Sons of The American Legion, Detachment of Texas

Detachment Membership Chairman's Report

April 17, 2024

Detachment is at 95.11% of the 100% National Goal of 5,783.

We have 28 days and we just need 283 by 5-15-2024 to make National's 100% Goal. We are almost there. Keep it going.

Thanks to SAL Division 2 CO Rolf Austin working with 7th District Squadrons 402 Livingston and 629 Coldspring who got registered to use MyLegion.org and in a single day went from a 0 Membership to being a 100% Squadron. This also got District 7 CO Jerry Renard to be a 100% District.

Congratulations to Division 2 - District for a job well done.

Please note that we have been updating the Membership Report with the * for the new 2025 SDRs after the Squadron Location/Name. You must contact ADJ Winkelmann at knwink@msn.com if you do not have the 2025 SDR for your Squadron. This is a "SQUADRON MUST DO ASAP".

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

April 15, 2024

Detachment is at 92.8% toward the 100% National Goal.

We have 30 days and just need 415 by 5-15-2024 to make goal.

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

April 11, 2024

Detachment Membership Reports are attached as of 4-11-2024. Detachment is at 92% National Goal. We just need 452 by 5-15-2024 for National's 100% Goal. We need your Squadron to help reach the 100% Goal as we did in 2023.

Look at your Squadron Counts and encourage to get their 100% Membership Award if they haven't. Double Check * after Squadron Name if your Squadron Data Report has been sent to Kevin Winkelmann and is on file at National.

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

April 10, 2024

Detachment is at 92% and climbing toward the 100% National Goal. We have 35 days and just need 465 by 5-15-2024.

Please reach out to your Members and encourage them to get renewed for 2024 before July 2024. Consider helping those members having difficulty and do it as Good of the Sons action item. With the economic hardships and just getting by, we may need to do extra helps to have a strong membership base when the Legion Report is presented in Washington this Fall.

Our Membership does mean something and it is very important. Since Congress considers our Volunteer Hours to be valued at at $31.80 per hour. So, report your hours to your Squadron; but remember, it only counts if you are a paid up Son for 2024.

We still have about 40 squadrons within 5 members to have a 100% Membership We now have 58 Squadrons out of 150 at 100% and 4 districts at 100% out of 22.

SDRs for 2025 are due ASAP sent to Kevin Winkelmann at his 9235 McDade - Houston, TX 77080 address per his Request for all Documents - SDR, election Certifications, CSR, et cetera.

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

April 9, 2024

Detachment is at 92% and climbing toward the 100% National Goal. We just need 469 by 5-15-2024. We have about 40 squadrons within 5 members to have a 100% Membership We now have 58 Squadrons out of 150 at 100% and 4 districts at 100% out of 22. We are getting closer and it is not the time to quit now. Just a few more and we have done it again. Our July Convention in Austin should be a great time to get together and celebrate our accomplishments for 2023-2024.

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

April 4, 2024

We are on our way to 100%. We need 512 to do it.

May 15th, 2024 is a very important date for us. It is the cutoff date at National for processing the 2025 SAL ID Cards. It is the drop dead date if no SDR is on file at National, too. Your Squadron must send National's new SDR ASAP as follows:

Kevin Winkelmann
9235 McDade
Houston, TX 77080

We must make the new SDR (Blue & White Legal Size 8.5x14 inch) " Data Report" a Number 1 Priority to get all of our Squadron SDRs done. Next year will be a disaster if we expect our Squadrons to hand-print their 2025 SAL Member ID Cards.

If the Squadron Number is in BOLD, then we have Bad Contact Information. If the Squadron Name is not followed by the *, then our Adjutant Winkelmann has not received the NEW SDR. The old one is no longer valid or will be accepted. Be it known that District 10 - CO Brad Pack's Squadrons are 100% SDRs.

Also, you will see the Squadrons that need less than 5 members to be 100%. Why can't they get a few more for their Special 2024 Membership Awards? Check with your Auxiliary Unit to see if they have young Sons (newborns - sons or grandsons who are eligible).

We have extended the Membership Awards date so we can keep encouraging our Squadrons to get their 100% Membership and be recognized at Convention. We now have 53 "100% Squadrons" out of 150 Squadrons and 4 Districts that are 100%, too. Our remaining Squadrons will be our last minute "Membership Heroes". If we are to get 100%, then it will happen if our Squadrons Buddy Check their Expired Members.

I apologize if what I am presenting offends anyone, but I must speak the numbers so we know the squadron challenges that we are facing to achieve our 2024 membership success. Here is a proposed Division action plan to get 100% by 5-15-2024 based on National's 100% Goal using Detachment's Goal numbers as follows:

-----------------Detachment--------Needed for-----Needed for
------------------100% Goal--------Det. Goal------Nat'l. Goal
1st DIV------------2144 -------------- 358 --------------191
2nd DIV-----------1579 -------------- 273 --------------147
3rd DIV------------1667 -------------- 222 --------------119
4th DIV-------------678 --------------- 101 ---------------55
================================================
All ---------------- 6,068--------------- 954 ------------ 512 by 5-15-2024

Look at your non-100% Squadrons on the EXCEL spreadsheet and see which ones you think can make the extra effort to get their Expired to renew for 2024 so we get the Needed for National's 100% Goal by Division. We are so close now. Buddy Check your Expired Members. You may be surprised how they respond to a friendly phone call or email or text or letter. Try it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Time to Stand & Deliver". Thank you Sons of Texas for all you have done.

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

April 1, 2024

89.9% of National Goal. 04-01-2024 Reports are attached. 9 Days to get 6 more to make National's 90% Goal before 4-10-2024. The 100% National Target Date is 5-15-2024. We need 584 to get the 100% National Membership Goal.

Must get our 2025 SDRs in on time. The Membership Report does have the * after the squadron's name to identify those squadrons who have the new SDR on file. This is a very important "Squadron To Do for APRIL". Not a last minute thing. Should be done ASAP - must get it sent to Kevin Winkelmann, 9235 McDade, Houston, TX 77080. Then check Membership Spreadsheet to track SDRs for your divisions and districts and squadrons.

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

March 28, 2024

To All Detachment of Texas Sons,

Membership Reports as of 03-28-2024, Detachment of Texas is at 88.2%. We need 103 members to meet 90% Goal by 04-10-2024. We need 681 for 100% by the 05-15-2024 National Target Date which is the cutoff date for any new 2024 members to have their 2025 ID Cards printed by National.

CRTICAL FYI - Squadrons must have their new SDR "Blue and White Form" on file at National before the 5-15-2024 Cutoff Date. Please contact your District-Division Commanders ASAP if your Squadron has not received it. Due to the time sensitive nature of the SDR when you mail it, make sure it is mailed as follows to:

Kevin Winkelmann
Detachment of Texas Adjutant
9235 McDade
Houston, TX 77080

Once our Adjutant receives it, then the * will be put on the Membership Report after Squadron Name that let's you know that your SDR has been filed. Also, once Kevin receives your Certification of Squadron Officers for 2024-2025; then you will receive your printed 2025 SAL Member ID Cards in July-August 2024 to start renewing your members for 2025. Hide original message

Also, be aware that the Texas SAL PUFL is being proposed to have National be the Administrator of all SAL PUFLs. You should seriously consider the advantages of becoming a TX SAL PUFL no later than May 2024. It is expected our prices will double; or be increased more. The PUFL Form is on saltexas.org in the Membership Section where the Membership Reports are posted. Be sure to follow the PUFL directions.

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee Chairman Clifton Guillory PDC and S.A.L. Commanders: 1st Division Lewis Elam, 2nd Division Rolf Austin, 3rd Division John Jellison, and 4th Division Ken Dorset

March 22, 2024

Still 87%. Reports are attached for Districts and Squadrons.

For 90% Goal, we need 170. For 100%, we need 748 more Members.

Sincerely - Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

March 22, 2024

As of 03-21-2024 the Detachment Goals Membership Reports . We are almost 87%. Getting closer every day. We need 194 by 4-10-2024 to make the 90% National Goal and 772 for 100% by 5-15-2024. We should focus our time and energy on 100% and the 90% will happen as a result of going after National's 100% Goal.

We do not want to be recognized as Nagging our volunteer leadership but our Membership Numbers are part of the Consolidated Squadron Report and this is how the American Legion can influence our politicians to provide benefits for our Veterans and Military Men and Women. We, the Division Commanders of the Membership Committee, hope that our Districts and Squadrons know how important their membership efforts are and be a positive support for our Members as we work our Membership and 4-Pillar Programs. We are a Team and we do care about all of our members.

