Well comrades, the 2008 Department of Ohio Summer Convention is now history.  We have elected and installed new Department Officers, and we have new leadership in most of the Department programs.  Now it is our turn; time to get our programs organized for the coming year.

    Our Post has a strong background in Americanism and Buckeye Boys State.  We promote and financially support many programs for the children and youth of the Massillon area.  We regularly visit Veterans in local Nursing Homes and at the VA Medical Facility at Brecksville.  We actively promote flag education, the Poppy program, Legion Baseball, Legion Oratorical Contests, troop support and Operation Welcome Home just to name a few.  All of these programs require dedicated volunteers and our Post has been blessed with many who have and will continue to stand up and be counted.

    As always, membership is number one on the agenda.  In order to generate the monies necessary to promote and conduct the above listed programs we need to have dues-paying members.  In order to keep the pressure on our law-makers in Washington, D.C. we need to maintain a strong post membership - all politicians are influenced when you can produce a large number of citizen voters.

    What can you do to help?  Number one on the list would be to pay your 2009 Legion dues ASAP.  If we only had a magic bullet to get all of our renewals paid before Nov 11th (Veterans Day); we would reach our membership goal and move on to doing the work of the Legion instead of writing letters and making phone calls to collect dues.

    The next order of business is the recruitment of new members.  None of us is getting any younger and our Color and Honor Guard could certainly use some fit and flat-bellied veterans to join us and assist with parades, posting of the colors and military funerals.  In truth, the need to sign up new members is always a concern.  You, as a member of the Post 221 Legion family, are the best recruiting tool we have.  Talk about our Post and be proud of the Legion.  Remember, we are losing veterans at a rate of 1,200 per day; if there are no members, there will be no programs.

    In closing, let me remind you that the annual visit to Massillon Post 221 Marine Corps Band from Albany, GA is on August 2nd at approximately 11 AM.  It is always an honor to have these fine young men and women come for lunch and to (patiently) listen to our war stories.  Please come, make them welcome, and be entertained.

God Bless our Troops,
-C. Richard Thatcher, Commander

    If you want to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States and you are a patriotic citizen of the good old USA, then Post 221 of The American Legion is what you should join.  We would love to have you join this patriotic organization; if you are already a member, good for you.  But if you have let your dues go for a couple of years, now is the time to get back in good standing; we miss you.  We say the Pledge of Allegiance at every Post meeting.  And I have to say it is something that I look forward to each meeting night.

Serving Our Country:

Alex Harless
500 Center St.
Box 2114
Wahiawa, HI 96786

Cpl. Neyman, Erik USMC
CCO 63rd ESB
MWCS 38 Unit @ 41137
FPO-AP 96426-1137

    Whenever an address appears in this column that a serviceman/woman has been sent a care package.

REMEMBER 9-11-2001
-Bill Matthews, 1st Vice Commander

    Well here we are another month has gone by.  It won't be long before we're putting coats on again.  We still have 4 or 5 months before we have to worry about it.  So let's get down to the better part of it.  We still have some really good things coming up in August.

    August 17, there will be an informal meeting at the Hopedale post at 10am.  All SAL members are invited to attend; all you have to do is show up.  It's going to be a get together of other squadrons from the area to find out what's going on.

    August 23, is our SAL Steak Fry.  Come out and enjoy the meal and as an added bonus, it is the night of the Bristol race for NASCAR.  We will have Nascar items on tip boards.  So come out and show your true colors.

    On another note, Squad 221 has been blessed by the Detachment of Ohio with raffle tickets for a 1986 Corvette.  Tickets will be available at the tavern, so take a chance.  Tickets are $5.00 each.  You might just win.

    That's all there is for this month.  We will keep you updated.  Next squadron meeting will be August 13th at 7pm.

-Bob Lunsford, SAL Commander 221

    Are you a Legion, Auxiliary, or SAL member and like to ride motorcycles?  Did you know that Post 221 has an American Legion Riders' chapter?

    Come join us and find out what we do!  Our meetings are the first Sunday of each month at 10:00am in the Tavern.

    If interested, call Sam Postlethwait 330-830-9689 or Randy Dunbar 330-832-9459.

