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West Virginia Post 1 hosts Future Soldier Celebration, collaborating with Army recruiters to honor, thank more than 20 enlistees.

With its large event space, American Legion Post 1 in Wheeling, W.Va., has a steady source of income from hall rentals.

But when a local U.S. Army recruiter reached out about the post hosting a West Virginia Future Soldier Celebration, Post 1 was more than happy to accommodate the request.

But there was one condition.

“When they came to us, I said, ‘Absolutely. But we don’t charge for you guys,’” Post 1 Commander Tom Abell said. “Normally we’ll rent our facility out. But with active duty, we don’t (charge). Active duty’s free. That’s just how it is.”

So on May 29, Post 1 – whose property includes a baseball field and a barbecue pit – hosted the celebration, which provided recognition and activities for more than 20 Army recruits and their family members, other recruiters and veterans. The day included a cookout, kickball and a chance for members of Post 1 to talk with the enlistees.

“They’re just dying to know what’s next,” Abell said. “You hear a lot of things: ‘You’re going to boot camp, this, that and the other.’ When I went in (the Navy), you were scared to go to boot camp. And I think they have the same feelings. A lot of the (post members) just reassured them that, ‘No, it’s not as bad as you think it is. You’re young. You can do all this stuff. And you’ll learn a lot.’

“What they take from this is that a lot of us are retired military, and they see that. And I explained to them that I’m where I’m at because of the military. They see that as, ‘I can learn a lot. I can learn a trade. I can move forward when I get out.’”

But Abell said talk about leaving the Army after their initial enlistment ends was rare among the recruits. “I don’t think I heard one person say, ‘I’m getting out after four years,’” he said. “Not one of the kids said that. They’re looking at this like this is something that’s going to teach them something they can use for the rest of their lives.”

Post 1 also presented each recruit with a certificate thanking them for their decision to join the military. “There’s a lot of, ‘I, I, I’ and ‘me, me, me’ these days,” Abell said. “You see somebody that’s not doing it just for them, but they’re doing it for a cause. They’re doing it for the United States of America.”

Abell said the Army recruiters already have said they want to do a similar ceremony at the post next year and are going to reach out to recruiters from other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces to ask for their participation.

He also said the day was an opportunity for the recruits to see what the Army can offer them. “I think what they need to see is joining the military … once you (join the Army), you become a veteran,” Abell said. “And that takes you throughout your life and sticks with you into old age. Some of our members are elderly, and it shows (the recruits) that it sticks with you and is a life-long commitment.”