By Steven B. Brooks
As he stood on the stage of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans addressing delegates to the 105th American Legion National Convention, newly elected National Commander James A. LaCoursiere Jr. pledged to continue to maintain the mission of the organization’s Be the One veteran suicide prevention program, and raise funds for the Veterans & Children Foundation. “You don’t fix something that’s not broken,” he said, referencing the work done before him by Past National Commanders James Troiola and Daniel Seehafer. “We’re going to maintain the course and follow the consistency that has been set.”
And then he introduced what he called his personal and secondary theme: L.U.V., or Loyalty, Unity and Valor.
“The L is the loyalty, the true compassion from the heart,” LaCoursiere said. “But the unity is when we all pull together, we all work as one, for one mission. And that’s to drive our organization forward, which also enhances America for the better.
“The valor … we carry that with us in our hearts. And we sit back and we maintain that from the day we raise our hand to serve this great country and still do that today. That’s why you all are here. You do that back home with your posts, your units, your squadrons. And for that, I sincerely thank you.”
A U.S. Air Force veteran and member of American Legion Post 91 in Moosup, Conn., LaCoursiere then shifted to suicide prevention, noting that Be the One “is a very meaningful and personal program and project to me. Be the One, as you heard, is not a slogan, not a catch phrase. It’s not just something that looks nice on a billboard or anything such as that, but rather a direct mission statement. Far too many veterans have lost their lives due to suicide, as well as our active-duty troops and members of military families.
“As Commander Seehafer always stated, ‘We, The American Legion, are about changing lives and saving lives.’ Together, we can reduce the veteran suicide rate and destigmatize the issues of mental health. Together, we want to train and educate members within our great organization and in our communities about what the Be the One mission is all about.”
That includes letting individuals know that it’s OK to not be OK. “We, The American Legion, are there for them. We need to listen, be compassionate, ask the difficult questions and give them the guidance in which they need,” LaCoursiere said. “When I get the honor of testifying before Congress, I want to be able to look Congress in the eyes and let them know that The American Legion has trained and educated more individuals than any other organization in the world.”
Sending the right message about what The American Legion is and does is another focus for the new national commander.
“We need to make every community in the nation know and understand who we are. We are The American Legion,” LaCoursiere said. “The second word … is American. This says we represent all of America’s veterans, our active duty, Guard and reserves, and their families as well. Legion is all of us united together as a family striving for the same goals: to keep the United States of America prospering and keep the promise for a stronger country through our youth, our voices in Congress, and striving for the much-deserved quality of life for all those that have served before and continuing today in our armed forces, along with their families. Do not forget the families.
“We need to go beyond the four walls of our post homes and the locations where we meet to become much more visible in every community throughout our great nation, as well as the foreign outlying departments. We do so much great work for our organization and for our great country, but we still are not identified enough as I feel we should be. Together, let’s let all of America know that we are The American Legion, we are supporting veterans and their families, as we continue our service by serving America, through changing lives and saving lives. The world will know that The American Legion is the voice for veterans.”
LaCoursiere called for continued, and improved, legislative advocacy from the Legion Family. “We need to continue to make our voices heard in our communities, states and on Capitol Hill,” he said. “We have a fantastic grassroots program and constantly have the tools and resources at your fingertips, but in my opinion, we need a hell of a lot more of our Legion Family members to utilize the resources. I encourage – no, actually, the challenge was placed yesterday by Commander Seehafer, when he asked you all to take a brief moment, if you have not done so yet, to register for the Legislative Action Alerts by registering at legion.org/action, and respond to them regularly by sending messages to Congress on a regular and frequent basis.
“Make our voices heard, and let’s make our members and our numbers show … especially when we have crucial matters on the table before them, such as The Elizabeth Dole Act supporting our caregivers; the Major Richard Star Act allowing combat-injured veterans to receive both their earned retirement pay and disability compensation without offset; Pay The Coast Guard, ensuring the Coast Guard receives their earned pay during a government shutdown; and numerous other hot-button issues on behalf of our troops, veterans and families.”
LaCoursiere closed by reminding Legionnaires of a promise he made this summer to Legionnaires during the annual National Membership Workshop – one that’s about having fun.
“I promised everybody that if we all work together and hit the 100-percent mark by the Membership Workshop in 2025, that I, along with my aide, will appear on the stage at the workshop and a brief appearance at the national convention dressed up as cheerleaders.
“I’m cheering for all of you and am committed to working with you, as we grow our organization and let America know who we are – we are The American Legion. The voice for veterans and their families. Thank you, and God bless each and every one of you, and God bless the United States of America.”
