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New UA American Legion post setting trends

TRACEY BLAIR
Legal News Reporter

Published: March 27, 2015

The University of Akron wants to do away with the stereotypical image of the American Legion -- the nation’s largest wartime veterans’ service organization.

“You always think of American Legion posts as a bunch of old guys hovered at a bar on a Friday night,” said Stephen Motika, a retired Army officer and co-chair of UA’s Military Veterans Steering Committee. “Our post is a little different.”

That’s an understatement.

UA’s American Legion Post 808 has quickly grown to 154 members since it was founded less than a year ago. Post 808 is one of only about a dozen active posts on college campus in the United States and only the second in Ohio (the other is at Lake Erie College in Painesville).

Post 808 takes it one step further though.

“It’s a paradigm shift. We are the only post where the key leaders are all students,” said Motika. “Our commander and vice-commander are students. Other college campus posts are run by teachers. My capacity is advisory only.”

Post 808 is fast developing a reputation for outreach activities that help student veterans transition from the military to college life and from college life to the work force, the Persian Gulf war veteran added.

About two-thirds of the post’s members are younger student veterans – most of who served in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. The other one-third of members are faculty, staff and alumni veterans. There are about 1,200 military veterans currently enrolled at UA.

Besides being younger than the average American Legion member, Post 808 meets at the $330,000 Musson Veterans Lounge at InfoCision Stadium rather than a bar.

“We’re a dry post, which is sort of an anomaly of the Legion,” Motika said with a laugh. “We also broadcast our meetings via the web for those who can’t go, and you can participate virtually too. That’s kind of a departure for the American Legion also.”

Steven Downey is the 28-year-old commander of Post 808.

Downey is a Stow High School graduate who was an Army combat medic in Iraq. He is majoring in speech pathology and audiology and organizational supervision at UA.

Downey said today’s veterans want something different.

“Vets from World War II wanted to drink. That’s what they did,” he said.

Younger veterans want to include their families in their social gatherings with other vets, Downey said.

For instance, in July, Post 808 hosted a family picnic for all UA veterans, including those not members of the Legion.

Philanthropic activities are also key.

“We try to help our less fortunate veterans and try to assimilate our students,” said Motika. “They’re trying to maintain their studies, a job and a family.”

Downey said he was thrilled when he was approached to be the commander for the new student-run post.

“I absolutely loved the idea,” he said. “What an opportunity! I love The University of Akron. I love this school. I love the veteran community. A lot of veterans deal with PTSD and anxiety. Like a lot of combat veterans, I had a certain amount of hearing loss from the bombs. I was very fortunate to have a family and friends who supported me. My new mission is helping my fellow veterans.”

Downey admitted the response to Post 808 by older members of the American Legion, which was started by World War I veterans in 1919, has been mixed.

“But overall it’s been a very good response,” he said. “The American Legion has backed us and given us the utmost support. They realize it’s the future. We’re trying to create the new standard. The American Legion has been an incredible organization. It’s just time to evolve.”

Post 808 has even gained the attention of The American Legion magazine, which reaches 2.3 million members each month. On March 12, magazine staff members visited the UA campus to interview post members for a future story in an upcoming issue and on its website, legion.org/magazine.

In addition, Victory Media, the veteran-owned publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine, named UA a Military Friendly School for the sixth year in a row.

Motika predicted that more colleges will model their Legion posts after Akron’s.

“It’s going to have to be a trend,” he said. “As our membership gets older, you need to attract younger vets to the American Legion. If they want to remain viable, they’re going to have to move with the times.”

For more information about Post 808, visit uakron.edu/veterans.


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