2014 Education Scholarships Awarded

The Education and Scholarship Committee announced the 25 winners of the scholarship for 2014. Each winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

	Name	Division	District	Post
1	Mariah Lee Lacina	1	7	166
2	Danielle Lynn Lovero	1	5	687
3	RandahlLamar Bradley	1	5	1932
4	Melanie Nicole Kregg	1	5	1941
5	Alexis Mae Chalhoa	1	5	687
1	Elizabeth Joy Boettner	2	13	1131
2	Nicholas Wayne Moser	2	12	676
3	Madeline Helen Coe	2	10	738
4	Dean R. Sinclair	2	11	491
5	Rhyse Cole Everson	2	12	676
1	Elisha Leann Evans	3	20	442
2	Anthony James Townsend	3	15	285
3	Hannah Marie Heartlieb	3	20	213
4	Maura Coleen Barfield	3	20	442
5	Brandon Joseph Waters	3	15	413
1	Samantha Delia Crist	4	19	770
2	Allison Paige Kuester	4	18	432
3	Charlee Nicole Walker	4	18	539
4	Bailey Nicole Wilson	4	19	1171
5	Maleah Elizabeth Morrow	4	19	55
1	Andrew Thomas Copple	5	23	924
2	Amber Renee Rowald	5	25	487
3	Danielle Nicole White	5	23	512
4	Elena Marie Breer	5	23	924
5	Kody James Schenbeck	5	25	622

LOOKING FOR A GREAT JOB WITH EXCELLENT WAGES
AND BENEFITS???

Farmland Foods in Monmouth, IL is looking for Motivated Employees with Good Worth Ethic to join our Team!!

Production rates range from $14.65 - $18.10 upon qualification.

Visit www.FarmlandFoods.com/careers to learn more and apply.

Outstanding Benefit Package including:

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance Prescription Drug Program Advancement Opportunities 36 Hour Weekly Guarantee Tuition Reimbursement & Scholarship Program Company Paid and Supplemental Life Insurance Bonus Opportunities

401K Program Employee Assistant Program 10 Paid Holidays Paid Vacation

Pre-Placement background check, physical and drug screening required.

Farmland Foods, Inc. is an EEO/AA Employer/Veterans/Disabled. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age protected veteran status or status as an individual with disability.

Career Opportunities

Current Available Internships

	Intern: Accounting Assoc	Intern: Asst Elec. Engineer
	Intern: Asst Elec. Engineer	Intern: Asst Mechanical Engineer
	Intern: Infrastructure Asset Mgt	Intern Mechanical Database Support
	Intern: Network Svcs Support Assoc	Intern: Programmer Assoc

Current Available Jobs

Group 1

Labor Relations Spec

Office Mgr  Sr Quality Assur Analyst

Group 2

Asst B n B Mechanic Sr Dir Litigation n Risk Mgt Technical Training Spec

Asst Supv Simulator Engineer Substation Electrician Track Laborer

If you are interested in applying for a position at Metra, please send your cover letter which must include the position title, your resume and salary history to:

E-mail: jobs@metrarr.com

Metra is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. It is our policy to fill vacant positions with qualified candidates without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or disability, assuming an individual can perform the essential functions of the job with or without accommodation.

Metra / 547 W. Jackson Blvd. / Chicago, IL 60661

Cabinetmaker & Cabinetmaker Foreman

We are a custom furniture maker geared towards hand work with solid materials. The pieces vary from antique reproductions to custom one off pieces. We are a fast paced, and varied facility and would like someone that cares about meeting time parameters, producing a beautiful product and troubleshooting to keep problems to a minimum. A knowledge of machinery and ability to read blueprints is a plus.

Our workshop is located about 10 minutes west of the loop close to Grand and Western Ave., in Chicago, and we're open from 7:30 - 4:00, M - F.

Please forward resumes to joann@mikebellonline.com.

Benefits, EEOC

New Illinois Bill being discussed.
Bill Status of HB4715 98th General Assembly
FIREARMS REGISTRATION

Synopsis As Introduced:

Creates the Firearms Registration Act.

Provides that every person in the State must register each firearm he or she owns or possesses in accordance with the Act.

Provides that a person shall not purchase or possess ammunition within this State without having first obtained a registration certificate identifying a firearm that is suitable for use with that ammunition, or a receipt demonstrating that the person has applied to register a suitable firearm under the Act and that the application is pending.

Provides that the Department of State Police must complete a background check of any person who applies for: (1) a registration certificate for a firearm that was lawfully owned or possessed on the effective date of the Act, was brought into the State by a new resident, or was acquired by operation of law upon the death of the former owner; or (2) a renewal of a registration certificate unless, within 12 months of the date the renewal application is submitted, the applicant passed a background check conducted by the Department in connection with the applicant's acquisition of another firearm.

Provides exceptions.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012.

Provides that it is a Class 2 felony to sell or transfer ownership of a firearm to another person without complying with the registration requirement of the Firearms Registration Act.

