American Legion News

A 2,700-mile walk to save lives

Source: September 18, 2024

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Ron Zaleski left Key West, Fla., on Sept. 11 for a 2,700-mile mission: to walk across the country in support of ending veteran suicide and advocating for life-saving programs. Zaleski, a Marine veteran and member of American Legion Post 159 in Venice, Fla., is walking to San Diego, Calif., and making stops to Legion posts, churches and other veteran supportive organizations along the way to share his mission.

"It's going to take all of us to fix this," said Zaleski, who will walk for 10 months while wearing a sign that displays a list of different names daily of veterans lost to suicide, "so their lives may never be forgotten, and we honor their legacy by believing in a brighter future for the brave veterans of the United States."

This is not Zaleski's first walk in support of veteran suicide awareness. In 2010 he walked barefoot to Washington, D.C. During the walk he met a mother of a veteran who died by suicide. "The hardest thing that I've done on my walk is to hold the mother who lost a child, and she held me like I'm her son, and say, ‘It's my fault.' There are no words to that," he said. "There is no loss that I know of that's greater than that."

That experience led Zaleski to form the nonprofit The Long Walk Home where he has helped veterans with suicide intervention, relationship healing, and the skills needed to live meaningful lives.

"I know our program causes a transformative shift in the trajectory of their lives," he said. "I have seen first-hand by supporting these veterans and their families we have been able to turn their anger into mindfulness, heal damaged relationships for themselves and their loved ones, and create a new mission. We were warriors (in the military). But now is the time to be leaders in our community and in our family. Our program helps them shift that perception."

The Long Walk Home has two programs – ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) by LivingWorks that's a two-day program teaching family members suicidal signs to look for and how to intervene, and a 10 Challenge course for veterans that's a list of guided questions.

Zaleski said the first set of challenge questions are: What are you grateful for when you wake up? What are you grateful you accomplished at the end of the day? And how do you show gratitude?

"Part of these challenge questions is to go out and have a conversation with your loved ones or a stranger," Zaleski said. "I had an 80-year-old take this who thought he had no problems. His wife made me a batch of cookies and thanked me for the transformation of her husband."

Zaleski is taking the 10 Challenge course to incarcerated veterans as well. After his visit with about 15 veterans, he learned that they took the knowledge learned and administered the program to the entire prison.

"I would rather prevent suicide than wait till you're on the ledge where you've got nothing left to lose." he said.

As Zaleski walks 12 hours a day over the next 10 months, he will share the resources available through The Long Walk Home and the Legion's Be the One suicide prevention mission to save a life through available resources and training.

"I want to direct veterans the best way I can to get the help they need. My hope is by creating a movement rather than just my own passion and advocacy, together we can help eradicate veteran suicide."

Follow Zaleski on his journey at thelongwalkhome.org/ or on Facebook.

Next article: Lost and found

Lost and found

Source: September 18, 2024

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Shoshana Johnson moves freely around the small, open kitchen in her El Paso, Texas, home. It's Blue Monday – the first Monday of the month – which means it's her day to serve her American Legion post by preparing a delicious meal that will fill bellies, hearts and the post's coffers.

"It provides me a way to give back and interact with my veteran community while still going back to that basic love of cooking and sharing that love with people," says Johnson, a Panamanian-born Army veteran and member of Col. Louis A. Carter Post 832 in El Paso. "I like to cook and share what I have created. Hopefully they enjoy it."

For her, the meal is a labor of love. For two days, Johnson has been preparing ingredients for her gumbo dish, which has become a favorite among Post 832 members and their families. And it's not always easy to please this crowd.

"Some old-timers, they're giving me a hard time about trying something new," she says with a smile as she cooks. "But I'm going to push the boundaries here and there. I keep on telling them, ‘One day I'm going to make beef bourguignon and coq au vin,' and they're like, ‘Cocoa what? Can't we just get some smothered pork chops?' They're so set in their ways."

