Ohio Post 541 uses its American Legion Family Day to promote Legion’s veteran suicide prevention program.
On April 26, the entire American Legion Family of Winnow-Arn Post 541 in the Village of Continental, Ohio, came together to host an American Legion Family Day event that drew hundreds of members of a community of just over 1,100.
There were free food and drinks, activities for all ages and community resources available to veterans and their families. But the day was much more than that, due to a husband and wife from the post’s Legion Family personal connection to a subject of the highest focus of the Legion: combatting veteran suicide.
Be the One Program Coordinator Tony Cross was invited to speak at the event by Jason and Mindi Rue. Jason is a past post commander and immediate past department commander, while Mindi is a member of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 541 and the Department of Ohio’s second vice president. Their connection to veteran suicide was especially amplified over the past 19 months.
“Be the One hit me hard,” Jason said. “For my department commander’s homecoming, I had a speech all prepared. That morning, I found out one of the people I had served with overseas had taken his life. He was about the sixth one from my two deployments who had taken his life. So, I completely went off the cuff and changed my speech that night more tailored to Be the One.”
But veteran suicide hit even closer to home in February, when Jason’s stepbrother – Army veteran Stephen Sterling Jr. – took his own life.
“He was a member here,” Mindi said. “We’d had the (Be the One) training. We were talking to him. We were doing all the things that we were trained to do. And we couldn’t save him.
“It’s very, very close to home for us. It’s a very personal labor of love for us in my home and in our community, because Stephen was from here.”
Mindi said Be the One provides a mechanism for “allowing for mental health to not be a taboo subject, that we can talk about mental health and it’s OK. It’s no different than any other thing you go to the doctor for. If you have an earache, you go to the doctor. If you have mental health, you go to the doctor. And it’s OK.”
Jason – who served in the U.S. Marines for six years and then was a U.S. Army combat medic for more than 14 years before retiring – said Cross is the perfect spokesman for Be the One because of his ability to communicate with others.
“He just has this energy about him,” Jason said. “He walks up and talks to people. He is so easy to talk to. People will tell him things they’ve never told anyone else. So, bringing Tony here not only gets the message out, but it allows people who have struggled to talk to him and open up to him.”
During the event Cross shared info on Be the One’s mission and how it ties into the Legion. “When we talk about Be the One, it’s very important that you understand when you come to these events – whether you be Auxiliary, a Rider, SAL or Legionnaire – there’s one thing we have in common. It’s called family,” he said. “The American Legion, over 100 years, is about veterans and their families. You can see that in this room. You can feel that in this room.”
Cross also handed out dozens of challenge coins, which he said were meant to remind carriers of the coins, “When you run across someone that has some challenges, do not be afraid. You will find when you engage them, they will come to you for help. You better be prepared to communicate. That’s why we’re training over 65,000 this year on what to say and do and not be afraid of it.”
While Be the One was at the forefront of Post 541’s American Legion Family Day, it’s wasn’t the event’s only facet. In the post’s main hall, a ceiling-high display of the Legion’s four pillars was an area where attendees could learn about all of the Legion Family programs.
Another area was set aside to display military memorabilia featuring men and women from Northwest Ohio who have served. A map of the world allowed veterans to place a small U.S. flag on areas where they served.
Representatives from the Putnam County Veterans Service Commission were on hand to answer questions about benefits and services, while U.S. Army recruiters manned a table.
Ohio nonprofits Save a Warrior (SAW) and H.O.O.V.E.S. had tables set up, as did American Legion Riders Chapter 669 in West Unity, Ohio; the latter sharing information on its Blue Star Service Banner Program.
In another room, members of Unit 541’s Junior Auxiliary manned activities tables, assisting children with activities such as assembling poppies, necklaces and paper Uncle Sams. There also was face painting and the opportunity to put two of H.O.O.V.E.S.’s miniature horses in a pen outside of the post.
“We wanted to do something to allow our community to see what goes on behind the closed doors,” said Unit 541 President Theresa Rau, who served on the American Legion Family Day planning committee. “It’s not just a bar. It’s not just a place where the guys can go and have drinks and talk. This is more about we love helping our community. We love helping veterans. We wanted to open the doors to let people see that.
“We like helping families in need in our area that we know about. If someone needs the hall for a fundraiser or something like that, we like to be to be there for our community, as well as our veterans … and veteran families.”
Rau said the post’s Legion Family wanted to do a similar event last year but realized they didn’t have enough time to plan it the right way. They began coordinating this year’s American Legion Family Day around seven months ago. And it was a complete Legion Family effort.
“I think it’s very critical to have everyone involved. Our (Legion) Family at this post is amazing,” Rau said. “We just have this great group of people that dig in and help. So, when we started planning seven months ago for this day, we picked three members from each of the family groups (and) everybody said, ‘Oh, I can do that.’”
Also during the event, Continental High School seniors Conner Auch and Chase Hasch signed up to be future members of Post 541. Both are headed to the U.S. Marine Corps; their memberships will become official on their first day of boot camp, and the post will cover the cost of those memberships as long as either is on active duty.
Village of Continental Mayor Mathew Miller issued a proclamation naming the last Saturday of April “Winnow-Arn Post 541 American Legion Family Day.” Also in attendance was Ohio District 83 State Rep. Ty Mathews, an Ohio Army National Guard officer who has deployed to Iraq.
Jason said even before the American Legion Family Day event, the post had made an impact on its community. In 2024, its Legion Family donated more than $72,000 to various charities.
“We’re not a big post. We’re a small community, small post,” Jason said. “We want the community to know we are here and what we do to help support them, and maybe that will help drive our membership in future years. If your Legion Family isn’t active in the community, what good are you?”
The event was promoted throughout five different counties, spreading the word through other veteran service organizations.
“We were trying to drive people here today so they can see what the Legion Family can do,” Jason said. “To get that Be the One message out is huge. And the more people we can get it out to, the better. Because it’s not just about veterans. It’s about your family member or the guy across the street from you. We need to check on people no matter who it is.”
Mindi said that was ultimate goal behind the post’s American Legion Family Day. But it accomplished more than that.
“We want (attendees) to take away the mission of Be the One,” she said. “We need for everybody to be trained and be able to see those flags that we’re trained to see. Not just for our veterans, but just to be better with everybody that’s around us. That’s the biggest thing I want them to take away.
“But I want everybody to see the programs we have available. The scholarships. The opportunities of a lifetime, like Boys State and Girls State. Oratorical Contest. The Americanism programs we have. The work that we do with our veterans here in the area, and when our local folks are deployed and how we’re caring for their families. I want everyone to know where to come when they need those resources.”
- Be the One