Tango Alpha Lima celebrates Black History Month

The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast kicks off Black History Month with a special episode featuring a range of stories about Black veterans. Join co-hosts Jeff Daly and Ashley Gorbulja-Maldonado as they guide you through a series of interesting stories in this week’s episode. Among them:

• Jesse Iwuji, a Black Legionnaire, lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserves and rising driver in the NASCAR circuit. Iwuji is profiled in the February edition of American Legion Magazine. In this video, he talks about his service, playing football for Navy and more. “He’s super humble, has a great sense of humor, he’s very driven,” said Gorbulja-Maldonado, who met him a few years ago.

• Buffalo Soldiers and bicycles, otherwise known as The Iron Riders, a group that is also featured in the February magazine. In the late 19th century, a group of Army officers and Buffalo Soldiers rode 1,900 miles across the country to test whether bikes could be used for long-range military transportation. This summer, American Legion members will be part of a re-enactment of the Iron Riders’ historic trek.

• American Legion resolutions being proposed that would call for honoring the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the “Six Triple Eight” with the Congressional Gold Medal. The 6888 was comprised of all Black women who were tasked with handling a large backlog of mail during World War II.

This episode is among more than 100 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts for veterans, servicemembers and others. All episodes are available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on iTunes, Stitcher or other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available for viewing at the Legion’s YouTube channel.