Badger&“Wisconsin”&“Wisconsin” Official Publications of The

Wisconsin American Legion Family

“For God & Country”

www.wilegion.org

December 18, 2014Vol. 91, No. 10aire

The mission of The American Legion, Department Of Wisconsin is to provide service to veterans, their families and their communities.

(Reprinted with permission from The Gazette – copy by Anna Marie Lux, photos by Dan Lassiter)

Grace Hirte found comfort in strangers when her son Benjamin deployed to Afghanistan in 2004. Benjamin left home in June.

Two months later, casualties among U.S. troops were especially high. Later in the year Hirte at-tended a Support the Troops rally at the Government Center in Elkhorn, where she did not know anyone. “It was a lifeline for me as a mom,” she recalls.

When she heard Bob Webster read her son’s name, she no longer felt alone. “It was a gift to know someone besides me cared about my son,” Hirte said. Webster, his wife, Lavonne, and a dedicated group have honored the names of Walworth County troops fight-ing in Iraq and Afghanistan every Monday for a decade. The only exception was on Memorial Day each year.

Barring any new military action, the last service member with ties to the county is expected home later this month.

“I didn’t think I would live to see everyone come home,” said 86-year-old Webster, chairman of the Support the Troops Committee and an American Legion member for more than 60 years. Lavonne is honorary chairwoman.

After 509 rallies, the committee of the Walworth County Council of The American Legion will stop the weekly meetings November 24. The group has cited 443 men and women, and their names will go on permanent file in the veteran’s room of Elkhorn’s Heritage Hall.

Lavonne tracked down many of the names and got permission to read them aloud. In addition, com-mittee members read the names of family members and troops who returned home; sent 10 tons of care packages filled with food and per-sonal supplies (the cost of mailing alone was $23,000); spearheaded fundraising to send packages to troops once or twice a month (Bev-erly McLaughlin bought items, packed boxes and mailed them for several years, Cathy Jacques stepped into the big job after McLaughlin died, Leo Schnei-der has been an active fundraiser, many other people and businesses

have made large donations which included Packer tickets from Bob and Diane Voss for raffles); and placed billboards in the county to thank all veterans and those on ac-tive duty.

More than 12,000 people have at-tended at least one rally in the last decade. The effort began because of a lesson learned during the Viet-nam War. “Us older veterans real-ize we did a disservice to the Viet-nam troops,” Webster said. “When they came home, we were busy with our families. We ignored them unintentionally. We regret that.”

In an effort to not commit the same error, the Walworth County American Legion Council met in fall 2004 to talk about how to hon-or returning service members.

“Someone suggested we have a rally once a month,” Webster re-calls. “I suggested we do it once a

DECADE OF HONORWalworth County rallies keep troops in hearts and minds

Veterans Day Parade

Photo courtesy of The Gazette, Janesville, WI - Bob Webster leads a weekly Monday meeting honoring Walworth County troops. The meetings, which have been going on weekly for a decade, will come to an end later this month (November) when the last Walworth County service member returns from Afghanistan.

week. We couldn’t think of a better way to let the troops know we have not forgotten them.”

At the time, Webster’s health was frail. “I was going day by day and week by week,” the World War II and Korean War veteran said.

Chris Jordan, Walworth County Veterans Service officer, praises the effort. “The Websters are devoted to making sure our service person-nel and their families know their fellow citizens are behind them,” she said. “A core group has been very devoted through the years.”

Webster is proud of the rallies. “I have a saying: It is better to light a candle than to curse the dark-ness,” he said. “Instead of saying we were too busy to do anything, we have accomplished something. It has been an honor to do this. We don’t want anyone to feel over-looked or neglected.”

Photo courtesy of The Gazette, Janesville, WI - Bob Webster and his wife, Lavonne, are part of a group that has been honoring Walworth County troops at weekly meetings for 10 years. Bob is chairman of the Support the Troops Committee, and Lavonne is honorary chairwoman.

2015 Membership Goal 59,600

December 11th Total: 49,142 82.00%

District 1285.49%

1st PLACE

District 381.91%

3rd PLACE

District 683.40%

2nd PLACE

District 981.68%

4th PLACE

District 1080.70%

6th PLACE

District 281.43%

5th PLACE

District 879.55%

7th PLACE

District 177.59%

9th PLACE

District 778.16%

8th PLACE

District 1177.19%

10th PLACE

District 570.13%

12th PLACE

District 477.03%

11th PLACE

Department Commander Bob Shappell of the Peter Wollner Post No. 288 in Cedarburg was joined at the Milwaukee Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 8th by his wife Pauline. Pauline is a Paid-up-for-life member of The American Legion and earned her eligibility through her service as an officer in the US Air Force.

Commander Bob’s Testimonial DinnerSaturday, June 6, 2015 • 5PM Cocktails - 6PM Dinner

Country Inn & Suites 350 E Seven Hills Road • Port Washington WI

Come join in a celebration of who we are and what we do! More info to follow……

SAVE THE DATE

PAGE 2 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE DECEMBER 18, 2014

Publication ScheduleAll articles due to the Editor four weeks before publication date. Send all copy to

info@wilegion.org

“Badger Legionnaire” & “Wisconsin”

The Badger Legionnaire & Wisconsin are the official publications of the Wisconsin

American Legion Family and are published ten times annually, once every five weeks,

by The American Legion, Dept. of Wisconsin2930 American Legion Drive

P.O. Box 388, Portage, WI 53901.Periodicals Postage Paid at Portage, WI

and additional mailing offices.USPS ID Number 010-135

ISSN: 2154-2627Post Master: Send address changes to

Badger Legionnaire and Wisconsin,P.O. Box 388, Portage, WI 53901

“Badger Legionnaire”The American Legion,

Department of Wisconsin2930 American Legion Drive

P.O. Box 388 • Portage, WI 53901Phone: (608) 745-1090

E-mail: info@wilegion.orgDavid A. Kurtz, Executive Editor

2014-2015 Communications CommitteeKendel D. Feilen, Chairman

Jeremy Nordie, Vice ChairmanEnsley Brown, DEC Liaison

Bernard OlsonPhil IngwellHarold RihnRory Burns

Greg Eirich, HistorianLoretta Shellman, Auxiliary LiaisonBonnie Dorniak, Auxiliary Liaison

