Please keep our military in your prayers at this Christmas season when many are separated from their families. May God bless and keep them safe to return home soon.
Washington (Dec. 2, 2010) -- 4TROOPS, The American Legion’s official vocal group, took center stage Nov. 29 on the popular TV game show “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” when they won the top prize of $50,000 for the charities of their choice.
The group has announced it will donate $12,500 of their winnings to The American Legion’s Legacy Scholarship fund, which awards college scholarships to children of servicemembers who have died on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001.
4TROOPS sang the correct lyrics to “Larger Than Life” by Backstreet Boys, “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw, “Apologize” by OneRepublic, and “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” by Great White. But it was their lyrical knowledge of “This Love” by Maroon 5 that bagged the $50,000.
All four singers – David Clemo, Ron Henry, Meredith Melcher and Daniel Jens – are Iraq war veterans and members of The American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans organization.
Clemo served in the 18th Airborne Division, providing communications and logistics support in Afghanistan. Henry served with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. Melcher was a platoon leader in Iraq, overseeing ambulance evacuations of wounded Americans and Iraqis. Jens enlisted after 9/11 and served one tour in Iraq; as a civilian, he went on to become a finalist on NBC's "America's Got Talent."
4TROOPS performed a live concert last August at The American Legion’s 92nd annual convention in Milwaukee. The group has also appeared on “Fox & Friends,” ABC’s “Good Morning America,” CNN’s “Larry King Live,” and CBS’s “Early Show.” Their first album, “4TROOPS,” went on sale May 11.
Already an Army veteran, Joseph Proctor joined the National Guard after 9/11. At Camp Ramadil, Iraq, he killed the driver of a truck filled with explosives, then died when the truck blew up. Proctor received the Silver Star posthumously.
The American Legion and Military Channel have teamed up to honor troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, including three soldiers who never made it back home. A series of 10 one-minute vignettes, "American Heroes" premieres Memorial Day on the Military Channel, which co-sponsored the production with The American Legion.
Produced by Creative Street Entertainment, "American Heroes" includes the dramatic and poignant stories of those who fell in battle, suffered severe injuries, helped repair war-torn communities or made it home to help other wounded warriors. Each American hero is honored with a Norman Rockwell Moments portrait at the close of the vignette. The profiles will air on the Military Channel for an entire year, starting with the network's live coverage of the National Memorial Day Parade on May 31 from 2-4 p.m. EST.
"The ‘American Heroes' stories are a collection that encompasses several different aspects of what it means to be a hero in wartime. First and foremost, we think of those who gave their lives - those whose memories we will honor forever," American Legion National Commander Clarence Hill said. "Then there are those who return home with severe injuries, yet go on to succeed in the civilian world. We have American heroes who take care of wounded troops at VA hospitals, who have helped Iraqi children in their devastated cities, or who have taught their own families how to be heroes. "These vignettes really highlight the sacrifices of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how veterans of those wars continue to serve our country."
"Partnering with The American Legion to create these ‘American Heroes' vignettes is emblematic of Military Channel's commitment to sharing compelling stories of heroism from within the U.S. Armed Services," said Henry Schleiff, general manager and president of Military Channel, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater. "And what better day to launch these poignant stories than Memorial Day, a hallowed day for our country to recognize the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women serving in uniform, who have preserved our freedom and liberties while bringing security to the world."
The 11 individuals featured in the "American Heroes" vignettes are David Brown, Tammy Duckworth, Dawn Halfaker, Nick Madaras, Jose Pequeno, Robert Posivio, Joseph Proctor, John Schatzel, Klay South, and Patrick Brady and his daughter, Meghan.
Madaras, Posivio and Proctor died in Iraq; Proctor received the Silver Star. Duckworth, an assistant secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs, was a pilot who lost both legs when her helicopter was shot down. Halfaker, vice president of the Wounded Warrior Project, lost an arm when an RPG exploded near her Humvee.
South, who founded the Veterans of Valor service organization, was shot while clearing out houses in Fallujah. Pequeno, whose story was told in the May 2009 issue of The American Legion Magazine, suffered severe traumatic brain injury from an IED explosion.
Patrick Brady, a retired Army major general, is a Medal of Honor recipient for bravery in Vietnam; his daughter, Meghan, has served in Kosovo, Kuwait and Iraq. Schatzel helped rebuild the Iraqi scouting program in Baghdad, and Brown - twice injured in battle - now spends his days helping veterans recover from war and readjust to the world of peace.
This is a message so on target and so very important it should be made compulsory to be viewed by every American. If you have any love for your freedom, listen to what this USMC Colonel said on February the 9th of 2010. While watching, keep in mind that he media has had a couple of months to report on this speech but have said nothing about it. We, as society, are are being spoon feed information; living in a world where information is filtered. If you are sick, or are tired, or have had a bad day and want to get some sleep ---- Don't do anything until you watch this very short message! And if you are of liberal leaning, you need to listen to what this man has to say at least once a day for a week.
Capturing the attention of a younger generation raised on all things video has been the preoccupation of public relations and marketing firms ever since the NBC peacock started broadcasting television programs in "living color."
