Leading candidate for national commander promotes Team 100

If Brett Reistad of Virginia is elected during the national convention in Minneapolis to lead The American Legion as national commander, he will do so during the organization’s centennial year – 2018-2019. Reistad believes The American Legion’s centennial year is an opportunity to promote and educate communities nationwide about the organization’s history, four pillars, programs, and contributions to veterans and their families. To support this effort, Reistad’s national commander’s theme will be “Celebrating Our Legacy: Team 100.”

“I call on each and every one of you to play a role in our success. If we use the Team 100 concept effectively and everyone takes ownership, we can’t fail,” he said to attendees of The American Legion’s National Membership Workshop in Indianapolis on Aug. 11. “Remember that each of us are stakeholders in this great organization.”

Reistad said Team 100 includes every member of the American Legion Family who has the “talent and ability to guide our organization to achieve an increase in membership to begin our next 100 years. Eligible members are out there. Our role is to find them, to educate them about The American Legion, and to engage them, make them feel welcome and encourage them to participate.”

Reistad shared that during his campaign travels to American Legion departments, he met a Legionnaire in Montana that was a recruiter. “He came to me and said, ‘You know those future members are out there. They just need to be asked to be Legionnaires.’ And he’s absolutely right,” Reistad said.

“Success isn’t just about what you accomplished in your life. It’s about what you inspire others to do. I want to see us inspire each other. As a former grunt, I picked the infantry motto, ‘Follow me.’ So follow me as we go forth to make history of our own. Team 100!”