At VFW post 53, Santa was early this year…but right on time

December 7th at American Legion Post 53 124 N. Ramona St. Santa Clause came to town early. The place was packed when I got there at noon: you felt the Christmas spirit as the kids sat and waiting breathlessly, anticipating Santa Clause coming to town.

A full house probably 250 Veterans, their spouses, children and grandchild of were welcomed with open arms. Every seat was filled. All sat at their tables ready to eat food which was blessed by and served in coordination and sponsored by The Lord’s Ministry: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce and a roll plus drinks.

All got served by the scouts: what great team work. All went without a hitch. Our veterans even got a slice of pumpkin pie, the perfect ending to a perfect holiday meal.

Santa Clause was at the top of the stairs with his, “Ho Ho Ho,” as young and old alike cheered. Little kids rushed in to give Santa Clause a high five. The Commander, Joe Males introduced Santa Clause, and the children came up by their age group to receive their prized Christmas gift. From dolls, skateboards, bikes, soccer balls, there were gifts for all ages and all the children were so happy with the gifts they received.

I came to the noon event and left about 2:00 p.m. One little boy really wanted a red soccer ball and Santa Clause gave it to him: he was so excited! Then a gentleman asked the boy, “Would you like a bike instead?” The little boy said, “No thank you,” he liked his red soccer ball just fine! That just brought such joy to my heart.

Everything went so smoothly: Santa and his Elfs did a great job. They got everyone taken care of and sent them home happy…ready for Santa to come back and do it all over again at 4:00p.m. I called a fellow veteran and asked about the 4:p.m event: he said dinner was awesome, the place was packed and his son got a really cool bike. This was a single dad with a very happy boy. We really do have a great American Legion Post 53 and community. This is what Christmas Spirit is all about.

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The Legion Act was signed into law on July 30, 2019, and now allows all honorably discharged veterans, as well as all active-duty members of the United States Armed Forces, to receive all of The American Legion benefits they have earned through their service. The eligibility dates now span from April 6, 1917, to November 11, 1918, and then from December 7, 1941, until a time when the U.S. is no longer at war, which will be determined by Congress. 

If you have served federal active duty in the United States Armed Forces since December 7, 1941, and have been honorably discharged or are still serving – you are eligible for membership in The American Legion!

This also affects the Sons of The American Legion (SAL). Any son or grandson of a deceased veteran is now also eligible to join the Sons of The American Legion.

The American Legion Auxiliary is also affected. Membership is now open to all grandmothers, mothers, sisters, wives and direct and adopted female descendants of eligible veterans.

Some of the benefits of being a member of The American Legion are:

Benefits Assistance- we have a Post Service Officer-Ronnie Imel who is here to assist you with all of your disability claims with the Veterans Administration (VA).

Family and Community Support-we have a commitment to mentoring youth and sponsoring programs in the Hemet Valley. We sponsor 4-5 boys every year to Boys State and 4-5 girls every year to Girls State. We also sponsor Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Jr. ROTC.

Honor and Remembrance-we have honor guards that provide services at Riverside National Cemetery.

Advocacy in Washington- The American Legion is the nation’s most influential, effective and dependable advocate of veteran affairs fighting for better active-duty pay, improved housing for active-duty families and helping to ensure that the VA’s medical system can properly care for veterans.

Volunteer Opportunities-we provide hundreds of hours of free community service to the Hemet Valley, assistance at the VA medical facilities and help at military installations every year.

Community Awareness and Outreach-we have dinners at the post every Friday night, which help to defray some of the costs of the programs we provide within the community. We also hold events at the post, which allows us to assist more veterans.

The current membership applications and websites may not all be updated with the new criteria. We recommend that prospective members from a previously undocumented war era write “Other Conflicts” in the eligibility date section along with your dues. You can go to www.legion.org and fill out the membership application and select Post 53, or we would love to have you visit The American Legion Post 53 in Hemet and fill out the membership application. You can also call us at 951-658-2436. All you need to bring is a copy of your DD214. The fee to join Post 53 is currently $47 per year. We are located at: 124 N. Ramona Street here in Hemet. We have been at this location since 1947 and were chartered in 1919. We just celebrated our 100th year in Hemet. 

We welcome ALL active duty military and honorably discharged veterans. The best days to visit are Tuesday through Thursday from 8 am-2 pm. We would love to meet you! We are veterans helping veterans.

If you have served federal active duty in the United States Armed Forces since December 7, 1941, and have been honorably discharged or are still serving – you are eligible for membership in The American Legion!

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