The Department of France
Hotel de Ville de Saint-Avold 36, Boulevard de Lorraine, Saint Avold, France 57500

DEPARTMENT OF FRANCE SCOUTING NEWS:

 Department of France Boys Scout:

 Eagle Scout 2009 News

The following was submitted by Comrade John Odom, Chairman of Department Scouting:

During the recent 3rd DEC meeting it was approved to give $200.00 to Friends of Scouting here within the Europe Councils. The members present agreed that this would be because of not having a Department Eagle Scout of the year for 2007. This was the first year in a great number of years that the Department didn't have a candidate.   I'm sure there were Eagle Scouts out there -- We just didn't get it done this year.  I must also report that some of the Posts within the Department have already sent in their own Donation to this great program that has always supported the American Legion Goals: C o n g r a tu l a t i o ns!!!

The Squad Knot Award is a American Legion National program that the Department
Council will be looking for candidates from with in the Department to send in next
you can get all the information that you need from the legion.org web and if there
is any other information that you may need help with please let the Council know,
the cut off date will be not later then the Department 4th DEC. 

Federal Court Overturns Injunction against National Scout Jamboree; American Legion Hails Decision        INDIANAPOLIS (April 5, 2007) - The leader of the nation’s largest veteran’s organization hailed yesterday’s decision from the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago that dismissed the ACLU’s lawsuit against the Dept. of Defense for supporting the National Boy Scout Jamboree.        “This is a victory for not only the youth of our nation but also for the preservation of tradition and common sense,” said American Legion National Commander Paul A. Morin. “For more than 25 years, Boy Scouts have held the National Scout Jamboree every four years at Fort A.P. Hill near Fredericksburg, Va. for ten days of activities emphasizing physical fitness, appreciation of the outdoors, and patriotism.  It is especially fitting that the Scouts will be able to go forward with the 2010 Jamboree as they celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.”         In 1999 the ACLU sued DoD over its support for the Jamboree.  In 2005, a federal district court in Chicago concluded the Jamboree statue was unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause because Scouting has a nonsectarian “duty to God” requirement.  DoD appealed the district court’s injunction against military support under that statute for the 2010 Jamboree. The American Legion filed a “friend of the court” brief supporting the Dept. of Defense in Winkler v. Gates.        Seven Presidents have attended the Jamboree since President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937.  The Jamboree grounds at Fort A.P. Hill are open to the public and an estimated 300,000 visitors attended in 2005 along with 43,000 Scouts and their leaders. The U.S. Congress called it an incomparable training opportunity for our armed forces; it requires the construction, maintenance, and disassembly of a “tent city” capable of supporting tens of thousands of people for a week or longer.        “Patriotism and mentoring youth are pillars of The American Legion,” Morin said. “When Scouts have the opportunity to interface with members of the finest military in the world, they acquire many of the leadership skills that will guide them throughout their lives.”      The American Legion is one of the nation’s largest sponsors of scouting units across the country.  

Support for the Boy Scout movement came at The American Legion's first National Convention in 1919. Today, there are more than 2,500 Boy Scout units sponsored by Legion Posts throughout the country.

Supporting Boy Scout activities is natural for Legionnaires, who bring their service-learned skills and experiences as veterans to bear to help build character and positive traits in "Young America." Few other Post activities generate more goodwill from the community.