Billy Johnson

Veterans are changing, and if The American Legion wants to survive as a viable organization it also needs to change.
Billy Johnson, national membership director of The American Legion, told those gathered in Anoka for the Leadership Workshop that it was his goal to get the workshop participants "out of their comfort zone."
Part of that effort was a session in which Johnson brought three veterans down front, two young males and a Hispanic young woman, all of whom are active in their local posts.
Johnson noted that women and minorities now make up over half of the military. In the future, they may make up over half of The American Legion.
Sirrina Martinez, 22, vice commander at Marshall Post 113, said she is often the only female at a meeting, "and I'm the only one not collecting Social Security."
Tom Newman was recently hired as the Legion's assistant Department Service Officer. He said his first exposure to the Legion was through a member of the Auxiliary when he was sitting in an airport, depressed at having to go back to a deployment.
"She came up to me and said I looked like I needed a hug. It was a little embarrassing, but it felt good."
He said that type of personal contact is very important.
Brian Rickert, an officer in the St. Francis Post 622, said for the Legion to attract younger members, it will be necessary to entertain new ideas and different ways of doing things.
He said his first impression of a Legion meeting was not a positive one. "I remember it was a bunch of old guys. It was like walking into a funeral home."
Johnson asked the audience to ask questions of the young Legion members in an effort to bridge the generational gap.
One questioner asked Martinez what it was like being a woman in a male dominated group. "When I put on that uniform, I'm not a female I'm a soldier. When I joined the Legion, it was the same thing: I'm not a female, I'm a veteran."
Rickert responded to a question on how to get young veterans to join by saying, "I just ask them to come to a meeting, and that I'll buy them a beer."
Martinez noted that even the music can be a generational problem. "The older veterans don't like the jukebox and how loud it is. To tell you the truth, I don't like a lot of that music either."
Johnson said that he recently attended a meeting in which a command sergeant major in the Army sat across from him. During conversation, the Army man said he did not belong to the Legion, and Johnson asked why.
"He said that to him the Legion only meant the bar and socializing. He wanted to know what we did in being involved and in mentoring. He told me that until he understands the Legion is doing those things across the country, he couldn't recommend the Legion to the troops."
Johnson said it was important for the older members to realize that people who come from a different ethnic background are proud of their culture and race, and they don't want to blend in to the majority culture.
Newman said many young people might be attracted to the Legion as a place to drink, "but they need to know that there's more to it than that."
Past Department Commander John Cox said he recently talked to a young man who went to his first Legion meeting and was approached by an older veteran who told him, "You're sitting in my chair."
Cox said it's doubtful the young man will stay active in the Legion.
Rickert said one way of bridging the generation gap was to talk about their service. It's a common ground that can bring people together.
Johnson also showed a movie about the American Legion Legacy Fund, a program that will guarantee that any offspring of those in the military who were killed since 9-11, will get a college education. It is estimated that the Legion will have to raise $20 million for the program, and $1.3 million has been raised so far.
The Legacy fund has become a project of the Legion Riders, a motorcycle program in local posts that is growing quickly across the country.
Johnson said it's another way of reaching out to a new audience for Legion membership. Most of those joining as Legion Riders are Vietnam era veterans.
Johnson said he was very aware that his presentation was not the one that some may have expected – a session on filling out forms.
"Filling out a form doesn't mean a lot unless you have something to sell."
 

Butch Miller

Butch Miller knows a little about leadership. After all, he once was the leader of a 2.8 million member organization.
Past National Commander Miller, a native of Wabasha, Minnesota, told those attending the Leadership Workshop in Anoka that when the seas are calm, anybody can captain the ship.
"It's when the waves are 15 feet high and the ship is in danger that you need a real leader."
Miller said it's common for people in leadership positions in the American Legion Family to resent the fact that they have to deal with tough problems. "You didn't know this was coming when they elected you commander."
But when times are tough, real leaders emerge. "If you call yourself a leader, you'll figure those tough problems out."
Miller outlined several areas of leadership in the Legion context:
-- Don't be afraid to contribute at a meeting. "You joined this organization to do something good for your community. The Legion needs your input."
Don't be afraid to contact the National organization with a problem. "They have a great staff, and they'll make you feel like you're the only one they're dealing with, no matter how busy they are."
Don't tell new members how to do a task, only tell them what needs to be done. "They surprise you with their ingenuity."
Plan ahead. "If you plan the Christmas party in the middle of December, it won't be as good as the one you could have had if you started the planning in September or October.
Don't stomp out the door if you don't get your way. "It's okay to get mad, and it's okay to get frustrated. But don't quit. Sometimes change takes time."
Don't ever mix business with Legion work. If you help somebody with a Legion project, don't expect a discount the next time you buy a product from him or her.
Miller said the large membership of The American Legion isn't reason it has clout in Congress and in getting things done in our communities. "What makes our membership important is our leadership. The things we take on may not be popular or easy, but we take them on because they're right."
Miller acknowledged that in many posts there is a great divide between the older and younger members. That divide, he said, needs to be closed if the post or the Legion expects to reach its potential.
The burden is both on the older members letting the younger members participate in decision making, and in the younger Legionnaires going to the older members for wisdom.
"In a lot of cases, it wasn't that the older members didn't agree, it was just that they didn't understand. Nobody went to them and talked it over with them."
In the end, Miller said, leaders should adopt the notion of "failing forward." In other words, use your mistakes to learn and gain ground. "You need to get to square two and make a different mistake."
Miller also participated in a mock meeting of a Legion or Auxiliary group in which those attending, played by workshop planners led by Norma Tramm, conducted a meeting making all the traditional mistakes, particularly in protocol.
"You don't have to be that formal," Miller said. "But there is a certain amount of tradition, respect for position, and respect for the organization that is very important."
Miller warned against drinking during or before the meetings, calling the result "Budweiser chaos."
Again, good meetings happen because of good leadership. "If the presiding officer sets the standard, the meeting will operate under control."
There were also sessions on the Auxiliary, Boys State, the Sons of the American Legion, and on Sunday those attending participated in a session of Family Feud. The winner was the Fourth District.
Commander Jim Copher announced during the workshop that he is planning on bringing to the Executive Committee the establishment of a new committee that would deal solely with training.