Mintken-Davison Post 301 hosts "Sons of the American Legion" meeting

Dalton American Legion Mintken-Davison Post 301 will host a meeting Monday night to establish a Sons of the American Legion (S.A.L.) squadron.

The Mintken-Davison Post 301 organizational meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7, at Legion Hall in Dalton.

The Sons of the American Legion exists to honor the service and sacrifice of Legionnaires. Sons, grandsons, great-grandsons and any male descendants of veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces are invited to attend the informational meeting.

The group is made up of male descendants of veterans from World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Lebanon, Panama, Grenada, Persian Gulf and now the war on terror.

Members of the American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion compromise the Legion family, which has a combined membership of nearly 4.2 million. This event will give locals the opportunity to become a part of the largest veteran’s service organization.

According to John Sanna, commander of Mintken-Davison Post 301, this is a meeting to recruit and start a squadron.

“This is open for anyone who might not have served, but have relatives who served,” Sanna said. “There aren’t many local vets here, and my main goal is to promote Americanism, patriotism and flags and pass that on to the youth.”

There are no age requirements to become a member, and the group needs a minimum of 10 members to charter and maintain a Sons of the American Legion program.

The program assists in fighting for veterans’ benefits, by providing funds to the National Organization, who in turn keeps a staff in Washington, D.C., and lobbies on behalf of veterans. Local and national youth programs, Americanism programs and veteran rehabilitation efforts are also supported by the group.

Keynote speaker Danny J. Smith, NEC S.A.L. Alternate and the Nebraska S.A.L. Detachment Adjutant, as well as a 2016 candidate for S.A.L. National Commander, will also present at the event.