This year, we have made it much easier to submit for the Salute to Servicemember Award! And with the “new and improved” criteria, there is no need for your Department to vet the submission! Any ALA member or entity can submit! Remember, this is a National award; therefore, no need to go to the extra work to have your Department turn in their one and only entry! It is our sincere hope that we are inundated with submissions!
An ALA member/entity simply makes the nomination, rather than the servicemember, to effectively tell the story of why they feel this person is “head and shoulders” above their peers and worthy of this award.
A simple narrative (no more than 1000 words), a picture of the servicemember (preferably official Department of Defense photograph), and the endorsement from their command group are the only requirements!
Submit NOW! Don’t wait for your Department convention. Submit right up until the June 1, 2025 deadline! The nomination form is live now. Simply click: https://www.legion-aux.org/Salute-to-Servicewomen-Award
This award acknowledges the servicemember’s contributions that goes beyond their military career, displaying their impact on their community. Our US servicemembers are exemplary examples of our nation, but when you find one that also goes above and beyond – both within the military and as an integral part of the community where they are they are stationed – they are more than admirable and should be acknowledged for this. It’s this “can do” attitude that we should all strive for!
For example, all recipients of last year’s Salute to Servicemembers Award are tremendous assets to their military community, thriving in their professional careers with awards and decorations to prove it, but all demonstrate the spirit of volunteerism. Two recipients were instrumental in placing homeless veterans in furnished apartments with basic needs, and another volunteers with Morale, Welfare and Recreation to give back to their military community and engage in meaningful activities. Another volunteers at the local food bank and animal shelter. All are enthusiastic contributors to their communities.
At the very least, the goal is to have at least one submission from every Department and ensure that every branch of the military is represented—Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force, and the National Guard/Reserve. With our military installations, big and small, throughout the country, we have many servicemembers to choose from.
Let’s remember our Mission to support our military, and enter those servicemembers that are so deserving!
ALA Mission – In the spirit of Service, Not Self, the mission of the American Legion Auxiliary is to support The American Legion and to honor the sacrifice of those who serve by enhancing the lives of our veterans, military, and their families, both at home and abroad.
Yours In Service,
Lisa D. Williamson, American Legion Auxiliary Salute to Servicemember Chair – 2024-2025
williamsonlisad@gmail.com │ cell: 907-388-3264│ #BeTheOne
www.ALAforVeterans.org │ A Community of Volunteers Serving Veterans, Military, and their Families