Senior and Junior musical contests were held. A Girls State Chorus was a feature of the 1974 National Convention and in 1975 the sponsorship of musical contests was resumed.

NATIONAL SECURITY

In the firm belief that the foremost obligation of our country is to provide for the security of its people, the American Legion Auxiliary works side by side with The American Legion in support of an adequate national defense. The American Legion Auxiliary has always been a powerful moving force through its involvement in programs aimed at keeping America strongmilitarily, economically, and spiritually. During the years following the first World War, when a radical pacifist movement urging the total disarmament of the United States was claiming support of the women of America, the American Legion Auxiliary campaigned effectively to refute these claims. The Auxiliary's effort was a contributing factor in the maintenance of a skeleton defense framework during the years between the two World Wars.

The American Legion places top priority on national security issues and through mandates at its National Conventions, strives to maintain the security and protect the interests of the United States. The definite objectives of the national security program of both organizations are outlined annually.

National Security forums, conferences, and meetings, sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary at national, state and local levels provide the opportunity to inform members and the general public of the need for an ongoing nationwide program and the importance of preparedness at all times. By means of speakers, press, radio and television, the Auxiliary is constantly at work to present The American Legion's national security program to the public. Women being the most receptive field for the spread of sentiments against military training and defensive preparations, the American Legion Auxiliary is of vital importance in winning women's support for military manpower and defense measures deemed necessary by The American Legion.

Each year, since 1952 through the aid and encouragement of the Auxiliary, the Women's Forum on National Security meets in Washington, D.C. to study and evaluate our nation's needs for preparedness and defense. Prior to this, the Auxiliary for some twenty-six years was a part of the "Women's Patriotic Conference on National Defense." The purpose of the forum is to inform, arouse and activate public opinion among women leaders throughout the nation. On alternate years the American Legion Auxiliary serves as chairman; while other years another of the 15-member organization assumes responsibility for the annual program. Top government officials, scientists, educators and other public figures are invited to participate and share their views on the current status of our national security.

The Auxiliary actively supported the men fighting the Vietnam War. More than $100,000 was sent by The American Legion and Auxiliary to the

Vietnam Relief Fund as support of the Civic Action Teams. Transistor tape recorders were sent to field hospitals and money was contributed to an orphanage established by American troops as well as numerous other projects. Both organizations joined in a massive letter writing campaign in behalf of prisoners of war and those missing in action. Since the release of POW's in 1973, the campaign has continued in behalf of those unaccounted for and missing in action.

In recent years much emphasis and support has been given The American Legion's Crime Resistance and Law and Order programs by the American Legion Auxiliary to strengthen America at the community level.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

In 1967, the American Legion Auxiliary chartered its first foreign Department, the Philippines. Every other one of its 54 Departments corresponds to one of the 50 states, or two overseas territories (the Panama Canal and Puerto Rico) or the District of Columbia. However it does have local Units in Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and the Republic of China.

Auxiliary members, dedicated for service to their community, state and nation, long have promoted community service also among the community of nations. Between World Wars I and II, these efforts were programmed through the Auxiliary's membership in a federation of Auxiliaries to veterans organizations among the Allied Powers known as FIDAC ("Federation Interalliee des Anciens Combattants"). When this federation fell apart at the outbreak of World War II, the American Legion Auxiliary converted its National FIDAC Committee into a National Pan American Study Committee to foster hemispheric solidarity. Each year, beginning in 1941, it focused a national study program on a different one of the member nations in the Pan American Union, its people, language, history, customs, art, music and culture.

In 1956, a voluntary self-help project was introduced into this program. This is funded not by dues but by "seeding monies" raised by interested members and Units of the American Legion Auxiliary. CARE, Inc. serves as its purchasing agent, conveyor belt for supplies and supervisor at the project sites. Labor is provided by citizens of the communities in which these projects have been activated. Since 1956, these self-help projects have burgeoned from an average investment of about $1,500 per annum to around $55,000 per year. Never has the National Organization set a specific goal for its Units to meet. The emphasis is not on dollars, but on collections of pennies, and the power of the penny is self evident in the accomplishments listed below.

In the early 1960's the Auxiliary changed the name of this program to "Foreign Relations" both to conform to the terminology which The American Legion used and to more accurately define its activity as being more than a

study program. No longer is it confined to the area of Latin America. Projects vary annually. Here are some examples:

Vocational and educational tools have been provided to students in CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, HAITI, HONDURAS and PANAMA; and seeds and fertilizers to farmers in BELIZE. Earthquake devastation has been repaired in CHILE and GUATEMALA and electric power brought to villages in KOREA. Schools and classrooms have been built in the DOMINI. CAN REPUBLIC, INDONESIA, NICARAGUA, PERU and the PHILIPPINES; a village sanitation project introduced to EL SALVADOR, and pure water projects to BOLIVIA, ECUADOR, KENYA and the PHILIPPINES. Food canning and preservation facilities have been provided to the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC and GUATEMALA, health clinics to KENYA, a maternity and pediatrics hospital to MALAYSIA and a community center to HONG KONG. All of these, and many other projects are still bearing fruit because once a project is funded, and the peoples have the means with which to help themselves, the American Legion Auxiliary moves on to another need in another part of the world community. If poverty breeds war then the Auxiliary is attacking one of war's causes at its source.

POPPY

One of the most important of the American Legion Auxiliary's activities is the supervision of the making and distributing of memorial poppies, which are worn throughout the nation on Poppy Day each year in tribute to the war dead. Traditionally, the first poppy is presented to the President of the United States.

