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Applications are available online for the 2023 American Legion Baseball Scholarship. The fillable nomination form is available here.Team managers and head coaches of post-affiliated American Legion Baseball teams must submit nominations for the American Legion Baseball Scholarship by July 15.The American Legion awards between $22,000 and $25,000 in scholarships to deserving baseball players each year. Each Department Baseball Committee may select a player from its department to receive this scholarship. The American Legion will award several scholarships each year depending on the number of applicants and interest earned from the trust fund.Any team manager or head coach of an American Legion post–affiliated team may nominate a player for consideration of this award. The scholarship application, letters of recommendation and certification form must be completed, postmarked and mailed to the department headquarters no later than July 15. Three letters of testimony must be attached to the nomination form.Department Baseball Scholarship winners

Most casual sports fans remember Tim McCarver, the award-winning broadcaster who died Feb. 16 at age 81.Some know he was a 21-year major leaguer, two-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and a rare four-decade major leaguer as he played in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.But even fewer know that his path to baseball greatness came through Shelby, N.C.Fifty years before the American Legion World Series first came to Shelby, McCarver and his Memphis American Legion Post 1 teammates were back-to-back American Legion Baseball regional champions at Shelby’s old Sumter Street ballpark in 1957 and 1958.Under the direction of coach Tony Gagliano for Post 1 and at Christian Brothers High School, McCarver was a three-sport star who signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after his 1959 high school season on June 7 before making his major league debut four months later.A star end in football, forward in basketball and catcher

LEARN HOW YOUR PLANNED GIFT CAN HELP THE AMERICAN LEGIONWhat is the best way to go about choosing an assisted living facility for my parent? Their health has declined to the point that living at home is not an option anymore, but they are not quite ready for a nursing home.If your parent needs help with things like bathing, dressing, preparing meals, managing medications or just getting around, an assisted living facility is definitely a good option to consider. Assisted living facilities are residential communities that offer different levels of health- or personal-care services for seniors who want or need help with daily living.There are nearly 29,000 assisted living communities (also called board and care, supportive-care or residential-care facilities) in the United States today, some of which are part of a retirement community or nursing home. Most facilities have anywhere between 10 and 100 suites, varying in size from a

Nearly 50 high school students will gather in Indianapolis April 22-23 to speak on the U.S. Constitution for The American Legion’s National Oratorical Contest and compete for over $203,000 in scholarships. The competitors won their respective American Legion post, district and state-level oratorical contests to earn a spot at the national level.The National Oratorical Contest is held at the Wyndham Indianapolis West Hotel where the 49 orators will compete in the quarterfinals. They will present a rehearsed eight- to 10-minute oration on an aspect of the Constitution in front of judges, as well as a three- to five-minute speech on an assigned topic discourse. The top nine contestants will advance to the semifinals. After again presenting their prepared oration and assigned topic, the top three semifinal contestants will advance to the championship finals.The championship finals will be held Sunday, April 23 at 10 a.m. EDT, and will be streamed on Facebook

Army National Guard veteran Mike Fisher was first connected with Vet Centers as he transitioned from the military. Now, he is the chief readjustment counseling officer for the organization that focuses on healing veterans, servicemembers and their families. Fisher gives a thorough overview of Vet Centers’ services, eligibility criteria, expansion and more as this week’s guest on The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast, hosted by Jeff Daly and Ashley Gutermuth.Vet Centers, part of the Veterans Health Administration, offers services for veterans, servicemembers and Guards/Reservists who experienced certain traumas. “If you meet one of our eligibility criteria you can come into a vet center now and for the rest of your life,” explained Fisher, who deployed to Iraq in 2005. “Our eligibility criteria are really centered to serving in dangerous places or experiencing certain types of trauma, whether that is a combat zone or area of hostility.”Vet Centers specialize in treating

“Nations are not eternal,” French philosopher Ernest Renan observed in 1882. “They have a beginning and they will have an end.”That’s something to keep in mind as we assess the damage Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine is doing to Russia.Cannon fodder The situation in Russia is increasingly fraught. Putin believed he would seize Ukraine in three days, show off the capabilities of the Russian army and revive the Russian Empire. Instead, he has galvanized and unified Ukraine, broken the Russian army and set in motion forces that could fracture Russia itself.Those forces now unleashed in Russia are embodied by restive and resentful people groups who see a window of opportunity opening, as well as military fiefdoms who could play the role of king-maker or nation-maker in the wake of Putin’s debacle in Ukraine. Let’s start with Russia’s restive ethno-national groups.By its own census tally, the Russian Federation enfolds 193 ethnic

