Sons of the American Legion Detachment of North Dakota

In late April, Detachment Adjutant Joe Camisa, his son Joey, and Detachment Commander Daniel Sauerwein presented stuffed animals to fire relief efforts going on in Mandan on behalf of the SAL and Loyd Spetz Squadron 1 in Bismarck to help the children who lost their possessions in a recent apartment fire. Thanks to Don Weible and the Children and Youth Committee for their assistance in providing the stuffed animals. We hope the children affected by the fire will find comfort in these as they try to recover from the fire.

Fairmount Post/Squadron 106 puts on an amazing breakfast the first Sunday of the month from November to April. If you have a chance to head down there for it, I highly recommend it.

They have a great group of volunteers from both the Legion and SAL, as well as other community members who give their time to make the event possible. They served French toast, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, sausage links, ham, smoked sausage, juice, coffee, and water, all for $13. When November rolls around, go down and support them and enjoy a great meal.

I wish to thank them for the wonderful time today and the hospitality and welcome to me, as I was happy to finally get there to visit and say hello. Keep up the awesome work Fairmount.

Daniel Sauerwein
Commander
Detachment of North Dakota

Sons of The American Legion celebrated in new online exhibit First national convention held 50 years ago this year.

A cool new online exhibit is sharing the history of the SAL. Go and check it out and learn about our great organization.

Sons of The American Legion celebrated in new online exhibit First national convention held 50 years ago this year.

If you're able to go to Lankin this Friday, please go and support their fish fry. SAL Squadron 157 is sponsoring this event and would appreciate your support. Plus, the meal sounds great.

This is a great page and video that I encourage everyone to take a look at and make use of as you recruit for your Squadron.

https://www.legion.org/sons/261140/here%E2%80%99s-why-you-should-join-sal?fbclid=IwAR19If9O3x7nzuZzrdGbWO5K3GHiDBgbFD9BPMxegdiYE33IRm0Tm2FMhtg

You guys rock! What a way to end February on a high note with membership by rocketing all the way to 7th place with 923 total members as of the February 23 report. Outstanding job everyone!

Don't stop the momentum now. We've hit the target date for March, but we only need 82 members turned in to hit 95%. I know you can do it and by the next target date of March 15. That would put us at 95% of goal.

Also, let's try to hit goal by April 15 and I know there are possibly two new Squadrons chartering, which is awesome. Is a repeat of the Triple Nickel Award in the cards? Let's strive for excellence and try to hit that again. Get those renewals in, as we're lagging a bit. Reach out to members and encourage them. Do buddy checks.

We're planning some awesome things, both in terms of a fun Detachment project, and starting to work on planning fun activities for our upcoming Convention in June in Bismarck.

Our next Detachment call will be Thursday, March 16 at 7pm Central/6pm Mountain via Zoom. All members are invited, but I especially want Squadron Commanders and Adjutants to attend.

You all are an amazing Detachment and I'm proud to be part of you and serve you as Commander. Great work so far and let's keep being .

Daniel Sauerwein
Commander

Great job North Dakota! You hit the target and are less than a percentage from the March 80% target. Let's get those renewals in, recruit new members, and reach out to members with Buddy Checks. Let's push for 95% (1004 members) by March 20. I know you can do it. We are .

Let's discover the "Why?" for joining the SAL. Why did you join and why do you continue to be a part of our organization?

As always, remember to to a veteran in need in your community.

Congratulations to the 46 Detachments who have met or exceeded the 75% membership target.

The SAL Membership Reports can be found at:
https://www.legion.org/sons/membershipranking

The Detachment is 7 members shy of our 75% target, which is coming up on Wednesday. Please get memberships turned in, or submit electronically, so we can roll past that target on time. I know we can do it.

We encourage members, especially those in officer positions in Squadrons to take a look at this page to learn about setting up a MyLegion account.

A guide to registering a MyLegion account for membership benefits MyLegion.org is a free site for Legionnaires and Sons members to use to manage their membership.

It's been a good two days at the Department of North Dakota Winter Conference. SAL members had a good meeting and enjoyed the banquet.

Detachment Commander Sauerwein brought greetings to the Joint Session Friday evening, sharing our winning of the Triple Nickel Award and where we're at so far. He won a quilt as a door prize as part of the Children and Youth donation table.

Let's get the momentum back on membership and finish strong. Heck, we can still possibly repeat the Triple Nickel if we put our minds to it. We're 15 members shy of the next target on February 12, so get those memberships turned in and let's blow past 75% and go for 90%.

Thank you to all SAL members that have attended the Conference this weekend. Safe travels home on Sunday.

We wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Please keep our veterans and their families in your prayers, especially those deployed overseas. Also, please remember to to a veteran in need.

Dan Sauerwein SAL Detachment Cdr Holiday Message

Legion Posts and Squadrons please come to Abercrombie, ND and support this Post and Squadron. Best Chilli around!!!!

Congratulations to the Detachment of North Dakota on hitting the first target date of the 2023 membership year, which is 10%. Keep up the great work!

