River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1925-11-19
LEGION AUXILIARY NOTES

The American Legion Auxiliary of
the Albert Harvey Fletcher Post is
one of the PIP organizations in the
state that is working industriously to
increase its membership this year.
Minnesota has challenged five of the
big states who lead in Auxiliary
work, to an "Over the Top Mem
bership Race" Iowa, Illinois, Penn
sylvania, New York and Massa-
chuetts are the states included in the
contest.
The American Legion Auxiliary in
Wisconsin has a membership Of 9,411
included in PIP units or societies
throughout the state.
The Auxiliary is organized as an
aid to the American Legion. Par
ticularly in the matter of rehabilitat-
ing the man who fought in the war
has the Auxiliary proved itself a
valuable adjunct to the Legion. In
Wisconsin alone over $4,000 was
spent by the Auxiliary in rehabilita
tioh work. This does not take into
consideration the large amount of.
local work done by the units.
Uncle Sam is doing his best to
give justice to the exsorvice man
whom the war has left, sometimes
i'll and more often total and tragic
casualty 1t is the American Legion
and its Auxiliary that have stepped
forward to supply the human con-
tect between the man who is in need
of assistance and the machinery Of
the United States government. The
Auxiliary co-operates with the Lee
gicn in securing compensation for
the man who is entitled to it.
At National Hcme, Milwaukee,
| Resthaven, Waukesha, and Phychia
trio, Mendoza, the three great hos
| pitfalls where the ex-service men are
receiving care, the Legion Auxiliary
s the ministering angel who supplies
| the comforts and conveniences which
make hospital life more bearable.
Over 500 bathrobes were distributed
to the men in the hospitals the past
year; 125 reading lamps made it pos
sible to pass the long, wakeful hours
CT the night in reading; victrolas,
records. golf and baseball outfits,
games for indoor amusement, ferns
and lamps to make the lounges more
home-ike, an asbestos screen for the
moving picture equipment birthday
remembrances and Christmas boxes
were all purchased by the Auxiliary
for the men in order that the hours
might not be SO tedious, the days a
little more enjoyable.
The Auxiliary is constantly on the
alert to be Of assistance to the ex-
service man who is not hospitalized.
1t has started the practice of loan
ing money, without interest, to SER
vice men who need money to tide
them over an illness, to get a start
in some new trade or occupation. or
to build a shack in the open where
he may regain his health.
Membership in the American Lee
gion Auxiliary is limited to mothers,
wives, sisters, and daughters of men
who were n service during the World
War. In time the Auxiliary, like the
Daughters of the American Revolu-
ton, will become an hereditary or
ganization.
Today the American Legion Aux
iliary is considered the greatest pat
riotic association of women in the
world. There are no class distinc-
tons, no race barriers, no religious
qualifications within its boundaries.
It is the common meeting ground of
thinking women whose common lam
guage is service, and whose power
and force is just beginning to be
realized. In Americanism work,
child welfare, particularly where it
affects the child of the service man,
the Auxiliary is gradually becoming
recognized as an important factor
whose approval or disapproval of a
oolicy or project represents the
opinion of nearly 100000 women.