The power of social media

What started out as a simple Facebook post turned into something much bigger recently. And those who were involved are hoping it shows to other American Legion Family members the power of social media.

On April 18, Saugerties, N.Y., American Legion Post 72 put a call for help on its Facebook page. The message was from Bridges, an independent living center in New York where a World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal lives. The 96-year-old veteran, who was in hospice, was looking for a fellow veteran of the battle to visit with.

Post 72 shared the message on its Facebook page, and the Department of New York – which has “liked” the post’s page – then tweeted out the request from the department’s Twitter account. The tweet gained traction, getting retweeted 316 times. But when Andrew deGrandpre, deputy national security editor at the Washington Post, shared the department’s message, tagging @NY_Legion in the process, things really took off.

deGrandpre’s tweet was retweeted more than 9,000 times and garnered 200-plus replies, including some offering their assistance and others reminiscing about World War II veterans they’d known. deGrandpre later tweeted out that multiple Guadalcanal veterans had reached out to talk to the veteran, but the veteran’s family had to withdraw the request because he started having trouble speaking now.

“The effort went viral, and it just sort of displayed the best of the Legion, for that matter,” said David Doyle, a member of the Detachment of New York Sons of The American Legion and a consultant to the department. “It also showed the power of social media, what we’re doing in New York and an example of what other states can be doing with their platforms. That’s kind of secondary to what our ultimate goal was, but it’s part of the story.”

Matt Hamilton, Gramercy Communications’ director of public affairs, said that the way the original Facebook post took off across another social media channel shows the importance of American Legion departments being engaged with posts via social media.

“It’s pretty essential for the chain of command to constantly stay in contact with each other, whether it’s … the individual post staying in contact with the department or from the top down: the department staying in contact with the post,” Hamilton said. “It’s just being able to amplify each other’s stories, amplify what each other are doing.”

Doyle said the ultimate objective of social media is to reach and recruit new members into the Legion while retaining current members. But this time the goal was something a little different.

“The Department of New York took to social media, and the world responded with an outpouring of support and love for a veteran,” Doyle said. “That’s what the American Legion is all about.”

Editor's note:Sgt. Bill Hession, the veteran who wanted to meet someone who fought on the same battlefield as he did, ended up getting his wish. Fellow Battle of Guadalcanal veteran Harold Berg in Peoria, Ill., came to visit with Hession when he found out about his wish. Read about it here.