The Veterans Sound Off Podcast
On each episode of the show we will travel across the State of Mississippi and visit each American Legion Post and discover how the members there are still serving America in their communities.
The Veterans Sound Off Podcast
American Legion Auxiliary National President Trish Ward visits Mississippi
Join me, Jerry Allhands, on a heartfelt journey across Mississippi, alongside our esteemed guest, Trish Ward, the 2024-2025 National President of the American Legion Auxiliary. Trish opens up about her inspiring travels across 18 states, sharing moving experiences such as honoring fallen heroes at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Her stories about her Kansas upbringing and her devotion to the legacy of the four chaplains, particularly George Fox, add a personal touch to her leadership narrative. Together, we delve into the importance of supporting service members and their families, emphasizing the enduring commitment of the American Legion family.
In our conversation, we explore meaningful ways individuals can aid veterans and the American Legion Auxiliary, even amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life. I recount my visit to a veterans' home in Oxford, Mississippi, where connecting with residents through crafts and conversation proved remarkably fulfilling. Trish and I highlight the pivotal role of dedicated staff at VA facilities, initiatives like the "Be the One" mission aimed at preventing veteran suicide, and the inspiring story of a family creating a retreat in honor of their loved one—a testament to the power of community support and the legacy of service.
Our discussion takes a turn towards revitalizing small-town America and bolstering leadership within the American Legion family. We confront the pressing challenge of aging membership and declining infrastructure, underscoring the need for fresh leadership and community engagement. Strategies to boost membership, including leveraging personal networks and enlisting realtors as advocates, are laid out. We wrap up with a heartfelt call for unity and support, inviting eligible individuals to join this dedicated family and reinforcing the spirit of commitment that drives Allhands Media LLC.
Don't forget to subscribe and share with your friends and family. Drop us a line today at JDAllhands@outlook.com.
This is the Veterans Sound Off Podcast. Welcome to the show and thanks for joining me. I'm your host, jerry Allhands, a veteran of the United States Air Force Security Police and the US Army's 82nd Airborne. I am the 2021-2022 Past Department Commander of the Department of Mississippi of the American Legion. On each episode of this show, we will travel across the state of Mississippi and visit each American Legion post and discover how the members there are still serving America and their communities. Along the way, we will visit with members of the American Legion family, such as the American Legion Auxiliary, the Sons of the American Legion and the Legion Riders, discovering what makes each of them an integral part of the American Legion family. We will make stops across the state to visit with other veteran groups and organizations that continue to serve America and support the veteran community. Before we start today's episode, we want to thank three people who have invested in this podcast and have made it possible. A very special thank you to Dean and Judy Graves of Mount Vernon, missouri, for your support and belief and, without a doubt, this podcast would not have happened without the constant encouragement of Laura Allhands from Clarksdale, mississippi. Last week we traveled to American Legion DeSoto County Post 1990 in Nesbitt and visited with the American Legion riders there. Be sure to join us next Monday, January 20th, as we return to Nesbitt and visit with Detachment 1990 and the Sons of the American Legion. We ask that you subscribe to this podcast and share it with your friends and family.
Jerry Allhands:On today's episode, it takes place after we traveled south to Lafayette County in the north central part of the state. We took a drive through downtown Oxford in hopes of seeing one of my favorite actors, Reb Brown, who starred alongside Gene Hackman in the movie Uncommon Valor, and we were looking for that best-selling author, John Gresham. Sadly, neither were to be seen. But the highlight of the day takes place in the chapel of the Mississippi State Veterans Home located at 120 Center Ridge Road in Oxford. That's where we met with a delegation from the American Legion Auxiliary Sarah Lassiter, Tina Hurst and Mary Jo Abraham, who were escorting today's guest.
Jerry Allhands:This episode is brought to you without interruption thanks to a gift made by a person who wishes to remain anonymous and who so very much enjoyed our guests visit to Mississippi that they wanted her interview to air uninterrupted. And welcome to the Veterans Sound Off podcast with Jerry Allhands. I am in Oxford, mississippi, today, with a very, very special guest, a lady who has traveled well, shall we say, coast to coast, and probably several nations already by now, I'm sure, and it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the 2024 2025 American Legion Auxiliary National President, Mrs. Trish Ward. Welcome, ma'am.