1.   A U.S. Navy warship on Monday cruised near a chain of islands claimed by China, Taiwan and other countries, coinciding with the third day of Chinese exercises around Taiwan in the wake of meetings between Taiwan’s president and U.S. officials. The guided-missile destroyer USS Milius conducted a freedom-of-navigation operation near Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, a group of about 100 islands between Vietnam and the Philippines, to uphold the “rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea,” the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a Monday email.2.   China’s military declared Monday it is “ready to fight” after completing three days of large-scale combat exercises around Taiwan that simulated sealing off the island in response to the Taiwanese president’s trip to the U.S. last week. The “combat readiness patrols” named Joint Sword were meant as a warning to self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its own, China’s military said earlier.3.   Seoul intends

Belgium was the site of fierce fighting during the two world wars. Remembrance of the conflicts and those who died in them remains a priority for today’s Belgians. One of these is John Sterkendries, a longtime motorcycle rider who has embarked on a multi-leg trip around the border of the United States with a goal of raising awareness of the sacrifices of the past while seeing American sites of remembrance.Sterkendries’ father, Andre, and his own father engaged in a form of resistance during World War II – both worked at a railyard, and they and others would take advantage of “excessive” steam released by machinists to smuggle food off German wagons, distributing it among families in need. Says John, “If they were ever caught doing this, they would be executed by firing squad.” His father later spent time in Germany with Canadian occupying forces. When Andre Sterkendries returned to Belgium, he

North Korea’s state-run news agency on Thursday condemned the United States and South Korea for their largest-ever joint military drills and warned that they raised regional tensions to an “extremely critical phase.”The “unprecedented” military drills last month targeted Pyongyang, which will respond “through offensive action,” according to a column on the Korean Central News Agency website. The author was identified as Choe Ju Hyon, a purported international security analyst.The U.S. and South Korean armed forces completed several large-scale drills throughout South Korea last month, including demonstrations on land, in the air and at sea. Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol promised in May to increase the size and pace of the allies’ military exercises in response to continuing North Korean ballistic missile tests.The two militaries most recently drilled on Wednesday with South Korean F-35A and U.S. F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters, F-16 Fighting Falcons and a B-52H Stratofortress bomber, according to

Veterans in the film industry had the opportunity to share their work for the second straight year at Hollywood Post 43 in Los Angeles. On March 31, five teams of veterans screened their short films – each following a comedy theme – which were then judged and presented with awards. But for Past Post 43 Commander and event chairman Jeric Wilhelmsen, the Veteran-Made Film Competition (VMFC) was more than just a film festival. “We’re a Hollywood post here. Most of our members are really involved in the entertainment industry,” Wilhelmsen said. “They either work in film, television, Internet or some sort of entertainment. We have a really strong tie to Hollywood. “What we found is that one thing that young veterans are looking for is employment, so we wanted to provide opportunities for them to gain employment. We thought that this was a perfect type of competition that would actually

The American Legion’s Washington Conference culminated March 1 when National Commander Vincent J. “Jim” Troiola presented the organization’s legislative priorities to a joint session of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs. In the midst of that, Legionnaires reported 320 personal engagements with their congressional representatives or staff in a month that ended with three national testimonies in two days.Meanwhile, American Legion accredited service officers continued to work VA disability claims, free of charge, for thousands of veterans, many of whom are newly eligible for health care and benefits, thanks to passage of the PACT Act that expanded toxic-contamination recognition to include some 3.5 million post-9/11 veterans exposed to burn pits and their effects in the Global War on Terrorism.The March 2023 American Legion Membership Impact Report and those of previous months can be found here.  

