Averell Johns, a U.S. Navy veteran, former Delaware Home of the Brave resident, and current member of their board of directors, looked out at the garden at his home as he described the impact an American Legion Auxiliary Foundation grant had on his friends at the Home of the Brave. “You really help out a
Tina Washington’s pride for her son, a U.S. Army veteran and middle school math teacher, can be heard in her voice. “He served for five years, and then he became a teacher and a basketball coach,” Tina said. “He is sort of like a father figure to his students, and I think that is because
United States Navy veteran Diane Smith grew up in the military. Her father was an aeronautical engineer in the Air Force, so she spent most of her childhood moving across the country. “As military kids, you get used to making new friends fast and then saying goodbye a lot and repeating it in the next
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
