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Kimball elected to lead
American Legion in Ohio
Robert J. 'Bob' Kimball of Chesapeake was elected
Commander for the Department of Ohio on Sunday,
July 13, at the Department Convention in Dayton,
Ohio. 
Bob became the 94th Department Commander in Ohio
at the closing session of the convention.
Bob is a 33-year member of the American Legion
and a life member for 16 of those years. He earned
his eligibility by serving in the United States Air
Force, with active duty from 1965-1970 during the
Vietnam Era as an aircraft maintenance specialist
on C-130s.
Bob has served as Post, County, Division, and
District Commander. On the Department level, he has
served as Department Assistant Sergeant at Arms and
on the Department Finance Committee for two
years.
On the national level, Bob is Vice Chairman on
the Emblem Sales Committee. He is also a SAL member
of Squadron 142, and Portsmouth Voiture 443 40/8,
and a life member of DAV Chapter 52.
Bob and his wife Marsha have been married for 42
years and have three sons - Rob, a member of
Squadron 640; Brent, also a member of Squadron 640;
and Brian, a member of American Legion Post 640, a
veteran of Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Bob and
Marsha are also blessed with 5 grandchildren. Bob
is retired from the Columbia Gas Transmission
Corporation.
Others elected during the convention were Lou
Dimmerman from the 4th District as Department First
Vice Commander, Dennis Clausing from the 13th
District as Department Second Vice Commander, Joe
Rockwell from the 9th District as the Department
Treasurer, Richard Zulch from the 1st District as
National Executive Committeeman, and Hank Long from
the 3rd District as Alternate National Executive
Committeeman.
Following the election, Past Department
Commander Dave Cropper installed the newly elected
officers.
Legacy Scholarships fund college
for the children of America's fallen
As an unfortunate consequence of Operation Iraqi
Freedom and America's war on terror, many children
of active-duty military personnel are now members
of single-parent families. In most cases, this also
means their chances to attend college have greatly
diminished. Children of military personnel killed
on active duty are entitled to receive money toward
a college education. But it's not enough.
We are raising funds to ensure that higher
education will be a reality for these families.
Providing for the children our military personnel
left behind is our civic duty. An education is a
powerful way to show our thanks. That is why we
established the American Legion Legacy Scholarship
Fund. But we need your help. The American Legion
fights to see that our active-duty military
personnel and their families are looked after. But
despite our efforts, recent years have seen a
significant shortfall in dollars allotted by our
government. The educational benefit provided to
surviving children is one of these critical
gaps.
The total survivor benefit for these children is
slightly more than $36,135 to be used for a college
education.
In today's dollars, this benefit will pay little
more than half of what a college education costs in
the most affordable situation. This gap widens when
considering the cost of a college education in the
future. The most conservative estimate is that
costs will increase by 5 percent per year, meaning
that in 16 years, the most affordable college
education will be $105,800. Military compensation
will not keep up with these dramatic increases.
Donations to the American Legion Legacy Fund are
tax deductible. Make payments payable to American
Legion Legacy Fund, PO Box 8007, Delaware, OH
43015.
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