What do you expect from your local American Legion

[Facts]

Every American Legion member must focus on service to the veteran, to their families and to the communities as their number one priority.

It's sad when a Legion Post turns into a Legion bar and most of the dim-witted members begin to believe that they can't survive as a Post unless they have a bar. Especially when they serve non-members just to make a profit in their not-for-profit organization. Pathetic!

[proud ranger wife]

Welcome to Post #402!!! Hit the nail on the head with that one! It IS Pathetic, especial when a Vet doesn't even get a deal on drinks at all--only when the incumbant commander wants to bribe members to come and vote for him--then they get a free meal and open bar!! What meeting was all of that voted on....I didn't think so

[Veteran]

I have read in a few different spots on these forums, your comments on the Legion in Wayland, proud ranger wife and my question to you is what have you done for your Legion? Do you go to meetings? Do you vote? I keep hearing about what the Legion does wrong and what its not doing for you. You want a break on a drink? Why do you deserve a price reduction on drinks? They are already set pretty low. Lower than the Bryant House. My main questionis though< what do you do for your Legion?

[proud ranger wife]

With all due respect sir, I do what I can for my Legion,mainly it's Auxiliary.I make dishes to pass for funerals,I attend what meetings I can and I donate goods and services when I can.I am not able to do as much as I would like because my main focus is on raising my family (as it should be),and as my kids get older,I hope to do more. I missed the vote this year due to my son's conflicting baseball game. Just to clarify, I don't expect anything from the Legion for myself as I am not a Veteran and I never said anything about "what the Legion is not doing for me", once again,you are twisting my words around. I do however, expect there to be some benefit for my husband who served his country. That should count for something, at this Post, it doesn't. The American Legion is supposed to be a VETERAN organization that also serves the community. I have the upmost respect for the American Legion Organization, I have just lost some for this particular Post that puts public patrons and employees before it's membership. I will attempt to explain myself in my next post.

[proud ranger wife]

You are wrong on the drink prices, they are the same if not more than the Bryant House. The bar steward took it upon himself to raise the prices without bring the decision up before the membership to vote on. When He was asked why he did so,he replied,"so the prices are more comperable to the other bars in the area." Another member then asked,"so Mr.Com mander, what exactly is my membership getting me?". To which the bar steward replied,"THE RIGHT TO COME HERE AND BITCH!". After a year of trying to change this post to become more Veteran oriented, I guess I feel a little defeated.It's not supposed to be just another bar on Main St. This Post is not a Post. No one gets carded, there's no buzzer on the door, and people very rarely sign guests in.

[proud ranger wife]

Moreover, you hardly ever see an add in the paper(other than for Memorial Day)for this Legion unless it' for the SAL and Auxiliary. That's because they have more $ from the bar than they know what to do with. The powers that be have most convinced that if they don't keep the front bar open to the public at all times, they won't have any funds. They might be right, but that doesn't make it ok. I just wish there was a way to make the front bar a clubhouse for members ONLY and have the back bar hall area for the public with different drink rates for each bar. Veterans generally frequent Posts for the comradery, the chance to be around those that have similar experiences as you. That is kind of hard to do when you have the guys (non-members) who you sponsored from the Diesel(Adult)Football League coming in after games for free drinks when they don't even belong in there.It's one thing to sponsor a team for $1500, it's another to treat them better than the veterans. I am sorry, it's just not right on any level. Not to mention, I've never seen an employee pay for a drink. They always seem to have an abundance of bar chips-most are Auxiliary members, not Veterans. There is so much corruption and waste because there is so much to go around. It effects the membership. We've lost a lot of Veterans because they are treated like second class citizens. It's unfortunate,because the Post does do so much good for the community. I have to wonder if they are doing it all so no one questions them, or makes them face these issues. I honestly love the Wayland Legion, just not the direction it's taken.

