August/September 2012
Commander To Legionnaires: ‘Rise To The Challenge’
Richard A. Jewell 2012 Department Commander
Richard A. Jewell, a Vietnam Veteran from the small eastern Indiana town of Bath has been elected Commander of the 100,000-member Indiana American Legion. He becomes the first Vietnam veteran from the sprawling Tenth District to have attained that high office. In accepting office, Jewell told the delegates that the Indiana American Legion has long been on the trailing edge of legislative activities that either hurt or benefit a new generation of veterans, as well as their dependents. “Starting with the closing of the Knightstown Home, and continuing in recent
years we have seen veterans benefits here in the State of Indiana come under an almost constant assault year after year by our elected representatives. Our organization can no longer afford to be reactive in the legislative arena,” he said. “We must convert our legislative strategy to that of an engaged, determined pro active force of veterans, along with the veteran advocates of our Auxiliary and Sons of The American Legion. “To that end, I have created new legislative liaison positions for our Auxiliary and SAL on our Legislative Committee. When it comes
time to rally the troops, as it will this fall, we will have the folks in place who are ready to make it happen.” Jewell promised that the Legionnaires would see a “a coordinated, concerted, dedicated American Legion presence in the hallways and offices of our State Capitol. We will walk the halls and offices of our nation’s capitol. Our elected representatives will hear our phone calls and read our letters and emails. We will be seen and we will be heard,” he promised. He said the year ahead is full of promise, but added that it also will be a year of challenges, and encouraged
the delegates to meet them head on. “The year ahead of us will be full of challenges. As always there is the challenge of increasing the involvement of our state’s youth in our programs like Hoosier Boys State. We must continue to provide and expand that program and others which give our youth the knowledge and experience that today’s world demands. I stand here today, a product of Hoosier Boys State, class of 1965. I challenge you to renew your efforts on behalf of the state’s youth and our youth programs.” Jewell also outlined plans
for a series of district level membership drives, a tour of the state with the national Commander, renovation of the temporary housing units at the Indiana Veterans Home, and efforts to bolster The American legion Legacy Fund. Commander Jewell is a nine-year veteran of the United States Army and a member of American Legion Post 122 in Liberty, IN, which awarded him an honorary life membership in 1995 in recognition of his service to the post. In addition to his active military service, Jewell
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Legislative Activism Looming
Convention Opens New Dialogue With Officials, Partners, Others The 94th annual state convention of The American Legion, Department of Indiana, has come and gone, leaving in its wake a new commander, promises by gubernatorial hopefuls, and newly forged channels of communication with public officials, business partners and the organization’s stakeholders and members. Richard A. Jewell, a Vietnam veteran and member of Liberty Post 122 in the Tenth District, was elected by acclamation and began his year of service with a promise of new vigor in the Department’s legislative program. “We have seen veterans benefits here in the State of Indiana come under an almost constant assault year after year by our elected representatives. Our organization can no longer afford to be reactive in the legislative arena,” he said. “We must convert our legislative strategy to that of an
engaged, determined pro active force of veterans, along with the veteran advocates of our Auxiliary and Sons of The American Legion. “To that end, I have created new legislative liaison positions for our Auxiliary and SAL on our Legislative Committee. When it comes time to rally the troops, as it will this fall, we will have the folks in place who are ready to make it happen.” Jewell promised that the Legionnaires would see a “a coordinated, concerted, dedicated American Legion presence in the hallways and offices of our State Capitol.” Legionnaires also will see an increase in awareness of the organization’s mission and activities among public officials of every stripe. The participation by elected officials in the convention is evidence of the growing interest. Participating in the convention was the likely next
governor of the Indiana. Both John Gregg, the Democratic Candidate, and Mike pence, the Republican candidate, addressed the convention and both have since agreed to continue the dialogue began at the convention,. Both candidates are scheduled to meet with Department leadership shortly after the first of September, to discuss such issues as unemployment, certification of service officers, and easing the VA claims backlog. These topics and others were addressed by the candidates during their remarks, which are reported elsewhere on this page. Congressmen Pete Viscloskey, Todd Rokita, Andre Carson and Larry Bucshon addressed the convention, too, although only one did so in person. Bucshon accepted the invitation from Commander Miller to appear, while Viscloskey and Rokita
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Time To Celebrate
Past Tenth District commander jerry Jordan leads the demonstration in support of fellow Tenth District Legionnaire Richard A. Jewell as his name is entered into nomination for the office of Department Commander. Jewell was elected by acclamation shortly following the demonstration, the first Vietnam Veterans from the Tenth District ever to win election to the Department’s highest office.
