Volume 81, Issue 3
A Century of the American Legion Reporter: Noah Weaver The year is 1919, exactly one century ago, and the U.S. only had 48 states. According to their official website, the legion “was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veteran’s organization.” Members of the American Expeditionary Force came together while in Paris for the first American Legion caucus. Within a few months the group was made official through the publication of a constitution. A few months after that, a 361323 vote decided that Indianapolis would house the headquarters of the legion, and a resolution was passed supporting the Boy Scouts of America. Following that, the Legion had a very eventful century. Over the next 10 years the Legion gave funding for education, medical bills and disabilities for veterans, as well as starting a baseball program that over half of today's professional baseball players have graduated from. Over the next five years the Legion continued on, providing funding and honoring many different organizations, then in 1935 something special was created. The very first "Boys State" in the nation was held on the grounds of the Illinois State Fair. Within a few years, 34 States had a Boys State program, and today 49 states conduct the program, Hawaii being the only state without a program. There has been a program every year with the exception of 1945 due to the Second World War, and again in 1952 due to flooding of the grounds.
Wednesday, June 12th, 2019
Today, the American Legion hosts over 19,500 young men through the Boys State program. In May of 1945 the Legion gave a grant of $50,000 to a struggling company called the American Heart Organization, continuing the tradition of funding companies for the betterment of America. Recently, donations for the Legion are at an all-time high. During the war in Vietnam, the Legion voiced great concern over the lives of all war prisoners in Vietnam, demanding a full accounting of all troops captured. In 2013, more than $1.1 million was raised for Operation Comfort Warriors during the 2012-2013 fundraising year. It easily surpassed his original goal of $500,000. In 2014, $4.4million was raised for the Legion’s charities and programs. Recently, in 2017, Denise H. Rohan of Wisconsin was elected as National Commander, becoming the first woman to hold this role in Legion history. The American Legion has 100 bright years in the past with, hopefully, many more to come.
The American Legion Logo
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Kitchen Spotlight Reporter: Jack Treinish A big part of any teenage male’s life is food. The American Legion understands this and carries out three solid meals every day for the delegates to enjoy. Frank Page has been a chef at Miami University for 13 years and this is his second year serving Buckeye Boys State. He regularly serves the students of the campus, and is just doing Boys State for two of the eight days. He says the numbers he receives in the Garden Commons is about the same during Fall and Spring semesters as it is for Boys State. He also gave compliments to the delegates of Boys State, saying “there is nothing more they could do to help us (the kitchen staff). They do a good job cleaning up and are very polite.” The delegates have done a great job this year exemplifying Boys State and the American Legionnaire behind it. Boys Staters can enjoy a wide variety of food while at Miami, anything from spaghetti to egg rolls. Some of the favorites have been the pizza and spaghetti. Chef Page’s favorite meal to cook is dinner, more specifically, stir fry. The stir fry meals include General Tso’s, orange, and teriyaki chicken, which have also been among the favorites of the delegates. It may not be his favorite to cook, but Page highly recommended Miami’s meatloaf. “It was first made in the 40’s and is made with oats,” he said when discussing what makes it so special. After conversing with peers, the delegates definitely agree. Noah Weaver even said, “it tasted just like my mom’s.” A wide variety of cookies and brownies are also available to the delegates, as well as almost any drink imaginable. With five days left in the program, the kitchen is sure to bring more delicious food to all the delegates. With such a wide
variety to choose from and options for vegans and people with gluten and lactose intolerance, the kitchen has every door covered. The kitchen is another excellent resource American Legion Buckeye Boys State gets to work with.
The Garden Commons’ kitchen staff. Photo by Andrew Fogt
The BBS Job Fair Reporter: Dustin Kirtley On the third official day of the American Legion Buckeye Boys State 2019, voting was finalized for all positions across city, county and state levels. By the end of the day, hundreds of positions were filled and high ranking state officials were chosen. However, there were still delegates in attendance that were left without a job. For the purpose of providing jobs for these delegates, as well as filling unaddressed positions, the job fair was held at Millett Hall. The orientation for this event began at 7:30 p.m. and continued until 8:00 p.m., when the discussion then opened for Q&A. Every possible position that could be filled was described in detail, giving everyone a understanding of what’s available.