Post members appreciate Johnson's culinary expertise, a skill she developed in her Army days. It's a rewarding trade-off for Johnson, who is grateful for the support of her Legion post.

That support has been critical for Johnson, who in 2003 spent 22 days in enemy captivity in Iraq. She was the first Black female prisoner of war in U.S. history.

"My family. My community, from El Paso to The American Legion," she says, ticking off her reasons for staying in El Paso. "There was a time when I thought I needed to leave, but I wouldn't have the support system, and that has made all the difference in the world."

‘I still struggle' While her physical wounds have healed, Johnson still deals with post-traumatic stress from her captivity. Often, friends check in on her when they sense she's having an off day.

"My community in general helps me through it," she says. "I'm very blessed to have that kind of support. Not everybody does. I always wonder how other veterans are even getting by. I have this family, I have this community that supports me, and I still struggle."

Theresa Rowland met Johnson about 30 years ago when they worked together at the Exchange at Fort Bliss. "From that day forward, we've been best friends," she says.

The bond between Rowland and Johnson, who she calls "Shana," is tight.

"Shana will give you the shirt off her back," Rowland says. "That's the type of person she is. She's been there for me in my darkest times and in my happiest times. She is my ride or die. If I need Shana, she is there for me. I can tell her things that don't go past her. And she can tell me things that don't go past me. She is not only a friend to me (but) she is a friend to my son, my family. She is 100% there for us."

‘Oh my God, what's going to happen?' Johnson deployed in February 2003 as a food service specialist with the 507th Maintenance Company, which provided maintenance support for a Patriot missile unit out of Fort Bliss in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On March 23, Johnson was riding at the rear of a 600-vehicle convoy when her vehicle took a wrong turn in Nasiriyah.

"I remember having an uneasy feeling," she says. "I remember seeing some people on the street. I remember there was a guard who just waved at us."

An urgent message came through: The city's unsecure. Leave now.

"As we turn around to get out of the city, we started hearing gunfire," she says. "Our truck was disabled. I was shot. Then I'm being dragged from underneath my vehicle, where I had taken cover, and beaten by the Iraqis."

Johnson was injured when she dove under the truck. In the firefight, a bullet ripped through one leg and into the other, breaking a bone in her left and severing her right Achilles tendon.

Eleven U.S. soldiers were killed in the attack. Six, including Johnson, were taken prisoner.

Two hours went by before the shock started to wear off. Her legs were torn up. Her mind wouldn't stop racing.

"Oh my God, what's going to happen?" she remembers thinking. "I didn't feel anything. I think when I really started to feel pain again was the next day, sitting in a cell and realizing you're a prisoner and not knowing what's going to happen from day to day."

Bars covered the windows of the 8-foot-by-12-foot cell. Instead of beds, the captives slept on a small mat. For eating and drinking, they had a pitcher for water, a cup, a bowl and a spoon.

That same day, Rowland's landline phone started ringing off the hook. Her sister in California called and asked if Johnson was among those captured. "I turned on CNN and saw the picture, and started crying out, ‘No. No. No.' To see her in the condition she was in was very difficult for me."

After visiting Johnson's parents, Rowland went to work, where the Fort Bliss community was ready to comfort her. They hugged her, offered prayers and told her that Johnson would be OK. "I really held on to that. That was rough. But it was very assuring."

New normal Johnson and the other POWs were routinely moved to other cells and eventually to Iraqis' homes. While her surroundings changed, Johnson's faith never wavered.

"You talk to God a lot, discuss all the wrong you've ever done, the pranks you pulled on your sisters," she says. "I thought of my daughter, and how I wanted to see her grow up and accomplish certain things in life. I remember thinking of what my life would be after I came home. Those things got me through."

She also routinely sang "Amazing Grace."

"Those poor guys," she says of her fellow prisoners. "My singing is horrible, horrible, horrible. Their ears were probably bleeding."

