Click here for Membership Turn-In Listing By District

As we celebrate the 4th of July, we must never forget
those who have made our Holiday possible.

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin.
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

Enjoy Your Freedom & God Bless Our Troops.

Click here for a 4th of July greeting

VA HOSPITAL NEWS

Walmus Named New Medical Center Director

HOUSTON – Adam C. Walmus, B.A., M.H.A., M.A., F.A.C.H.E. was recently selected as the new director for the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) in Houston.  He starts his new position on August 2, 2009.

In his new post, Walmus, who has been with VA since 1981, will serve as the MEDVAMC’s chief executive officer charged with management of one of the most complex VA medical centers in the country with more than 3,500 employees and an annual budget of approximately $585 million.  In addition to caring for more than 120,000 Southeast Texas Veterans, the MEDVAMC also serves as a regional and national referral center for many services including cardiac surgery, neurological disorders, radiation therapy, and spinal cord injury care.

Prior to his appointment as director of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Walmus served as director of the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma.  His 30 years of federal service include VA positions in Houston, Dublin, Georgia and New Orleans as well as a Department of Health & Human Services position in the Washington, DC area.

"Adam has a proven track record of success as a health care professional and a leader,” said George Gray, South Central VA Health Care Network director.  “His experience in health care administration, strategic planning, and management of capital resources will allow the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center to continue providing world-class care to the Veterans in southeast Texas."

Walmus obtained a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.  He holds two master’s degrees, one in Health Care Administration from Tulane University and one in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and has been appointed to the Department of Veterans Affairs ACHE Regent's Advisory Council.  Walmus served as a preceptor and clinical adjunct faculty member of the Health Care Administration Department at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and Oklahoma University.

Membership in The American Legion

Are you a member of The American Legion?   If you served during a wartime era, we extend to you an opportunity to become a member of this growing Organization.   The American Legion is an organization of veterans serving other veterans, their families, and the communities they live in.   We are the voice of the veteran in Washington DC fighting for the benefits and rights of all those who served our Country in the Armed Forces.   The 22nd District Commander Terry Messinger would be pleased to have you as a member of this growing, community based Veterans' Organization.

If you are interested in becoming a member or would like more information please email us at tmessinger@ev1.net or our Webmaster.   To find a specific American Legion Post in your area, please go to our DIRECTORY which lists the specifics of each American Legion Post in the 22nd District.   Or you may use this application and mail proof of service (copy of DD214, etc) and a check for (see Specific Post Annual Dues) payable to "___Specific American Legion Post___."   Please Print (right click on the application and click on Print Picture) and include your phone number.   Your membership card will be mailed to you and you'll be contacted when the next post meeting is held.

Copyright © 2002-2009 by The American Legion.   All rights reserved.


Last Updated:   June 29, 2009.


Send comments or questions to the Webmaster
or to the District Commander.    


  Like a busy freeway, this website is always under construction.