Section 1 a “Blueprint” for the 21st Century Purpose

Suggestions for New Adjutant

He/She should go through all the Post records at the first opportunity. The constitution, minutes of meetings, and reports of officers and committees will give an insight into the Post’s policies and traditions. Communications from Department headquarters will put the Adjutant up to date on instructions.

A special Post Adjutant’s Manual is available with full information on the handling and processing of the automated membership card system plus other matters related to the duties of a Post Adjutant. Every Adjutant should have a copy of the Post Adjutant’s Manual.

First Vice Commander
“To you is given the responsibility of an active cooperation between yourself and the Commander. Particularly should you interest yourself in the membership of the Post. You should be assisted by the most active and devoted members. No single factor has so important an influence on the Post’s success as membership. You will be the exponent of means of safeguarding the honor of the Flag of our Country. To you are committed these endeavors with the expectation that you shall fulfill each and every one of them. You are the teacher of ‘Democracy’.”

—Charge from Installation Ceremony

Frequently the success or failure of the membership record during his/her year determines the chances of advancing to the Commandership the following year. In a few of our Posts, one or two “tigers” (membership go-getters) will secure the big majority of the dues, but the possibility of death, illness, or a change of residence makes for a weak foundation on which a Vice Commander and the Post are staking the Post’s future. While each Post is different, any membership campaign should cover certain fundamentals. Look at the methods used in the past. Were they successful? Do they need updating? Have new procedures been developed that would improve the plans now being used?

In a successful Post, a new Post Commander is going to contact the Post officers and committee chairs right after being elected, either individually or at a special meeting, to lay out a general plan of operation for the entire year. This is the time when the membership plan should also be made.

Planning

WHERE? Where do you want to go? What’s the objective? (Or, for a membership campaign, how many members do you want?)

WHAT? What steps have to be taken to reach the objective?

WHO? Who’s going to do all the things that have to be done in each of the steps that have to be taken to reach the goal?

WHEN? When is the work going to be done?

Only you and the members of your Post know where you want to go, or how many members you want. But the steps you have to take to get there are very much the same in every Post. If you can answer the following questions for your Post and for your membership campaign, you have your job analyzed and know what steps have to be taken to reach your goal:

1. 
   Mailed dues notices will bring in about 85 percent of your current members’ renewals. Who is going to contact those few who do not respond to mailed dues notices?
   

2. How are dropouts to be reinstated?

3. 
   How are you going to get usable information on prospective members; how are they to be contacted; by whom; and how are those selected to be taken into your Post?
   

3. 
   What publicity will be needed?
   

3. 
   Who can be counted on to work at membership?
   

3. 
   What awards or special recognition will be given?
   

7. What special events will be tied in with membership, such as Veterans Day, team competition, contests with other Posts, Legion Birthday observance, etc.?

Membership may be the primary assignment of a Vice Commander, but during a normal Legion year, the Vice Commander will have many other duties. He/she should become familiar with the ceremonial protocol for regular meetings. The chances are excellent that he/she will have to conduct one or more meetings during the year. Knowing how to prepare a meaningful and fruitful agenda is very important, as well as good experience. The Vice Commander must be ready to fill in for the Commander upon a moment’s notice.

Second Vice Commander

“Into your helpful hands are placed the important responsibilities of assisting the Commander with all duties. Particularly you should be interested in patriotic observances of all kinds, in developing Post activities, and in the entertainment features which mark all meetings. Help to observe strict tolerance among your members on all political, religious and civic matters. The applications of Justice will be your particular concern.”

—Charge from Installation Ceremony
Is yours an average Post? If so, many of the members joined The American Legion because of the social and recreational benefits they expected to receive. What is more, many of the members-to-come will also join for the same reason.

Yes, the Second Vice Commander does have a job—an important job. The responsibility is to build the “I-like-my-Post-because . . .” atmosphere that finds a lot of Legionnaires having fun while still doing the work of the Legion.

The Commander will depend on the Second Vice Commander to provide the programs that spice up the meetings and attract attendance. The social calendar must always be filled several months in advance with activities that will bring out the active members, as well as those who are just card-carrying Legionnaires.

One of the first duties should be to contact other veteran and civic groups so that each patriotic holiday and observance receives the attention it deserves. He/She will be concerned with the pageantry so closely associated with the Legion.

The Second Vice Commander may not be in charge of the color guard or firing squad, but must promote it. He/She might not have a part on the initiation team, but should make sure one is functioning.

