American Legion’s legacy of support

“It was there was no information. Basically, you resigned from your commission and you left and that was it,” he said. “There was no information how to get involved and what to do.”

It wasn’t until his father, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, was being treated at a veterans hospital in Wisconsin a couple years ago that Day engaged with members of the American Legion through two greeters at the hospital. Offering Day and his family a warm welcome each time they visited the hospital, the American Legion volunteers reminded Day of the sense of community he felt during his time in the military, inspiring him to look up ways he could become involved in the American Legion near his home in the Bay Area.

In a little more than a year of volunteering with the American Legion, Day has seen how Post 105, a chapter of the American Legion based in Redwood City, and Post 82, another chapter based in San Mateo, strive to foster community for veterans, their families and the surrounding community. Including everything from hosting a range of events at Post 105’s facility at 651 El Camino Real in Redwood City to coordinating military funeral honors for veterans, the local chapter of the American Legion has served as a hub for veterans resources and a source of support for other nonprofits in the community, noted Day.

In recent months, Day and other American Legion members have been focused on coordinating events recognizing those who have served the nation on Veterans Day. But they have also been hard at work on projects to recognize the 100-year-old effort to form an organization in support of veterans, which came in the aftermath of World War I when a group of officers lobbied Congress to establish a nonprofit representing wartime veterans.

By celebrating the 100th birthday of the American Legion and its two local chapters, Day and other members of Post 105 and Post 82 are hoping to not only commemorate the efforts to sustain the organization over the years but also encourage younger veterans to join the community and continue its traditions in the years to come. Whether it’s offering activities and programs for veterans’ families, reaching out to veterans who are attending community colleges or shaping new programs aimed to better address the needs of the military’s changing demographics, members of Post 105 and Post 82 have been scoping ways to bring new members into the organization, said Day.

“We’re getting ready,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of people retiring … we need to take care of those people better in the military now and in the future.”

Keeping veterans from isolation

For Romie Bassetto, commander of the American Legion Post 105, outreach to those who have served more recently has loomed large. Having served in the Vietnam War, Bassetto remembered the reaction many had to soldiers returning home from the war, and noted he didn’t discuss his service with anyone for years after he returned home from war. Determined not to let other veterans feel isolated for their service, Bassetto has been involved with the American Legion in various capacities for some 30 years to support others.

Acknowledging many of Post 105’s members served at around the same time as he did, Bassetto has been focused on finding ways meet the needs of younger veterans. To this end, in recent years he has been shaping plans to revamp the post’s facility so it can continue offering space for community events, become home to a veteran service office and make below-market-rate housing units available for veterans and others who need it.

Bassetto has been encouraged to see people like Day and others who served at a similar time become involved in the American Legion, and said he tries to impress upon others from in the community to Congress the importance of continuing to advocate for veterans’ needs. He noted American Legion has played a critical role in establishing the GI Bill, which provides returning veterans financial assistance so they can attend college, as well as treatment for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, and emphasized the importance of keeping these issues front and center as veterans issues evolve.

“It was because of these guys gathering that we have these benefits we have today,” he said. “I try to tell the younger guys, ‘you walk away, you don’t have representation in Congress.”

Redwood City resident Thomas V. Giannini said he has been a member of the American Legion since 2006, the same year he returned from a deployment to a combat zone in Iraq. As a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, Giannini has also been deployed to Afghanistan two times during his 28 years of service. He said he has seen the American Legion support veterans at all stages of their lives, whether it’s connecting them with counseling or offering child care and other activities to draw families into the support the organization can offer.

As women constitute a larger portion of the veteran population over time and veterans’ needs more frequently include those of their families, Giannini acknowledged the need for organizations like the American Legion to continue evolving and recruiting new members. He noted empowering younger generations of veterans to not only join the communities fostered by these groups but also make them their own has long been a focus of his.

“When people think about it that way, they’ll make it the best they can,” he said. “A lot of things in our community were done by these fraternal organizations coming together and saying ‘we need to do this.’”

Helping with ‘Culture shock’

Having joined the U.S. Army right out of high school, Chester Palesoo could attest to the important role the organization played for him when he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army after four years of active duty and three years in the reserves. He described his transition to civilian life as “culture shock,” but noted Post 105 offered him a community, connection to veterans resources and a way to help others who may have struggled with similar challenges.

Acknowledging the American Legion’s role in offering nationwide support for all veterans, no matter what branch they’ve served in, Palesoo said its current members are committed to ensuring these services continue to be offered and expanded for future veterans.

“We want to keep the fire burning and keep passing the torch to the next generation,” he said. “It’s all about carrying on.”

A Veterans Day ceremony will be held 10 a.m. Nov. 11 at Redwood City’s Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway. A celebration with live entertainment, antique cars, motorcycles and a barbecue will follow the ceremony at the American Legion Post 105, 651 El Camino Real in Redwood City. Post 105 will also host a 100th birthday celebration Nov. 16 at its headquarters at 651 El Camino Real in Redwood City. Visit eventbrite.com/e/american-legion-100th-birthday-gala-for-posts-82-and-105-tickets-73913905481 for more information.

A Veterans Day ceremony will also be held 10:30 a.m. Nov. 11 at the rostrum at Golden Gate National Cemetery, 1300 Sneath Lane in San Bruno.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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