Realizing that our 100% Squadrons have done as much as they can do, it really has to come from the Squadrons who are not 100% yet. By removing the 100% Squadrons and portioning out the 772 by what each Division could try to do as a a team effort so we can get National's 100% Target by 5-15-2024 is as follows:

1st Division's 29 Squadrons could do as their part 226. (for TX Goal needs 307)

2nd Division's 27 Squadrons could do as their part 202. (for TX Goal needs 273)

3rd Division's 30 Squadrons could do as their part 191. (for TX Goal needs 258)

4th Division's 14 Squadrons could do as their part 153. (for TX Goal needs 207)

Of course, this is a division membership estimate of the squadrons who have not made their 100% Squadron Goal based on the Detachment Goal of 6,056 which is higher than National's Goal of 5,783 for SAL Texas.

There are plenty of EXPIREDS out there to be contacted about Renewing. MyLegion.org has the SAL Renewal Member Letters personalized for each Squadron Member. They only need to be Printed and Mailed. I like using the Phone and Email to contact members. It has worked very successfully for Squadron 453 and 5th District these past 3 years. District 3 has used this and they have had successful membership results. It works.

Be nice and show understanding as we reach out to our Sons. We must give it our best shot to get as many of our Expired Members to Renew for 2024.

Hope the above information helps us

Sincerely - Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

March 19, 2024

Reports as of 3-19-2024 are attached. We need 225 to get 90% before April 10th, 2024. Detachment needs 803 to be 100% by May 15, 2024. We have over 800 1st year 2023 members who have not renewed in 2024. Please renew. We need you.

Sincerely - Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

March 18, 2024

03-18-2024 Membership Reports are attached. We got past 85% finally. I looked over the Texas SAL Roster and identified almost 1,500 2024 EXPIRED SAL Members who were paid up in 2023 but have not RENEWED for 2024. Why?

We have 150 Squadrons and 31 are Delinquent. The Report shows as they are Highlighted. If you have less than 10 Paid 2024 SAL members, then that Squadrons are Delinquent. Do we all understand that this a serious matter? A squadron loses their Convention participation and voting privileges.

Another observation is that we have squadrons that can be "100% Squadrons". They only need 5 or less to be a 100% Squadron. This is a very worthy recognition honor.

These are just facts and it is up to you how you may respond and handle it. If we are not aware, then how can we do our best as Sons of The American Legion?

Okay, enough said. We still have some time to give our dedicated attention to complete our membership journey. It is critical that we get 100% SDRs turned in NOW, and Certification of Squadrons as soon as elections are done. The last big ticket item is the Consolidated Report "CSR" in May that shows Congress that we have fulfilled our Charters' promises on behalf of our Veterans and our Community, State, and Nation. These are attached too with a Checklist. Please pass these on to your District and Squadron Commanders.

All three of these Documents must be sent on time to Kevin Winkelmann, Detachment of Texas Adjutant, P.O. Box 140527, Austin, TX 78714. They can be Emailed if you choose to Knwink@MSN.com .

We can do this. It may seem hard to do but it is easy as 1-2-3. The Membership Committee is ready to assist and help to see that are Squadrons are 100%.

Sincerely - Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

Blue White Membership Report

Detachment Membership Spreadsheet

Certification of Officers Form

Consolidated Report Form

District- Squadron Action Items Checklist

Sincerely - Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

March 16, 2024

Membership Report of 3-15-2024 shows Districts 3, 5, 11 and 21 at 100% Districts. We also have 4 Squadrons that reached 100% as of this report. Congratulations to 231 Pottsboro, 291 San Leon, 453 Love Field Dallas, and 554 League City.

We have 47 Squadrons who have made 100% 2024 Membership Goal. Awesome!

We still have quite a few Squadrons who need less than 5 and could be 100%ers, too.

Hanging at 85% and need 259 to get 90% by 4-10-2024. So close. Keep 'em coming.

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee
Chairman Clifton Guillory PDC
Members Lewis Elam 1st, Rolf Austin 2nd, John Jellison 3rd, & Ken Dorsett 4th

March 15, 2024

To the Sons of the Detachment of Texas,

Looking at the Detachment Membership Reports as of 03-13-2024 as posted on SALtexas.org, we just got 85% but we are needing 289 to make the 90% Target set for 4-10-2024. We will need 867 to make our 100% Goal set for 5-15-2024. We have plenty of EXPIREDs (over 1400 from 2023) to reach out to and help make our Membership Goals.

The Squadrons who are less than 10 paid 2024 members are highlighted and are Delinquent Squadrons. Division 1 has 7 Delinquent Squadrons; Division 2 has 11; Division 3 has 8; and Division 4 has 4. These Squadrons are Delinquent and not in "Good Standing". This must be checked out and action taken to remedy this so they are compliant with the required 10 paid member requirements of squadron membership.

We should be more concerned about our expired Sons members which is a disturbing number of over 1,400 EXPIRED which is why some Squadrons are delinquent and some Squadrons do not make their 100% goal.

Here's the Detachment Membership Numbers to help us better understand the EXPIRED Sons Impact:

2023 Paid 5670 subtract 2024 Renewals 4179 = 1491 EXPIRED SONs of which 831 were new 2023 Members and the rest are 660 who were 2023 Renewals who decided not to renew in 2024. Altogether, there are 4131 total who have expired since 2018. These large numbers tells us that we are not Retaining our members. Why?

At this time, we also have 737 NEW which is way over at 652.2% the 113 we needed for 2024. Recruiting is not our problem. It is Renewals that make the difference. We need to get better at getting our Sons to Renew.

Thom Skelley has told us over and over that we must have MET's "Membership Engagement Teams" to work with our new members about who the Sons are and encouraging our new Sons to participate and be involved. Does your Squadron do MET type activities?

We must be "Engagement Leaders". PDC Bill Kuehner is putting together a Leadership Training Program to address Leadership Effectiveness. Please be aware and support Bill's efforts to help us make a difference. We must avoid being "Take it, or Leave it" Leaders. He hopes to do this at our Detachment Fall DEC this September, 2024 in Austin, TX.

At our Annual Detachment Convention in July, I will be presenting MyLegion.org Training on how to Register and How to Best Use It.

The 2025 Membership Year demands will necessitate it's use by our squadrons. Our Squadrons will be the Primary Users and this is designed to be our tool to manage our Squadron Rosters, Transmittals, Communicate messages, and submitting Reports.

Also, be aware that the SDRs are due now and must be sent to Detachment Adjutant Kevin Winkelmann at P.O. Box 140527, Austin, TX 78714. Don't forget the Squadron Certifications must be sent in to Kevin directly after your upcoming Officer Elections or you will not receive your 2025 SAL ID Cards in June-July 2024 to start the 2025 Renewals in July-August 2024.

Sincerely

Lewis "Catfish" Elam
1st Division SAL Commander
5th District Commander
Squadron453 Commander
Member of the Detachment of Texas Membership Committee
Detachment Convention City Chairman

March 5, 2024

Updated are the Detachment Membership Reports as of 3-5-2024. The 3-13-2024 80% Goal is done. We need 371 more members to get to the 90% National Goal set for 4-10-2024. We can do it.

We still have several squadrons that are so close to being 100%. You can contact your EXPIRED Members. You can ask Auxiliary Members about their Sons and Grandsons. Ask Legion Members about being a Dual Member to make your 100% Squadron Goal. You might get more participation.

Communication is the best tool to get things done. We will only get out what we put into membership. Why are there so many EXPIRED? Call them. Our Sons are the key for us to accomplish our goals every year. No Son left behind.

Sincerely

Lewis Elam
Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

March 1, 2024

We have 2 new 100% Squadrons. Congratulations to CO Nix of Troup SQ 418 and CO Terry of McAllen SQ 37.

Let your non-renewed members know the value and importance of their Son's Membership. There are reasons why some have not renewed and it may be a simple friendly encouragement, "We need you". Remember, if you need just a few new members, then reach out to the Auxiliary Members for Sons or Grandsons.

This is a moment that does require a little extra effort to reach out to our non-renewed 2023 Members to get their Active Status back for 2024. The last date is June 30th, 2024 if EXPIRED STATUS.

We have some time. The next big target is the 100% Goal set for 5-15-2024.

Come on. We busted the 100% Goal in 2023 and we can do it again.

Strength in Numbers

Sincerely

Lewis Elam
Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

February 27, 2024

Check out the updated Membership Reports as of 02-27-2024. FYI - there are several squadrons that need only 5 or less 2024 paid members to receive their 100% Membership Recognition Awards. All squadrons can be recognized as a 100% Membership Squadron once you make your 2024 membership Goal.