Dear American Legion Family Members and Friends,As the nation’s largest veterans service organization, The American Legion wields significant influence on Capitol Hill. That is why it is so critical that our membership is not only strong in numbers but active in advocacy. Regardless of whether you live in Washington, D.C, Washington County in Illinois or Walla Walla in Washington state, your participation matters. And it’s easy to make your voice heard, too. Join our grassroots advocacy via The American Legion’s Grassroots Action Center. It offers information to stay informed on the issues and tools to communicate online with lawmakers and the media about our legislative priorities.Throughout this legislative session, we will ask you to contact your members of Congress to encourage them to pass bills that our among the Legion’s priorities. Last summer, when Senate passage of the PACT Act was in doubt, American Legion members responded. More than 34,000

LEARN HOW YOUR PLANNED GIFT CAN HELP THE AMERICAN LEGIONOn March 28, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published a letter as part of its "Dirty Dozen series" warning taxpayers not to trust tax advice on social media, where there are multiple claims that filing certain IRS forms or documents allow a taxpayer to avoid reporting their actual income and receive a larger refund."There are many ways to get good tax information, including from a trusted tax professional, tax software and IRS.gov. But people should be incredibly wary about following advice being shared on social media," stated IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. "The IRS continues to see a lot of inaccurate information that could get well-meaning taxpayers in trouble. People should remember that there is no secret way to fill out a form and simply get a larger refund they are not entitled to. Remember: if it sounds too good to

Adequate funding, effective communications and marketing, and execution of plans in those areas are the next steps in Task Force Movement’s efforts to steer veterans into the truck-driving sector.Task Force Movement (TFM) released a report on April 5 outlining the results of TFM’s first year. The Biden administration launched TFM in April 2022 to help lift the United States out of its supply-chain crisis by fast-tracking veterans into the commercial trucking industry.“While there is no agreed-upon estimate, various sources suggest that there is a shortage of between 60,000 to 100,000 drivers and that number is expected to grow in coming years,” the report states. “The shortage of truck drivers is influenced by a variety of factors, including an aging workforce, high turnover rates, a lack of qualified drivers, and regulatory changes that affect hours of service and other factors that impact the work environment.”TFM’s meetings identified four major themes in

Chris Karowski, you’re going to Hollywood. And that actually is a laughing matter.An Army veteran from Dayton, Ohio, Karowski won the inaugural Operation HEAL*ARIOUS tour stop, which set out to find the top veterans and military spouses who are comedians. He was selected by a panel of three comics acting as judges April 1 at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio.A self-admitted class clown, Karowski didn’t think of comedy as a career until another soldier suggested it during a deployment. His style of comedy is “funny, general observational and some satire here and there.” Karowski says veterans really connect with the humor, especially the shared experiences.“Basic training was fun; usually we would wake in the morning and they would punch us in the face,” he said. “If you could make the drill sergeants laugh, that was your ticket in. They wouldn’t pester you as much if you

For retired Army Lt. Col. Robin Johnson, comedy is the best medicine. It has not only helped her personally heal, comedy is also the focal point of her mission to assist other veterans in their healing and transition. She is the executive producer for Operation HEAL*ARIOUS and founder of the Best Medicine Brigade. HEAL*ARIOUS is produced by Best Medicine Brigade. (Check out her recent appearance on The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast.)A member of American Legion Post 166 in Goose Creek, S.C., Johnson served 26 years in the Army, did five tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, and retired in July 2020. She sat down with The American Legion for an interview as Operation HEAL*ARIOUS kicked off its 10-city national tour on April 1 at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio. (A look at the comedians from the first event.)The American Legion: You're an Army retiree. How

The American Legion’s National Emergency Fund (NEF) provides up to $3,000 for qualified Legionnaires or Sons of The American Legion, and up to $10,000 for qualified American Legion posts which have been affected by declared natural disasters.To be eligible for an individual grant, the Legionnaire or Son:1.     Must have been displaced from their primary residence due to damage sustained during a declared natural disaster.2.     Must provide copies of receipts of items required to meet immediate needs, such as housing, food, water, clothing, etc., during the period immediately following the disaster.3.     Must be an active member at the time of the disaster and the time of application.The American Legion has created a presentation which discusses details on the NEF grant, including what the NEF covers and does not cover and how to complete the NEF application. Click here to view that presentation.For more details on the NEF, click here.

