2nd District Commander’s Report
Warm greetings from the Solid 2nd District!
With the turn of a new year, chaos and mayhem have descended into our midst. Let us keep our public servants in our prayers, whether they be at the local, state or federal level.
I would reckon most of them signed their contract for the same basic reasons many of us did years ago. Defend the Constitution, love of country, patriotism, safety of our loved ones, to name a few. If they would or could work hand in hand, safety of the American people would be pretty simple. It is sad.
When I was on the Norwegian Exchange, I was taking in the sights in Oslo proudly wearing my Class A uniform. A punk kid came up and asked me if I was an American soldier? I said yes.
He said, “Eff you,” and gave me the bird.
Later, I began feeling deep empathy for the Vietnam veterans who had experienced much worse by their fellow Americans. It is heartbreaking to know that when some try and protect the United States of America, others try and tear her apart.
With that said, pray for our service members and public servants who are or will be deployed to our own version of Mogadishu. May they have warm clothes, warm food and drink and a short deployment so they can get home to their families. Remember, they held up their right hand and swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
On or around Feb. 3 of each year, American Legion posts nationwide commemorate the selfless acts of four chaplains.
The U.S. Army Transport Dorchester was hit by a German U-boat torpedo on Feb. 3, 1943, as it was transporting troops in the North Atlantic to an American base in Greenland. The ship sank, killing 672 of the 902 officers and enlisted men, merchant seamen and civilian workers aboard. But for those who survived, they were left with the memory of the courage and leadership exhibited by four chaplains of different faiths, who, in sacrificing their lives, created a unique legacy of brotherhood.
As soldiers rushed to lifeboats, Rev. George Fox (Methodist), Jewish Rabbi Alexander Goode, Rev. Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed) and Father John Washington (Roman Catholic) comforted the wounded and directed others to safety. One survivor watched the chaplains distribute life jackets, and when they ran out, they removed theirs and gave them to four young men. As the Dorchester sank, the chaplains were seen linked arm in arm, praying. This year, Four Chaplains Sunday is Feb. 2.
A while back I had a revelation about our Chaplain Corps. Who are some of the bravest servicemembers on earth? It is not the Navy Seals, Marine Raiders, Army Special Forces, Air Force Special Operations, Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team or the Space Force Special Forces Component. It is the Chaplain Corps — especially those who sign up when we as a nation are at war, knowing that they would be deployed, without a weapon, only their God and a chaplain assistant to keep them alive.
That is pretty damn brave in my book.
Any of the chaplains I have met in my travels would have done the same if they had been on the deck of the doomed Dorchester. Selfless service, courage and bravery.
All of our districts in the great American Legion Department of Minnesota have done an outstanding job in membership this year. Keep up the great work. Together, let’s get to No. 1 in the nation and show people what Minnesota is really about.
Wishing everyone a Happy Valentines Day!