American Legion Post 43 News

American Legion Post 43 meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Elks Lodge on High St. in Winsted.

The newly chartered Sons of the American Legion Squadron 43 will hold a breakfast meeting at the Log House Restaurant in Barkhamsted on Sunday, January 20 at 8 a.m. This is to be an organizational meeting as well as a recruitment event. SAL membership is open to all male descendants, adopted sons and stepsons of members of the American Legion, and to such male descendants of veterans who died in service during WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama and the Persian Gulf, or who died subsequent to their honorable discharge from such service. The Ten Ideals of the SAL are patriotism, faith, health, helpfulness, knowledge, courtesy, training, reverence, honor, and comradeship.

On Saturday, January 26 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Post 43 will be at the Winsted Stop & Shop, selling flags and POW-MIA products and also collecting signatures on the Flag Protection petition. Membership information will be available as well as information on Legion activities and programs.

The Post holds sales to raise funds for sponsorship of area youth activities, including Boys and Girls State, which introduces young people to the structure and function of government; Oratorical, which imparts a great deal of knowledge about our nation's Constitution; Legion Baseball, which teaches teamwork and sportsmanship; and Connecticut State Police Youth Camp, where successful high school juniors may go to the State Police Academy and work out as real cadets would. These are just some of the local Post's programs; some are scholarship-oriented, and over $40,000 in scholarships can be won. Also, 60-80% of college baseball scholarships yearly go to Legion players nationwide.

In addition to selling new U.S. flags and service flags, the Post will accept flags in need of a proper retirement service. Many people don't know how to dispose of a tattered flag properly. Post 43 and VFW Post 296 hold a service each year in the spring to honor and retire old flags. VFW Post 296 accepts these flags at any time at their Post home on North Main Street (Route 8 North) in Winsted. American Legion Post 43 will accept these flags also, but have no Post home, so call 860-379-4133 to make such an arrangement.