2014-15 Department Officers

CommanderRobert ShappellVice Commanders

Dale OatmanRich RulandJohn ThurkDave Brisk

AdjutantDavid A. Kurtz

Sergeant-at ArmsCharles Roessler

Dave WischerService Officer

James FialkowskiNECman

Steve KruegerAlternate NECman

Ken Rynes

District Commanders 1st – Tom Strey 2nd – Dan Seehafer 3rd – Mary Lloyd 4th – Claire Goodfellow 5th – Ensley Brown 6th – Jeff Puddy 7th – Mark Lesko 8th – Jerome Krofta 9th – Bob Lemke 10th – Ed Cooper 11th – Frank Kostka 12th – Jim Chapin

Change of Address & Other Information:Subscribers: To report any upcoming changes of address, please ask your Post Adjutant to fill out a Membership Data Form and forward it to Wisconsin American Legion Headquarters. The change of address form that will be completed by the Post Adjutant should not be confused with the change of address card filled out at the Post Office. Department financial statements are available to Legionnaires in good standing upon written request through their District Commanders.

“Wisconsin”American Legion AuxiliaryDepartment of Wisconsin2930 American Legion Drive

P.O. Box 140 • Portage, WI 53901Bonnie Dorniak, Editor

Teresa Isensee, Department PresidentBonnie Dorniak, Exec. Secretary/TreasurerTo change your address: Notify Unit Secretary

Unit Secretary: Notify DepartmentHeadquarters on a Member Data Form

The “Wisconsin” deadline for copy is 4 weeks before publication date.

DEPARTMENT COMMANDERAs I prepare

to write this ar-ticle, Thanks-giving is just behind us, soon to be followed by Christmas and New Year’s Day. It’s time to

be thankful for all that we have, and spend time with our friends and family. As we spread good tidings and cheer, we also need to spread the good word about The American Legion and all the amazing things our 509 posts in Wisconsin do every day for veterans, their families, and our communities. At this time of year, Santa Claus can provide us some excellent leadership tips for things we can do during the holiday season.

We consider it a privilege and an honor to represent The American Le-gion, Depart-ment of Wis-consin. It com-

forts me to know that veterans, and their family members will receive their benefits and possi-bly one day a college education because we were able to help.

Your Service Office has had another busy year, continu-ing to earn our good reputation of which we are proud. We are currently tracking a record high for the office 16,800 claim files. Over the last 12 months, your Service Office assisted veterans and their families in attaining over 156 Million dollars in due benefits. This equates to over 13 million dollars a month in fed-eral dollars coming into Wiscon-sin. To accomplish this goal we completed over 45,000 Veteran client services. During 2014,

Make a list and check it twice. Have a plan for a few things you want to accomplish at your post over the holidays. You could call all your members and wish them a Merry Christmas. You might even visit the homes of some members you haven’t seen in a while. You might even visit some of those folks who used to be members, but haven’t renewed for the past few years. Drop by, wish them a Merry Christmas, and maybe even give them a small Christmas gift. And don’t forget to tell them how much you would like to have them back as members of your post.

Listen to the elves. Take this time to find out what your mem-bers would like the post to do in the new year. Send a short survey to (or visit) your newest members

we have received almost 18,000 pieces of mail, nearly 10,000 phone calls and assisted over 2,300 walk-in clients.

Benefits administered include education, vocational rehabilita-tion, burial, compensation, pen-sion, death pension, automobile allowance and dependent in-demnity compensation. We are proud of our accomplishments assisting in attaining VA ben-efits and equally proud of the day to day guidance and help we give to others that may walk in or contact our office seeking as-sistance in other areas. Just to-day we had a young Navy veter-an who was looking forward to a welding position interview. His dilemma was the requirement of a helmet to do the hands-on portion of the interview. He had recently lost his welding helmet to thievery. Fortunately after a few calls he was directed to your Service Office to find a possible solution. Thanks to the wonder-ful generosity of a great Legion-

from the past 2-3 years, and ask what ideas they have for the post in 2015. Be open to new ideas; consider them your most pre-cious Christmas presents.

Share the milk and cookies. Go out of your way to spread the holiday and Legion spirit by thanking each Legionnaire and Legion Family member for their contributions to the post over the past year. It’s also a good time to look at all the individual and post level awards available each year, and make sure deserving people are recognized. Who knows – you might even get your post or a deserving person a dis-trict or state-level award.

Be good for goodness sake. Set the Legion example for ev-eryone around you. Be positive about your Post and all that it

naire, Joe Campbell and his nephew Ed Mueller, the former Sailor now has a new helmet in hand and will be able to show-case his talent at welding and hopefully land the much needed position.

This is one of the many sto-ries that fill me with pride in our veteran community and the way we take care of each other. Another area of assistance your Service Office is leading the way in is a little known benefit called RECA. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) rep-resents an apology and monetary compensation to individuals who contracted certain cancers and other serious diseases follow-ing their exposure to radiation released during the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, or follow-ing their occupational exposure to radiation while employed in the uranium industry during the Cold War arsenal buildup. RECA establishes lump sum compensa-tion awards for individuals who

does. Wear your Legion cap and Legion apparel proudly, and not just to Legion meetings.

As you can see, we can learn a lot from Santa. I’m sure it’s not easy being Santa sometimes, the same way it’s not easy doing the many vital things we do for veterans and their families. But, like Santa, we do it because we love what we do. Our veterans, military members, and their families need us…in many ways they depend on us. Like Santa, we are doing something very important, and recognizing that importance can give us the en-ergy to keep growing, learning, and serving.

