Commander’s Corner

Fellow Sons, 

Can you believe it has already been six months since the Detachment Convention? We are in the back half of the membership year and the countdown to Detachment Convention 2026 has begun! 

Have you heard the great news? The National Sons of The American Legion hit a new membership record fo 404,000+ members and California is now the tenth (10th) largest Detachment in the organization!!  

The Detachment of California Sons have been doing a great job with membership growth. Such a good job that we ended 2025 with a new all time high of 11,837 members!!   

Speaking of membership, the 2026 membership year is in full swing with over 8,500 California members already signed up! Let’s push for 90% renewals and new members to hit a new all time high of California membership and cross 12,000 members!

The S.A.L. membership year goes through December 31, 2026, so keep pushing to renew your current members and secure their commitment for another great year of Sons events. 

I have selected the Child Well-Being Foundation (CWF), formerly known as the Child Welfare Foundation, as my special project for this year. The American Legion Child Well-Being Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations that address the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of children across the nation. If your squadron is able, please hold a fundraiser, or two, to help support this wonderful Legion based charity.

As Commander for the Detachment of California, I have been out in the world spreading the news about the hard work of the California Sons! I have been traveling the state of California, and beyond, with trips to Squadron 531 Rio Linda, Squadron 314 Hawthorne, Squadron 180 Azusa, Squadron 544 San Francisco, Squadron 43 Hollywood, Sheriff’s Star Squadron 309, Squadron 184 Redondo Beach, Squadron 584 Big Bear, Squadron 79 Riverside, the Legion DEC in Orange, CA, the NEC in Indianapolis, Indiana, Phoenix, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Florida, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the Auxiliary DEC in Marina, CA.  

I am looking for even more squadrons to visit before my turn as Commander is up. So, if you have a special event, like a CWF fundraising event, or a squadron meeting, send me an email, and let’s get a visit on the books! 

Lastly, I want to let you all know that our National Commander, William “Bill” Clancy III is scheduled for an official visit to the Great State of California from March 16 through 22!  Commander Clancy and his family are scheduled to visit multiple Squadrons and we are scheduling events as we speak.  Stay tuned for a flyer and full list of events.

Let’s make 2025 to 2026 our best SONS year ever! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.

For God & Country,

Charles A. Curtis