Tango Alpha Lima swarms SVA conference

The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast continues season four, with its second episode a recap of the 15th annual Student Veterans of America (SVA) National Conference in Orlando.

“When you hit any anniversary you end up getting very nostalgic, thinking back to how we got here,” SVA President and CEO Jared Lyon said. “When we first started looking at what the organization would look like, what it would be, honestly, we looked to The American Legion.”

Lyon, a lifetime member of The American Legion, also looked to the future.

“First and foremost, it’s partnerships and relationships,” the Navy veteran said. “For us, we have a great and longstanding relationship with The American Legion. There might be some cool announcements to look forward to.”

Podcast co-hosts Jeff Daly and Ashley Gorbulja interviewed other attendees of the annual conference, including:

• Patricia Harris: “Being a supporter of student veterans is not something that just happened overnight,” said Harris, a Legionnaire from North Carolina who is an American Legion national vice commander. “I met some women and men here who are sponsored by departments. I was so excited about that, beyond tears.”

• Katherine Martinez: Daly swore in Martinez, the SVA 2021 National Student Veteran of the Year, as an Alpha. “I’m stoked,” she exulted about her designation as a Tango Alpha Lima fan.

• Ashley Gutermuth: What’s better than one Ashley Marie G.? Two Ashley Marie G’s. Daly and Gorbulja introduce Gutermuth, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, as the new podcast co-host. Gutermuth, who was a guest on a previous episode found here, is taking over regular co-hosting duties for the original Ashley Marie. Gorbulja will continue her role with American Legion podcasts, working on some special side projects this year.

Tune in next week to learn more about Gutermuth and catch her debut as co-host with Daly in a new episode.

For now, check out this week’s podcast and the more than 160 other Tango Alpha Lima episodes available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on iTunes, Google Play or other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.