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No 12-oz. curls here: Arlington Heights gym isn't a typical American Legion hall

Inside a nondescript single-story office complex in Arlington Heights, guys and women wearing cutoff sleeves pump iron and throw punches during weekly workouts at a personal training studio.

More than just a typical gym, though, these military veterans have started gathering in recent months at what is Illinois' newest chartered American Legion post — one that focuses on bicep curls and the bench press instead of beer and bingo.

Leaders of South Arlington Heights Post 2020, located inside Three60Fit gym at 569 W. Golf Road, say they're aiming to attract younger vets who might be turned off by the traditional Legion hall setting, but still are in need of support and a sense of belonging when they return home from military service.

Through a combination of morning physical training workout sessions, Bible study classes, and referrals for therapy and job placement, the unconventional Legion post can be an outlet to bring ex-military back into the fold, according to organizers.

“We want to equip them for battle — the battle of everyday life,” said Christian Koshaba, the 32-year-old post commander, an Air Force veteran who opened his Arlington Heights fitness studio four years ago.

He's partnering with Matthew Monson, the post's 39-year-old vice commander and owner of Veteran Video Gaming Team, a video gambling terminal operator that is providing funds for the post's operations.

“You walk into a Legion and you see guys sitting around drinking beer. That's great for them, but we just wanted to give vets another option,” said Monson, a Marine veteran and former chiropractor. “The model of the old-school American Legion is dying.”

Membership in the Legion nationwide has continued to decline, from a post-World War II peak of 3.3 million, to fewer than 2 million members today.

In Illinois, new numbers released Friday tallied 62,238 registered Legion members, down from 74,162 a year ago.

And while a Legion post that doubles as a health club is unique in and of itself, it's also the case that brick-and-mortar Legion halls are only a fraction of the total number of chartered posts.

In Post 2020's district — an area that covers much of the Northwest suburbs and Chicago's Northwest Side — only 6 of 22 posts have a building of their own. The others hold meetings in a variety of places, from church basements and libraries to restaurants and nursing homes.

Dale Tippett, the district commander, said each post has a culture of its own and different emphasis. Some focus on helping veterans navigate the government bureaucracy to obtain benefits. Others do a lot of community service, from food drives to awarding scholarships to students.

So it's not out of the ordinary that the new Legion post in Arlington Heights should have its own area of emphasis, at the same time the national Legion has tried to rebrand itself as a family-oriented organization, Tippett said.

“It does speak to the passing of the baton,” said Tippett, a Legion member since 1993.

“The younger veterans have respect for the history. But they do recognize instead of going into a post that has a lot of Korean or Vietnam War guys — even though they respect and honor them — to be relevant today, to speak to the issues of the latest generation, it would be in everybody's best interest if they just started their own post instead of incorporating a different culture into an existing one.”

That was the case with the new Legion post in Arlington Heights, which has long been home to a traditional Legion hall near the village's downtown.

When he moved to Arlington Heights nine years ago, Monson joined Merle Guild Post 208, which includes a bar that's open to the public at 121 N. Douglas Ave. As a member of the post's board, Monson suggested ways to attract younger vets, such as hosting gym classes.

That idea eventually led him to Koshaba and creation of the gym-Legion partnership.

They needed only 15 vets to sign up on the charter to gain approval from state Legion headquarters in Bloomington. Most members are in their 30s, and include men and women from various branches of the military trying to get back to civilian life.

“There's a huge need to have a landing pad, but also a launching pad,” Monson said.

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  Kayla Bollman, from left, Matthew Monson, Christian Koshaba, Dana Oswald and Bill Jensen are among the members of new South Arlington Heights American Legion Post 2020, located at Koshaba's Three60Fit gym on Golf Road. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Christian Koshaba, who opened Three60Fit gym in Arlington Heights four years ago, is now commander of an American Legion post headquartered at the gym. "We want to equip (veterans) for battle - the battle of everyday life," the Air Force veteran said of services available at the combination post-gym. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Bill Jensen, a Navy veteran from Algonquin, works out at Three60Fit gym in Arlington Heights. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Dana Oswald of Chicago and Matthew Monson of Arlington Heights use rowing machines during a morning workout at Three60Fit gym in Arlington Heights, which recently became a chartered American Legion post. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Christian Koshaba, from right, and Matthew Monson partnered to establish a new American Legion post at Koshaba's fitness studio in Arlington Heights. "You walk into a Legion and you see guys sitting around drinking beer," Monson said. "That's great for them, but we just wanted to give vets another option." Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Christian Koshaba, on a climbing wall at his Three60Fit gym in Arlington Heights, is commander of a new American Legion post headquartered there. He leads weekly physical training workout sessions for veterans. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
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