‘He’s one of ours’

Editor's note: After the publishing of the story, The American Legion was notified that John “Duke” Moses passed away. The American Legion sends its condolences to the Moses family and members of Legion Riders Chapter 19.

The American Legion Riders are known for raising millions of dollars for The American Legion Legacy Fund, helping to provide college scholarships for the children of fallen servicemembers. They’re also known for staging poker runs to benefits local charities, providing escorts to returning military personnel, and generally doing a lot of good for those in their communities.

But the lower-profile activities the Riders engage in have as great of an impact – such as coming to the aid of a comrade, and his family, during a tough time.

Recently, Vietnam veteran and Legion Rider John “Duke” Moses, a member of LeRoy Hill Post 19 in Gardner, Kan., was involved in a motorcycle accident and taken to a hospital. As soon as members of his Riders chapter heard about the accident, they headed to the hospital to check on their friend and support his daughter.

“I don’t think we did anything that most people wouldn’t do,” Chapter 19 President Lynn “Arch” Atchison said. “He’s one of ours. He’s a valuable member of our chapter. We wanted to be there to support the family and just see what else we could do to help.”

Atchison knew that Moses’ brother and sister-in-law were members of ALR Chapter 142 in Perry, Kan., and reached out to the chapter president to share the news about the accident. Lynn and Julie Moses made the nearly hour drive to Gardner to the hospital to see their family member – and came across something else waiting for them.

“Five or six Riders were already there,” Julie Moses said. “It was so comforting. They blew us away. And since then, they’ve been calling every day to see what they can do. Someone is going to take care of John’s lawn for him.”

Atchison said that John’s motorcycle was towed after the accident and more than $400 was needed to get it from the towing company. A 25-year member of the Gardner Police Department, Atchison was able to negotiate the price down to $294, which the chapter is going to pay.

That just added to the feeling of gratitude that Lynn and Julie have toward Chapter 19. Julie, the treasurer of Chapter 142, said she’s used to being on the other side the Riders’ effort.

“We’ve always been the ones who have provided the help or support,” she said. “To have someone provide that support to us, well, I didn’t know how much it really meant. We don’t really have the words to express what all of this has meant to us. But this really is what the Legion Riders are all about.”