We all want to give it our very best efforts for our squadron's membership. We did over 100% last year and we can do it again. Please contact your members who have not renewed.

Your District/Division Officers are there to help if you need assistance with your squadron or have questions.

Sincerely

Lewis Elam
Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

February 26, 2024

We are still on track as a Detachment. If we can get our squadrons who are below 10 members, then we can make the 90% Goal before 4-10-2024. Detachment needs 481 to make the 90% National Goal before 4-10-2024. The yellow section on page 4 lower right area shows where are Divisions are for 2024.

This information is to help us see what our district-squadrons need to do so our Divisions are on track for our Detachment Goals. This shows us where our numbers are so we can Buddy Check our District Officers to do their Squadron Officer Buddy Checks as we communicate the values of membership. Use flying the U.S. Flag by our S.A.L. Members at their residences to get Line 18 Community Service Hours for their CSRs in May 2024. The Sons have to be paid up for 2024 to get these hours counted. Our members have value and they need to know that. Every Son counts.

We still have squadrons that are not certified. Adjutant Winkelmann said they still have several boxes of Squadron Membership Cards at HDQ Austin. Why? Are these the Uncertified 0 Squadrons? Something to check out.

HDQ mailed out a Large White Envelope that had each Squadron's Data Report Form. Check your Blue Directory Book to verify your Squadron's Address and that was where it was sent. As soon as possible, be sure to Mail/FAX/Email in this recent Blue and White SDR Form to:

Kevin Winkelmann
Texas Detachment Adjutant
P.O. Box 140527
Austin, Texas 78714
FAX 512-472-0603
EMAIL knwink@msn.com

Trust this is helpful to you as we all close in on our membership goals for 2024.

Sincerely

Lewis Elam
Detachment of Texas Membership Committee

February 22, 2024

Attached are the Membership Report updates as of 2-22-2024. Our next update will be Monday, 2-26-2024.

Thank you Squadrons for helping our Detachment surpass the 80% Goal early set for 3-13-2024. The next Target Date is 4-10-2024 for the 90% Goal and we need 512 members. So, let's do it again.

Detachment of Texas Membership Committee Chairman Guillory PDC and Committee Members Elam 1st, Austin 2nd, Jellison 3rd, and Dorsett 4th

February 21, 2024

A message to those members who has yet to renew.

Renewing your membership in a great veteran service organization is important for several reasons:

1. Camaraderie and Support: Being part of a veteran service organization such as the Sons of The American Legion provides a sense of community and support from others who have shared similar experiences. Renewing your membership allows you to maintain these connections and continue benefiting from the support network.

2. Advocacy and Representation: Veteran service organizations often advocate for veterans� rights and interests on local, state, and national levels. By renewing your membership, you contribute to the collective voice of veterans and help ensure that their needs are heard and addressed by policymakers.

3. Access to Resources and Benefits: Many veteran service organizations offer a range of resources and benefits to their members, including assistance with healthcare, education, employment, and financial support. Renewing your membership allows you to continue supporting these valuable resources.

4. Continued Engagement and Opportunities: Veteran service organizations often organize events, activities, and programs aimed at promoting veterans� well-being, fostering personal growth, and providing opportunities for continued service and leadership. Renewing your membership enables you to stay engaged and take advantage of these opportunities.

5. Tradition and Legacy: By renewing your membership, you honor the legacy of those who have served before you and continue the tradition of supporting and advocating for veterans. It�s a way to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed for their country and ensure that their contributions are remembered and honored.

Overall, renewing your membership in The Sons of The American Legion is not just about maintaining a subscription�it�s about staying connected, supporting each other, and making a positive impact in the lives of veterans and their families.

Clifton J Guillory,
Detachment of Texas Membership Chairman

February 21, 2024

"We only need 97 to get 80% by 3-13-2024. We have a month to Wow! Someone is "Doing Membership". We are at 81% and beat the 3-13-2024 National Target Date; however, please look at the Membership Report's 4th Page to see where your Division stands in the Yellow Box, and then check on your District and Squadron member numbers you might need to get the 80%, 90%, and 100% Goals. Thanks to several Squadrons, Districts, and especially Division 3 that helped our Detachment of Texas get the 80% National Goal early. But, we do have some other squadrons that are behind on goal.

Also, special thanks to those district and squadron leaders who heard the Membership Call to Arms and reached out to their Sons of 2023 to get them renewed for 2024 and made their 2024 100% Goal. Now we all must go after the 90% Goal set for 4-10-2024. The party is just getting started. Time to keep the fire going and turn on the jets and go after the 100% set for May 15th, 2024, too.

I know it is not always good to keep pressing our leadership about membership, but the Membership Committee can't ignore that we have Delinquent Squadrons when they cannot even come up with the required 10 paid members. Their unpaid Members are not in "Good Standing" and their Squadrons are Delinquent and cannot participate at District Meetings; or any DEC's, or Conventions. This is not a good thing.

It is a concern that some members have not renewed for 2024. Why? Are they waiting on someone to discuss renewing to show that we care and need them as we needed them in 2023 so the Legion can make a strong presentation to Washington each Fall? Absolutely!

District and Squadron Leadership should keep Buddy Checking and let the Sons of Texas know how valuable and important membership is to show our support for our veterans and military. We know that Renewing for 2024 makes a Big Statement to Congress when we expect them to do their part.

Effective Leadership takes time. We must take some time to reach all of the Sons of Texas. Yes, we have http://www.SALtexas.org so you can see how our membership is doing. Using phone calls, Face-to-Face, Emails, and Renewal Letters helps. Time, personal money, and distances are some of our enemies. But we must be unstoppable and not give up. We can all be Membership Guardians for our Texas Detachment. Please get others you know who care like we do that will seek out our Missing 2023 Sons who have not renewed.

Thom Skelly was "right-on" when he said we would have to fire it up and push more strongly with our membership efforts and activities. Using MyLegion.org can be a great tool and make Membership Activities be more easily successful. Why do you think National has implemented that Sons can go online and pay their dues to National and not their Squadrons? Isn't it obvious? Our Squadrons must reach out to their Members; or someone else will do it for you.

Membership Committee depends on you because you are the ones who must share with us this membership task. Our Membership Report numbers tells it like it is; which squadrons need our encouragement and assistance.

Your Membership Committee is concerned about the "Below 10 Members" Squadrons. Committee is aware that there are Squadrons that only need a few more 2024 Renewals and they would be 100%. If your Squadron is so close; then just do it.

The Auxiliary is a great source of young sons or grandsons that are easily added to the Sons since Mother or Grandmother are already vetted. If you need a few more, then let the Auxiliary help you out. You do know that National has a 100% Membership Post Award for when all the Post Entities are 100%? Check it out.

Remember, please complete the special Blue & White SDR Form you might have received recently and get it to Detachment Kevin Winkelmann ASAP. Don't forget all Squadrons still have to do the standard SDR FORM for upcoming Membership Year 2025, too. He sent an Email about this. Send both of these to Adjutant Kevin Winkelmann.

Ask the Master of Might to help us. Love you Guys. Hope to see you this weekend in Harker Heights for Detachment Commander Fowler's Home Coming.

Sincerely
Lewis Elam
Vice Commander Division 1
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

February 20, 2024

"We only need 97 to get 80% by 3-13-2024. We have a month to Wow! Someone is "Doing Membership". We are at 81% and beat the 3-13-2024 National Target Date; however, please look at the Membership Report's 4th Page to see where your Division stands in the Yellow Box, and then check on your District and Squadron member numbers you might need to get the 80%, 90%, and 100% Goals. Thanks to several Squadrons, Districts, and especially Division 3 that helped our Detachment of Texas get the 80% National Goal early. But, we do have some other squadrons that are behind on goal.

Also, special thanks to those district and squadron leaders who heard the Membership Call to Arms and reached out to their Sons of 2023 to get them renewed for 2024 and made their 2024 100% Goal. Now we all must go after the 90% Goal set for 4-10-2024. The party is just getting started. Time to keep the fire going and turn on the jets and go after the 100% set for May 15th, 2024, too.

I know it is not always good to keep pressing our leadership about membership, but the Membership Committee can't ignore that we have Delinquent Squadrons when they cannot even come up with the required 10 paid members. Their unpaid Members are not in "Good Standing" and their Squadrons are Delinquent and cannot participate at District Meetings; or any DEC's, or Conventions. This is not a good thing.

It is a concern that some members have not renewed for 2024. Why? Are they waiting on someone to discuss renewing to show that we care and need them as we needed them in 2023 so the Legion can make a strong presentation to Washington each Fall? Absolutely!