Always special to Johnson, the old hymn became a touchstone for her during and after her time in captivity.

"You think about the words, ‘I was lost, but now I'm found,'" she says. "There are lots of times in life, in the last 21 years, where I am lost. I don't know how to go forward. It's very difficult when you had an idea of what you had planned for yourself, and then it goes completely wrong, and then you're trying to find your way again. You're trying to find your new normal.

"So there are times when I think of the song and think about how lost I am, but I know I can find my way. I just have to really take a step back sometimes, calm down ... and God will show me the path."

‘Like a movie' Johnson's rescue came April 13, 22 days after her capture.

"Our guard had just given us breakfast," she says. "Then you hear this bang, the door being kicked down, and you hear clear English: ‘Get down, get down.' Oh my gosh, I'm going home. It's hard to explain that feeling. It was just like a movie. Those young Marines kicking down the door, rescuing you and getting you to safety."

Still, Johnson did not feel entirely safe until she arrived in Kuwait. There, she was finally able to reconnect with family and friends, starting with a phone call to her daughter.

"It was wonderful," she says. "I remember her saying, ‘Mommy, you got an owie.' She had seen some of the stuff on TV. She was an innocent baby, didn't grasp all of what went on."

When news broke of the rescue, Rowland immediately returned to the Johnsons' home.

"Once again, I was crying and screaming, but this time for joy," she says. "I was talking with my BFF again." When she and Johnson were reunited in person, they embraced. No words needed to be spoken. Still, Rowland told her, "I'm so happy. You have no idea. I love you."

Still fighting Richard "Breeze" Britton, a retired Army veteran and chairman of the American Legion Department of Texas Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission, has known Johnson for years. They met at the El Paso VA, and he persuaded her to join Post 832.

Initially, Johnson was very shy, he says. "Over the years, she has grown to where she is speaking confidently all over the country. She has come a long way. She's a dedicated veteran (and) gives back as much as she can."

Britton praises Johnson for all she does for the post, from Blue Monday meals to serving as post adjutant.

"Our members respect her not just for being a Purple Heart recipient but also a former prisoner of war," he says. "Knowing what she went through, she has gained a lot of respect at the post and all over the country."

One difference Rowland sees in her friend is how Johnson handles people who don't understand or respect her experience as a POW. "They tell her to just get over it. But it's not just something you can get over." Johnson tunes out the haters, focusing instead on the positive and doing all she can to support other veterans.

"It was hard seeing her" in the weeks and months following Johnson's return, Rowland says. "In one part I would see the same Shana. In another part, it would be a different Shana." During a Fourth of July celebration at Fort Bliss, for instance, Johnson tensed and held tightly to a nearby table.

"I looked over, grabbed her hand and just held it," Rowland says. "After a few minutes, I asked if she was OK. ‘Flashbacks.' She still remembers a lot of stuff. And a lot of times she questions, ‘Why me? Why am I here when others died?' I tell her that God was watching her that day.

"She still has survivor's guilt, and that is something she is going to carry with her the rest of her life."

More than a day The third Friday of every September is National POW/MIA Recognition Day. For Johnson and other former POWs, the experience is something they think about not just one day a year, but all 365.

"It's a big weight, and it's difficult to deal with, but there is also insight on what you have," she says. "Joseph Hudson, my fellow prisoner of war, says, ‘Every day that I wake up and the lock is on the other side of the door is a good day.' It can be very irritating when people don't understand how blessed they are, something as simple as getting up and going to the bathroom. In the cell, we had to bang on the door to go to the bathroom."

During her captivity, Johnson wondered if she'd die of a heart attack or in a bombing. She recognizes how captivity changed her, as she wrote about in her 2011 book "I'm Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen."