In the pursuit of “Justice,” the Second Vice Commander will be concerned with the welfare of all fellow veterans, and will be interested in the work of the veterans’ affairs and rehabilitation committee. The Second Vice will need to know if the economic committee is functioning. The Second Vice Commander plays a dual role of fun and serious, which so typifies The American Legion.

Finance Officer

“You are the keeper of the moneys and in you is reposed the financial policy of the Post. To you is given charge of the year’s budget and to you is given the duty of the payment of all obligations when proper authorization has been given for such payment. Your position is an important one, demanding integrity and honesty. Your election to this office signifies that your comrades have implicit trust in you. Guard well that trust.”

—Charge from Installation Ceremony
The Finance Officer must be a person of proven integrity and experience in handling financial affairs. The Post is dependent on finance, just as any other organization, and will do well to accept expert advice in formulating and administering its financial policy.

The Finance Officer usually serves as the chair of the finance committee and is in charge of all receiving and disbursing of Post funds. The Post Adjutant, in all matters relating to finance, should carry on the work in close correlation with the Finance Officer. Both officers must be covered by adequate bond. Department headquarters should be consulted on this for blanket bond arrangement.

Post accounting forms have been designed to meet the requirements of Legion Posts in maintaining a correct and permanent membership and finance record. Because of their simplicity, they require no special knowledge of

bookkeeping or accounting. Every Post Adjutant and Finance Officer should insist upon being provided with a set of forms. They will save time, reduce expenses, save money for the Post.

Refer to the current Emblem Catalog for prices and detailed descriptions, or write to the National Emblem Sales Division.

Be prompt in remitting National and Department dues, along with the Department Record Card, to Department Headquarters. Note all payments and other transactions on your Post Membership Register.

Service Officer

“You have been singly honored by this Post by your election to perform fundamental, unselfish work, not only for the benefit of the members of this Post, but for those War veterans particularly in need of your service. Yours is the choice responsibility of looking out for the welfare of all concerned. The duties of a Service Officer are highly important and exacting, and while your accomplishments will be deeply appreciated by those immediately concerned, the work itself will not be sufficiently conspicuous to catch the headlines in the newspapers. Depending upon satisfactory performance of duty, there will come to you the heartfelt gratitude of each and every member of this Post. I congratulate you upon the opportunity to serve so constructively and so unselfishly.”

—Charge from Installation Ceremony
In naming the Service Officer, each Post creates the most vital link in a nationwide network of American Legion service to America’s veterans. Through the Service Officer, the Post can provide your community with a unique service.

The duties of the Post Service Officer call for a competent and dedicated person, preferably one who can serve indefinitely, and should have a deep interest in fellow veterans, the Post, and community. If the Service Officer is readily available to those needing assistance, it will be helpful. Electing someone that works and lives close by will likely improve effectiveness.

A good Service Officer should be retained. The value of a Post Service Officer increases with length of service. As the Service Officer’s reputation grows, so will the prestige of the organization in your community.

Beyond the Post, The American Legion maintains a full staff of appeals representatives in Washington, D.C., and at VA Insurance Centers. A small mobile staff of field representatives provides a constant flow of information concerning conditions in VA hospitals, domiciliaries, and regional offices throughout the country.

A team of Legion representatives also provides assistance and oral representation on behalf of former service members of the Armed Forces who petition Department of Defense Boards for review of less than fully honorable discharge or dismissal from the military services. The unit helps veterans in obtaining decorations and medals through the various Armed Forces and Decoration units.

Every Department has trained Service Officers in the various VA regional offices and hospitals in many counties.

The Post Service Officer Guide prepared by the National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Division provides the Service Officer with basic information. Necessary claims forms can be secured from the Department Service Officer. Information will come through Department publications, National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Bulletins, Memorandums, and VA pamphlets. Training schools for Post Service Officers are held periodically in many Departments to increase their knowledge and contacts.

The Post Service Officer is responsible for bringing to the attention of all veterans and their dependents the rights and benefits granted them by law—law for which the American Legion can accept a major share of credit.

The Service Officer must know how to utilize the expert services available through Legion channels, as well as those of other agencies in his community. It takes a dedicated person to get the information to the full-time professionals to make certain that every veteran and dependents are adequately represented.