District and Squadron Leadership should keep Buddy Checking and let the Sons of Texas know how valuable and important membership is to show our support for our veterans and military. We know that Renewing for 2024 makes a Big Statement to Congress when we expect them to do their part.

Effective Leadership takes time. We must take some time to reach all of the Sons of Texas. Yes, we have http://www.SALtexas.org so you can see how our membership is doing. Using phone calls, Face-to-Face, Emails, and Renewal Letters helps. Time, personal money, and distances are some of our enemies. But we must be unstoppable and not give up. We can all be Membership Guardians for our Texas Detachment. Please get others you know who care like we do that will seek out our Missing 2023 Sons who have not renewed.

Thom Skelly was "right-on" when he said we would have to fire it up and push more strongly with our membership efforts and activities. Using MyLegion.org can be a great tool and make Membership Activities be more easily successful. Why do you think National has implemented that Sons can go online and pay their dues to National and not their Squadrons? Isn't it obvious? Our Squadrons must reach out to their Members; or someone else will do it for you.

Membership Committee depends on you because you are the ones who must share with us this membership task. Our Membership Report numbers tells it like it is; which squadrons need our encouragement and assistance.

Your Membership Committee is concerned about the "Below 10 Members" Squadrons. Committee is aware that there are Squadrons that only need a few more 2024 Renewals and they would be 100%. If your Squadron is so close; then just do it.

The Auxiliary is a great source of young sons or grandsons that are easily added to the Sons since Mother or Grandmother are already vetted. If you need a few more, then let the Auxiliary help you out. You do know that National has a 100% Membership Post Award for when all the Post Entities are 100%? Check it out.

Remember, please complete the special Blue & White SDR Form you might have received recently and get it to Detachment Kevin Winkelmann ASAP. Don't forget all Squadrons still have to do the standard SDR FORM for upcoming Membership Year 2025, too. He sent an Email about this. Send both of these to Adjutant Kevin Winkelmann.

Ask the Master of Might to help us. Love you Guys. Hope to see you this weekend in Harker Heights for Detachment Commander Fowler's Home Coming.

Sincerely
Lewis Elam
Vice Commander Division 1
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

February 13, 2024

"We only need 97 to get 80% by 3-13-2024. We have a month to go.

Reports are attached as of 2-13-2024. Keep Buddy Checking your Districts and Squadrons and Members.

Congratulations, Districts 3 and 21 are 100% Districts.

The following Districts are very close to getting 100%:

5th District needs 33. District 8 needs 24. District 11 needs 39. District 10 needs 28. District 14 needs 41. District 20 needs 1. District 17 needs 36.

Squadrons that are close to being 100% and members needed:

DIVISION 1
DIST 1: SQ 243 - 10, SQ 248 - 5, SQ 267 - 7
DIST 3: SQ 353 - 10, SQ 418 - 1
DIST 4: SQ 21 - 9, SQ 29 - 8, SQ 62 - 7, SQ 165 - 5, SQ 517-11
DIST 5: SQ 81 - 2, SQ 424 - 6
DIST 12: SQ 516 - 2, SQ 569 - 7
DIST 13: SQ 120 - 7, SQ 169 - 4, SQ 198 - 3, SQ 220 - 6

DIVISION 2
DIST 2: SQ 49 - 9, SQ 393 - 7
DIST 6: SQ 159 - 1
DIST 7: SQ 85 - 3, SQ 134 - 4
DIST 8: SQ 127 - 10, SQ 499 - 8, SQ 560 - 3, SQ 644 - 4
DIST 11: SQ 55 - 6, SQ 322 - 7, SQ 573 - 9
DIST 22: SQ 164 - 10, SQ 472 - 7, SQ 490 - 7, SQ 521 - 2

DIVISION 3
DIST 9: SQ 89 - 5, SQ 554 - 3
DIST 10: SQ 76 - 2, SQ 83 - 1, SQ 177 - 5, SQ 242 - 3
DIST 14: SQ 179 - 7, SQ 363 - 1, SQ 364 - 6, SQ 369 - 1
DIST 15: SQ 37 - 5, SQ 43 - 2, SQ 93 - 5, SQ 172 - 9, SQ 439 - 1
DIST 19: SQ 143 - 3, SQ 392 - 6
DIST 20: SQ 2 - 5, SQ 309 - 8, SQ 579 - 5

DIVISION 4
DIST 16: SQ 58 - 5, SQ 119 - 4, SQ 339 - 1, SQ 598 - 2
DIST 17: SQ 163 - 2, SQ 227 - 2
DIST 18: SQ 575 - 9, SQ 635 - 2
DIST 21: SQ 410 - 2

These are so close to being 100%. A phone call goes a long, long way. I know we are all working. Driving to meetings as I have done and making phone calls. We need over 1200 members to bust 100% for 2024.

Hope the above lists helps us to know who to call to get us closer to 100%. This is a team effort. We can do it."

Sincerely
Lewis Elam
Vice Commander Division 1
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

November 9, 2023

Mr. Chairman, I had several Squadron Division duties that caused me to complete update late during the night. I see your report on saltexas.org is dated 10-25-2023. Will this one be posted for our members soon? I am getting questioned why this is not more current.

I thought it best to include the Committee so they could review and communicate with their Division Staff concerning their squadron membership situations.

As I looked over the updated numbers, I see there might be some actions that might need to be taken to address how we accomplish the next 2 Target Goals of 45% in December and 60% in January. Thom Skelley expressed his concerns about how the upcoming holiday season can make our membership efforts more challenging. Of course, there are other things that will impact us for sure.

I trust my fellow committee members see how the numbers are telling us how we should proceed these next months. There are still too many Zero Squadrons. Hopefully, we can get this addressed so we can focus on other membership needs and expectations.

Sincerely,
Lewis Elam
Vice Commander Division 1
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

August 23, 2023

Our 2024 TX SAL Membership Report will be sent out another day.

Thank you again for the great job you all did throughout the year. I know Commander Guillory really appreciates it too.

Remember the importance of Certifications and SDRs. They can be emailed or mailed to Kevin Winkelmann/Mamie Hughes. This will make life a lot easier for everyone.

Thank you,

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

July 10, 2023

We have another membership report. This will probably be the last report for this week.

I want to thank everyone for being patient with me. I know some of you think the numbers should be different, but I take the numbers off the Detachment site. I just report the news, I don't make it. I would like to thank everyone for getting on board and going to the tenth inning to make Commander Guillory proud. In my year I was so proud of all the hard work the division commanders, district commanders and squadron commanders did. However, Membership is EVERYONE's JOB!! So thank you!

We do have another goal to reach by 07-26-23. 105%. Can we do it? I believe we CAN! Let's go for it!

Remember, SERVICE, NOT SELF

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

July 7, 2023

We are still going strong! Continue on and reach out to anyone else you can think of. As of July 3rd, Texas is at 101.29% of the year end goal. That translates to 206 more members to reach the 105% target by July 26th. ONLY 206 more members and we'll be there!

Thank you everyone for your hard work!! Persistence and diligence pays off!

There should be one more membership report before our department convention next week.

Remember to turn in your updated Certification of Squadron form, your SDRs and CSRs. CSRs are very important. Let's capture your hours from all of your hard work throughout the year. Please send this information to Kevin first and then he will forward to National.

Thank you! Thank you! Keep moving forward.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

June 12, 2023

We're still turning in membership! Let's keep up the good work!

We need 37 more to reach 100%. How about reaching the 105% goal by 07-26-23? Do you think we can do that? I know we can. We need 315 more members to reach that goal. Keep up the buddy checks. Contact everyone you can think of -- family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. The list goes on and on. Remember to keep applications in your wallet. Be ready. Keep on keeping on!!! Let's do it! Continue to work it hard!! We're almost there!!squadrons.

Not Self.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

May 25, 2023

It may sound like a broken record--Let's keep reaching out to those who need to renew and any others that show interest. Remember to always have an application with you. With the holiday weekend, keep your eyes and ears open.

We have to capture the last minute renewals, especially in order to keep continuous years. Please do not hold any memberships; turn in everything you have.

Thank you for all that you do. Continue on and contact the squadrons.

Service, Not Self.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

May 20, 2023

Detachment Commander Guillroy and Past Detachment Commander Arista need your help.

According to our last report from the Midwest Membership Committee, Texas did not reach our 100% goal, which was due on 05-17-23. We needed 184 more to reach that goal; we were at 96.70% on that date. So we are going to continue on and keep reaching out to everyone we know. We're at the bottom of the ninth inning and we need some hits.

