Published: October 16, 2009 01:39 am      

VETERANS: District gets visit from American Legion national commander

BATAVIA — Local residents will get a chance to visit with American Legion National Commander Clarence Hill when he arrives at the 8th District of the American Legion on Oct. 23.

A luncheon will be held at 1 p.m. at Glenn S. Loomis Post 322 on Route 98, south of Batavia, and a reception and dinner start at 6 p.m. at Sheret Post 35 on Route 98, Albion.

Hill, of Martins Ferry, Ohio, was elected national commander of the 2.5 million-member American Legion on Aug. 27 in Louisville, Ky., during the 91st national convention of the nation’s largest veterans organization.

He attended Buckeye Boys State in 1967 and was commissioned from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1972, having earned a bachelor of science degree with a history major.

He served 19 of the next 24 years on sea duty and retired in 1996 as a captain. His afloat service included one frigate, two destroyers, two cruisers, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 12 in Mayport, Fla., and the Sixth Fleet in Gaeta, Italy. He served as officer-in-charge of a PT boat and commanded the Naval Communications Station United Kingdom in Thurso, Scotland, for three years. He also commanded the guided missile frigate USS MCINERNEY (FFG-8) for two years, including combat operations during Operation Desert Storm.

Ashore, he earned two master’s degrees, one from the Naval Postgraduate school in Monterey, Calif., and the other from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.

A 27-year Legionnaire, Hill is a life member and three-time post commander of American Legion Post 316 in Atlantic Beach, Fla., a member of the Sons of the American Legion Squadron 316 and a life member of Legion Riders Chapter 316.

He attended the National American Legion College in 2000 and was an instructor in 2001. He was department commander for Florida from July 2002 to July 2003, achieving an all-time-high in membership. He served for three years as the national chairman of the National and Homeland Security Commission.

For more information on his visit to the 8th District, call 331-1653 or 208-0124.