AMERICAN LEGION NATIONAL COMMANDER VISITS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The American Legion National Commander Jimmie Foster arrived in San Francisco December 10th. Foster, of Anchorage, Alaska, was elected September 2nd during the 92nd National Convention in Milwaukee. Born and raised on a farm, he attended and graduated from Northeastern A & M College in Miami, Oklahoma. Foster is a veteran of the Marine Corps., having served at Camp Pendleton and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.
The Commander visited several Southern California Posts, including Monterey Peninsula Post 41, Newport Harbor Post 291 and Pacific Palisades Post 283, where he was honored with formal dinners as aufblasbarer wasserpark he traveled around. After a tour of Department of California Headquarters in San Francisco, he toured Fort Miley and went on to Yountville where he toured the Yountville Veterans Home. After a major fundraising Thanksgiving weekend in l88l $40,000 was raised with another $20,000 coming in over the next two years, the Veterans’ Home at Yountville was founded on October 24, 1882. This Yountville home currently serves 1,200 veterans, including almost 150 women veterans and nearly 30 couples.
Foster also visited the Palo Alto VAMC and the following day traveled to Ontario to view the USO/Ontario which serves hundreds of military personnel coming in and out of the airport almost daily, providing a lounge, “quiet room” for veterans who just want to relax, computer room where they can “call home”, and children’s room. To be under construction shortly will be a shower facility for the use of our heroes.
Foster’s journey concluded with a visit to the West Los Angeles Veterans’ Hospital, Veterans’ Home and Veterans’ Campus. A special attraction there is the “Fisher House”, providing a “home away from home” for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. There are “Fisher Houses” at many of the VA facilities throughout the country, with members of The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary active in raising funds or serving as volunteers.