Trish Ward:Thank you so much for that introduction and, before we get started, I always like to begin these kinds of things with a prayer. The American Legion Auxiliary supports our service members, their families and our veterans, their families and our veterans. So as we begin a new year, this seems like an appropriate time to come together in the spirit of your own faith, as we pray for peace for our country, peace for our planet and especially peace and safety for our service members who are serving abroad and domestically. May they all come home safely, may they all be safe, and may we protect them forever and always, along with their families. Amen, they all come home safely, may they all be safe and may we protect them forever and always, along with their families. Amen.
Jerry Allhands:Amen, thank you. That was beautiful. I really appreciate that. As a Christian man, as a soldier, as a veteran I'll even admit it, as an Air Force veteran too. It means so much to me to have you here today and to have you in Mississippi, and I know you've been here for several days. I hope you've enjoyed yourself and we've treated you well, and hopefully you'll come back to us.
Trish Ward:Thank you so much for that. Yes, it's been an amazing 120 days. I was installed as national president at our convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 28, 2024. So I've been doing this now just about 120 days plus. I've traveled to 18 different departments and, of course, here in the American Legion family we call our states departments. So I've been to 18 states.
Trish Ward:I've been three times to our nation's capital, which was absolutely amazing, as I laid a wreath of remembrance at the Tomb of the Unknown on Veterans Day and I was also there for Wreaths Across America, which was an amazing as I laid a wreath of remembrance at the Tomb of the Unknown on Veterans Day and I was also there for Wreaths Across America, which was an amazing opportunity to be in Arlington to lay wreaths on some very, very special memorial stones which I'd love to tell you a little bit about.
Trish Ward:I'm a huge believer and advocate for the story of the four chaplains and I know the family of George Fox, who was one of the four chaplains, and I know the family of George Fox, who was one of the four chaplains who lost his life on the USAT Dorchester on February 3rd 1944. And we're coming up on Four Chaplains Day soon and it was so special for me to lay a wreath at his memorial stone. I was with his family when we laid that stone in September of 2024. It was actually my first opportunity when I became national president. It was extremely memorable. So I've been on the road having a wonderful time meeting our members, especially across grassroots America.
Jerry Allhands:I was checking out your bio recently and I see that you're from Kansas.
Trish Ward:Well, that's correct. I represent the Department of Kansas. I'm originally from California but I relocated to my husband's native Kansas in 1999, where, gratefully, we found the Legion family and I am a proud member, paid up for life member, of John P Hand Unit 250 in Lewisburg, kansas, where my husband is a proud sons of the American Legion. So we are a Legion family and we believe in supporting the American Legion family, as we do with our children and grandchildren and a few great-grandchildren as well.
Jerry Allhands:Great-grandchildren, great-grandchildren. I'm sorry, I have a very hard time believing that, because I'm looking across at you and you are so young.
Trish Ward:I know I'm only 29. Not really, no. My husband and I are very proud of our newest great-grandson, Everett Cohen, who is just about a year old, and he is a proud member of the Sons of the American Legion. So we believe in becoming a full Legion family and we hope that the American Legion family across our nation continues to thrive and grow.
Jerry Allhands:I'm a total advocate with you there. I appreciate that so much. My own grandchildren are in the Sons and the Auxiliary. I guess she would be a junior. She's a junior in high school this year. Hard to believe.
Trish Ward:Okay, well, I got to put a plug in there for Girl State. Then, if she's a junior in high school, got to tell our listeners about the American Legion Boys State experience and American Legion Auxiliary Girl State. Because, as a representative of the American Legion family, I support Jim LeCourcier, our national commander, and Joseph Nafferrette, the sons of the American Legion national commander, and we are huge advocates of the Boys State and Girls State program, which is for our young people who have just graduated from their junior year of high school. In every state across the country and here in the great state of Mississippi we come together early in the summer and we teach our young people about being good citizens and they create their own cities and they run for office and they write bills and they learn a little bit more about the American Legion experience and certainly our country, and it's a fabulous program. So if you have young men or young women having just graduated from their junior year of high school, check out Boys State and Girls State.
Jerry Allhands:Oh, they'll love it. And speaking of that, our Boys State program is this May 25th through the 31st. You can find more information on that at their website, www. msboysstatecom, or by calling the Mississippi American Legion adjutant, Deborah Fielder, at 601-497-5079. And Girls State is just about a week later, June 8th through the 13th. For more information on that, go to www. alamississippigirlsstatecom. Both programs are happening right here in Oxford on the campus of Ole Miss. How did you come to be in the American Legion Auxiliary? What makes you eligible to be an auxiliary member and why, join the American Legion Auxiliary.
