Americanism

The Ohio American Legion A&G trip is not like the typical 8th-grade trip most Ohio teens experience. We have a smaller group of students and focus on history, Americanism, and respect for the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom.

Day to day highlights of the trip:

3/6/2023 8:13am

Our 2023 Americanism and Government Trip is underway!

Make sure to stay tuned for our adventures this week! Wish us luck!

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3/6/2023 6pm

Today, our young leaders visited Gettysburg!

It was a long travel day, so we have finally settled in to our home away from home for this week. Tomorrow will be ever busier! Stay tuned!

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3/7/2023 9am

Good Morning Legionnaires, ladies and gentlemen!

This fantastic group of young leaders have a very busy day ahead of them! Tons of memorial, monuments, and tours.

We will make sure to keep you updated with tons of group photos (their favorite), later this afternoon.

Happy Tuesday!

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3/7/2023 6pm

Today, our young leaders were BUSY!!!!

They visited the Air Force Memorial, Eisenhower Memorial, Navy Memorial, Law Enforcement Memorial, National Cathedral, Capitol, Washington, WWII, Vietnam, Lincoln and Korean monuments/memorials, and stopped at the White House for some pictures.

We also had the young leaders become the teachers today at most of our stops. Great job today Molly, Hannah, Daniel, Emma, Elyse, “Alex”, Joseph, Lauren, Aiden, and Tatum!!!

Tomorrow is Arlington National Cemetery and our wreath laying. You won’t want to miss it!

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3/8/2023 7:53am

Today is the day! Our most exciting day! Our young leaders are dressed to impress and heading to Arlington National Cemetery.

We will go live with our wreath laying at 11:15am. (Click HERE for the wreath laying video)

Stay tuned for today’s adventures.

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3/8/2023 9:50am

Wreath security…..

Joseph Thompson- Post 25 District 7

Elyse Pope- Post 405 District 5

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3/8/2023 11:19am

Today, The Department of Ohio has the honor of placing our wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Our young leaders selected to place the wreath are Aiden Bryant- Post 450 District 4 and Emma Trimble- Post 25 District 7. Accompanying them for the honor of placing the wreath is Department 1st Vice Commander Jason Rue and Department Auxiliary 1st Vice President Jane Ridenour.

“Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier known but to God”

– Tomb of the Unknown

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3/8/2023 7pm

It’s a wrap on Day 3 for our young leaders, and it was jam packed.

We started off with a visit to the Iwo Jima Memorial, then on to Arlington National Cemetery. After lunch, we went the the White House visitor center, National Archives, Smithsonian American History Museum, headed back to Capitol Hill to meet with Congressman Warren Davidson, FDR, MLK and Thomas Jefferson (TJ’s house) memorials. Then we finished the night by stopping at the Kennedy Center observation deck, Hard Rock Cafe for dinner, and the National American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.

Today’s teachers were Luke, Sarah, Isaac, Michael, Emily, Nicholas and Lizzy.

Last day in Washington DC is tomorrow before we head home on Friday. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s adventure!

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3/9/2023 7pm

Day 4 has come and gone for our young leaders. Tomorrow, we will be heading home.

Today, we visited the Marine Corps Museum, George Washington’s Mt. Vernon, National Museum of the US Army, Pentagon Memorial, stopped to say hello to Einstein, and then ended the night with a home cooked meal from our family at American Legion Post 8 and Post 2 in Washington DC.

I think we saw all there was to see in Washington DC. We came, we saw, we conquered.

We still have 1 more adventure on our trip home.

Stay tuned!

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3/10/2023 8am

For the final time…. Good morning Legionnaires, ladies and gentlemen. Our amazing group of young leaders are headed home. We will be stopping at Flight 93 before we make it back to Columbus.

Prayers for safe travels. We have one final adventure.

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3/10/2023 11:58am

Our final stop…. Flight 93. Our final teacher…. Ryan.

Words can’t describe the Flight 93 Memorial. Very emotional.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney said it best. “I think an act of heroism just took place on that plane.”

“A common field one day, a field of honor forever.”

Next stop, home.

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The time has finally come. Our 2023 young leaders have been returned safely to their parents. This week was a long, yet fulfilling week.

These young leaders really are the future, and will do great things.

Lauren, Elyse, Molly, Aiden, Lizzy, Luke, Sarah, Joseph, Hannah, Nicholas, Isaac, Michael, Tatum, Ryan, Emily, Emma and Daniel….. you are all absolutely amazing, respectful, professional, and funny. Thank you for enjoying the “great ideas” and “sound offs”.

You made this trip so enjoyable for us, and words cannot describe how proud of you we are! Thanks for being one of the best! We hope you had fun.

John Glenn once said, “The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds.” I have no doubt you will inspire the future generations.

Very respectfully,

Christie and the Chaperone Gang

Also, thank you to this year’s Chaperones who accompanied our Young Leaders; Dave Ridenour- Buckeye Boys State President, Jane Ridenour- Auxiliary 1st Vice President, Becky Corbin- Department Fiscal Secretary, Christie White- Department Americanism and Children & Youth Coordinator, Kevin- Cardinal Transportation, Stan Oren – Americanism Commission, and Jason Rue- Department 1st Vice Commander

Although created by the Ohio American Legion, the Americanism and Government Test program is a joint venture and partnership with the Ohio American Legion Auxiliary, which is a cosponsor of the program.

The Americanism and Government Test program is open to students in grades 10, 11, and 12. Students in grade 9 may take the test for practice only.

The Americanism and Government Test is a fifty (50) question test comprised of True/False, multiple choice, and fill-in the blank.

