1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 AMERICAN LEGION 9 DEPARTMENT OF MICHIGAN 10 DEPARTMENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 11 FALL CONFERENCE 12 DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS 13 212 VERLINDEN AVENUE 14 LANSING, MICHIGAN 48915 15 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018 16 17 STEVE STRIGGOW 18 State Commander 19 RONALD RUNYAN 20 State Adjutant 21 22 23 24 25 1 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 2 3 CALL TO ORDER 4 4 ADVANCE THE COLORS 4 5 INVOCATION 4 6 POW/MIA FLAG REMEMBRANCE 5 7 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 5 8 9 PREAMBLE 5 10 ROLL CALL 5 11 APPROVAL OF 2018 CONVENTION MINUTES 12 12 INTRODUCTION – RICHARD DUBAY – PAST NATIONAL HISTORIAN 13 13 INTRODUCTION – RAYMOND MOORE, NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMAN 14 14 INTRODUCTION – JAMES OXFORD – LEADING NATIONAL 15 CANDIDATE – DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA 14 16 REPORT OF NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMAN, 17 RAYMOND MOORE 26 18 REOIRT OF NATIONAL VICE COMMANDER, JAMES WALLACE 29 19 INTRODUCTION – BOB HALL – POST 9 – CONFERENCE CORPORATION 37 20 INTRODUCTION – BENNETT LOWE – 2018 BOYS’ STATE 21 GOVERNOR 38 22 PRESENTATION: 2018 CARLTON SEAMAN AWARD – 23 VICTORIA ELLIS AND 2018 ALBERT R. THEIL, SR., AWARD – DAVID MOOBERRY 40 24 INTRODUCTION – GARY TANNER – PRESENTATION OF 2018 25 JAMES SCHUTZE AWARD – BATTLE CREEK POST 257 43 2 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued): 2 PAGE 3 INTRODUCTION – DANIEL PATRICK – FISHER HOUSE 44 4 INTRODUCTION – RICHARD McDONALD – COMMUNITY 5 REBUILDERS 47 6 INTRODUCTION – DYKE SHANNON – LEGION INSURANCE TRUST 50 7 CONFIRMATION OF NEW APPOINTMENTS 52 8 TH 9 POST CANCELLATION – POST 535 – LANSING – 6 DISTRICT 53 10 DEPARTMENT VETERANS EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT 56 11 ANNOUNCEMENTS 59 12 MEMORIAL RESOLUTIONS 62 13 BENEDICTION 66 14 SALUTE THE COLORS 67 15 16 RECESS 67 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 3 1 P R O C E E D I N G S , 2 CALL TO ORDER 3 DEPT. CMDR. STRIGGOW: Please your attention to the Muskegon 4 Post 9 Color Guard for presentation of our colors. 5 ADVANCEMENT OF COLORS 6 DEPT. CMDR. STRIGGOW: Hand-salute. 7 Two. 8 9 (Colors advanced.) 10 DEPT. CMDR. STRIGGOW: I would ask Past Department 11 Commander, Al Ford to come forward for the invocation. We are not done yet. 12 INVOCATION 13 PAST DEPARTMENT CMDR. FORD: Please uncover. 14 Oh, God, our Supreme Commander, we pray that you will be with us 15 at this time to guide our work in this meeting. 16 Grant us the wisdom to seek your will in all that we undertake and 17 the courage to follow in the direction you would have us to go in seeking to serve 18 our God and country. May our efforts be of benefit to our fellow veterans and all 19 the people of our community. 20 This we pray in your most Holy Name. 21 22 Amen. 23 (Chorus of amens.) 24 POW/MIA RESOLUTION 25 4 DEPT. CMDR. STRIGGOW: As a reminder that there are still 1 some of our brothers who have not returned, Resolution 288, adopted at the 67th 2 3 National Convention calls for designating a POW/MIA Empty Chair at all official 4 meetings of The American Legion as a physical symbol of the thousands of 5 American POW-MIAs still unaccounted for from World War II, the Korean War, the 6 Vietnam War and now, the Gulf War. The POW-MIA flag on the Empty Chair 7 serves as a reminder to all of us to spare no effort to secure the release of any 8 American prisoners from captivity, the repatriation of the remains of those who 9 died bravely in the defense of liberty and a full accounting of those missing. Let us 10 rededicate ourselves to this vital endeavor. 11 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 12 DEPT. CMDR. STRIGGOW: Please join me in the Pledge of 13 Allegiance. 14 (Recitation of Pledge of Allegiance.) 15 16 PREAMBLE 17 DEPT. CMDR. STRIGGOW: Recover. 18 Oh, sorry. Don’t do that. 19 Please join me in the Preamble to the Constitution of The American 20 Legion. 21 (Recitation of Preamble.) 22 DEPT. CMDR. STRIGGOW: Now, you may sit down. 23 I will call on Adjutant Runyan for our roll call. 24 ROLL CALL 25 5 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Thank you, Mr. Commander. 1 Good afternoon, everyone. 2 3 (Chorus of good afternoon.) 4 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Commander, this will be a roll call of the 5 Department Executive Committee Meeting. 6 Department Commander, Steve Striggow. 7 DEPT. CMDR. STRIGGOW: Here. 8 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Department Finance Officer, Barry Wood. 9 DEPT. FINANCE OFFICER WOOD: Here, sir. 10 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Department Historian, Ernie Berry. 11 DEPT. HISTRN. BERRY: Here. 12 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Department Sergeant-at-Arms, Danny 13 Crisp. 14 He’s working. 15 16 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Department Chaplain, Eddie Brown. 17 DEPT. CHAPLAIN BROWN: Here, sir. 18 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Thank you, sir. 19 Department Judge Advocate, Kimberlee Hillock. 20 DEPT. JUDGE ADVOCATE HILLOCK: Here. 21 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 1st Vice Commander, Jim Austin. 22 Jim Austin. 23 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 2nd Zone Commander, Bob Berger. 24 DEPT. VICE CMDR. BERGER (Zone 2): Here, sir. 25 6 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 3rd Zone Commander, Doug Carignan. 