shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Have a Safe & Happy Memorial Day! May 21, 2019 • Page 7 Have a Safe & Happy Memorial Day. 2209 Kellen Gross Dr Yankton, SD 57078 605-664-8200 | www.truxedo.com FloorsDesign Center & More Interior Tony and Donna Ellis (605)-665-3720 •1200 Ellis Road, Yankton, SD 57078 2209 Kellen Gross Dr. Yankton, SD 57078 605-664-8200 www.truxedo.com 2209 Kellen Gross Dr Yankton, SD 57078 605-664-8200 | www.truxedo.com Thank You to all that served! 1205 Broadway Ave. • (605)665-9728 Monday-Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-5 www.mozaksfloorsandmore.com Thank yo u! u! Thank yo “Don’t Gamble” – Insure With Thank You to all that served! Thank You To All Who Have Served! “Thank you to our veterans for their sacrifices on our behalf” M.T. & R.C. SMITH INSURANCE Serving the Yankton Area Since 1949 ... With Excellent Insurance Companies That We Represent! HOME, AUTO, BUSINESS, LIFE, BONDS Senator Craig Kennedy 204 W. 4th St. • Downtown Yankton, SD 605-665-3611 Paid for by Craig Kennedy–State Senate Thank You to all that served! AUTO PARTS 1509 E Hwy. 50 • Yankton, SD www.sturdevants.com 605-665-3693 • 800-658-3388 American Legion History The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. Focusing on service to veterans, servicemembers and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. Membership swiftly grew to over 1 million, and local posts sprang up across the country. Today, membership stands at over 2 million in more than 13,000 posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments: one each for the 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines. Over the years, the Legion has influenced considerable social change in America, won hundreds of benefits for veterans and produced many important programs for children and youth. Following is a chronology of significant dates in Legion history: 1919 March 15-17 Members of the American Expeditionary Force convene in Paris for the first American Legion caucus. May 8-10 St. Louis Caucus. "The American Legion" is adopted as the organization's official name. The Legion's draft preamble and constitution are approved. June 9 The National Executive Committee adopts the Legion emblem. Sept. 16 Congress charters The American Legion. Nov. 10-12 First Legion convention convenes in Minneapolis. The Constitution and preamble are adopted. Delegates vote 361-323 to locate the Legion's national headquarters in Indianapolis, instead of Washington. A resolution is passed in support of Boy Scouts of America. Today, the Legion is the chartering agency for more than 1,700 Scouting units made up of approximately 64,000 youths. 1920s Aug. 9, 1921 The Legion's efforts result in the creation of the U.S. Veterans Bureau, forerunner of the Veterans Administration. Today, the Legion continues to lobby for adequate funding to cover medical, disability, education and other benefits for veterans. June 15, 1923 The first "Flag Code" is drafted during a Legion conference in Washington. Congress adopts the code in 1942. Today, the Legion is at the forefront of efforts to pass a constitutional amendment to protect the U.S. flag from physical desecration. July 17, 1925 The Legion creates the American Legion Baseball program. Today, more than 50 percent of Major League Baseball players are graduates of the program. About 82,000 youths play on Legionsponsored teams each year. 1930s June 23, 1935 The first American Legion Boys State convenes in Springfield, Ill., to help youths gain an understanding of the structure and operation of the federal government. The first Boys Nation, bringing together youth leadership from all the Boys State programs, convenes in 1946. Today, more than 19,500 young men participate in Boys State, and 98 in Boys Nation, from 49 of the 50 states. 1940s Sept. 19-21, 1942: Preamble to the Constitution of The American Legion is changed for the first and only time since it was written in 1919. The word “War” is changed to “Wars.” Dec. 15, 1943 Past National Commander Harry W. Colmery starts to write in longhand, on Mayflower Hotel stationery in Washington, the first draft Hero... a person admired for courage, achievements and noble qualities This Memorial Day, we salute the heroes of our Armed Forces past and present for their courage and dedication to our country. MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y 319 Walnut, Yankton • 665-5884 of what will later become the "GI Bill of Rights" – considered the Legion's single greatest legislative achievement. June 22, 1944 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the original GI Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act, ushering in monumental changes in U.S. society. Higher education becomes democratized after 8 million veterans go to school on the GI Bill, get better jobs, buy houses in the suburbs and raise families. For every dollar spent on educating veterans, the U.S. economy eventually gets $7 back. May 29, 1946 The Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary present a small, struggling organization called the American Heart Association with a $50,000 grant. The grant inaugurates a nationwide program for the study, prevention and treatment of rheumatic heart disease. 1950s May 4, 1950 The Legion votes to contribute funds to the field of mental health, thereby playing a key role in launching the National Association for Mental Health. July 9, 1954 The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation is formed. Today, more than $11 million has been awarded to youth organizations and projects designed to help America's children. 1960s Sept. 1, 1966 The Legion voices great concern over the fate of prisoners of war in Vietnam. Today, the Legion urges a full accounting of all POWs and troops missing in action; and has formed a special group from among the nation's major veterans organizations to continue pressing for further resolution of this issue. 