Top 5: the dawn of unmanned warfare, baseball at your finger tips, Legion’s impact on display
1. Listen to the story of how unmanned warfare began
On this week’s Tango Alpha Lima podcast episode, American Legion members Alec Bierbauer and Mark Cooter discuss their book, “Never Mind, We’ll Do It Ourselves,” the story behind the origins of the Predator drone program and the dawn of unmanned warfare.
The book is a firsthand account told by an Air Force team leader and a CIA team leader that takes readers into the back offices and secret government hangars where the robotic revolution went from a mad scientist idea to a pivotal part of global air power. The story reveals the often-conflicting perspectives between the defense and intelligence communities and puts the reader inside places like the CIA’s counterterrorism center on the morning of 9/11. Through the eyes of the men and women who lived it, “readers will experience the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the evolution of a program from passive surveillance to the complex hunter killers that hang above the battlespace like ghosts.” Part of the motivation to write the book was so that the families of team members who had passed would know what their loved ones did, Bierbauer said.
There’s more: In this episode of the Tango Alpha Lima podcast, hosts Jeff Daly and Ashley Gutermuth offer their thoughts on: what a recent surge in hiring by VA means for veterans and their pending claims; five glorious minutes as a comedian; how a sledge hammer almost ended Guthermuth’s impressive daily run streak; and a callback to a season one episode, featuring Backpacks for Life.
2. Baseball at your fingertips
The American Legion Department of Minnesota launched its own Legion Baseball app. The app is now available through Apple and Google Play. It includes the state baseball rulebook; the national senior and junior Legion Baseball rulebooks; the 2021 Major League Baseball rulebook (the most recent version retrieved in PDF form); scores and ways to report them; the American Legion Baseball code of sportsmanship; important dates and more.
Tim Engstrom, director of communications for the Department of Minnesota, hopes the app’s audience grows beyond just the department’s coaches and managers. He’s optimistic that bench players tasked with keeping score will use the app to report scores.
Catch more: There are over 2,500 Legion Baseball teams that compete for a top eight spot in the Legion Baseball World Series held in Shelby, N.C. Follow the 2023 Legion Baseball series along here.
3. Legion grant helps wounded warrior in his physical, mental recovery
Terry Ledford is a 100% service-connected veteran who spent nearly 26 years in the U.S. military. The wear and tear from his military services have forced him to wear braces on both feet. Ledford used to love to run, but now he says it’s difficult to even walk with his wife and 3-year-old daughter. But thanks to an American Legion Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) grant, Ledford is on the way to improving both his health and mental outlook.
On May 20, Ledford was presented with an elliptical bicycle via OCW. The bike was given to Ledford during the second annual Sixth District Department of California Armed Forces Ball, which serves as a fundraiser for OCW.
“It’s a lifesaver,” Ledford said of the elliptical. “I could never afford this. I’m on a fixed income. I don’t even have my retirement yet. I don’t get it until I’m 60. The American Legion stepped in and filled the gap.”
Apply for an OCW grant: The American Legion's OCW program was created to provide nonessentials items that help wounded warriors' recover but don't usually show up as a budget line on government spreadsheets. Learn more about the program and how to apply for a grant here.
4. Revitalization effort keeps Legion post alive
At its highest membership, American Legion Post 47 in Tillamook, Ore., had over 700 members. But over the years, membership declined steeply and the post became inactive. In March 2023, the post roster stood at only five active members.
At the initiative of the Department of Oregon, Post 47 underwent a revitalization effort in March to re-energize the 104-year-old post with the goal of restoring its active role in the community. As a result of the revitalization effort and the election of new post leadership, Post 47 now has over 52 members and is on the path to once again becoming a fully active post serving the community. The growth in membership of Post 47 is “a testament to our veterans out there. They really want and need the fellowship of the Legion,” said Larry Emery, the new post adjutant and finance officer who transferred into the post to help get it back up and running.
Re-energize your post or district: For more information about conducting a revitalization effort in your area, please contact your regional membership liaison at www.legion.org/membership/contactus.
5. Legion’s impact on display
The American Legion’s monthly Membership Impact Report for the month of May shows the organization’s commitment to communities, states and nation.
1 — Place INDYCAR driver Alex Palou took at the GMR Grand Prix, driving the Legion’s Be the One car. Palou also took the pole position at the Indy 500 and led for 36 laps before rallying after a crash to take fourth overall.
8,285 — Number of Memorial Day ceremonies with participation by American Legion posts during the previous May, according to the Consolidated Post Report, with roughly 70% of posts reporting.
$220,049,147 — Amount in appeals awards secured over the last five fiscal years by American Legion claims specialists representing disabled veterans, free of charge, who had disputed earlier VA decisions
The American Legion’s full May 2023 Membership Impact Report, as well as others from previous months, can be downloaded and viewed here.
What about your impact?: The American Legion wants to hear the good that posts and members are doing in their local community. Please share on legiontown.org.