Alto’s American Legion building is home to three separate Veterans Organizations
By Justin Tiemeyer - contributing writer
Alto American Legion
“Our Auxiliary has kind of evolved and organized many different programs that we actively support,” Stroosnyder said, but like other Auxiliaries nationwide, Alto’s post was established to help veterans, families, active military, and also the community.
At the corner of Kirby Street and Linfield Avenue, in downtown Alto, a large white building sits, unassuming, its stand-out feature, a flagpole featuring Old Glory in her traditional red, white, and blue. This is the American Legion Post 528 headquarters. Just about everybody in town knows about it, even if folks only know it as “that place next to Alto Bar,” but fewer understand what happens in its halls, and fewer still understand the extent of its mission. Mike Larkin is the Legion Commander of the Alto American Legion. A veteran himself of the Vietnam War—Legion membership requires service in the United States Armed Forces, after all—Larkin was an inactive Legion member for years.
It was not until he sold Larkin’s Restaurant, in nearby Lowell, that he stepped-up into active membership and leadership within the Legion. Most current members of the Legion are older veterans who served in Vietnam or Korea, but Larkin is interested in getting the word out to peacetime veterans, Gulf War veterans, Afghanistan veterans, and veterans of the second Iraq war, as well. “One of our biggest things is trying to get more active younger members,” Larkin said. The American Legion is one of three nonprofits housed in the big, white building at Kirby and Linfield. It is joined by both the Sons of the American Legion, whose members are sons or grandsons of veterans, and the Auxiliary, whose members are either parents, grandparents, spouses, children, grandchildren, or siblings of veterans or active service members.
Kelly Holst is the commander of the Alto Chapter of the Sons of the American Legion, and he is welcome within the organization because of his father and grandfather’s commitment to the Armed Forces. The Legion, itself, has a lot of latitude to support veterans in any way they see fit, and Holst notes that the Sons of the American Legion have similar freedom when it comes to the veterans programs they support, as well. “Sometimes being a Son is just being a good listener,” Holst said. In addition to contributing to the support of the Legion’s bar, kitchen, and general premises, the Legion and Sons raise money to support local veterans with their immediate needs, like helping someone find a place to rent after his house had burned down, sending someone on a trip to Arlington with the help of Talons Out Honor Flight, paying heat, electricity, or water bills, providing a headstone for someone who has passed, or cleaning up at the cemetery.
The Auxiliary, on the other hand, was founded in 1919 as more of a traditional nonprofit organization whose members assist with the American Legion, and, as such, its fundraising campaigns are more proactive than the reactive work the Legion and Sons tend to do. Nancy Stroosnyder is the President and membership chair for the Alto Auxiliary. “Our Auxiliary has kind of evolved and organized many different programs that we actively support,” Stroosnyder said, but like other Auxiliaries nationwide, Alto’s post was established to help veterans, families, active military, and also the community.
The Auxiliary runs a number of fundraisers throughout the year. There is bingo on Tuesdays, various raffles, two dinners a month, and a yearly golf outing. Stroosnyder oversees a number of projects, as well, from shipping snacks, crossword puzzles, and hygiene products to active service members, to donating school supplies to nearby Alto Elementary, to supporting a number of veteran organizations, like Tunnel the Towers, which provides mortgage-free homes to veterans and first responders.
For many veterans, the Legion is simply a place to talk to one another about things that other people around them may never understand. The Sons of the American Legion have a chaplain present at the post, allowing veterans to work through balancing their faith with their experiences. For others in need of counseling or aid, the Auxiliary is happy to refer them to appropriate programs through the Veterans Administration and other organizations.
Members of one post of the American Legion can go to any other Legion post within the United States, which is especially helpful for retired folks who choose to live out of an RV in their later years. Legion members gain access to a member-only bar where they and their guests can drink beers and mixed drinks, so long as a Legion member makes the purchase.
“It’s a very positive organization,” Holst said. “It’s good for the soul. It makes you feel good that you’re doing something to support them.”
Those interested in joining either the Legion, Sons, or Auxiliary need only request an application from the Legion post. Once submitted, applications are researched to verify active service, veteran status, or connection to a veteran or active soldier. Legion meetings are held on
the first Monday of the month, Auxiliary meetings on the second, and Sons on the third. Every other month, the three organizations hold what they call a “family meeting,” where anyone from the three entities can get together and talk. Though many events are open to the public, there are a number that require membership. However, even though the draft ended in 1973, it is still difficult to find anyone too far removed from a veteran or active soldier, and Larkin, Holst, and Stroosnyder are happy to welcome new members.
