The department presents its own Spirit of Service Award to a representative from the five armed services.
For the past 15 years during national convention, The American Legion has presented the Spirit of Service Award to a representative from the five armed services in recognition of their exemplary efforts in volunteering in their local communities. Two years ago, the Department of Washington replicated the award in effort to honor "outstanding military professionals" within the state of Washington.
The department notifies the five (Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard) local military commands about its award and asks them to select a recipient for it. The chosen servicemember must be an active volunteer in their community and be an E-6 military rank or below.
The award recipients receive travel and lodging to the Department of Washington’s convention where they are awarded on stage by the state commander.
"The award has been met with enthusiasm and great success," said Jake Cabuag, past department commander and chairman of the department’s Spirit of Service Award Committee. "Each command is very appreciative of The American Legion Department of Washington in recognizing their chosen enlisted person of the year for the Spirit of Service Award."
- Dispatch