Trish Ward:Well, I am from California, as I mentioned, and my husband wanted to relocate to his native Kansas. So we did and I left everything. I left my family, I left my friends, I left my family, I left my friends, I left a job and I believed in building a new life with my husband in a place that he wanted us to go forward. So we relocated to his native Kansas and the Midwest has been really good to us. But it was my realtor who sort of saw that maybe I needed to meet some people and maybe I would benefit from the Legion experience. So it was my realtor that said why don't you join the Legion? And I'm so grateful to her because I'm not sure that in California the Legion family would have found me.
Trish Ward:I didn't really. My father wasn't a member, although I'm eligible for this organization under his World War II service in the United States Army and also my grandfather's World War II service as a United States Navy Seabee. So I'm eligible for this organization through my family members and I'm so grateful that I'm a member in Lewisburg, kansas, and that my realtor set me up for excellence and said why don't you join our unit? It was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Jerry Allhands:So it's true, anyone can join the American Legion through an invitation like that.
Trish Ward:Well, anyone who's eligible can join the American Legion family, so let's talk about that a little bit Please.
Trish Ward:Our eligibility for the American Legion family is actually determined by the American Legion and the American Legion was chartered by Congress. And the American Legion family is actually determined by the American Legion and the American Legion was chartered by Congress. And the American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion and also the American Legion Riders are part of the Legion family. So in the American Legion Auxiliary we are eligible through the service of an immediate family member within two degrees of a very fancy word called consanguinity, and what that really means is just two degrees from the veteran himself or herself. I should also mention that female veterans are eligible under their own service and that men of female veterans or male veterans, if a same-sex marriage is legal and I believe it is in this country are eligible for the American Legion Auxiliary, and that is pretty new. Just a few years back the American Legion adjusted our eligibility and they changed one word from wife to spouse. So a spouse of a female veteran or male veteran is eligible to join the American Legion Auxiliary.
Trish Ward:Now A little bit different for the Sons of the American Legion. They are a program of the American Legion and it is for young men who are eligible through the service of a male descendant in their family father, grandfather, great-grandfather. The American Legion Riders accept eligibility from a Legionnaire, an American Legion Auxiliary member or Sons of the American Legion. Riders accept eligibility from a Legionnaire, an American Legion auxiliary member or sons of the American Legion member. In order to be a rider you must be a member of the Legion, the sons or the auxiliary. So that's a little bit about our eligibility. But so many people in our history have served and a lot of times our young people just don't realize that maybe grandma or grandpa served. So it's important that we communicate about that eligibility and talk to our young people. Just don't realize that maybe grandma or grandpa served. So it's important that we communicate about that eligibility and talk to our young people about if they're eligible.
Jerry Allhands:That sounds great. I'm curious about your realtor. How did your realtor? Was your realtor a auxiliary member or legion member?
Trish Ward:My realtor was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. Lewisburg, Kansas, is a little town. It's a suburb of Kansas City. We were just on the Kansas side of the Missouri border and we are a really thriving small town, very much like how the American Legion was built, which was on small-town America really. So my realtor was a member of the Unit 250 there in Lewisburg, Kansas, and she was doing what lots of good business people do they see potential members and they try to grow their units. So she was doing exactly what we wanted her to do, which is reaching out to new people coming into town, and I'm so grateful that she did that.
Jerry Allhands:I'm very grateful she did that. I get to meet you because of her.
Trish Ward:Well, look what's happened to me since.
Jerry Allhands:How long have you been in the auxiliary?
Trish Ward:I joined in 1999 when we relocated to Kansas, so that puts me at right about 25 years, and my journey in leadership was like many members of our organization.
Trish Ward:We get involved in our unit and they need people to step up.
Trish Ward:We need leaders and they asked me to be a leader in my unit and I gladly accepted. We need leaders and they asked me to be a leader in my unit and I gladly accepted. I made a few missteps but I had a lot of people who supported me and mentored me and helped me and showed me the way, which is a little bit about my theme this year as national president, which is leading the way and, as I tell people with the American Legion haven't. We always led the way and we certainly have since our founding, where we were integral in supporting the concept of the VA, in support of Abraham Lincoln's message that we will support all our veterans and, of course, we support our Legion family as they advocate for legislative growth for our veterans. We want to make sure that their voice is heard in Washington DC and it's what we do best is legislate and be advocates for our veterans. We want to make sure that their voice is heard in Washington DC, and it's what we do best is legislate and be advocates for our veterans.
