Strauss attends American Legion College
By BILL BENGTSON
Mike Strauss, a U.S. Army veteran of Desert Storm, got a brief taste of "college" life in Indianapolis in late October, with the blessing of America's largest veterans organization.
He and 50 peers from around the country attended American Legion College, taking part in "a six-day course that saw them lay a solid foundation for American Legion post revitalization in a variety of settings to include a rural area, the inner city, suburban communities, a metropolitan area and a cyber post," as described in promotional material. Strauss, a member of American Legion Post 71, was nominated by Legion leaders in South Carolina.
The curriculum included a crash course in the organization's history, dating back to the immediate aftermath of World War I, when shell-shocked veterans began returning home, helping set a course that would lead to the establishment of the Veterans Administration and the passage of the G.I. Bill. Instruction continued through the present day, with American forces involved in Iraq and Afghanistan and facing some similar challenges, but having different tools for dealing with the adjustment back into civilian life, said Strauss, known to some as the animal-control officer in North Augusta's municipal government.
"Social networking" is a major part of the modern strategy for helping warriors and veterans deal with stress, Strauss said, citing such modern resources as computers, e-mail, web cameras and Facebook.
The national organization's report, referring to the course, noted, "This helps prepare young members of The American Legion to lead the nation's largest wartime veterans organization on the local and state level. The importance of mentorship for both other members and special groups in the community was a central point to several of the activities for the class."
Strauss said the course's theme largely reflected a huge principle of the Army Rangers, focusing on the necessity "not to fail the ones you serve."
The week's activities in Indianapolis also included some fundraising, as the Legion members gathered $1,100 to buy a television for a dialysis unit at a Veterans Administration hospital. "Looking out for the vet" was the central focus, he said.