"I survived it," she reflects. "I did it. Here I am, 20 years later ... struggling at times, but I'm still making it. I'm stronger than I thought I was. If I get knocked down, I may take a minute or two to get up, but I will keep going and still fighting. Hell, tomorrow I might get knocked down again, but I'm going to get back up. I'm going to keep on getting back up."

Next article: Training Tuesday resumes Sept. 24

Training Tuesday resumes Sept. 24

Source: September 18, 2024

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The Internal Affairs and Membership Division is resuming its virtual Training Tuesday sessions for all American Legion members to attend. The next session is Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. ET on how to format a resolution. Join the training by registering here.

The discussion will address best practices to crafting a clear and correctly formatted resolution. A Legionnaire, or a group of Legionnaires, can impact the priorities and positions of The American Legion at all levels of the organization by resolution – position-driven initiatives written by members and put to a vote. Resolutions can be passed at a post meeting on a local matter, or at a National Executive Committee meeting on a topic that could shape an overall Legion policy. Although departments can originate their own resolutions, even post-level resolutions can lead to permanent policies and programs.

If you can't make the training, it will be recorded and available on the Training Tuesday webpage for listening.

Next article: Planning with a serious illness

Planning with a serious illness

Source: September 18, 2024

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LEARN HOW YOUR PLANNED GIFT CAN HELP THE AMERICAN LEGION

If at some point in life you have a serious illness, there are a number of planning options that should be considered. Illness brings emotional, physical and mental challenges. The illness may be primarily physical, but a person will eventually start to suffer discouragement and even depression. Their mental capabilities may also start to fail due to deterioration of the body.

Given these issues, it is important to consider the care of the person, care of their property, financial decisions, potential actions, and securing assistance from advisers and family.

Care of the Person There are several areas that are important in thinking through care of the person. You should check to make sure you have a current durable power of attorney for health care or advance directive. This document needs to be shared with the person designated as your health-care proxy. A serious illness could lead to your hospitalization and a need for the proxy to make important medical decisions.

There are also potential physical changes for a home or a vehicle. If you have an illness but can operate a motorized wheelchair, it may be appropriate to modify or remodel your home to make it handicap-accessible. Similarly, you may suffer from a major illness but still be capable of driving. However, it may be necessary to obtain or modify a vehicle to do so.

A primary concern for the ill person is, "Who will be my caregiver?" Initially, they may stay at home and a family member be caregiver. However, they should have a plan in place in case it becomes necessary to move to assisted living, a nursing home or even a hospital.

Care of Your Property If you have a serious illness, it will be important to have either a person who has a power of attorney to manage your property, or a revocable living trust. With a revocable living trust, your property is transferred by deed or another document to the trustee. While you may be the initial trustee, your trust also lists a successor trustee to take over if you are no longer able to manage property. With a serious illness, you may wish to resign and have the successor trustee take over while you still have the ability to offer advice and counsel.

If you have a home with valuable art or other valuable collections, it will be important to prepare for management of your property. At any time in the future, you may need to move to nursing care or the hospital. Valuable property will need to be protected and preserved for your estate beneficiaries.

With a serious illness, it is a good time to review your will and all trusts. If you have a trust, you should make certain the title and ownership of property is correct. The trust is effective only if property is legally transferred to the trustee. Similarly, some individuals hold property as joint tenants with right of survivorship with other family members. If this is the case and you pass away, the surviving family member will own the property outright. If that is your intention, this method is fine. However, you should check all titles to make sure they are correct for the plan you have created.

Financial Accounts You may have bank accounts, securities accounts and other business accounts. Check to be certain all accounts are listed on your financial records. If you have online access to the accounts, a trusted adviser should know all the passwords; if you are in the hospital or nursing home, your adviser will need access.

Potential Actions You may have a current pattern of gifts to family or charity. If you wish to have your successor trustee or the person holding your power of attorney continue that gifting pattern, there will need to be a specific direction in your living trust or power of attorney to enable that individual to continue making charitable gifts.

