Legion College students focus on leadership
Paul Brown of Post 66 in San Luis Obispo, Calif., discusses leadership qualities during American Legion College at National Headquarters in Indianapolis on Oct. 28, 2015. Photo by Clay Lomneth

Legion College students focus on leadership

Since American Legion College got underway last Sunday in Indianapolis, the 55 students have watched videos about leadership, inlcuding an interview with Capt. Chesley Sullenberger. Sullenberger safely landed U.S. Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009, after bird strikes caused both jet engines to fail.

After each video, the students discussed how the leadership principle of PEOPLE (professionalism, empathy, optimism, partnership, loyalty, empowerment) was put into effect.

The Legion "couldn’t have picked a better example of leadership” with the Sullenberger video, said Matthew Wrobel of Post 113 in Meridian, Idaho. “Sully didn’t overreact; he took control and moved forward, and that’s what you have to do at Legion meetings."

As a former air traffic controller in the U.S. Navy, Minerva Cruz of Post 49 in Guánica, Puerto Rico, related to the leadership skills air traffic crew provided to Sullenberger. In an air crisis situation, “you are trained to block everything and focus on safely landing the plane, and to trust that you can guide (the pilot) through (to safety),” she said.

Nicholas Seward of Post 112 in Pearl, Miss., believes the "biggest thing the leadership videos have shown us is self-awareness. We are all seeing a part of ourselves that we need to change to be a better leader to people."

In addition to watching leadership videos, the students rated themselves on how professional they are as a leader in five areas – character, competence, composure, commitment and communication. They also received tips on how to connect with, care for and consider people. Between the leadership questionnaire and the tips on how to be an effective leader, it has shown Sally Nay of Post 130 in Indian Orchard, Mass., that “you can show leadership without being the leader. You can lead by example but you don’t have to be in charge.” And Ernest Martin of Post 88 in Lexington, Okla., has learned that “it’s communication that makes professionalism work.”

Tomorrow, the students will conduct a mock department convention where they will present the resolutions they have been developing in their assigned groups. Wrobel and his group wrote a resolution calling for posts to work with their local cemeteries to allow for a designated area to spread the ashes from unserviceable U.S. flags. And Martin and his group wrote a resolution to adopt the beret as alternate headgear to the Legion garrison cap. “It’s a way to modernize the cap because we find that a lot of young veterans, and even women, don’t always want to wear the garrison cap,” Martin said. “The beret still allows the post, department and Legion emblem to be featured.”

Besides presenting their resolutions tomorrow, the students will have their knowledge about The American Legion tested with a 50-question exam and discuss today’s video, a speech titled “Listen, Learn … then Lead” by retired four-star Gen. Stanley McChrystal.