Email: Jimmy Hunter

The American Legion Family

First Division - Cook County Council presents a Fundraiser for

Sharon Conatser

Candidate for American Legion Auxiliary National President 2015-2016

Saturday, May 31st, 2014 3:00pm - 8:00pm 115 Bourbon Street 3359 W 115th Street Merrionette IL (115 &Kedzie)

For tickets, contact: Jimmy Hunter: jimmyqrb@comcast.net Gail Starr: 219-730-8749 Pat Kranzow: pkranzow@att.net Barry Cicero: whatthefish@sbcglobal.net Carol Junge: caroljunge@sbcglobal.net

$25 in Advance       $30 at the Door
Includes: Food, Beer, Wine, Pop, and Free Valet Parking

Come and join us for a night of fun and show your pride in our Illinois candidate!

View/Share Fundraiser Flyer (PDF)

The American Legion Department of Illinois
High School Oratorical Scholarship Program
2014 Oratorical Competition Results

Photo Credit: Mark Sides

Pictured(l-r) Department Commander Bernie Stegmuelle, Sarvasva Raghuvanshi, and Department Sr.Vice Commander Henry Robards

Sarvasva Raghuvanshi was named the 2014 Illinois overall winner of the 77th Annual Oratorical Contest. The Semi-Final and Finals were held February 28-March 1, 2014 in Peoria, IL at the Peoria Civic Center.

Raghuvanshi will advance to the 2014 National Finals, April 4-6 in Indianapolis, at the Wyndham Indianapolis West. Quarterfinal and semifinal contests are scheduled for Saturday, April 5, with the finals scheduled for Sunday, April 6.

The chart below indicates all the winners and the award amount won at the Illinois competition.

	No. of Contestants	Full Name	City State Zip	Grade	Post	Dist.	Div.	Semi-Final Placement	Final Placement	Award $
	1	Sophia Bidny	Morton Grove IL 60053	12	134	7	1	3rd		$350.00
	2	Helen L. McNeil	Chicago IL 60620	12	42	7	1	3rd		$350.00
	3	Michael P. Peretz	Alsip IL 60803	12	991	8	1	3rd		$350.00
	4	Monica Thornton	Villa IL 60181	11	36	9	1	3rd		$350.00
	5	Rachel Menhart	Round Lake IL 60073	12	659	10	2	2nd		$450.00
	6	Samantha Xu	Naperville IL 60540	10	43	11	2	advances to finals	4th	$1,000.00
	7	Mitchell Carter	Plano IL 60545	12	395	12	2	4th		$250.00
	8	Sarvasva Raghuvanshi	Naperville IL 60565	10	43	11	2	advances to finals	1st	$2,000.00
	9	Eric Gier	Cary IL 60013	12	911	10	2	4th		$250.00
	10	Olyvia Chinchilla	Glen Ellyn IL 60137	12	3	11	2	2nd		$450.00
	11	Logan Weeter	Aurora IL 60503	11	675	12	2	4th		$250.00
	12	Christel Thompson	Glen Ellyn IL 60137	9	80	11	2	advances to finals	5th	$1,000.00
	13	Ellen Cealey	Washington IL 61571	12	2	16	3	2nd		$450.00
	14	Kristie Krigbaum	Cerro Gordo IL 61818	12	117	19	4	advances to finals	3rd	$1,200.00
	15	Hunter Dyer	Atwood IL 61913	11	770	19	4	2nd		$450.00
	16	Owen Myers	White Heath IL 61884	12	101	19	4	3rd		$350.00
	17	Samantha D. Crist	Atwood IL 61913	12	770	19	4	advances to finals	2nd	$1,500.00
	18	Alex Ruocco	Swansea IL 62226	10	307	22	5	4th		$250.00
	19	Luke Hayes	O'Fallon IL 62269	11	724	23	5	4th		$250.00
	20	Caitlyn E. Redman	Belleville IL 62220	10	665	22	5	2nd		$450.00

Scam targets Army soldiers, civilians, retirees and their families

Defense Department officials say scammers are trying to get information and passwords from Army civilians, soldiers, retirees and family members.

The scam involves a website called "My Army Benefits," which is nearly identical to the Army's official website called "MyArmyBenefits."

"The primary purpose of the fraudulent site is to collect soldiers' Army Knowledge Online, or AKO, email accounts and passwords, officials said. It also makes the false claim that the U.S. military has granted access to unclaimed and accumulated benefits for active duty soldiers, and that benefits not claimed within the stipulated period will be available for claims after 60 months," according to information released by the Department of Defense.

Soldiers, Army civilians, retirees and family members are strongly cautioned to ignore the website, do not log into the website and to immediately delete suspicious emails without answering them. If you have accessed the website from a government computer or system, you should contact your local information assurance office.

The scam site is called "My Army Benefits" and the most recent URL for it was Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Again, the DOD says this site is not affiliated with the U.S. Army.

The real "MyArmyBenefits" website is at http://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil.

"Most online scam attempts are easily recognizable, officials said, because they usually involve unsolicited emails or text messages. Hoax websites often contain misspelled words and punctuation and grammatical errors, they added, and often ask for private information such as an email address and password," the DOD post said.

