August 2026 Newsletter
Updated: 3 hours ago
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Dear Valued Members of the 4th District,
Well, the summer is moving fast, which means we need to get a jump on our 2027 membership. The American Legion loses roughly 11% of its members each year, so let’s make 2027 a year of recruitment, with a focus on getting the younger generation to join! See your Post Membership Officer or our District Membership Director, Mickey Ostrum, for membership enrollment cards.
To meet our Post membership goals, the Membership Director and I have established the 4th District Revitalization Program, which will be held at North Saint Paul Legion on Friday, October 16, 2026, from 3–7 p.m., and Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All Posts are requested to send at least two members.
The Ramsey County Central Committee (RCCC) Meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. on September 9, 2026, at Post 577. I encourage all Post and family entities to attend this meeting.
If you’re unable to attend but would like to call in, I have established a Zoom meeting:
Meeting ID: 848 1949 6279
The 4th District Christmas Party Potluck will be held on December 9, 2026. We ask those attending the event to bring an unwrapped Christmas gift, which will be donated to families in need.
The 4th District Sons of the American Legion Convention will be Friday, May 8, 2027, and the 4th District Members Convention will be Saturday, May 9, 2027.
The 2027 Winter Carnival King Boreas Grande Day Parade will be Saturday, January 20, 2027, at 2 p.m. I encourage all Legion family members to attend.
I look forward to working with all of you to strengthen our Legion community. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you for your service, and I am honored to serve alongside you.
Sincerely,
Daniel M. Bronk
2026–2027 District Commander
4th District
FROM YOUR VICE COMMANDER
Brenda Hamlin-Lehmann
As your newly elected Vice Commander, Area 2, and your National Security/Foreign Relations Chair, I thought it would be helpful to cover some information about our National Guard here in Minnesota.
As of July 10, 2026:
An unknown number of Minnesota National Guard members are deployed to battle wildfires in the northern part of the state. On May 17, 2026, Governor Tim Walz authorized the deployment by issuing an executive order declaring a peacetime emergency.
Approximately 250 Minnesota National Guard members assigned to the 148th Fighter Wing, the 1-151 Field Artillery Regiment (deployed May 2025), and the 34th Military Police Company are deployed to the Middle East under Title 10.
More than 100 Minnesota National Guard airmen of the 133rd Airlift Wing returned home from their deployment to Africa in support of Operation New Normal and other counterterrorism efforts.
Understanding National Guard Duty Statuses
Title 10 Status: Federally controlled and federally funded.
Title 32 Status: State- or territory-controlled by the governor, federally funded and regulated.
State Active Duty: Activated by the state or territorial governor. Pay and benefits are determined by state law. Guard members are not eligible for federal pay or benefits.
FROM THE 4th DISTRICT AUXILIARY
Greetings 4th District Auxiliary!
I hope your summer has been a great one, despite the hot weather! It is hard to believe that it is almost over!
The Department Convention is now behind us, and new Department Officers were installed. Auxiliary President is Linda Kelly, 1st Vice President is Jody Hassing, and 2nd Vice President is Hope Wilson. Congratulations to them! Installation was done at the Department Convention. Thus, a new year begins.
The 4th District Auxiliary had nine members present at the Convention. The Auxiliary congratulates Dan Bronk on being elected 4th District Commander. We look forward to working closely with him for the betterment of the 4th District.
I was honored to be elected 4th District President and to serve another year.
The following are the Unit Presidents:
Arcade/Phalen 577: Frye Okumura
North End 474: Shelly Putz
North Saint Paul 39: Mary Kvaal
Rosetown Memorial 542: Rotates month to month, but Gwen Holets is the contact person
White Bear Lake 168: Katie Podewils
Congratulations to them!
The 4th District Auxiliary Meeting is held on the third Wednesday of the month, starting at 6:30 p.m. at White Bear Lake American Legion. All are welcome to attend. If you are not a delegate from your Unit, you just cannot vote, but you are most welcome to attend the meetings.
Here are the officers of the 4th District:
President: Sandy Gibson
1st Vice President: Open
2nd Vice President: Noreen Ostrum
Secretary and Executive Committee: Jenny Nelson
Chaplain and Executive Committee: Dianne Bultman
Treasurer: Karla Joyce
Sergeant at Arms: Shelly Putz
Parliamentarian: Mary French
Thank you to all of them for stepping up and representing the 4th District. We are small but “Mighty.” We do whatever we can for our Veterans, and we are proud to do it!
A replica of the Vietnam Wall is coming to White Bear Lake. Please see the flyer with the dates and times included in this newsletter.
Next up is the National Convention in August in Louisville, Kentucky.
I hope you have a safe and pleasant rest of the summer. Please visit the Vietnam Wall in White Bear Lake.
Always thank a Veteran!
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