In the aftermath of a tornado that damaged hundreds of homes and left many without power, American Legion Post 230 in Martinsville, Ind., leapt into action.“(We) decided that these people that are putting up the power lines and getting service back restored might need some food and water,” said John McGee, past commander of Post 230. “We came in yesterday and we fed a lot of people in town who didn’t have power, didn’t have a way to fix a meal.”The National Weather Service reported 22 tornadoes hit Indiana on March 31 and April 1. Five people died in the storms.It’s part of an already active spring storm season that has seen deadly tornadoes reported in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Delaware and Missouri since March 24.Here’s a look at some of the other ways the Legion Family has helped those affected by the storms:Arkansas-Post 91 in Beebe collected

March 29 marked the 50th anniversary of the last U.S. troops leaving Vietnam. Since 2017, that date has been used to honor Vietnam War veterans, as well as those servicemembers thought to be either prisoners of war or missing in action.American Legion posts and Legion Family members across the national annually host or coordinate National Vietnam War Veterans Day events. It was no different this year. The following are a few examples of how The American Legion commemorated the day at the local level. If your post, district or department conducted a National Vietnam War Veterans Day event, please share your story and photos at www.legiontown.org.California In Corona, American Legion Posts 742 and 216 collaborated on a Vietnam War veterans barbecue on March 25 as a way to welcome home Vietnam veterans and thank them for their service. ConnecticutIn Chester, American Legion Post 97 invited the public to a Vietnam

The Irreverent Warriors’ Silkies Hike on April 1 in downtown Indianapolis was sponsored by The American Legion via an Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) grant. The $3,750 grant covered the cost of food for those 240 or so hikers – some who came from as far away as San Diego, as well as supplies needed for registration prior to the walk.But for Douglas Chace, The American Legion’s OCW coordinator, the Saturday event was as much about another Legion program as it was about OCW.“The mission of Irreverent Warriors kind of mirrors our ‘Be the One’ program in that it’s focused on that personal contact to prevent veteran suicides,” Chace said. “They use these walks and that dark military humor to recreate that camaraderie from the military and help work through whatever issues they may be having. “With one of our primary focuses being preventing veteran suicides, our Operation Comfort Warriors is

This week’s Tango Alpha Lima podcast episode features retired Army Master Sgt. Herb Thompson, a Green Beret. He discusses his career, transitioning out of the military and his award-winning book, “The Transition Mission.”“I had two goals in life: be a drill sergeant and earn a green beret,” said Thompson, who was named the Army’s drill sergeant of the year in 2008. “And then it was like, ‘What do I do now?’”Being a drill sergeant involved a lot of yelling, he noted, adding, “But it’s really about inculcating the Army values. For me, it was one of the most rewarding things I could have asked for. I loved it.”Thompson describes his own transition as “fairly easy,” though like anyone else, there were struggles.  “I treated it like a mission; I was going to deploy but I was going to deploy to the United States,” he says, noting he started looking at

On a day when Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward combined to lead 214 of the race’s 250 laps, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou nearly stole the show. Driving the No. 10 American Legion Honda with the Legion’s “Be the One” suicide-prevention initiative featured on his livery, Palou took the lead in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday with 48 laps to go, led as late as lap 242 and battled Newgarden and O’Ward the rest of the race on his way to a third-place finish. Newgarden would take the lead on lap 249 from O’Ward just seconds before Romain Grosjean crashed in Turn 2 to end race on a yellow caution flag. Palou, who was a lap down at one point in the race, said Sunday’s finish felt bigger than third.“We finished (third) and it feels like a win today,” Palou said via Chip

On April 3, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that eligible American Indian and Alaska Native veterans are no longer required to make copayments for health care and urgent care received through VA. The rule is estimated to impact approximately 25,000 American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans.Under this new policy, VA will reimburse copayments paid on or after Jan. 5, 2022, and waive future copayments for eligible American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. Beginning Tuesday, April 4, veterans can submit documentation to qualify for the copayment exemption. Eligible veterans include any veteran who meets the definitions of “Indian” or “urban Indian” under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act – including veterans who are members of an American Indian Tribe, certain veterans who are descendants of Tribe members, Alaska Native veterans and more.“American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans deserve access to world-class health care for their courageous service to our nation,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough

Check out the April issue of The American Legion Magazine is now online, with feature articles about . The clickable digi-mag is available through MyLegion.org.• Alarmed by the loss of three youth to drug overdoses in their Seneca Nation community in southwestern New York, Army veteran Ron Cook Jr. approached the tribe’s leaders with a plan. “The primary focus is to strengthen the family unit,” says Cook, commander of Iroquois American Legion Post 1587. “I developed this program that was traditionally oriented to go back to our old ways on teaching our young people how to be strong, resilient and able to handle adversities.”• In “The Why of Adam Rocke,” the retired Army colonel and Legionnaire talks about transition assistance, the growth of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) program and the need to educate employers on military-connected job candidates. “We’ve got to be able to have an open dialogue with

