Inside: ■ Message from the National Commander page 2 VETS DON’T DESERVE TO FACE MORE RED TAPE ■ National Adjutant’s column page 3 INDIANAPOLIS STUDENTS RALLY AROUND LOVE FOR THEM COUNTRY ■ Sound off PAGE 3 ■ Reconnecting at Camp Lejeune page 4 ■ 3 departments earn special awards page 4 June 8, 2001 Vol. 10, No. 19 ■ NEF support sought page 4 ■ Summaries of key NEC resolutions page 5 ■ Flag vote 2001: Where the House stands page 6 Counting down for Old Glory ■ 8th grader gets flag message across page 7 ■ Dateline: Capitol Hill pages Co-sponsorship drive heats up as flag vote approaches. “ WORLD WAR II LEGISLATION SEES QUICK PASSAGE” By Steve Brooks we're asking them to become co¬ Editor sponsors of the flag amendment." ■ PAGE Taps 8 As the House of Representa¬ Smith said co-sponsorship is tives vote on the flag-protection the key to getting a clear number Up & Coming: amendment draws near, National for House support. Commander Ray G. Smith is urg¬ "We lost two (votes in the 2000 JUNE ing Legionnaires to strengthen Senate vote) from people we 9 - National Miracle Miles for Kids Walkathon. support for the legislation. thought supported the amend¬ 14 - Flag Day (7 p.m. EDT pause for the Pledge). The Cunningham-Murtha Flag Co-sponsorship the key ment but hadn't come on board Protection Amendment, HJ Res. as co-sponsors," he said. "You're JULY 36, is expected to go to a vote in As the House vote on HJ Res. more likely to vote for an amend¬ 4-Independence Day. 36 approaches, the key is to lock the House either June 26 or June up as many official co-sponsors of ment if you're a co-sponsor." 20- 28 - American Legion Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. 27. The one sentence amendment the amendment as possible. A list The amendment currently has 21- 28 - Auxiliary Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. reads, "The Congress shall have of amendment co-sponsors and 203 co-sponsors, while 100 other 25- 28 - Department Service Officers School in Indianapolis. power to prohibit the physical non-sponsors is on Pages 6-7. members of the House have ex¬ 26- 29 - National Membership Workshop in Indianapolis. desecration of the flag of the pressed support for it. United States." The amendment ing their congressmen about the Retired Army Maj. Gen. Pa¬ AUGUST cleared the House Judiciary Sub¬ flag amendment," Smith said. trick Brady, Citizens Flag Al¬ 7-12 - Junior Shooting Sports National Championship in committee on the Constitution "Thank those who support it, and liance chairman of the board, of¬ Indianapolis. May 24 by a 5-3 vote. those who don't, try to persuade fered tips for convincing House 15 - Child Welfare Foundation grant application deadline to "I can't overemphasize the im¬ them to support it. And we National Headquarters. portance of Legionnaires contact- should continue to make sure SEE GLORY, PAGE 7 17-21 - American Legion Baseball Regional Tournaments. 24-28 - American Legion Baseball World Series in Yakima, Wash. 24- 30 - 83rd American Legion National Convention in San Antonio. PNC Wagonseller passes away SEPTEMBER World War II hero shaped Department of Ohio. 3 - Labor Day. By Steve Brooks He would serve his country well. 15 - Deadline for History Book Contest entries to National Editor Headquarters. An armorer and gunner on B- James M. Wagonseller served 24s, Wagonseller flew on 40 mis¬ 17-Citizenship Day. as national commander of The sions in the European Theater of 21-23 - National Information Conferences in Dallas (Region American Legion from 1974 to Operations. He received the Di¬ 4) and Boise, Idaho (Region 8). 1975. stinguished Flying Cross for his 23-29 - Employ the Older Worker Week. But he'd been making an im¬ heroic efforts during a June 11, OCTOBER pact on the organization long 1944, bombing run against enemy National Disablity/Employment Awareness Month before that. oil installations in Romania. 6- 7 - SAL Fall National Executive Committee Meetings in Wagonseller, a member of the After the bombs in his plane Indianapolis. Department of Ohio's Fairfield failed to release, Wagonseller en¬ 7- 11 - Auxiliary Presidents and Secretaries Conference in Post 11 and resident of Lancaster, tered the open bomb bay and Indianapolis. Ohio, passed away May 26 at 80. manually released the bombs by 8- 11 - National Executive Committee Fall Meetings in Prior to his emergence on the na¬ cutting their cables with a small Indianapolis. tional Legion scene, Wagonseller saw. He did so despite the lack of 16 - Notification of Child Welfare Foundation grant recipi¬ was making a difference in Ohio, oxygen and the fact his plane was ents for 2002. serving as department comman¬ Past National Commander James flying at an altitude of 20,000 feet. der from 1954 to 1955. Wagonseller passed away May 26 at 80. 