Jerry Allhands:If somebody wanted to join the auxiliary, but they say, I'm just too busy, I don't have enough time. I really want to be a member, but I just... what would you say to those people?
Trish Ward:Well, it happens often because the Legion family isn't always for everyone and certainly if there's no eligibility, we always try to find the opportunity for everybody to serve, even if it's in a volunteer capacity.
Trish Ward:We have folks in my little town who aren't eligible but who love to come and support us, both extra hands on deck and through financial support. But for those members who are eligible and maybe they work and they have young families or they just don't have time to fit it in what I tell them is, if you believe in supporting a family member who served our country and you want to support that individual and honor their service, join our organization and those of us who do have time will put those dues to very good use supporting our veterans in the VA residences and supporting our children through our children and youth programs, and supporting our military families and our veterans through our children and youth programs, and supporting our military families and our veterans through our Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Program. So even though they can't maybe attend a meeting, we will put those dues to good use. So join an American Legion family in your small town or big town and get involved. And if you can't get involved, support the people who are involved and they'll put your money to good use.
Jerry Allhands:Excellent, excellent. We were talking about the veterans homes. We're in one today in Oxford, mississippi.
Trish Ward:In beautiful Oxford, Mississippi. I understand that there are about 117 veteran residents here and I can't wait to meet some of them. I'm here today because the American Legion Auxiliary juniors and I should also mention, since we talked about membership so much the American Legion Auxiliary has two classes of membership juniors and seniors. And juniors are for young people below the age of 18, and then, of course, seniors, 18 and above. So we had a little activity a few days ago where our junior members came and they did crafts which I brought today to hang on the doors of our veterans here in Oxford, and it always brings a smile to their face when they see these beautiful little craft projects that our junior members do to recognize and honor them.
Jerry Allhands:If you have one thing to say to a resident here what would you share with them?
Trish Ward:a resident here.
Trish Ward:What would you share with them? Well, it's common and often that we thank our veterans for their service to our country, but I think it's also important to look them in the eyes and to take their hand and hold their hand and let them know that not only do we say it, we really mean it, and we mean it by the actions that we do. So it's important to say the words, but it's also important to connect with them. A lot of the people that live in the veterans' homes maybe they don't have family members and they don't have people to connect with them, and connecting is so important. So our American Legion Auxiliary family does that in a lot of ways, and especially around the holidays recently with our holiday gift shops where our veterans can come and select gifts for their family members and sometimes our auxiliary members help them shop. So it's that connection. So what I would say to them is certainly thank you for your service, but also we will never forget what you did to keep our country free and we're going to honor you every day.
Jerry Allhands:What you did to keep our country free and we're going to honor you every day. That's beautiful, that is absolutely beautiful. If you had to, I guess, talking with the staff at some of these facilities, what's the thing that you want to share with the staff here?
Trish Ward:I've had the opportunity to visit a lot of VA facilities, both residents' homes where our veterans reside, and also the VA hospitals where they're cared for, and I'm very aware and looking at lots of different things the cleanliness of the facility, the joy in the facility. Are people smiling, are residents well cared for, do they appear to be in good health as they're there, and are they being attended to as they should be? So, as I talk to the people that care for our veterans, first and foremost I thank them too, because it takes a very special person to come and support the VA or a residence facility to care for veterans. It's not always an easy thing to do, and we want to make sure that these people also are receiving good leadership with the teams that they work with and that they have the things that they need to care for our veterans, and so sometimes it's just simply asking them do you have what you need and are you treated well as you care for our veterans? Because if they're happy, then they're going to treat our veterans well.
Jerry Allhands:Definitely, definitely. As a person who utilizes the VA hospitals, va Medical Center since the 70s, I have observed firsthand how, in my own opinion, most of the facilities I meet and go to service is great. The people are great. Depending upon my attitude, you know, if I walk in and I'm rude and crude, I may get it back. If I walk in with a smile, I usually get it back.
Trish Ward:That's very true and I think the people that care for our veterans are very well trained to be able to recognize what the needs are and sometimes those veterans that maybe are a little gruff, maybe they're in pain, or maybe they're hurting, or maybe they're carrying demons from war that we just haven't been able to figure out what's going on with them.
Trish Ward:In the American Legion we have a mission that is a primary mission of the organization, called Be the One, and it is positioned to help our members and citizens. Be the one to save one. We've spoken often about the tragedy of veteran suicide and how unfortunately common it can be. Here in Mississippi I had the opportunity to meet a family of a veteran who took his own life and they are doing amazing things to honor him with Ronnie's retreat here in northern Mississippi, and they are looking to build a compound where veterans can come, be safe, be helped, be cared for and be supported if they're on a mental health journey. So as we talk about the Be the One mission, we're arming our members to be sure to ask the right questions and to be able to recognize when a veteran is struggling and to intervene so that the family, like Ronnie doesn. We help all citizens and our members be ready and willing to talk and ask the hard questions.
