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 Unit 1990 DeSoto County
Explore the heart of Mississippi with me, Jerry Allhands, as we shine a light on the incredible work of the American Legion family. Ever wondered how a small town like Nesbitt can make a big difference for veterans? Join us at Post 1990, where we celebrate the essential roles played by the American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion. From navigating the charming quirks of Nesbitt's location to uncovering the evolution of the Auxiliary to include male spouses of female veterans, this episode promises insights into the unique support system that uplifts veterans and their families. You'll learn about scholarships, programs like Boys State, and even charming tales of Legion baseball that bring communities together.
Bringing the community together is at the heart of everything the American Legion Auxiliary does. With initiatives like the Be the One program and the promotion of the 988 crisis line for veterans, we highlight how community activities—like local parades, the MS Project Package, and support for the Memphis Medical Center—are making a real impact. Guests Jace Chanda and Jessica Peek share their leadership journeys, showcasing the camaraderie and adaptability of the Auxiliary. As we navigate the path to membership, we spotlight the importance of personal connection and teamwork within the American Legion family, all while reinforcing our unwavering commitment to veterans and their families.
Don't forget to subscribe and share with your friends and family. Drop us a line today at JDAllhands@outlook.com. If you'd like to become a sponsor of our show or advertise with us please send an email to jdallhands@outlook.com or call us at 662-902-6658.
This is the Veterans Sound Off Podcast.
Brandon Noe:Hard work, work.
Jerry Allhands:Let's get it going, let's go.
Jerry Allhands:I'm your host, jerry Allhands, a veteran of the US Air Force and Army and a Mississippi Past Department Commander of the American Legion. You are invited to join me as we travel across the state of Mississippi, visiting the American Legion post in each community. Together we'll get to know the American Legion family, including the American Legion Auxiliary, the Sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Riders. As we travel across the state we'll visit with other groups and organizations that are serving America's veterans and their families. Last week we returned to post-1990 in Nesbitt where we sat down with members of the Sons of the American Legion, and before we get into today's show, here is a moment of that conversation. Why would a veteran or the child or stepchild of a veteran? Why would they want to join the SAL? What would entice me to come and become a member?
Brandon Noe:Well, you get to learn more about. You know what your father or your mother did, you know for our country. You get to learn what they do for your community. You get to learn there's history involved in it. You get to learn order and discipline. Then there's other benefits to it, like there are the American Legion College scholarships, there is Boys State Legion baseball programs. There's so many different things that a child can actually go do later in life with it. And should they decide that they want to be more of a member in the legion and continue forward, say they become a veteran when they get back out. They can take that much like Danny here has taken it and you have and go to state and do real good work for these people. So you're teaching them something that's bigger than oneself.
Jerry Allhands:Next week we'll sit down with leaders of the Magnolia Girls State program and learn what to expect on the campus of Ole Miss this June.
Abby Burris:Hey, I'm Abby Burris. I'm the assistant director of Magnolia Girls State. Please join us next Monday for the Veterans Sound Off podcast.
Jerry Allhands:And now let's return one last time to Nesbitt and hear from a past Department President of the American Legion, Auxiliary.
Jayce Chanda:Hello everyone. My name is Jace Chanda. I am the unit president of Nesbitt 1990.
Jessica Peek:Hi, I'm Jessica Peek. I'm a member of the 1990 Auxiliary and I'm also our District 2 President for the Northern Area.
Jerry Allhands:Again, we're in Nesbitt Mississippi. Somebody tell me where in Nesbitt Mississippi, how would I find the post?
Jessica Peek:Yeah, so you're gonna. If you're coming up from the interstate, we're right off Interstate 55 at the Pleasant Hill exit and you're just going to turn left coming off the interstate and you're going to actually run directly into the post. I think I did that one time, right straight into the doors.
Jayce Chanda:I'm glad she's here because I'm directionally challenged and I wouldn't have been able to tell anybody how to get there well, I'm extremely directionally challenged, so somebody give me a physical address.
