Four Chaplains Day Held in February Winter Conference Memorial

March 2020

Page 7

North Dakota Legion News

Four Chaplains Day Winter Conference Memorial Service Honors

Held in February

Auxiliary Members

A Memorial Service honoring deceased Auxiliary

departed members are missed by their families and their

units and we appreciate their past loyalty and commitment to theAmerican LegionAuxiliary and its mission to support veterans and their families.

members was ofﬁciated by Department Chaplain Sandra

Petermann at the 2020 Winter Conference on Saturday,

January 25. District Presidents and Department Ofﬁcers

read the names of 230 members, including three Past Department Presidents, who passed away in 2019. Our
Submitted by Department Chaplain Sandra Petermann

On Saturday, February 1, 2020, a display in honor of Four Chaplains Day was set up at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Dickinson, North Dakota. Sunday, February 2, 2020, was named Four Chaplains Day to commemorate the events of February 3, 1943, when the troop ship USAT Dorchester sank after suffering a torpedo attack by a German submarine.

Participants in Winter Conference Memorial Service: (L to R): Gloria Covert, District 3 President; Marcy
Schmidt, Department Secretary; LoAnn Dick, District 8 President; Gigi Moore, Past Department President; Peggy Moran, District 5 Vice President; Berniece Froiland, District 1 President; Kathy Tuma, District 2 President; Rose Laning, District 7 President; and Joan Lasher, District 4 President.

The Dorchester left New York on January 23, 1943, as part of a convoy of three ships carrying four chaplains, 902 service men, merchant marines and civilian workers. The Dorchester was torpedoed by German submarine U-223 off the coast of New Foundland at 12:55 AM, February 3, 1943, and sank less than 20 minutes after the deadly attack.

Veterans and Auxiliary Members Honored
During Christmas at Nelson County Care Center

When the Dorchester began to sink, four chaplains of different religions, Lt. George L. Fox, Methodist; Lt. Alexander D. Goodell, Jewish; Lt. John P. Washington, Roman Catholic; and Lt. Clark V. Polling, Dutch Reformed were helping to calm passengers and organize an orderly evacuation. Life vests were passed out to the men, but the supply ran out before every man had one. The four chaplains gave up their own life vests to others and assisted as many men as they could into lifeboats. They then linked their arms together, reciting prayers and singing hymns as they went down with the ship.
The Four Chaplains were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross on December 19, 1944. The Four Chaplains Medal was introduced on July 14, 1960. Those medals were presented to the next of kin of each of the four Dorchester chaplains on January 18, 1961. In 2006, the chaplains were also posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
The display in the lobby of St. Patrick’s Catholic
Church was well-received with a lot of curiosity from attendees about this mostly unknown, unheralded World

War II tragedy and story of sacriﬁce. Materials were

made available to educate and mark the occasion.
Submitted by Department Chaplain, Sandra
Petermann

Just before Christmas, Ole Semling Post 135 of
McVille made a decision to ensure the veterans and the American Legion Auxiliary members residing at the Nelson County Health System Care Center in McVille, ND, were remembered at Christmas.

Nineteen (60” X 80”) ﬂeece throws were ordered

andPastDepartmentPresidentJudyTweteembroidered names on each of the nineteen gifts to be delivered.

Each recipient also received a holiday gift bag ﬁlled

with chocolate treats and personal care items.
Each veteran and Auxiliary member received a personal visit by Post Adjutant Larry Johnson and Ole Semling Unit 135 member Judy Twete, who thanked them for their service or membership and presented their gifts. There were many thank yous and even some tears as each happy resident received the surprise gift.
It was a heartwarming experience to see the joy on the faces of these veterans and Auxiliary members who served their country in some way in the past. The soft and cozy blankets will be a reminder for a long time that these very special people are appreciated.
Submitted by Past Department President Judy
Twete

Larry Johnson, Post 135 Adjutant (L) and Judy
Twete, Past Department President and Unit 135 Auxiliary Member (R)

Auxiliary Spring District Meetings

The dates and times for Spring District Meetings have been set. More information on meeting venues will be announced as plans come together. Make arrangements now to attend your respective District Meetings.