Studies have long proven the health benefits of exercising outdoors. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced hiker, you can combine exercise with exploring America’s beauty in its national parks.Even better, veterans get free entrance to U.S. national parks. An annual Military Lifetime Pass provides free access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks, wildlife refuges and forests. Apply for your pass online at store.usgs.gov for a $10 processing fee, or for free in person at federal recreation sites that issue passes. Then lace up your hiking shoes, research your destination and go explore.Here are some of the nation’s top hiking trails: Acadia National Park, Maine. This park boasts beautiful coastal views and diverse trails. Jordan Pond Path is a 3.1-mile loop that is not only relatively flat, but offers plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife.Badlands National Park, South Dakota. The Badlands have unique canyon and prairie

1.      Japan joined the U.S. and South Korea for a two-day naval drill on Monday, another in a series of large military exercises on the peninsula, the most recent involving a visiting U.S. aircraft carrier. The drills on land, in the air and at sea are the largest involving the U.S. and South Korea in five years. They included live-fire drills by the U.S. Army and its South Korean partners, flyovers by fighters and bombers and amphibious landings by South Korean and U.S. Marines.2.      Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart, in a rare phone call between the diplomats since the Ukraine war, to immediately release a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained last week as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan, the State Department said Sunday. In the call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Blinken conveyed “grave concern” over the Kremlin’s detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich on

The American Legion let key lawmakers know the organization’s positions on employment issues, VA health-care legislation and costly legal fees charged to disabled veterans during a flurry of late-March testimony on Capitol Hill.In two days, American Legion testimony was presented three times before members of the newly begun 118th Congress. Complete American Legion written testimonies and statements for the record can be viewed online at legion.org/legislative/testimony.On March 29, American Legion Legislative Director Lawrence Montreuil delivered the organization’s positions on seven pending bills to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, including support for H.R. 234, known as Gerald’s Law, that would extend veteran burial benefits to those who pass away outside of VA hospitals or long-term care facilities. He also reiterated the Legion’s opposition to lost VA benefits for Gold Star Spouses who remarry and support for H.R. 854 – with amendments

American Legion National Headquarters IT staff has become aware of an unauthorized “My Legion App” currently available from the Android and Apple stores. The app was created by organizations identified as “Giant Killer” (Apple App Store) and “Feel Good 7” (Google Play).  Please do not engage with these sellers or download the app, as they do not have permission to use our name and likeness, and they are charging a monthly fee. The American Legion’s intellectual property attorney is exploring legal options.American Legion National Headquarters has no plans produce a fee-for-service app.  We are actively working on a mobile application focused on helping local posts and individual members.When our official app is ready, it will be announced through official Legion channels and will be identified with The American Legion as the “seller” once published to the app stores.

American Legion National Commander Vincent J. Troiola called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to assure student veterans who have been impacted by missed Post-9/11 GI Bill housing stipends today to “quickly make the situation right and assure veterans that it never occurs again.”“Veterans understand that when they fail in uniform, the only acceptable responses are ‘no excuses!’ and ‘I’ll correct it!’ This is the type of response that The American Legion expects VA to offer all the students who were expecting their housing stipend today,” Troiola said. “Yesterday, a senior VA official assured us that their inspector general has been notified and the department is working to ensure that electronic payments reach veterans by Monday and checks are mailed out that same day. They are going to conduct a root cause analysis and contact schools to ensure that they are aware of what occurred. VA will also provide letters

On March 21, U.S. Reps. Juan Ciscomani and Ro Khanna introduced bipartisan legislation to cover costs for veterans seeking job training in high-tech industries. Their VET-TEC Authorization Act permanently funds the Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET-TEC) program, which is a five-year pilot program under the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.The legislation has the support of The American Legion, who reiterated that support during a March 30 hearing of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. During the hearing, Ciscomani told American Legion Employment & Education Policy Analyst Matthew Brennan that he appreciated the organization’s support for his bill, how Legionnaires have benefited from the VET-TEC program and what changes may need to be made to it.“The VET-TEC program has been a huge success for our veterans transitioning out of the military into civilian life,” Brennan said. “Our members have benefited from it because right now, as of