The following are the Awards that were given out at the 97th Annual Department Convention, held in Ocean City Marlyand July 14th – 17th 2015. Congratulations to all members, Posts, Counties and Districts that were presented with these Awards. OVER 100% SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

100% GOAL by MEMBERSHIP YEAR END CUTOFF IN JUNE Posts With Membership Between 15 and 150 

St.Mary’s Post 54 

Accident Post 208 

Bel Air Post 55 

Dor-Wic Post 218

 Francis X. Elder Post 121 

Brandywine Post 227 

Chesapeake Post 127

 Spring Hill 237 Howard J. Purnell Memorial

 Post 145 C. Henry Price II Post 246

 Lithuanian Post 154 

Warffemius-Seidler Post 381

He will always be in our Heart.

Commander Post 381

TO:All Members of the Maryland General Assembly 

FROM:The Chief Clerk’s Office 

RE:Death of Delegate James E. Proctor, Jr.  

DATE:September 15, 2015 

It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Delegate James E. Proctor, Jr., who passed away on Thursday, September 10, 2015.  He served in the House of Delegates since 1990, representing the 27th Legislative District. 

Funeral arrangements are as follows: 

Saturday, September 19, 2015 

St. Mary’s of Piscataway Catholic Church 

13401 Piscataway Road 

Clinton, MD  20735 

Visitation: 

9:00 – 11:15 am 

Reflections: 

11:15 – 12:00 am 

Mass: 

12:00 noon 

Interment: 

Will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, 8000 Woodyard Road, Clinton, MD. 

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family of Delegate James E. Proctor, Jr. at 14202 Cold Harbour Drive  

Accokeek, MD  20607 

Just a thought.

Dear Legion Family Members and Friends, Why a dues increase, and why now? The American Legion National Executive Committee passed a resolution in May 2015 to bring before this year’s National Convention a $5 dues increase to take effect next January. Nearly a decade will have passed since the last national dues increase. Such a recommendation did not come easily, but history shows the call must be made from time to time in an organization like ours, where the need for services and programs grows, the cost to provide them rises, and the primary revenue stream – membership dues – remains the same or declines over time. Specific economic realities led to the recommendation. They include: A 16-percent reduction in overall membership since the last dues increase in 2007. U.S. cost-of-living growth of 13 percent since 2007. Reduced income from American Legion investments due to the recession and the general economic downturn. Employee health-insurance benefits having climbed 13.2 percent since the last dues increase. The erosion of the value of each dollar, at a rate of 1.44 percent per year, resulting in more than $1 million of additional annual cost. National Headquarters has worked to offset the need for a dues increase and is making progress in the areas of fundraising, corporate relationships and cost reduction through online transactions. Those efforts, however, are just getting off the ground. For instance, if we use the five-year-old non-member fundraising program as a model, we can expect two and a half years to pass before new fundraising initiatives start netting positive and begin growing – as the non-member fundraising program now does. Also, by investing in new technology to ease automatic renewal and improve online joining, the cost per member transaction falls from 85 cents to 11 cents. So far, about 230,000 members (and growing) use the online joining and renewing services, but that’s still only a little over 10 percent. New revenue streams and cost reductions based on improved efficiency are heading in the right direction, but they need time to grow and gain traction. More importantly, as a wave of new veterans re-enters civilian life, The American Legion cannot reduce its commitment or capacity to help them and their families. The need for trained service officers has rarely been so profound in U.S. history. Career events for veterans, homeless advocacy, benefits assistance, help with medical appointments, wholesome programs for young people, protection of our flag and support for America’s troops are just some of the reasons now is not the time to divest from our time-honored commitment. For God and Country Mike Helm National Commander Mike HelmNational Commander The American Legion       Share this e-mail:

AMAZING TRIBUTE by 15 year old Rylee Preston "Soldier's Light"

"Someone Like You" Music Video by Rylee Preston

'FALLING' Music Video by Rylee Preston