Congratulations to League City Squadron #554. You reached 100%. Way to go.

Thank you for all your hard work. Keep it up!

Service, Not Self.Tom Arista

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

May 5, 2023

We are doing some high jumpin' !! Way to go! Some squadrons have gone from a low spot on the numerical scale to waaaaay up there! Keep up the good work.

Reading the report from our Midwest Membership Committee Chair dated May 1, Texas is at 94.43%. Our next goal is on May 17th.....and we should be at 100%. Is that possible? Yes, it is. Texas needs 310 more renewals or new members to get there. Keep shaking the trees. Leave no stone unturned. Think outside the box. Continue doing your buddy checks. Some squadrons are so close.

Thank you for everything you do.continue!!

Thank you for everything you do.

Service, Not Self.Tom Arista

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

April 27, 2023

The latest membership report from national states that Texas is at 90.59%, as of April 24th. Texas did not reach the 90% goal by April 19th but we are there now! Our next membership goal to reach is 100% on May 17th. Let's continue to contact those who have not renewed. It sounds like a broken record, doesn't it? But--that happens to be the best way to find out how our SAL members are doing; we will never know until we contact them. This is so important, not only for renewals but also to see how they are doing. Do they have any needs? Has their health been ok? Remember, we all joined for a reason. There are a few more months in our membership year. Just keep up the good work.

CONGRATULATIONS to District 19 Commander, Herb Fish, and his team for reaching 100% membership. This is the 2nd district who has achieved this goal. There are so many other districts who are soooo close to reaching their goal. Come on!! Let's continue!!

Thank you for everything you do.

Service, Not Self.Tom Arista

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

April 17, 2023

Come on Texas! We can do it! Texas is at 89.13% as of April 13th. Keep on working on renewals and new members. Buddy checks are always important.

April 19th is the next goal and coming up very soon. Can we reach 90%? I believe we can. We are so close! Let's continue on. I need some rock stars out there!

Thank you for everything you do. Remember: Service, not self.

Tom Arista

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

April 7, 2023

As of April 5th Texas is at 85.19%. We are getting there! It takes a little more time and energy to continue on to reach our new goal, doesn't it? Let's work a little harder and reach out a little more often. Our next goal to reach is 90.00% on April 19th. We still have about a week and a half left to reach that goal. Yes, I do know you can do it.

Some of your posts may be having Easter meals & Easter egg hunts sometime over the weekend. There may be family members that are visiting relatives & friends and spending some time at your post. Be ready with membership applications. You may have some potential new members visiting and hopefully it will be a time for your current members to renew.

Thank you for everything you do. Continue to reach out to others.

Tom Arista

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

March 31, 2023

This is our latest membership report. We are getting there! Continue to call members who have not renewed their membership -- keep in touch. If they have already been called, let's contact them again to make sure they are ok. Our next target date is April 19th; we need to be at 90% by that date. I do believe we can get there and for those who are already at that point, continue moving forward. Remember to think outside the box too.

Great job!!! A special congratulations to Rockport and Alpine squadrons making 100%. The numbers are talking!! Take a look at the spreadsheet and figure out how many more members you need for 100%...It's really not that many more for a lot of squadrons. For those who are trailing behind, keep in contact with your members. There may be some possible new members out there too -- just ask!

I appreciate everything you are doing!

Tom Arista

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

March 23, 2023

This is our latest TX SAL membership report. Thank you to all who have helped with renewals and new members. Texas is at 80.7% as of March 20th. Our next target date of 90% is on April 19th. Now it's time to really get serious. As time goes on it will be more difficult to reach our goals--but we can do it!! To all Division, District, Squadron Commanders -- Continue to reach out to those who have not renewed. Let's keep up the good work!

Thank you,

Tom Arista

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

March 16, 2023

Tomorrow is our 80% target date. The Detachment of Texas came in at 79.28% as of National's report on 03-13-23. That is so close! Let's keep working on renewals and new members. I know we can do it! Everyone is doing a great job! Keep it up!

Thank you,

Tom Arista

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

March 7, 2023

This is the latest report from department. We really need to As of March 2nd, Texas is at 76.91% We need to reach 80% by our target date of March 15th. Come on - let's keep moving forward. Continue to think outside the box. Make some more phone calls. Visit. Make sure no squadron is holding memberships.

Oh and by the way, March 15th, our next target date, is The American Legion BIRTHDAY!!

Thank you division and district commanders for working so har

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

February 27, 2023

This is the latest report from department. We really need to think out of the box. Look at your roster and see who has continuous membership for five years or more. Concentrate on them. Call them. Send them a card. They do not want to lose their membership. Do any of your members have a new grandchild? Has anyone moved into your area that has visited your post? What is that saying: Just Ask! I heard a story over the weekend that was a great example. All it took was one person who just asked someone to join--and they did. They had been around the post but no one ever asked. Check your legionnaires too; they may qualify.

Division Commanders, check up on your District Commanders. District Commanders, check up on your squadrons. Talk to them. Visit them.

Remember our next goal is 80% by March 15th. There are a few detachments that are already there. Let's just keep moving forward.

Thank you for everything you do.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

February 22, 2023

Sorry to say Texas missed our 75.00% membership goal. We were close though. Let's keep on working and contacting our members for renewals and continue reaching out for new members.

Congratulations to 5th district, the first district to reach 100%.

Our next goal is 80.00% by March 15th. Keep up the good work!

Thank you for everything you do.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

February 8, 2023

Good afternoon. I hope all of you survived our "winter". That's one thing about Texas--you never know what the weather is going to do from one week to another.

The Detachment of Texas is at 71.11% as of February 6th. The target is for us to be at 75.00% by February 15th. That is next week. Is it possible? YES!! I don't doubt it at all. Let's keep contacting our members and see what is going on. Continue with buddy checks to make sure everyone is ok.

Thank you for all your hard work--but keep it up!

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

January 30, 2023

Hello Texas! I hope all are safe and well. And warm. Some have not been going to work due to the weather - and now it's cabin fever time.

Our membership continues to climb. As of Jan 30th, Texas is at 69.24%. Our next target date is on Feb 15th, with a goal of 75.00%. We can do this! It's crunch time. I hate to put the pressure on, but we need to think out of the box. What about buddy checks? Let's find them. Ask their family where they may be. Go to where they are--where do they hang out? If you need to knock on doors, knock on doors. Let's make sure they are alright. They may need some assistance; reach out to them. Look at your roster--who has been a member three years plus? There was a reason they joined--they're honoring someone.

Let's work together and continue to reach our goals.

Thank you for everything you do. I appreciate all of you.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

January 19, 2023

Good afternoon.

As of January 16, 2023, Texas is at 61.68%. We exceeded our target goal of 60.00%, which is due on January 19th. WAY TO GO TEXAS!!!! Keep up the good work.

The next target goal is 75% by February 15th. Can we do it?? YES, I KNOW WE CAN!!! Thank you for all your hard work. Communication makes a difference; continue to reach out to others.

Hoping to see you this weekend at Mid-Winter.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

January 11, 2023

Good morning Texas! We are still gaining ground for our next target date, which is on January 19th.

As of 01.09.23 we need 113 more members to meet our 60% target goal. Can we do it? YES!! Keep up the good work.

Hope to see you next week at mid-winter. Safe travels.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

December 14, 2022

Way to go Texas! As of 12.12.22, Texas is at 48.36%, which is above the goal for the target date of 12.14.22. Let's keep the momentum going. Thanks to all who have been working on renewals as well as new members.

On another note, not every squadron has turned in the Certification of Officers and not every squadron has turned in the SDRs. It is imperative that these forms be sent to Kevin with a copy to Mamie as soon as possible. Division and District Commanders, please contact your squadrons and help them get these forms filled out and sent in. Both forms are on the SAL site; go to forms and download. They can be scanned or mailed to Kevin and Mamie. Kevin Winkelmann's email is: knwink@msn.com. Mamie Hughes' email is: mamieh@txlegion.org. With that being said, we will all be looking forward to reviewing the next membership spreadsheet and seeing a lot of ******* and CCCCCCs.

Continue to reach out to others. Look for the person who is sitting alone. Look for families that may come in the post during the holiday season. There may be some potential new members for the American Legion family.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

November 10, 2022

I hope it was a wonderful weekend for all. A special thanks to everyone who is serving or has served to help keep our country free. Thank you!! I am a member of the Sons of the American Legion because my dad served in the Army. He is my WHO and WHY I remain a member.

I am sending the SAL membership spreadsheet as of 11.10.22. YES!! We did it! Congratulations to the Detachment of Texas that met the 35% target date by 11.09.22. Thank you for all of your efforts for the membership year of 2022-2023.

