National commander testifying before Congress next week

American Legion National Commander Charles Schmidt will address a joint session of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs March 1, capping the Legion’s 57th annual Washington Conference. The conference gets under way Friday with veterans and military employment events and continues through to next week.

Schmidt will deliver testimony to Congress March 1. Check back on www.legion.org for information about live streaming of the hearing.

The Feb. 28 Commander’s Call also will be live-streamed and will feature newly confirmed Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and Senate Committee on Armed Services Chairman John McCain, who will receive the Legion’s Distinguished Public Service Award. U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, also will speak during the Commander’s Call.

Prior to the Commander’s Call, The American Legion will host a Boots to Business entrepreneuship workshop Feb. 24, and team up with Hiring Our Heroes for a veterans, military and military spouse employment forum Feb. 24.

The Legion’s Operation Comfort Warriors will present a grant totalling $5,000 for the US Vets Homeless Veteran Shelter, providing items to assist veterans in job searches and interviews such as clothing, grooming items, bus passes and gas cards to travel to interviews.

And on Feb. 28, American Legion Women and Minority Veteran Outreach staff will conduct a Women Veterans Focus Group. The purpose of the focus group is to share Department of Veterans Affairs resources and benefits for disabilities caused by or related to military sexual trauma. Focus group speakers will include VA staff and representatives from the National Veteran Legal Service Program.

Legionnaires will head to Capitol Hill en masse Feb. 28-March 1 to meet with their respective members of Congress.