Jerry Allhands:And there are definitely some hard questions out there, but the Be the One program to me is just excellent. It's a great way to be there for that veteran or a person who's not a veteran and needs just to talk to somebody, just to unburden, and it's amazing.
Trish Ward:It's so true, and I've learned a tremendous amount, as I've learned more through the Be the One initiative, which we leverage, the Columbia protocol, which we do some training to be able to make sure that our members are positioned to ask the right questions at the right time. We have several things that we're looking to do to try and integrate some important information. When we see a veteran struggling, to make sure that he or she gets the help they need quickly and efficiently, it just doesn't work to be able to say, well, we'll get to you in 30 days. You have to intervene immediately. So what better to do it than a veteran service organization like the American Legion family? We're with our veterans, we see them regularly and we're very prepared to be able to recognize when someone might be struggling. We just want to make sure that our members are ready to ask the right questions. Nobody here is necessarily a mental health professional it's not what we do for a living but we can recognize when someone's struggling and we can intervene to get them the help they need.
Jerry Allhands:Most definitely, and for me one of the best things is just being a person who's willing to listen. Just take that call or show up at the door and knock on the door. It can mean a lot.
Trish Ward:The American Legion was founded really on that concept that our veterans missed the camaraderie that they had while they were together in conflict, and so they came together to found the American Legion for the purpose to give veterans a place that they can congregate and that they can support each other, and that's really what we were founded on. So it still holds true today, even 104 plus years later. Veterans, people who served our country, they miss that camaraderie and that's what the American Legion family brings to them and why we're such a successful veteran service organization. We've been around 100 years, we know how to do it, we know what questions need to be asked and we know when and where to get the job done. So I can just say, here in the great state of Mississippi I've met with many grassroots members and Legionnaires and it's been heartwarming to see the great work that the people of Mississippi are doing.
Jerry Allhands:Thank you. Thank you very much. I know that our auxiliary will appreciate those kind words and as a past department commander, I appreciate those words very much. Especially appreciate your visiting with us today and I know that your program, your saying, is leading the way. Tell me a little more about what you would like to see us do in Mississippi or nationally.
Trish Ward:Yes. So this has been an amazing opportunity for me, for my Department of Kansas, to assume leadership at the highest role. And as I have traveled and as I planned my experience, I came to this organization as a senior lead project manager and a corporate trainer. I was a program manager, so all I really know what to do is how to train salespeople. So I'm taking my show on the road and I talked to members about four what I call truth statements.
Trish Ward:And the first truth statement is small-town America is struggling. This is a problem for the Legion family because small-town America is where the Legion was built and, as I tell people think of it as a piece of fabric that is stretched from Maine to Florida, to Alaska, to Hawaii. And what happens when those threads of that fabric start to break, when we lose our little units and our little posts and our little squadrons in small town America, the fabric loses its integrity and it loses its strength. So it's very important that small town America be revitalized and that we remain strong in these small towns. Like the unit I belong to, the American Legion family is positioned to help small-town America because it's where we reside. So that's truth statement number one.
Trish Ward:Truth statement number two is that leadership is dwindling and in many organizations, especially membership-driven organizations, we need good leaders and we need more of them. And we need more qualified leaders. And I'll throw in we need more diverse leaders. We need people of different faiths and different cultures, of different ages, because we represent our military and our military is very diverse. So how can we support them if we aren't representative of them? So I feel strongly that leadership capacity needs to be upswelled and we need to find lots and lots of new leaders and help them along. Leaders need people who support them. I had people support me and when you get young people and leaders, you have to support them.
Trish Ward:True statement number three membership is aging and churning, and churning is just a big fancy word for leaving. Many membership organizations are struggling and it's pretty simple you don't have to belong to the Legion to support a veteran. However, by supporting the American Legion family and if you're eligible, belonging this gives an opportunity for us to remain strong and advocate for our veterans. With Congress, which we do regularly, we need to get members, we need to keep members and we need to get more members. So I believe in the third truth statement finding members is key and critical to our growth. And the last truth statement is this the infrastructure of some of our posts is weakening. I've traveled this country and I've seen some amazing, amazing American Legion posts and I've seen a lot of them here in Mississippi and I'm going to give a little call out to beautiful Gaucher Van Cleef down in the southern part of the state, absolutely beautiful post. And I saw a beautiful post up here in Northern Mississippi which is where the birthplace of Elvis Presley which was why I went to Tupelo.
