Join a Legion Family community online

The American Legion Friends Facebook group was formed in 2016 to provide members of the Legion Family from across the nation a space to collaborate and share information. The private group has more than 4,000 members with a goal of 5,000 by the end of 2024. Start engaging with other Legion Family members by joining the Facebook group here.

“It is a brilliant way to network, recruit online and stay connected,” said Mary J Whitler Fisher on Legiontown, the group founder and Department of California Media & Communications chairman.

An added benefit of the group is the separate chat rooms that include American Legion Riders, Friends and Family, Prayer Corner James 5:15-16, and Be the One suicide prevention mentoring and support as part of The American Legion’s mission.

“Each one of these chats has helped to reach veterans in crisis,” said Whitney Smith McIntosh, a Legion Friends Facebook group administrator, and the Department of Iowa chaplain, adjutant at American Legion Post 682 in Altoona and secretary for Baldwin-Patterson American Legion Riders Chapter 274 in Des Moines.

The Be the One chat group and Legion Riders helped save the life of Stephani Williamson, as shared here. Williamson shared her experience with the riders in the American Legion Friends Facebook group when she was taking part in the group’s Be the One chat. 

“The Riders changed my life! I got to ride along with them and become part of that family. It really pulled me out of my depression and start to find myself. I don’t think I’d be here today if it wasn’t for them.”

“The Be the One chat group is an amazing resource,” added McIntosh. “It's a chat group for mentoring people and helping disseminate information about training. When dealing with someone in crisis there was a time that I wanted to reach out but wasn't 100% certain about how to start the conversation. So I reached out to the (Be the One) chat group, and I found a person on the chat group who was active a lot and gave really good advice. I private message them, and I asked them what to do and how to have a conversation. I ended up in a coffee shop for two hours with a veteran, just chatting. I never would have had that conversation as quickly or as easily or as comfortably without first having a conversation with a Be the One mentor from the chat group.”