763-421-0883

Commander Patrick Vevea

Squadron 102 Officers

COMMANDER - PATRICK VEVEA

1ST VICE COMMANDER - OPEN

ADJUTANT - TIM DAHLHEIMER

FINANCE OFFICER - CLIFF NEWMAN

CHAPLAIN - ROLAND HERRMANN

SGT-AT-ARMS - KEVIN SMITH

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR - CLIFF NEWMAN

JR PAST COMMANDER - TONY ARELLANO

Sons of the American Legion Preamble to the National Constitution

Proud possessors of a priceless heritage, we male descendants of veterans of all Wars, associate ourselves together as "Sons of The American Legion" for the following purposes: To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; to maintain law and order; to foster and perpetuate a true spirit of Americanism; to preserve the memories of our former members and the associations of our members and our forefathers in all wars; to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation; to combat the autocracy of both the classes and masses; to make right the master of might; to promote peace and good will on earth; to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy; to consecrate and sanctify our friendship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness; to adopt in letter and spirit all of the great principles for which The American Legion stands; and to assist in carrying on for God and Country.

Who We Are

The Sons of The American Legion was created in 1932 as an organization within The American Legion. The S.A.L. is made up of boys and men of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the United States military and became eligible for membership in The American Legion. Together, members of The American Legion, The American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of The American Legion make up what is known as The Legion Family. All three organizations place high importance on preserving our American traditions and values, improving the quality of life for our nation's children, caring for veterans and their families, and perhaps most importantly, teaching the fundamentals of good citizenship. Sons have always assisted Legionnaires with Legion Family programs.

Our Family boasts a combined total membership of nearly 4.2 million members. This year, Sons attained an all time high national membership of over 287,000. The largest Detachment (Indiana) has over 34,000 members. Trophies and awards are given to Detachments and Squadrons for the largest membership and the largest increase in membership. Just as each Legion post determines the extent of its service to the community, state, and nation, each S.A.L. squadron is permitted flexibility in planning programs and activities to meet its own needs.

The S.A.L. has study programs recommended for younger members. One such program, called "The Ten Ideals," teaches the elements of patriotism, health, knowledge, training, honor, faith, helpfulness, courtesy, reverence, and comradeship. If a member completes the Ten Ideals program, he is eligible to continue with another program called the "Five-Point Program of Service." This program covers patriotism, citizenship, discipline, leadership, and legionism. Sons focus on much more than just membership. At all levels, Sons support The American Legion in promoting a wide variety of programs. Sons assist their Posts in other activities such as Veterans programs, Veterans Administration home and hospital volunteerism, Children Youth projects, and fund raising.

In just the past ten years, Sons have raised more than a million dollars for The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation. Members have volunteered over 211,150 hours to date in 2004 in Veterans Hospitals throughout the country and raised over $1,454,000 that has gone directly to VA hospitals and VA homes for a variety of items including TVs, radios, medical equipment, and clothing for the patients. There are many men who are members of, both, The American Legion and the Sons of The American Legion. Often, these indivduals started out as young members of the Sons. Then, when they were old enough to serve the military, they also became eligible to join The American Legion. Such individuals are known within our organization as dual members.

What We Do

As proud possesors of a priceless heritage, we endorse the programs of The American Legion Family. We assist the local American Legion Post 102 and Auxiliary Unit 102 in terms of both contributions and volunteer time and effort. We also endeavour to contribute to both the community and state in whatever way we can. Some of our projects during the past year to include the following:

Donated an outdoor Flag to the Anoka Safety Center.

Sponsored two Anoka High School student Scholarships.

Sponsored one Boys State representative (through the Legion).

Sponsored one Girls State representative (through the Auxiliary).

Contributed to the following organizations:

* Child Welfare Foundation.

* Veterans Hospital Association.

* An Organization sending packages to the troops in Iraq.

* Granny's Christmas Closet.

* Toys for Tots

We also participate in local community events like the Anoka Halloween Parade.

Some of our members are a part of the Anoka American Legion Post 102 Color Guard.
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