01/23/2008

News / The Times Record

This week the American Legion in Maine started presenting $500 checks to local disabled veterans who were injured while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thanks to a $500,000 check from The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes to the national headquarters of The American Legion, district officers with local post members have started to present the $500 grants to veterans throughout the state.

“It is with sincere thanks that we present these grants today to fellow military veterans who served our country with honor and pride,” state commander Paul L’Heureux said. “We present these on behalf of your fellow veterans and a grateful nation.”

“These grants are just a small token of appreciation for the sacrifices made by so many of America’s men and women in uniform,” said Thomas J. Palma, general manager of the coalition. “Our coalition was able to raise a lot of money from caring people but we do not have the distribution network of The American Legion. The Legion is a well-respected organization with a presence in communities across America. The American Legion will do an excellent job in getting those grants to deserving veterans.”

“This is a perfect partnership — the coalition’s generosity teamed with The American Legion’s ‘Heroes to Hometowns’ (H2H) program,” said L’Heureux. “Our members stand ready to assist with veterans and their families along with community members of our local H2H team in providing a vast array of assistance to ease their return to a productive civilian life.”

It is not the first time that the two organizations have teamed up to award grants to disabled veterans. The American Legion distributed checks for the coalition in 2005.

American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser said that The American Legion is honored to participate in such a worthy project.

“The program was so successful two years ago that The American Legion’s National Executive Committee unanimously passed a resolution at our last convention authorizing our assistance in this great endeavor,” Conatser said.

The funds are being divided into $500 grants and awarded to veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq across the country who are rated with disabilities of 30 percent or more. The American Legion has assumed all distribution administrative costs, meaning that 1,000 grants will be awarded — the entire amount of the coalition’s contribution.

“Legion Posts throughout the state are honored to deliver this gift to our comrades here in Maine,” L’Heureux said. “We can never fully heal all of the trauma of war, but we can show our gratitude to those who went in harm’s way for America.”

The American Legion, www.legion.org, was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veteran’s affairs, Americanism, and patriotic youth programs. The Legion’s 2.7 million wartime veterans work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation.