PNC Comer receives NALPA leadership award

Past National Commander John P. “Jake” Comer received the 2015 President’s Merit Award from the National American Legion Press Association (NALPA) during its annual awards luncheon on Monday.

The award, which honors an individual for leadership, was presented by NALPA Executive Director Patrick Rourk at the Legion’s national convention in Baltimore.

Comer thanked the NALPA members and encouraged them to continue their important work in dealing with the press. “Marketing is what we need, getting our message out into the press, getting it on television. That’s what we need more of,” Comer said.

“The American Legion is such an important organization, and has been so for almost 100 years,” Comer continued. “There are still people who don’t know what The American Legion is. Shame on them. We wrote the GI Bill, the greatest form of legislation since the Bill of Rights. We’ve all used the GI Bill in one form or another. It would have never happened if it were not for The American Legion.

“And that’s what you need to portray. Keep up what you do so the people of this nation know what we are all about.”

Among the other award winners was Mark Baker of News 10 ABC in Albany, N.Y. Baker was honored for a blog and photograph — “The Final Salute” — that went viral just after Veterans Day. Baker visited 98-year-old Justus “Jay” Belfield in a veterans hospital on Veterans Day.

Belfield was wearing his World War II uniform in his bed when he met with Baker, who learned that one of the nurse's aides had taken a picture of Benfield saluting earlier that day in his uniform.

Baker received permission to publish the photo of Belfield, who died the following morning. More than 35 million people have viewed it.

“The award means a lot,” Baker said. “My father was a World War II veteran, and the Legion has always meant a great deal to me. I grew up with it. Jay, who was a Legionnaire, demonstrated the meaning of God, family and country.”