Commanders' Message

As we hit the home stretch of 2023, your Post has plenty to do by the end of the year. As busy as we are, I hope you get to spend some time with your family during this month of Thanksgiving. Count the blessings and remember the personal losses and challenges that have occurred this year, but rejuvenate yourself with life and God, as He is the ultimate point-man.

Veterans Day is Saturday, November 11. Post 52 will conduct our traditional Veterans Day Ceremony at the newly named Franklinton Veterans Memorial Park at Main & Front Streets in downtown Franklinton at 11:00 a.m. This year's ceremony welcomes Vietnam Veterans home. Legionnaire Ed Wilson will be delivering the keynote message.

Bright Memorials (Randy Bright) moved and installed our Veterans monument from Fairview Cemetery to Franklinton Veterans Memorial Park on October 18. Post 52 thanks Randy Bright, the Town of Franklinton Utilities Dept., and the Town Manager Zach Steffey for their cooperation and assistance in making this happen. I am working with the Town to get new flags and a solar light for the U.S. flagpole. I ask that you all plan to participate and attend this event to show the community that Veterans are everywhere and still serving. Be proud of your organization and tell others about it.

Note that our next membership meeting will return to Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., November 28. Overall, the September and October Saturday morning meetings turned out well. The PEC will analyze attendance at these meetings versus the traditional night meeting and begin to survey the membership for the best meeting schedule for 2024. The hope is to always provide every member with the opportunity to attend the membership meetings to stay informed and make personal connections with fellow Veterans.

We will have a guest speaker at our November 28 membership meeting. Robert "Butch" Bracknell is a member of Post 52, a retired Marine, and a practicing attorney in Norfolk, Va. Butch will do a presentation on The Camp Lejeune Justice Act (contaminated water). He wants to inform Veterans and their dependents of the qualification and claims process and direct those eligible to the best resources. If you or your dependents served and lived at Camp Lejeune from August 1, 1953 – December 31, 1987, for at least 30 days and developed cancer or died from cancer and other illnesses, you may be eligible to gain benefit. Please invite other Veterans, especially Marines, who served during this period. You do not have to be a member of Post 52 to attend.

Finally, many of you have asked about Legionnaire insurance. One of the many benefits of being a TAL member is a "no-cost" accidental death benefit called LegionCare through The Legionnaire Insurance Trust. However, this coverage is not simply activated when you pay your Legion dues. YOU HAVE TO ACTIVATE YOUR COVERAGE. If you are a new member, activation is as easy as going to www.thelit.com/no-cost-legioncare to sign up or call 1-800-235-6943. You will need your American Legion Member number from your paper membership card. If you don't have your paper card or do not know your membership #, you can get it from the Post Adjutant. If you are not a new member but are a paid/current member and want to check to ensure your policy is activated, call the toll-free number above to inquire. The customer service operator will be able to provide you with your no-cost, accidental coverage policy #. I advise that you print off information from The LIT website outlining the no-cost coverage, write your policy # on it along with the toll-free telephone number, and put it with your "important papers" so your next of kin will know of this coverage. I called the number today, verified my active coverage, and followed my advice to put the policy declarations in my safe. If you have let your TAL membership lapse a year or more but rejoined (Thank you for coming back!), you likely no longer have continuous membership and are looked at as a "new member" regarding this insurance coverage, so you will need to activate it.

November is OUR month. Let's be loud and proud to be members of The American Legion Post 52. I need everyone's support and participation to win the battle of bringing Americanism back to America.

Chris Smith, Post Commander

Vice-Commander's Report

Fellow Legionnaires, as we enter November, we are lagging on renewing our memberships. Our goal is to have all renewals finished by Veterans Day, but our total to date is 139 of 218. Post 52 needs your help and support to reach our goal. If you have already renewed, thank you, but if you have not, please do so as soon as possible. If you know someone whose life has changed or who may be down on their luck, please inform the Post so we can take the necessary steps to help these needy members. No veteran left behind is what we are committed to.

Mike Donnelly, 1^st Vice Commander

Chaplains' Corner

"¹Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! ²Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. ³Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. ⁴ Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. ⁵ For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations." - Psalm 100:1-5 NKJV

Thanksgiving traditionally has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. It is to express our thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation to God, family, and friends for all we have been blessed with: Life, Liberty, and Family. Let us stop and thank God for His many blessings and share our appreciation with others for His blessing on us.

We have several members who are sick or recovering from illness. We also have those who have lost Loved ones. I would ask that you remember them in your prayers. Also, pray for the men and women serving in the Armed Forces and their families. If anyone has needs, please feel free to call me. May God continue to Bless you, your families, and our Nation.

Harvey Satterwhite, Chaplain

Auxiliary Unit 52 Report

Thank you to everyone who helped the Unit serve breakfast at the Post Meeting on Saturday, 10/21. Also, thanks to everyone who helped us serve our local veterans by providing lunch at the Raleigh Vet Center on 11/3. We must serve our community through personal contact.

In case you are unfamiliar with the Raleigh Vet Center, they are an extension of the V.A. and serve local veterans and their families in many ways. I encourage the Post and ALA members to check them out at https://www.va.gov/raleigh-vet-center.

Tis the season for the most significant projects of the year! As we did in 2022, we are participating in 4 Durham VA projects from October through December. 1) Buddy Baskets – 17 Buddy Baskets were delivered on 10/28. 2) We have funding to provide 10 Veteran families with groceries for a great Thanksgiving Dinner. 3) We will be taking part in the Christmas Veterans Tree. We have funding to provide for one Veteran family and one individual Veteran. There is still time to find other community donations to allow us to support additional Veterans at Christmas.

In the Spirit of Service, not Self,
Velinda Moore, Unit 52 President

Cash Raffle Fundraiser

November 18, 2023 @ 1:00 p.m.

Only 200 tickets are available, and tickets are $50 each. Reverse raffle: 1^st ticket gets $50, each 10^th ticket gets $125, and the last ticket gets $2500.

Mail your check out to Post 52 for $50 for each ticket and mail to

Legion Post 52
P.O. Box 61
Franklinton, NC 27525

Veteran's Day Ceremony

When: Saturday, November 11, 2023, 11:00 a.m.

Where: Franklinton Veterans Memorial Park

Main & Front Street, Franklinton, NC

Who: All veterans and those who wish to honor veterans. This event will pay special recognition to the veterans of the Vietnam War era with a Welcome Home program.

Need assistance dealing with the Veterans' Administration? Contact our Franklin County Veterans' Service Officer, Brenda Wilkins,
at 919 496-1939.