Reistad to lead Legion in 100th year

Reistad to lead Legion in 100th year

Newly elected American Legion National Commander Brett Reistad will lead the organization as it begins a celebration of its 100 years of service to veterans, the military, community, state and nation.

“A lot of history has been made in the past 100 years. This is a unique opportunity for us to reflect on our many accomplishments and share them with our friends, neighbors and communities,” said Reistad, a 37-year member of McLean Post 270 in McLean, Va. “It’s also an opportunity for us to be a part of that history. My theme for the year is ‘Celebrating Our Legacy,’ but, it’s more than that. It’s also about charting the course for our future and remaining strong and relevant.”

A U.S. Army veteran who served from 1974 to 1978 in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard,” at Fort Myer, Va., Reistad has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and spent 26 years with the Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department in suburban Washington, D.C. He served in patrol, investigative, forensic and administrative assignments. He currently serves as a law enforcement services coordinator for the Regional Organized Crime Information Center, a component of the Regional Information Sharing Systems program, a law enforcement assistance program funded by Congress through the Department of Justice.

Looking back, Reistad said what The American Legion’s founders did in establishing the organization was “unprecedented. They formed a network committed to a half dozen bedrock principles. They included care for one another; support for the families of those who did not come home from World War I, as well as those who came home sick and disabled; (and providing) a support network for children and youth, who the early Legionnaires saw as the future of the nation and the key to strengthening the nation in the event of future national security needs.”

Reistad said the founders also promoted patriotic values, fought for a well-resourced and equipped military, and ensured that U.S. military sacrifices were not forgotten.
“Out of these principles arose what The American Legion calls its ‘four pillars’ – veterans, youth, defense and Americanism. Built on a strong foundation of God and country, under each pillar are programs and services undertaken at every level of America.

“All the same values envisioned by the World War I generation are performed in communities, states, the nation and around the world today.”

Reistad said The American Legion will continue to honor its Four Pillars through such efforts as working to eradicate veteran homelessness, lobbying for a well-funded Department of Defense, fighting to hold together retirement benefits and health-care services for military retirees, and providing programs like Boys State and Boys Nation and the National High School Oratorical Contest to incentivize young people to take a strong interest in government, public service and constitutional awareness.
Reistad said the Legion’s centennial celebration is an opportunity to connect its legacy of accomplishments and significance in communities to a vision for the future. That includes a new generation of veterans taking on a greater role in the organization.

“Many are joining because they have been the firsthand beneficiaries of American Legion support in the struggle to resume civilian life after wartime service.”

The American Legion’s values, conceived 100 years ago, are “as timeless as the common bond of military service across the generations,” Reistad said. “How The American Legion executes those values – the pillars – is certain to change as the future unfolds, but the underlying commitment to service, to community, state and nation, under the flag for which so many lives were given to ensure our nation’s freedoms – will never change. It’s also a legacy – that under my watch – we will continue to celebrate.”