Department Spotlight: Nebraska Legionnaire's legacy lives on

Editor’s note: This is a weekly series of Department Spotlight stories featuring unique programs and initiatives of departments throughout The American Legion. Department adjutants are invited to recommend subjects for their departments by emailing magazine@legion.org.

For more than 60 years, the Department of Nebraska has recognized Legionnaires for their community service through its Cody Kerr Memorial Award.

At the time of his death, 47-year old Cody Kerr, a World War II veteran from Valentine, Neb., was the department’s community service chairman. His selfless service to The American Legion and the community was so well respected that his Legionnaire friends wanted to find a way to honor his memory. They did so by developing the Cody Kerr Memorial Award, which was first presented to his widow, Belle Kerr, in 1954.

This award, presented annually at department convention, is given to a Legionnaire who has performed superior work in a community service project or program for the prior year. Any Legion member can nominate another Legionnaire and the selection committee is comprised of the three immediate past department commanders.

Recent winners of the Cody Kerr Memorial Award include Bob Swanson from Omaha Post 1, who won in 2016 for his work in Pilger, Neb., and Jim Costello and Don Kiviniemi, both from Bellevue Post 339, who were co-winners in 2014 for their work with Victory Apartments in Omaha.

On June 16, 2014, the small town of Pilger was devastated by twin EF-4 tornadoes that destroyed businesses, homes, farmsteads and a church. Shortly after, Swanson, a past department American Legion Riders liaison and a U.S. Navy veteran, drove to Pilger on his motorcycle to see if there was any way he could help.

As he drove through town, amidst the rubble and cleanup efforts, he noticed one thing that was missing – there was no community flagpole. Growing up, Swanson always remembered the flagpole serving as a community’s pillar of strength and a place to gather for special events. Swanson decided that he could help Pilger by raising money to give them a new flagpole and an American flag, both symbols of strength and resilience.

Over the next year, Swanson travelled the state raising funds to purchase the flagpole and American flag. He raised nearly $10,000, which allowed him to purchase the pole and flag as well as a special custom-built concrete base, memorial plaque and lighting. Swanson also had enough money left over (approximately $4,500) to present to Pilger Village Clerk Kim Neiman to help with any maintenance costs associated with the pole and lighting system.

On June 14, 2015, Flag Day, hundreds of residents, Legionnaires and state dignitaries, including Nebraska Lt. Gov. Mike Foley, gathered at the Pilger Public Library for a special ceremony, led by Past National Commander Mike Helm, to dedicate the new flag pole. Swanson’s commitment and service to help the community of Pilger rise above the devastation earned him the 2016 Cody Kerr Memorial Award.

In 2013, a renovated apartment building, Victory Apartments, opened in downtown Omaha. This transitional housing was established to provide affordable housing to low income and homeless veterans looking for a chance to get off the streets and rebuild their lives. As the apartments opened, residents were provided with a subsidy from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Omaha Housing Authority to help pay rent; however, they had no furniture, dishes or the other comforts of home.

Recognizing an overwhelming need to help these veterans, Air Force veterans Jim Costello, department senior vice commander, and Don Kiviniemi sprang into action. They were able to secure beds and gently used furniture for more than 70 veterans who were moving in to the apartments. Costello convinced a local grocery story to donate gently damaged canned foods and boxed foods on a weekly basis. And Kiviniemi started a unique monthly bingo event in which food is the prize and any item not won at bingo is put into a food pantry to help the veterans throughout the month.

They also asked the members of Post 339 to “adopt” Victory Apartments. Their efforts earned Costello and Kiviniemi the 2014 Cody Kerr Memorial Award.

“As someone who gave so much of his time to positively impact the communities around him, Cody Kerr would be proud to know that for more than 50 years, deserving Nebraska Legionnaires, like Bob, Jim and Don, have been honored with an award that bears his name,” said Department Adjutant Dave Salak. “We as the department will continue to recognize extraordinary Legionnaires, and as his friends had hoped, Cody Kerr’s legacy will carry on.”