In some states, there could be very significant income and estate taxes. Even though you have a serious illness, it may be worth considering changing your domicile to a state with a lower tax structure. This will require that you establish a new residence, change your driver's license and auto registration, file your income taxes, and show you are a permanent resident of the new state.

Advisers and Family Particularly if you have a substantial estate and are quite ill, it is important to make sure you have reliable and trustworthy advisers. Far too many elders who have substantial assets become weak and victims of elder abuse. A group of trusted advisers and family members will protect you and your property.

Your advisers will discuss your vehicle use. There are several cases where seniors felt able to drive vehicles but were progressively less capable. One individual in her 80s drove regularly to visit her daughter just one mile away. However, one day she made a wrong turn and became disoriented. A day and a half later, the highway patrol discovered the car idling at the side of the road several hundred miles away. Fortunately, she did not become lost during the winter, or she could have frozen to death before being discovered.

Advisers and family members will need to discuss with the seriously ill person the arrangements for transportation and the possibility of higher levels of care. This could mean moving from home into an assisted living facility or nursing home. These discussions are best undertaken while the person is still able to think clearly and make good decisions.

Planning with a serious illness is a challenging process. Yet it is much better for the protection of both the person and their estate that the process is entered into openly and willingly by the person, advisers and family.

The American Legion's Planned Giving program is a way of establishing your legacy of support for the organization while providing for your current financial needs. Learn more about the process, and the variety of charitable programs you can benefit, at legion.org/plannedgiving. Clicking on "Learn more" will bring up an "E-newsletter" button, where you can sign up for regular information from Planned Giving.

Next article: ‘Jacques Cousteau with a shotgun'

‘Jacques Cousteau with a shotgun'

Source: September 17, 2024

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David Brown recalls being laughed at every step of the way as the 5-foot-3, 110-pound, Navy recruit signed up, started BUDS and became a Navy SEAL.

"You're way too small, these are all big guys. You don't stand a chance," he was told. "If there was someone telling me I couldn't do it, then this is the job for me. I was going to be Jacques Cousteau with a shotgun."

Brown shares his inspiring story about becoming a SEAL, career in the federal service and more as this week's special guest on The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast.

"For me, it was not an ‘ah-ha' moment like it is for so many guys who join the Navy," he says. "It was a backup plan when my parents told me they weren't going to be able to pay for college."

He reflects back on his childhood experience that helped him overcome the doubters and challenges with SEAL training.

"You need to go through things before you get there that bring out your personality traits that will allow you do to things that you will be asked to do."

In Brown's book, "And Goliath," he describes becoming "The Littlest" Navy SEAL and advancing his career as a Special Agent in Charge and Senior Executive. "I examine whether my successful rise to the top of the federal government ladder and then near-complete collapse and recovery was due to nature or nurture."

After serving with distinction with Underwater Demolition Team 21 in Little Creek, Va., and SEAL Team 4 until 1985, he transferred to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., where he taught Naval Aviation Water Survival while attending night school at Troy State University, where he received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

After leaving the Navy, Brown became a Special Agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and continued at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division in St. Louis.

"At the EPA, we did the craziest undercover stuff … how do you do crazy undercover stuff with the EPA?"

You'll have to listen to or watch the episode to find out.

Also, co-hosts Adam Marr and Joe Worley discuss:

• The 20-year "hurt-a-versary." On Sept 17, 2004 — 11 days after losing much of his second squad to a suicide bomber — Worley was injured while running to assist a vehicle that had been hit by an IED.

• The election with a focus on the next vice president will have military experience and what it means.

• Rocky, a once-stray rescue dog, is now a service dog throwing his paws into the 2024 race to the White House.

Check out this week's episode, which is among more than 260 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion's YouTube channel.

Next article: ‘First Illumination' reveals sculptural heart of National World War I Memorial

‘First Illumination' reveals sculptural heart of National World War I Memorial

Source: September 16, 2024

Articles

Late into the night, hours after its public unveiling at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., Sabin Howard's "A Soldier's Journey" still had a large crowd.

