I Am The American Legion: Alicia Knecht
Fresh out of the Army, Alicia Knecht hadn’t yet considered joining The American Legion. But when her father-in-law, Mickey, got involved at Dewey Lowman Post 109 in Halethorpe, Md., “it really wasn’t a question of if I was going to join – it was when.”
Fifteen years later, she’s enjoying her second stint as the post’s first vice commander, which includes the job of membership chairman. And that’s after her two successful years as post commander.
Knecht wants to draw veterans of more recent wars, including women, into the Legion.
“It’s extremely important for us to recruit younger members,” she says. “To keep the influence we have in Congress, we have to have the numbers to be a voice for veterans.”
Knecht thinks back to her early days of joining Post 109 and the opportunity she was given to get as involved as much or as little as she wanted. She is careful to emphasize to potential members – especially female veterans who are raising children – that the Legion doesn’t have to be a full-time commitment.
“When I came in, I had a newborn,” she says. “I wanted to find something else to do than just stay at home. I started off small. And I think we have to make it known that you don’t have to come in dedicating 40 hours a week. It can be an hour a week. It can be 20 minutes to help set something up. It can be just becoming part of something other than your home life or your work life.”
There’s also that bond that veterans share, regardless of age, gender and service era.
“I think The American Legion offers a lot more than what people think,” Knecht says. “You have camaraderie here. If you’re a veteran and your friends are not, they don’t understand what it took for you to become a veteran. They don’t understand what you went through, what your life was like in the service. When you get to the Legion, you have that. When you walk through those doors, every single person in this place understands.”
Branch of service Army (1999-2002)
Rank Specialist
Military job Intelligence analyst
American Legion post Dewey Lowman Post 109, Halethorpe, Md.
Years in The Legion 14
Legion activities
• Post commander (2016-2018)
• Post first vice commander (2012-2016, 2018-present)
• Post third vice commander (2009-2012)
• Post membership chairman (2012-2016, 2018-present)