewal rate this year. There are many of us that have had some success with membership retention. If you have had success with retention, share your story. We need you to share your success stories with other Squadrons, Districts, Detachments and National so we can all be successful at membership retention. The more success we have with retention, the more growth we will have.

Younger members – these young men are the future of the Sons of The American Legion. That’s right; they are the future Squadron Commanders, Detachment Commanders and even National Commanders. It is very important that we do everything we can to keep these young men involved. I know it is difficult, because as a young man just starting out it was hard for me to stay focused during a meeting, but a free lunch with a hot dog, chips and a soda, was a good start. It was because of the leadership within my Squadron and Post that kept me involved which allowed me to stay out of trouble growing up. Hearing the stories and learning the lessons kept me coming back for more and it is why I continue to be committed to The American Legion Family and what we do.

Many of you know that I am employed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management as a Regional Emergency Management Coordinator. I have worked in this field as a volunteer beginning in 1990 to where I am currently a full-time Emergency Manager. Through my activities and employment, I have had the opportunity to see many disasters up close and personal.

So you can imagine that one program that is near to me is the National Emergency Fund (NEF) and this will be my project for this year. Personally, I don’t think that this program gets the attention it deserves unless there is a disaster somewhere in the country. As a result, I want the Sons of The American Legion to help me raise awareness and some funds for this great program. This program benefits us as members in a time of need after a disaster strikes. During Hurricane Katrina alone The American Legion processed over 2,500 grants totaling over $2.1 million to those individuals and posts affected by the hurricane. 100% of your donation comes back to members in need and because disasters can strike anywhere it could be you and I needing that help in the future. This is why I think that this is important enough to bring awareness to and raise money for.

So with all of this being said, I feel that we will have been successful in “GETTING BACK TO BLUE” if, by the end of the year, we can say – we recognized our members for the hard work they do. We proved our commitment to our membership, our programs and our American Legion Family. Finally, we communicated our message effectively with everyone we could and we used every means possible.

I am very humbled and very honored to have this opportunity to serve as your National Commander and I want to thank each of you for your vote of confidence. We have a great team that will be working hard this year. Your National Vice Commanders, National Officers, National Chairman and I are looking forward to the next year of service as we “Get Back to Blue” by honoring all who serve and have served through Communications, Commitment and Recognition.

Thank you all - God bless you…God bless The American Legion Family and God bless this great Nation.