Legion should use technology to look for young members

Faced with aging members and a declining membership, the American Legion will have to “grow younger,” in coming years.

That was the advice Saturday from Roger Hancock, vice commander of the American Legion in Montana.

Hancock spoke to the American Legion District 2 annual meeting at the Havre Senior Center. District 2 includes most of the H-Line.

That might mean communicating by Facebook and email instead of letters. And it might mean holding meetings over Skype instead of at the Legion hall, he told the meeting attendees.

Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars live in a different world than the world Korea and Vietnam veterans returned to, he said.

Hancock said his advice on catering to a younger audience is probably good for just about any organizations.

But it is more important to the Legion, he said, because of what the organization means to members and to the United States.

The most meaningful things in his life, he said, “are my relationship with my God, my wife, my children and the Legion.”

With fellow Legionnaires, he said, he shares what it was like to “eat tasteless food, face boredom and face danger.”

“We have our differences and our fights, just like any family,” he said. “But in the end, we are Legionaires.”

Just as important in attracting new members, he said, is to reach out to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

When he meets younger veterans, he said, “fifty percent tell me they have never been asked to join the Legion.”

Veterans from different wars have a lot in common, despite their age differences, he said.

Citing an ancient Irish saying, he said, “we have no strangers, only friends we’ve never met.”

With younger members, he said, the Legion will have more clout with politicians.

“How do we recruit younger members? We ask them,” he said.

“Greet them with a hearty handshake,” he advised.

“Then make sure there is wi-fi in the Legion posts,” he said. “Make sure the posts have a Facebook presence.”

Legion halls should have the capabilities for video conferencing.

Many young vets are attending college, he added, and may not have time to drop in at the Legion hall but can participate by using technology.