Jerry Allhands:Anybody got a? Yeah, sure, it's 1505 Gwynn Road, Nesbit, Mississippi, 38651 okay, see, now I heard Gwynn, but I could have swore you said gwynn, gwynn g-w-y-n-n and the zip code 38651 okay, anybody got a guess is why I asked you for that so that we can get people to come visit us and I use the gps.
Jayce Chanda:It always gets it wrong anyway, okay funny thing about our address is it's not recognized by the post office for mail. What is that, don't know. I just know that, uh, if you go to a bank and start an account, uh, they have to pull up the address and it's not recognized. So that's another thing. And we're a little bit out of the way, so we're not on a beaten path, so it's not like people can normally pass by and say, oh, there's the American Legion, you know, let's stop there. And our goal is to bring people in, show them what we can do, how we service our veterans, our military, their families and our communities.
Jerry Allhands:And there's a big sign out front that says American Legion.
Jayce Chanda:It does too.
Jerry Allhands:Yeah, and there's a bricked-in. What is that? Pole or something that I think I bumped into with the car one time.
Jayce Chanda:It's utility pipes and things like that. And a couple years ago one of the auxiliary members decided we needed to spruce it up. So they got together the auxiliary the unit, got together and did some housekeeping with it and put it up.
Jerry Allhands:Made it real pretty.
Jessica Peek:Pretty, beautifull.
Jerry Allhands:So pretty, I even bumped into it. So I've got to repaint the bush.
Jayce Chanda:Not the only one, I'm sure.
Jerry Allhands:So tell me let's start with Jace. Jace, tell me about the American Legion Auxiliary. What is the American Legion Auxiliary?
Jayce Chanda:Initially, the American Legion Auxiliary was the world's largest veteran service organization Female veteran service organization. But five years ago, recognizing the need of the number increasing number, especially of female military and veterans, the membership was open to male spouses. So we are the sisters, the daughters, the granddaughters, the wives and the mothers and grandmothers of veterans and military.
Jerry Allhands:So it's not the ladies auxiliary.
Jessica Peek:No, sir, it's the American Legion auxiliary.
Jayce Chanda:Yes.
Jerry Allhands:Okay. Although old habits are hard to break and you will hear us referred to as the ladies auxiliary many, many times, and now that we know that it is the American Legion auxiliary men can be members.
Jayce Chanda:Only if they are a male spouse of a female veteran or active military.
Jerry Allhands:Okay, so they have to be a spouse. They can't be a child of a veteran.
Jayce Chanda:No, sir and be a child of a veteran? No sir. The only one child are for the sons, but we encompass the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, grandchildren and daughters.
Jerry Allhands:So what makes you eligible to be in the auxiliary?
Jayce Chanda:I have a couple levels of eligibility. My father was in the army in world war ii, my two oldest brothers were in the air force during vietnam and my husband is a marine during vietnam. So that's what qualifies me I am the daughter, the sister and the spouse of a veteran kind of well covered over there.
Jessica Peek:I like that, jessica what makes you, an auxiliary, eligible to be a member so I am eligible from my deceased grandfather who served in world war ii. So I think it's really important to mention that, um to join the auxiliary, your veteran that you're connected to doesn't have to be living. They can be deceased. Very good point.
Jerry Allhands:Can they be a step relative, Can they?
Jayce Chanda:is that make you eligible?
Jerry Allhands:I mean like your stepfather, your stepmother, only if the adoption has gone through. Okay, so you have to be adopted by the step parent. Okay, all right, you have to be adopted by the step parent. Okay, all right. How would you prove that your relative was a service member?
Jayce Chanda:If they are deceased, then for us they need to present the discharge papers, and the discharge must be honorable.
Brandon Noe:Okay.