With a large segment of today’s veteran population made up of those who served during the Vietnam and the Persian Gulf Wars, the work of the Service Officer takes on increasing importance. Even more than older veterans, these men and women are apt to be not too well informed on veterans programs. The older veterans will continue to need advice on how to integrate possible veterans’ benefits with their overall retirement plans. Dependents should be visited as soon as feasible after a veteran’s death.

These and many other duties are routine to a good Service Officer, but there is more, such as serving as chair of the veterans affairs and rehabilitation or service committee and working closely with the children and youth committee, Post employment officer, and the hospital visitation committee. The Auxiliary Unit frequently needs help. The Service Officer’s report should be a standard part of every meeting.

Every Congress considers legislative matters of importance to veterans and to The American Legion. Working in cooperation with the Post legislative committee, the Post Service Officer can aid in coordinating the support of the Post with the national effort.

Chaplain

“To you is given the spiritual leadership of this Post. You will, I know, lend dignity and respect to your office. You should be in close confidence with the Commander and the other officers of this Post, and should attend all meetings of the Post. You should be ready upon occasion to take your part in the initiation of new members, the dedication of halls, monuments of colors, and the funeral services for a comrade. All such ceremonies are made more commemorative by the use of our ritual. Into your keeping we place the spirit of comradeship of this Post. May harmony and unity prevail.”

—Charge from Installation Ceremony
The Chaplain need not necessarily be a clergyman, but must be a person capable of moral and intellectual leadership and one who gives dignity and respect to the office. The Chaplain should be in close touch with the Commander and other officers of the Post and should attend all meetings of the Post and Executive Committee. The leadership in many of the Post’s activities belongs of right to the Chaplain, and when this office is filled by the right kind of person, the usefulness of the Post to the community will be greatly increased.

The Manual of Ceremonies gives an important place to the Chaplain in the conduct of meetings, in the observance of patriotic occasions, funeral services and dedication ceremonies. On these occasions, the Chaplain is the moral leader.

The Chaplain should cooperate with the Post Historian on graves registration work and inspire the Post to its full duty in seeing that graves are decorated on Memorial Day. Besides officiating when requested at funerals of members, the Chaplain can be of service to bereaved families of Post members.

The Chaplain may serve as chair of the Post’s Veterans Administration Voluntary Services (VAVS) Committee which coordinates the volunteer endeavors of the membership of nearby VA hospital facilities. The sick should be visited at hospital or home. For more information on VAVS, write the National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Division, The American Legion, Washington Office.

The American Legion Service to God and Country handbook, available through Department headquarters, gives a history of this program and offers working aids for the Post Chaplain and religious emphasis committee.
Sergeant-At-Arms
“You are the sentinel or tiler, the outer guard of this Post. You will guard especially against the loss of one of The American Legion’s greater possessions—our deep and abiding spirit of comradeship. You will learn the identity of and introduce to the Commander all visiting comrades and guests of the Post. You are responsible that no one shall remain a stranger in our midst. Be ready at all times to assist your Commander. Into your hands is given charge of the stand of colors which you will properly display at all Post meetings and on ceremonial occasions.”

—Charge from Installation Ceremony

The Sergeant-at-Arms should know how to arrange the meeting hall and should assist the Post Commander and Adjutant in the preliminary arrangements for the meeting, including custodian of the colors and should be in charge of the color detail during the presentation and retirement ceremonies of the colors. The Sergeant-at-Arms is the flag etiquette person and should be well informed on proper flag display and procedures used in operating a

meeting and should play a leading part in the Post color guard, burial detail, and the other pageantry that is a part of The American Legion.

There is another duty—one that has a tremendous impact on the Post’s image, its membership, and its relationship with the members. Every Legionnaire wants to be part of the group. This is particularly important for that new Legionnaire attending his first few meetings. The Sergeant-at-Arms must make certain new members are welcomed, introduced, and made to feel they are important to the Post.

A welcome committee should be standard for every Post. The Sergeant-at-Arms is the logical person to chair such a committee. The members of this committee must welcome new members and guests, make sure they are introduced, and keep the Commander advised as to who should be acknowledged. This committee can also be used to encourage present members to attend meetings.

Historian

“Your Office is an important one. To you is given the responsibility of preserving and compiling the records of this Post. The future can only be judged by the past. Be mindful that the lamp of recorded experience may do much in guiding the footsteps of those who follow. Ever remember that without the recorded history of this Post, its policies and accomplishments will be a blank to the ones who come after we are gone.”

—Charge from Installation Ceremony
The office of Historian is of growing importance. It is a suitable position in which a past Post Commander may serve.

