An evening of remembrance and camaraderie

On Saturday, Aug. 25, several veterans and family members gathered at Devil’s Logic Brewing just outside of downtown Charlotte, N.C., to honor and remember those who were lost in the two decades the United States was in Afghanistan. And being the two-year anniversary, they specifically wanted to remember the 13 servicemembers who died as a result of a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate entry to the Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021.

Throughout the evening, everyone gathered at community tables and socialized with each other.

Liz Hartman, commander of American Legion Post 539 in Newbern, N.C., organized the event. She designed the gathering as a low-key event in which veterans and their family members could share a drink with one another.

Hartman wanted to encourage gatherings of this nature as she explained, “Simply coming together and sharing a drink in their name is powerful. But also to let other people know there is a safe space. There is a place you can go and simply share a drink with a buddy you served with. And should you need to talk you’ve got him right by your side.”

Her goal is that other American Legion posts replicate this type of gathering across the country. “Host weekly, monthly events where you say the names of those who died in combat so you bring breath back into their lives once more. And you simultaneously signal to everyone in the community that if you’re a GWOT (global war on terror) veteran, if you’re a post-911, OIF or OEF veteran, there is a space for you among our ranks.”

American Legion Department of Ohio Commander Jason Rue, a member of American Legion Post 541 in Continental, Ohio, served as a 68 W, Medic, in the Ohio Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan with the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He spent close to a year in places such as Camp Mike Spann and Dehdadi II. Rue was in town for The American Legion National Convention and decided to stop by after spending the afternoon in meetings.

This event has special meaning for Rue due to his deployment to Afghanistan. “When I was in Afghanistan one of the units that I was associated with had three members get killed by a suicide bomber, and they got sent home,” Rue said.

For Rue, the conversation is casual and light hearted as he explained, “Just bringing up old military stories, not necessarily deployment stories, but military stories and talking about our time in is very enjoyable.”