Legionnaires capture the Legion on Facebook

In August 2021, two members of American Legion Post 571 in Erie, Pa., began informing its members and the community about post news, such as meeting times, live bands and what’s on the menu, by uploading live recordings monthly to its active Facebook page. The feedback and engagement on Facebook were positive, with 2023 being the strongest year – 27 live recordings and over 14,600 views. Post 571 Commander Richard Sambuchino and Post Senior Vice Commander Frank Hall attribute it to their expansion of highlighting the mission and vision of The American Legion on all levels.

“The comments from all levels within the community and Legion have been overwhelming, and what we believe to be a strong factor for our increased membership, post meeting attendance and business,” Sambuchino said. “We have reached our veterans and shared the good of the Legion.”

The live recordings that Sambuchino and Hall upload discuss news and issues related to the post, Department of Pennsylvania and National American Legion, as well as interviews with local and state leadership. Visit Post 571's Facebook page to see the videos. A few of these recordings include:

post meeting and event reminders
youth scholarship and program announcements for Boys and Girls State, Oratorical Contest and Legion Baseball
the Legion’s Be the One suicide prevention mission
checking on members and veterans through Buddy Checks
legislative priorities and alerts
Post 571 holiday parties
INDYCAR watch parties at the post to support Be the One
Department commander initiatives

Post 571 sponsors a Legion Baseball team and a video of Sambuchino and Hall encouraging members to attend a game was successful. “The minute we mentioned it, people were going to the games,” Hall said. “I don’t think we’ve ever had that much support before. This year, we’ll more than likely go live from a game.” As a Coast Guard veteran, Hall also has posted videos encouraging members to help pass the Pay Our Coast Guard Act by contacting members of Congress, and provided how eligible PACT Act veterans can contact a service officer for assistance.

Another live recording example is one of recent when The American Legion celebrated its 105^th birthday on March 15, and Sambuchino and Hall went live from Post 571 before the post’s celebration dinner to capture the decorated hall, discuss what would happen during the ceremony, and announce events ahead such as the Easter party for kids, post meeting and eclipse party. The video has over 700 views.

“People are really engaged in our videos,” Hall said. “If we’re a day late, boy, do we hear about it. It’s motivating for sure.”

Interviews have been done with Post 571 officers and staff, Department of Pennsylvania Commander Steve Lavelle, Western Pennsylvania Vice Commander Doug Church and Department Legion Rider officers. The interviews receive the most views, Hall said, because the guests then share it on their Facebook page. When a guest is interviewed, they are asked what it means to Be the One.

And not all live recordings are done from the post hall. Sambuchino and Hall have done recordings from county, district and sectional meetings, department convention and Department Executive Committee (DEC) meeting, Pennsylvania State Capital, Pennsylvania Solider and Sailors Home, local hockey team arena, Flight 93 National Memorial, Department Legion College, local cemetery and fire department, and a favorite – wrestling ring where “I got slammed,” Hall said. The video has received the most views. While Sambuchino and Hall are serious 99% of the time, they do like to have fun when recording. “We just feed off each other pretty well,” Sambuchino said.

Hall added that by recording outside the post, it gives members an insight to important issues and happenings within the department. “I think sometimes people think there’s a big secret to The American Legion,” he said. “In our videos we talk about where donations are going, we talk about what happened in the DEC meeting. I think that’s a big part of what we’re doing is being out there and saying that everything we do is for our vets.”

The recordings started out monthly but now come out as needed. “We actually got requests to do more often, and that was from the department level, so they are doing nothing but praising us,” Sambuchino said. The praise is also visible from membership as Post 571 has achieved 100% membership over the past few years and is currently No. 2 in the department for new members. “The number of new members over the last three years has been amazing,” he added. “We take a lot of pride with what we do.”

Sambuchino and Hall do the live recordings themselves with their phones and other equipment, including a tripod and microphones. They shared the following best practices for other posts interested in live video recordings:

Have a good relationship with your partner. “The commander and I have an outstanding relationship, and I think that’s why it works so well,” Hall said. “We flow better because of it. I think that’s important.”
Have a partner who can motivate you. “There are months when I’m not feeling it and there’s months when Rich isn’t feeling it. You have to motivate and help each other.”
Have a post that supports you. “We have a post that supports us a ton when it comes to the videos, and I think that helps a lot,” Hall said.
Don’t be discouraged by the things that go wrong. “We did a recording of the kids’ Christmas party and next thing you know, there’s no volume,” Sambuchino said. “So we had to go back and redo it. We’ve had recordings shut down in the middle of doing them. You can’t get discouraged.”
Keep the videos focused on The American Legion and not the canteen.
Don’t buy the cheapest wireless mics.
Get a tripod so someone doesn’t have to hold the phone.

Sambuchino and Hall are happy to speak with anyone interested in learning more about creating live Legion-related videos. Contact Sambuchino at ammosambo@msn.com and Hall at fhall2006@gmail.com.

“I’m actually hoping that it goes beyond what we’re doing today,” Sambuchino said. “We enjoy what we do, and we have some good things ahead. I don’t see us ending anytime soon.”