A three hundred (300) word essay is also part of the Americanism and Government Test and every student taking the test writes on the same essay topic.

The essay is utilized in the various judging levels of this program as a Tie-breaker.

The essay topic is selected/written each year by members of the Department Americanism Committee and Department Americanism Director.

A feature of the Americanism and Government Test is that the students themselves do not advance in the competition, the student’s test paper does.

The Americanism and Government test is NOT designed to have one student compete against another. It is designed to test an individual student’s knowledge of the following:

The United States Flag
 The Declaration of Independence
 The United States Constitution
 State government in Ohio
 County government in Ohio

City government in Ohio
 Township government in Ohio
 Village government in Ohio
 School District government in Ohio

The 50 questions of the Americanism and Government Test are written in such a manner to be current and topical to events, studies, and information being presented in Ohio high schools and events happening in the state of Ohio and the nation.

On average, over 65,000 students participate in the Test program annually.

Through a number of judging levels in the state of Ohio to select Post, County, and District winners, the initial field of 65,000 students is narrowed to 84 district winners, whose winning test papers are submitted to a State Judging Committee for this program.
From the field of 84 District winners, the State Judging Committee typically selects 18 winners in the following categories:

• Grade 12 (Seniors): Six (6) State winners/three (3) men and three (3) women
• Grade 11 (Juniors): Six (6) State winners/three (3) men and three (3) women
• Grade 10 (Sophomores): Six (6) State winners/three (3) men and three (3) women

The State Award from the Ohio American Legion for the 18 State winners is a five (5) day, all expenses paid trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. under the direction of the Department Americanism Director, accompanied by representatives of the Ohio American Legion and Ohio American Legion Auxiliary.

A highlight of the trip is a Wreath Laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Ohio American Legion and Ohio American Legion Auxiliary have had the honor of laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns every year since 1936.

An objective of the Ohio American Legion through the Americanism and Government test program is that if by taking the test a young person is inspired to learn more about government, the United States, and to appreciate the freedoms enjoyed by the nation’s citizens, the effort put forth by the Ohio American Legion and the Ohio American Legion Auxiliary is worth the expense.

The Americanism and Government Test and Trip program is unique to the national America Legion organization as only two other states, Indiana and Wisconsin, have versions of the program, which both adopted/adapted from the Ohio American Legion, but neither program is the size or scope of the Ohio program.

Through the Buckeye Boys State objectives of “learning by doing” young men attending the Buckeye Boys State program will learn more about city, county, and state government in eight days than they would in an entire semester of high school.

Conducted annually in mid-June, the American Legion Buckeye Boys State program is conducted on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio and is open to young men who have completed their junior year of high school prior to the start of Boys State and will be Seniors in the fall.

The American Legion Buckeye Boys State program is the largest Boys State program in the nation with an annual attendence of over 1,200 of the top high school juniors in the state of Ohio representing 600+ high schools in the state and the home schooled community.

The American Legion Buckeye Boys State program is regarded within the national American Legion organization, and in education circles, as the #1 Boys State program in the entire nation.

The Sons of The American Legion, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the agencies/departments of Ohio government are partners in the American Legion Buckeye Boys State program.

For a complete overview of the American Legion Buckeye Boys State program and detailed information on every aspect of Buckeye Boys State, click on the link provided: www.ohiobuckeyeboysstate.com

The Ohio American Legion Auxiliary conducts a similar program for young ladies called the American Legion Buckeye Girls State and is conducted at Mount Union University in Alliance, Ohio. www.buckeyegirlsstate.org

Educator of the Year Award:

In 1994, the Ohio American Legion created the Department “Educator of the Year” award to recognize the efforts of outstanding teachers and administrators in the State of Ohio for their role in helping to shape and direct the lives of the future of our state; the students in our Ohio schools.

The educator we honored at the 2023 Mid-Winter Conference Banquet was Chris Lyons, who is an educator at Evergreen Local Schools. Mr. Lyons has a very impressive list of accomplishments that we all should strive for within our educational system. Those that nominated Chris are also quite accomplished and had many nice things to say about him.

The Superintendent of the Evergreen Local School District, Eric Smole, wrote this about Mr. Lyons; “Mr. Lyons’ passion, enthusiasm, dedication and commitment is legendary in the Evergreen community. He brings a smile to everyone he talks to and makes our students’ educational experience one that they will never forget. His commitment to his students, their learning and experience is deserving of every educational honor available to a teacher.  His style and leadership is what every school administrator is looking for in the classroom.”

The principal of Evergreen Middle School, Brady Ruffer, also wrote this: “Mr Lyons’ personality, work ethic, and attitude towards education is one of the best in the business. He truly loves the students he works with, which is evident by his daily actions.”

The American Legion Department of Ohio and the Posts of Ohio provide schools, institutions, civic, and youth groups with information and flags for ceremonial, educational, and display purposes.

The Posts of Ohio conduct many presentations throughout the state on the proper folding, care, and display of the United States Flag.

The Posts of Ohio also conduct proper flag retirement ceremonies for United States flags that are no longer flyable and conduct graveside flag ceremonies for the funerals of deceased veterans.

A number of assets regarding United States flag education and United States flag etiquette are available upon request by contacting the Americanism Director.

20 young men are selected at Buckeye Boys State, 20 young women at Buckeye Girls State, and 10 sons and daughters of Highway Patrol officers attend a mini-course in Law-Enforcement, taught by Patrol officers, which culminates in a Graduation Ceremony attended by Patrol, Legion, and Auxiliary officials.