Jayce Chanda:If the qualifying veteran or military is alive, they must be a member of the American Legion anywhere in the world. They do not have to be a member of the post where that person is trying to join, but if their qualifying veteran or military is still alive, they must be a member.
Jessica Peek:Okay. So with that discharge paper, which is commonly referred to as the DD-214, a lot of times that deceased family member it's really hard to get that DD-214. So we've actually even partnered with some local funeral homes that have been able to help us get the military records that we need to prove their eligibility.
Jayce Chanda:Also if they are getting va benefits, because the veterans administration has certain levels that qualify you to receive those benefits. That is something that can help as well too, as well as cemeteries, like if it's a va cemetery, something like that. And for those generally from world war ii, older, that I don't know exactly when the DD-214 was brought into place, but they have discharge papers that's why I said discharge papers saying honorable discharge.
Jerry Allhands:And you can also go through your county veteran service officer.
Jayce Chanda:Yes, sir.
Jerry Allhands:To get help with that. Did that for a while. Yeah, okay, so we're looking at the American Legion Auxiliary today. Why would somebody want to join the Auxiliary, Jessica? Start with that one.
Jessica Peek:You know, for me it is advocating and supporting our local veterans and military in the community. I purposely joined. My purpose for joining the American Legion Auxiliary was that I had friends that were a part of the Mississippi Army National Guard who served in Iraq, who once discharged, come back home to small town USA with a weird look in their eye and I knew I didn't know how to handle that. But I knew my local American Legion post did. I knew that my friends could walk into a local post and that another veteran would recognize that look in their eyes. So I wanted to make sure they always had a safe place to come to and that was the reason that I joined.
Jerry Allhands:I like that reason. Chase, what did you join the auxiliary?
Jayce Chanda:I joined it looking for the purpose of serving our veterans, serving our military community and their families. Now I repeat that over and over again. When I was the state president of the American Legion Auxiliary, my motto was continuing the mission. The mission, that is the mission of the ALA, the auxiliary, american Legion auxiliary, and it is a family to come home to. We strive here at Nesbitt 1990 to make that camaraderie available to everyone, especially our veterans. As Jessica said, there's a look in their eyes and they have a place to come to where somebody else understands. They have a place to come to where they can just go. Ah, I'm home, I'm safe, I'm with friends, I'm safe.
Jayce Chanda:I like that, and that was a great opportunity to do that.
Jerry Allhands:If somebody joins the auxiliary and wants to be actively involved in auxiliary, is there training that's given? Is there online training? On-post training?
Jayce Chanda:There's a variety of training. Yes, there's online training provided by our national headquarters At our unit meetings, monthly meetings. We've been doing this for the last five years. We start our meetings off after we do our prayer and preamble and Pledge of Allegiance. We start our meetings off with at least two items of training for our members.
Jayce Chanda:All new members are given a packet of information how to contact their officers. They're given information on the various programs that the American Legion Auxiliary has and we have mentors within the unit. We have mentors within the state that if you want more information, we tell them where to go, how to go, and if we don't know the answer, we find it for them. So yes, it's an ongoing, it's a never-ending training and I will say this, having personally been involved in doing the training and mentoring sometimes when you're doing it you get these blank eyes, but then something comes up and the light bulb goes on and their eyes light up and they say I know that, I heard that. So it works. I'm very proud of the members here at 1990 because they carry the word, they carry the mission and they carry their training. I like that.
Jerry Allhands:Give me an example, Jessica, of something that's going on with the auxiliary in the local community. That will benefit your members, a veteran, the community as itself.
Jessica Peek:So I think one of the big things that the auxiliary is focusing on this year in our partnership with the American Legion is 988, our veteran crisis line. So we're really pushing that message, making sure that our community knows about 988 and the importance of veteran suicide and preventing veteran suicide and knowing that that resource is available. That's a really hot topic for us.
Jerry Allhands:Yes, it is, that's the Be the One program.
Jessica Peek:The Be the One program. Yes, sir.
