Legion college graduates challenged to 'give back'

All week, the 57 attendees of National Legion College have learned the importance of mentorship and taking their fellow Legionnaires under their wings. During Friday's graduation ceremony in Indianapolis, National Commander Michael D. Helm struck a similar tone.

Speaking to the graduates, who were selected by their departments to attend the Legion's annual leadership workshop, Helm stressed the need for the group to return home to their departments and home posts and "give back" to the Legionnaires there.

"Please, be generous with what you learned here," Helm said. "Share that knowledge with your posts, districts and departments. Yes, I am asking you to give to The American Legion. But I think you will find – as I have – that the more time that you spend around The American Legion, the more this great organization gives back to you. Because that’s what The American Legion does."

The graduates spent their week in Indianapolis at Legion National Headquarters learning how to write effective resolutions, participating in a mock department convetion and, perhaps most importantly, being taught how to serve as a mentor to their fellow Legionnaires.

Kim Mezger, who was there representing the Department of Indiana, says she took the mentorship message to heart.

"The best takeaway advice I received was to go home and find a small program or committee that is broken or has been neglected. Take it on, mend it, grow it," Mezger said. "Apply what you have learned this week. Make a difference on a small scale first."

That sentiment of working small-to-large is something that Helm endorsed. In his remarks before the graduates, he offered a reminder that there is a Legion post, Auxliary unit or Sons squadron in nearly every community in America - likening them to "points of light" that shine in these communities. He told the graduates it is now incumbent upon them to help those lights shine brighter by bringing home the lessons they've learned at Legion College.

"The American Legion is not just some building in downtown Indianapolis," Helm said. ".... We are not just active in Washington, we are active in your hometowns. We aren’t just fellow veterans, we are your neighbors. And even when we live in different geographic regions and have different departments on our caps – we are always your friends."

That message of giving back resonated with Mezger.

"What we have learned here is how to share with and teach Legionnaires, and future Legionnaires, about this organization that we love - at the post, district and department levels," she said.