Are you a veteran, or do you have a friend or relative in our local area who is a veteran? Please read this VERY IMPORTANT message from the American Legion Post 539 – North Baltimore, Ohio.
Fellow Veterans:
We need you to join the American Legion. I was at our school last year and saw numerous veterans as they enjoyed lunch with our elementary school children. Over the past eighteen months, we have provided military honors at the funerals of 25 of our local area veterans. The U.S. Government has stated that every veteran is entitled to a military funeral, and we need additional service members to help with our Honor Guard. Currently, our average age for Legion members is over seventy years young.
Membership in the American Legion is only $30 per year, which goes to support many veteran programs, various active duty causes, as well as having a strong voice with members of Congress regarding the programs and efforts of the different Federal Agencies tasked with support of Veteran’s concerns. The Veterans Administration has a Legion representative at each of their offices to help with claims and the other forms required by the government.
Locally, Post 539 has a lot of fellowship within its ranks. Don’t think that you will have to take on a leadership role just by being a member, although there are always opportunities to lead if you are interested in doing so. You do not have to be a drinker to the enjoy the Canteen, as we are blessed with excellent menu choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although we are not a full service restaurant, we are confident that you will find enough variety to satisfy most appetites. And don’t convince yourself that you don’t have time, due to work or other commitments. We are open six days each week to accommodate nearly any schedule you may work.
I’m proud to be a Legionnaire and have enjoyed the opportunity to meet many WWI and WWII veterans. I respected and admired them as I recognized their leadership and sacrifice in keeping the enemies of freedom in check. We need our young veterans of today’s military to join Post 539 and keep our organization alive. We have supported North Baltimore’s veterans for over ninety years and hope to continue to do so for many decades to come.
Please think seriously about joining the Legion. The memories of our older Legionnaires are treasures that you do not want to overlook. You too, will find that membership is worth far more than the small cost that is associated with being a part of a group that supports our veterans of all ages, as well as the numerous contributions our Post makes to our school, various youth programs, and many other worthwhile causes. We are a non-profit organization that has not (and never will) forget what being of service to our community, state, and nation demands.
Currently, we are in the process of electing new Post Officers for the upcoming year. Any veteran who is current with membership dues can run for any office. Being an officer does require an additional time commitment, but generally just a few hours per week. Right now, we are in good financial standing, but we certainly can use volunteers to help with various patriotic functions, as well as just assistance around the Post in order to keep it in shape and available for the many civic functions that utilize our facility. Please consider joining the Legion and support our veterans.
Samuel Bretz, Jr.
Commander, Post 539
Alphonso Bretz
Chaplain, Post 539
One Response
My name is Evonne McConnell and I just moved here from Myrtle Beach, SC. My husband passed away last May and since he was a veteran I was wanting to know if I could join under his name. The only record of his that I have is a credit card size paper that says he was in the Armed Forces. I was a member of the Auxilary there but dropped my membership a few years back. I noticed in your note on the NBExpress that I would only need to be a relative or a friend of a legion member to join. Please inform me of what I need to do. Thank you, Evonne McConnell