Remembering ‘a pretty special kind of fella’

Past National Commander Miles Epling, who passed away April 13, praised for overcoming obstacles, foresight and steadfast support for the nation’s veterans.

While serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and on patrol in Vietnam, Miles Epling lost both legs when he stepped on a landmine. He was medically discharged in 1969 and earned a Purple Heart.

Twenty years later, in Baltimore, Epling was elected American Legion national commander at age 39. He was just the second Vietnam War veteran to be elected the organization’s leader – and it was only part of what had been and would continue to be a life of service to the nation’s veterans.

Epling, who passed away on April 13 at age 75, went on to continue to serve in national position after his tenure ended, and in 2002 he took over as Department of West Virginia adjutant, a position he held until July 2024.

That dedication drew praise from his fellow past national commanders.

“Miles was a pretty special kind of fella,” Past National Commander Daniel Ludwig said. “As we all know, he was severely challenged from his service, being a double amputee, which obviously made life a challenge for him. And he rose to the occasion. He persevered through all of that, and in doing so, he served The American Legion and the veterans of this nation with an unbelievable amount of accomplishments over the years.

“After serving as national commander, he served as department adjutant for West Virginia for 22 years, which is an amazing feat itself when you add on top of everything else that he did.”

American Legion Past National Commander Dan Dellinger offered similar insight. “Even though he had physical disabilities, his mind was there,” he said. “He was a guy to be reckoned with. He didn’t let his disabilities stop him from doing anything. He set his mind to it, and he was steadfast.”

Past National Commander Jake Comer served in the position two years before Epling and said around that time the two became close friends. And like Ludwig and Dellinger, he marveled at how Epling overcome his war injuries to thrive as a Legion leader.

“I could never understand how well he did with all of his injuries, traveling throughout the nation as he did as national commander,” Comer said. “He was an outstanding Legionnaire, and I respect him wholeheartedly.  He made a name for himself and The American Legion.

“I just marveled at how he got around. When he came into the state of Massachusetts, he just represented all of us so very well. I’m really feeling real bad about Miles, and everyone should. He went above and beyond the call of duty.”

A life member of American Legion Post 23 in Point Pleasant, Epling was a 56-year member of the organization in which he held several positions at the local, state and national level. In addition to department adjutant, Epling also served as department commander, Alternate National Executive Committeeman, national vice commander, and on multiple commissions and committees before and after he served as national commander. That dedication carried over to local government, where he served as Mason County Circuit Clerk Magistrate and Commissioner.

Bill Kile, a longtime West Virginia National Executive Committeeman and the current vice chairman of the Legion’s Be the One Mental Wellness Committee, was friends with Epling for 50-plus years. They first met in 1972; Kile shared that Epling spent more than a year in a Philadelphia hospital recovering after the loss of his legs.

“He was definitely looking out for every Legionnaire that needed help,” Kile said. “He was just that kind of person. He was the type of person that anyone he met, if they needed help, he’d be the first one to volunteer. I can’t really sum it up. He just wanted to see everyone taken care of.”

Dellinger had met Epling a couple of times before Dellinger became National Membership & Post Activities Committee chairman and attended a conference in West Virginia in 1999. The relationship grew from there.

“I basically knew him a quarter of a century,” Dellinger said. “After he got out of office he continued ‘Still Serving America’. He was the epitome of that, especially the fact he took over being the adjutant of the Department of West Virginia. He’s always been … a straight shooter. He was just a strong guy.”

As national commander, Epling was a staunch supporter of a constitutional amendment to protect the flag from physical desecration. On June 21, 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Texas v. Johnson upheld the rights of protesters to burn the American flag.

Epling called for a constitutional amendment to make desecration of the flag illegal and after passage of the Flag Protection Act of 1989 said congressional action wasn’t enough.