Congratulations to the 34 Detachments who made the 10% membership goal for the September 10, 2022 target date.

The Membership reports can be found at: https://www.legion.org/sons/membershipranking

Greetings Detachment from day 1 of the 50th National Convention in Milwaukee. The general session is about to begin.

Our delegation is excited and ready for a great time.

America lost a hero today. Hershel "Woody" Williams, the last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, died this morning at age 98. If you have ever had the privilege to meet a Medal of Honor recipient, you know they are a special group of people. May he rest in peace and his family be comforted in their time of grief and loss.

https://www.wvpublic.org/government/2022-06-29/medal-of-honor-recipient-woody-williams-dead-at-98

Medal Of Honor Recipient Woody Williams Dead At 98 West Virginians are expressing their grief this morning after learning of the death of Hershel “Woody” Williams, the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient in the nation and native of Quiet Dell, West Virginia.

There is still time for you to order Detachment of North Dakota apparel for yourself, or your loved ones that are members of the SAL in North Dakota. Please visit https://ndsal.itemorder.com/shop/sale/ and place your order in the next couple days and you can pick it up at Convention, or, for an additional charge, have it shipped to you. We have a lot of cool stuff there available. I would love to see you all wearing something from here at events across the state. Check it out and please consider ordering.

Greetings members,

I would like to encourage you to take a look at the apparel options we have for you to show your pride as a member of our Detachment. We have polo shirts, T-shirts, pullovers, hoodies, two options for jackets, trucker caps, as well as youth clothing options, including polos, T-shirts, as well as infant bodysuits and toddler shirts for our littlest SAL members. The store is open until June 8 to take orders. You can pick them up at Convention, as well as look at other options to get them in your hands. I would love to see as many of you wearing something to events to show your membership. One good part is a small part of the proceeds will come back to the Detachment to help with programs and other needs. I hope to see several of you at Convention later this month. Have a great day.

https://ndsal.itemorder.com/shop/sale/

Daniel Sauerwein
Commander
Detachment of North Dakota

Sons of American Legion Apparel 2022 Online ordering for Sons of American Legion Apparel 2022 ends on Wed, Jun 8, 2022 (11:59 PM CDT)

FYI, please don't do this and respectfully encourage those doing such not to do it, as it is not proper, according to the Americanism Commission.

Hi, everyone! We recently received “Is it allowed?” questions regarding an Americanism-related project where embroidered stars are cut from the American flag and placed in a small bag along with a poem. The stars and poem are then sent to various veterans groups as well as those currently serving. The American Legion’s National Americanism Commission does not subscribe to the practice of cutting the United States flag into individual pieces prior to its proper disposal no matter what the reason or occasion may be. The Commission is of the opinion that when the flag is no longer a fitting emblem for display, it should be disposed in its entirety, preferably by burning. The flag began as a whole; therefore it is to be disposed of as a whole. Contrary to what is found on some websites, The American Legion does not endorse the use of the flag in this manner.

Sons of the American Legion Detachment of North Dakota updated their website address.

It's been a busy last few days for the Detachment Commander. Five new Squadrons received their charters at the Spring District meetings.

Let's welcome our new Squadrons in Mayville, Harwood, McHenry, NDSU, and Hettinger.

You all have done amazing this year. We're at 986 members, or 107% of goal with over 96% renewals. Once Hettinger transmits its members, we'll have over 1000 members and will have met the requirements to earn the Triple Nickel Award at National Convention in August.

Outstanding work everyone. Keep it up.

A helpful video on Legion/SAL cap etiquette.

The American Legion Cap Proper care and etiquette for The American Legion Cap

Sons of the American Legion Detachment of North Dakota updated their address.

With Winter Conference starting next Friday, I want to encourage members to come to Bismarck and attend.

We will have as special guests Legion National Commander Paul Dillard and SAL National Commander Michael Fox, so this is a rare opportunity for you to meet these national leaders. Please send as many from your Squadron as you can. We'll have activities for you during the weekend, including some training sessions and fun.

I also want to congratulate you all for your great work on membership. We are currently at 79.91% of goal and with a push this week, I know we'll hit 80% by Friday.

The Detachment officers and I look forward to visiting with you all next weekend. Have a great week and we'll see you in Bismarck next Friday. Let's show everyone we're .

For God and Country,

Daniel Sauerwein
Commander
Detachment of North Dakota

A message from National Commander Michael Fox is below.

He will be visiting our Detachment in a couple weeks, so register and come to Winter Conference in Bismarck, January 28-30 to meet Commander Fox and show him that we are here in North Dakota. Let's have a great showing and have representation from every Squadron.

Great work to everyone on membership so far, you are within striking distance of my challenge of being at 80% of goal so far with us sitting at 5th in the nation at 79.04% and 724 members. Let's keep getting those renewals in and recruiting new members to our great organization.

