#CoffeeBreak

The American Legion has always had a strong reputation of fighting for veterans’ benefits, creating space for camaraderie, and continued service to community.  However, it is no surprise the American Legion as a national organization has struggled to gain new members.  In many cases, the “youngest” member belonging to a local club house is in their 50′s.  We can speculate over a number of reasons why this is, but that’s not what this blog is about.

At Post 335, we’re sensitive to the potential mental health issues some veterans face during their transition to post-military life; PTSD, MST, chronic-depression, etc.  Therefore, we understand that encouraging veterans to consume alcohol is probably not the most responsible thing we can do as a club house.  In fact, there are a number of veterans who refuse to join the American Legion because they feel the only thing the club has to offer is a bar.  But, this is simply not true. Get past the bar, talk to the Commander, Vice Commander or a member of the Board of Directors and you’ll see the organization does a lot for veterans.  So how do we get veterans past the bar who are not interested in alcohol?  Well, Post 335 offers an alternative.  Coffee.  

The American Legion and coffee are not commonly associated with one another, but here at Post 335 we don’t always take the most common approach.  For starters, our Post Commander is female, making her the third female ever elected Post Commander since Post 335′s original charter in the late 1920′s.  If that’s not uncommon enough, she’s Latina, making her the first Latina ever elected Commander of Post 335.  She’s also in her early 30′s, making her the youngest Post Commander ever to serve in that capacity.  Continuing in that theme, we have a 2nd Latina elected to the Board of Directors who is barely in her 30′s, and the majority of officers on the Board are young Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.  That said, we are extremely grateful for the old “salt dogs” still serving on the Board over the years.

So next time you’re in the neighborhood, come by, say hi and enjoy a fresh cup of Joe.  If that’s not enticing enough, we also offer free wifi.