Two American Legion members went to Washington, D.C., recently to lobby for issues that affect American war veterans and the military.

Dennis Lewison, a member of the Adams Legion and the Minnesota American Legion Americanism Committee, and Jim Kellogg, a Taopi Legion member in the Legion’s national Foreign Relations Council, were part of a delegation of 35 Minnesotans. The delegation met with nearly every Minnesota Representative and Senator, and urged an agenda of veterans programs Congress will be dealing with in the future.

The delegation spent four days in Washington and attended informational sessions on critical issues. Included in the lobbying efforts were:

Sequestration: The American Legion supports a fiscally responsible government, but takes issue with cost cutting measures that will harm the nation’s ability to defend itself.

Military to Civilian Credentialing: American soldiers coming home are highly trained and skilled. They often find that their skills do not transfer into civilian occupations because of unfair certification processes There should be a seamless transition from military jobs to civilian jobs.

Flag Amendment: A new bill has been introduced that would not call for a Constitutional Amendment, but would give Congress the power to prevent physical desecration of the U.S. Flag.