SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 LEGION RIDERS Legacy Run nets more than $700,000 for scholarships A change in the standard operating procedure and a


shorter distance covered didn’t mean a step back for the 2012 Legacy Run Home. T e run – now in its seventh year – raised more than


$700,000 for T e American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund. T e seven runs so far have raised more than $3 million to provide college scholarships for the children of U.S. servicemembers killed on active duty on or aſt er Sept. 11, 2001. “It shows our commitment, our dedication and our


respect to all those great warriors who sacrifi ced their lives for us, and it shows our commitment to taking care of those they leſt behind,” said outgoing American Legion National Commander Fang A. Wong, who took part in the entire trek. “T is fund and what it does serve as a memory of, and tribute to, those men and women who sacrifi ced so much for our country.” Normally, the Legacy Run starts in Indianapolis and


fi nishes up in the national convention city, but because Indianapolis was the host of that event this year, the run was divided into two parts: the National Commander’s Ride, which originated in upstate New York, traveled through three states in three days before fi nishing up in Indianapolis, and T e American Legion Riders Expo, which took place in Indianapolis Aug. 24-25.


WONG from Page 4


T e National Emergency Fund ($137,323), Operation Comfort Warriors (more than $26,000) and the Child Welfare Foundation ($59,600) all received sizable contribu- tions. More than $44,000 also was raised for the CWF by the Sons of T e American Legion during its convention.


A Good Time To Be A Legionnaire. As his tenure as national commander came to a close, Wong said the challenges facing veterans – such as the VA claims backlog, the unemployment rate and homelessness – show why T e American Legion matters. “T ese tough issues... are why we need an American Legion,” he said. “We are as


relevant as ever, and many of these problems could have been avoided if only our nation’s leaders would read and heed our resolutions and legislative testimony.” One of the key roles of the Legion, Wong said, is helping the newest generation of


veterans. “We are in a unique position to help the young men and women who are returning from war,” he said. “T ey respect us because we are their fellow veterans and know what they are going through. “I want all these young men and women to join T e American Legion, but the way


to do it is not to greet them with a membership application the moment they return home. T ey are not familiar with our history of service, nor can we expect to be their top priority at this point in their lives. Most young veterans are more interested in jobs and college applications, than with Legion applications. Membership is our lifeblood, but service still remains our very top priority.” Jobs, education and family are key to attracting those members, Wong said. He


praised the Department of Defense (DoD) for its Legion-supported eff orts to make it easier for veterans with military training to be credentialed in similar fi elds in their civilian careers. He warned that deep defense cuts could lead to more unemployment. Wong said that veterans make great students and that the Legion will continue to


lobby on their behalf when it comes to education benefi ts. And Legion programs like T e American Legion Legacy Scholarship, Temporary Financial Assistance and the Family Support Network are important in providing for the families of America’s servicemembers and veterans. “T ese, along with our other great programs, are the foundations that will make the young veterans of today the Legionnaires of tomorrow,” Wong said.


Pedro Honored. Longtime Department of New York Adjutant Richard Pedro had a rare honor bestowed upon him, when he was elected Past National Commander. Resolution No. 1, unanimously passed by convention delegates, praised Pedro for “his dedicated eff orts on behalf of T e American Legion and America’s veterans and their families.” Resolution 1 also read, “T at the title of ‘Past National Commander of T e American Legion,’ with all rights and privileges pertaining to such offi ce, be and is hereby bestowed upon Richard M. Pedro.” “He knows what this organization stands for and the rock that we stand on for this


country,” Past National Commander Robert W. Spanogle said from the convention fl oor. “I appreciate his taking this young veteran, and many in this room, under his wing and giving us his knowledge.” Pedro is only the 11th Legionnaire to be named past national commander without


serving a term as national commander. “T is is probably the greatest honor ever bestowed upon me as a Legionnaire,” Pedro said. “T e American Legion is a great


organization; I am honored and proud to be a part of it.”


