WAKEENEY — WaKeeney American Legion Post 197, 517 Russell Ave., will host National Commander Brett P. Reistad on his four-day tour of Kansas with a Lunch on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 11:30 a.m. During his tour, National Commander Reistad will visit 14 American Legion Posts while in the state.

Reistad was elected national commander of the 2 million-member American Legion on Aug. 20 in Minneapolis during the 100th national convention of the nation’s largest veterans organization.

Reistad’s American Legion membership eligibility is through his honorable Vietnam War-era service (1974-1978) as an active duty U.S. Army infantryman where he served with the Presidential Salute Battery of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment(The Old Guard) at historic Fort Myer, Va. Reistad participated in the inaugural ceremony for President Carter and other high-profile ceremonies. He has since been honored as a Distinguished Member of the Regiment.

Reistad has served at every level of the American Legion. He is a past president and honorary life member of the National American Legion Press Association. He recently completed a six-year appointment as chairman of the Department Legislative Committee and two three-year terms as a gubernatorial appointee to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations where he helped coordinate the input of 23 veterans service organizations in crafting veteran-friendly legislation and advocating the proposed legislation before the governor and General Assembly.

Reistad is a past Legionnaire of the Year from Post 270 and a member of the Sons of the American Legion Squadron 10 in Manassas. His wife, Jessica, and his family, are proud members of the American Legion Family.

The public is invited to attend.

— Submitted