1 DEPT. VICE CMDR. CARIGNAN (Zone 3): Here. 2 th 3 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 4 Zone Commander, Don Mraz. 4 DEPT. VICE CMDR. MRAZ (Zone 4): Here, sir. 5 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 5th Zone Commander, Carl Morrison. 6 DEPT. VICE CMDR. MORRISON (Zone 5): Here, sir. 7 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Immediate Past Department Commander, 8 Brett Holt. 9 IMMEDIATE PAST DEPT. CMDR HOLT: Here, sir. 10 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: National Executive Committeeman, Ray 11 Moore. 12 NATL. EXECUTIVE CMTMAN. MOORE: Present. 13 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 1st District Commander, Greg Spight. 14 DIST. CMDR. SPIGHT (1st): Present, sir. 15 16 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate, Cheryl Tenor-Thomas. 17 Is she absent? 18 DIST. CMDR. SPIGHT (1st): Yes, sir. 19 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 2nd District Commander, Terry Beck. 20 DIST. CMDR. BECK (2nd): Here. 21 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate, Rudy, is excused due to health 22 purposes. 23 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 3rd District Commander, Duane Miller. 24 DIST. CMDR. MILLER (3rd): Here. 25 7 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate, Dan Osborne. 1 DIST. CMDR. MILLER (3rd): We’ve got 2nd Vice filing in. 2 th 3 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 4 District Commander, Richard Parks. th 4 DIST. CMDR. PARKS (4 ): Here. 5 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate, Walter Garrertt? 6 Excused? Absent? 7 DIST. CMDR. PARKS (4th): He’s not here. 8 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: It’s a question mark. 9 5th District Commander, Keith Wakefield. 10 DIST. CMDR. WAKEFIELD (5th): Here, sir. 11 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate, Fred Youngs . 12 ALT. DIST. CMDR. YOUNGS (5th): Here. 13 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 6th District Commander, Chris Vervaet. 14 DIST. CMDR. VERVAET (6th): Present. 15 16 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate, John Fischer. 17 DIST. CMDR. VERVAET (6th): Absent. 2nd Vice is filling in. 18 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 7th District Commander Lew Mitchell. 19 DIST. CMDR. MITCHELL (7th): Here, sir. 20 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Is your Alternate, Ken Miller her? 21 DIST. CMDR. MITCHELL (7th): Here, sir. 22 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 8th District Commander is Elmer Lerette. 23 DIST. CMDR. LERETTE (8th): Here, sir. 24 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: And your Alternate, Art Diffin. 25 8 DIST. CMDR. LERETTE (8th): Excused. 1 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 9th District Commander, Randy Gilbert. 2 th 3 DIST. CMDR. GILBERT (9 ): Here. 4 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate, John Walsh. 5 DIST. CMDR. GILBERT (9th): Excused. 6 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 10th District Commander is Mike 7 Pergande. He is excused. Filling in is Joe Duby. 8 Right? That’s what I was told. 9 Sergeant, can you track down Joe Duby for me. 10 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 11th District Commander, Wendy Sexton. 11 DIST. CMDR. SEXTON (11th): Here, sir. 12 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate is Martin Matchinski. 13 DIST. CMDR. SEXTON (11th): Excused. 14 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 12th District Commander, Wendy Retzloff. 15 th 16 DIST. CMDR. RETZLOFF (12 ): Here, sir. 17 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: You still have no Alternate; is that 18 correct? 19 DIST. CMDR. RETZLOFF (12th): Pending. 20 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Pending. 21 16th District Commander is Craig Tillman. 22 DIST. CMDR. TILLMAN (16th): Here, sir. 23 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate, Ed Gorecki. 24 ALT. DIST. CMDR. GORECKI (16th): Here, sir. 25 9 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 17th District Commander is Jeff 1 Haeseker. 2 th 3 DIST. CMDR. HAESEKER (17 ): Here, sir. 4 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate is Gary DeMars. 5 ALT. DIST. CMDR. DeMARS (17th): Present. 6 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 18th District Commander, Mike Fitzgerald. 7 DIST. CMDR. FITZGERALD (18th): Here, Mr. Adjutant. 8 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Alternate is Don Wert. 9 ALT. DIST. CMDR. WERT (18th): Here, sir. 10 DIST. CMDR. FITZGERALD (18th): 11 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: 19th District Commander, Brian Morrison. 12 DIST. CMDR. MORRISON (19th): Here. 13 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: And, Alternate is Charles Bowman. 14 ALT. DIST. CMDR. BOMAN (19th): Present. 15 16 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Other officers in attendance. 17 Alternate National Executive Committeeman, John Knox. 18 ALT. NATL. EXECUTIVE CMTMAN KNOX: Here. 19 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Assistant Judge Advocate, Elmer White. 20 Elmer White. 21 Assistant Department Chaplain, Larry Vollink. 22 Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms, Sarge Parr. 23 ASST. DEPT. SGT-AT-ARMS PARR: Here, sir. 24 25 10 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms, Bob 1 Salamon. 2 3 ASST. DEPT. SGT-AT-ARMS SALAMON: Here, sir. 4 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms, Larry Chase. 5 ASST. DEPT. SGT-AT-ARMS CHASE: Here, sir. 6 DEPT. ADJT. RUNYAN: V.A. & R. Director Easterling. 7 V.A.