[Veteran]

Its funny how the former Commander and the now bar steward pulled post 402 out of near bankrupt and is now in the green. They donated $3000 to the Vincent house last month, for just one example. If your husband is suck a proud ranger, how come he quit the honor guard, which is separate from the legion? Why doesn't he run for office?????? Looks to me the direction post 402 has taken is for the good. If you come up with a better way to keep the lights on and the taxes paid than selling drinks, please enligten us.

[proud ranger wife]

The former commander/bar steward has done a ton of good for this post. He however,did not pull this Post out of near ruins a man named Charlie Harrington did. BM just happened to move here and join this Post around the time Mr.Harrington cleaned the place up and got it out of the red. Therefore BM has always (as is his nature)taken credit for the turnaround. This man has a pattern, he goes in does alot of good, gets a false sense of power and entitlement and then tries to take everything over. He did it on the Rochester Police Force (he was forced into early retirement), on the Wayland Volunteer Fire Department(was kicked off for trying to make it his fire department and for showing up to one too many fires drunk), the Legion, and of course the Mayor's office. His intentions are usually good, the way he goes about things leaves a lot to be desired.

[proud ranger wife]

As far as my husband and his involvement with the Post/Honor Guard, again, we have three young children to raise and they are our main focus right now. He is still involved, and should probably take the honor guard back. Since he gave it up, they have lost almost half of their members. He turned in his uniform with one of his friend's from the Honor Guard who is a trooper in support for this friend. My husband refuses to serve alongside of BM after he posted a sign behind the bar regarding our local law enforcement. That is the kind of honorable man my husband is. He stands up for what is right and he is passionate about his friends. He and his buddy, plus several other guys would still be on the Honor Guard if they had the balls to kick BM off of it.Also, my husband feels that the position of Commander is not to be taken lightly. It takes a lot of time, effort and experience-none of which he feels he has at this point of his life. Once he feels he is qualified, he will run.

[proud ranger wife]

All other post find a way to adhear to bi-laws AND keep the bills paid and so forth, why should this post be any different? I already told you the front bar should be for members, and the back for the public-that's how they can stay afloat. Membership should have some benefits---nice sparing with you again, you can change your name, but you can't hide

[Veteran]

Ya, whatever. I have heard you mention now a few times how time consuming your family is. How do you find all the time to sit on your computer spewing all your crap and writing your endlis drival to the newspaper? That thing Brian hung up in the Legion about the cops is the most truthful thing I have ever read. Tell your husband to be carefull who he is friends with because it may come back to bite him. His "friend" walks around with his nose stuck in the air since they gave him his badge and gun. He should have stayed a prison guard and pushed the prisoners around. Give anyone a badge and a gun and it goes to their head and brings all the prick in the world out in them.

[Veteran]

Now get off your computer and go play with your kids. Its nice out. haha

[proud ranger wife]

I don't know who you are talking about, because my husband's friends were never prison guards, but one was in spec ops and served in afghanistan and iraq, another, served in Kosovo (both troopers and legion members). And none of them walk around with their nose in the air. Give McCoy an ounce of responsibility and he goes off on a power trip. My children are school-aged, so I have time during the day, and at night when they go to bed-not that it's any of your business. As true as that sign may have been (we've been over this issue at length before), the post was NOT the place to put it up.Bottom line, That was wrong. I'm off to one of the 4 time-consuming baseball games I have to attend this week. My trooper friend's son team is playing tonight also, I'll tell him and his trooper wife, you said hi. None of my friend's would use their power and position against me, if I was breaking the law, I'd expect them to treat me the same as any other citizen.

[Veteran]

As well as I will tell the Commander and McCoy you said hi. You wont be there long, Its raining.