Merry Christmas to all my Legion Family Friends! Have a great New Year!

contracted specified diseases in three defined populations. Ura-nium miners, millers, and ore transporters are paid $100,000; “Onsite participants” at atmo-spheric nuclear weapons tests are paid $75,000; and Individuals who lived downwind of the Ne-vada Test Site (“downwinders”) are paid $50,000. RECA may be applied for through the U.S. De-partment of Justice. Next of kin may qualify if the claimant is deceased. For more information or to see if you qualify, go to the following website, http://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca.html. You may contact RECA at 1-800-729-RECP (1-800-729-7327) or you may call The American Legion Service Office at 414-902-5722 if you have fur-ther questions.

Thank you again for your con-tinued support of the Service Of-fice, thus allowing us to provide assistance to so many over the years. I am looking forward to helping so very many more.

FDR said at the time that it was “a date which will live in infamy.” It was an attack that surprised

the United States and killed thousands of Americans. The at-tack hit our naval fleet bringing us into World War II, which had already been raging for years in Europe and Asia.

That infamous date was De-cember 7, 1941. The empire of Japan attacked military targets by surprise on the Hawaiian is-land of Oahu, mainly at Pearl Harbor. In less than two hours,

the Pacific Fleet was devastated. Twenty-one ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were sunk or dam-aged. More than 2,400 Ameri-cans died and another 1,100 were wounded. All eight battleships moored on Battleship Row – the Arizona, California, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylva-nia, Tennessee, and West Vir-ginia – were sunk or damaged during the Japanese assault.

Seventy-three years later we still remember this day. Many of us know it as history from books and film. There are still a few among us who were there, in-cluding Wisconsin servicemem-bers. There are many others who

died in the action.Of the 2,433 Americans killed

in the attack, one was Navy Cap-tain Franklin Van Valkenburgh, commander of the USS Arizona. On just the Arizona alone the Navy lost 1,177 sailors. The USS Arizona itself was also lost and today rests as a memorial under the water in Pearl Harbor.

Another Wisconsinite who was there that day was Milwaukeean Cassin Young, the commanding officer of the USS Vestal. Dur-ing the attack, Young manned the Vestal’s anti-aircraft gun and was blown overboard when the nearby USS Arizona was bombed, but not before he was

able to maneuver his ship far enough away to survive.

Both Young and Van Valken-burgh were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions that day.

Those young men who served in Hawaii on that fateful day are now older, most in their 90s, but still carry memories of that day and remain witnesses to the tragic events that dragged the United States in to WWII. Of the nearly 30,000 veterans of World War II still living in Wisconsin, a precious remain-ing few Pearl Harbor survivors are still with us as witnesses to that fateful day.

WDVA SECRETARY

John A. ScocosWDVA Secretary

James FialkowskiService Officer

DEPARTMENT SERVICE OFFICER

Wisconsin Remembers Pearl Harbor

Bob ShappellDepartment Commander

Best Wishes for A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

PAGE 3THE BADGER LEGIONNAIREDECEMBER 18, 2014

Wisconsin National Guard military families from the 829th Engineer Company gathered at Camp American Legion for a week while their soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan. Last fall, the 829th Engineers reconstructed the main Boat Landing at Camp as Innovative Readiness Training. Many of the family members wrote Camp and provided testimonials of how the Camp American Legion experience helped them meet challenges in their lives as their service member was serving overseas. The families of the 829th are pictured here in front of the Main Lodge building at Camp.

Wisconsin Guard Families Deploy to Camp American LegionT h i s

y e a r ’ s camp sea-son saw us reach

out and help Wisconsin National Guard military families in a very special way. We were able to con-duct our first “Families on Deploy-ment Week” for the 829th Engineer Company. The 829th may sound familiar. Last fall, the 829th En-gineers conducted the main Boat Landing construction project at Camp. This was part of Innovative Readiness Training and proved to be a great experience. Following the completion of the boat landing, the unit left Wisconsin for Afghan-istan and yearlong deployment. Knowing that these soldiers were leaving behind their families, we reached out to these families and brought them to Camp American Legion for support through cama-raderie, companionship, fellow-ship, and fun.

When the 829th service members serving in Afghanistan heard of this special week at Camp for their families many of them called and told their families, “Go, Just Go. You will love it at Camp Ameri-can Legion”. Those service mem-bers had been here before and they knew their families would have a great time!

So they came and here is what some of the families said:

***It’s hard to put into words the wonderful experience my children and I had at Camp American Le-gion during the 829th deployed retreat. It was one of the best vaca-tions I had ever experienced minus the obvious missing piece of my husband. I can’t remember the last time I felt so special as they made us feel at camp.

There were so many experiences that I was able to enjoy with my children that I would normally not have had the chance to even do. We probably had the very best time fishing. There would have been no way I could have taken 3 kids on a pontoon myself. They had a blast! The crew was phenomenal.

The entire staff at camp made us feel at home rather than visitors. I especially loved how they made the kids feel extra special. Camp could not have come at a better time for our family. We were in the heart of the season that we most loved with our soldier. We were feeling lonely and missing him in a very strong way. Camp helped us rebuild our relationship with each other and helped us for brief moments forget about the obvious.

God bless everyone who supports Camp American Legion. I know my family is forever indebted to camp. There is no way we could ever re-pay anyone for the joy that week brought to our lives. I have made it my personal mission to tell all veterans and their families about Camp American Legion. Camp will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart. - Janelle

***Our family was incredibly ex-cited for the opportunity to experi-ence Camp American Legion. Due to an unexpected death in the fam-ily we almost canceled at the last minute. I am so glad we didn’t!

Our first day there, we were greet-ed by the families of the 829th, and also welcomed by members of the Camp. Our cabin was warm, clean and inviting. The staff was kind and incredibly friendly, and were busy planning crafts and events for us to do.

