NEC Spring Meeting announcements

NEC Spring Meeting announcements

2021 American Legion Legacy Scholarship awarded $357,228 to 32 children of the fallen and disabled.

2021 American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year is John McPhie of Irvine, Calif. He will receive a $10,000 scholarship. Runners-up are Cale Abbot of Oklahoma; Thomas Kopasko of Pennsylvania; and Spencer Burke of Texas. They will receive a $2,500 scholarship.

Resolution No. 6: Legion Baseball honors Lou Gehrig Day, June 2. Major League Baseball great and Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig started as a first baseman for the New York Yankees on June 2, 1925. He passed on June 2, 1941, at the young age of 37 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

MLB is starting an annual tradition of observing Lou Gehrig Day on June 2 to raise awareness of ALS and those afflicted with the debilitating disease that affects the nervous system. Through its Legion Baseball program, The American Legion is following suit with MLB as an opportunity to bring greater awareness to the connection of ALS and military service. American Legion Resolution No. 6 strongly encourages “every American Legion Baseball team to observe a moment of silence before their game(s) each year on June 2 in memory of Major League Baseball’s great Lou Gehrig and all veterans who suffer or have died from ALS.”

In 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) established ALS as a presumptive military service-connected disease. This allows veterans with ALS to be eligible for service-connected benefits. The resolution was passed Wednesday, May 5, by the National Executive Committee during The American Legion’s virtual Spring Meetings.