Some stood staring, silent. Others snapped photos with cellphones, pointing out which of the sculpture's 38 figures – a daughter, a wife, a husband and soldier, doughboys plunging into combat and emerging transformed – most captured their attention.

The 25-ton bronze relief is the park's long-awaited centerpiece, and marks the end of a decade-long mission to commemorate in the nation's capital America's role in the "war to end all wars."

At the Sept. 13 "First Illumination" event, Howard described the project as "the ultimate on-the-job training," telling veterans in the audience, "I sculpted this with every ounce of energy that I have, using all of my creative skills. Nothing was spared.

"This sculpture is dedicated to you, the men and women and families who have given everything physically and mentally in service of their country. And it is dedicated to those who have lost a part of themselves in the sacred act of service to protect our freedoms.

"I am in service of you."

The program drew hundreds to the completed memorial, located at 14th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue, near the White House. Many watched from behind barricades or by large screen at the adjacent Freedom Plaza.

Retired Army Capt. Christopher Rehnberg opened the ceremony by ringing a bell in tribute to the 116,708 Americans who died in the war. Twenty buglers from the American Expeditionary Forces Headquarters Band – dressed in World War I uniforms – played an opening fanfare.

"Once upon a time in America, 4.7 million American families sent their sons and daughters off to fight a war that would change the world," said Dan Dayton, executive director of the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission. "Tonight, we will honor them. But as the program unfolds, I'd like you to think about one person that's important to you, one who has served our great nation in whatever way, because 4.7 million is a statistic, and one is a person. And we're here tonight to remember that person."

A narration by Howard, with a musical underscore by former U.S. Air Force Band composer and arranger Robert Thurston, took guests through "A Soldier's Journey" as it was lighted scene by scene.

A father, handed his helmet by his young daughter. A tug of war between family and country as he hears the call to join his brothers in arms. The father commanding his soldiers forward into battle. Men gassed and unable to walk, helped by nurses. Other wounds, invisible, hinted at on the face of a shell-shocked soldier. A homecoming parade, flag hoisted high. The helmet handed to his daughter, whose generation will know a second – and even more devastating – world war.

"Every single soldier, nurse, child on this wall represents the heroic nature of those people who were affected by war," Howard said. "There are no victims here. They are all heroes. They are all moving forward, calling upon their better selves and giving unstintingly to their country to protect what we so often take for granted: our freedom to choose what we will do with the gift of life."

In its mission to raise awareness about and give meaning to a largely forgotten war, the World War One Centennial Commission has emphasized that the nation's participation in the Great War included Americans of every race and ethnicity, men and women. That shared service is reflected in "A Soldier's Journey."

"We very much appreciated that," said Edwin Fountain, the commission's former vice chairman. "(The sculpture) reflects the diversity of American contribution to the war, including and especially that of groups that were not treated as first-class citizens at that time. They served their country and risked their lives nonetheless."

The grandson of two World War I veterans, Fountain is the memorial's visionary. In 2008, he co-founded the World War I Memorial Foundation, which led the restoration of the District of Columbia's own World War I memorial. Noting that other wars are commemorated on the National Mall – wars, in fact, directly or indirectly caused by World War I – he resolved that the capital needed a national memorial. Appointed to the World War One Centennial Commission in 2013, Fountain saw an opportunity. Rather than getting tied up in a battle to build on the Mall, however, the commission opted to restore and expand Pershing Park.

Had they realized the obstacles ahead, Fountain told the crowd, the commission might have thought twice about the project: an international design competition with 360 entries, 46 public hearings and interagency meetings, approvals from four different agencies, a $44 million fundraising campaign, street protests that closed the site during construction and a bridge collapse that closed the Port of Baltimore.

