National Commander
National Commander's Incentive Dog Tag Coin
American Legion National Commander Daniel J. Seehafer will award his national commander “Be the One” dog tag to any Legionnaire who obtains two new members into The American Legion. One to replace you and one for growth.
A new member is any eligible person joining for the 2024 membership year who was not a member of The American Legion during the 2023 membership year. Transfers do not count as new members.
Each member listed must be eligible for membership in The American Legion. New Auxiliary members and Sons of The American Legion members do not count toward this incentive. Forward names of Sons of The American Legion members or Auxiliary members to your squadron or unit for use in their respective incentive programs.
Only one pin will be awarded per individual. Upon receipt, national membership staff will confirm the names in the national database and mail the pin directly to the person who earned it.
Post Excellence Award
To qualify for the American Legion’s Post Excellence Award, a post is required to achieve excellence in four areas: membership, submission of the Consolidated Post Report (CPR), attaining a 90% renewal rate, and community activity.
The purpose of this award is membership growth, exposure of American Legion values to the community, and increased visibility of the American Legion Family through service projects. A post achieving this qualification will have had numerous post members involved in planning and achieving these goals. Many posts are already active in these areas and will qualify without extra effort. Others, however, will need to increase their efforts in one or more areas to qualify for the award.
The standard to be achieved in each area is as follows:
Membership: The post must attain at least 103% of their membership goal. At least one post officer attends district meetings.
Consolidated Post Report: CPRs must be submitted by July 1. The American Legion’s federal charter requires the submission of an annual report to Congress on activities for the year. MyLegion.org has made it simple for a post to submit its CPR in a timely manner.
90% Renewal Rate: The post must renew at least 90% of their members that were on the 2023 roster.
Community Activity: The post must conduct an event that connects the local community with The American Legion post. The objective is to open your doors, welcome the community in, and educate them on what The American Legion is all about and how the post is an asset to the community. Posts do not need to have a physical building to accomplish this. This activity can be held in a park, a community center, or anywhere the post can welcome and interact with the local community.
Certification for the award: The district commander responsible for the post will certify a post as having achieved the four specified criteria. The district commander will submit a list of posts meeting the criteria to department headquarters. That list should include the post name, phone number, address and commander’s name. If possible, accompany the last two criteria with copies of press releases submitted to the local media about the projects to show that the projects were not only accomplished but that an attempt was made to enhance the image of The American Legion through local media. The copy submitted should include a date and time stamp showing receipt by the media outlet.
The district commander will transmit the information as posts qualify to:
The American Legion of Iowa
720 Lyon Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
National Commander's Honor Ribbon
100% AMERICAN LEGION FAMILY RIBBON
American Legion National Commander Daniel J. Seehafer will award his 100% American Legion Family Ribbon to any American Legion Family that achieves 100 percent membership by the 2024 100% membership target date. For this award, the Legion Family is defined as a post and/or any combination of an Auxiliary unit or Sons squadron. Each must achieve 100% membership to qualify for the award.
The post adjutant will transmit information to:
The American Legion or Iowa
720 Lyon Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
National Commander's 103 Percent Membership Award
American Legion National Commander Daniel J. Seehafer will award his “Be the One” dog tag to any post commander, district commander, county commander, division commander, department commander or membership chairman who achieves 103% of their assigned membership goal for 2024.