District 1 – Hope, ND

Wednesday March 25, 2020, 7:00 PM

District 2 – Park River, ND

District 5 – Hazelton, ND

Districts 6 and 9 – New Town, ND

Saturday, March 28, 2020, 11:00 AM (CST)

District 4 – Jamestown, ND

Monday, March 23, 2020, 7:00 PM

District 10 – North Dakota Veterans Home

Lisbon, ND
Thursday, March 26, 2020, 7:00 PM

District 3 – Leeds, ND

Thursday, April 2, 2020, 7:00 PM

Districts 7 and 8 – Center, ND

Saturday, April 4, 2020,
Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 7:00 PM (Host Lester W. Peterson Post and Unit 191 of Gwinner)
Friday, March 27, 2020, 7:00 PM
(Time and venue to be announced)

Page 8

March 2020

In memory of Past
Department Presidents: Mae Ione Hande, District 8; Ardel Ingwalson, District 9; and Norma Treptow, District 2.
“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how

Hello, North Dakota Auxiliary Members.

be a part of. Thank you to Joan

Lasher, District 4 President, other District Presidents and members of District 4 for hosting my recognition event on Saturday afternoon. The red velvet cake was simply delicious, and I enjoyed visiting
As I write this note to you, I realize it’s already been six months since I began serving you as Department President. It has been my honor and privilege to have served you. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, but I believe it will be the last position I’ll hold within the Auxiliary. Thank you, everyone, for your support over these past six months. Your continued support will help me get through the next six months as well. I want to thank everyone for the gifts I’ve received and your donations to my President’s Project. You are all so generous and I’m so lucky to have experienced this with you.
My President’s Project for this year is the VA Medical
Center in Fargo. The volunteer and professional staff at that facility does so much for our veterans and I appreciate their dedication and commitment. A dear friend has painted a beautiful ‘Poppy’ picture that will be donated to the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon for the enjoyment of the residents there. I still have a lot of my president’s pins left so please contact me or your District President to get one.
The 2020 membership drive is going well. At this writing, North Dakota’s membership sits just over 81%. Let’s keep the momentum going and sprint for 100% by June 1 in time for Department Convention. A big shout out and thank you for a job well done goes to Sandy Smith and her committee of unit membership chairs. Membership is a big job and Sandy I appreciate everything you’ve done to keep membership on the forefront. Thank you. to be content with whatever I have.” Philippians 4:11. with all of you.

In our lives, we have
As you know, I appointed

experienced enough to know that there isn’t a mirror that

can reflect what is in our heart and that is what counts. The beauty of comprehending life’s greatest treasure is finding satisfaction and fulfillment with who we are and what we

use, no matter how we look, imperfections included. So,

look in your mirror, and in whatever state you ﬁnd yourself:

Thank God! Rejoice in what you see!
Let us pray. “Dear Heavenly Father, we will give to others as You give to us. We will bless, as we are blessed, knowing whatever we give we will have forever. Guide our hearts and minds as we work together for You and The American Legion Family. Amen.” a committee to review and make recommendations for revising our Department Constitution. Diane Kraemer presented the results at the conference and the Department

Ofﬁce has mailed a copy to all units for review. All units

will be required to review their unit constitutions and revise them as well.
Year-end reports are due soon. Unit presidents, please prepare your reports now so they are ready to mail to your respective District President for her report. The Department

Ofﬁce will be sending out a reminder.

District meetings are being planned for March and
April and I hope many of you will attend. I look forward to seeing all of you again soon.

