Convention opening launches a new century
The Army tent rumbled and flashed in psychedelic colors. Smoke poured through the front flap. And out came Theodore Roosevelt Jr., portrayed by a Troupe America re-enactor, who told young veterans onstage at the 101st American Legion National Convention that he and his fellow founders of the organization had no idea a century ago how their passions would materialize.
“We didn’t have any money,” he explained. “We didn’t have any members yet. There weren’t any posts.”
What they did have, he said, was a vision to strengthen America through service to community, state and nation. “Out of that vision came the VA, U.S. Flag Code, American Legion Baseball, countless acts of disaster relief…” the Roosevelt Jr. figure listed. “The GI Bill of Rights, the Veterans Preference Hiring Act, government recognition of combat PTSD and Agent Orange exposure…”
Hollywood, Calif., Post 43 members Lorna Duyn and Jeric Wilhelmsen, hosts of “To Strengthen a Nation,” an American Legion video series on the history of the organization, extended their voyage across the country to the convention stage in their continuing quest to “understand why we are here and where we’re going over the next century,” Duyn told thousands gathered at the Indiana Convention Center.
The tent would rumble and go psychedelic two more times. The second figure to emerge would be American Legion Past National Commander Denise Rohan of Wisconsin, who in 2017 became the first woman to hold that office. She immediately recognized Wilhelmsen, who was on the 2018 Legacy Run with her, and said, “You know, I loved that ride – even though it was a little soggy at times – because the Legacy Run brings together the whole American Legion Family – the Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of The American Legion and the American Legion Riders.”
Rohan told the diverse group of veterans onstage how the founding vision gave rise to successful youth programs, like American Legion Baseball, American Legion Boys State and Boys Nation, American Legion Auxiliary Girls State and Girls Nation, Junior Shooting Sports and high school oratorical competitions. “The American Legion is at work every day making this country stronger, one young person at a time.”
The opening performance, splashed with music and videos on the big screens, traversed a century’s worth of achievements before the tent rumbled and flashed again. This time, American Legion National Commander Brett P. Reistad emerged from the tent and shouted his key message of the year: “We are Team 100!” He told Duyn, Wilhelmsen and the Troupe America performers that “Team 100 means we believe in the future of America. We are veterans who serve our fellow veterans. We support our troops because we know what it was like to be in their boots. We serve our communities and schools. And we are patriotic Americans. We may not do it quite the way the Legion’s founders did, but as long as America needs strength, respect for veterans, mentorship for young people and ambassadors of American pride, The American Legion has a bright second century ahead.”
To round out the opening performance, American Legion members of various ages, male and female, of different ethnic backgrounds from across the country marched up to the stage, and joined in a rousing rendition of the 1979 hit song “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge. Legionnaires filling the convention hall rose to their feet and sang along as their organization’s second century began a journey of its own, building on a legacy Theodore Roosevelt Jr. could never have imagined 100 years ago.