State Of The Legion
Candidate Gregg Promises To Deliver On VA Claims
Outgoing Commander Encourages Preserving Best Of ‘The Old Ways’ And Eliminating Attitudes That Hinder The Organization’s Future
Former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives John Gregg and now Democratic candidate for Governor of Indiana, addressed delegates to the 94th annual state convention of The American Legion, Department of Indiana, saying that the delay in granting benefits owed to America’s veterans represents a failure on the part of America to live up to its agreements. “As you all know, the Department of Veterans Affairs is plagued by claims backlogs. Estimates say nationwide that this backlog has
Well, a year ago I stood on this stage and accepted election to the position of Department Commander, your department commander, and as Commander Newman never lets me forget, I was filled with the emotion of the moment. I’m sure those emotions will show through today as well. As you may think, I have many people to thank for the support that I received throughout the year and for all of the hospitality Joy and I, and on occasion, Sgt at Arms Dick and I were shown. Let me start out by thanking my
increased by a half a million in the last five years. We do know in our own Hoosier state, it has increased to the point that there are over 20,000 claims pending today,” he said. “The claims still haven’t been digitalized and that causes more and more delays for the vets who need our services. This is unacceptable. When you fought for our country, you didn’t tell us that you would have to wait before you would put your life on the line. You just
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John Gregg Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate
Health Care, Unemployment, Broken Promises: Pence’s Priorities For Vets Congressman Mike Pence, the Republican candidate for Indiana Governor, told delegates to the 94th annual State Convention of The American Legion Department of Indiana, that the defenders of liberty always should be among the first to enjoy its blessings. From that premise, he outlined his vision for the future of Indiana’s veterans and the state’s responsibility to them. “During my tenure in congress which will come to a close in just a few short months, I’m proud to say that with the strong support and guidance of the Department of Indiana, the budget authority of the Department
of Veterans Affairs has increased every single year that I have been in congress. I’ve consistently voted in favor of making sure that our veterans receive the funding that they need and have earned through their service. I supported a major reauthorization of the GI Bill in 2008 and, of course, have worked with veterans across the 19 counties of the Sixth congressional district as of first importance in insuring that they have access to the benefits available through the Department of Veterans Affairs.” Pence also said that not only is funding for VA ben-
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Mike Pence GOP Gubernatorial Candidate
Editor’s Note: The retiring Department Commander, with a year of intensive experience under his belt, is well position to evaluate the Sate of the Legion as he prepares to leave office. Commander Mike Miller was no exception, and his final address to the delegates is reproduced here in its entirety. In it, he charts a course to a brighter future for Hoosier Legionnaires.
wife Joy for being by my side every step of the way. As I stated in the Legionnaire, she was the one who kept me in clean, nice looking clothes and constantly kept fixing my tie. She was by my side in the van for many miles. Sometimes more than I care to remember, especially those trips down south to places like Mt. Vernon. I truly believe that on one trip, we saw a sign that said welcome to Alabama! When Joy wasn’t able to ride along, my good friend and Sgt-at-Arms Dick Fuchs rode with me. It was very interesting at the beginning of a meeting or an event where we would be introduced as to how Dick’s last name would be pronounced. Thank you, Dick, for the many miles we traveled together in what has become to be known as “The concession stand on wheels.” Some other folks I need to thank would usually get lost in the shuffle and be left out, but this afternoon, I want to once again thank Jim and Lois Daube for their help in whatever I would ask of them, from the hospitality room in Minneapolis, to the homecoming just a few short weeks ago, thank you for all of your help. Thanks to Past
Commanders Don and John for your support throughout the year. As well as the support of my own District, thank you. And to my good friend Paul, thanks for your support for the many years we have been friends. And finally, thank you to all the Legion family that made this year a year that we won’t soon forget. It’s been a great ride and we’re sad to see it come to a close. Now, let me briefly reflect on the year past. Starting with the first pitch in Rockport, to my awesome drive to start the golf tournament in Richmond; from Washington DC to Springfield Illinois, the year has been a most memorable one. Some of the things that a most vivid in my memory are two that will stay in my mind forever: The day we went down to Henryville, Marysville and Holton, we actually got to see firsthand what it’s like to be in a storm struck area. You can see all the photos and film clips there are, but until you stand next to someone who lost everything, you really don’t get an accurate feeling of the devastation. We spoke to a Legionnaire who was going to have his
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