Wednesday, July 7, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
COMMANDER: American
Legion is expanding
its role in communities
Continued from page 1
August 2019, and in his first
six months in office he was
able to visit 31 departments.
In March 2021, he resumed
his travels and after being
in Oregon, Oxford will visit
Oklahoma, Arizona, New
Jersey, North Dakota, West
Virginia, and finish up in
Idaho. He has also traveled
out of the U.S. in Europe as
well as Taiwan and Australia.
The American Legion, at
102 years old, is an all-vol-
unteer organization whose
main purpose is to take care
of military veterans and
their families. The national
headquarters are located in
Indianapolis. There are four
concepts that form the basis
for their programs: support-
ing American military vet-
erans; supporting a strong
national defense; addressing
veterans9 affairs; and provid-
ing youth programs to help
prepare the leaders of tomor-
row with an understanding of
Americanism.
Oxford9s personal plat-
form for his term as national
commander is <A Foundation
for the Future= 3 for both the
Legion and the country. They
sponsor numerous youth pro-
grams including American
Legion baseball, Boys and
Girls State, and youth ora-
tors, bringing 200,000 youth
a year into American Legion
activities. Former Boys State
participants include Bill
Clinton, Mike Pence, and
Michael Jordan.
<The future of our coun-
try depends on our future
leaders, and we owe it to our
country to provide future
leaders,= said Oxford.
According to Oxford,
the key to the future of the
American Legion is increas-
ing membership. In 1946,
after World War II, there were
3.3 million Legion members.
In 2021, there are 1.7 mil-
lion members, with 4.2 mil-
lion new veterans eligible for
membership.
<We as a Legion fam-
ily can fix it,= Oxford
told the Sisters post. <By
making what we do as
Legionnaires relevant to
today and the future, we will
leave a powerful legacy.=
The Buddy Check pro-
gram that used to only check
on the welfare of veterans
in need has expanded to
PHOTO BY S. FLYNN PHILLIPS
American Legion National Commander Bill Oxford visited the veterans memorial maintained by American Legion
Post 86 at Sisters Village Green Park.
include anyone who finds
themself needing assistance.
Oxford provided an exam-
ple from Anderson Island,
Washington, where during
the pandemic, an American
Legion member made trips
twice a week to the mainland.
He utilized a phone tree to
find out what he could bring
back to island residents. He
ended up talking with 1,200
of the 1,400 Anderson Island
residents over the months.
A native of Lenoir, North
Carolina, Oxford is a paid-
up-for-life member and past
commander of Post 29 in
Lenoir. A veteran of the U.S.
Marine Corps, Oxford was
an aviation electronic tech-
nician for the A-6 Intruder
and served in Vietnam during
his initial enlistment. After
being discharged as a ser-
geant in 1970, Oxford joined
the North Carolina National
Guard. He subsequently
attended officers candidate
school and transferred to the
U.S. Army Reserve, where he
ultimately retired as a colonel
after more than 34 years of
military service.
Oxford admits he origi-
nally joined the American
Legion, after serving in
Vietnam, for the Saturday
night parties, eventually let-
ting his membership lapse.
In 1986, he was asked to
help out with the American
Legion youth baseball pro-
gram. He went to a meeting,
focusing only on the baseball
program, and by the end of
that meeting found himself
serving as the post com-
mander. From there he went
on to serve at every level of
the American Legion, includ-
ing 15 years as the post
adjutant in North Carolina
and as district, division, and
department commander.
In May 2012, he was
asked to consider becom-
ing the national commander,
which requires assuming a
number of different positions
to prepare for the top job.
Oxford indicated it has been
the unfailing support of his
wife, Frances, that has made
it possible for him to assume
and carry out the duties of
national commander.
The Oxfords, married
since 1967, have a son and
daughter, and four grandsons.
Oxford9s life has been one of
service to his country and
his community, serving as
a mayor and city councilor,
youth athletic volunteer,
administrator, public address
announcer, and a member of
several fraternal orders.
Year-round
FIREWOOD
SALES
— Kindling —
—
—
PHOTO BY S. FLYNN PHILLIPS
American Legion National Commander Bill Oxford with City Council
President Nancy Connolly at the Post 86 dinner last week.
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