‘FAMILY FIRST’
300 turn out for Official Visitation event with Legion national commander
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » There’s no doubting Denise Rohan’s leadership skills, as The American Legion’s first-ever female national commander.
On Thursday, the U.S. Army veteran proved she’s also pretty adept with a baton as she directed the Rensselaer-based Fort Crailo Post “Yankee Doodle Band” in rousing patriotic music during an Official Visitation dinner welcoming her to upstate New York.
The event, at Saratoga Springs Holiday Inn, fell on Rohan’s birthday, which the 300 people on hand celebrated by presenting her with a surprise cake and “Happy Birthday” song.
“It’s pretty exciting to be national commander,” she said. “It’s amazing to travel the United States and go around the globe, visiting so many Legionnaires, hearing their stories and seeing the fantastic work that’s being done. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
“I like to jokingly say, they were just waiting for me to be the first female commander,”
Rohan said. “That’s what took so long.”
Her term coincides with that of state Commander Rena Nessler of Geneva, the first woman to lead The American Legion in New York. Eight other states have female commanders as well.
“We’re excited to host the national commander and have her see what we’re doing in the great state of New York, and just to have that camaraderie with her,” Nessler said.
The dinner was hosted by New York’s 3rd and 4th Districts, encompassing an area from Pennsylvania to the Canadian border. Many Legion officials attended included state Vice Commander Keith Koster of Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County Commander Ed Burmaster of Stillwater, and 3rd and 4th District Commanders Gary Koopman and Robert St. John, respectively.
The Legion Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion and American Legion Riders also turned out to welcome Rohan, whose national commander’s theme is “Family First.”
“When you’re in uniform your entire family serves, whether they’re in uniform also, or not,” she said. “After 9/11 we asked what we could do to make sure our troops have one less worry on the battlefield. The answer is always: Take care of my family first. That really is part of The American Legion’s mission, making sure families here at home are taken care of so our military personnel can concentrate on their mission; knowing their families here at home are safe, being taken care of by those of us who have already experienced deployment.”
Rohan’s special fundraising project is the Legion’s Temporary Financial Assistance program, which awards cash grants to military families with young children that need help with shelter, food, utilities and health expenses.
However, she’s also concerned with a variety of other issues including improved Veterans Administration healthcare facilities and benefits.
“There are veterans living in rural places who need to have the option of going to a doctor closer to their physical location,” Rohan said.
At present, for example, North Country residents requiring surgery must travel to a VA hospital in Albany or Syracuse.
Rohan said she’s met briefly with President Trump, but hopes to make an official White House visit in coming weeks to present the Legion’s concerns, and offer the 2-million member organization’s support.
Trump recently fired Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin following the release of a damning inspector general report that criticized him for wasteful and unethical actions during a 10-day official department trip last summer. The firing left the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has 360,000 employees and a nearly $200 billion budget, without a top leader for the second time in four years.
Former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki was forced to resign in May 2014 following a national scandal over patient wait times and records manipulation by hospital officials.
Trump has nominated Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, an Iraq War veteran and the official White House physician since 2006, as his choice to become VA secretary.
Rohan’s term as commander lasts until late summer, when the Legion’s national convention takes places Aug. 24-30 in Minneapolis. It’s expected to be a major event, as it will kick off a year-long celebration of the organization’s 100th anniversary.
“That’s where our first convention was and that’s where our 100th convention will be,” Rohan said. “There are all kinds of special activities going on. It’s going to be pretty exciting.”
The American Legion was formed in Paris on March 15, 1919, by three officers of the American Expeditionary Forces after World War I. The Legion was chartered by Congress on Sept. 16, 1919.
Before arriving in Saratoga Springs, Rohan toured the Watervliet Arsenal. Her entourage includes her husband Mike, who travels with her as commander’s aide. They live in Verona, Wis. “It’s amazing just to see all the arsenal’s machinery and history,” Rohan said. “Of course, there’s never enough time. The beauty and downfall of being national commander is I get to come in and go to a few events, I get a snippet and sample of what a state is like, just enough to make me want to come back.”