Commander leads Idaho in 'a walk for all ages'

Shortly after he led another American Legion Walk for Veterans in Boise, Idaho, on Nov. 14, National Commander Dale Barnett reflected on its uniqueness. “I have participated in 10 of these walks in communities across the country, and each had its unique character,” he said. “What makes Idaho special is the involvement of the young people. An American Legion Baseball team was there, and quite a spectrum of age groups that represent the diversity of The American Legion. Our organization impacts the youth of America, and we have since our founding.”

One youth who was happy to participate was 10-year-old Travis Bentley, a Sons of the American Legion member from Grangeville, Idaho.

“It’s interesting to talk to the veterans and learn about the wars,” Bentley said. “I’ve done some research about weapons that were used in the Vietnam War, but this makes me want to search deeper into it.”

Idaho Secretary of State Lawrence Denney, a Vietnam War veteran and Legionnaire, presented a proclamation to Barnett declaring his state’s support for The American Legion Walk for Veterans.

“It’s always great so see veterans get together,” Denney said. “In the veterans organization, there is no partisan politics. We’re all veterans, and I think that’s refreshing. If we put veterans all in charge, I think our country would be run better.”

Barnett sees the walks as a way to build on The American Legion’s visibility. “We walked through a street festival, which wasn’t planned, but I wanted to walk that way because I wanted us to be visible in our communities,” he said. “We had a couple of local tv affiliates covering the event, so we got a lot of good public relations. I hope people got to see the young people walking with some of our older veterans. It gives us an opportunity to tell our story.”

The walk through the state capital capped a busy week for The American Legion Family in the Gem State where volunteers earlier delivered truckloads of food and thousands of dollars in monetary donations to state veterans homes in Boise and Pocatello. A similar donation was delivered last month at a state veterans home in Lewiston. This year marked the 33rd year that the department has conducted its veterans food convoy.

“Since the first year, we have delivered about $1.5 million in donations,” said Department Adjutant Michael Thurlow. “It’s just another way in which we take care of our veterans.”