Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 9-23-22
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Feature
Eunice Butts Elected American Legion Department Commander
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
She’s the first African American woman to move through the leadership ranks to become the elected Com- mander.
Congratulations are in order for
Commander Eunice Butts,
who was elected as Department Commander of the American Le- gion when they held their state convention in Orlando in June. Commander Butts is the first African American female to move up to the leadership ranks to Com- mander of the American Legion Department of Florida. She is a member of American Legion Post 167 in Tampa, and has been a Le- gionnaire for 37 continuous years.
Her theme for the department for 2022-2023 is, “God, Family and
COMMANDER EUNICE BUTTS
Courage.” She has selected Project VetRelief and Jackson In Action 83 for her fundraising projects. The mission of Project VetRelief is to
provide a Legion of support for service men and women when they find themselves in financial dis- tress. Jackson in Action 83 Foun- dation supports military families focusing on the children’s educa- tional, emotional and physical health.
As the new State Commander, she will spend a lot of time travel- ing around the state speaking to veterans about the advantages and opportunities. “My key goals are to increase membership, increase charitable donations and tell veter- ans about the advantages and ben- efits available to them as veterans. My goal is to reach $100,000 in do- nations,” she explained. She also has a goal for her hometown. “I’d like to get at least 1,000 members from the Tampa Bay area,” she said.
Commander Butts honor- ably served in the U. S. Air Force
during the Vietnam War Era. She also served in the U. S. Air Force Reserves and the Alabama Na- tional Guard.
A native of St. Petersburg, Commander Butts graduated from Middleton High School in 1962, where she was the first to sing opera. She furthered her edu- cation and attended Gibbs Junior College on a music scholarship. She has been honored numerous times with accolades, awards and certifi- cates for her unselfish service and dedication; and, served on numer- ous elected and appointed boards and councils, at the post, district, area, department and national lev- els.
The mother of 3 and grand- mother of 3 is a member of First Union Missionary Baptist Church.
Founded in 1919, the American Legion is the nation’s largest Vet- erans Services Organization.
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