American Legion Baseball

The American Legion is committed to America's youth and that is why we have sponsored American Legion Baseball since 1925. The goals of American Legion Baseball are the development of team discipline, individual character and leadership development qualities in young people. American Legion Baseball is the oldest and largest, nationwide, baseball program in America. American Legion Baseball became a National program in 1925. Over eight million teenagers have played American Legion Baseball since its inception. For more information on the national American Legion Baseball program, click here. Connecticut's American Legion Baseball program information can be found here.

    For more information about how to participate in Connecticut American Legion Baseball, please contact our State Baseball Chairman at the following contact information:

Craig Zimmerman
5A Amato Drive
South Windsor, CT 06074
860-644-3506

Connecticut Boys State

At the state level, 49 Departments of The American Legion host The American Legion Boys State programs each summer for outstanding high school juniors. Nearly 28,000 young men were sponsored by local American Legion Posts to attend the week-long government education program last year.

    Two outstanding leaders from each Department Boys State program are selected to attend The American Legion Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. There, they learn the mechanics of the federal government by role-playing as senators and representatives in a complex dual-party system. The American Legion Auxiliary conducts parallel programs for young women through Girls State and Girls Nation.

    The 68th Connecticut American Legion Boys State will be held at Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic from June 21 through June 26, 2009. Applications are available at American Legion Posts. The deadline for returning completed applications to Department Headquarters is June 5, 2009 - 4:00 p.m..

    The alumni of Connecticut Boys State represent a "Who's-Who in Connecticut" and includes former Gov. Bill O'Neil and Senator Joe Lieberman just to name a few. Candidates for service academies might be interested in knowing that attendance at American Legion Boys State ranks just below an Eagle Scout as one of the common denominators of young people selected, according to one admissions official.

    For more information on Connecticut's American Legion Boys State program, please take a few moments to view their website.

Director David Greenleaf
255 Divinity Street
Bristol, CT. 06010
860-589-2938
agreenleaf@snet.net

Department Service Officer

Veterans need not be alone in their battles for benefits and medical care. Veterans are often forced to wage war against the paperwork and bureaucracy of government in order to get medical care or benefits. Here's some good news: American Legion Service Officers offer free advice and guidance for veterans who need to deal with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

    If you are a veteran in Connecticut in need of assistance, please contact the Connecticut Department Service Officer via the following contact information:

John P. March Jr. Department Service Officer

The American Legion
VA Healthcare - Newington Campus
555 Willard Avenue
Newington, CT 06131-0909

Mail: PO Box 310909

OFFICE HOURS:

Weekdays (except holidays) 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Phone: (860) 594-6600
Fax: (860) 667-3257
john.march@va.gov

Education Assistance

The American Legion believes that education is the first requisite of good citizenship and the cornerstone upon which rests our nation's future. Many youth award programs of the Legion at the Post and State level offer U.S. Savings Bonds as contest prizes to help students defer the cost of a higher education.

Need a Lift?

The key cornerstone of The American Legion's Education Assistance Program is its scholarship and financial aid guide This 152 page booklet, updated annually, is a complete financial aid reference guide for veterans, veterans' dependents and members of The American Legion family.

Need a Lift? contains...

To receive a copy of "Need A Lift?" Send a $3.95 check or money order to:

Need a Lift?
National Emblem Sales
P.O. Box 1050
Indianapolis, IN 46206

Oratorical Contest

Each year thousands of high school students gain a deeper understanding of the U.S. Constitution and share that knowledge with a vast audience through the American Legion High School Oratorical Contest. Hundreds of students win scholarship awards at the Post level for speeches that explore the substance and meaning of the Constitution. Other objectives of the contest include the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently, and the preparation for acceptance of the duties and responsibilities, the rights and privileges of American citizenship.

    The contest consists of a Prepared Oration and an Assigned Topic with specific time constraints. State and local contests run annually in February and March, culminating at the national level in April. In Connecticut, Posts participating in this contest conduct the initial program and send the winner onto their district. The seven district winners then compete for the State crown. The Connecticut champion then competes at the regional and possibly national competitions. The three national finalists compete for scholarships ranging from $14,000 to a top prize of $18,000.

    All Connecticut high schools should have pertinent details about this contest by February 4. If your high school does not have any information about this program, please contact W. Frazier Brinley at (860) 669-0336 for assistance.

Soldiers', Sailors' and Marines' Fund

This State of Connecticut fund was established in 1919 to help Connecticut veterans and their dependents in need. By statute, the administrator of this fund is the Treasurer, The American Legion, Department of Connecticut.

    The Soldiers', Sailors' and Marines' Fund provides short-term financial assistance to veterans in need. Funding for the assistance comes from the interest income of a $52 million trust fund. Counseling and guidance are also available. Cases that require long term care are referred to the appropriate local, state, or federal agency.

    For more information about this fund, please contact John D. Monahan at (860) 296-0719. Also, please visit their official website for more information about the Soldiers', Sailors' and Marines' Fund.

USS Connecticut (SSN-22)

Post 222 was added to our rolls in 1998 when the nuclear submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) was commissioned. It was the sense of the delegates to the 1997 Department (State) Convention that the Department of Connecticut charter an American Legion Post aboard the USS Connecticut.

    This is a fitting recognition of not only its name sake but also as a tribute to Connecticut for its well known national defense industry. This is the fifth US Naval vessel to bear the Connecticut name. The last vessel named for Connecticut was commissioned in 1906 and served as the flagship of President Teddy Roosevelt's "Great White Fleet" in its famous around the world cruise of 1907.

    USS Connecticut (SSN 22) is the fifth United States Navy ship to bear the name of the State of Connecticut. Previous USS Connecticuts served in the Revolutionary War, the French and Indian War and the Civil War. The fourth USS Connecticut (BB 18) was the flagship of President Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet.

    SSN 22 is the second of three nuclear powered attack submarines of the SEAWOLF class built by the Electric Boat (EB) Division of the General Dynamics Corporation.

    Connecticut was built to be the world's fastest, stealthiest and most powerful warship. its brief operational history has already included many challenges and successes that demonstrate the ship has met that goal. 1999 was spent conducting shakedown operations that evaluated Connecticut's weapons systems, sensors, stealth and engineering proficiency. It participated in Joint Task Force Exercise 2-99 as an opposing force asset, and completed acoustic trials, a shallow water exercise, and an anti-submarine warfare exercise.

    The year 1999 closed with Connecticut earning a Commander in Chief, US Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT) Golden Anchor award for retention excellence, the inaugural Commander Submarine Squadron Four Gold Esprit de Corps Award for leadership, teamwork, positive command climate, mission accomplishment, readiness and people programs, and the Commander Submarine Squadron Four Supply Blue "E" for excellence in food service and logistics support.

    In September 1999 Connecticut began a Post-Shakedown Availability (PSA) at the EB shipyard. Despite 100 percent growth in the amount of PSA work that made this the submarine force's most demanding PSA, Connecticut completed all work ahead of schedule. Additionally, this PSA concluded as the safest n the 100-year history of EB.

    This PSA performance led to Connecticut earning the Commander Submarine Squadron Four Damage Control "DC" for 2000. Connecticut also earned a second consecutive CINCLANTFLT Golden Anchor and a second consecutive Supply Blue "E" in 2000.

    Since PSA, Connecticut has conducted more evaluations of the ship's weapons systems, sensors, stealth and engineering proficiency; as well as an evaluation of the ship's performance in the harsh environment of the Arctic Ocean. On June 19, 2001, USS Connecticut became the first completely new class of American submarine to surface at the North Pole in more than 30 years.