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What if you spotted a Legionnaire in a purple beret or garrison cap, perhaps during the Washington Conference or National Convention? Who is authorized to wear them? And what do they mean?

The select few Legionnaires donning such colorful chapeau are members of ANAVICUS: Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada – United States. It's an offshoot of ANAVIC, a Canadian veterans organization first authorized in 1840 by Queen Victoria, who granted permission for members to wear berets of royal purple. Under the power of the Canadian Parliament, ANAVIC presented a charter to ANAVICUS in 1953, and Lt. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey was elected first president of the new organization.

In the following years, most American Legion founders, past national commanders and other distinguished Legionnaires were inducted into ANAVICUS – a tradition that continues annually at the Legion's national convention and Washington Conference. Today, 1,100 Legionnaires wear the ANAVICUS Royal purple beret or cap.

In 1982, the ANAVICUS executive committee voted to establish and fund a memorial to Past National Commander Harry W. Colmery, architect of the original GI Bill. The memorial is located at American Legion National Headquarters in Indianapolis. At that same meeting, the committee also established its first scholarship, a cash award to a cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada.

Since then, ANAVICUS' scholarship program has grown to nine, including seven for U.S. citizens. The cash awards are based on compassion, athletics, leadership and scholarship. Each scholarship is awarded in memory of a prominent ANAVICUS member.

The Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada – United States Unit Scholarship is awarded to a cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario.

The Father Edward J. Carney Scholarship is awarded to a sophomore or junior at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. Carney was an American Legion past national chaplain and longtime chaplain of ANAVICUS.

The Rev. Frank L. Harrington Scholarship is awarded to a sophomore or junior at Carroll College in Helena, Mont. Harrington served as a past national chaplain.

The Gen. Lewis B. Hershey Scholarship is awarded to a sophomore or junior at Trine University in Angola, Ind. Hershey was a leading force in establishing ANAVICUS and becoming its first president.

The Col. Frank Kossa Scholarship and Leadership Award is presented to a senior cadet at the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children's Home in Knightstown, Ind.

The James F. O'Neil Scholarship is awarded to a sophomore or junior at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. O'Neil served as a past national commander of The American Legion and past president of ANAVICUS.

The Gen. Frank R. Schwengel Scholarship is awarded to a sophomore or junior at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y. Schwengel was a leading force in the formation of ANAVICUS and a member of its executive committee.

The E. Roy Stone Jr. Scholarship is awarded to an ROTC cadet student at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. Stone was a Legion past national commander and longtime distinguished member of ANAVICUS. He was an alumnus of Furman University.

The Daniel F. Foley Scholarship is given to an outstanding student in Canada who is a direct descendant of a member of Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada. Applications are reviewed by ANAVIC. Foley served as The American Legion's national commander and longtime ANAVICUS president.

During its 55-year history, ANAVICUS has had four presidents: Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, 1953-1977; and American Legion Past National Commanders James F. O'Neil, 1978-1980; Daniel F. Foley, 1981-2002; and John P. "Jake" Comer, 2002-present.

Reprinted from The American Legion Online Update. To subscribe to The American Legion Online Update, click here.

Eleven outstanding high school students emerged from a field of nearly a hundred applicants as recipients of a $20,000 Samsung-American Legion Scholarship.

Samuel I. Andersen of Brigham City, Utah; Joseph Arsenault, of Berlin, N.H.; Forrest W. Ford of Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Joshua D. Habermehl of Moberly, Mo.; Jessica R. Jaeger of Mellen, Wis.; Thomas C. Mealey of Bloomington, Minn.; John R. Mitchem of Sedgwick, Kan.; Kelly R. Murphy of Glendale, Ariz.; Conner R. Pate of Dallas, Texas; Courtney Reeder of Worthington, Ohio; and Rachel E. Rominger of New Palestine, Ind. were named here following their selection by The American Legion National Committee on Education with participation from the Samsung Corporation.

The committee awarded the scholarships on the basis of academic record, involvement in school and community activities and financial need. Eligibility for scholarships requires students to be direct descendants of U.S. wartime veterans. All had grandfathers who served either in World War II, the Korean War, or both.

The Samsung Group, an international electronics company, endowed a scholarship fund of $5 million to be administered by The American Legion, to show appreciation to U.S. veterans who came to the aid of Korea during its struggle against communist forces during the Korean War.

The size and number of scholarships awarded each year is dependent upon the amount of income derived from the fund.

DoD Photo

The Department of Defense announced today it has expanded the Purple Heart eligibility criteria allowing prisoners-of-war who died in captivity to receive the award.

The revised department policy presumes, for service members who die in captivity as a qualifying prisoner-of-war, that their death was the "result of enemy action," or the result of wounds incurred “in action with the enemy” during capture, or as a result of wounds incurred as a “result of enemy action” during capture, unless compelling evidence is presented to the contrary.

The revised policy allows retroactive award of the Purple Heart to qualifying prisoners-of-war since Dec. 7, 1941. Posthumous award will be made to the deceased service member’s representative, as designated by the secretary of the military department concerned, upon application to that military department.

Each military department will publish application procedures and ensure they are accessible by the general public. Family members with questions may contact the services: Army: Military Awards Branch, (703) 325-8700; Navy: Navy Personnel Command, Retired Records Section, (314) 592-1150; Air Force: Air Force Personnel Center, (800) 616-3775; Marine Corps: Military Awards Branch, (703) 784-9340.

Last winter, The American Legion’s Department of Oklahoma led a massive effort to bring nearly 2,000 National Guardsmen home for the holidays. “Operation Holiday Homecoming” required 42 buses and more than $400,000 in contributions. By all accounts, the event was a phenomenal success.

Funds left over from the drive were used to provide meals, camp opportunities for deployed soldiers’ children, auto repairs and other needs. “We have not turned away one family in need,” said David Kellerman, Oklahoma department adjutant.

This year, the Department of Oklahoma is back at it, and this time the program is simply called “Operation Homecoming.” The Fires Brigade – an extension of the 45th Division Oklahoma Army National Guard – will enjoy six days of leave at the end of October before deploying to Iraq.

The department is trying to raise about $150,000 to rent 20 or more buses to transport the troops from Fort Hood, Texas, (where they’ve been training) to their families in Oklahoma before deployment, as well as food and drinks for the brigade.

Kellerman said about 500 Guardsmen will be picked up at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 22 and returned Oct. 28. The buses will drop off Guardsman at five different locations in Oklahoma: Altus, Lawton, Weatherford, Eden and Oklahoma City.

Any money left over from the drive will be used to support Guard families during the year, Kellerman said.

Reprinted from The American Legion Online Update. To subscribe to The American Legion Online Update, click here.

The American Legion is staging a charity golf tournament to benefit the children of fallen heroes.

Dubbed the Heroes to Hometowns Golf Classic, the event is set for Monday, October 6 at Andrews Air Force Base in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. A number of corporate and private donors are supporting this first-of-a-kind fund raiser. Some player teams will be paired with veterans from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Bethesda Naval-Marine Hospital, the DC VA Medical Center or Andrews Air Force Base. Others will be teamed with partners knowledgeable in doing business with the government and, most especially, veteran-owned small businesses.

“This is a wonderful event that I believe will grow in size and value in years to come,” said David K. Rehbein, The American Legion’s National Commander. “Not only does it provide a terrific networking opportunity for business leaders, veterans and veteran advocates, it benefits a terrific cause.”

Proceeds from the informal tournament will be donated to The American Legion’s Legacy Scholarship Fund; established to provide educational support to military children who have lost a loved one in post-9/11 conflicts. This fund is also supported by other Legion activities. A 1900-mile cross country journey by members of the Legion Riders, the veteran service organization’s crew of motorcyclists, raised over half a million dollars in donations to the Legacy Scholarship Fund recently.

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael Behlin

3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Secretaries of State and a chief election officials delegation from Pennsylvania, California, Indiana, Mississippi and Florida visited Joint Base Balad Tuesday to meet with Brig. Gen. Michael Lally, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) commanding general, and receive updates on the voting process for servicemembers serving in Iraq.

The delegation visited Joint Base Balad to promote voting participation by servicemembers and learn about the installation’s voting assistance program and servicemembers’ overseas voting experience. The delegation also visited an installation post office and the Joint Military Mail Terminal here and received a briefing on overseas voting operations,.

With responsibility for mail distribution in Iraq, the 3rd ESC individually tracks registrations and ballots from remote post offices in Iraq back to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport where they are received for distribution.

At each stop, the delegation received an in-depth look at the voting processes and procedures provided to servicemembers deployed to Iraq.

“Servicemembers are already providing a valuable service for our country in defending our democracy,” said the Hon. Pedro Cortes, Pennsylvania Secretary of State and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. “That democracy cannot continue to stand if people do not participate in the electoral process. It’s our most fundamental right of citizenship and also our responsibility.”

Cortes also stated that he and his colleagues were very impressed with the way and the 3rd ESC and other installation voting assistance officers were taking proactive steps in making sure all servicemembers are aware of specific voting deadlines and requirements of their respective states.

“We are trying to inform the troops, no matter if they are in the States, or overseas, in remote sites or right here on Joint Base Balad, they still have the right to vote and we are providing the opportunity and are dedicated to giving them the opportunity,” said Maj James Hess, plans and operations officer in charge for the 3rd ESC’s personnel section.

The overall message that Cortes and the delegation continuously stressed to servicemembers was the importance of voting and having their voices heard. “I’m so delighted to be here in Iraq and I want to wish our troops a great election time,” said Cortes. “It’s very important that you vote so please make sure that you do.”

The military-to-civilian recruiting firm RecruitMilitary will present a free hiring event for veterans on Thursday, Oct. 2, at the University of Phoenix Stadium (Home of the Arizona Cardinals). This event, the RecruitMilitary Career Fair, will take place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale (Greater Phoenix), AZ 85305. RecruitMilitary urges all job seekers who have military backgrounds to attend--veterans who already have civilian work experience, men and women who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life, members of the National Guard and reserves, and military spouses.

Veteran-friendly organizations will conduct one-on-one interviews with the job seekers--organizations that will include corporate employers, law-enforcement agencies and other government employers, educational institutions, veterans service agencies, and veterans associations.

RecruitMilitary will produce the career fair in cooperation with The American Legion and HireVetsFirst, a unit of the United States Department of Labor.

More than 500 organizations attended 45 RecruitMilitary Career Fairs in 2007. At those events, an average of 30-plus organizations interviewed an average of over 350 job seekers. RecruitMilitary Career Fairs conducted in 2006 and 2007 generated television coverage by CNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN; radio coverage by ESPN and numerous regional stations; and articles in metropolitan and local newspapers.

RecruitMilitary, based in Cincinnati, connects employers with job seekers who have military backgrounds. All of the company's owners, officers, account executives, and retained search consultants are either veterans or active or former reservists. In addition to participation in career fairs, RecruitMilitary offers subscriptions to its database of self-registered job seekers who have military backgrounds, currently numbering more than 185,000, at its Web site, www.recruitmilitary.com, advertising in online and print media, and retained hiring services. The company mails more than 54,000 copies of a quarterly, print newsletter called Incoming! to over 230 military bases throughout the world for distribution to transitioning personnel; employers advertise their job openings in Incoming! The President of RecruitMilitary is Drew Myers, formerly a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. The company was founded in 1998.