Lugar Receives Legion’s Highest Honor. U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., received T e American Legion’s Distinguished Service Medal – the highest recognition given by the organization. “What we are most grateful for is Sen. Lugar’s work as a leader in reducing the


threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons,” Wong said. “In 1991, he forged a bipartisan partnership with then-Senate Armed Services Chairman Sam Nunn of Georgia to destroy these weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union. To date, the Nunn-Lugar program has deactivated more than 7,500 nuclear warheads that were once aimed at the United States.” Lugar thanked Legion members for their deep interest in U.S. national security.


“T ose who have worn the uniform in wartime know better than anyone how impor- tant it is that America remains strong, militarily, diplomatically and economically,” Lugar said. “T is makes armed confl ict less likely, and it ensures that if it is neces- sary to fi ght, the United States will go to war with a military that is second to none. My own service as a Navy lieutenant instilled in me a lifelong appreciation for the many challenges we face around the globe, and over the years I have benefi tted from the advice and counsel of T e American Legion.”


Koutz Elected National Commander. Indiana Legionnaire James E. Koutz was unanimously elected 2012-2013 American Legion national commander. A U.S. Army and Vietnam War veteran, and a member of Boonville, Ind., Post 200, Koutz said that while there are many challenges facing the organization, he is convinced the Legion can handle anything that comes before it. “T e challenges that lay before T e American Legion are many and serious,”


Koutz said. “But in that regard, we are no diff erent than the men and women who came before us. I am no diff erent than the men who have stood in my place for 94 years. hey faced inadequate medical care for veterans, long waits for earned benefi ts to be paid, the absence of jobs and educational opportunities. And they struggled to convince the nation that those returning from the horrors of war deserved the best the nation has to off er. I have heard that the defenders of liberty always should be among the fi rst to enjoy its blessings. I endorse that thought, but I am certain that we, as a nation, have not done as good a job as we can to see that it’s true.” Koutz — who was sworn in by American Legion Past National Commander Joe


Frank — addressed VA’s growing backlog of claims, saying it threatens the well- being of hundreds of thousands of veterans. “We have off ered solutions,” he said. “We have been heard. And still the backlog persists. T is is the year we break the logjam.” Aſt er listing other priorities for the year, Koutz said a positive attitude will help


the Legion stay the course. “In every one of these instances, the key phrase is ‘We can,’” he said. “I believe we


can do anything we set our minds to. T at was my message as a candidate, and it will continue to be my message: hope, possibility and achievement. T at is the sense in which I will go forward from this place to speak on your behalf, to act in your best interests, and to devote every day to the welfare of our comrades. “I do that because I believe that in America, every day is Veterans Day. Let us celebrate it.”


T e ride kicked off at Wheatfi eld Post 1451 in


Sanborn, N.Y. Riders Chapter Director Sam Reeder and fellow Post 1451 Legionnaires spent seven months planning events for ride participants. “Words can’t describe how this feels,” Reeder said.


“It’s really pretty overwhelming seeing how this all came together. It was a complete team eff ort.” Aſt er a photo op at Niagara Falls, the ride made stops


at Post 535 in Salamanca, N.Y.; Post 397 in Vermillion, Ohio; Garden City (Mich.) Post 396; Post 157 in Quincy, Mich.; and ended at Speedway Post 500 in Indiana. T e stop at Post 396 was especially fi tting as it’s the birth- place of the Legion Riders and home post of one of the program’s two founders – Bill Kaledas. Kaledas never imagined the idea that he and Chuck


“Tramp” Dare had back in ’93 would take off as it has. “Not in my wildest dreams,” he said. “I’m so very proud of the Riders and all the good that they’ve done. When I saw them pull into our city, and I saw people standing there greeting them, I had to shed a tear. Everyone leaves something behind. When it comes to that time for me, if this group is what I leave behind, that’s a pretty good legacy to leave behind.” Once in Indianapolis, Run participants took part in the two-day American Legion Riders Expo where


Photo by Amy C. Elliott


participants underwent basic and advanced skills training, and took classes in such areas as intersection awareness, group riding, rider reception and alcohol awareness. Participants also took part in a charity ride to raise funds for the nearby Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, as well as a question-and-answer session with T e American Legion Riders Ad-Hoc Committee. T ey also heard from two Legacy Scholarship


See LEGACY on Page 8


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