    WHAT A WEEK!  880 girls, who had just completed their junior year of high school, descended on Ashland University.  They came with tons of luggage, parents (principally fathers) to carry that luggage, and high hopes and expectations.  These girls were there to participate in the American Legion Auxiliary program known as Buckeye Girls State.

    They arrived, were assigned to a dorm room and a political party and set about meeting their room-mate(s) and the two adult advisers on their floor - their City home for the next 7 days.  After campus exploration they sat for group pictures and went to eat.  (Ashland has wonderful food.)  That evening, all the girls gathered for the Official Opening where they were all naturalized as citizens of (the mythical state) Buckeye Girls State.

    Monday morning - after daily reveille at 6:15 and flag raising at 7:15 - a variety of workshops were offered that explained the process of platform formation, campaign strategy and the elected positions available in city, county, and state government.  In addition, delegates could use this time to take the Bar, Fire Chief, or State Patrol exam.  In the afternoon there were county party caucuses followed by state party caucuses and platform development.  Verbal campaigning began that evening to continue in earnest on Tuesday.

    Tuesday was a flurry of caucuses, debates, petition filing and rallies.  Wednesday was election day; both primary and general.  Results were posted and that evening the girls came together to have a City Government Celebration.

    Thursday was a full day of government functioning.  Walking through the process of filing a petition, campaigning, participating in debates, etc only to (possibly) lose and have to decide "what do I do now" is a true learning experience.  This year's class of girls rose to the occasion.  They were enthusiastic, fun-loving and curious.  They asked good and thoughtful questions.  They succeeded.

    Massillon Unit 221 sent (18) delegates and (4) alternates to Girls State this year.  They came home after holding office as mayors, city councilmen, state senators, school board members, and state representatives.

    I came home walking on air - one of "our" delegates, Elizabeth Harter of Jackson High School - was named Buckeye Girls State Governor; the highest elected position possible.

    When the election results were posted I called home immediately to spread the news.  To my knowledge, having one of our delegates elected governor has never before happened in the history of our post.  We were (and are) so proud!

    The Post will celebrate and honor our Boys and Girls State Delegates, class of 2008 on September 16th with a dinner in the dining room beginning at 6:30pm.  Please plan to attend and hear these young people speak about their BBS/BGS experiences.

-Martha Lee Thatcher, Unit BGS Chairman

    Some years ago Roger May gave me a Tungsten-Titanium alloy tank round projectile from a 105 mm tank round.  He now wants it back.  His brother John will pick it up.

    Then again; Henry L. Larson gave me a beautiful pair of WWII boots, not too long ago, and he wanted them back for a mannequin at A.C. Airport, so last week he got them.

    From Donna Tsocheff:  Another picture taken in the front of American Legion Post 221 in Massillon, of a convention of railroad workers CC&S taken October 7, 1972.  Donna's father was a boilermaker in Brewster.  Not many of them are left.

    Please do not cut articles out of the Newspaper at the post.  If you do, let me know what it was and if it applied to the post.

    DID YOU KNOW?

    The preamble to the Constitution of the American Legion includes this goal statement:  "To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom, and democracy."  There is no better way to achieve this end than by whole heartedly sponsoring the Boy Scouts of America.  The scout oath is; "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and country."  American Legion Post 221 did sponsor Troop #10 from 1920 until about 1978.  Do we have a few younger Post 221 vets interested in restarting a Post 221 Boy Scout troop?  Where are you?  I don't see you at our post meetings!

-John Tsocheff, Past Troop 10 Scoutmaster

    Thanks to State Senate President Bill Harris, State Senator Steve Stivers, and State Senator Kirk Schuring, an amendment to increase our instant ticket profit share from 75% of the first $75,000.00 to 75% of the first $150,000.00 was added to the State Budget Bill; passed and has been signed by the Governor.

    Now we are waiting to hear from the Lottery Commission or the Attorney General's Office to see how and when it is to be implemented.

-Jack L. Bigler, Finance Officer

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NO CARD -- NO SERVICE!
THE LEGION IS A NON-SMOKING FACILITY