I let my kids, aged 12 and 8 choose our daily activities, and it came as

no surprise that they chose FISH-ING for mornings and evenings. The fishing was such a comfort to them since this is an activity that we spend our summers doing with my deployed husband.

I wish our time there could have been longer. It was a great at-mosphere for bonding with other Army Wives (and kids). This was especially nice since we are from a different unit. When we left, my kids raved about our time there for WEEKS afterwards. We were able to send photos overseas, bragged about making the “fishing wall of fame”, enjoyed a campfire and s’mores at night, and the camp ex-perience of the bell when food was about to be served. We are very excited for next summer, when the soldiers are home, to be able to share our experiences and recon-nect as a family after this deploy-ment. We are also very thankful for the opportunity provided to us by Camp American Legion! - Terra

***I enjoyed the constant laugh-ter and smiles from my children while at Camp American Legion. The hospitality and kindness of Camp American Legion was re-markable, and it was an experience I will always treasure. - Amy

***My daughter and I attended the retreat for the 829th while my husband is deployed. What an amazing experience! Everyone there was so nice and went out of their way to entertain the young group of children there. My daugh-ter still talks about the fun times she had and wants to take Daddy there when he comes back. Thank you for giving us this great gift of time to bond with other military families and have a little relaxation.

- Becky and Abigail

***So many wonderful thoughts come to me in regards to the week spent at camp. For me I would have to say the best part was the feeling of escape, even if just for a week. I truly felt I was able to just let go of most of the sadness I had from being away from my husband, as he is deployed.

It was also wonderful to spend my time with other spouses and family members. I enjoyed watching my children bond with other kids whose daddy was gone also. As well as some adult time with people who understood my feelings more than my friends and family can right now.

As for my children, ages 3 and 6, they still will tell stories about our week at camp. Being able to sit by the campfire and “wind

down” at the end of the day was incredible. Enjoying S’mores and sharing stories about the wonderful day we had.

- Andrea

We are reaching out and help-ing those military families who are going through challenges in their lives as their service mem-ber is serving overseas. This is one way that we can demon-strate that The American Legion is here for them; doing what we do; making a difference and pos-itively impacting lives. I thank you for supporting Camp Ameri-can Legion. We are all doing in-credible work! God bless.

Kevin Moshea, Camp Director

On a very snowy November 24, 2014 several 1st District Legion Riders braved the elements and attended the dedication of the Walworth County Monument for the local military personnel who have served from the Gulf War to the present. The monument is located in Elkhorn. The 1st District Riders pictured from left to right are; Kim “Milkman” Dary - Vice President, Tom “Mogie” Mogren – Treasurer, Frank “Phantom” Konieska - President. (And NO, they did not ride their bikes that day….but claim that they really wanted to…)

1st District Riders AttendSnowy Monument Dedication The Department is proud to announce the

2015 High School Oratorical Scholarship Competition. The American Legion Oratori-cal Scholarship program is a wonderful op-portunity for young people to learn about the Constitution of the United States of Ameri-ca. This year is the 78th year of the Depart-ment’s program. Twelve students represent-ing each District will compete for the De-partment title at Ripon College on February 14, 2015. It takes many volunteers to have a successful event – from moderators, to time keepers, judges, escorts, tabulators and ser-geant at arms - if you’ve been a part of the competition in the past, we hope that you will join us again – if you are new to the pro-gram but would still like to volunteer, please do so as it will be well-worth your time.

Please fill out the volunteer application that appears in this addition of the Badger Le-gionnaire and mail it to Department Head-quarters. Fillable volunteer forms are also available on the Wisconsin Legion website (http://www.wilegion.org/page.content/pro-grams/oratorical-scholarship-program ).

You will be notified at a later date what your assignment will be. Thank you for your support.

Volunteers Needed for 78th Annual Oratorical CompetitionThe American Legion • Department of Wisconsin

78th AnnuAl high School orAtoricAl regionAl/StAte conteSt

February 14, 2015 • Ripon CollegeI would like to volunteer for the following during the Depart-ment Oratorical Contest:My First Choice:____________________________My Second Choice:__________________________Name: _________________________________________Post #:______________________ District #:__________Address: _______________________________________City:___________________________________________email address: ___________________________________Zip Code: ______________________________________Phone #: _______________________________________Comments: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Please submit no later than January 12, 2015Mail form to to: WI American Legion, Attn. Dawn,

PO Box 388, Portage, WI 53901

PAGE 4 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE DECEMBER 18, 2014

10th District Commander Ed Cooper announces his candidacy for the high office of Department Vice Command-er. Ed enlisted in the US Army in June 1971 and was discharged in December 1978 with the rank of Sergeant. He was trained as a Senior Morse Code Inter-cept Operator and served at Field Station Shemya in Alaska, as well as Vint Hill Farms Station in Virginia. He ended his enlistment with a 5 year stint at Augs-burg, Germany. While in Germany, Ed attended the 7th Army NCO Academy in Bad Toelz and the following year attend-ed the 16 week NCO Electronic Warfare Cryptologic Supervisor’s Course at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.

Ed joined The American Legion in 2006 and became a member of Butler-Harmon Post No. 80 in New Richmond. In 2010 he was elected Commander of the post for two years and created a mem-bership team, which has attained All-Time Highs in membership at the post in each of the last four years. He was instru-

Department Sergeant at Arms Can-didate Jeremy Nordie is a member of Post No. 354 in Ettrick in the 10th District. Jeremy’s eligibility in The American Legion is a result of his ser-vice in the United States Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf conflicts.

Jeremy has been married to his wife Laura for 23 years. Laura is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, as is his grown daughter Kathleen. He also has a grown son, Michael. He and his family are active members of their church. Jeremy works for the US Postal Service as a rural mail carrier. One can easily say Jeremy lives by the principles and values of a “good American citizen.”

