The following press release was sent to the Bloomingtonian:
American Legion Auxiliary
Media Release
DEPARTMENT OF INDIANA
1800 W 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47404
www.ALAforVeterans.org
October 22, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local American Legion Auxiliary Unit Honors Veterans at Bloomington’s VA Community-
Based Outpatient Clinic
Bloomington, IN — With Veterans Day around the corner (November 11), American Legion
Auxiliary (ALA) Unit 18 will celebrate military service members’ dedication and honor their
sacrifices by participating in many activities leading up to the important day.
ALA Unit 18 along with their partners Burton Woolery American Legion Post 18, Sons of the
American Legion Squadron 18 and the newly chartered American Legion Riders are dedicating
an American Flag and POW/MIA Flag near the entrance of the VA Clinic.
This clinic has been providing critical health services to Bloomington-area veterans for years,
and it moved to its new location on Liberty Drive in late 2019. Adding this flag display seems
fitting as the clinic serves Veterans and with their service, they all took an oath and pledge to
honor, serve and protect the flag and the United States at all costs.
“The men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces make sacrifices every day to ensure that
Americans continue to enjoy the freedoms that we hold so dear. This event is just one of the
ways that we’re able to honor veterans, military, and their families,” said Vicki Swafford, Co-
Chair of the Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Committee with the American Legion Auxiliary.
The dedication ceremony will take place on November 7th around 1pm. While it will be short so
as to not interrupt the outpatient clinic’s services of primary care and specialty health services,
prosthetics, cardiology, X-rays, and more, it will be impactful. A select group from the Monroe
County Veterans Honor Guard will be there along with the American Legion Family of 4.
The group is proud to honor those that are called unreturned veterans. ALA Unit 18 Vice
President, Jenny Tracy, exclaims, “this activity provides us a way to ensure that these service
members are not forgotten. We hope to be able to continue to spread awareness of the
mistreatment of prisoners of war at the hands of their captors then as well as honor ALL of those
that served.” More than 80,000 men and women from World War II to the present day are still
unaccounted for. Their families have not been able to lie to rest a loved one, nor have they been
rid of the worry that still remains.The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) is a community of volunteers serving veterans, military,
and their families. Our members also support the mission of The American Legion in improving
the quality of life for our nation’s veterans. Proud sponsor of ALA Girls Nation, National Poppy
Day® and recognized for advocating for veterans on Capitol Hill, the more than 600,000 ALA
members across the country volunteer millions of hours annually and raise millions of dollars in
service to veterans, military, and their families. Founded in 1919, the ALA is one of the oldest
patriotic membership organizations in the U.S.A. To learn more and to volunteer, join, and
donate, visit www.ALAforVeterans.org.
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Editor’s note: The VA clinic is located at 2100 Liberty Dr, Bloomington, IN 47403.
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