Post commander connects Seneca Nation teens with native traditions in April magazine
The April issue of The American Legion Magazine is now online, with articles about Iroquois Post 1587's efforts to connect Seneca Nation youth with their people's traditions, retired Army colonel and Hiring Our Heroes senior director Adam Rocke, the drivers behind the wheel of The American Legion's Be the One car, the Medal of Honor Highway and more. The clickable digi-mag is available through MyLegion.org.
• Alarmed by the loss of three youth to drug overdoses in their Seneca Nation community in southwestern New York, Army veteran Ron Cook Jr. approached the tribe’s leaders with a plan. “The primary focus is to strengthen the family unit,” says Cook, commander of Iroquois American Legion Post 1587. “I developed this program that was traditionally oriented to go back to our old ways on teaching our young people how to be strong, resilient and able to handle adversities.”
• In “The Why of Adam Rocke,” the retired Army colonel and Legionnaire talks about transition assistance, the growth of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) program and the need to educate employers on military-connected job candidates. “We’ve got to be able to have an open dialogue with our employers, which we do – those that want to improve and want to hire veterans,” says Rocke, HOH’s senior director. “We also offer the opportunity to learn from us how to recruit veterans. That could be at the tactical level, the strategic level, developing a campaign plan or a whole host of things.”
• Meet the drivers of the Chip Ganassi Racing team who are supporting the Legion’s Be the One initiative to prevent veteran suicide, led by Alex Palou, 2021 NTT INDYCAR Series champion. Plus, a 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series schedule.
• With Massachusetts becoming the 12th and final state to name its portion of U.S. Highway 20 for the nation’s highest award, the Medal of Honor Highway now honors America’s heroes coast to coast. “It hasn’t been easy,” says Dick Tobiason, a Vietnam veteran and Legionnaire who drafted legislation and recruited sponsors in each of the 12 states. “But I won’t take no for an answer when it comes to honoring veterans – especially Medal of Honor recipients.”
• National Commander Vincent J. “Jim” Troiola says the 118th Congress must build on last year’s legislative victories for veterans by improving quality of life for U.S. military personnel and their families. “Better pay, quality day care, effective transition-assistance programs and safe, affordable housing would all significantly boost morale and, importantly, improve the image of service among young people considering such a commitment,” he writes.
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