Taken from the June 2022 (vol 22, num 06) issue of the Art Semro Post 28 Family News
Legion, Auxiliary, or SAL?
The American Legion family is made up of three organizations: The American Legion, The American Legion Auxiliary, and The Sons of the American Legion (SAL). Some people think the Legion Riders is another organization but to be a Member of the Legion Riders you must first be a paid-up member of one of the three primary organizations.
Why am I bringing this up you might ask? You would be amazed at how many people are unaware of which of these organizations they are a member. Because they use the American Legion Post home, they think they are members of the American Legion. Just recently we had someone pay $50 in due to Post 28. Because they paid in cash the only information we had was his name. Assuming he was renewing his membership I researched the Post records and found no record of this individual, but he was on our mailing list. Additional research provided the answer: he was a member of the Sons of the American Legion Squadron 183 which is a program of the Quincy American Legion Post. FYI – Because Ephrata & Quincy are so close, it was decided long ago for people from Ephrata who qualify and want to join the SAL would join Squadron 183 in Quincy, and people from Quincy who qualify and want to join the Auxiliary would join Unit 28 in Ephrata. This unwritten agreement has made both the Squadron and the Unit stronger.
Why is this important? The time taken to perform this necessary research is time taken away from the important work of the American Legion. To solve this problem all a member needs to do is refer to their membership card and make sure they are paying their dues to the proper organization. You see, this is not an isolated incident – it happens several times a month.
We appreciate everyone who uses our facility and hope you will continue to visit us. In case you didn’t notice, we have one of the best banquet facilities in Ephrata. We have a fully functional kitchen along with the lounge. It’s kind of crowded but we can seat 200 for our annual Crab Feed. We also very much appreciate all who help work the programs of the American Legion Family.
