by larryw | Dec 13, 2020 | American Legion Post 178, Press Release
Oratorical Speech Contestants
Left to Right Front Row
Fred Rogers, Post 178 Commander, Anmol Dubey, Liberty High School, Jedaiah Ward, Home Schooled, Emma Ko, Home Schooled, Lakshita Soma, Heritage High School
Back Row
Ed Reed, Post 178 Oratorical Program Chairman, Harbani Kohli, Reedy High School, and Dan Stricklin, Frisco Councilman Elect.
Four high school students from the Frisco area were named winners and received $250 college scholarships at the American Legion Post 178 Oratorical Scholarship Contest. The competition was held in the Council Chambers at Frisco’s George A. Purefoy Municipal Center on Saturday, December 12. The four orators will now compete at the district contest in Royse City on January 2, 2021 against other contest winners from the 4th District.
Each contestant delivered a prepared oration as well as an oration on a randomly assigned constitutional topic. All contestants impressed the judges with their speaking skills and presentation content.
The four winners in alphabetical order were Anmol Dubey, a freshman at Liberty High School, Emma A. Ko, a junior, Home Schooled, Harbani K. Kohli, a junior at Reedy High School, and Jedaiah D. Ward, a freshman, Home Schooled.
Since 1938, The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program has encouraged the nation’s high school students to study the U.S. Constitution and to hone their public speaking skills.
by larryw | Nov 30, 2020 | Press Release
High school students from the Frisco area will compete for college scholarships in the American Legion Post 178 Oratorical Scholarship Contest. The competition will take place in the Council Chambers at Frisco’s George A. Purefoy Municipal Center, 6101 Frisco Square Blvd, on Saturday, December 12.
Orators are required to write and memorize an original speech on some aspect of the Constitution, with emphasis on a citizen’s duties and obligations to our government. There is an additional element of the contest that requires a student to deliver extemporaneous remarks over one of four amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The specific amendment will be drawn on the day of the competition.
Four winners will be selected to proceed to the district contest in Royse City on January 2, 2021. They will compete with winners from the other posts in the 4th District. The contest is open to the public and will begin at 9 a.m. Admission is free.
Learn more about the American Legion Peter J Courcy Post 178 at friscolegion.org.
by larryw | Nov 2, 2020 | Press Release
High school students from Frisco and Little Elm have completed registering to compete in the upcoming 2020 American Legion Post 178 Oratorical Scholarship Contest. “We have had an overwhelming response this year from students to participate in our post’s constitutional speech contest. In fact, the number represents an all-time high in our post’s history,“ said Fred Rogers, Post 178 Commander. Contestant registration activities over the last two months were coordinated through high school counselor and teacher staffs.
The contest is open to qualified ninth (9th) through twelfth (12th) grade students of public, parochial, military, private, and state accredited home schools. The subject in the prepared oration portion of the contest must be on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution with emphasis to the attending duties and obligations of a citizen to our government. The prepared oration must be an original effort of each contestant and must be 8-10 minutes in length. An additional element of the contest will require each contestant to deliver an ‘assigned topic’ oration lasting 3-5 minutes. The topic will be on some phase of the U.S. Constitution selected from Articles and Sections.
Eighteen schools, representing public, private, and home schools, were solicited. Nine schools registered fourteen contestants. Registrations included both male and female contestants and represented all grade classifications.
Post 178 winners can advance to district, division, state, and national levels of competition. At each level college scholarships will be awarded. Scholarship awards totaling $5,000 will be awarded at the state contest in San Antonio in February 2021. At the national final, college scholarships totaling $203,500 will be awarded in Indianapolis, IN in April 2021. The national winner will receive $25,000, second place $22,500, and third place $20,000.
by larryw | Sep 16, 2020 | Press Release
The American Legion celebrated its 101st anniversary on Wednesday, September 16, 2020. To honor of the anniversary, the Peter J Courcy Post 178 was recognized for its contributions to the city at the Frisco City Council meeting on September 15, 2020. A proclamation from the city was presented by Mayor Jeff Cheney to Fred Rogers, Post 178 Commander. Also attending the presentation was Mary Bush, the mother of Peter J. Courcy, the post’s namesake.
The proclamation noted that members of the American Legion are dedicated to upholding the ideals of freedom and democracy, while working to make a difference in the lives of fellow Americans. It also noted that Post 178 has received national recognition for “Post Excellence” for its sustained service to the community.
