What the hell is wrong at the American Legion? Some thoughts from a member

[n2doc]

By Kyleanne Hunter
Best Defense guest columnist

As a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran of the Post-9/11 wars, I was proud to join the American Legion. In the years since I left the Marines, I had witnessed Legion Posts come under the leadership of young veterans committed to engagement with communities. As a woman, I welcomed and cheered the election of the Legion’s first female national commander last month.

But today, I could not be more embarrassed and ashamed of Denise Rohan’s statement titled, “American Legion Blasts NFL For Disrespect,” that she assumed to make on behalf of all Legionnaires in response to the National Football League protests. (This statement has since been retitled to read, “The American Legion Calls For Unity.”)

I can attest that Rohan does not speak for all Legionnaires — especially those of my generation. Yes, as a country we need unity, and many of us have highlighted the role that veterans can play creating dialogue in a divided nation. However, Rohan’s statement in no way promotes unity.

This is no way for her to start her year as national commander. Instead of leading the veterans’ community to help unify our nation, she has further inflamed ill will and joined forces with those who seek to divide through culture war.


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http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/09/29/what-the-hell-is-wrong-at-the-american-legion-some-thoughts-from-a-member/

[socialist_n_TN]

1. I THINK that the American Legion was begun as a pro-fascist group.........

attempting to, more or less, support the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s. It was a reaction to the explosion of support for socialists in the US. The VFW was more egalitarian.

[dalton99a]

5. Yep. AL was a big supporter of Joe McCarthy, loyalty oaths, and religion in schools

[Lars39]

2. Thanks for the heads up.

Now I'll know where my fil is getting his message.

[hlthe2b]

3. My late Father (WWII vet) had lots of issues with American Legion even decades ago

I seem to recall his being less disillusioned with the VFW, but he certainly felt the American Legion was not representing what he and his generation had fought and died for. I know when Vets started turning against Vietnam (when it was overwhelmingly apparent how senseless the war and how much the government had lied about its aims), he was horrified at how AL withdrew support for these Veterans.

[Brainstormy]

4. Exactly same reaction from my late father

who went on to become a Commander at a VFW post, but never had good things to say about the American Legion.

[Elwood P Dowd]

8. I joined one in 1972 and barely lasted a year.

It was full of drunks, racists, liars, and fakes.

[procon]

6. The only reason my father inlaw joined the AL was to get cheap drinks

at the members only bar. He was a widower and he spent practically every evening sipping whiskey and retelling war stories or playing chess with his buddies. He didn't like to cook so he would go there for lunch and eat his bowl of red, a burger, or soup and sandwich, then have a slice of pie with his coffee and read the papers until happy hour rolled around.

[Hortensis]

7. I've only been invited to two AM groups, but both were very conservative,

all white, overall low educational levels, plenty of drinking and, at one particularly, antagoniism toward and lack of knowledge about minorities. I don't doubt some groups are very different, but the behavior described in the OP would only surprising where I was if it were expressed with dignity and in full, well constructed sentences without insults.