Bella Vista's Jake Greeling spent the past year touring the state and advocating for veterans' rights as commander of the American Legion's Department of Arkansas. The state's Legion encompasses 200 posts and more than 16,000 members.
Greeling ended his year-long term as state commander in June. He previously served as historian and commander of American Legion Post 341 in Bella Vista. The American Legion was founded by a group of World War I veterans in Paris in 1919, according to the Legion's national website. The nonprofit group seeks to provide "service to veterans, service members and communities."
"It was the greatest year of my life in the American Legion," Greeling said. "It was very rewarding just getting out and meeting people at all the different posts across the state."
But Greeling said he couldn't have done it alone.
"It takes a lot of people to be successful on this thing, and my wife, Karen, helped out a lot," he said. "She went along with me (on every trip) and helped behind the scenes."
Greeling's travels put him in touch with several state officials, including Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and some of the Legion's national leaders. Greeling said he relished the opportunity to raise awareness about the Legion's role in the community.
"That's what (the American Legion) is, each individual post in the community looking out for veterans, whether its Bella Vista or Rogers or Cabot," Greeling said.
The post serves as a gathering place for veterans, Greeling added.
"(The American Legion) is kind of like a fraternity, because you've all been through the same things. You're a veteran no matter what war you served in," he said.
Greeling said his tenure as state commander was guided by the Legion's four pillars-- veterans affairs and rehabilitation, national security, Americanism, and children and youth.
"The Legion is the leading advocate of veterans' rights," Greeling said. "(The Legion) spearheaded the (2014 scandal involving the Veterans Health Administration) and were the first to stand up and say something."
The Veterans Health Administration, which is a branch of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, had 40 veterans die in its Phoenix, Ariz., facility while they waited to receive health care, according to CNN. Wait times for veterans were also manipulated to disguise long delays, often at the insistence of top officials.
The Legion often helps veterans by assisting them financially and emotionally or whenever "they get down on their luck," Greeling said. As part of his tenure as commander, Greeling oversaw the rehabilitation of a handful of posts around the state, some of which were about to shut down.
"They were in disarray and they hadn't paid their bills," Greeling said. "But they're on the rebound now."
Greeling said one of the Legion's more prominent challenges is its sagging membership.
"Less than one-half of 1 percent of the population today are veterans," Greeling said. "As World War II and Korean War veterans die off, we're struggling to keep membership levels up."
The Legion would like to lean on younger veterans, those who fought in the Gulf War, but many aren't active in their local post or haven't joined at all, Greeling said.
"We're doing the best we can, but it's tough for (younger veterans) to find time for the Legion. They're working and have kids to take care of, but we're working on that."
For now, Greeling says he will continue to be active at Post 341 despite being named as an alternate national executive committee member. The term lasts for two years.
"(Post 341) could be No. 1 in the state," Greeling said. "We've got 18,000 veterans in Benton County, and 14,000 are eligible to be in the Legion. The only county with more veterans is Pulaski County."
Greeling added that he has plans for a local campaign aimed at getting more people involved in the post. Post 341 was established in the mid-1970s and is the third-largest post in Arkansas with nearly 800 members, Greeling said.
An Illinois native, Greeling was born into a military family. He served in the U.S. Army as a squad leader in an armored cavalry platoon in Germany during the 1960s. Like current Post 341 commander Douglas Grant, Greeling is a Vietnam War-era veteran.
Greeling worked on railroads after leaving the military, living in nine different states and in Canada. He bought a lot in Bella Vista in 1995 and moved here in 1999.
Community on 07/08/2015