District Commander’s Vision

Recently, I was sworn in as the new Virginia 16th District Commander. I am so extremely thankful for the opportunity.

I applaud the outgoing Commander, James Grenier for his leadership this past year. He and all the past 16th District Commanders have set the bar high, and I hope to continue the great service to all the Posts in the District and the American Legion family. A large part of my focus over the next 365 days will be supporting and better communicating to our already existing Legion Family and reaching outside of our posts to grow our family.

The American Legion National Headquarters last year began a campaign, called, “Be the One”. The logic here is simple: Be the One person to do a Buddy Check today. Be the One person to reach out to a Legionnaire who hasn’t come to the post recently. Be the One veteran to make a decision to ask a friend for help — I share this because if all of us, every member of our Legion Family, reach out and recruited just ONE new member, we would literally double the size of our District.

I ask you to Be the One! I ask you to Be the One to recruit a new member! Be the One to reach out to a Veteran!

Each American Legion post is a separate and distinct unit, functioning independently of other posts. The 16th District leadership team is the link between individual members, posts and the department of Virginia. Under the district’s leadership, the posts in the 16th district will be able to link their programs and operations to the state and national organization. Much of The American Legion’s success depends on posts being connected to the larger whole.

From increasing and improving our communication from Virginia Department to Posts and our VA Legion Family, to increasing our membership, we have a lot of work ahead of us over the next 365 days. If you have an idea or a way for us to improve, I want to hear it. Please contact me. The only way we get better is by working together. We must all remember The American Legion is here to serve Service Members, Veterans, and our families, not for personal gain.

In closing, I continue to be thankful to each of you for your support and for entrusting in me the leadership of our District and Family. However, we simply can’t do it without you, our 16th District Legion Family.

Sincerely,

Steve Blackstone

16th District Commander

s.blackstone@live.com