[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 203 (Monday, December 18, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E2373]]


              THE AMERICAN LEGION--A RECIPE FOR LEADERSHIP

                                 ______


                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 18, 1995

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, one of the finest organizations in this 
Nation is the American Legion. I am very proud to be a life member of 
Post 2 in Knoxville, TN.
  The American Legion is primarily a patriotic organization. We all 
need to do more to promote patriotism.
  If you love another person you want to do everything possible to help 
that person become the best he or she can possibly be.
  In the same way, if we teach our young people to love this country, 
they will want to help our Nation become the best that it can be.
  The American Legion does many good things for the young people of the 
United States.
  One of the very best programs, though, is Boys State. Several members 
of Congress, including myself, participated in American Legion Boys 
State programs.
  I will never forget the friendships I made and the valuable lessons I 
learned at the Boys State week in Lebanon, TN, during the summer of 
1964.
  Some of these memories came back to me as I read the article on Boys 
State in the current issue of the American Legion magazine.
  I would like to call this article to the attention of my colleagues 
and other readers of the Record.

                 South Carolina's Recipe for Leadership

       On a scorching hot summer day in Columbia, S.C., more than 
     700 young men crowded the steps of the State House, where 
     they were issued a challenge by South Carolina Governor David 
     M. Beasley.
       ``I'm asking you to use the experience you've gained to go 
     home and make a difference,'' Beasley urged them. ``You're 
     the ones who will be expected to come up with creative ideas, 
     and plan and take charge. It's a big responsibility, but I 
     know you're up to it.''
       This was no political puffery on Beasley's part. The boys 
     belonged to The Department of South Carolina's Palmetto Boys 
     State, which has a solid record of producing eminent alumni. 
     They include U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley; 
     Joseph P. Riley Jr., mayor of Charleston, S.C.; Tom Hartnett, 
     former congressman for South Carolina; and Virgil Duffy, 
     deputy director of labor for South Carolina.
       The American Legion Boys State program celebrated its 60th 
     Anniversary in 1995. Each year, thousands of young men from 
     high schools are selected for this one week of leadership 
     training that culminates in the mock election of state 
     officials.
       Two students from each state, except Hawaii, are selected 
     for a national version of the program called Boys Nation held 
     in Washington, D.C. (Hawaii is the only state that does not 
     participate in either Boys State or Boys Nation.)
       ``Through Boys State, we can influence the lives of young 
     people, and they are the future,'' says the Rev. Sinclair E. 
     Lewis of Post 6, Columbia, S.C., who has spent 39 years 
     working with the Palmetto program. Lewis credits Palmetto's 
     unique leadership training and the closeness of the staff and 
     counselors.
       ``Boys State teaches these young men how to make a 
     difference without just complaining,'' says Baptist Minister 
     Seth Buckley, another member of the Palmetto Boys State 
     staff. ``I tell them that they are not just the leaders of 
     the future, they can be the leaders now, in their 
     communities.''
       It was in 1963 that Legionnaire Gene Morehead of Post 1 
     Florence, SC, heard similar advice. Morehead went on to 
     become a state judge in South Carolina's Family Court system. 
     He has remained active in the program ever since.
       ``My involvement in Boys State made me realize I wanted to 
     be a lawyer,'' says Morehead. ``This program is so important 
     that I take a week of my vacation time each year to be here 
     with these young people.''
       Just like Morehead three decades ago, Craig Hardee of 
     Aynor, S.C., a participant in this year's program, found in 
     Boys State a blueprint for what he wants to do with his life. 
     ``I learned a lot about government, and that has influenced 
     my career decision,'' he says. ``Politics is now in my 
     blood.''
       Political lessons were certainly learned by this year's 
     Palmetto Boys State governor, Will Emerson of Easley, S.C.: 
     ``My biggest lesson on the road to being elected was if you 
     do what people want done, then they will support you.''
       Mark Peper of Charleston, S.C., was typical of the fair 
     number of boys who approached the Boys State program with 
     certain reservations. ``At first, I was pessimistic about how 
     much the program could do for me,'' says Peper. ``But I 
     learned quickly that being involved in Boys State turns you 
     into a leader.'' The proof: Peper ended up being elected 
     Palmetto Boys State's lieutenant governor.
       As Secretary of Education Richard Riley told the American 
     Legion magazine: ``South Carolina Boys State taught me a lot 
     about politics. I used those lessons to become Sheriff at 
     Boys State and later, in my adult life, to become governor of 
     my State.''
       To find out more about Boys State, contact your local high-
     school guidance counselor or write to: Boys State, 
     Americanism Division, The American Legion, P.O. Box 1055, 
     Indianapolis, IN 46206.

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