From The Department of Tennessee
Senior Vice Commander
August 2023 through January 2024 has been very busy. In August we held the Big Machine Grand Prix. We were there for 3 days talking with veterans and their families. We attended the actual race which was very exciting. Our Be the One car placed third. Looking forward to next year. At the end of the month, I met the National Legacy Run group at the Bristol Motor Speedway, then visited Post 145 for dinner and meet and greet with the Legacy Run Riders. The next day we meet in Mountain City for the reef laying ceremony at the Veterans Memorial. Then on to Charlotte for the National Convention. I found the Convention to be very informative and it was good to see some old friends and to meet some new ones, looking forward to New Orleans.
In September we hosted the new National Commander in East Tennessee. We were his first state to visit, and I believe we set the tone for his visits for the rest of the Departments. I would like to thank all the Posts that participated and the First, Second and Third District Commanders for their assistance and East Tennessee Division Vice Commander and NEC Bob Hensley for their hard work for setting this up and making it a complete success. I attended the 100th Birthday Party for Edward Bell, WW II Veteran and a member of Post 288 Smyrna. I also attended the Grand Opening of the Dark Horse Lodge in Springville Tennessee which is a fantastic PSTD retreat center for Combat Veterans. I participated in the Middle Tennessee Honor Flight as an escort. We had 19 bikes and escorted the bus from Tullahoma through Manchester to the Ruthford County Line.
In October I participated in the Old Timers Day Parade in Manchester and helped man the booth for the American Legion Riders Chapter Gold Star Post 78. I attended the VA Carnival at the Alvin C York VA Hospital in Murfreesboro. I took a much-needed R&R for four days in the Great Smokey Mountains.
In November we conducted eight District meetings. Some were very well attended while a couple was a disappointment, I attended the Knoxville Veterans Day Parade again this year and it was very well done. I attended a revitalization meeting at Post 120, and it was well attended, and I believe they are heading in the right direction.
In December, we completed the last two District meetings. I attended the monthly meeting at Post 19 in Columbia. I had not been there since they sold their building. They have a nice venue for their meetings, and it was well attended. I attended the Department Open House, and we had a good time and some really good food.
In January I attended the Mid-winter Conference in Murfreesboro. It was well attended, and it was good to see some old friends and to meet some new ones. It was good to seen thew vendors there again. I believe the vendors were well attended and appreciated. Hope that everyone had a good time and made it home before the snow. Looking forward to the Convention in June.
For the most part I’m very proud of the Department of Tennessee. We have some good leadership.
Submitted by,
John A Davis
Department of Tennessee
Senior Vice-Commander
Local Recruiter Gives 150 Percent Effort To His Mt. Juliet, Tennessee Community
The primary responsibility of any recruiter is to serve as an ambassador of the military and their individual branch as representaves in their local community of assignment. A large percentage of recruiters have decided to make a career out of their military service and have been successful in their specialty job assignments, and in most cases have been deployed to a combat area as well. These skills and experiences make them a valuable asset to the military in keeping America’s military strength at its highest standard.
A recent Air Force recruiter in the Mt. Juliet area made his commitment to his local community a top priority. In the process, he made his recruing efforts more successful too.
Technical Sergeant (TSGT) Elliot Tadych was assigned to Mt. Juliet and the Wilson County area in the spring of 2021. As a member and one of the leaders of American Legion Post 281 of Mt. Juliet, I was happy to see a young acve-duty recruiter walk into one of our meengs and then express his interest in geng involved. Within weeks of joining our post, Elliot had volunteered to be the Post chairman for interviewing high school juniors to atend the Legion’s state civics training camp called Boys State, based on his knowing many administrators in our area’s schools, and his exposure to our communies’ students.
Boys State is a weeklong summer camp where high school juniors get a cram course on state civics and how it relates to the federal level. Atending the camp is an honor, one that Astronaut John Glenn, Vice President Dick Cheney, General Colin Powell, and even Michael Jordon of the Chicago Bulls fame, atended. Boys State is offered at Tennessee Tech, for Tennessee high school juniors, each year for those who are interested and who have the academic skills to be compeve in the applicaon and acceptance process. All 50 states have their own version of Boys State.
When asked if he would take on Sergeant at Arms responsibilies for our post meengs, he willingly commited and stated his real desire was to eventually take one of the key leadership roles in the future. Technical Sergeant Tadych also took on an acve leadership role in the Post’s efforts in the annual Honoring our American flag display, where over 300 American flags are flown to commemorate, and honor loved ones for their service to our country with an American flag decorated with a yellow ribbon.
Mt. Juliet’s American Legion Post 281 Commander Terry Ward awarding plaque of appreciaon for TSGT Tadych’s service to the post.
Technical Sergeant Tadych came to our Post 281 and the Legion with a background in Informaon Technology. He willingly offered his assistance to our post and the state headquarters in seng up an Instagram account and to improve the post and state headquarters Facebook accounts and Instagram pages.
One would think that such a busy Post member might not have given full atenon to his regular job, but while taking such an acve role in American Legion Post 281’s success, Technical Sergeant Tadych also exceeded his assigned recruing goal, with achieving just under 150 % of new enlistments quota for 3 years in a row.
State (Department) American Legion Commander Lanny Culver awarding the STAR achievement award to TSGT Tadych for his assistance in seng up elements of the state American Legion’s website.
Technical Sergeant Tadych was recognized for his dedicaon to the community by the Commander of the American Legion for the State of Tennessee with a STAR award, as well as an accommodaon award for his service at the local post level for all that he accomplished.
As one might expect, the Legion was not the only group of military people that admired the dedicaon of this young NCO. Technical Sergeant Tadych’s headquarters in the Air Force Recruing Command was paying atenon to his success as well. Fortunately for him, but unfortunately for Mt. Juliet, Technical Sergeant Tadych was recently reassigned to the Air Force recruing school in Texas and will soon as a training instructor to future recruiters on how to achieve success in their recruing assignments too.
What would you bet one of his primary focus will be in advising future recruiters to be engaged with their communies?
