The monthly meeting of District 18 The American Legion will be held Friday, April 15th,

7:30 p.m., at Charter Cove Post 755, 20516 East Arrow Highway, Covina. Dinner precedes the meeting at 6:00 p.m. Reservations for dinner should be made by calling the Post at 626-966-7786.   Special guests for the evening will be all Past Commanders of District 18 and all Past Presidents of District 18 American Legion Auxiliary.

Another special guest will be Julio J. Jimenez of Reseda, 6^th Area Vice Chairman of Valley Forge Workshop, who will bring current information on the programs at Freedoms Foundation, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, a national institution dedicated to improving the understanding of the fundamentals of the American way of life as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  Posts in the San Gabriel Valley sponsor many local teachers each year to the workshops.

As long as our men and women are in harm’s way, The American Legion needs to be there for our heroes.   The Legion’s “Operation Comfort Warriors” program is dedicated to meeting the needs of wounded military personnel, providing patients at U.S. military hospitals and warrior transition units with items like sweat suits, DVDs, puzzles, electronic devices, books, calling cards and more, things not usually provided by the government.   Another important program centered on veterans returning from deployment is  “Heroes to Hometown” providing assistance to communities in recognizing the severely injured and assisting them to make the transition to community life, providing a support network they can access when needed.

April 5^th is also the deadline for all Boys State delegate forms to be in to Boys State Chairman Jim Cooper, with the Boys State Orientation Dinner scheduled for May 13^th at West Covina Post 790, 330 N Azusa Avenue, West Covina. Delegates will have an opportunity to meet other delegates from the high schools in the San Gabriel Valley and learn about what to expect when they arrive at Boys State in June, and the parents will get an insight into what Boys State is all about.  The first order of business is breakfast on arrival in Sacramento, with the next an opportunity to take the Bar Exam, mandatory for those intending to campaign for many of the positions in City, County and State government.