Jeremy is an active member at his Post and has been the Trempealeau County Adjutant for four years. He

Candidate for Department Vice Commander

Candidate for Department Sergeant at Arms

Ed CooperJeremy Nordie

mental in the formation of SAL Squad-ron No. 80, which has won two mem-bership awards. He has served as Vice-Commander and Membership Chairman for the St. Croix County Council. Prior to becoming District Commander, he has served the 10th District as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Vice Commander and Membership Chairman. He served as Department Membership Committee Vice-Chairman for two years. He has also served as DEC liaison to the VA&R Committee and is currently serving as DEC liaison to the National & Homeland Security Com-mittee. He has recently been appointed to the National Security Council and is a Board Member to the Selective Service System, which is a 20 year Presidential appointment.

He and his wife, Janet have been mar-ried for 44 years. They have two sons, Eric and Scott who are both Squadron No. 80 members, and a daughter named Amy. They have 6 grandchildren, and have op-erated a silo repair business since 1979.

has been the 10th District Sergeant at Arms the past three years as well. He is also a charter member of the Tenth District American Legion Rid-ers, as well as a member of the Forty et Eight. Jeremy is a regular face at all Department Conventions and Mid-winter Conferences. He is no stranger to assisting Department staff while serving as an Assistant Department Sergeant at Arms during these func-tions. He is also proud to serve on the Departmental Communications com-mittee.

Having received endorsements by unanimous vote at his Post, Trempea-leau County and the Tenth District this “young” Legionnaire, Jeremy Nordie, seeks your support in electing him to the high office of Department Sergeant at Arms.

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The Past Department Sergeant at Arms meeting will take place during the Midwinter Conference on Friday, January 16th at 12 noon at the Stand Rock Buffet in the Ho-Chunk Hotel, Casino and Convention Center. Spouses and Guests are welcome to attend.

Past DepartmentSergeant of Arms Meeting

PAGE 5THE BADGER LEGIONNAIREDECEMBER 18, 2014

Past Department Vice Commander Steven DuBois has announced his candidacy for the high office of De-partment Commander.

Steve is eligible for The American Legion through his service as a Pi-lot in the US Air Force from 1973-1995. Steve flew B-52H bombers and T-39’s on active duty and C-123’s and C-130’s in the Reserves.

Steve has received the endorse-ment of his Post, County, and District. Steve served as the Commander of Post No. 278 in Balsam Lake for six years, 12th District Vice Commander for four years, and District Command-er for two years.

On the National level, Steve has been a member of the Americanism Commission for two years.

On the Department level, Steve has been Department Vice Commander, Chairman of the Camp American Le-gion Committee for two years, Chair-man of the Department Fundraising Committee, DEC liaison to the Hos-pital Committee, and a Fundraising

Department Vice Commander Dale Oatman announces his candidacy for Department Commander. Dale is a life and 45 year continuous member of Post No. 524 in White Lake. He has received endorsements from his Post, County and District. His eligibility was earned through 20 years of service in the US Air Force with a tour of duty in Vietnam. He has a bachelor’s degree in business.

Dale is a graduate of The American Legion Extension Institute. He served as DEC liaison to the Department Pol-icy and Communications Committees and currently serves on the Membership Committee. He served on the National American Legion Health Administration Committee. He attended Boys State as a student and is currently a staff member at Badger Boys State. Dale was named 2006 Legionnaire of the Year for service to Post No. 524 and his community.

Dale is a life member and past Post Commander of VFW Post 9438; life member and current officer of DAV Chapter 23; life member of Vietnam Vet-

Chuck Roloff, a 46 year member of Cudworth Post No. 23 in Milwaukee an-nounces his candidacy for Department Commander. He is a Past Commander of Cudworth and has held most of the other offices in the post over the years.

Chuck is a past Department Vice Com-mander and was the 5th District Com-mander for almost four years. (He served the majority of his predecessor’s term, who fell ill in office.) Chuck was the first District Commander of receive the “Dirty Dozen” membership award in 2011-2012 and helped the District to be the first 100% Wisconsin District in several years in 2013

Chuck has been President of the Wis-consin American Legion Foundation for seven years, and one of its founding Directors. The Foundation has received hundreds of thousands of dollars for Wis-consin Legion projects. During the past year he has visited many Districts with his presentation on the Foundation. After his 15 minute presentation including a DVD, he explains how the Foundation might be helpful for local projects.

Candidate for Department Commander

Candidate for Department Commander

Candidate for Department Commander

Steven DuBois Dale Oatman

Chuck Roloff

Committee member for three years. Steve has served as a Director and

President of the Past Commanders Club. Steve is an 18 year Paid Up for Life member of The American Legion and the Military Officers Associa-tion. He is also a member of the 40 et 8 Voiture No. 236 and a member of the Sons of The American Legion. Steve is active in his community. He is a board member of the Balsam Lake Home Owners Association.

Steve recently retired as a Captain from United Airlines after 21 years of service. Steve has a Master’s Degree from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor’s degree from the Univer-sity of Minnesota.

“We are all volunteers in this orga-nization. We need to recognize that effort.” Steve believes that saying “Thank You” and telling our members we appreciate their hard work is the best way to help motivate each other.

“As your Department Commander, I promise to deliver on that. I ask for your support. Thank you for your service!”

erans of America Chapter 206; and Passe Chef de Gare of Voiture 1204 and Passe Grand Box Car Directeur of the 40 et 8. Dale and his son Ryan are both SAL members.

Dale is currently the Langlade CVSO but will retire at the end of this year. Dale’s fellow CVSO’s elected him to the WI CVSO Association Executive Com-mittee; CVSO Advisory Committee to the WI Department of Veterans Affairs; and Secretary/Treasurer of the WI Com-missioners Association. He served on the committee for “LZ Lambeau”, the Viet-nam Homecoming held in 2010 at Lam-beau Field in Green Bay.

Dale’s community involvement in-cludes past officer of the Knights of Columbus and past 15-year Boy Scout Leader. Dale is supported by his wife Rita of 43 years, an Auxiliary member.