Jerry Allhands:How are you getting that message out to the community?
Jessica Peek:Well, for me personally, the first Friday of every month you're going to catch me wearing my Be the One t-shirt I'm really big about. If I'm out at a local store shopping, I see a veteran. I ask them hey, do you know what 988 is? I ask them if they know that number. So, instead of trying to figure out how to make it a part of a conversation, I make it the conversation. I was really excited here on Highway 51. There's actually a billboard up talking about 988 and veteran crisis lines. So that's great that you know. We're really trying in the community to get that out.
Jerry Allhands:Okay, give me an example of a physical activity that's going on in the community, from the auxiliary.
Jayce Chanda:I mean is there well, we have quite a few examples. Uh, for one thing, we just finished up the veterans parade and, and as Jessica said, getting the word 988 out. For the last two years, since this program has been implemented at the national level, we've had a placard with our float in the Veterans Parade and it's very prominent and we display it during the parade. We've had the training within the unit. We've encouraged our members to take the online training with that. But one thing that we've been doing for years locally is MS Project Package. Project Package sends care packages to active military year-round. The organizer is a member of the American Legion, not our post, but he is a member of the American Legion here in Mississippi and he started that program and so every Thursday here in it's actually South Haven, which is a neighboring burg they prepare those packages to send out.
Jayce Chanda:Not only does our members collect items to donate for those care packages, but we have for the last five, six, seven years given regular donations because one of the biggest expenses they have right now is postage and we also go to when they put the word out. They need volunteers to help collect it, like the local grocery stores and things like that. We also go to the VA Veterans Home. We go to the Memphis Medical Center. Even though it's in Tennessee, a big percentage of the patients at the Memphis Medical Center are from northern Mississippi and we're in the northern area, so we cover those. We make financial donations.
Jayce Chanda:The Legion family here just this past Sunday went and did karaoke for the veterans at the home and they just absolutely love it, along with taking items for them. And then we have the upcoming Christmas shop that we've done for years. Members collect items to allow the residents at the VA home to go Christmas shopping for their families at absolutely no cost to them. We wrap the gifts for them and we pay the postage for that to send them, or we hand deliver them if they're locally. So those are, you know, things we're doing locally and if there's a call out we're there. Our members just don't think twice and it's real hard to get them to report it because it's second nature to them. But the big thing is we have fun doing it.
Jerry Allhands:There you go.
Jayce Chanda:We feel good about doing it.
Jerry Allhands:Give me an example of a call out Something happens militarily, civilian-wise I mean so there's an incident in the community it's all of that.
Jayce Chanda:If somebody puts out a need or one of our members or one of the family members, and for those out there in podcast land legion family we consider is the american legion, the american legion auxiliary the sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Riders, and we have all four factions of that membership here at post-1990, so it's a matter of communication. We hear of something for one, the rest of us jump right in and you know we're doing whatever we can, and it's usually not, they just do, they don't think twice about it. It's second nature to a lot of us.
Jerry Allhands:So do y'all meet as a group, separate group, and say you know, I know that mary down the street needs some help and we vote on it, go out and do the job.
Jayce Chanda:Or do y'all, all four family members, get together and both, um, procedural wise, uh, you know, it is the membership that has to say of you know where our assets are used. Okay, so if we hear a need from the executive board from one of the other factions and we can bring it to our membership to vote on, they will vote. It's like for christmas, we're doing the angel trees and the membership said we would like the other half of the money that we're going to donate to go locally to veterans and military families. So a lot of it's word of mouth, but the final say-so is our members. It's not a yeah, we're doing this, and they find out after the fact if we can help it.
Jerry Allhands:I like that. So, jess, if people are interested in joining the American Legion Auxiliary, can they. Do they have to contact an individual? Can they go online? How do they? How do they go about joining the American Legion Auxiliary?