List of Past National Commanders
Vincent J. Troiola
Post #1682
Elected 9/1/2022
Paul E. Dillard, TX
Post #265
Elected: 9/2/2021
James W. “Bill” Oxford, NC
Post #29
Elected: 8/29/2019
Brett P. Reistad, VA
Post #270
Elected: 8/30/2018
Denise Rohan, WI
Post #385
Elected: 8/24/2017
Charles E. Schmidt, OR
Post #63
Elected: 9/1/2016
Dale Barnett, GA
Post #105
Elected: 9/3/2015
Michael D. Helm, NE
Post #313
Elected: 8/28/2014
Dan Dellinger, VA
Post #180
Elected: 8/29/2013
James E. Koutz, IN
Post #200
Elected: 8/30/2012
Fang A. Wong, NY
Post #1291
Elected: 9/1/2011
Jimmie L. Foster, AK
Post #28
Elected: 9/2/2010
Clarence E. Hill, FL
Post #316
Elected: 8/27/2009
David K. Rehbein, IA
Post #37
Elected: 8/28/2008
Martin F. Conatser, IL
Post #102
Elected: 8/30/2007
Paul A. Morin, MA
Post #337
Elected: 8/31/2006
Thomas L. Bock, CO
Post #23
Elected: 8/25/2005
Thomas P. Cadmus, MI
Post #155
Elected: 9/2/2004
John A. Brieden III, TX
Post #48
Elected: 8/28/2003
Ronald F. Conley Sr., PA
Post #290
Elected: 8/29/2002
Richard J. Santos, MD
Post #136
Elected: 8/30/2001
Ray G. Smith, NC
Post #109
Elected: 9/7/2000
Alan G. Lance Sr., ID
Post #113
Elected: 9/9/1999
Harold L. “Butch” Miller, VA
Post #364
Elected: 9/10/1998
Anthony G. Jordan, ME
Post #54
Elected: 9/4/1997
Joseph J. Frank, MO
Post #777
Elected: 9/5/1996
Daniel A. Ludwig, MN
Post #54
Elected: 9/6/1995
William Detweiler, LA
Post #307
Elected: 9/8/1994
Bruce Thiesen, CA
Post #191
Elected: 9/9/1993
Roger A. Munson, OH
Post #104
Elected: 8/27/1992
Dominic D. DiFrancesco, PA
Post #594
Elected: 9/5/1991
Robert S. Turner, GA
Post #15
Elected: 8/30/1990
Miles S. Epling, WV
Post #23
Elected: 9/7/1989
H. F. “Sparky” Gierke, ND
Post #29
Elected: 9/8/1988
John P. “Jake” Comer, MA
Post #78
Elected: 8/27/1987
James P. Dean, MS
Post #6
Elected: 9/5/1986
Dale L. Renaud, IA
Post #396
Elected: 8/28/1985
Clarence M. Bacon, MD
Post #110
Elected: 9/5/1984
Keith A. Kreul, WI
Post #184
Elected: 8/25/1983
Al Keller Jr., IL
Post #85
Elected: 8/26/1982
Jack W. Flynt, TX
Post #445
Elected: 9/3/1981
Michael J. Kogutek, NY
Post #1477
Elected: 8/21/1980
Frank I. Hamilton, IN
Post #129
Elected: 8/23/1979
John M. Carey, MI
Post #413
Elected: 8/24/1978
Robert Charles Smith, LA
Post #166
Elected: 8/25/1977
William J. Rogers, ME
Post #153
Elected: 8/26/1976
Harry Gordon Wiles, KS
Post #53
Elected: 8/21/1975
James Myrl Wagonseller, OH
Post #11
Elected: 8/22/1974
Robert Edward Lee Eaton, MD
Post #105
Elected: 8/23/1973
Joe Lee Matthews, TX
Post #569
Elected: 8/24/1972
John Henry Geiger, IL
Post #135
Elected: 9/2/1971
Alfred P. Chamie, CA
Post #336
Elected: 9/3/1970
J. Milton Patrick, OK
Post #131
Elected: 8/28/1969
William C. Doyle, NJ
Post #79
Elected: 9/12/1968
William E. Galbraith, NE
Post #159
Elected: 8/31/1967
John Edward Davis, ND
Post #124
Elected: 9/1/1966
L. Eldon James, VA
Post #31
Elected: 8/26/1965
Donald E. Johnson, IA
Post #514
Elected: 9/24/1964
Daniel F. Foley, MN
Post #50
Elected: 9/12/1963
James E. Powers, GA
Post #74
Elected: 10/11/1962
Charles L. Bacon, MO
Post #191
Elected: 9/14/1961
William R. Burke, CA
Post #8
Elected: 10/20/1960
Martin B. McKneally, NY
Post #152
Elected: 8/27/1959
Preston J. Moore, OK
Post #129
Elected: 9/4/1958
John S. Gleason Jr., IL
Post #985
Elected: 9/19/1957
Wilbur C. “Dan” Daniel, VA
Post #97
Elected: 9/7/1956
J. Addington Wagner, MI
Post #54
Elected: 10/13/1955
Seaborn P. Collins, NM
Post #10
Elected: 9/1/1954
Arthur J. Connell, CT
Post #75
Elected: 9/3/1953
Lewis K. Gough, CA
Post #13
Elected: 8/28/1952
Donald R. Wilson, WV
Post #13
Elected: 10/18/1951
Erle Cocke Jr., GA
Post #133
Elected: 10/12/1950
George N. Craig, IN
Post #2
Elected: 9/1/1949
S. Perry Brown, TX
Post #33
Elected: 10/21/1948
James F. O’Neil, NH
Post #2
Elected: 8/31/1947
Paul H. Griffith, PA
Post #51
Elected: 10/4/1946
John Stelle, IL
Post #106
Elected: 11/21/1945
Edward N. Scheiberling, NY
Post #225