1970s May 1, 1972 The Legion implements a Halloween safety program for children; it remains the only national program of its kind. April 1, 1975 The Legion-sponsored Freedom Bell goes aboard the Freedom Train during its tour of the country in celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial. Six years later, the bell is dedicated at its permanent home in Columbus Plaza, opposite Union Station in Washington. 1980s Aug. 26, 1982 The Legion presents a $1 million check to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund for construction of the Wall in Washington, becoming the largest single contributor to the project. July 21, 1983 The Legion announces its sponsorship of an independent study on the effects of exposure to Agent Orange on Vietnam War veterans. Congress receives the results of the "American LegionColumbia University Study of Vietnam-era Veterans" in 1989. Jan. 1, 1989 The Veterans Administration is elevated to Cabinetlevel status as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Oct. 16, 1989 The long-standing objective of the Legion to improve adjudication procedures for veterans claims is achieved when the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals becomes operational. Most of the provisions contained in the law creating the court were originally included in the Veterans Reassurance Act, written by the Legion and introduced in Congress in 1988. 1990s Aug. 2, 1990 The Legion files suit against the federal government for failure to conduct a Congress-mandated study about the effects of Agent Orange on veterans who served in Vietnam. Oct. 11, 1990 The Legion creates the Family Support Network to assist families of servicemembers deployed for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the Middle East. Through local posts, the network offers a wide range of assistance, including financial assistance, mowing lawns, baby-sitting and more. Aug. 24, 1994 The Legion announces the creation of the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition of organizations and individual citizens united to work for a constitutional amendment to protect the U.S. flag from physical desecration. Since 1995, the amendment has passed in the House by an supermajority six times: in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005. In 2006, the amendment fell one vote short of passage in the Senate. Oct. 1, 1995 The Legion forms the Persian Gulf Task Force to enhance service for the newest generation of wartime veterans, thousands of whom suffer from illnesses linked to their service in the region. 2000s Sept. 5, 2000: The American Legion presents the first “Spirit of Service” Awards to active duty service members for their off-duty volunteer activities. Aug. 28-30, 2001: The American Legion passes resolution to rekindle Blue Star Service Banner program. Sept. 12, 2001: The American Legion reactivates the Family Support Network following terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Oct. 10-11, 2001: The American Legion creates the American Legacy Scholarship Fund for children of military members killed on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001. Sept. 11, 2002: The American Legion takes lead in conducting “A Day To Remember” events to mark the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the nation. November 2002 Kevin Guthmiller COMMUNITY BANK AGENCY Your Independent Agent AUTO • HOME LIFE • HEALTH • COMMERCIAL 605-665-4230 • 800-477-2765 1818 Broadway Ave., Suite 6, Yankton, SD kguthmiller@iw.net The Legion launches the national "I Am Not A Number" campaign to identify and document the delays veterans face in obtaining medical care from VA. Oct. 17, 2003: American Legion efforts on Capitol Hill break the deadlock on the Disabled Veterans Tax when Congress creates a 10-year phase-in for service-connected disabled retirees to receive military retired pay and VA disability compensation without subtraction from either. Legion efforts also result I passage of the Military Family Tax Relief Act. Sept 19, 2004: The American Legion launches a national program, the Blue Star Salute, where posts across the country hold public events to recognize troops, their families and local businesses on Armed Forces Day. Oct. 17-18, 2007: The American Legion National Executive Committee passes Resolution 35 and adopts The American Legion Riders as a national program of The American Legion. The first American Legion Riders chapter was established by American Legion Post 396 in Garden City, Mich., in 1993. June 30, 2008 President George W. Bush signs into law the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, a next-generation GI Bill strongly supported by the Legion. The bill renews the federal government's commitment to veterans by providing them with substantially better education benefits. The Post-9/11 GI Bill took effect Aug. 1, 2009. Oct. 22, 2009: President Obama signs the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act of 2009, guaranteeing “advance funding” for VA appropriations, a formula that The American Legion has strongly supported for many years. The new law sets funding for VA one year in advance. AmericanLegion Remember those who have sacrificed this Memorial Day. Avon, SD • 286-3213 Member FDIC Slowey ConStruCtion inC. • Water & Sewer Contractors • Trucking • Recycled Asphalt & Concrete PO Box 113, Yankton, SD (605) 665-8489 605-665-4685 director@thecenteryankton.org For your service and sacrifice thank you. Yankton AG SERVICE 114 Mulberry St., Yankton Store Director: Ben Conway 2100 Broadway, Yankton • 665-3412 Open 24 Hours • www.hy-vee.com REMEMBER those who have sacrificed this Memorial Day 665-7670 114 Mulberry • Yankton, SD 800-456-5528 • 605-665-3691 605-665-3691 We Work with All Insurance Companies East Hwy. 50 Yankton, SD