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St. Louis. The American Legion’s first U.S. organizational meeting is approaching its 100th anniversary in early May, and the Department of Missouri is planning a two-day event to mark it.

The 100th Anniversary Celebration of the St. Louis Caucus will be held in St. Louis May 9-10. On May 9 a reception will be held at the downtown Soldiers Memorial at 6 p.m. On May 10 at 10 a.m., a formal celebration at Soldiers Memorial will be followed by a luncheon at the downtown Missouri Athletic Club. Speakers will include American Legion National Commander Brett Reistad, Auxiliary National President Kathy Dungan and Sons National Commander Greg “Doc” Gibbs.

The entire Legion Family is welcome. A room block has been reserved at the Missouri Athletic Club. Reservations for the luncheon are $35 per person; RSVPs are needed by April 18. Visit the department’s events page at  www.missourilegion.org/conv-and-conference-info for more information on making arrangements.
 
The Virginia International Tattoo – a world-class event in Norfolk that that draws in more than 45,000 people to honor America’s military, patriotism and freedom through music, marching, pageantry, panel discussions and more – will have two distinguished American Legion women at this year’s celebration. American Legion Past National Commander Denise Rohan and American Legion 100th Anniversary Honorary Committee member Diane Carlson Evans, a Vietnam War combat nurse, will have speaking roles at the Tattoo, which has “Celebrating Women in Service to the Nation” as its theme this year.

The 23rd annual Virginia International Tattoo will be held at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va., April 25-28. Rohan and Evans will participate in the Courage, Commitment and Leadership Forum: Extraordinary Women of the U.S. Military on Friday, April 26, from 1:30-3 p.m. inside the Scope Arena. The event is free and open to the public. The American Legion also will display its four-panel “100 Years for God and Country” chronology exhibit at the festival where hundreds of other exhibitors and vendors will be present.

For more information on the 2019 Virginia International Tattoo and how to attend, please visit www.vafest.org/tattoo/.