WELLMAN

There are American Legion posts all over our area – Kalona, Keota, North English, Washington, Willliamsburg, Ainsworth, Iowa City, Coralville, Sigourney, Lone Tree – and if you have served just a single day of active military duty and were honorably discharged, you are eligible for membership.

If you have a connection to Wellman, you might consider joining American Legion Post 427.

The Wellman post isn’t new; however, it has gone dormant these last couple of years. Active membership shrunk to the point where even minimal activity couldn’t be maintained. However, efforts are underway to revitalize posts in Iowa that have gone quiet, and Jack Seward Jr. has accepted the role of Post Commander in Wellman, with the hope that an active post can be established once again.

Seward’s goals for the post are modest. Although there are posts that require significant involvement from their members so that they can maintain restaurants or put on community events, that may be unrealistic for Wellman, where younger veterans have busy lives.

“They’ve got families, they’ve got jobs, they’ve got other responsibilities,” Seward acknowledges. “It’s hard to get dedicated participation.”

So the goal, for now, is simply to gain members. And while Seward hopes to hold quarterly meetings, attendance is not required.

“The important part is that the American Legion has the number of members that will be noticed at the state and the federal level,” Seward says. “If we can just get everybody to sign up and pay their dues and become a member, then we will have that much more of a voice at the state level and in Washington D.C. for veterans’ issues.”

If lapsed members return to Post 427, and new members join, veterans connected to Wellman will have that much more of a voice when it comes to issues they care about. Seward mentions the need for mental health support; navigating VA bureaucracy for access to benefits and securing proper transportation for disabled veterans are others.

“Having a large base is probably the best way we can do it, having that bigger voice,” Seward says. “What we’re trying to encourage is even if you don’t have the time to come to a meeting, if you’re a veteran and you want to help support veterans’ issues, sign up, become a dues-paying member, and that will help in the long run.”

Dues are $45 a year and include access to accredited American Legion service officers who can provide expert assistance and a monthly magazine.

Beyond that minimal goal of having a voice, membership in the American Legion can offer much more to local veterans. When they return from active duty, veterans may struggle with the transition back to civilian life. They may miss the camaraderie, community, and purpose they found while serving. They may be confronted with stereotyping in the media or in their daily life. Having a group of fellow veterans they can confide in and relate to can help lift them up.

“If we were ever able to have a good monthly meeting of a bunch of veterans, then we would be able to talk to our brothers and sisters who have had some of those same experiences that we don’t feel safe talking about with people that just don’t know,” Seward says.

Being able to get together with other veterans regularly would be the ideal goal of Post 427, but it may take some time. Even if that level of connection isn’t immediately available, “We want to get the word out that we’re there for you,” Seward says. “If there’s anything that we can do, give us a call.”

Each veteran has a different level of comfort with their own experience in the armed forces, and not everyone wants to be a member of a veterans organization. “I’ve met a lot of guys over the years, and we talk, but it’s easier for some more than others. Sometimes the time is not right. But we just need to encourage people to become involved,” Seward says.

Suicide among veterans is still an issue, Seward notes. The suicide rate for veterans is 1.5 higher than the general population; about 17 veterans a day commit suicide. It is estimated that up to half of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have a mental health diagnosis, such as PTSD, depression, or anxiety disorders, and mental illness has strong links to suicide among veterans.

Help is always available by calling the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. “If you feel like you’re in crisis, or feel like you can’t handle things, you’ll have somebody to talk to, and they’ll hook you up,” Seward says. “They will hook you up with somebody to make a difference.”

To join American Legion Post 427 in Wellman or for more information, visit legion.org or contact Post Commander Jack Seward at 319-461-9045