On Wednesday, Sept. 6, the American Legion Post 304 held its first meeting of the season. Highlights of the meeting were presentations by four young men sponsored by the Post to attend the Boys' State Program held in June at SUNY Morrisville in upstate New York. Boys' State has been operated in each state by the American Legion for more than 60 years. The purpose of the program is to teach the boys about government, the meaning of patriotism, and the spirit of Americanism. The boys gather for a week and set-up a model government where they participate in hypothetical political parties, caucuses, nominations and elections, as well as, intercounty athletics.

Each of the boys, namely, Anthony Dedousia, Michael Spigner, Robert O'Connell and Michael Gotimer, gave an interesting presentation to the Legionnaires about their experiences and memories. They discussed how they met a large number of attendees from varied backgrounds. There were approximately 1,000 young men who participated in the Empire State Boys' State Program. Each of the boys was impressed by the size and diversity of New York State. They enjoyed learning the different lifestyles of rural upstate areas as compared to Manhasset. One of the boys recalled being asked, "Did you ever drive a tractor?" by a fellow delegate.

One of our Manhasset boys reported that he was elected mayor of his city. Two others were nominated for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. They each felt that giving election speeches to their fellow delegates was a rewarding and educational experience.

Also, at the meeting, Commander Keitz presented to Vice Commander Anthony Buzzitta, chairman of the Law and Order Program, awards won by the Post from Nassau County American Legion as well as an award from New York State for the best law and order programs. For the third year in a row, the Post's Law and Order Program was selected best in Nassau County and for the second year in a row, best in New York State.