The Poplar Standard

Saboe Completes Tours of District Legion Conventions

Dept. Commander Allen Saboe and Mrs. Saboe ended visits to each of the eleven districts of the American Legion in Montana with meetings at Manhattan and Terry Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 18 and 19. Attending the District Conventions with the Saboes were Mrs. Esther Iholts, Miles City, Dept. President of the American Legion Auxiliary, and Chet Shore, Helena, Dept. Adjutant for the Legion.

Dept. Commander Saboe was speaker at the evening banquet ending both meetings, where he talked on the individual citizen's responsibility in the field of Americanism, both as a Legionnaire and as a member of community, state, and nation Monday. Mr. and Mrs. Saboe, Mrs. Iholts, and Mr. and Mrs. John Love, Miles City, toured the State Industrial school for boys, and the Veterans Hospital at Miles City.

Superintendent Wolhowe escorted the group through the boys' school. J. Corey, business manager of the institution and Marshall Warner, Veterans Administration Volunteer Service Director, showed the group through the Veterans hospital.

During December, the American Legion Auxiliary will conduct a "Gift Shop" at the Miles City Veterans Hospital and at the Veterans hospital at Fort Harrison, Helena. Gifts will be selected by hospital patients to be given to their children, wives, grandchildren and family members, from the veteran patient personally. The gifts are individually donated items from unit Auxiliary members within a 200 mile radius of the hospital. After the patient makes his selections it is gift-wrapped and mailed by the Department Rehabilitation Committee of the Auxiliary, enabling the veteran, at no charge to himself, to have a giving Christmas.

The Saboes carried gifts to the shop, Christmas dinner tray favors, and pocket novels to the hospital from the Poplar unit.

The Dept. Rehabilitation chairman for the Legion carries on a year long program at the hospital, conducting parties at holidays, contacting veterans' families and Legion posts, when a veteran is admitted as a patient to the hospital, Mrs. Saboe reported. Twice a week "Cheer-carts" make an appearance on the wards, and cigarettes, candy, shaving supplies, reading materials and other items are given free of charge to the patients. These services are made possible by funds provided by the Legion.

The Industrial School has been a special project of the American Legion Auxiliary under a system where individual Auxiliary units "adopt" certain boys, remembering them on holidays and birthdays with gift packages of clothing, candy, games, and other items. Many of the boys at the school are veterans' children, or have no families to take a personal interest in them. The Poplar Unit has adopted several boys in the last ten years, and has carried on correspondence with each boy.

An increase of 15 percent more new members in the American Legion than at this date last year has been recorded in the state, Saboe stated. The Legion's program on the promotion of Americanism is credited with this increase. A larger increase of farmer members has also been noted and is directly related to the National Legion convention's stand against the collectivist trend in current agricultural policies in the United States today, Saboe continued.

So a membership challenge has been made concerning the Department of Montana. If Mrs. Esther Iholts has a bigger percent of American Legion Auxiliary members at department convention time, she will receive a white poodle from the Department Commander. If he wins, with more Legion members she will give him a gallon of ripe olives.