American Legion National Commander visits Slayton

SLAYTON — On the final stop of his Minnesota tour, American Legion National Commander James LaCoursiere Jr. spoke before members of American Legion Post 64 Friday afternoon in Slayton. The tour brought an awareness of the American Legion’s Be the One program to posts across the state. Be the One is an American Legion program that focuses on suicide prevention among veterans.

LaCoursiere said Be the One is a program he knows the importance of all too well.

“To me, I take it very personal because I had a dark, dark period in my life back in 2017, where I was suicidal at one point,” LaCoursiere shared in an interview. “By sharing my inner beliefs and my inner perception, there's a lot of people that are able to relate with that and they can understand it."

LaCoursiere said spreading his message has resulted in a lot of veterans sharing about their own dark periods in life.

"I'll get a lot of people who approach me and every once in a while, you can see a tear in somebody’s eyes,” he said.

Speaking before Post 64 Legion members and their families, LaCoursiere said they have the tools they need to impact — or even save — someone’s life at home.

“The way I see our Be the One mission, we've always had the tools from the day we are born, the tools within the frame of our body. That's our senses, our compassion and our heart," he shared. "The way I see it, our senses and our compassion only stop when our heart rate stops.

"I can either hear you or I can listen to you. I can either look at you or I can see you. I can either talk to you or I can speak with you," he added. "There is a compassionate and committed side to each aspect of that. When you're in the moment with the individual, you need to be locked into them 110%. Let them know that you truly do care about them. Make that connection. Stay with them. Let them know that you truly are sincere and that you care about them.

“They don't necessarily have to be suicidal. They could just be having a bad day or be depressed,” LaCoursiere continued. “Be there for them and take note for certain they're OK. Let them know that there's something positive to look forward to. Life is a wonderful thing. That's what I want all 12,000-plus of our posts to do; to be engaged with the community. Together, imagine all the lives we could save.”

In acknowledging a leaked memo stating that Veterans Affairs could see upward of 83,000 jobs cut by the end of the fiscal year as a means to increase “government efficiency,” LaCoursiere said the American Legion is working tirelessly to ensure the everyday lives of veterans will not be impacted by the cuts.

“If anybody asks, yes, we are being proactive with Congress. I will let you know that,” LaCoursiere said. "We're not just throwing out statements every week. If you go to our website, you'll see our official statement — we will not let the health care or the benefits be dragged out or impacted by these cuts.

"When they came up with this 83,000, what they did was like a reset number, back to our 2008 numbers. From there, moving forward, they can start looking at grading the baseline and starting to find their ways," he said. "I don't see it being 83,000 (cuts), but we want Congress to justify it and talk to us.”

LaCoursiere said Congress has until mid-April to make its recommendations, with a review scheduled in mid-May. Decisions are expected to be made by June.

"We're not gonna wait until June,” he continued. “We are being proactive. You may not hear us loud and clear right now, but you're hearing straight from me right now. We are using our voice, but we use it as a productive thing. If we wanna make progress, we have to be positive right now and that’s straight from me.”

While several awards were presented to regional Legion members Friday afternoon, there was one that held a special significance. Norman Furman, a 33-year member of Ruthton's American Legion Post 506 and a World War II veteran, was presented the World War II Campaign and Service Victory medals and a Greatest Generation Certificate of Recognition.

Furman was drafted into service on Nov. 4, 1944, and served in the U.S. Navy, where he was assigned to the troop supporting supply ship, the USS President Monroe. Furman was in Japan when the atomic bombs — Fat Man and Little Boy — were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Furman is one of many servicemen in his family. He was the son of a World War I veteran, served in World War II alongside his older brother Edward and has a son, Roy, who spent 25 years in military service.

Samuel Martin / The Globe

“Be it known that Norman Furman, who was born during the era of the Greatest Generation, came of age during the hardships of the Great Depression — the Great Depression that shaped (his) personal character with resilience, perseverance and a great strong work ethic — plus the acceptance of personal responsibility to solve problems and survive, coupled with modesty, humility, driven by scarcity and integrity and created economic opportunities to end the Great Depression,” Slayton Post Commander Brad Pagel shared with the audience. “With these characteristics, Norman proved himself to be truly a member of the Greatest Generation era.”

“As a member of the U.S. Navy, Norman served our nation with his comrades in arms as they, the Greatest Generation, went into harm's way and secured victory throughout the global theaters inclusive of Africa, Europe and The Pacific,” Pagel continued. “The Greatest Generation’s extraordinary character, patriotism and actions during times of war and peace have made The United States of America and the world a better place in which to live.

"These brave patriotic men and women fought not for favor or recognition, but because it was the right thing to do,” Pagel added.