Moreover, the contest's winner, Joe Weishaar, was a 25-year-old architectural intern without a license. The sculptor, Sabin Howard, had yet to create a work of the grandeur and scale proposed.

In the end, the commission's faith in the pair was rewarded. Weishaar succeeded in integrating the memorial into a "living, breathing" urban park, while Howard fashioned a sculptural centerpiece of "uncommon emotional power that speaks in common to veterans of all wars," Fountain said.

"By honoring World War I veterans who served more than a century ago and are no longer with us, we told those who serve today that 100 years from now they too will be remembered."

Weishaar expanded on that thought, likening the finished memorial to a wedding ring. In building it, the World War One Centennial Commission "has renewed the vows of faithfulness between this country and those young men and women with a new sacred promise for all to see."

Continuing the metaphor, the memorial's site is the hand, and Howard's sculpture the diamond. "I'm the jeweler," Weishaar said. "I was there to help unite these rare and precious pieces in a meaningful way.

"In doing so, I've learned a great many lessons, the most important of which is this: We don't build memorials for the dead. They're for the living. We build them to protect and preserve our memories and our stories. And like the rings we wear, they remind us that we should dedicate our lives to the greatest levels that we can achieve – not for ourselves, but for each other."

American Legion National Commander James LaCoursiere and Sons of The American Legion Commander Joseph Navarrete attended the "First Illumination" ceremony, and were elated to finally see "A Soldier's Journey" in person.

"It actually looks alive," LaCoursiere said. "Talk about living memorials … this truly is one. And this is the history we need put back into schools. I believe that's the reason we're having problems with our young kids wanting to join the service after high school. I'm not talking about war, but about the value and the pride of serving your country. And that's exactly what the story here tells.

"In my opinion, Sabin, the sculptor, is a genius and a historian as well. He brought everything to life."

Navarrete found the sculpture's opening scene especially moving: a wife standing behind her husband, the soldier, as he kneels to take his helmet from their little girl.

"I was taken aback," he said. "What stood out is the sacrifice that each individual made as they were going through this journey. The theme for my year as commander is ‘Honoring our heritage,' and part of that is family. That's why we do what we do, supporting our veterans and their families and making sure their sacrifices are not forgotten."

The American Legion is a commemorative sponsor of the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, with John "Jack" Monahan of Essex, Conn., serving as representative.

In 2015, the Legion passed a resolution supporting the construction of the National World War I Memorial at Pershing Park, and delivered a $300,000 contribution at the project's groundbreaking.

"The American Legion's support of the commission's work in educating the public, commemorating the events of the war and honoring the doughboys has been steadfast and enthusiastic," Monahan said. "The generous provision of money, time and energy by Legionnaires around the nation has been gratifying."

He believes members will see Howard's sculpture as a fitting tribute, worthy of the generation of soldiers that founded the Legion as a means of strengthening the country they loved.

"The memorial is not a glorification of war, but a celebration of the spirit of service and sacrifice," he said. "It will come to be esteemed as a magnificent example of the power of public art."

More than 3 million people have visited the National World War I Memorial since the U.S. flag was raised there in 2021. With the addition of "A Soldier's Journey," the site changes dramatically, coming to life in a way few memorials can, said Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks.

"We will care for it with the same reverence as the memorials of World War II and Korea and Vietnam, which also are under our stewardship," he added. "The National Park Service is proud to accept this memorial on behalf of the American people and to be its custodian for generations to come."

With the memorial's completion, the World War One Commission sunsets, and the Doughboy Foundation takes over its mission to educate the public about America's participation in the war through programs, events and activities. A WWI Living History Weekend followed "First Illumination," featuring World War I reenactors, musicians and performers at the memorial.