FYI - We are still working on a few kinks; hopefully they will be worked out soon. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

October 27, 2022
This is the latest update in membership. We're getting there! Thank you for your hard work.

There are now 6 squadrons who are at or above the 100% mark. Way to go squadrons 169, 077, 092, 392, 133, 317. Let's all keep up the good work.

Reminder: Our next goal is November 9th to be at or above 35%.

Thank you for everything you do.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

October 19, 2022
Congratulations Texas!!! In the 2023 SAL regional breakdown, Midwest Region is in second place, right behind the Southern Region. Texas is at 25.35% membership, which means we reached the 25% target date by 10.19.22. GREAT JOB EVERYONE!!

Keep up the momentum -- Let's get the membership in. Beat the bushes and shake the trees. Go to your legion meetings and ask who is eligible for SAL and sign them up as dual member. We're a family. The legionnaire sitting next to you may be eligible but no one has ever asked. Ask the question. One squadron went to a legion meeting and signed up 9 new members. Gentlemen, think outside the box.

Buddy checks -- buddy checks work! Continue to do your buddy checks.

Thank you.

Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

August 1, 2022
Fellow Sons,
I meant to have this sent out over the weekend but I never hit the send button. Here is the updated Membership report which reflects the Detachment of Texas going over our membership goal. I know there are still a few that are still in process so if your think that your Squadron number should be a little different, give it a week to see if everything catches up. I am still trying to research many of the issues brought to my attention at the convention. It is a load of details that take some time to verify. Your patience is appreciated.
To the Detachment of Texas and immediate Past Detachment Commander Thom Arista, CONGRATULATIONS!
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

July 24, 2022
Fellow Sons,
CONGRATULATIONS!
As some of you may already know, the Membership Report from National dated July 22, 2022 shows that we are now 31 over our 100% goal. Unfortunately, the record used for the Detachment is only from July 20th and does not reflect that number. It should update this week. Everyone has done a fantastic job these past few weeks to get us to the finish.
I will be working on all of the questions and issues presented to me at the convention and should have answers to most, if not all, by next weekend.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

June 24, 2022
Fellow Sons,
This is going to be a busy weekend for me made busier waking to a water line break in my yard this morning. Therefore, a short summary report.
We continue to inch forward on membership. We now sit at 98.47% of making our goal. Less than 90 memberships to go. Let's continue to reach out to our members who have not yet renewed.
I look forward to seeing everyone in 3 weeks at the Detachment Convention.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

Texas S.A.L. Members,

We are slowly moving towards our goal. We saw some movement this past week and we are now only 113 away from our goal. We did see the 3rd District pick up that one member needed from last week so they have now reached their 100% goal.

Keep up that focus on our members that haven't renewed yet. You might even try to get them to pay asst years dues and go ahead and get their dues for 2023. Keep working. Keep plugging away. Kee[ focusing on membership.

For God and Country,

Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

June 10, 2022
Texas Sons,
I have finally had a healthy week and figured out a workaround for my computer issues. It was probably a good thing that I was not able to get a report out last week as there had been very little change.
However, this week, it is a much better report. On the national level, we are now only 217 away from our goal. We are at 96.00%. On the Detachment level, we are at 90.99%. Congratulations to the 6th District for reaching 100%, becoming the fourth District to do so. We also had 4 additional Squadrons reach their 100% goal.
217 memberships is not an overwhelming number. We can do it and I feel like we can do it in the next 2 or 3 weeks. Let's, "Git 'er done!"
On a quick side note, I have had numerous people try to contact me with various issues. I have tried to directly respond to several but have not made contact. Some were researched and corrected and if the person requesting the information had read my comments with each report while looking at the report, they would have noticed that the issue was resolved. Others, I am still researching. Remember, I am, for the most part, unreachable from Sunday afternoon until Thursday or Friday morning. For the remainder of June, even Thursdays and Fridays will be a challenge as I have a doctor appointment, test, procedure, or test results reveal every Thursday and Friday. Emails are best and texts are best and voicemails often go unchecked for extended periods.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

May 31, 2022
Texas Sons,
My apologies for no report this past weekend but I tried to make some changes to my home computer network and in the process knocked out my primary computer with all of my links and Sons membership information. I have back up systems in place but spent the weekend trying to get the primary system going without success. I will work on getting things back up to speed this week as I can around work and sleep but it will likely be this coming weekend before I can get a full report to everyone. Again, my apologies. (This not only ruined my membership efforts but several personal projects as well. Count me frustrated.)
That being said, the membership report from National shows that we currently have 5,093 members, just under 94% of our goal. We have 332 to go to make !00%. This is not a big number. I can not reiterate enough the need to continue to reach out to our past members to assist in reaching our targets.
Well, as I type this, I am about to be running late for work. Stay strong, do our Buddy Checks, and think, "Membership, membership, membership."
**No report so there is no attachment.**
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

May 25, 2022
Texas Sons,
Please find this week's membership report attached. We saw only a slight improvement this week but we did have 2 Squadrons reach their 100% target goal. We are right at 93% of National's goal for us.
There are still many, too many actually, Squadrons that do not have any membership or only have credit for a PUFL member or 2. District Commanders, please check in with these Squadrons to review what is happening. We also have many of our active Squadrons that are short of goal so let's continue to reach out to those who have not yet renewed and reach that 100% mark.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

April 25, 2022
Texas Sons,
My apologies for the delay as I attended the 14th District Convention this past weekend. As a reminder, I may not get anything out this coming week as I will be in Indianapolis for the NEC meeting and NMI training.
For this week's report, while we still have work to do, we did have some good improvement. With District and Division conventions going on, I expect to see continued improvement. Let's continue to reach out to our members who have not yet renewed and reach out to our potential new members.
Let's get this done and show the nation how it is done in Texas.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

April 17, 2022
Gentlemen of the Sons of Texas,
Please find the attached membership report. We had one moe Squadron join the ranks of reaching goals. As a Detachment, we are currently at 84.61% of our national goal. We did not see much movement but there was some. We dropped to number 44 in the national rankings. I had hoped that with the spring conventions we might see a bigger improvement this month.
However, there is still time. Continue to reach out. District and Division Commanders help your Squadrons, especially the ones that still do not have any membership turned in.
I hope everyone filed their SDRs on time. Also, we are getting to the time of the year when we need to start focusing on our Consolidated Squadron Reports. They do not take that much effort to fill out and there is really no good reason not to file.
Please note, I will be travelling for the next two weekends. I will try to get a report completed each week but don't hold me to it.
Finally, as I type this, it is early Easter morning. While there are many that believe as I do and celebrate the holiday as the holiest of days, there are some that do not. Please accept this with the most earnest of intentions from my heart to you, have a Happy and Joyous Easter.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

April 4, 2022
Texas Sons,
Please find the attached weekly report. I think I have worked out all of the Squadrons that made 100% by the Legion birthday. there is one Squadron that I am giving the benefit of the doubt until I finish researching the final numbers.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

March 27, 2022
Gentlemen,
Excellent job. We saw a significant increase in number this week and are now above 80% of our goal. There is still a lot of work to be done but we are moving in the right direction.
Hopefully, by now you have seen the message from National regarding the "open" transmittals. If your Squadron was one of the ones affected, you should be able to address and correct the issue.
District Commanders, there are still a LOT of Squadrons with ZERO membership. With convention season upon us, it is a time we can take advantage to see what is going on.
While we did much improvement in our renewals this past week, we still have a rate of just over 67%.
Keep up the good work and don't stop now.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

March 21, 2022
To the Texas Sons,
Here is the membership report based on information available on March 17, 2022. However, I will tell you that there are likely corrupted numbers listed. National had the Detachment of Texas membership at 4,145 on March 14th but the detailed report that was provided to me on March 16th & 17th had us at only 3,987. The report I sent out last week dated 3/10/2022 had our total at 4,027. (Unfortunately, I do not have a detailed report from the 14th.) These updated reports also had some Squadron membership numbers at significantly lower numbers than last week. National Vice Commander Torres mentioned that it had been noticed by himself and the other NVCs and was being discussed at National Commander Fox's Homecoming this weekend.
So what I did was this. If the membership number for a Squadron was lower than it was last week, I kept the number at last week's number and made a notation to specifically check those numbers next week. For the rest of the report, I followed the normal procedure and updated any numbers that were higher. This caused my total for the Detachment to show 4,052 which is still 93 less than the March 14th report.
So let me say this, I know that this situation is under review and I will keep an idea on what is happening. The Detachment of Texas still has a lot of work to do to get our membership up to where it should be. As I have continued to state, we have a large number of renewals that have not paid their dues yet. I did a quick calculation and if we had our renewals at 80% instead of below 65%, we would have already reached our 90% target goal.
Now for some praises. We had 19 Squadrons that hit 100% by the new year, 17 of which will receive a check. I will list them here in a report in the near future. Currently, it appears that there were another 19 Squadrons that reached 100% by the Legion birthday. Again, 17 of them are in line to get a check. Since there are several Squadrons that were close to the 100% mark and there are somewhere around 90 missing members, there may be a few more. I will keep a close eye on the situation.
Time is beginning to run short on our year and we still have a long way to go. I know that the Detachment of Texas can do it.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

March 13, 2022
Fellow Texas Sons of the American Legion,
We just passed the March 9 target date and no, we did not make the goal. I will let Kevin's admonishment from last week stand for the scolding we all need.