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Immediately following this session, the unemployed delegates were then given the opportunity to speak to appointed and elected officials about possible openings. This helped to ensure that everyone was able to have a role for the week. Not only is the job fair for those who didn’t run for a position, individuals who lost their election were also given the opportunity to attend and receive appointed positions. While speaking to Daniel Vrablic of the Federalist party, he was able to tell us that even though he was "disappointed in the outcome of his election for governor," he still had the opportunity to obtain a high quality job. It is because of events like the job fair that we all have equal opportunity to fulfill a role and leave our own unique mark on this Buckeye Boys State experience.
Delegates attending the job fair at Millett Hall. Photo by Mikkel D. Alvarez
Bank/Realty Exam Reporter: Gabe Wagner For those financially talented delegates at Buckeye Boys State, the Buckeye Boys Bank is a must to work for. To start their enrollment, delegates must participate and pass the bank/realty exam. The exam consisted of 25 true or false and multiple choice questions. The staff in charge of the Buckeye Boys Bank took the top 20 scores on the test in order to pick the most qualified delegates. I had the pleasure of talking to one of the exam participants, Tanner J Sabau of Koppin City. Sabau was interested from the start of Buckeye Boys to be apart of the so important Buckeye Boys Bank. In preparation for the exam, Sabau studied everything and anything related to local, county and state level banks. Despite a great amount of studying, Sabau still felt nervous about the test. Reflecting on when he first sat down and started the exam, Sabau said: “At first I was thinking I wasn’t able to get a top score.” After a brief period of anxiety, Sabau claimed he relaxed and took his time on the exam. Sabau informed us of the test’s focus on local and state banks. After completing the exam at a calm and precise rate, Sabau felt confident in his work. Sabau was informed he was one of the top scores and passed the banking exam. Sabau hopes to work on cleaning up financial spreadsheets and organizing records. Sabau wishes to be a great banker and will continue to work his hardest. The Buckeye Boys Bank opens on Wednesday at 10 a.m. The Hetuck staff applauds all Buckeye Boys Bank members and wishes them all luck!
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Close of the campaign season Reporter: John Nelson
In regards to campaigning, there are many approaches, some good, others not so much. Whether they consist of a catchphrase or a cool sign, the most important thing these candidates need to do is win the people over. Tuesday evening, a few candidates from each political party were asked what their methods of campaigning were — and believe it or not — some would be defined as unique and very creative, while others took a different approach that possibly didn’t turn out as planned. Bryce Knox ran for Lieutenant Governor in the Federalist party and had a few words for a local reporter. He was asked about his exact approach to his campaign and he said that he tried to both extend a hand and also to be nice. He had a distinctive catchphrase: “Knock Knox, it’s Knox” He tried to win people over by talking about certain subjects such as healthcare, gun control and the safety of elections. Unfortunately for this candidate, his running mate didn’t give him the papers he needed to collect signatures which led to his nonelection. Another candidate running for House of Representatives was asked the same question about his approach and he had a similar method as some of his running mates. He tried to talk to as many people as possible. He didn’t put any signs up or have a catchphrase. When questioned about his regrets, he said although he tried to talk to as many people as possible, it wasn’t enough to help him get the votes he needed, making him wish that he got his name out a lot more. Jarret Himes was the last man interviewed, running for Lieutenant Governor as
part of the Federalist Party, he and his partner are known for promising people two-ply toilet paper. He talked about his attempts to talk to everyone, completely being himself and wanting to be absolutely honest. He went on to say that the key to having a good campaign is not being 100% serious, however, when it’s time to talk about governmental issues, be confident and show your knowledge and ideas about the subject. He also recommended that upcoming candidates should talk to both parties of the state. His regrets, on the other hand, were that he didn’t realize that he sacrificed a lot of time and had to miss the delegate meeting. In conclusion, the different candidates showcased multiple campaigning methods. For some lucky delegates, the styles worked in their favor, but on the other hand, some of the methods backfired and may have caused candidates to lose their elections. So when deciding how to campaign, maybe think outside of the box.
Jacob T. Manente (right) and Andrew P. Baumeier (left), both nationalists, are Buckeye Boys State’s 2019 Governor and Lt. Governor respectively. Photo by A ndrew Fogt