Trish Ward:Fantastic post, but not all posts are that strong and shored up with such a strong foundation. And if you wouldn't bring your children and grandchildren to the post, that's an issue. The posts need to be fresh, they need to be strong, they need to be family-friendly and they need to be the centerpiece, the linchpin of the community. So when we see a little post struggling in small-town America, we need to jump in and we need to help them. For the 24-25 administration, the Leading the Way administration, I am absolutely passionate about focusing on those four true statements and talking to our grassroots members about how the American Legion family can impact those in a positive way and move the trajectory forward.
Jerry Allhands:I absolutely applaud you. I love all four of those. That is awesome. I have one question for you as far as membership goes, what more can we do to get members to attract new members?
Trish Ward:Membership is the easiest thing we do. It's just a matter of communicating about our eligibility to people, and we do it in lots of different ways. I would first like to ask our Legionnaires to remember that we're their auxiliary. We are part of the Legion family, but we exist through the grace of the American Legion, and so I would urge every Legionnaire who has an eligible family member mother, daughter, wife, sister and if they have a sister who served in our people that I knew for 40 years who were eligible for this organization, one whose father has been an American Legion member since 1945, and I signed his daughter up, he didn't. So we need to remember in the American Legion family the American Legion Auxiliary supports our Legion.
Trish Ward:I am working hard to sign up Legionnaires from my Legion and sons who are eligible, and it's a push-pull. We all have to help each other. There are eligible people everywhere. It just takes communicating about it and when someone says, like you asked me earlier, I'd love to, but I just don't have time, you have to be prepared to say I understand that and I respect that. Maybe in a couple of years you might have time, but for now, if you would be willing to join us to honor your family member. We will put your dues to very good use and you can be proud of that.
Jerry Allhands:Excellent, beautiful and we need more realtors.
Trish Ward:Hey, don't forget about the realtors. I can tell you I'm your poster child for that one. They know who's moving into town and they know who's moving out of town and they can be a huge advocate for your unit, your post or your squadron.
Jerry Allhands:Madam President, it has been a privilege and an honor to have you here today. Thank you so much for joining us.
Trish Ward:Thank you so much for the invite. I've had a lovely time across the great state of Mississippi. I can't wait to come back. I can't wait to meet more grassroots members and today have the opportunity to meet some amazing veterans here in Oxford. And so, since we had such a lovely conversation, would it be okay if I closed with a prayer?
Jerry Allhands:Please, please.
Trish Ward:Thank you so much, in the spirit of faith, that I had the opportunity to speak to the community here in the great state of Mississippi about the fantastic American Legion family that resides in your beautiful Magnolia State. I pray that if you hear this transmission and if you're eligible, that you'll seek out an American Legion family in your community and join us. Leading the way is absolutely the way to go and we'd love to have you aboard. Please pray for our country, please pray for our service members, our veterans and their families, and if you see a veteran or a citizen struggling, please intervene to help them. I do this in God's name, amen. Thank you so much.
Jerry Allhands:Thank you so much for your time.
Trish Ward:Thank you so much.
Jerry Allhands:Let's get it going. Let's go. Be sure to join us next Monday, January 20th, as we return to Nesbitt and visit with Detachment 1990 and the Sons of the American Legion. We hope to see all of you this weekend at Camp Shelby for the Department's 105th Midwinter Conference. For more information on the conference, please contact the Department Adjutant, Deborah Fielder, at 601-497-5079. That's 601-497-5079. A very special thank you to Jonathan Michael Fleming for his musical talents. You can find his CDs and videos on Spotify, amazon Music and YouTube.
Jerry Allhands:We hope you've enjoyed this episode and look forward to your feedback and ask that you subscribe to and share the Veterans Sound Off podcast with your friends and family. If you have a comment, suggestion or questions, or you would like to become a supporter of this podcast, please send an email to jdallhands@outlook. com. That's jdallhands@outlook. com, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. This has been a production of Allh ands Media LLC, with offices in Rena Lara, Mississippi. All Rights Reserved. Hard work we're fired up. Hard work everybody's on the plane. Hard work we do what we play. Hard work it's what they say. Hard work I earn my pay. Hard work, work, hard work, work, hard work, work.