Elected: 9/20/1944
Warren H. Atherton, CA
Post #16
Elected: 9/23/1943
Roane Waring, TN
Post #1
Elected: 9/21/1942
Lynn U. Stambaugh, ND
Post #2
Elected: 9/18/1941
Milo J. Warner, OH
Post #132
Elected: 9/26/1940
Raymond J. Kelly, MI
Post #119
Elected: 9/28/1939
Stephen F. Chadwick, WA
Post #18
Elected: 9/22/1938
Daniel J. Doherty, MA
Post #101
Elected: 9/23/1937
Harry W. Colmery, KS
Post #1
Elected: 9/24/1936
Ray Murphy, IA
Post #61
Elected: 9/26/1935
Frank N. Belgrano, CA
Post #236
Elected: 10/25/1934
Edward A. Hayes, IL
Post #105
Elected: 10/5/1933
Louis A. Johnson, WV
Post #13
Elected: 9/15/1932
Henry L. Stevens Jr., NC
Post #127
Elected: 9/24/1931
Ralph T. O’Neil, KS
Post #1
Elected: 10/9/1930
O. L. Bodenhamer, AR
Post #10
Elected: 10/3/1929
Paul V. McNutt, IN
Post #18
Elected: 10/11/1928
Edward E. Spafford, NY
Post #108
Elected: 10/18/1927
Howard P. Savage, IL
Post #184
Elected: 10/15/1926
John R. McQuigg, OH
Post #71
Elected: 10/9/1925
James A. Drain, WA
Post #9
Elected: 9/19/1924
John R. Quinn, CA
Post #26
Elected: 10/19/1923
Alvin M. Owsley, TX
Post #71
Elected: 10/20/1922
Hanford MacNider, IA
Post #101
Elected: 11/2/1921
John G. Emery, MI
Post #2
Elected: 6/14/1921
Frederick W. Galbraith Jr., OH
Post #50
Elected: 9/29/1920
Franklin D’Olier, PA
Post #136
Elected: 11/12/1919
National Commanders by vote of National Convention
Richard M. Pedro, NY
Post #401
Elected: 2012
Robert W. Spanogle, MI
Post #237
Elected: 2008
E. Roy Stone Jr., SC
Post #3
Elected: 1987
Hamilton Fish, NY
Post #150
Elected: 1979
Maurice Stember, NY
Post #342
Elected: 1975
Thomas W. Miller, NV
Post #23
Elected: 1968
Eric Fisher Wood, PA
Post #4
Elected: 1955
Theodore Roosevelt Jr., NY
Post #4
Elected: 1949
Bennett C. Clark, MO
Post #44
Elected: 1926
Milton Foreman, IL
Post #236
Elected: 1921
Henry D. Lindsley, TX
Post #1
Elected: 1919
Honorary National Commanders
Gen. John Pershing
Marshal Ferdinand Foch
Daniel J. Seehafer
National Commander of The American Legion
Daniel J. Seehafer was elected national commander of The American Legion on Aug. 31, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C., during the 104th national convention. Seehafer likes to say, “It’s personal,” when it comes to The American Legion’s mission of serving veterans and their families. He is continuing the theme of “Be the One,” to prevent veteran suicide.
An ordained minister from Wisconsin, he earned his American Legion eligibility through service in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve, where he served as a military chaplain. A member of American Legion Post 157 in Horicon, Wis., Seehafer served in a number of American Legion offices at every level, including national chaplain and commander of the Department of Wisconsin.
Born and raised in Merrill, Wis., he lettered in cross-country track while in high school and later received a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry from Concordia University and a Master of Divinity at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Seehafer was installed as assistant pastor of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Horicon in 1997 and continues to serve as administrative pastor of the church and its school. His American Legion post was recognized for “100 percent” and “All-Time High” in membership during his terms as commander and adjutant. Other honors include District Commander’s New Post Achievement Award, Silver Brigade, and Post 157 Legionnaire of the Year.
In 2023, Seehafer earned an Outstanding Heroism Award for administering the Heimlich maneuver to a choking victim at an American Legion dinner.
National Commander Seehafer and his wife, Stacey, who is a member of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 157, live in Beaver Dam, Wis. Dan’s son, Jacob, and daughter, Emma, are also members of the Post 157 family. Dan is the son of the late Lester Seehafer and Jean Sabatke.