On the road in Washington

Editor's note: The following narrative was written by Jin Kong after his recent visit to The American Legion Department of Washington. Kong is assistant director for Internal Affairs/Membership at National Headquarters in Indianapolis.

During my three days visiting The American Legion Department of Washington, I had the pleasure and privilege of working with John "Rambo" Russell, 5th District vice commander, who helped teach me some significant lessons. Working with Rambo, I realized the power of ideals that we often speak of and yet have very little appreciation for. We recite phrases such as "to foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism," "to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation," "to promote peace and good will on earth" and "devotion to mutual helpfulness" again and again, yet their explicit meanings are lost to us in the frenzy of attending to things that matter little.

Before I arrived in Washington, I had goals to sign up a certain number of veterans to join the organization. We're taught the importance of making a sale and increasing numbers. But this was shattered by my realization that membership is not about achieving a certain number, nor is it about making a sale.

Membership, as I learned from Rambo, is about being visible in the community by helping the community and our fellow veterans. It's about working with schools to mentor our youth. It's about promoting unity by leading the way in organizing a community. It's about looking for opportunities to help not just our veterans but their families and the entire community. Most importantly, it's about continuing a tradition entrusted to us by those men and women who fought wars to preserve our way of life.

That said, Rambo showed me that we must advocate these principles in membership drives. By opening up our organization to the public with pride and purpose, we can generate a sense of excitement in the community that will translate to membership.

During my few days in Washington, we set up shop in front of small-town grocery stores. Many people were excited to hear that the Legion will again be involved in their communities. Two local posts recently lost their post homes and are struggling to renew their sense of obligation to their communities. Rambo and I had the privilege of talking with both post commanders, and we gave them detailed briefs of all Legion programs and activities, and a list of reasons to offer these programs. We also talked with various community members, such as schoolteachers who asked about Legion programs. Then, two 20-something veterans stopped by because they heard from their families that we were out there. We signed them up and put them in touch with department service officers.

Over two days we signed up seven members, and talked to a handful of prospects who are interested in attending the first meetings. But we engaged the post commanders and emphasized visibility and community service. I sincerely believe these two posts are on their way back to being leaders in their communities.

I believe this was a successful revitalization effort, not in terms of driving the number game, but in motivating existing American Legion posts to communicate the importance of the Legion to their small towns. We were able to excite the community about their local posts, and convince our older veterans that their work matters to the community, particularly mentoring younger veterans. We'll see positive growth in these posts with a consistent approach and leader follow-up.

I want to thank Rambo for his guidance and wisdom. I truly enjoyed his company and applaud his dedication to the principles of our organization. I believe he is the example of a Legionnaire who is truly dedicated to fostering and perpetuating "a one hundred percent Americanism," inculcating "a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation," promoting "peace and good will on earth," and "mutual helpfulness."

Beyond the numbers and goals and dollar amounts, there is a real American Legion that exists in the hearts and minds of our veterans, their families, and the people we serve. From this trip, I learned that what is most important is our impact on others' lives. That, I think, is where our organization's true strength lies: personal contact.

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