Today the Internet, iPods, DVD players and a plethora of electronic gadgets are all providing videos on practically every subject imaginable.
National Commander Clarence Hill has been advocating that all Legionnaires should engage these "emerging" media as effective tools to reach out to younger veterans and their families. The American Legion is on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Now, a brand new video is available that targets the younger generation and offers a powerful new tool to tell The American Legion story in just under four minutes.
"A Pledge to Service" presents the Four Pillars of our organization in a fast-paced, highly charged production narrated by Ryan Gonzales, creative director for the Department of Florida and graduate of the 2009 American Legion National College. Four Legionnaires, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, assist. With an original music score, the video ends with a call to join us either through the Web site or at "your nearest American Legion post."
Produced by Public Relations Commission staff, the video is now posted on The American Legion Web site and will be available free in mid-March on a DVD by request to pr@legion.org or by calling (317) 630-1253.
Since the video is an American Legion production and we own the copyright, all Legion posts are free to reproduce and distribute the video as appropriate. Some uses include posting on a post Web site for viewing on-demand; using it at membership booths running in a looped configuration; displaying it on a laptop or DVD player for individual membership recruiting presentations; marketing to cable and broadcast television stations; presenting it during public speaking opportunities to community and civic groups; and having local movie theaters run it as a public service piece before feature presentations.
"A Pledge to Service" will officially debut at the Washington Conference on March 2. Because the contents are not dated, the video has a long shelf life to offer unlimited marketing opportunities. Additionally, a series of four public service television spots are in production based on the "Pledge to Service" theme.
As with all public relations tools, your feedback is important. Share information on how your post is using the video so others might consider doing the same. Creativity is the rule.
The public relations commission urges all PR chairmen/officers to send your e-mail addresses to the office. In addition to receiving the latest press releases and advisories, a new PR "reflector" is being developed as an electronic forum for Legionnaires engaged in public relations to share ideas, ask advice and get the hottest PR tools off the press. Send your e-mail address to pr@legion.org.
Robert L. Morrill of the Dept. of New York is chairman of the National Public Relations Commission.
To post this video to your Web site or blog, follow these steps:
1. Click here to view the video on YouTube.
2. Copy the code from the "Embed" box found in the shaded window located in the upper right-hand column.
3. Paste the code into your Web site or blog to embed it.
The new American Legion promotional video has been completed and will debut at the Washington Conference. Titled, “A Pledge to Service,” the 3:55 minute, fast-paced video features an original music sound track, hosting by a recent National American Legion College graduate, and four Iraq- Afghanistan veterans highlighting the Four Pillars of The American Legion. DVDs will be available to those attending the conference and by request from the public relations office after the conference at no cost to posts/districts and departments. Television/cable public service spots will be produced based on the theme of the video in the forthcoming weeks.
Legion remembers Lincoln’s promise
National Commander Clarence E. Hill delivers a radio address at President Lincoln's tomb
in Springfield, Illinois, Friday morning. Photo by John Raughter
During a visit to the tomb of 16th President Abraham Lincoln on his birthday, American Legion National Commander Clarence E. Hill repeated a promise from the president’s second inaugural address.
“Two score and 14 years before our organization was founded, President Lincoln summed up the reason why The American Legion would one day be needed,” Hill said in a radio address he delivered at Lincoln’s final resting place. “’To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.’ These 17 words, taken from President Lincoln’s second inaugural address, have been adopted as a motto for the Department of Veterans Affairs. While nobody denies that the VA has its problems, it does provide excellent care. Moreover, The American Legion is proud of its advocacy of today’s veterans, and its work to ensure that the VA lives up to Lincoln’s solemn promise.”
Visits to the tomb by national commanders have become a tradition in the past, and this year marks the 76th annual American Legion Lincoln Day Pilgrimage. After Hill’s visit to the tomb, he continued the theme to hundreds of American Legion family members during a luncheon hosted by Springfield American Legion Post 32.
“With the times, we have expanded (Lincoln’s) commitment to also include caring for her who shall have borne the battle and for her widower and her orphan,” Hill said. “The demographic of the American veteran is changing. We now have a much more diverse veterans’ population than in past generations. This diversity includes a growing and significant number of women veterans who sacrifice no less than their male counterparts. In this war without a front, there are no safe areas. As such, women who historically were not severely wounded in great numbers during previous conflicts are now returning home with limbs missing, terrible burns or blindness.
“We advocate for a strong Department of Veterans Affairs that not only treats common war ailments such as post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and severe burns, but also addresses breast and cervical cancer, sexual trauma and maternity care,” Hill continued. “The American Legion family will be there for all of our veterans because that is what we do.”
Hill pointed to President Obama’s signing of a law last October, which enacted advance funding for VA appropriations, as an example of Legion advocacy that made a difference. “Now, the VA knows a year in advance what resources will be available so it can plan accordingly. Advance appropriations will go a long way toward minimizing compromises in the delivery of the high quality health care our veterans expect and deserve.”
Despite significant legislative successes, Hill stressed that The American Legion’s advocacy is still needed. He called the huge backlog of veterans waiting for VA compensation, “one aspect of President Lincoln’s promise that remains unfulfilled.”