Dale has proven to be a true advocate for veterans with his wealth of knowl-edge of veteran’s benefits at the state and federal levels, as well as his dedication to serving Veterans Service Organizations.

Chuck has served on several Depart-ment Committees, including Member-ship, Fundraising and Finance. He was Chairman of Fundraising for a year and Finance for three.

Chuck was the Wisconsin American Legion’s representative to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Council on Veterans Programs, and was chair for 18 months during the rewriting of the By-laws and the WDVA’s transition to a Gov-ernor’s Cabinet level agency.

Chuck believes that the key to a strong Legion begins at the local Post, the pri-mary place where the public meets the Legion as their friends and neighbors in their community. There can be no De-partment or District organization without an extremely strong Post presence. The County, District and Department officers are support personnel for the local Post.

Chuck has been President and majority shareholder of his company, Lake Ge-neva Financial Services, since 1987. He is married to Donna and they have three grown children.

115th Fighter Wing operates the F-16C+ “Fighting Falcon” as its primary weapon system, as well as, the RC-26B aircraft in the global Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission. Colonel Wiegand received his commission in 1989 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. His past assign-ments include flying duties at five US Air Force fighter wings. Previous commands include the 115th Maintenance Group, 115th Operations Group and the 176th Fighter Squadron. Colonel Wiegand de-ployed to the Iraqi Theater of Operations six times and led the 115th Fighter Wing Air Expeditionary Force Aviation pack-age into combat in Iraq two times. He is a command pilot with over 3,300 flying hours, including over 3,000 in the F-16. At the conclusion of the Team-building Banquet the $1,000.00 Membership “Get One” Bounty drawing will be held.

During the Saturday training sessions, the Americanism Programs Resource Center will help you learn how to pro-mote traditional American values in your community through the programs of The American Legion. National American Le-gion staff will be on hand to answer ques-tions and provide details on how you and your post can become involved.

In addition the Midwinter Conference will also feature several exciting training sessions for Legionnaires at all levels of the organization. Briefings will include Care and Maintenance of the M1-Garand rifle along with Funeral Honors training, membership recruiting and retention tips, sessions on the various Americanism pro-grams and Veterans Benefits. This sched-ule is subject to change depending on de-mand.

Legion members who sign up a new member, or renew any former member who has not paid for 2 years (since 2012) can qualify to win a First prize of $1,000 or a Second prize of $500 at the Confer-ence. Simply sign up a new member, or renew any former member and enter you name. The drawing will take place on Saturday evening following the Team-building Banquet. There is no limit to the number of times an individual can qualify – recruiters get one chance for every new member they recruit.

Please mark your calendars and save the dates of January 15 through 18, 2015. Bring your family and enjoy the indoor water parks, attractions and many activi-ties offered in the Wisconsin Dells. Reg-ister and reserve your hotel room online at www.wilegion.org now.

Midwinter 2015 (continued from cover page)

NEW 2015 VEHICLE

55” BIG Screen TV!New Hunting Rifle!

HawaiianVacation!

$10,000 Vehicle Allowancefrom Boucher!

$20,000 CASH!OR

PAGE 6 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE SEPTEMBER 25, 2014PAGE 6 THE BADGER LEGIONNAIRE DECEMBER 18, 2014

The LastBugle

1 GermantownKenneth Andree K 11/17/13Emil Mateicka K 9/23/14Raymond Mueller K 11/10/14Gilbert Lucka K 11/16/144 AthensRalph Westfall K 11/5/147 RhinelanderWilliam Prahl II 10/29/148 WaukeshaRobert Teschner II 2/19/1410 WausauEdward Smith II 5/11/14Michael Zych II 10/2/14Alvin Deffner K 12/27/13Jack Strek K 11/26/14David Marzynski II 11/22/14Herbert Hintze II 11/27/14Roger Blom K 11/16/1411 Green BayBenedict Waerzeggers II 7/14/1413 Richland CenterWilliam Hannawell II 11/30/1414 IolaEmil Netzler K 10/25/1417 ArcadiaViolet Jones II 11/15/1419 HartfordJeffrey Petroviak G/L 4/6/14Willard Weber V 11/10/1421 KenoshaRobert Stukel II 10/29/1426 BarabooWarren Bidwell K 11/1/14Calvin Hill II 10/22/14William Hill II 11/7/14Roy Meyers II 11/15/1430 NeenahRoger Bramm II 11/27/1436 West BendCarl Dittrich II 9/11/1438 AppletonEmery Waters V 11/9/14Daniel O’Leary II 12/4/1440 BangorKenneth Olson K 10/23/14Gerald Herman V 11/4/1442 PlattevilleCletus Wunderlin II 11/10/14Donald Wunderlin K 5/15/14Teddy Wilkison II 4/15/14Clayton Stark K 7/24/14Larry Olson V 9/18/14James Kuhn II 12/6/13Jack Key V 7/16/14T J O’Neill K 11/29/1444 WabenoRonald Verlinde II 10/26/14Keith Rachoner V 10/28/1452 LaCrosseJames Inderberg II 8/2/1453 Eau ClaireDavid Hillman V 11/3/14Richard Amunson K 4/14/1454 MarshfieldJohn Smrecek II 11/4/14James Holler V 10/17/1463 ClintonvilleJames Schwentner K 10/27/14Rodney Zabel 11/13/1466 Silver CliffBruce Robinson V 10/28/1469 MayvilleRichard Bender V 10/27/14

