SUPPORT FREEDOMS FOUNDATION AT VALLEY FORGE, AMVETS NATIONAL COMMANDER GARY L. FRY'S NATIONAL PROJECT FOR THE YEAR 2011-2012

To donate now, click here.

For more than 30 years, AMVETS has worked in partnership with the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge to deliver quality educational programs to youth and educators. These programs focus on adherence to our nation’s founding democratic principles, building a patriotic citizenry, and advancing active civic engagement.
As our military men and women stationed around the world continue to sacrifice for the protection of our democracy, our partnership with the Freedoms Foundation remains as important as ever.
A study conducted this year by the American Enterprise Institute found that our nation’s top educators ranked the importance of civics as highly as literacy and math. The civics education achievement gap was also discovered to be larger between advantaged and disadvantaged students than the achievement gap between these groups regarding reading and math.
This finding is a strong indicator that AMVETS is on the right track in supporting the civic education provided by the Freedoms Foundation. Thus, equally important is our support for the preservation and care of the wonderful Freedoms Foundation campus, which is visited annually by thousands of AMVETS members, students, educators, military leaders and civic leaders representing every state in the country.
Your contribution to the Commander's 2011-2012 Project will assist the maintenance and improvement of the dormitories, conference rooms, and common areas that are in constant use. Your support for these upgrades will also provide the opportunity to permanently recognize your AMVETS unit on the Freedoms Foundation Campus.
Represented below are the major needs and associated capital improvement
budget of $100,000:
$40,000 for central air conditioning for the Alexander Hamilton Student Dormitory;
$35,000 for central air conditioning for the General MacArthur Cafeteria and adult sleeping rooms located in the building;
$25,000 for refurbishment of the lobbies in the Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton Student Dormitories - both buildings are in need of new furniture, flooring, lighting and recreational equipment.
Donate today and plan to attend the 2012 AMVETS youth program in November, where the Freedoms Foundation will recognize donors to the Commander’s Project.
Beryl Love and the Freedoms Foundation staff are ready to assist Departments, Posts and individual donors who desire to participate in this fundraising mission. Together we can help the Freedoms Foundation accomplish its mission to educate and inspire our country’s future generations of civic leaders.
For more information, contact:
Beryl Love, AMVETS National Programs Director
Phone: (240) 832-7768
e-mail: blove@amvets.org

AMVETS Hosts 24th Spirit of America Youth Conference

Last weekend AMVETS hosted its 24th annual Spirit of America Youth Conference at Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. Ninety-one high school students from across the country attended the annual four-day conference, which highlights the workings of American government, the judicial system, and tenets of freedom.

The weekend's events kicked off with a seminar on the foundations of American liberty hosted by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson reenactors and a constitutional law seminar, where students learned hands-on about the rights and freedoms afforded through our nation's governing document.

Students also participated in a Medal of Honor workshop hosted by retired Army Maj. Gen. Wesley E. Craig and members of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

On Saturday, participants ventured into nearby Philadelphia to tour colonial landmarks such as Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Franklin Court and the Betsy Ross House. Students also visited the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center, where teams participated in a mock trial.

On Sunday morning, Junior ROTC students participating in the conference led their fellow participants in a flag ceremony.

Participants for the conference are often selected through the competitive AMVETS Americanism Essay Contest. First place department winners of the 9th grade essay contest receive an all-expense paid trip to the seminar. AMVETS posts and departments from around the country also have the opportunity to sponsor additional students between 10th and 12th grade who have exhibited exemplary conduct to participate in the conference.

(Photos: Top: Alexander Hamilton explains the founding fathers' vision to Spirit of America Youth Conference participants at Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Middle: Students apply the weekend's lessons in a mock trial at the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center. Bottom: JROTC cadets lead their fellow conference participants in a flag ceremony at Freedoms Foundation. Photos by Beryl Love.)

This Week at American Veteran: Veterans Day

This week at American Veteran, we will be preparing for Veterans Day--one of our nation's most revered holidays to our diverse veterans community. On Thursday, remember to thank a veteran (or as many veterans as you can) for their service to our nation.

Wednesday also marks the 235th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Below is the annual greeting from Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James F. Amos and Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlton W. Kent:



AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop will return from his Far East trip this week and join leaders from the nation's other leading veterans' groups at the White House for a special breakfast on the Veterans Day holiday. Later in the day, AMVETS leaders will make their way to Arlington National Cemetery for a ceremony to honor America's war heroes and to lay a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

This week, AMVETS will also continue to develop its legislative agenda for 2011, highlighting issues ranging from the VA claims backlog to polytraumatic brain injuries and the unique issues facing female service members and veterans. The new legislative agenda will be available before the new Congress comes to order in January.

