Latest News
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Thursday, January 06, 2022
Mid-Winter Conference Cancelled, Along with 3rd & 7th District Visits
Legionnaires and Sons of The American Legion,
Frank LaMarsh
It is with an abundance of caution and heavy hearts that we inform you of the cancellation of the 2022 Mid-Winter Conference along with the 3rd and 7th Districts Department Commander’s visitations. We have been discussing this possibility since the recent surge in Covid-19 cases started. We advised Detachment Commander David Lee of our discussions yesterday and he was in total agreement.
James Casey
The Desmond hotel will cancel all of the room reservations for us and if you provided them an email address, they will notify you shortly. If you are a committee chairman, please notify any guests that you have invited of our cancellation.
It is our hope that this pandemic will be behind us in March as we attempt to gather for our Hill Day Conference. I would like to thank Anne Rounds and the staff at Department headquarters along with Harvey Martel and the Desmond staff for all their hard work in putting this Conference together. This decision was not an easy one to make but the health and safety of our members and their guests have always been our highest priority. Please stay safe and healthy.
Francis LaMarsh James W. Casey
Commander Department Adjutant -
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
2020 Legionnaire of Year Inducted into Veterans Hall of Fame
2020 Department of New York Legionnaire of the Year Wayne Baumgartner was inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame in November by State Senator Sean Ryan;
Baumgartner is a past commander of the Milton J. Brounshidle Post 205. The Town of Tonawanda resident is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He has been a member of the Legion for 52 years, holding a number of positions in his Post.When honored as Legionnaire of the Year, Baumgartner was described as representing “the service and commitment of what The American Legion is all about” by 8th District Commander William Miskell.
Wayne Baumgartner with Sen. Sean Rya and Erie County Commaner Gary Wald
“I am grateful to Mr. Baumgartner, not only for his service to our country as a veteran of the Air Force, but also for his dedication to the Tonawanda community in the decades that followed,” Senator Ryan noted.
Bumgartner “volunteers countless hours to coordinate and plan events for the post, supporting the pillars of the American Legion: veterans affairs and rehabilitation, national security, Americanism, and children and youth,” Brounshidle Post Commander Ted Balbierz told the Ken-Ton Bee.
Baumgartner joined the Air Force after graduating high school in July 1961. He reenlisted in 1965 and was deployed as an administrative specialist to Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam in 1966. During his eight years of service, Baumgartner received several honors, including the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Medal. -
Friday, December 03, 2021
Past Dept. Vice Commander Gawlik Passes
LYONS – Past Department Vice Commander John Gawlik, 93, of Lyons went to Post Everlasting on Nov. 26. A proud member of The American Legion, he served as Lyons Post commander, as 7th District commander and, according to his obituary, he “traveled to 48 states for Legion national conventions, making numerous friends around the country.”
He was born in Poland, and at age sixteen, he was taken from his home by the Nazis on Christmas Day. “He managed to survive,” his obit said, “because a Nazi soldier needed help on his family farm and the soldier’s son picked John to be that helper. An American soldier helped bring him to the United States after the fall of the Nazis. John served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and one of his duties was to guard General Eisenhower’s home, where he was able to get to know Mamie Eisenhower well.”
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Thursday, November 11, 2021
Veterans’ Day Reminds Us: Freedom Is Not Free
Every year in November we gather to honor our military veterans. We honor their sacrifices, and the sacrifices their families had to make, too. We honor veterans from throughout the history of our country.
And one phrase always comes to mind: Freedom is not free. In a way it haunts me… because it’s a concept that is easy to forget when we’re enjoying the freedoms we have come to expect and don’t even think about during times of peace, and in our hectic daily family and work lives.
Our founding fathers knew the price it would take to establish a country with a Bill of Rights and Constitution that guaranteed our rights and freedoms. They knew that our founding documents, our guaranteed rights and freedoms, are what would make America exceptional. read more » -
Tuesday, November 09, 2021
Autumn Issue of Legion New York Magazine Is Available
The Autumn issue of Legion New York magazine highlights the Department Convention, puts a spotlight on the Department Color Guard with its half-century heritage, and covers Legion activities around the state. View and download this and past issues here.
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Saturday, November 06, 2021
Mid-Winter Conference Is a Go
A Message from the NY Department Adjutant
James Casey
Legionnaires,
Great news… The 2022 Mid-Winter Conference is a go! It takes place Jan. 21-23.
The Department staff has been hard at work the last few weeks along with the Crowne Plaza Desmond Hotel, working out the logistics of the conference, and it is going to be just about a ‘NORMAL’ Mid-Winter.
All the usual meetings and informational gatherings will be possible.
