American Legion Trying to Scam Vets?

U.S. Postal Inspectors Investigate Whether American Legion Letter Was a Mistake Or a Scam

By JOSEPH RHEE

Feb. 8, 2008—

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4257345&page=1

I've contacted the American Philantropy Institute, members of Congress, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service on this travesty to no avail. That is until I was contacted by Joseph Rhee, a reporter for ABC News. Mr. Rhee was given my name as a POC regarding one aspect of fraud and scams against America's Veterans that Congress has not yet given serious thought to - MAIL FRAUD and SCAMS by any Veterans Service Organization (VSO) to increase falling membership. In hopes of getting Congress to begin closely monitoring what VSOs do with donations, and what practices they use for membership recruitment, I provided ABC News all the documentation I received from the Legion that I considered FRAUDULENT and their excuse that it was a mistake or blaming 'THEIR CONTRACTOR," does NOT address the concern nor relieve THE LEGION of ACCOUNTABILITY.

Some have posted comments on the ABC News blotter saying this is nothing but a MISTAKE that should be blown off. THAT IS THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD OF. Even if given the benefit of a doubt, that the Membership Recruitment section at the American Legion or whoever is RESPONSIBLE for sending out membership soliticitations ALLOWED a MISTAKE to be made by THE AMERICAN LEGION CONTRACTOR. That does not excuse nor take leadership of the Legion off the hook when it comes to accountabilty and INTENT.

1. Why is it that a VSO that touts a 3 million Vet membership have it can bring to the polls CANNOT find volunteers to do membership drives the way they gallantly volunteer at VA Hospitals. POINT: Why does the Legion need to hire a CONTRACTOR to handle mass mailings in the first place? 

2. What makes the leadership of the American Legion THINK it has no OBLIGATION, RESPONSIBLITY, or ACCOUNTABILITY for any materials or documents THE LEGION'S CONTRACTOR sends out. If you or I felt the need to hire an advertiser to market a membership drive for VCS or VFA, I would hope that Paul Sullivan or Bobby Muller would ensure that SOMEONE on staff responsible for membership drives PROOF READS everythig the NON-VETERAN CONTRACTORS sends to America's Veterans to ensure mistakes are not made.

3. How many Vets read the following piece of cr-p, believed it, and renewed their membership in THE LEGION? If you joined the American Legion thinking that your benefits will be reinstated, or that your VA Claim would have more clout, etc... Then ask for your money back, and join a Veterans Organization that (1) doesn't need to outsource membership drives, and (2) accepts responsiblity and accountability for the MISTAKES the Veterans Organization makes without passing blame to the contractor made us do it. That makes about as much sense as the dog ate my homework.

Note: When I sent the evidence to ABC News, it is exactly the same evidence that I sent to the U.S. Postal Inspecton service, and my Senator from Ohio. For the record, beside what Mr. Rhee quotes I said about this situation, I also told him that I wanted to send him and the ABC News Investigative Staff everything that I sent to Congress for OTHERS to make a determination as to the severity of the MISTAKE or if this in fact appears to be a Legion Membership Drive SCAM. I agreed to work with ABC News only on condition that THEY LOOK at the evidence and decide if my concerns were genuine. Major Bobby L. Hanafin, U.S. Air Force-Retired.

The rest of the story:

SELECT LINK TO "mailing last year" to review for yourself the Mass Mailing from the American Legion I received and forwarded to the USPS, and Congress, then LINK to "a correction letter," to review THE LEGION's claim that their contractor made a mistake. I've provided both sides, so YOU DECIDE.  

U.S. postal inspectors have been asked to investigate whether the American Legion tried to trick veterans into signing up for membership in the Legion.

In a mailing last year to 800,000 former members, the American Legion said their "benefits as a veteran of the United States Armed Forces have lapsed" and that the only way to "reinstate these important benefits" was to pay $20 to reinstate their American Legion membership.

Under U.S. law, veterans benefits do not lapse over time, and the American Legion now acknowledges the letter, signed by Legion National Adjutant Robert Spanogle, was "a serious mistake."

A retired Air Force major, Robert Hanafin, has filed a complaint of mail fraud with postal inspectors after becoming outraged by what he viewed as a deceptive letter designed to scare people into rejoining the American Legion. According to Hanafin, "Any veterans organization that uses any such low-down scams to increase membership deserves to stay in the 19th century."

With more than three million members, the American Legion is the largest veterans organization in the country. American Legion spokesperson Joe March told the Blotter on ABCNews.com that the language was the fault of an outside contractor who neglected to make clear that the lapsed benefits in question were actually American Legion membership benefits. March said an "electronic editing mistake" by the contractor omitted the "American Legion" reference. March said the Legion apologized for the error and that "we acted promptly and immediately sent out a correction letter."

Maj. Hanafin, however, said he doesn't buy the American Legion's explanation that the first letter was a mistake. He points to specific language in the letter that states the benefits were given "in accordance with a special act of Congress." According to Hanafin, "The disservice they are doing to America's veterans...goes far beyond shameful."

Click Here for "The New York Times" editorial: 'An Intolerable Fraud.'

Click Here for the Investigative Homepage.

Posted by: Bobby Hanafin