Family Support Network

The American Legion's Family Support Network is ready to provide immediate assistance to U.S. military personnel and their families whose lives have been directly affected by the war on terrorism.

As National Guardsmen and reserve units are mobilized in record numbers, the families of these men and women often find themselves unable to meet normal monthly expenses and needing assistance for a variety of everyday chores like grocery shopping, child care, mowing the grass, fixing the car and other routine household jobs.

To address these issues, The American Legion has a nationwide toll-free telephone number, (800) 504-4098, for servicemembers and their families to call for assistance. Requests also can be made online at www.legion.org/fsn. All inquiries are referred to The American Legion department in which the call originated. Departments relay the collected information to a local American Legion post. The local post then contacts the servicemember or family to see how assistance can be provided locally. Since the creation of the Family Support Network during the Persian Gulf War, thousands of posts have responded to meet these families' needs.

Posts are reminded that families in financial need with minor children are encouraged to call on the Temporary Financial Assistance program at National Headquarters to assist. Otherwise, it is up to local posts to provide or develop the resources necessary to meet the need.

www.legion.org/fsn
(800) 504-4098

Operation Landstuhl

When then-National Commander Paul A. Morin toured Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany last summer, he saw a need for comfort and relief items for U.S. servicemembers recovering there after being injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. Morin, then-Auxiliary National President JoAnn Cronin and then-Sons of the American Legion National Commander Earl Ruttkofsky joined together in asking the Legion family to raise $50,000 by the 2007 National Convention to help purchase needed comfort items.

In just two months, the Legion family raised more than $257,000 for DVDs, shoes, clothes, pre-paid calling cards and other items. To date, $320,000 has been raised for the project.

Welcome Home programs

Many American Legion posts actively conduct community welcome-home programs for U.S. servicemembers. When doing so:

Seek out troops returning to your community, get them involved and make the program a major local event.

Coincide the community-wide ceremony on holidays such as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July or Veterans Day.

Present certificates of appreciation to servicemembers.

Invite servicemembers to local post activities, including dinners and award ceremonies.

Try to arrange a "Support Our Troops Night" at local and professional sporting events.

Work with the community to line the streets with U.S. flags, Blue Star Banners, yellow ribbons and "Support Our Troops" yard signs.

Develop a public-relations plan to get the event in newspapers, on the radio and on television.

Ask schools to invite returning troops to speak to students.

Posts conducting welcome-home programs are encouraged to share their success stories with American Legion National Headquarters in Indianapolis. Posts that do so will receive a certificate of appreciation.

Blue Star Banner

Displaying a Blue Star Service Banner in the window of a home is an American tradition. The banner lets others know that someone in the home is proudly serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. As Americans do their best to support Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and the ongoing war on terrorism, the Blue Star Service Banner reminds us all that war touches every neighborhood in our land.

The American Legion has Blue Star Banners available through Emblem Sales. Also available are Blue Star Banner Corporate Flags for government and corporate America to show support for employees called to active duty with their reserve or National Guard units.

emblem.legion.org
(888) 453-4466