"They should've known that the Flag Protection Act of 1989 would never hold up in court. Overturning Supreme Court decision by legislative fiat just isn't possible,” Epling said at the time. “I'm not ashamed to admit it: Our flag, to me, is the living symbol of all those things, good and true, that my buddies laid down their lives for. In life, they respected it and loved what it stands for. And in death, it draped their caskets in honored glory, and in memory of who they were, what they did, and why they did it.

“When someone burns that flag, or spits on it, or tramples it, then he is desecrating not just the flag, but also the memory of those brave men and women. To accord such repugnant acts of disrespect and defiance, constitutional protection based on some legal interpretation of ‘free speech’ defies logic and must not be permitted to continue. ‘We, the people’, have the right and the obligation to protect our flag by adopting a narrowly drawn constitutional amendment which will settle this issue once and for all.”

Fresh off presenting Congress with the results in 1989 from the landmark American Legion-sponsored independent study by Columbia University that established the effects of exposure to Agent Orange on Vietnam War veterans, Epling urged the Centers for Disease to make studying health conditions related to Agent Orange a priority.

"Tens of thousands of Vietnam veterans are now suffering from those medical problems," Epling wrote to Dr. William L. Roper, who recently had been appointed to CDC's top office. "Thousands more wonder if their exposure to the deadly dioxin planted a ticking time bomb in their bodies, later to develop into a disabling, even fatal disease. Some of those veterans, or their children, have already died. All of them are waiting for our government to give them the benefit of the doubt with favorable findings leading to adequate compensation."

During Epling’s tenure and on the heels of devastation caused by Hurricane Hugo and an earthquake in San Francisco, it was during the 1989 Fall Meetings that the Legion’s National Executive Committee authorized the creation of what is now the National Emergency Fund (NEF).

“There are several goals to be accomplished with the establishment of this special fund,” Epling wrote in a January 1990 National Commander’s Message. “Hurricane Hugo devastated large areas in Puerto Rico, South Carolina and sections of North Carolina – damage is estimated to exceed $8 billion. Damages from the California earthquake are expected to exceed $13 billion. When disaster struck, Legionnaires reached out and helped. Your help now can still make a big difference. In helping our fellow members, we demonstrate our steadfast ‘devotion to mutual helpfulness,’ one of the guiding ideals on which our great organization was built. Our pledge is more than just words – it's a commitment to action.”

By the 1990 national convention in Indianapolis, more than $500,000 had been raised for the fund. Since then, the National Emergency Fund has delivered over $10 million in aid to Legionnaires and their families, helped prevent post closures and supported recovery efforts. 

Eight years later after the NEF’s inception, Minnesota was ravaged by flooding from the Red and Minnesota Rivers, causing public infrastructure damage of approximately $300 million. Ludwig, a longtime Minnesota resident, saw up-close the value of the NEF during that time.

“I think (the NEF) dumped $1 million into the Red River Valley,” Ludwig said. “It’s just another example of the vision of this organization and how we really work hard to understand the challenges we face as individuals and as a nation. And then we do our best to rise to the occasion and deal with those challenges. Obviously, that’s a significant thing that happened in Miles’ year.”

It was also during the 1990 convention when delegates unanimously approved Res. 1, which asked Congress to change the Legion constitution to expand membership eligibility to include those who served on active duty in the U.S. military during U.S. involvement in Lebanon, Grenada and Panama.

“He was a patriot,” Ludwig said of Epling. “Obviously, he had a passion for veterans and a passion for freedom in this country. And he was my friend, and I’ll miss him.”  

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, April 18, at the Point Pleasant Jr/Sr High School in Point Pleasant. Visitation will be from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday at the high school. A celebration of life will be held in Epling Hall at American Legion Post 23 in Point Pleasant on Saturday, April 19, from 3-6 p.m. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Miles Epling Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o Travis Epling 300 Skyline Parkway, Athens, GA 30606. Condolences may be expressed to the family and memories may be shared by visiting www.wilcoxenfuneralhome.com.