From SAL National Commander Michael Fox:

RESOLVE TO INCREASE MEMBERSHIP, SUPPORT VETERANS IN 2022
Dear Sons of The American Legion,
I hope your year is off to a great start. And I hope that you’re having success in keeping up with your New Year’s resolutions. I am sure many of you have renewed your resolve to show unwavering support for our veterans.
One of the ways we as Sons of The American Legion can show our support is through our membership. The 60% membership target date is coming up on January 20; please make sure you’ve renewed your own membership and continue to reach out to those who are eligible for SAL membership who may not have joined or renewed.
There is no limit to the amount of good we can do.
We are the Sons of The American Legion.
We are .
God bless our veterans, God bless our military in harm's way, and God bless the United States of America.
Yours in Service,
Michael Fox
National Commander
Leadership Through Action, Not Through Position

Some exciting news for our Detachment. National Commander Michael Fox will be joining us for our Winter Conference in Bismarck, January 28-30.

This is a huge honor for us and I want to encourage members to attend the event and meet him. Information will be coming very soon to Squadrons, as we found out about this only a couple weeks ago.

Besides our usual business meeting, we will be having a social with Commander Fox, a hospitality room, and some member training.

Your Detachment officers are working hard to make this a great weekend, so we want as many SAL members, young and old there to have a great time and show Commander Fox a hearty North Dakota welcome.

Squadron Commanders and Adjutants, please check your mail in the coming weeks.

We hope to see you all in Bismarck.

A message from National Commander Michael Fox.

From SAL National Commander Michael Fox:

I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your time and dedication to the Sons of The American Legion. As “proud possessors of a priceless heritage,” we all know how important it is to celebrate those who served for us — not just during this season of celebration, but year round.
As we gather with our families this holiday season, I hope you will take a moment to honor and remember those veterans who are no longer with us, as well as those currently serving who are unable to be with their families at this treasured time of the year.
I encourage you to cherish the time you are able to spend with your family and friends this season. My wish is that we all have a safe and joyous holiday season. And I hope for all of you to have a prosperous new year.

Happy holidays!

Michael Fox
SAL National Commander
“Leadership through action, not position”

Members,

I hope you all had a restful Thanksgiving and are entering the holiday season well. I wanted to quickly share the latest membership information and encourage you all to keep up the work on recruitment and renewals. We surpassed our target of 45% and are sitting at just over 51% of the goal with 471 members.

I am hearing of new Squadrons submitting charter applications and starting the process of getting going, which is awesome. Keep it up.

I want to encourage as many SAL members to attend the Winter Conference January 28-30 in Bismarck. We will have some activities for members beyond our business meeting, including a hospitality room, and we are working to see about having a corn hole "tournament." I am currently working to get some door prizes for attendees.

I will be reaching out to Squadrons in the next couple of weeks to let you all know more about Winter Conference, so your members can attend.

I want to thank you all for all you do for the SAL and the larger American Legion Family.

In closing, I hope you had a chance to reflect that today is the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that propelled our nation into World War. Sixteen million men and women served in the war, which is likely where a majority of our members derive their eligibility for the SAL. Let's not forget this day and those who fought and died in that war and cherish the World War II veterans that are still with us, as their numbers continue to shrink.

Have a great rest of the week and take care.

Daniel Sauerwein
Commander
Detachment of North Dakota

Happy Thanksgiving from the Fox family to you and yours!

As we celebrate the holiday season with our loved ones, please remember to say a prayer for those brave men and women who continue to fight to preserve our freedom that we hold dear. Lift up our veteran heroes with love and honor. Support our military families with words of encouragement and unity. And do something extra for your community and those who are suffering.

Buddy checks are important around the holidays. We need to do our part. You never know how much words of love and encouragement will mean to someone who is struggling. We can do our part to reduce the amount of veteran suicides there are per day by just caring a little more, loving a little more, and reaching out to our friends more consistently.

Let’s take the steps necessary in our lives to put a little more love in the world. There is no limit to the amount of good we can do, we are the Sons of The American Legion, we are SAL Strong, God bless our veterans, God bless our military in harm's way, and God bless the United States of America.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,
Michael Fox
National Commander
Sons of The American Legion

From National Commander Michael Fox

Happy Thanksgiving from the Fox family to you and yours!

As we celebrate the holiday season with our loved ones, please remember to say a prayer for those brave men and women who continue to fight to preserve our freedom that we hold dear. Lift up our veteran heroes with love and honor. Support our military families with words of encouragement and unity. And do something extra for your community and those who are suffering.

Buddy checks are important around the holidays. We need to do our part. You never know how much words of love and encouragement will mean to someone who is struggling. We can do our part to reduce the amount of veteran suicides there are per day by just caring a little more, loving a little more, and reaching out to our friends more consistently.

Let’s take the steps necessary in our lives to put a little more love in the world. There is no limit to the amount of good we can do, we are the Sons of The American Legion, we are SAL Strong, God bless our veterans, God bless our military in harm's way, and God bless the United States of America.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,
Michael Fox
National Commander
Sons of The American Legion