American Legion: IRS Demands Military Records for All Members

[BMT (RIP)]

The new audit guidelines requires the veteran groups to "maintain dates of service and character of service records for all members …

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/irs...#ixzz2czmIam2Z

BMT

[Richard]

Don't they already do that anyway. For example, the American Legion requires the following in their membership applications:

If you have served federal active duty in the United States Armed Forces during any of the war eras listed below, and have been honorably discharged or are still serving -- you are eligible for membership in The American Legion!

*August 2, 1990 to today (Operation Desert Shield/Storm/GWOT)
December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990 (Operation Just Cause - Panama)
August 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984 (Lebanon/Grenada)
February 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975 (Vietnam)
June 25, 1950 to January 31, 1955 (Korea)
December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946 (World War II)
April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918 (World War I)

[JJ_BPK]

Originally Posted by Richard

Don't they already do that anyway.

The simple answer is yes,, but the rigor is often not there. Of the several American Legion Posts I have visited. I would guess less than 1/2 are actual veterans. The legion will accept any and all family members.

The VFW SHOULD only accept vets that show their DD-214 with overseas time during one of the hostilities. But they are also lax.

If the IRS wants to enforce some sort of "non-profit" clause based on service. All these organizations are in deep doo-doo..

I think that fiasco in Florida with the veterans group running the gambling halls, has cause both the IRS and state tax units to get serious about enforcement.

Allied Veterans leader pleads no contest to two felonies in Internet casino case. By Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sentinel 4:37 p.m. EDT, August 23, 2013

SANFORD – The national leader of Allied Veterans of the World, a group at the center of an Internet casino criminal case, pleaded no contest Friday to operating an illegal lottery in a deal that requires him to serve no jail time and no probation.

Jerry Bass had been charged with more than 200 counts, including racketeering, operating a gambling hall and money laundering for his role in operating 49 local Internet cafes in Florida.

Prosecutors on Friday dropped all but two of the charges. In exchange, the 63-year-old Ocala resident will testify against the state's primary target, group lawyer Kelly Mathis of Jacksonville, and others. Bass will not go to jail and will serve no jail time.

Bass was one of 57 people arrested following a series of raids March 13 in what authorities, including Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, described as the take-down of a $300 million criminal operation.

Prosecutors allege that Allied's storefronts were little more than gambling houses that used the Internet and key software to transform personal computers into slot machines.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...,6229492.story

OR The IRS just wants to be THE dick-head we all think they are..

[98G]

Originally Posted by JJ_BPK

OR The IRS just wants to be THE dick-head we all think they are..

And/or they read the Duffel Blog and thought it was real. They can be both dick-heads and idiots...

VFW Opens Membership To Military Fakers Due To Lack Of Interest From Young Veterans

KANSAS CITY, MO – In an unprecedented response to dwindling membership ranks, the Veterans of Foreign Wars have extended eligibility to military fakers.
According to officials, people who fake military service may be the financial saving grace for what many perceive as a dying organization. A lack of interest in the current crop of young veterans has caused membership to shrink and many posts to close.
The VFW conducted a survey last year to discover why young veterans were ambivalent towards the organization. 65 percent of those surveyed, aged 18-30, responded by asking, “What’s the VFW?”

“After I figured out it wasn’t just a creepy, dive bar behind 7-11, I joined up,” said Matt Ross, a 24-year-old Iraq veteran who quit a few weeks later. “It’s nice, but it’s not my thing. I only pre-partied there for the cheap drinks. If I’m going to tell war stories all night, it’s cause I’m trying to get laid.” “Unfortunately,” he added, “the VFW is an old, wrinkly sausage fest.” While the VFW was founded as an exclusive organization open only to war veterans, the pool of eligible people who have also heard of it is small, making it difficult to recruit members. The decision by top VFW officers to let non-war veterans apply was not taken lightly.

“We’re not just letting anyone in,” said Post 5150 Commander Jake Taylor. “The applicant must be a veteran poser. Panel interviews to assess the posers storytelling abilities are conducted, where the applicant must take shots of Jack Daniels while telling three different war stories of increasing absurdity.” Additionally, fakers must be able to prove they can actively lie about serving during sustained combat operations. Fakers have welcomed the opportunity to come out of the closet of shame and finally share a drink with the men they have impersonated for years.

“I feel like I’m getting called up to the big leagues,” said “General” Doug Stevens, a Vietnam-era faker. “It’s one thing to tell made up war stories to civilians. Those idiots will believe anything if you’re wearing an Army hat. But to have a genuine, was-in-the-shit, combat veteran believe you killed a platoon of NVA single-handedly with only a bayonet and love of country is a whole different ball game. I’ve actually got my ribbons ordered correctly now.”

Membership applications have soared after the announcement, with the organization projecting they’ll likely be in the black for the first time in three years. However, most authentic VFW members quickly soured on the new members.

“I understand we needed more people but this is ridiculous,” said Vietnam veteran Cooper Oldman. “This place use to be where a bunch of veterans with similar experiences could share some bullshit, exaggerated war stories over a drink. Now, it’s like listening to horrible Black Hawk Down fan fiction. I’d rather be back in the Mekong burning a leech off my dick than look at another one of these guys.” Oldman sighed and took a double shot after he noticed two unshaven, overweight men wearing multicam hats walk into the bar. One sported a shirt that said “I killed Bin Laden.” The other’s read: “I’m with stupid.”


Read more: http://www.duffelblog.com/2013/07/vf...#ixzz2d06Sc3VD

[PSM]

Originally Posted by Richard

Don't they already do that anyway. For example, the American Legion requires the following in their membership applications:

If you have served federal active duty in the United States Armed Forces during any of the war eras listed below, and have been honorably discharged or are still serving -- you are eligible for membership in The American Legion!

*August 2, 1990 to today (Operation Desert Shield/Storm/GWOT)
December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990 (Operation Just Cause - Panama)
August 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984 (Lebanon/Grenada)
February 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975 (Vietnam)
June 25, 1950 to January 31, 1955 (Korea)
December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946 (World War II)
April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918 (World War I)

When I joined many years ago, in CA, I joined the CA HQ post and they didn't require a DD-214. Supposedly, if I join a local post, I would have to provide it then.

Pat

[Oldrotorhead]

Next time I'm in Paris I'm going to find out if they still have an active membership. I'd join as a conversation opener around the US.


What had been the original post-WW I location of the AMERICAN LEGION PARIS, POST #1 was Pershing Hall, located at 49 rue Pierre Charron, 75008, Metro George V. This very desireable and valuable property was sold several years ago to private investors and has since been renovated, restored and converted into a 4-star hotel named PERSHING HALL (in honor of it's past history)-- http://www.pershinghall.com/. You can certainly still visit the location, see some of the artifacts on display,have a drink in the bar and dinner at it's restaurant (but you can pretty well write-off any chance of local legion hall back home prices). The new headquarters of the American Legion Paris Post #1 is at 49 Blvd. Diderot (at rue de Chalon--a block or so north of Gare de Lyon) 75012, Metro: Gare de Lyon....but I don't think that this location is any more than administrative and doesn't have and member-facilities (bu you could e-mail them to find out).