As AMVETS continues to develop its report from this summer's Symposium for 21st Century Veterans, several issues have been wrapped into the broader legislative agenda to better serve veterans past and present.

AMVETS posts and departments around the country will also host Veterans Day events to honor America's heroes. We encourage all posts and departments to submit any photos or stories you may have from this year's Veterans Day so that we may highlight it on this blog and in the pages of American Veteran magazine.

Speaking of American Veteran magazine, be on the look-out for the must-anticipated fall issue in your mailboxes shortly. This fall, we sit down with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki to discuss his ongoing mission to transform VA into a 21st century, veteran-centric institution.

Last weekend, AMVETS also hosted its annual weekend retreat at Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where high school students who exemplified themselves through the AMVETS Americanism program came together to learn about American government, the founding fathers, and the principals that make our nation great. Students also had the opportunity to visit historic landmarks around nearby Philadelphia, such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We will bring you highlights in the coming days.

As always, we're eager to hear from you, so please feel free to comment on any of our posts and submit photos and stories that we can share on this blog.

To our fellow veterans and service members, happy Veterans Day and thank you for your sacrifices, past and present, in defense of our nation.

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will highlight AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin's recent visit to the Far East. On the recent visit, alongside AMVETS Ladies' Auxiliary National President Patty Piening, Miskulin visited with American troops stationed in South Korea, allied leaders in South Korea and the Republic of China (Taiwan), and visited the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii.

We will also discuss the recent AMVETS Americanism Program visit to the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, where 92 high school students from across the country came together to learn about American history, American government, and to visit historic landmarks in the original nation's capitol, Philadelphia.

American Veteran will also continue to follow developments on Capitol Hill, including Wednesday's hearing in the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs concerning veterans' employment. We will also keep you up to date on critical pending legislation, such as the VA budget for FY2010 and the Veterans' Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act, which is currently stalled in the Senate.

In recent weeks, AMVETS leaders have taken up the cause of Stolen Valor, which has become much more prevalent in the current conflicts. More and more reports have come into AMVETS National Headquarters in the last few months documenting incidents where people pose as decorated combat veterans in an effort to curry special treatment. AMVETS takes these accusations very seriously, considering the negative affects Stolen Valor can have on the legitimate veterans' community, which has earned reverence in our society through tremendous sacrifices.

In 2005, AMVETS supported strengthening the Stolen Valor Act beyond the Medal of Honor, meaning those who wear other unauthorized military decorations or otherwise pose as veterans for personal gain can be charged with a federal crime. American Veteran is following each of these incidents very closely--some of which have garnered national media attention--and we will keep you posted in the coming days.

As always, we're eager to hear from you and if you have a story you would like us to highlight on the blog, just let us know.

Freedoms Foundation National Awards Deadline Approaching

Submissions for the national awards of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge are due June, 1, 2009. To learn how to submit individuals or groups in your area and to learn about the awards' criteria, visit the National Awards page on the Freedoms Foundation Web site.

Every year, the Freedoms Foundation gives out awards to citizens and organizations around the country who exemplify the American spirit. The awards recognize contributions in six categories, ranging from community action to youth achievements.

In 2008, the AMVETS Americanism program at Gloucester Township Elementary School in Camden County, N.J., earned the Meritorious George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation in recognition of their sustained commitment to teaching the tenets of patriotism and community service.

AMVETS leaders, including National Commander John C. Hapner and New Jersey National Executive Committee Representative Barbara Horowitz were on hand to recognize the achievements of Gloucester Elementary. Hapner presented the principal of the school with a special proclamation on behalf of AMVETS, recognizing the school's sustained committment to Americanism.

To recognize the contributions of those in your community, send your submissions to the Freedoms Foundation before the June 1st deadline, which is approaching fast.

(Photos, Top: Students from Gloucester Township Elementary School's Americanism program take part in a special ceremony where Freedoms Foundation honored the school with its prestigious Meritorious George Washington Honor Medal. Bottom: AMVETS National Commander John C. Hapner presents Gloucester Elementary School principal Joseph Gentile with a proclamation from AMVETS, recognizing the school's Americanism program. Photos courtesy of Barbara Horowitz, AMVETS Department of New Jersey.)