Legion’s top legislative priority shared by D.C. executive director during Army-Navy Game Media Row interview.
Mario Marquez, American Legion Executive Director of Government Affairs, spent Friday morning and afternoon putting on headsets to talk with various outlets stationed along Media Row for the Army-Navy Game presented by USAA.
He spoke about American Legion programs, advocacy and its attempts to help bridge the civilian-military gap in order to get non-veterans to better understand the values and needs of veterans.
But while speaking with hosts of The American Legion’s Tango Alpha Lima podcast, he also brought up another topic: what the Legion’s legislative focus will be in 2025.
“I’ve been on the job for about 90 days now, and I’ve spent the bulk of my time doing a lot of work preparing our legislative agenda,” Marquez told co-hosts Adam Marr and Joe Worley. “Our No. 1 priority is called ‘Winning the War Within.’ It’s about mental health resiliency. It’s about breaking the broken veteran narrative and reaching resiliency as a veteran community. Take it to the next level. Positivity. Everything that falls within that.
“We have to focus on the positive … of our journey as veterans after the military. We spend billions of dollars every year, but the suicide rates are steady or rising. We’ve got to try a new thing. We’ve got to find ways to achieve this.”
Marquez, who spent 31 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, joined with American Legion supporter Nate Boyer – who played football for the University of Texas and one game for the Seattle Seahawks after serving as a Green Beret in Iraq and Afghanistan – during the media tour. The Legion is in the first year as an associate sponsor and official veteran service organization (VSO) of the Army-Navy Game.
The pair talked with a little less than 20 media outlets, ranging from sports talks shows on SiriusXM and multiple markets across the country, to veteran and military media such as Stripes, Military Times and CBS Eye on Veterans.
“It’s an opportunity for me to demonstrate that we’re changing our approach and our game not only in Washington, D.C., but across the veteran community,” Marquez said. “To have the opportunity to be interviewed (that many times) can be mentally taxing, but it wasn’t. It was a feeling of reassurance that I have a voice, that the Legion has voice.
“So I wanted to make sure I covered a full spectrum of topics in every opportunity. I didn’t repeat talking points if I didn’t have to. Just having an opportunity to have a presence, be relevant, listening to everybody acknowledge the Legion and calling us out by name as the prominent VSO or a prominent VSO was really important.”
At various stops Marquez talked about the importance of narrowing the gap between the civilian population, and the military and veteran communities after nearly 25 years of war and the importance of the Legion’s role in accomplishing that. He also referenced Buddy Checks and the Legion’s Be the One veteran suicide prevention program, and the value of the youth and civic programs of the organization.
He also talked about the opportunity that being an associate sponsor of “America’s Game” provides.
“Tying us to the game, what that does for our brand, for our vision in American society as a lead veteran organization, I think it’s critical to our future and how we’re going to be seen going forward,” he said. “And that’s a very positive outlook for me.”
The Legion’s Tango Alpha Lima podcast team also had a busy day, having conversations with a variety of guests that included Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, reigning Miss USA and West Point alum 1st Lt. Alma Cooper, U.S. Army Capt. and USA Rugby bronze medalist Sammy Sullivan and Army Athletic Director Mike Buddie.
And a the Army-Navy Game Block Party, the Legion had a snow globe that attendees could pose inside of for pictures. Those who did so could immediately share their photos on social media with a Legion-branded theme accompany the picture.
- Legislative