25- 28 - National Americanism Conference in Indianapolis. Wagonseller returned to Lan¬ "One of the things he was al¬ He served as national commander from caster following the war's end. 26- 28 - Auxiliary Department Chaplains and Girls State 1974 to 1975. ways interested in and proud of Directors Conferences in Indianapolis. He joined Post 11 as a Legion¬ was the development and the the future national commander. naire and in 1949 was elected maturity of the Department of His father, Myrl Wagonseller, post commander. That began a The American Legion Ohio," Past National Commander served as an Army cook during Legion career that included dis¬ national Headquarters NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION John H. Geiger said. "He built World War I. The elder Wagon¬ trict, department and national P.O. Box 1055 U.S. POSTAGE PAID Indianapolis, in 46206 PERMIT NO. 354 that structure and helped devel¬ seller was an active Legionnaire offices before his election as na¬ FRANKLIN, IN 46131 op other states in the adjacency. at Post 11, while his wife, Flo¬ tional commander at the 55th He developed a strong, efficient rence, was busy in the Legion National Convention in Miami. department. And he coached, en¬ Auxiliary. So James Wagonseller Geiger said one of Wagonsell- couraged and trained the people was enrolled in the post's Sons of er's biggest duties during his behind him." The American Legion detach¬ year as commander was moving Wagonseller was a member of ment at a young age. the National Magazine Commis¬ The American Legion for 56 Wagonseller graduated from sion from New York to its pre¬ years, but his involvement in The Lancaster High School in 1939 sent home of Indianapolis. American Legion spanned a and two years later joined the Wagonseller was busy outside much longer period. In fact, Le¬ Army Air Corps, 11 months prior gion involvement was natural for to the outbreak of World War II. SEE WAGONSELLER, PAGE 3 2 Dispatch June 8, 2001 A message from the National Commander: Vets don’t deserve more red tape Concurrent receipt should be decided in Congress, not in DoD review. Many career military members pay from a private-sector job. Also free report not later than 30 days after the pending bills in the House and Senate paid an incredibly high price of offsets are federal civil-service retire¬ date of adoption of this resolution to afford opportunities to correct wrong¬ while serving our country. ment (including disability retirement), the Committees on the Budget on the headed votes. That price may have included the loss retirement pension from non-federal risk that provision of full concurrent ■ HR 303, the Retired Pay Restora¬ of a limb or one of their senses. Some jobs, or federal workers compensation receipt of military retired pay and dis¬ tion Act of 2001, introduced by Rep. battle through the mental strain of their (benefits for work-caused disability or ability compensation would reduce the Michael Bilirakis, R-Fla., would allow disabilities. Many deal with a 100-per- illness provided under the Federal surplus below the level of the Medicare military retirees with at least 20 years cent disability every day. Employees' Compensation Act). Only Hospital Insurance Trust Fund." of service and a service-connected dis¬ Unfortunately, their battles don't military retired pay is reduced dollar Associating this issue with Medicare ability to receive both military retired end with these scars. Those career ser¬ for dollar by VA disability compensa¬ is another scare tactic. The money to pay and VA disability compensation vice members tion payments. Other federal employ¬ fund concurrent receipt shouldn't without reduction of either. are forced to ees can receive both retirement benefits come from Medicare; it should come ■ S 170, the Retired Pay Restoration use their retire¬ and disability payments without off¬ from the savings the DoD has been get¬ Act of 2001, introduced by Sen. Harry ment pay to sets. ting because of the disability offsets for Reid, D-Nev., would end the current fund their VA I have been calling on Legionnaires more than a century. practice of deducting disability benefits disability pay¬ to support legislation currently in both Existing law dishonors service-con¬ from the amount of retirement pay a ments. And in the House of Representatives and the nected disability by penalizing a ser¬ military retiree receives. It would cover some cases, Senate making concurrent receipt a vice member's longevity benefits. The all military retirees with 20 or more when the dis¬ reality. Legionnaires should make their only appropriate action is one that will years of service. ability receives The recent power shift in the Senate a high enough provides the perfect opportunity to rating to offset place S 170 on the front burner. Sen. the entire pen¬ 44 It’s time the government honor service- Thomas A.