American Legion helping communities and our nation’s heroes

Northwest DuPage American Legion Post 1084 is one of 12,000 posts found across the United States. Founded in 1946 in Roselle, Illinois, Post 1084 has many dedicated members who are driven to support local Veterans and the community.

This Veterans’ organization is composed of the Sons of the American Legion, Women’s Auxiliary, American Legion Riders, and Shooting Sports clubs. The post provides fellowship and camaraderie to all members and a welcoming atmosphere for all visiting the post.

One of the key initiatives of the post is supporting hospitalized Veterans at both North Chicago and Hines Veterans Hospitals. Donna Goodwin, President of the Women’s Auxiliary Unit, said “We normally go there and run bingo games, feed them a special meal, have a picnic, really just sit and let them know that someone is thinking about them and that we still continue to honor their service”.

Thanksgiving is of particular importance to Post 1084. The American Legion Family, along with the Elks Club of Elmhurst, invites 35 Veterans from Hines to come and share their Thanksgiving with the post and their families. As the Veterans arrive, the color guard salutes them, and the community applauds them. Goodwin believes that “these are very important times for our Veterans as they need to know that they are not forgotten.”

Post 1084 is also one of the leading posts dedicated to raising money for Illinois Legion’s “Gifts to the Yanks who Gave” program, which provides Christmas gifts to Veterans in hospitals and nursing homes by working with local high school students collecting donations leading up to Veterans Day in November.

When asked what makes the American Legion so special, Post Commander Ty Cobb responded, “Post 1084 is a home away from home. Members are like a family, caring not only about helping Veterans but also helping each other”.

As we arrive at the 100^th anniversary of the American Legion, we celebrate the stories of organizations like Post 1084, that continue to serve the community and honor our nation’s heroes.

For more information about the Northwest DuPage American Legion Post 1084, please visit https://www.post1084.net/.

Graphic created by Dominique Ramirez: Dominique is a member of VA’s Digital Media Engagement team. He manages multiple pages across the VA.gov domain, including the VAntage Point blog. He also creates graphics for VA’s social media channels.