September 2026 Newsletter
View the highlights or download the full PDF below
The Commander's Corner
September is here, and I have just returned from the National Convention in Louisville, KY. It was a fantastic experience full of learning and camaraderie. During the convention, we voted for our new National Commander, John W. "Jay" Bowen. His motto for the year is "BPOTS: Be Part of the Solution," which ties directly into the Legion's Be the One initiative.
The 3rd District is off to a great start! We are officially off the goose egg. Our initial goal was to reach 50% membership by September 10th, and we blew past it—currently sitting strong at 60.2%. That puts us just behind the 6th District and slightly ahead of the 1st District.
A big thank you goes out to our dedicated membership team:
Joe Bares, Membership Director
Vice Commanders: Tim Swan, Neil Hoadley, Marissa Lacourt, Wayne Beierman, and Dale Jensen
Working together, we can make this an incredible year!
P.S. From a School Bus Driver: With school back in session, please remember to STOP for the big yellow bus when the red lights are flashing. The bus drivers and the kids we haul thank you for keeping everyone safe!
James Entinger 3rd District Commander
Sons of The American Legion
Welcome to September, the beginning of the Fall season. Tis the season of changing leaves, nicer weather and fall gatherings.
By now, we should all be back from the National Convention. For those of you that went to the Convention, I hope you had a great time, met new people, and learned something new. Considering that Kentucky is the Bourbon Capitol of the world, hopefully all of you attendees enjoyed some good spirits while you were down there and didn't spend that much money on bottles to bring back.
September 11th marks the 25th anniversary of the New York terrorist attacks. On the morning of the 11th, I am asking that each of you take a minute to remember those that we lost on that tragic day. I also ask that you take another minute to remember those that we have lost in the war that followed.
Sept 10th is the National target date for membership to be at 25%. Right now, as of the Aug 23rd Detachment Membership report, the 3rd District is sitting at 6.68% as a whole; that is with 16 out of 37 squadrons having membership turned in. As of that reporting date, we have 5 squadrons that will hit the 25% target. Gentlemen, let's work on getting our membership renewed. Let's see if we can put the 3rd District into 1st place above all the rest of the Districts in the state. Keep in mind, members should all be renewed by Dec 31st. This way it keeps those members in good standing.
Let's move to events going on in the Detachment this month. For those that are going to the National convention, we will have a free weekend when we get back, and then Camporee will be happening at Legionville in Brainerd. That goes from Thurs Sept 10th to Sunday Sept 13th. This is a fun weekend of camping out and enjoying fun times and games with other members of the American Legion Family from around the state. Bring the family up for the weekend.
Towards the end of the month, The Detachment of Minnesota Sons of the American Legion annually puts on the John Zgoda Memorial SAL Disabled Veterans Deer Hunt and the Disabled Veteran Turkey hunt. All the hunters and alternates for this year have been chosen. That being said, they are still looking for volunteers that would like to help out with the hunts. If you have time during the week of Sept 28th and would like to help out, get ahold of the 3rd District SAL commander and Deer hunt Committee member Glen Neville up in Forest Lake and he can point you in the right direction to volunteer.
Have a great September and enjoy the beginnings of Fall.
Talk to you next month,
Glen
Comments