73 NeillsvilleRaymond Schnitker K 6/5/1474 OcontoGiles Donlevy II 11/06/1480 New RichmondLeo Germain K 10/27/1485 MuscodaRichard Hinkle V 11/5/1488 ManitowocRichard Nolan K 10/24/14James Jacquart K 11/8/1489 MinocquaHenry Tonar K 10/13/14William Schell II 11/5/1493 TomahawkCarl Kangas K 11/11/1498 CumberlandHenry Lueck II 10/16/14Myron Sorensen II 10/21/14Norm Torkelson II 6/6/14Nick Capra II 10/18/14108 Clear LakeDouglas Booth II 10/29/14111 SomersetJames Leverty V 11/2/14112 StanleyWillis Stanek II 10/22/14118 ThorpJohn Lagasse II 10/18/14Jeffrey Alexander G/L 10/10/14123 OwenJames Riley II 11/25/14125 ChiltonHarvey Schmidt II 10/26/14126 BrillionGaylord Unbehaun PG 11/16/14130 SharonPaul Donley II 10/6/14131 ColfaxLarry Schleusner V 10/30/14138 ViroquaHarold Krueger II 3/6/14Rick Stellick V 5/5/14Richard Hoveland K 11/12/14143 St Croix FallsLouis Ruettimann V 11/9/12148 BloomingtonDolores Zenz II 11/20/14149 Sheboygan FallsWillard Grutenhuis II 11/27/14150 WausaukeeAntone Schmidt II 11/14/14151 MadisonDaniel Kokott K 11/9/14152 MenashaRussell Webb V 2/13/14John Gollner II 11/21/14154 MondoviOrlyn Rud K 10/29/14161 KingCalvin Neuman II 7/11/14167 Sauk CityAlbert Weeks II 12/2/14170 Mineral PointDouglas Carley V 11/24/14175 LoyalRobert Langfeldt V 12/5/14189 WatertownDonald Key K 9/17/14Clarence Hesse V 10/22/14Francis Semon II 7/14/14Herbert Steinbock II 9/13/14192 FranklinRaymond Heebsh II 11/14/14200 Black River FallsRichard Horn II 11/1/14201 TomahChalmer Daines II 9/14/14Joseph Benoit V 10/29/14Richard Dana K 11/22/14202 ChaseburgArnold Manske K 11/24/14204 EllsworthEugene Cook V 10/18/14Eugene Jonas K 11/7/14Carl Pearson II 11/25/14209 OrfordvilleJames Jankowski V 5/12/14210 WaupunCalvin Terbeest K 11/1/14

Carl Cihlar K 2/27/14Rolland Ruenger II 11/16/14212 BarronNorman Otto II 11/7/14Virgil Edson II 11/26/14215 PardeevilleWilliam Hartman II 11/5/14Robert Baillies II 11/28/14Donald Stabenaw V 12/4/14220 Soldiers GroveStephen Swiggum V 11/4/14William Valentine K 11/9/14Louis Biddle II 11/26/14228 MilwaukeeRaymond Heitkemper II 10/23/14229 Mount HopeCarl Wachter II 10/12/14234 OmroAlbert Stamborshi V 11/7/14239 TigertonMichael Thiel V 11/2/14245 Cross PlainsDeines Brehm K 7/18/14Al Schwab II 3/7/14Vernon Bratton 7/7/14250 AdamsJames Kane V 9/19/14Richard McGuire II 9/12/14Charles Miller V 8/2/14Arthur Irving II 5/11/14James Monroe V 5/6/14Harold Reichhoff K 11/13/14258 Little ChuteMerlin School K 10/27/14263 New LondonDelbert Otis II 11/6/14274 Rib LakeWilliam Marschke V 10/21/14280 ColemanLouis Sotka K 11/22/14284 HolmenRobert Marker K 11/17/14286 OostburgRobert DeSmith K 11/14/14288 CedarburgHarvey Krueger II 10/29/14William Sekas II 10/27/14George Helm V 10/25/14Delmar Kluball K 11/21/14294 HartlandBarbara Mallow 10/19/14Herbert Hancock K 10/17/14299 Hales CornersMelvin Longrie II 10/31/14William Maas V 10/4/14301 WoodvilleDonald Leibke K 11/18/14306 Green LakeRichard Brus II 10/14/14312 PeshtigoBernard Becker K 11/12/14Francis Dupuis II 11/18/14317 WautomaRaymond Jarvis II 11/7/14Neal Boneck V 12/3/14318 Lake TomahawkLarry Auckland II 11/6/14319 CascoSylvester Ullsperger II 11/18/14323 ConnorsvilleGeorge Evaska K 11/19/13324 OsseoHobert Knowlton II 11/29/14329 BriggsvilleRay Newstrom II 7/8/14333 Sun PrairieReuben Birrenkott K 11/26/14335 AvocaDavid Olson II 3/4/14Al Ciesielski II 8/21/14337 PulaskiEugene Krysiak II 10/28/14338 Cedar GroveRobert Klein II 11/27/14342 LenaMyron Janik K 11/5/14343 HancockWilliam Muehe K 10/20/14346 CenturiaWilliam Ihrig II 10/23/14

351 MontelloRaymond Niven V 11/21/14355 GraftonEugene Hadler II 10/17/14363 DenmarkHenry Kreft II 11/11/14371 SaxonRoy Ilminen II 11/12/14John Trojahn II 11/14/14375 MukwonagoMark Pommerich V 11/8/14Owen Williams II 11/11/14Frank Tamas II 11/26/14376 Fall CreekLeonard Madsen V 11/14/14382 Menomonee FallsNorman Gotz II 11/6/14Edward Skorcz II 11/18/14James Garity II 11/5/14LaVerne Becker II 11/30/14386 CascadeByron Bilgo II 10/27/14391 FremontTheodore Benker II 11/5/14395 KingstonDavid Lager V 8/28/14415 MilwaukeeRalph Moder II 11/14/14Robert Finger K 11/4/14416 GreendaleFelix Kostuch K 6/16/14Fred Ludwig II 6/19/14Joseph Piskula 7/18/14Gerald Scheel K 7/29/14Suzanne Canney V 10/6/14Brian Charney V 10/20/14Ralph Lassen II 9/2/14Walter Muth II 9/4/14431 Three LakesMilton Novak K 10/31/14Terence Main II 7/17/14432 HammondDuane Lewis II 10/27/14433 BarneveldDennis Carden V 10/21/14434 Oak CreekJoseph Lukasik V 11/15/14Al Krymkowski K 11/27/14436 WrightstownHarvey Hafeman II 10/9/14442 Wisconsin RapidsJimmy Uteg V 11/14/14444 MilwaukeeDaniel Bruski K 2/7/14448 MilwaukeeNaomi Horwitz II 10/30/14

Doris Dawson II 8/19/14449 BrookfieldJohn Minkley K 5/22/14Jerome Rinzell K 10/17/14Dennis Meyers V 10/24/14Richard Steinberg K 11/3/14451 Boulder JunctionJames Schmiechen II 12/17/12George Noble II 10/23/14481 WestportHarold Jochmann II 7/21/14485 RudolphMarvin Bushmaker II 10/15/14Lawrence Zimmerman II 11/25/14488 New BerlinWesley Gorder II 6/13/13491 CazenoviaRaymond Grauvogl II 11/12/14492 RothschildWayne Smith K 10/8/14494 CaledoniaMichael Sarnowski II 10/25/14Glen Rogers II 7/23/14George Kortendick K 11/10/14501 MadisonRodney Rossdeutscher II 11/2/14Frank Skonie K 11/3/14Edsel Nofsinger K 10/20/14507 MindoroDonald Jerome K 11/3/14510 HollandaleOtis Gilbertson II 10/27/14521 Fox LakeAlfred Wagner II 10/28/14Werner Dinkel K 10/28/14Earl Zumm II 10/26/14Robert Steinfeldt II 11/11/14523 AbramsDale Vandenlangenber K 11/12/14531 Port WingRobert Gustafson K 11/27/14534 McFarlandRoman Michalski II 4/30/14540 HaugenAlphonse Willger II 10/27/14543 PloverKenneth Barden K 11/25/14Duane Bosben II 6/10/14544 Twin LakesRoy Rohde V 10/29/14552 SomersAlton Free V 10/10/14Thomas Murphy V 10/2/14578 Green BayGary Mettler K 11/14/14

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PAGE 7THE BADGER LEGIONNAIREDECEMBER 18, 2014

Department Commander Bob Shappell had the honor of presenting three 70-year members with their continuous membership certificates at the same time during a ceremony held at the Landt-Thiel Post No. 470 in Saukville. From left to right, the recipients are Merle Doege, Elroy Maechtle, and Wilmer Helm. Elroy is the oldest at 96.

Black Creek American Legion Post No. 332 presented WW II Veteran Ralph Sassman with a 70 continuous year membership certificate at their Vet-eran’s Day party on Saturday November 15. Pictured with Ralph are Post Adjutant Pat Nachtwey and Post Commander Frank Lindsley.

Florian Frank has been a continuous member of American Legion Post No. 383 in Lone Rock for 70 years. Presenting the award to Florian is Post Commander Art Temby at the Veteran’s Day Program in Lone Rock.

Friday, October 31st was gradu-ation Day for attendees at the 2014 National American Legion College. Pictured in the front row with National Commander Michael Helm is Julie Muhle of Juneau Post No. 15. In the back row left to right are; Paul Be-seler of Post No. 354 in Ettrick, Facilitator Mike Rohan of Post No. 385 in Verona and Dud-ley Markham of Post No. 32 in Menomonie.

70 YEAR LEGiONNAiRES

Wisconsin American Legion College Class of 2014

OF MEM BERSHIP

O

P

70 YEARS

AMERICAN LEGI0N

The Campaign for Wisconsin’s Candidate for National Command-er continues to move forward and we thank you for your continued support.

During the Midwinter Confer-ence the American Legion Auxiliary will be hosting a Poker Run to raise funds for the campaign. You purchase your entry form at the campaign table in the lobby, then draw cards as you enjoy stops at candidate hospitality rooms. Your cards will be judged on Saturday to determine the winners. And, plan to attend the Midwinter Saturday night banquet where a new and fun 50/50 style event will take place.

Campaign for Wisconsin’s Candidate for National CommanderFrom now until Department

Convention, the campaign team will be selling raffle tickets with the main prize being an American Legion Centennial Pistol. There will only be 100 of these pistols

created and at this point, this is the only one in Wis-consin. Tickets are $20.00 each or 3 for

$50.00. We are looking for people willing to sell and buy tickets. Stan & Barb Erlandson are in charge of distributing the tickets, please con-tact them to obtain packets to be sold: call (608) 348-2112 or email s_berland@centurylink.net. Tick-ets will be available at Midwinter for sale and distribution.

Thank you to the following American Legion posts for meet-ing or exceeding their donation goals: Posts No. 42, 70, 85, 106, 109, 141, 151, 197, 234, 251, 364, 375, 415, and 481, and for other donations or jar collections from: Posts No. 11, 60, 63, 114, 375, 400, 412, 436, and 469.

Thank you to the following American Legion Counties for their donations and jar collections: Grant, Green, Vernon and Wau-paca.

Thank you to American Legion Auxiliary Units: 70, 141, 364, and 385, Dane County American Le-gion Auxiliary, Sons of The Ameri-can Legion Squadron 355, Ameri-can Legion Districts: 3, 4 and 9 as well as Echelon 11, American Legion Riders Association of Wis-consin and American Legion Rider Districts 2, 4/5, and 6.

We are grateful to have you all as part of the team and extremely thankful for your continued sup-port. Details about upcoming fun-draising events can be found on the “Post Events” calendar on www.wilegion.org website. Some cur-

rently planned events include:

January 31, 2015 Karaoke Night

2nd District Riders (details pending)

February 14, 2015Dinner and Dance

Post No. 52 La Crosse

April 11, 2015 • DinnerPost No. 245 Cross Plains

April 18, 2015 • DinnerPost No. 59 Stoughton

June 27, 2015 • Golf OutingReedsburg County Club

If you would like to schedule a fund raising event for Denise’s campaign please contact her at deniserohan@tds.net (608) 225-1423 or Mike at mdnrohan@tds.net (608) 837-9763 for availability.