   The Chicago Zoological Society is now hiring for    temporary positions.
   Apply now to be considered for our upcoming hiring    events! See flyer for details.

Follow this link for Titan Security Group's current job openings and application website info.

IRS Revises Position on DD-214 Requirement

The American Legion recently reported that the Internal Revenue Service was fining Legion posts - up to $1,000 per day - for not keeping records of veterans' DD-214s, the separation document given by the military to prove honorable service, or other valid documentation. The Legion felt it was being wrongly targeted, resulting in the passing of three resolutions during the organization's national convention in Houston that called upon Congress to look into the IRS's field investigations into Legion posts, while lawmakers wrote letters to the IRS asking why inspectors were asking posts to provide discharge papers or service records during reviews of their tax-exempt statuses.

The IRS has now revised its position on the DD-214 requirement in section 501(c)19 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Effective immediately, ... [please continue reading here PDF]

FRAUD ALERT: Veterans should be aware of a marketing scam targeting callers trying to reach the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Call Center or GI Bill Call Center. A marketing company has established two fraudulent numbers that differ from the two official VA call center numbers by one digit. If the fraudulent number is dialed by mistake, the answering party will offer a gift card and try to obtain personal and financial information, including credit card information, from the caller. The answering party may even transfer the caller to the VA after the caller's information is obtained. Note that VA will never ask you for a credit card number or banking information over the phone. Before giving personal sensitive information over the phone make sure you know who you are taking to.

The numbers to be avoided are:

800-872-1000 (the VA National Call Center number is 800-827-1000)

888-442-4511 (the VA GI Bill Call Center number is 888-442-4551)

VA has notified law enforcement authorities to address this situation, and will provide additional information and guidance as necessary.

Source: Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration

Washington and Central Illinois
Tornado Relief and Recovery

Learn where to Get and Give Help with the Do Your Part
Resource Directory for Washington & Central Illinois Tornadoes

June 2013
Subject: .30 Caliber Blank M1909- Ammunition Safety Message

AMMUNITION SAFETY MESSAGE

A mishap occurred during the first week of May 2013 in which two M1 Garand rifles blew apart. This occurred during the rendering of honors at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. As a result of this mishap, two American Legion members received serious injuries. This mishap was caused by the use of .30 caliber grenade launching cartridges instead of the authorized M1909 .30 caliber blank cartridges issued by the US Army Joint Munitions Command. The only visible difference between the blank cartridge and the grenade cartridge is that the blank cartridge has 6 crimps and the grenade cartridge has 5 crimps. The grenade cartridge generates much more pressure and is not designed or intended to be fired with a blank firing adapter.

WARNING

• Do not fire .30 caliber grenade cartridge in the M1 Garand Rifle

• Only .30 caliber blank ammunition issued by the US Army Joint Munitions Command is authorized for use.

• If your ammunition pedigree or origin is questionable, inspect your blank ammunition for the presence of grenade launching cartridges

If you have questions, please direct them to Mr. Robert Weissman, U.S. Army Armament Research and Development Center- (973) 724-3056, or robert.j.weissman.civ@mail.mil

Please note: The M1 Garand Operation and Maintenance Guide - 2013 (PDF) is available on our forms page.

THE AMERICAN LEGION

MILITARY COMMITMENT
CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION

As both college tuition rates and the threats of terrorism around the world seem to be continuously rising, many high school graduates are choosing to serve in the United States Armed Forces immediately following high school. The American Legion believes that these young men and women who choose to protect our freedoms deserve our respect, admiration and gratitude. In order to allow local posts to show their gratitude to these young men and women, The American Legion Flag & Emblem Sales offers "The American Legion Military Commitment Certificate of Commendation."

Posts may purchase this certificate online; by telephone at (888) 453-4466; or by mail at:

American Legion Flag & Emblem Sales
P.O. Box 36460
Indianapolis, IN 46236

Download/View  Military-Commitment-Certificate-Flyer contains sample certificate. (PDF)

'The least we can do'

When the Illinois River began cresting a few weeks ago, rising waters forced the evacuation of dozens of homes along the river in the city of Marseilles, Ill. It also caused American Legion Post 235 to spring into action.

The Illinois River crested near 30 feet, its highest level ever; flood stage is 20 feet. Several Illinois counties were classified as disaster areas. Following the April 18 flooding in Marseilles, Post 235 set up as a central location for food items to be donated. Post members, Salvation Army officials and community volunteers spent hours putting together bag lunches to take directly to flood victims who had begun the process of rebuilding their lives.

The post also started serving three hot meals a day to flood victims, police, fire and other emergency personnel, and any other volunteers who came to Marseilles to lend a hand. And it did so without hesitation, 60-year Post 235 member Gene Thompson said.

Read the whole story on The American Legion's national headquarters website.

American Legion Post #235 in Marseilles, Illinois opened it's doors to flood victims in their community, offering sack lunches and hot meals to those affected.