Next article: Legion issues statement on Trump assassination attempt

Legion issues statement on Trump assassination attempt

Source: September 16, 2024

Articles

American Legion National Commander James A. LaCoursiere Jr., issued the following statement about yesterday's attempted assassination of President Trump:

"The American Legion is relieved that no one was injured during Sunday's assassination attempt against former President Trump. I believe I speak for all Legionnaires in fully condemning violence inflicted against any candidate or public official. It was refreshing to see the bipartisan unity and investigation that occurred following the July 13 attempt on the former president. We call for the same unity here. "

Next article: Sept. 20 is POW/MIA Recognition Day

Sept. 20 is POW/MIA Recognition Day

Source: September 16, 2024

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Sept. 20 is National POW/MIA Recognition Day, held each year on the third Friday of September. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) reported at The American Legion National Convention in New Orleans in August that from World War II to the present, more than 81,000 servicemembers are unaccounted for.

The Legion remains committed to achieving a full accounting of all U.S. servicemembers from all war eras who are either imprisoned or listed as missing in action. As part of this commitment, it encourages a return of living POWs, repatriation of the remains of the fallen from war zones abroad, or a determination through convincing evidence that neither is possible, as per Resolution 22 from the 99th National Convention.

As part of the day of recognition, Americans are asked to pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by the military men and women who are imprisoned or unaccounted for as a result of their military service. Individuals and businesses should also fly their POW/MIA flags. Rallies and ceremonies are held throughout the nation to honor those U.S. servicemembers who have yet to return home, and the families left behind without closure as to the fate of their loved ones.

American Legion Family members are encouraged to share how they observe POW/MIA Recognition Day by posting stories on the popular Legiontown website, www.legiontown.org.

Next article: Five Things to Know, Sept. 16, 2024

Five Things to Know, Sept. 16, 2024

Source: September 16, 2024

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1. A picture is emerging of the suspect who officials say pointed a high-powered rifle at former president Donald Trump on a Florida golf course Sunday afternoon. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was allegedly 300-500 yards away from Trump when members of the former president's Secret Service detail spotted him, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. The suspect was a few holes ahead of where the president was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, officials said. Members of the Secret Service detail opened fire at Routh, according to law enforcement officials. It's not clear if he fired any shots. Bradshaw said a witness saw a man jumping out of the bushes and fleeing in a black Nissan. Officials got the license plate number, and the car was pulled over about 50 miles north of the golf course; the driver was detained and identified as the suspect. Law enforcement found the rifle, a scope, two backpacks with ceramic tile and a GoPro camera in the bushes at the scene.

2. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed Monday that they shot down another American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone, with video circulating online showing what appeared to be a surface-to-air missile strike and flaming wreckage strewn across the ground. The U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Houthis' claimed downing of a drone over the country's southwestern Dhamar province. The Houthis have exaggerated claims in the past in their ongoing campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

3. Two Russian surveillance aircraft were tracked in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on Saturday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The IL-38 Dolphins remained outside U.S. and Canadian territorial airspace and were not deemed a threat, according to a Sunday news release by NORAD. Russian aircraft regularly operate in the area, according to the command. An ADIZ is a stretch of international airspace where aircraft are expected to identify themselves in the interest of national security. The zone is not a formal agreement between nations and not always recognized.

4. A mix of U.S. Army units will deploy to Europe this winter, taking up position in Poland and other areas as part of a troop rotation focused on shoring up NATO's eastern flank, the service announced. The moves involve an armored brigade, aviation and artillery units, and a division headquarters. The Fort Stewart, Ga.-based 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division and its 3,500 soldiers are the centerpiece of the latest Europe rotation. The "Raider" brigade's deployment is expected to begin in January, the Army said in a statement Friday.

5. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Monday killed 16 people in the Gaza Strip, including five women and four children. A strike flattened a home in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 10 people there, including four women and two children. The Awda Hospital, which received the bodies, confirmed the toll and also said 13 people were wounded. Hospital records show that the dead included a mother, her child and her five siblings. Another strike on a home in Gaza City killed six people, including a woman and two children, according to the Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government.

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