REPORT OF DEPARTMENT ADJUTANT
James “Woody” Hogan
Welcome to the 105th Pennsylvania American Legion Convention. We are honored to have our American Legion Family here in Harrisburg to celebrate our accomplishment for the 2024 membership year. We are here to recognize and award those members and Posts that have excelled in the missions of the Four Pillars of our American Legion. Your Department Staff hopes that this convention is everything you expected and you have an enjoyable experience while in attendance. We also hope that we can increase participation from more Posts at this event in the future. So please bring a Legionnaire from your Post that has never attended next year.
Our 2024 membership year was quite successful. We had 8 Districts that achieved 100% or more of their membership quota. I would like to personally thank the District Commanders for their hard work, 1st District Tyrone Rucker, 8th District Martin Costello, 11th District Matthew Fedor, 32nd District William Fluharty, 10th District Skip Walsh, 18th District David Renninger, 26th District John Cyprian, and 19th District John Fisher. The Position of District Commander is a very daunting task and all 28 of our Commanders worked hard to make this Department better…and I salute you for that. We currently have 674 Posts Chartered in Pennsylvania and those Post we able to recruit just under 4,500 new members. That is amazing work and you all should be proud. There are several Posts that have not recruited any new members…that’s a problem. If you expect your Post to survive and be an asset to your community you must actively pursue new members every chance you get. This Department loses several thousand members every year and we will not survive if we don’t replace them. Let rededicate ourselves to recruiting at least one new member every year. If every member in this Department would do that we would double our membership next year.
I would like to thank the Department Leaders that have given a year of their lives to help make this Department better. Our Department Commander Steve Lavelle has had a very rough year with his health. He managed it all with a great attitude and has been a trustworthy mentor of mine for many years. Our Vice Commanders also have been stalwart in their dedication, Western Section Commander Doug Church, Central Section Commander William Whitmoyer, and Eastern Section Commander Harry Hause, I wish you well with your future Leadership roles within this Department and I thank you for always being willing to step up to the plate when called upon.
To the various Department Commanders appointed Staff positions, Program Chairs, and Committee Members a great big thank you for promoting our programs! There is always too much to do in our busy lives and you sacrificed to make our programs a success. Your expertise is still needed for years to come. I hope you will consider staying on to support this Department and its programs.
Our Department Service Officers continue to do an outstanding job in our 4 satellite offices and here at Department Headquarters. Our 17 DSO’s we responsible for getting several million dollars of federal awards claims issued to veterans that earned them in this Commonwealth. Their jobs are difficult as the VA rules continue to change it seems daily and they must keep up with constant training and filing of the abundance of forms our bureaucracy requires. They all should be applauded because they do their jobs well and don’t do it for the money…they do it because they care deeply about our Veterans.
Lastly I would like to acknowledge and give my utmost appreciation to our Department Staff that has to deal with me every day. Kristen Dagenhart-Smith you are the best Executive Secretary. You always keep me in line and make sure this Department has the wheels pointed in the correct direction. Troy Michaels our Assistant Adjutant is always finding ways to make this Department better and is always available when needed. Troy has also stepped into the role of ALR Advisor and has done a great job. Our Comptroller Kim Wert and Assistant Jeanette Harner keep the money straight which isn’t an easy task. Dawn Foster is a saint as she has dealt with the conversion to the national MyLegion membership program online and with the recent dues increase. Sharon Delancey in the mailroom and managing program registrations with proficiency for many years. Debbie Watson handles Emblem Sales and books all event hotel rooms with grace as a lot of our members don’t follow deadlines. Lisa Germann our receptionist and all around back up for anything that needs done has blossomed in her role. And lastly our newest staff member Lewis Jones as Activities Director has really made a difference running our activities such as baseball, golf and bowling tournaments, and has the additional role as the SAL Advisor for the Department. He has become a true asset to the Department.
In closing, I hope everyone in attendance at this 105th Department Convention has a pleasant time and a safe journey back home to share what you have learned with your Post. I hope to see you next year back here in Harrisburg.