Jessica Peek:Oh, they can do it multiple ways. I mean, obviously, going online and completing an online application is one way, but I think that it's really important to be connected with the unit. I think that it's really important to be connected with the unit, so they're more than welcome to come visit us here at the unit, here at the post. We always have one of us here. They can talk with us. We keep applications downstairs for our members to grab. We're here to talk to them. A lot of times we're in the community and we recruit that way and we just really strike up a conversation and invite them to our meetings or invite them to an upcoming event that we're doing, and we almost get them involved immediately, even before they've officially completed their paperwork so if somebody was to notice that you're wearing an american legion auxiliary sweatshirt, you have a decal the words right out of my mouth that happens a lot.
Jayce Chanda:That happens a lot.
Jessica Peek:They see it and they ask okay we do it, or or if we see them right, if we see a veteran with you know, the veteran ball cap and the families with them, I mean we'll, we'll sit down and start carrying on a conversation with them and and it's just recruit, recruit, recruit if somebody wanted to join the auxiliary, but they have the thought I I'm too busy, I don't have time.
Jerry Allhands:It's just why you know I can't be involved. Why should I join?
Jessica Peek:So I think the biggest thing is membership matters. Our numbers matter. When we're going in front of Congress and we're advocating for veterans' needs to be able to say we have X number members. That matters. And so even if you can donate just an hour of your time, right is great, but if you're just that too busy, just being a member matters.
Jerry Allhands:How long have you been in the auxiliary?
Jessica Peek:So I'm going on my officially my five years with the auxiliary. I actually I am. I am one of those people that have supported this post for about 20 years, but I thought I was too busy, um, so I never officially joined and and I'm very disappointed in myself now because I wasn't too busy, um, and so I could have had more years of service in with what I'm doing. But yeah, even if you think you're too busy, you're really not Jace.
Jerry Allhands:how long have you been in?
Jayce Chanda:Well, I'm going to give you a little prequel to that answer. The unit here at Nesbitt 1990 was chartered in July of 2013. So our unit is only relatively 11 years old. It you charter with 10 members. We had our 10 members when I joined in 2014. We had maybe 12. We finished the year last year with 62 members. The prior year we had more than that 63. So we have grown in 10 years. So I've been with this unit for 11, 2014, 10 years, going on 11 years.
Jerry Allhands:And did I understand correctly, you are the past department president. Correct Of the American Legion Auxiliary. Correct In under 13 years.
Jayce Chanda:Yes, sir.
Jerry Allhands:That's a nice move.
Jayce Chanda:It wasn't a move.
Jerry Allhands:Nice, to be recognized by your peers and to be able to lead from the front with the auxiliary. In that scope, how does somebody go from being a local post member, auxiliary unit member, to being department president?
Jayce Chanda:It has a lot to do with your desire, dedication, your training and I have found, with a lot of those that have done that, taken that journey, you want to do more and more and you want to reach out further and further to our people out in the world. So to speak, it was we want to get our word, we want to spread our word out. We know our community better than National knows our community and National recognizes that now because they've changed their thought process, saying okay, we've got 20 programs that somebody can get involved in with the American Legion Auxiliary, and there were units that were struggling to do something with every program. National came out and said not every program, not every unit has the same needs. Focus on your community needs.
Jayce Chanda:And when you focus community-wise and they see you out and about in your brand and our unit happens to be known as the Red Shirts and they see us having a good time. They us the camaraderie the we have and they said and they see what we're doing at the nursing homes, the va homes, um project packet, they say I want to be a part of that. And they come up to us and they do say well, I'm too big, I work this and that and everything I said. Do you do things on weekends? Do you come to some of these events and programs? Well, yeah, and that's it. Plus, we need the numbers to report to Congress, to help Congress know that there is a need, a greater and greater need, for services and benefits for our veterans in our military and their families as well.