Sandra Petermann

It’s a big year for the American Legion Auxiliary. We are celebrating our 100th birthday this year and plans are underway for celebrating at the Department Convention in June. I call upon all units to attend the convention and bring some of your historical materials and artifacts with you. The convention committee is planning to display your items so everyone can see how far we’ve come in 100 years.
Winter Conference went well and for the most part the weather and the roads cooperated. Thank you to all who attended. There’s always new information to absorb and, of course, the comradery among members is always nice to
Hello from beautiful

downtown

Minot.

Experiencing North Dakota winter weather with its changing cold and welcome

Myrna Ronholm

warm-ups,

I

just had to

laugh when I saw a meme on Facebook about the groundhog who didn’t see his shadow which should mean spring is coming early. Then, the next picture is of the same groundhog saying, “Except you North Dakota and Minnesota, your weather does what it wants.”
I’m sure all of you have been busy this winter. I know
I have since I just moved into a new home and continue to work more hours because of the busy travel season. People are wanting to travel to somewhere warm during these winter months! Who does that? I would if I could.
As the new season shows itself in the next few weeks, we are getting ready for our Spring District Meetings, Memorial Day celebrations and other programs as well. If your unit and district has already celebrated or are planning an event to celebrate the American Legion Auxiliary’s 100th anniversary, please send me pictures and articles.
I’m calling on every North Dakota unit to send me a narrative report/article and pictures of your notable projects and events you’ve worked on during Myrna Ronholm’s administrative year 2019-2020. I would love to have a great representation of activity to include in President Myrna’s

history book. You will ﬁnd my new mailing address in the

list included in this issue of ‘The Message’.
It seems like we just got back from Winter Conference and already we are in Spring District Meetings mode. Planning is underway for the 2020 March and April meetings. See the time and location information on page 7 and make plans to attend.
It’s almost time to submit your year-end reports on how you support the mission of the American Legion Auxiliary. See the deadlines for your reports on page 10. Let’s strive for 100% reporting response this year. Remember that a report of no activities in your unit is still considered a report.
As I write this article, membership in North Dakota is at 81%. Sandra Smith and her team of Unit Membership Chairmen have done an outstanding job of retaining current membership and recruiting new members as well. Let’s strive for our goal of 100% membership by June 1, 2020, well ahead of Department Convention. I know we can do it.
Proposals to revise the Department’s Constitution and
Bylaws have been completed and this important issue will be discussed and voted on at the Department Convention to be held in Minot, ND. Information on the proposed revisions was sent to Unit Presidents in a unit mailing in early February. Ask your Unit President to share the document with you.
I want to remind all unit members that Department dues will increase effective with dues year 2021. First renewals will be in mailboxes around September 15, 2020. This information was sent to all Unit Presidents in a second February unit mailing. It is important to review your unit’s dues structure at this time. Unit Presidents, please report any changes to the

Department Ofﬁce using the Unit Dues Veriﬁcation Form

(unit mailing) no later than May 1, 2020. This date is important, because changes must be reported to National

Headquarters and it takes the Department Ofﬁce time to

compile the data.
I think I can see spring from here because the sun is bright, and the air does seem to be a bit warmer. Thank you, Auxiliary sisters, for everything you do in support of veterans and your communities. Remember, you are important to everyone around you. Your family, your

neighbors and your community beneﬁt from you being a

volunteer.
Thank you for all you do to honor our veterans and their families.
Andrea Neshem

Marcy Schmidt

(Editor note: An internet meme is deﬁned as a

humorous image, video, piece of text, etc. that is copied and spread rapidly by Internet users - Oxford Living Dictonary)

District 3

District 3 Auxiliary Members,

with the North Dakota Secretary of

State’s Ofﬁce.

