2 weeks Ago
"I think this is him coming in here now!" one veteran exclaimed. "Here we go," another said. James LaCoursiere Jr.
, national commander of the American Legion, made a stop at the Community Veterans Memorial off of Calumet Avenue in Munster Wednesday afternoon, where members of local legion posts shook his hand and showed him around the war memorial in what was, for some, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As is custom, the American Legion's highest-ranking leader, who serves a one-year term, tours the country and meets with local posts and their members. LaCoursiere toured the Munster memorial and spent Wednesday evening at American Legion Post 20 in Crown Point for a meet and greet followed by dinner.
"Having the local legion post and having them embedded in the community, they're keeping the memories alive, the fallen brothers," LaCoursiere said, "but they're also sharing the principles and values of the American Legion with the community." Local representatives from the Marine Corps League, the Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars also attended the meet and greet. Al Pulido, a member of American Legion Post 66 in Griffith and a former National Sergeant-At-Arms, said LaCoursiere was the third national commander he's had the opportunity to meet at the Munster Memorial.
Members of American Legion posts in Munster, Griffith and Crown Point welcomed the organization's current leader and accompanied him through Munster's expansive memorial, a 61⁄2-acre park remembering lost soldiers and events that shaped the world, from World War I through the 20th century and into the early 2000s. "I love the way it's all laid out and everything," LaCoursiere said after taking his time to meander around the reflective exhibit. The National Commander is responsible for enforcing the organization's Constitution, by-laws and resolutions.
LaCoursiere is himself a member of Post 91 in Moosup, Connecticut. "It's an honor for us," said Miguel Mireles, vice commander of American Legion Post 20 in Crown Point. "We have dignitaries here from Crown Point quite often, the mayor (Pete Land), and he backs us, and we back him.
" Last month, the Associated Press reported that the Department of Veterans Affairs was planning a reorganization that included cutting more than 80,000 jobs from the agency. The VA provides health care and other services for millions of veterans. LaCoursiere addressed ongoing concerns that the job cuts would impact assistance programs and the resources they provide to veterans.
He described the cuts as a "creation of a baseline to see if there's any loss or growth." "We're asking people not to completely freak out right now," LaCoursiere said. "We're making it very clear with Congress that we actually want to work with them.
.. We have a very good relationship going on right now with Congress.
It's going very well." LaCoursiere said the American Legion is holding its ground and "will not accept any type of reduction in the health care and the wellbeing of our veterans, and we will not accept any type of cuts in benefits." The American Legion is the largest organization for U.
S. veterans, with more than 1.6 million members, according to its website.
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