I will not mention that while 39 Detachments made the 80% target goal, Texas did not.

I will not mention that Texas is 52nd out of 55 Detachments in membership percentage.

I will not mention that Texas is 51st out of 55 Detachments in renewal percentage.

I will not mention that Texas is dead last in membership percentage in the Midwest Region. 11th out of 11.

I'm not going to mention any of that. And so, I am going to move on to the report details.
I am a little late getting this report to you but I have been working on it to verify the information and upgrade the spreadsheet.
I have completed the list of Squadrons that reached the 100 % goal before 1 January and up to the moment list of Squadrons that have reached 100% since. There was one Squadron that for some reason I had listed as having reached 100% but I cannot find the reason I added them to the list. I removed them from the list as they have not yet reached that target.
Remember, the cutoff date for a Squadron to receive a check is The American Legion birthday which is this coming Tuesday, March 15.
Some things to note about the report as it is presented...

As you should already know, the asterisk (*) by the location means that that Squadron has filed their Squadron Data Report.

I have created some conditional formatting for the cells for the percentage of goal for each Division, District, and Squadron. When the Division, District, or Squadron hits 100%, the cell will change background color and the text will change color. This will make it easier to see which body has hit 100% with a simple glance. The Squadron colors are light red for the cell fill and darker red for the number. Only the 5th District has hit 100% on the District level. Congratulations and thanks for the work to 5th District Commander Lewis Elam.

As a side note, please remember that 15 April is the deadline for Squadrons to file their SDRs.
Fellow Sons, we are really struggling with membership for this year and need to get on the ball. We have almost 38% of our members from last year that have yet to renew. We know what we need to do, it is simply a matter of doing it.
If anyone has any issues or questions about the report, please EMAIL me. My phone is silenced and I often check my messages only one or two days a week.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

February 22, 2022
Fellow Sons:
I thought I had sent this out this past weekend but I was battling post-booster shot issues which included some serious brain fog.
This report is based on the report sent by National on 2-16-22. I am fairly comfortable with the accuracy of the numbers and Squadron goals as I have not heard anything to the contrary after my last report. I still have to review the 100% Squadrons and when that goal was reached. With my issues with the booster shot, I did not make the effort to go with this report. I am planning on attending President Copeland's HC this weekend in McAllen so I doubt I will have time to do it this weekend as well. I am targeting the following weekend as when I will be able to give it the effort that is required. I have the national reports archived so I only have to take the time to compare the old total membership numbers with the corrected goal numbers. Please be patient as I work to get thing CORRECT.
Now for the bad news, Texas is now 50th out of 55 Squadrons in paid membership in relation to goals. March 9th is the next target date and we have some work to do to reach it. However, I have faith in Texas, we can make the target date goals with a little effort. Let's get to work
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

February 13, 2022
Texas Sons,
Let me begin with the scolding. There were numerous people who mentioned that they had things that needed my attention in the Membership Report. I stated many times, to the point of annoyance, to email me with items that needed my attention. I received a grand total of ONE email from 20th District Commander Alva. And he wasn't one of the people telling me that there was a problem. So you may have noticed that it has taken me a while to get a report out. This was due to the fact that I have had to go Squadron by Squadron checking and verifying information. I re-evaluated all of the goals for each Squadron and made sure that the membership numbers were taken directly from the report from National. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR FEEL THAT THE INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, EMAIL ME.
eddysal179@gmail.com
Okay, now that this is out of the way, we did miss the 75% target date but we did make a little bit of a run at the end. Our next target date is March 9, 2022 at 80%. It is very reachable, especially if we push to get our existing members to renew.
Also discussed at the Mid-Winter Conference was creating a way to list which Squadrons had sent in their Squadron Data Reports. I put an asterisk (*) next to the city of each Squadron listed by National as their SDR having been sent. If you do not agree with a notation, you can complain to me but there is little I can do except recheck the report sent from National.
We are hitting the point where we all are getting burned out on chasing membership but it is not the time to relax. We made every goal until this last one but it is not too big of an obstacle to get back on track. We can do it. Texas is better than Detachment ranked 46th in the organization. Let's do it!
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

January 5, 2022
Happy New Year to all!
I want to apologize for not getting anything out during the last couple of weeks but information had limited availability while my personal and work schedules were demanding. I do want to mention that I had a spreadsheet to go with my last report but failed to attach it before sending it out. I will include that report with this one as well.
On the national level, we made our 45% goal at the last moment. To be honest, I didn't think we would make it but we did. Great job. Our next target date is 20 January to make 60%. We currently sit at 53.46%. Fortunately and unfortunately, many members wait until the beginning of the new year to pay their dues. If we can push to collect from these members, we can easily hit that target. Keep focusing on membership, it is our life blood as an organization.
Finally, congratulations to the last 4 Squadron to hit their 100% goal by the new year. They are:

Squadron Squadron 111 Cedar Hill
Squadron Squadron 453 Dallas-Love Field
Squadron Squadron 369 Westoff
Squadron Squadron 392 Moulton
It is time for me to get ready for the night shift. Keep up the good work and I hope to see all of you in Austin in a couple of weeks.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

December 19, 2021
Greetings fellow Detachment of Texas Sons of The American Legion,
According to the notification from our Midwest Region National Vice Commander, we just missed the 45% goal target date. HOWEVER, according to the report from National, WE MADE IT! Congratulations as we made a good closing effort to hit the mark.
I want to congratulate the three Squadrons that hit the 100% mark this week.

Squadron 68 Shamrock
Squadron 533 Bastrop
Squadron 554 League City
Keep up the good work. Our next target date is 20 January at 60%. We are only at just under 39% on renewals so there is plenty of room for quick improvement. Reach out to our members who have not yet paid for the new year so they can stay up to date.
Division and District Commanders continue to reach out and work with our Squadrons that have yet to turn in any membership. There are many that are still not showing any membership. Offer help where you can.
Finally, while I will try to get a report out next week, I am not sure of reporting availability or my own obligations. I will do my best to get something out next weekend even if it is based on information from the middle of the week.
On a personal note, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I say this realizing that everyone may not celebrate the holiday season the same as I do, it is my way of wishing blessings on you from my heart. We have continued to have a challenging year as a nation, organization, and I am sure many of us on a personal and family level. The season, no matter your personal beliefs, is about Love, Peace, Joy, Hope, and Giving. It is my hope that we all can take time to reflect and to look for the good in ourselves and those around us.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

December 12, 2021
To the Sons of The American Legion, Detachment of Texas.
Fellow Texas Sons,
I know I sent out another report earlier this week but the 45% Target Date was pushed back from 8 December to 15 December. This gives us the opportunity to reach the 45% goal. As of Friday we are only 134 short of that mark. It will be tight but if we get that membership turned in quick enough, we can make the goal. We still have many Squadrons that have not certified and many that still are showing zero paid dues. As we come to the end of the year with the opportunity for the Squadrons to receive a check for 100%, there seems to be a lot more that we could be doing.
Finally, on a personal level, I am starting a new temp job that is going to take up much of my time for the next few weeks. This is a temp position which I will be working in while I get some training and certification for another. more permanent position. During this temp job my hours are going to be long and odd until after the new year. Please, if you call me, leave a voice mail and know that I may not be able to answer right away. Same with emails. I will do my best to respond as soon as I am able. Now that the computer system seems to be getting up to speed, I think I have my own system in place to get membership out on a regular basis.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