I recently attended the Winter Conference in
Bismarck. The event was hosted by the Gilbert S. Furness Post 40 of Mandan and they extended great hospitality to all the attendees. Thank you all for your hard work to make it a very enjoyable two days.
I will include a few notes from the conference.
There were 65 Auxiliary members who attended the conference out of 158 units in North Dakota. Thank you to the members who were able to attend. There is a lot of information shared during meetings and social time.
Judy Twete, Past Department President, gave a presentation on “How to Conduct an Effective Meeting” and “Parliamentary Procedures”. It is always good to have a refresher on these topics.
All units are encouraged to promote a celebration in honor of the 100th anniversary of the American Legion Auxiliary in 2020. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate but a little something to promote the American Legion Auxiliary and make your community aware of who you are and what you do. Remember to snap a few pictures and send those to our Department Historian. Hopefully we can create an archive book of all the events in the state.
We have three units in the state that are recommended for disbandment this year. The members will be transferring to surrounding units. All three units had very low membership numbers. Please welcome those transferred members to your unit.
We need to create and maintain a good working relationship with our local posts. We need to make sure they are aware of what the Auxiliary unit is doing. If your unit needs assistance with an event, the Legion post might be willing to provide a helping hand or two.
Not everything in our daily lives or in our Auxiliary lives goes smoothly, so remember to use your sense of humor to get through the bumps.
There will be a new unit guide book printed in the near future. In the meantime, you can download a copy from the National website at www.ALAforVeterans.org/Resources/#guides.
The Department Constitution is being updated and every unit will receive a copy before it is approved. Hopefully all our members will take the time to review it. It will be voted on and approved at the Department Convention in June. After approval, all units will be required to update their unit constitution accordingly.

All units must file a 990-N tax-exemption form annually with the IRS in order to maintain non-profit status. If your unit hasn’t filed your tax form or you don’t know how to file, please contact the Department Office with your questions. Units must also be registered

Gloria Covert District 3 President

March 2020

Page 9

American Legion Auxiliary - Department of North Dakota
District Presidents & Department Chairmen

District 5

Greetings to all District
Auxiliary Members.
5

President District 01
Berniece Froiland

H: 701-797-3335 C: 701-789-1100

[email protected]

11160 1st St SE

The date is fast approaching for District 5 Units to submit your Year-end Impact and Unit Narrative reports. Start working on them now and send those to me no later than the deadline of April 15, 2020. Let’s have 100% reporting this year. I challenge all units in District 5 to submit your Year-End Report. If you need more information about completing these items, please give me a call.
Watch for information on Spring District Meetings as plans are now underway. Final plans were not available as I write this article.

Cooperstown, ND 58425-9105

Kathleen Tuma

924 Westwood Ave Larimore, ND 58251-5006
H: 701-343-2925 C: 218-779-0513

[email protected]
Gloria Covert

H: 701-266-5467 C: 701-370-0055

[email protected]

P O Box 175 Rock Lake, ND 58365-0175

Joan Lasher

H: 701-363-2770 C: 701-400-8199

[email protected]

PO Box 406 McClusky, ND 58463-0406

Charlotte Heiser

H: 701-734-6268 C:

[email protected]

522 Burleigh Rd Wilton, ND 58579-7112

An excellent program was presented at Winter
Conference by Department Treasurer Annette Zeller and her husband George on the requirements for units to

maintain their non-proﬁt status. Please make sure your Unit Treasurer has submitted the 990-N tax ﬁling form in

compliance with IRS regulations. Filing taxes as a non-

proﬁt is required annually per IRS regulations

Both Annette and George are good resources for

information on tax filings and the registration process with the ND Secretary of State’s Office. We learned that each unit must be registered as a non-profit organization with the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office. Initial registration as a non-profit through the ND Secretary of State’s Office is $40 and maintaining a non-profit status in subsequent years is $10 annually.

Alicia Román Randall

805 16th Ave SW
H:

[email protected]

C: 701-578-4978
Minot, ND 58701-6236

Rose Laning

4121 78th Ave NE Bismarck, ND 58503-6396
H: 701-355-0364 C: 701- 226-8115

[email protected]
LoAnn Dick

1237 15th Ave W Dickinson, ND 58601-3502
H: 714-334-4798 C: 714-334-4798

[email protected]
Dawn Wilber

8569 39th St NW New Town, ND 58763-9552
H:

[email protected]

C: 701-509-1858