The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Commanders visit Madison County
MADISON COUNTY » Rena Nessler, the first female veteran to be elected Commander of the American Legion Department of New York, along with Dept. Auxiliary President Pat Hennessy and Detachment Commander William Clancy III, recently visited Madison County.
The group arrived in Canastota the morning of Oct. 20, where they were greeted at motel, then escorted by an off-duty Madison County Sheriff Joe Gaiser and Chittenango Le- gion Commander along with others to Munnsville American Legion for lunch. After lunch they continued to Peterboro and toured the museum and the National Abolition Hall of Fame, where everyone enjoyed the history of the small village. The group also stopped by Erie Canal and the WAVEM monument. Later in evening, a dinner was held at Oneida American Legion, with meet and greet hour then dinner with 70 Legion members and families. Nessler, Hennessy and Clancy all took time after dinner to speak to the group about the many programs of the American Legion, and the support to our veterans and families. The American Legion is the largest veterans’ organization in the country, which was founded after WWI, in 1919. We continue to fight for veterans’ rights and work hard with children and youths, through Boys and Girl State and many other programs.
Nessler stressed the need for all veterans young and old to belong and secure our rights in future years.
Special thank you goes out to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office; to Beth, Dot, Norm and Jessica in Peterboro for taking time to host the tours; to all the Legion posts’ members, families and guests for a wonderful day in Madison County.