[proud ranger wife]

Ooo...I'm so scared, you are going to go tattle-tell on me...Again, takes a big man to do something like that. Like I give a shit... I know that post has a thing against Freedom of Speech. I've already made my peace with all of this-I even wrote BM a letter of apology. I like our Commander and our bar steward as people, I just don't agree with the way the place is run. I think they do a great job in general, and I think they are good people, I just think they make some (not all) piss-poor decisions. They can't kick us out-they already tried, they don't want to have a hearing and have to air out all their dirty laundry to the county judge advocate and such. Also, I know now who you were talking about and you're right, his chest has gotten a little bigger since he became a trooper-so what. He has always been quiet and reserved, it often comes across as cocky and arrogant. But he's a good friend and has ALWAYS been there when we needed him. In general, he's a good guy, just like you, charlie brown, and McCoy. I'm over it all--and you should be too, once again, we should be talking about solutions....not arguing about it. thanks for the weather update,,,if you could just take this for what it's worth, an opinion, it wouldn't hold that much weight. BTW, I would never go to the troopers with any of this, it's an obvious waste of time and it's irrelevant.

[Veteran]

Your the one that said you were going to the ball game and tell the trooper and his wife that I said hi, so I just did the same and said I would tell Kevin and Brian you said hi. You started it. You can take anything you want to the troopers, I dont care. What are they going to do anyway? There are no laws being broken here.

[Veteran]

Who would you say said hi anyhow, Veteran from Bethal, CT or Veteran from Staten Island, NY. Or maybe Veteran from Brooklyn, NY......

[proud ranger wife]

Again, you are forgetting what a small town this is...an anonymous person can not bring formal charges up against a member..you'd have to identify yourself for any of this to stick. I know no laws have been broken here and it's called sarcasm-(my coment about telling my trooper friends you said hi). You, on the other hand have the kind of mentality to want to make me pay for what I am stating here in an open forum. Just drop it....it is what it is..an opinion, and I'm entitled to one.

[proud ranger wife]

BTW, I'm from Evansville, IN and I am posing as someone from your area you "think" you can identify--two can play that game..

[Padraic OHare]

Facts wrote:

Every American Legion member must focus on service to the veteran, to their families and to the communities as their number one priority.
It's sad when a Legion Post turns into a Legion bar and most of the dim-witted members begin to believe that they can't survive as a Post unless they have a bar. Especially when they serve non-members just to make a profit in their not-for-profit organization. Pathetic!

Brian McCoy told me about this message board going on but didn't know the name of it. All I had to do was google it. Now to enlighten a few of you...
To Fact,
I’m an American Legion Officer both at the Post level and as a Vice Commander at the Steuben County level.
Reading what you wrote you seem to think your Post’s priorities are not in order. It’s hard to believe that some people thought the best way for the American Legion to serve our Veterans is at the bar. But very seldom do you see that around anymore. Back in the early ‘80’s when membership started thinning out, some Posts started pushing their bars to gain revenue (albeit illegally) to get their Posts back in the black and out of the red. That was a fairly common mistake that some Posts made but it was an easy way out while facing an uncertain future.
I do understand that there are a very few older members that still wrongly believe that this is the way a Post is supposed to be run but with more and more new members coming in and being correctly mentored about the American Legion through great programs like the NY Legion College, A.L. National College and the Legion Extension Institute, most of our Posts are turning back to helping the Veteran instead of trying to get them drunk. American Legion Posts and their family members such as the Sons of the American Legion and the Legion Auxiliary are actually working hard to help the Veterans and their families and the children in their communities.
I’m very proud to pay my membership dues every year to be an active volunteer member of the largest Veterans organization.
We do a lot of good things for Veterans and America. The actions of a few misguided members can leave a bad impression to your community and even risk losing your Charter and your liquor license. If your Post truly has the wrong priorities you should first bring it up at a Post meeting. If you can get through the typical cliques, politics and stubbornness involved with any organization then you should be good to go and back on track. That is if the majority of the members at that meeting understand the true reason why the American Legion actually exists. If not then go to your County Legion meeting with a formal letter and mention it to them. Next would be your District and then your Department (state). You shouldn’t ever have to go past your Post but if you do things are usually resolved at the County level one way or another. Really good ways to make a difference at your Post is to attend the meetings, join a committee, run for an office and be active for the Veterans.
If you have any questions for me email me at [e-mail]
“For God and Country”,
Padraic O’Hare