December 7, 2021
To the Sons of The American Legion, Detachment of Texas.
I trust that everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. Almost 2 weeks later and I am thankful that the computer issues do appear to be getting fixed. This report is a little late as there were conflicting information on the National report, Detachment report, and as I just discovered, a formula error on my spreadsheet. With people taking time off for the holiday and continued bad data, I have been trying to reconcile the reports and I have finally been successful. And National and Detachment reports are finally reconciling as well.
With that being said, we are still doing fairly well with membership although we will likely miss the 45% target on 8 December. We still have a large number of Squadrons that are showing ZERO membership. I know that our Division and some District Commanders have been working to help but we need a little more.
It is also vital that all squadrons get their certifications in. We have had people wondering where their membership cards but their Squadrons have yet to certify. This is one of the simplest duties that Squadron Commanders and Adjutants have to do.
It is also important that our Squadrons get the new Squadron Data Reports filed with Mamie before 1 January. If your Squadron has not filed the report and a member pays online, they will only be charged National and State dues because that is all the system will know to collect. As far as National and the Detachment is concerned, they are members in good standing and the Squadron may lose out on their portion of dues. So get those SDRs tuned in and soon.
These reports can sometimes seem to be a downer but we are doing a good job but we just need to keep up the effort. And on that note, we have 6 new Squadrons who made 100% membership.
Sq 248 Hooks
Sq 320 Gilmer
Sq 511 Dallas
Sq 198 Archer City
Sq 37 McAllen
Sq 58 El Paso
There are many others that are close. Thanks if you have continued to read this far. Catch you on the next report.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

November 16, 2021
Greetings Fellow Sons,
Let's get the technical items out of the way at the start. Once again, some Squadron membership goals changed. My apologies for this but I found a conflict between the process used to determine the goals in the past with how the Constitution and Bylaws say they should be set. I understand the reasoning for the past method. However, I am a staunch believer of following the C&BL. So, trying to make a long story short, we will be setting the goals this year and next by following the C&BL guideline. I have already started the process with our Judge Advocate to create a resolution to amend the Bylaws. We will hopefully present the resolution to the body at the Mid-Winter Conference. We will then vote on it at the Detachment Convention in July of 2022. If it passes, it will then take effect the following year as the timing of the vote would not allow it to be effective until then. This will be for the 2024 membership year.
That being said, I also mistakenly gave Waco 121 credit for 100% due to a typo.
On a state level, the Detachment membership goal for this coming year is 5,850. According to this report, that puts us at 24.77%. That is a strong start but we need to continue the push to recruit, renew, and reinstate our members. The goal for the Detachment of Texas, as set by the National Sons of The American Legion is 5,425. This report says we made our 25% goal with 26.71% but notes from national show us with an even higher percentage of over 27%. This discrepancy is likely due to the timing of information being shared back and forth. We are still dealing with issues with the computer and access to the membership numbers but progress is being made. Thank you for your patience while this is getting worked out.
Division Commanders, I remind you to notify me as to who your District Commanders are. Check the report to see where there are no commanders listed. District Commanders, help your Squadrons with any questions or issues they may have. We have many Squadrons that have not certified yet and I feel it is safe today to say that those and possibly more that have not completed their Squadron Data Report.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

October 19, 2021
Greetings Fellow Sons,
Let's get the technical items out of the way at the start. Once again, some Squadron membership goals changed. My apologies for this but I found a conflict between the process used to determine the goals in the past with how the Constitution and Bylaws say they should be set. I understand the reasoning for the past method. However, I am a staunch believer of following the C&BL. So, trying to make a long story short, we will be setting the goals this year and next by following the C&BL guideline. I have already started the process with our Judge Advocate to create a resolution to amend the Bylaws. We will hopefully present the resolution to the body at the Mid-Winter Conference. We will then vote on it at the Detachment Convention in July of 2022. If it passes, it will then take effect the following year as the timing of the vote would not allow it to be effective until then. This will be for the 2024 membership year.
That being said, I also mistakenly gave Waco 121 credit for 100% due to a typo.
On a state level, the Detachment membership goal for this coming year is 5,850. According to this report, that puts us at 24.77%. That is a strong start but we need to continue the push to recruit, renew, and reinstate our members. The goal for the Detachment of Texas, as set by the National Sons of The American Legion is 5,425. This report says we made our 25% goal with 26.71% but notes from national show us with an even higher percentage of over 27%. This discrepancy is likely due to the timing of information being shared back and forth. We are still dealing with issues with the computer and access to the membership numbers but progress is being made. Thank you for your patience while this is getting worked out.
Division Commanders, I remind you to notify me as to who your District Commanders are. Check the report to see where there are no commanders listed. District Commanders, help your Squadrons with any questions or issues they may have. We have many Squadrons that have not certified yet and I feel it is safe today to say that those and possibly more that have not completed their Squadron Data Report.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

October 7, 2021
Greetings Fellow Sons,
Let me start by apologizing for how long this message is but there is a lot of information that needs to be shared. I also apologize for the delay in getting this information to you but I wanted to get the correct info into everyone's possession. Also, we are still getting reports on an irregular basis. This, in addition to me trying to get the information organized, has caused some delays. I want to be sure that you are getting the most up to date information but I also want to make sure that it is accurate.
Prior to the Fall D.E.C. I sent out a list with the Squadron goals. After several calls and a review, I realized that some of the numbers were not correct. Please use the goals listed on this report as the targets for this year. The Detachment Goal for the year is 5,723. National Membership goal is 5,425. Our next target date is October 14. For the national number, we are only 59 short.
For the Detachment, we have 54 Squadrons that have already reached 25% including two that have already reached 100%. Congratulations on making 100% already to Squadron 121 Waco and Squadron 133 Temple.
Division Commanders, I need to get the names of all of the District Commanders. There are several districts where I either do not have a name or I have received conflicting information so I have left the cell for the commander's name blank. Please get that information to me so I can get it designated on the report.
Remember, we can still accept dues for the 2020-2021 year through December 31.
As mentioned at the D.E.C., The American Legion National Commander Paul Dillard has instituted an incentive program to get members throughout the Legion family to maintain continuous years. The Sons approved it for our program this last weekend at N.E.C. The program works like this. If someone who already has 5 continuous years did not pay their dues for 2021 but wants to pay for 2022, they can pick up their continuous years where they left off. For example, if someone with 5 continuous years did not pay for 2021 but pays for 2022, they will pick up their continuous years at 6. If they want to pay for both 2020-2021 and the 2021-2022, they will get credit for both years and have 7 continuous years.
Remember Squadrons, if you have a question, your first point of contact should be your district commander. District Commanders, your first point of contact should be your division commander. If you have questions regarding membership DO NOT CALL MAMIE, contact me. My phone number is 832-573-5594. In all likelihood, you will need to leave a message. Do not call and fail to leave a message then say you could not reach me. A preferred method of contact is through my email: eddysal179@gmail.com. If you feel for some reason you feel it necessary to contact Mamie, do not call her. Send her an email. You are much more likely to get a quick response that way but if you do contact her, you should have already contacted your district or division commander and myself.
We are off to a good start for the new year. Let's keep the momentum. There are many people people who have not renewed for last year and many still to go for this coming year. make contact and remind them that the work of the Legion and the Sons continues and we need their support.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas

September 14, 2021
Greetings Fellow Sons,
First, the bad news, there are still issues with the computer system from national. We are not able to get the numbers that have been turned in thus far. We are still being told that October 1st is the target to have everything up and working. Also, we did not get any new membership for 2021. I am sending the same 2021 membership report as last week. We will likely not see any differences next week either as Mamie will be out of the office for the remainder of this week. I realize that it can be frustrating not getting the information that we need here at the beginning of our new membership year but we need to be patient while the program is being worked on.
On a slightly happier note, I am sending out a spreadsheet with the goal numbers for 2022. I have also marked the Squadrons that have sent in their certification up to this point. Please review. If you have sent in your certification and it is not marked on the sheet, please let me know and I will research. There are a number of Districts of which I don't know who their commander is. Any guidance on who holds these positions would be appreciated. Email me at eddysal179@gmail.com.
Please don't forget that we can continue to add to our 2021 membership until the end of the year. When talking to your renewals, be sure they paid for last year as well so they can maintain their continuous years.
As stated last week, it is also important that membership be active if a Son is to be eligible for the National Emergency Fund (NEF). With Hurricane Ida hitting the central Gulf Coast a few weeks ago and Tropical Storm Nicolas hitting the Texas coast this week, there are many who do and may need NEF assistance but they must be up to date on their dues.
We have faced a lot in the past 2 years and we have performed admirably. However, there is so much more to do. There are times that the task in front of us seems impossible. I think that Nelson Mandela said it best when he stated, "Everything is impossible until somebody does it."
Finally, it seems like many of our Legion family and their families are having difficulties due to the coronavirus. Please do what you feel you need to do to keep you and your family safe.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas