Commander to meet with Obama

American Legion National Commander Clarence Hill will wrap up the 50th Washington Conference Wednesday afternoon by meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office.

There, Hill will share with the president some of the key issues discussed during the conference earlier in the week at the Renaissance Washington Hotel, including reduction of the VA claims backlog, quality of life for military families and transition assistance.

The commander also plans to extend The American Legion's gratitude for the president's proposed $125 billion budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The budget, released early last month, recommends higher funding levels than ever for VA claims processing and health-care services in the VA system.

Commander Hill will also tell the president about Operation Comfort Warriors, an American Legion fundraising effort that delivers comfort items, such as sweat suits, DVDs, video games, books, puzzles and other merchandise, to U.S. troops recovering from wounds, injuries or illnesses in military medical facilities.