There should be close and effective cooperation between the Adjutant and the Historian. The former works with the records on matters of current interest, and the latter on matters of historical interest.

The work of Post Historian is cumulative. It is well to leave it in the hands of one person as long as it’s being handled well.

The Post Historian should keep in touch with the Department Historian and should be prompt in answering inquiries. An annual report should be made to the Department Historian just before the Department convention.

Copies of whatever is printed concerning the Post should be deposited in the local and state libraries, as well as in the Post files. This is important and will prevent complete loss of valuable records through fire or other calamity, as well as provide material for those who are looking for information about The American Legion. Also, copies should be deposited in Department archives.

The Post Historian should make a point of knowing what Historians of neighboring Posts are doing. The Historian should attend Department conventions and keep in touch with other Post Historians.

The Department Historian can advise Post Historians on Department and national Post history contests, historians’ associations, and material available from the Department Historian that will assist in doing a better job.

An outline for a one-year Post narrative history and yearbook is graphically illustrated in the Appendix of this Officer’s Manual, listed under “Histories Are Important.” The information recommended will be beneficial in assisting Post Historians in compiling these books.

—Charge from Installation Ceremony

The primary duty of the Judge Advocate is to supply professional advice in the conduct of the Post business or to procure proper counsel and is the guardian of constitutional form of Post government.

Your Judge Advocate can supply valuable assistance to other Post committees and officers. That officer should be available to the Service Officer for legal advice and to the Americanism committee on matters relating to education and naturalization laws. Any Post committee can benefit from the Judge Advocate’s contacts with the office holders of local government.

The Judge Advocate and legal committee are charged by the suggested Post constitution with the duty of auditing Post financial accounts. This should be done annually just before the election of officers or more frequently at their discretion.
Executive Committee
“The administrative affairs of this Post of The American Legion shall, except as may be otherwise provided by the By-Laws, be under the supervision of an Executive Committee which shall consist of . . . . . members in addition to the officers of the Post.”
Suggested Form for Post Constitution Article V—Officers—Section 1
“The government and management of the Post is entrusted to an Executive Committee of . . . . members, to be known as the ‘Executive Committee’.”
Suggested Form of Post By-Laws Article II—Management—Section 1
In the model Post constitution and by-laws appearing elsewhere in this book, the government and management of the Post is entrusted to the Executive Committee. Meetings of the Executive Committee are set for regular intervals upon the call of the Commander or as often as the Commander may deem necessary.

The Post Executive committee is further charged with hiring such employees as may be necessary; authorizing and approving all expenditures; requiring adequate bonds from all persons having the custody of Post funds; hearing reports of Post committee chairmen; and generally having charge of and being responsible for the management of the affairs of the Post.

Delegation of these functions to the Executive Committee is in no way intended to usurp the powers of the membership through regular Post meetings. Rather, this allows the dull, routine, operational affairs of the Post to be resolved without distracting from Post meetings. Committee reports of general interest to members should still be given at Post meetings.

The key to interesting Post meetings is using the Executive Committee effectively. The Post meeting that becomes bogged down in arguments on petty details is interesting only to those doing the talking. The meeting is dead and a waste of time to everyone else.

People, time, effort, and organization are required to carry out the programs of The American Legion.

Whether those programs are continuing services for disabled veterans or a dance, most of your work will be accomplished through committees. There are listed here committees, which Posts normally have, together with a brief statement on the usual duties of these committees. Your Post constitution and/or your Department constitution may require additional committees or may have other names for some of the committees, and the following list is not intended to be mandatory or complete for every American Legion Post.

No Post can stand still. New programs are needed from time to time, old programs needed to be changed, revitalized, and in some cases, dropped. Early in your term of office, you and your Post officers should take time to review the programs and activities, which have been carried on in the past, and to decide on desirable changes or additions. The activities that are to be carried on determine the committees that are needed. The next task is to review the membership of the Post and even nonmember eligibles. From this review, a list can be set up of potential committee heads and members. Frequently a nonmember eligible will want to become a member of your Post if the Post has an activity or is planning an activity in which the person is personally interested. Whoever makes a contact with such a nonmember eligible must be able to point out the need for the program and the reason why this particular person is desired to assist in it.

Each committee chair needs to know how the work of the committee fits into the overall program of the Post and he needs to know what is expected, and when.

Here’s the list of what might be called standard Post committees and their usual duties: