From a young age, Diane was inspired by her mother, who worked on a U.S. Army base. Diane knew that one day she wanted serve her country by enlisting in the military. “Going into the military was a dream come true, or so I thought,” Diane said. “Within a few weeks of arriving at

Olga Diupina just finished her first year studying government and international politics at George Mason University. Though she’s always had an interest in politics, she credits American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation with solidifying her passion for this subject. “It’s a life-changing experience for a lot of girls,” Olga said, “where they can participate in the

Patrick Ward always thought of himself as an athlete. A fifth-generation U.S. Navy veteran, Patrick’s physical health was always very important to him. That’s why, when he sustained serious injuries while on active duty, Patrick struggled to be motivated in his everyday life. After 55 surgeries and an amputation, Patrick wasn’t sure what was next

  Music was Matt Walker’s first love. At the age of 15, he knew it was a passion he wanted to pursue.“For all these years I thought that I would go out there, start doing music and make an album and someone would hand me a million dollars,” Matt said. “It wasn’t like that.”Realizing music

  In the United States, women are underrepresented in government at all levels. In 2019, though women made up roughly 50% of the population, they held only 28.9% of state legislatures, and 23.7% of US Congress seats. Sadie Chamberlain, a 2019 American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation senator, believes that programs like ALA Girls Nation could

In March 2019, a bomb cyclone hit Colorado Springs, Colo., and devastated The Crawford House, a veterans transitional housing center accommodating up to 13 veterans at a time.“I was called by one of my managers,” said Jerome Ford, U.S. Air Force veteran and program manager at The Crawford House.“Everybody was sheltered in place, so I

During his time in the U.S. Navy, John Wickstrom worked in nuclear power in the engine room of a cruiser, sometimes not seeing the sun for weeks on end.While aboard, nearly 60 years ago, John discovered that one of his fellow servicemembers was an amateur leather worker. During his down time, John grew extremely fond

American Legion Auxiliary Texas Unit 33 President Christine Trahan joined the ALA in 1993 under the U.S. Marine Corps service of her husband. She was drawn to the work of her unit and how closely it followed the Auxiliary’s mission to serve veterans, military, and their families. Now, almost 30 years later, Christine is proud