Jerry Allhands:Absolutely so. Everybody you know you get that. I get that question all the time. How much is it going to cost If I came to the American Legion Auxiliary here at this post and said I want to join the auxiliary and I was eligible which I'm not but if I was eligible which I'm not, but if I was, how much would I have to give you to join the auxiliary?
Jayce Chanda:for our local unit dues, which include the state dues and the national dues, are $40. It's different with every unit but the minimum amount would be $26 because 18 goes to national and eight goes to our department. Anything over that is going towards the unit and towards their programs that they implement $40.
Jessica Peek:$40 a year. A year.
Jayce Chanda:Unless they want to become a paid up member for life, and that is based on your age and the local unit's dues. And then you make a flat, you pay one flat sum and you are a member for life with the auxiliary.
Jerry Allhands:You can't even go to dinner for $40. And look what you get for it. So I joined the auxiliary and I'm leaving Mississippi and I'm traveling across the country I see an American Legion post that's got an auxiliary unit sign up front. Can I go?
Jayce Chanda:You're welcome everywhere. Yeah, every American Legion in the United States and the world.
Jerry Allhands:How do I prove that I'm in the auxiliary unit?
Jayce Chanda:I hope I'm allowed to say this, but we tell our members don't go naked, and what we mean by that is don't go anywhere without your membership card or a membership application.
Jerry Allhands:So I can say I'm in tennessee visiting over there, and I walk in and I say hey, I'd like to to attend your meeting and I present my membership id card. All right, are they going to welcome me? Yes, I hope so yeah, are you going to welcome me if I come over here?
Jayce Chanda:you're welcome anytime anytime, all right, all right as a non-profit organization and, uh, with our statues in mississippi. Uh, meetings are open to the general public or to anyone at any time, with one exception. If it goes into what we call a closed executive session at that point, then they would not be welcoming that. But we have people come to our meetings all the time. They're welcome beautiful.
Jerry Allhands:so anywhere in the world there's an American Legion, I'm welcome. Yes, I know that the American Legion has a preamble. Does the auxiliary have a preamble?
Jayce Chanda:Oh, yes, it does.
Jerry Allhands:Okay, what I would like to ask you to do is just each of you to please recite individually, not together as a group, but as an individual. Recite your preamble.
Jayce Chanda:For God and country. We associate ourselves together for the following purposes To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. To maintain law and order. To foster and perpetuate a 100% Americanism. To preserve the memories and incidents of our association in all wars. To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation. To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses. To make right the master of might. To promote peace and goodwill on earth.
Jessica Peek:To safeguard and transmit to prosperity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy. To participate in and contribute to the accomplishments of the aims and purpose of the American Legion. To consecrate and sanctify our association by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.
Jerry Allhands:Thank you all so much. I appreciate you being here today and encourage you to join us on the podcast. We'll be reaching out and traveling across the state of Mississippi, visiting every post. Is the is the hope that we're going to try for, so love it. Hopefully we will be able to make this happen and if you'd like to support our podcast here at the address and everything will be at the end of this event, and please check out our American Legion webpage. It's msam legion. org and there will be these two beautiful ladies pitcher there and unfortunately, I'm in the picture as well, so I'll have to deal with that. Thank you so much and we will see you next time.
Jayce Chanda:Thank you for having us. Thank you, Jerry, thank you.
Jerry Allhands:And that was our visit with the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 1990 in Nesbitt, Mississippi. Be sure to join us next Monday morning as we travel to Camp Shelby and sit down with the leadership of the American Legion Auxiliary's Magnolia Girls State Program.
Abby Burris:Hey, I'm Abby Burrus. I'm the Assistant Director of Magnolia Girls State. Please join us next Monday for the Veterans Sound Off Podcast. Hard work is what they say.
Jerry Allhands: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. 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@ outlookcom. That's jdallhands@ outlookcom or by calling 662-902-6658 and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. This has been a production of Allhands Media LLC. With offices in Rena-Lara, Mississippi. All rights reserved.
