by Kristina Morgan
The American Legion/Ladies Auxiliary is a gem in Lake Chapala that is waiting to be discovered by the newer expats in the area. Historically, the American Legion is an organization designed to support Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families and other people may not become members. But when you have an American Legion that has become the hub of community events in Mexico it’s time to bend the rules a bit.
Who can become a member and how?
“This post is unique,” says Commander Dan Williams, “The legion here is different than the legions in the U.S. because it’s more like a home to the expats. We’re not just the “American” Legion. We have members of the allied forces who are members of the facility and we have a lot of Canadians and Mexicans who make use of our facilities also. We believe that in order to maintain our facilities we need to open our doors to everybody and in that way we’ll be able to do more for our veterans and more for the community.”
The American Legion and Ladies’ Auxiliary have guest memberships and social memberships. You can take advantage of all the good things they have to offer but you won’t be able to vote during elections. Visitors or guests are always welcome at the legion.
Services available for veterans
- Their Service Officer is a retired physician and he keeps tabs on what services are available to veterans in Mexico. There are a couple of hospitals in Guadalajara that will accept TriCare: San Javier and Hospital Americas.
- The legion is working on developing a fee schedule with local doctors for members so they know what they’ll pay upfront if they don’t have TriCare or private insurance. They are also working with the Red Cross to get transport to hospitals at a reduced fee for veterans.
- There are on-site U.S. consulate and Social Security services the first Wednesday of each month that will help with passports, benefits and other issues.
- If a veteran is having a problem, the Legion will help get the veteran transported to the U.S. and cooperate between Mexican and U.S. authorities to do so.
- They also supply emergency help for vets, such as money, food and lodging.
What is there to do at the American Legion?
The American Legion in Chapala is the largest post outside the United States, boasting 138 members, and there is a lot to do! They have:
- A restaurant and bar
- A clubhouse
- A book, DVD and video library
- Card games such as Bridge and Pinochle
- Special events
- A Service Officer available to war veterans in need of help
- On-site Consulate and Social Security services the first Wed. of every month
- Celebrations on all patriotic holidays from the USA
- Massages by appointment
- A yard sale the first Friday of every month from 8-12
The Legion Grill every Sunday from 12-3—Burgers, potato salad and beans for $30-$35 pesos—the best burgers in town!
Beginning and Intermediate Spanish classes for $40 pesos a class.
Integrating into Mexico
Every Independence Day (September 16 in Mexico) they host local elected officials at a special event. This is such a long-standing tradition at Lakeside that the mayor often has to turn down other invitations to attend this event with the Yankees and their Canadian friends.
Dan Williams volunteered, “Another deal came up the other day…kinda cracked us up…The principal of a Chapala school came and asked if we could do some repairs at the school because a ceiling fan fell and almost hurt one of the students. So we went in and took all the old ones down, and donated brand-new ceiling fans, reworked the old ones that were still in good shape and changed the wiring. So we’re getting a reputation around town for helping out!”
The Ladies’ Auxiliary
Dan Williams largely credits the tireless efforts of the Ladies Auxiliary for making the Legion what it is today.
“The American Legion and the Ladies’ Auxiliary are housed under the same roof, but they are two separate organizations,” says Barbara Prince, Second Vice and Activities Director of the Ladies’ Auxiliary. “We’re here to support veterans and their families with anything they need and to also assist the local community. Right now we are supporting three local charities: the Red Cross, the Casa de Ancianos (a nursing home for the elderly) and the Little Blue School in Chapala that cares for children with Down’s syndrome, handicaps and disabilities.”
What does the American Legion need to keep going?
Funds and volunteers!
Volunteers are specifically needed to:
- Grill on Sundays
- Officers of the day need to be on-site to help veterans
- Carpenters
- Electricians
- A librarian
- Maintenance workers
- Love in Action (Childrens’ shelter/orphanage) volunteers…Dan said he would like to go there with a fixed amount of money per month for Love in Action and help them with food. “I feel that it is really important that we support them. We need people to donate pesos, a shopper to buy food and diapers, and someone to take it to them.”
A few years ago the Legion boasted 400 members, but like many veterans’ organizations, they have found their membership is down once older veterans pass away. If you would like to volunteer or become a member, please contact Barbara Prince, Ladies Auxiliary, or Dan Williams, Commander of the American Legion—376-765-2259. Located at Morelos #114 in Chapala, the American Legion is open daily from 9 a.m.-8 p.m.