[naviga:img class="aligncenter wp-image-304102" src="https://newtownbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/American-Legion-to-meet-January-meeting-group.jpg" alt="American Legion to meet -- January meeting group" width="800" height="600" /]

Among those attending the first American Legion Post 202-Newtown meeting of the new year were, from left, Matthew Seibert, Jeff Kaysus, Chris Reuther, Mike Kellett, Tom Flowers, Nick Cabral, Dennis Beauregard, Larry Kaysus, and John Gugliemi. Mr Kellet has been serving as District 3 Commander since last summer. The Post will meet the first Wednesday of each month at Newtown Senior Center, and is looking to fill its ranks with new members. Officer nominations will take place during the February 7 meeting.

-Donna Monteleone Randle photo

Resuming an active role in Newtown in past months, American Legion George A. Powell Post 202 of Newtown will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, February 7, at 7 pm, at Newtown Senior Center, 14 Riverside Road. Officer nominations will take place at this meeting.

Pleased that the post is again serving veterans and the community, member Donna Monteleone Randle said that activities had waned, but new District 3 Commander Mike Kellett has taken over administration since last summer.

"He is doing a phenomenal job," Ms Randle said. The post's first meeting was in November. She and other members "have been putting information out there," through social and print media "and have brought in some younger people." Membership is slowly increasing, she said.

Mr Kellett, who works with all posts in the county, said that post 202 "had been quiet for a couple of years… over the summer I started looking after the books and processing membership and as I became involved, we pushed for revitalization, so the post could start running programs."

Thinking about how best to get up and running again, Mr Kellett said, "Like most posts in the county and the state, we really need younger veterans to come down and join us. A lot of members that have kept programs going have gotten older or are not able to do as much, and we really need to refill our ranks with the new generation.

"Yes," Newtown is "starting to grow in members," he said. "I'm excited about Newtown, we have a core of veterans who are younger than me. That's good, because they are going to shape the future of the legion."

Membership now is at about 30 members, but the meetings are still a small group, Mr Kellett said. "We have to work on a newsletter for all our members, so they know what we are working on."

Legion activities vary from post to post.

"Each Legion post reflects the community that they serve. Some could sponsor baseball teams, Scouting, or charter Scout packs, or others might just do programs with Scouts, interact with Scouts and teach flag etiquette," he said.

"A lot of Legion posts bring Scouts in or go to Scout meetings. It's great way to interact with youth in the community," Mr Kellett said.

The Legion does community outreach "... in addition to veterans' programs," Ms Randle said.

According to Legion.org, the American Legion was founded in 1919 on four pillars: Veterans Affairs & Reha­bilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth. "Each of these pillars encompasses a variety of programs that benefit our nation's veterans, its servicemembers, their families, the youth of America and ordinary citizens."

How does the post benefit those who join? "There is camaraderie, that's probably the biggest benefit. There are also discounts for certain travel, hotels, but that's a sideline," Mr Kellett said. "Camaraderie and sharing of information are a part of the Legion… a friend would help [another member] learn about how the [Veterans Affairs] system works, and how to apply. And, each post has a service officer who helps any veteran in town deal with veteran benefit programs or VA issues."

Short term, "we want a full slate of officers," said Mr Kellet, who also wants the post to "become more active in the community, maybe start with grass-roots neighborhood things or whatever local Scouting organizations might want; getting involved in patriotic programs."

Unlike the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post (VFW), which requires veterans to have served overseas in combat for a specific period of time, the American Legion requires that members must have served at least one day during conflicts.

Eligible are US Armed Forces members who are currently on active duty or served at least one day, during the following conflicts:

World War II (December 7, 1941-December 31, 1946);

Korean War (June 25, 1950-January 31, 1955);

Vietnam War (February 28, 1961-May 7, 1975);

Lebanon/Grenada (August 24, 1982-July 31, 1984);

Panama (December 20, 1989-January 31, 1990); and/or

Gulf War/War on Terrorism (August 2, 1990 to present day).

Members need not have served overseas.

Bring DD-214 or other proof of military service. Membership is $35/year.

Membership for Ladies Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion are available for family members.

Post 202 covers Brookfield and Newtown. 2018 meetings are planned for the first Wednesday of the month, beginning at 7 pm. The July meeting, which would fall on July 4, has been tentatively scheduled for July 11.

 or through Facebook at

americanlegionnewtown@gmail.comContact Post 202 at American Legion Post 202 of Newtown CT for additional information.

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