American Legion rallies to revitalize membership
American Legion Post 25, El Centro, wants all veterans in Imperial Valley to know the post is here to help them and their families access all the benefits they are eligible for through their service.
District 30, Imperial County, has the largest number of veterans not registered with a veteran’s organization, according to Anacleto Trevino Jr., commander of Post 25. But Harry Woods, membership chair, team south of the American Legion Department of California, arrived at Post 25 on Thursday for a threeday membership drive aimed to recruit some of the 9,100 unaffiliated vets in the state.
“We have members who get cards notifying them they are members of the administrative holding post, Post 1000, but we want as many as we can get to transfer to a physical post,” said Woods. “We have 450 people in Imperial County we can call, some who just have expired memberships. The solution is contact them and get them to join our ranks.”
One of those attending the revitalization summit was Don McCollough Sr., a retired member of the Operating Engineers Union and former owner of McCollough Construction, now run by his son, Don Jr. His daughter, Donna Butcher, formerly cooked for Post 25 and encouraged him to join.
“I’ve been thinking about joining but the post wants a donation every month,” said McCollough. “My daughter and I still talk about it. I got a card from Tracy Rascoe (District 30 vice commander) so I was interested in talking to someone.”
“We’re here to help the vets and their extended families,” said Rascoe. “Once they join we can get them benefits through the veterans service office. When my father died, had it not been for the American Legion, I don’t know what I would have done about a funeral service.”
Part of the problem stems from lack of awareness of how much help is available either through the American Legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars, noted Trevino. But registering with a post opens up a lot of opportunities.
“We can get a bigger VA clinic here, (1115 S. Fourth St.) and more doctors to come in,” said Trevino. “Some have to go to Palm Springs or San Diego but if we get more vets to register here, we could expand services here in the county.”
Membership serves to promote a family camaraderie. The posts are not just for veterans but throughout the year invite the public to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and perform fundraising for various service organizations. Currently, average membership for the nine posts of District 30 is 77.42 percent of stated goals, with Post 25 at 115.67 percent.
Membership has many advantages, immersing vets into a greater pool of like-minded who can trade experiences to the other’s benefit.
“Some of us are suffering PTSD or service-related illness,” said Rascoe. “Some of the benefits are already there but the government won’t tell you. But joining a vet’s organization, there’s always a member to inform you.”