Mary Jane McLoon, of South Bristol, was elected vice president of the state American Legion Auxiliary at the organization’s annual conference in Bangor June 17.
McLoon, a former state chaplain, former president of the state auxiliary’s 3rd district and, most recently, the state historian, first joined the organization in 1975. She plans to run for the state presidency at the conclusion of her one-year term.
The national organization is “the largest women’s patriotic organization in the world,” McLoon said.
McLoon plans to focus on membership and recruitment during her term. “We’re 48th in the nation in membership this year,” she said. She compared the depletion of the organization’s ranks to the rapid decline in local and state grange membership and pointed to the loss of World War II-era members as a contributing factor.
McLoon plans to encourage current and former members to renew and to reach out to the families of veterans of the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The auxiliary assists veterans, active service members and communities in a variety of ways. It works with children and families, lobbies the government on behalf of service members and veterans and presents awards and scholarships, among other things.
The auxiliary can also offer impromptu assistance to families of service members. For example, if the spouse of someone serving in Afghanistan or Iraq “has problems with the house or car,” the auxiliary wants to help. “That’s part of what our outreach mission is,” McLoon said.
The auxiliary extends support to non-military causes, too. The Mississippi auxiliary recently challenged the other states to match its $1000 gift to tornado victims in Joplin, Mo. The Maine auxiliary responded with a $3000 gift.
McLoon asks the families of local service members in Afghanistan or Iraq to call her at 563-5316 or stop in to the Wells-Hussey American Legion Post #42 on Bus. Rt. 1 in Damariscotta (open most evenings from 4-7 p.m.). She hopes to compile names and photographs to post at the local legion headquarters.
McLoon wants all active service members and veterans to know “We’re there for them and their families.”
Anyone who is an immediate family member of an American Legion member or a deceased veteran is eligible for membership in the American Legion Auxiliary. For more information, visit www.alaforveterans.org.
