Veterans in trucking, the Air Force’s ‘Silent Warriors’ and more in August magazine

The August issue of The American Legion Magazine is now online, with features on veterans transitioning to successful careers in trucking, the quiet contributions of the U.S. Air Force Security Service and more. The clickable digi-mag is available through MyLegion.org.

• This month’s cover story by Laura Edwards profiles servicemembers and veterans who are finding the commercial trucking industry to be a great fit for their career and personal goals – a message that bolsters The American Legion’s efforts to fast-track qualified veterans into specialized careers where military experience can be applied toward licenses and credentials. “I always enjoyed driving trucks and stuff,” says Army veteran Brandy Ballay of Glenn Heights, Texas. “I figured, why not try it? … (As a driver) you’re kind of your own boss out there.”

• In “Silent Warriors,” Ken Olsen talks with a group of former Air Force signals intelligence specialists, whose vital contributions to national security have largely gone unnoticed and unacknowledged. “I think some of the things I went through are still highly classified and always will be,” says David Husby, a member of American Legion Post 98 in Cumberland, Wis., who served on the ground and in the air in Vietnam. “And I just think nobody has to know what we did. You certainly don’t want your enemy to know.”

• The numbers are in, and The American Legion’s VA appeals and claims teams are on pace for a record year. More than four months from the end of fiscal 2023, the Legion’s national staff representatives had processed 10,641 appeals from veterans who had disputed claims from VA and achieved $58.3 million in disability benefits. Meanwhile, the amount in disability compensation secured by 3,000 American Legion-accredited service officers jumped $1.5 billion in 2022, with a greater increase expected in 2023 due to the PACT Act.

• Registration is open through Aug. 9 for this year’s American Legion Legacy Run, which will travel through eight states on the way to the 104th National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Included is a stop at American Legion Post 396 in Garden City, Mich., where the first Legion Riders chapter was founded 30 years ago. “If you’re a motorcycle enthusiast, this is the Run you want to be on,” Legacy Run Road Captain Mark Clark says. “This is the one people are going to talk about for a long time.”

• Citing a recent nationwide Medicare survey of hospital patients in which VA medical centers outperform non-VA facilities by wide margins, National Commander Vincent J. “Jim” Troiola concludes that VA is a system worth celebrating. “The American Legion has spent decades fighting for adequate funding, quality and reasonable access for veterans in an ever-changing medical landscape,” he writes. “At times, we had to fight for the very existence of VA as we know it. It’s a good thing we did.”

Members can click here to access the digital magazine.

To join The American Legion and enjoy monthly digital issues of The American Legion Magazine, visit legion.org/join.