Fred Rogers, Post 178 Commander, said, “On behalf of the elected officers and the 585 dedicated veterans of Post 178, I am delighted to accept this proclamation.” Post 178 actively sponsors wholesome activities that mentor youth, advocate patriotism and honor, promote strong national security, and care for its fellow servicemembers, veterans, and their families. To learn more visit www.friscolegion.org.
The American Legion was issued a federal charter by Congress on September 16, 1919. “American Legion Day” was passed by Congress with overwhelming support on September 16, 2009.
Veterans, who have honorably served our nation since December 7,1941, as well as those still serving, who are interested in joining Post 178 may contact 1st Vice Commander Rick Redden at 214-385-0205 or friscolegion.1stvice@gmail.com.
by larryw | Aug 15, 2020 | Press Release
Steven M. Valdez, U.S. Air Force, Retired, and a member of American Legion Post 178 in Frisco, Texas, recently won the $10,000 Grand Prize in the American Legion Reignite Patriotism Sweepstakes Contest. The winning ticket was drawn at Departmental Headquarters in Austin, Texas. Ten (10) winners were drawn that shared a total of $15,000. Steven was presented his check by Bill West, Department of Texas Adjutant.
“I thought it was a hoax at first but after calling Fred Rogers, Post 178 Commander, who validated my win, I became totally excited. I had never won anything before,” Steven said. Steven retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1990 after serving more than 22 years. During his career he maintained numerous types of aircraft, F-100, F-4, and T-38. He is also a Vietnam veteran (1969-1970) having served at Phu Cat, north of Saigon.
After retirement, he continued his career in the aircraft industry. His civilian maintenance and inspection experience included assignments with DynCorp, Lear Siegler, Skytech Aviation, and Business Jet Access. He is currently a Chief Inspector with Global Aircraft Service in Addison. He also owns and manages Aircraft Records Consultant, LLC in Carrollton.
Steven is a ‘Paid Up for Life’ member and has been with the American Legion for two years. “I am proud to have served my country for more than twenty (20) years. As a veteran and a member of Post 178 I hope to continue serving my country.”
Veterans, who have honorably served our nation since December 7,1941, as well as those still serving, who are interested in joining Post 178 may contact 1st Vice Commander Rick Redden at 214-385-0205 or friscolegion.1stvice@gmail.com.
by larryw | Aug 15, 2020 | Press Release
High Order Solutions, LLC. (HOS) is a veteran owned and veteran-focused business in Frisco that provides business solutions for all industries. Their focus recently earned the 2019 American Legion National Award for Outstanding Small Employer of Veterans. The award was presented to Brian McClung, HOS-VP-Operations, by Bill West, the Department of Texas Adjutant. HOS also won the Department of Texas award.
Brian McClung said “HOS is honored to have been selected. We make every effort to recruit, employ, and retain our nation’s veterans. These American Legion awards recognize the value veterans bring to the workplace.”
HOS assists its veterans by providing free training, internships, and job placement services, as well as assistance for veteran-owned start-up and existing businesses. Part of the HOS mission is to mentor veterans on in-demand technical skills so they can find meaningful work and ‘continue the mission’ of giving back to their community and country.
The American Legion Employer of Veterans Award program has several participant requirements: 1) at least 10% of workforce must be veterans, 2) been in business for the last 5 years, 3) cannot restrict employment to just veterans, and 4) must be a private sector employer. Currently, veterans and other family members represent approximately 50% of the HOS workforce.
HOS coordinates closely with the local Texas Veterans Commission to post job opportunities as well as provide training class information for veterans. Tracy Griffard, the Veteran Employer Liaison for McKinney, Frisco, Allen, and Prosper, nominated HOS for the award.
HOS is also involved with the EOD (Explosive Ordinance Device) Warrior Foundation (EODWF), a non-profit that supports the EOD community by providing financial assistance and support to wounded EOD veterans and their families. HOS is also a 2019 winner of a ‘Hire Vets Medallion Award’ for hiring unemployed and transitioning veterans.
HOS is expanding its veteran’s mission by creating a dedicated, non-profit entity, VetsDesk, which will make available even more resources for retraining and job placement.
“A large majority of our highly trained and professional staff comes from the toughest stock there is…the U.S. Military.” said Brian McClung. Fred Rogers, Commander of the American Legion Post 178 in Frisco, replied, “I couldn’t agree more!”
Veterans, who have honorably served our nation since December 7,1941, as well as those still serving, who are interested in joining Post 178 may contact 1st Vice Commander Rick Redden at 214-385-0205 or friscolegion.1stvice@gmail.com.
