Minnesota Post 1918 in Moose Lake Correctional Facility just the second to charter in one of the state’s prisons.
Because a Minnesota Legionnaire is a strong believer in second chances, the American Legion department now has its second post based inside a prison.
American Legion Post 1918 recently had its chartering ceremony inside of Minnesota Correctional Facility-Moose Lake, which consists of two separate facilities. The post was chartered in the medium-security facility there that houses roughly 1,000 men.
The idea of chartering the post came from Legionnaire and Sons of The American Legion member Glenn Mueller, whose membership is through American Legion Post 90 in Lewiston, Minn., but who also is serving as membership chairman for Post 1918. Mueller has held multiple positions at the post, district and department level and took a job at the prison after his wife retired from the Mayo Clinic and they moved into the area.
Following the graduation ceremony after Mueller completed his training to become a plant maintenance engineer at Moose Lake, he said he stood up to salute the U.S. flag, which drew the attention of one of the assistant wardens.
“I was asked, ‘Are you a veteran?’ and I said, ‘Yes, I am. I’m very proud of my service,” Mueller said. “I was asked, ‘Will you work with the veterans here?’ I said, ‘Sure, I will, in a heartbeat.’ I met with them a month later, and I met with them a second time and asked, ‘Would anybody be interested in starting an American Legion post?’ I looked it up and saw a lot of other states are doing it, so why don’t we try it?”
Mueller said starting the post is an attempt to give its members a leg up when they leave prison. “Most of them are going to be (out) in the next five to seven years. When they get out, I don’t want them to be homeless,” he said. “I want to be able to put them in a post, whether it’s in Edina, Mankato, wherever they’re going. I want to be able to put them in a post so they can help that post out, and that post can help them.
“I want them to have a place in society when they get out. Maybe they need some benefits when they get out. I’m just proud to be able to step up and help them out where I can.”
Mueller began passing out membership applications, and within a month 22 of them had been filled out. He went through them to ensure all of the applicants met eligibility requirements. He also passed out pamphlets on various American Legion programs to get the veterans some insight into the organization.
Mueller sent the charter application into department headquarters but had to deal with two surgeries, which caused a delay in the process. But his persistence paid off when the department approved the charter and then National Headquarters provided the final approval.
In mid-April, the post received its charter during a ceremony at the prison. There were a total of 35 charter members, including Moose Lake Assistant Warden Brian Collins.
“All of you who rose your hand and said the oath and swore to defend the Constitution, wore the uniform, your service matters and it continues to matter today,” Collins said during the charter ceremony. “I refuse to accept that people are judged by the worse day that they have had.”
Mueller has a similar view of the members of Post 1918. “We’ve all done our share of bad things. Some people a lot worse than others,” he said. “And they got caught. And you pay the price. Everyone deserves a second chance.
“I’m a Legionnaire that believes if I can help out another Legionnaire, I don’t care about being paid back. I want to help that individual have a better life all the way around.”
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