The poppies are made by disabled veterans of all wars, working in veterans' hospitals in every part of the country and in convalescent workshops maintained by the American Legion Auxiliary. The work is beneficial to the veterans both because of the money they earn and because of its value as occupational therapy. Approximately 6,000 disabled men are given employment in the program, and about 19,000,000 poppies are made. Manufacture is in charge of the state organizations of the American Legion Auxiliary, except in a few states where The American Legion directs the program.

On Poppy Day, generally observed during the week before Memorial Day, workers from American Legion Auxiliary units and cooperating young women's organizations, all of them unpaid volunteers, distribute the poppies on the streets of cities and towns throughout the nation. Some 150,000 volunteers serve each year. Contributions received for the poppies go entirely to the Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation and Children & Youth funds of the American Legion Auxiliary, forming the major source of financial support for these vast activities. The bulk of the money stays in post, unit and department treasuries for use in local rehabilitation and relief work during the following year.

To "honor the war dead and aid war's living victims” is the purpose of the poppy program.

COMMUNICATIONS

All of the activities that come under the realm of Public Relations for the American Legion Auxiliary with the outside media and some of the activities of inner communications in the organization come under the jurisdiction of the Communications Committee. The largest part of this committee's activities is geared to furnishing to the media (press, radio & television) materials on each of the programs of the American Legion Auxiliary, both locally and nationally.

In the field of press, radio and television, the Departments annually salute local newspapers, radio and television stations for their aid in publicizing the work of the Auxiliary. The Golden Mike and Golden Press Awards were initiated by the American Legion Auxiliary in support of the American Legion's Child Welfare Resolution calling for the emphasis of Juvenile Decency over Juvenile Delinquency in the nation's communication media. The awards are designed specifically to give recognition to the efforts of local broadcasters and newspaper editors and feature writers in presenting programs and articles of outstanding merit "in the interest of youth." They were further designed to encourage members of the media to attain the highest standards in local broadcasting and reporting. The American Legion Auxiliary presents two Golden Mike and two Golden Press Awards nationally each year. The Golden Mike Awards are presentedone to the best RADIO program in the interest of youth and one to the best TELEVISION program in the interest of youth. The Golden Press Awards are presented to the best FEATURE ARTICLE in the interest of youth and one to the best EDITORIAL in the interest of youth.

A Communications Guide Book is made available from the National Headquarters upon request and is designed to be a tool to aid local Communications Chairmen in their publicity assignments.

As another Communications tool, National Headquarters makes available a Poppy Day Booklet containing historical data for the information of the local Unit. A small newspaper entitled POPPY DAY NEWS is also available by the National Organization to assist local Communications Chairmen in publicizing Poppy Day.

VETERANS AFFAIRS AND REHABILITATION

The American Legion Auxiliary's work for the disabled veterans of all wars follows and supplements The American Legion's rehabilitation program. Auxiliary support is given to all American Legion efforts to secure the best of care and just compensation for the disabled, and in addition the American Legion Auxiliary carries out projects which add to the comfort and speed the recovery of these veterans. It is the women of the Auxiliary who do much of the actual contacting and aiding of veterans in the hospitals and in their homes.

One of the finest services of the American Legion Auxiliary is given in the Veterans Administration Hospitals, and Non-VA Hospitals, where vol

HISTORY AND ORGANIZATION

unteer workers, who are especially trained for their tasks, go into the hospitals regularly, visiting the patients and extending many forms of aid to them.

Christmas "gift shops" operated by the American Legion Auxiliary in veterans' hospitals bring the joy of Christmas giving to the patients. These shops, operated by the departments in which the hospitals are located, are stocked with gift articles donated by the Auxiliary. The disabled veterans select gifts for members of their families and these are mailed to their homes, without cost to the veterans and in his name only.

In 1966, a new program which had been developing for several years was put into action. In an effort to meet the needs of the veteran returning to the community, the American Legion Auxiliary inaugurated a "new" service entitled "Field Service Volunteers." This is not actually a new program but a development of the "personal contact and follow-up service" which has been a program of the local units since the inception of the Auxiliary. However, changes in medical treatment of patients, benefits to veterans through Social Security and other federal legislation, the establishment of nursing homes, all have pointed to the need to enlarge the program and establish a basis for training volunteers similar to that used to train Volunteer Hospital Workers. By action of the 1974 National Convention, a program of Home Service, a community volunteer program for the Veteran and his family, was established.

To facilitate the training of all volunteers in the rehabilitation program a revised "Guide for Volunteers in Rehabilitation" was made available to the membership. This manual includes information, rules and ethics not only for Volunteer Hospital Workers and Field Service Volunteers but also for VolunTeens, American Legion volunteers and non-affiliated volunteers recruited by the American Legion Auxiliary.

A pamphlet entitled "The Patient Returns to the Community," a guide for a volunteer service program in the community, was published by the Veterans Administration and is an excellent and necessary supplement to the American Legion Auxiliary Guide in the development of the Field Service Volunteer program.

The various phases of the rehabilitation program occupy a large portion of the Auxiliary's energies and resources and the work is considered of primary importance to the American Legion Auxiliary as well as to The American Legion.

The Auxiliary invests each year over four million dollars for the welfare of sick and disabled veterans. Hospital Volunteers give 1,600,000 hours of service. In addition to this, the National American Legion Auxiliary annually presents $15,000 to The American Legion for rehabilitation work.

In the fall of 1979, a series of eight Regional Program Conferences replaced the Area Conferences held previously. These American Legion and Auxiliary Regional Conferences will facilitate early planning and local leadership development in the following program and service activity areas: