The mission of The American Legion, Department of Wisconsin is to provide service to veterans, their families and their communities.

Badger&“Wisconsin”&“Wisconsin” Official Publications of The

Wisconsin American Legion Family

www.wilegion.org

“For God & Country”

June 30, 2016 • Vol. 93, No. 6

1. Log onto wilegion.org and click on “Renew Online”

2. Enter your name and member ID number

3. Pay with MasterCard, Visa or Discover

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IT’S AS EASYAS 1 2 3 !

By Tom Lowe – Special to the Badger Legionnaire

The face of honor, integrity, and morality has changed dramatically throughout the years. Any student of history can see that. Though every historical era has had its share of he-roes and villains, it seems to me that the faster the years go by, the faster the quality of leadership goes along with them. Most people I know tend to agree with me. This particular elec-tion year makes it all too obvious. Unfortunately, I feel that this year’s election is not an anomaly: it’s just the beginning of many more to come. What has happened to our once-dis-tinguished and exalted political lead-ership?

As an historian and educator, I was always blown away by the incred-ibly high degree of leadership ex-hibited by many Americans from the time of the American Revolution, up until the early decades of the 1800s. Compared to the absolutely dis-mal quality of leadership prevalent

today, the period from 1765-1829 experienced a stupendous amount of leadership, guided by honor, per-severance, morality, intelligence, genuine patriotism, and competence. It is downright eerie how many great leaders we had at that time. Though even the great ones had their faults, as all people have, their actions and accomplishments far surpassed those alive today.

When the British Parliament passed the hated Stamp Act in 1765, it was Samuel Adams who led the revolt against what was regarded as an un-fair tax, unfair because the colonies had no one in Parliament who could speak up for them. During the suc-ceeding crises brought on by the Townshend Acts, the Tea Act, and the Coercive Acts, it was Samuel Adams, the “Father of the American Revolu-tion,” who persevered and started it all. His irascibility and stubbornness, qualities his friends and enemies com-plained about, ignited a revolution.

John Adams was a distant cousin of

Samuel, and though at fi rst a reluctant rebel, he was won over to the cause by his own conscience, not by those around him. A lawyer and farmer, Adams had a classical education, and could read and write ancient Greek and Latin. He was an intellectual of the highest degree, and researched even minor court cases for hours and hours, investigating legal precedent, even if it was a court case in ancient Rome. He was a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses, and head of the Board of War during the American Revolution. He was lat-er our fi rst vice-president and our sec-ond president. Adams was one of the most honest people who ever lived. As ornery as his cousin Sam, John Adams was a dynamo in Congress, eloquent, completely unbiased, and totally de-voted to the cause of independence. He was the engine of the Revolution, a veritable powerhouse.

John Adams’s wife, Abigail Smith Adams, was as honest and determined

A FADED SENSE OF HONOR

American Legion Riders from Districts 1, 2, & 4/5 turned out to lead the Support the Troops Ride from New Berlin to the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee on Armed Forces Day, May 21st. This marked the 11th straight year the Riders were honored to lead the ride. Over 30 Riders participated to honor our troops.

LEGION RIDERS LEAD THE WAY

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