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New Hampshire Legionnaire shares how gaming leads to a community that fosters camaraderie, Buddy Checks and mental wellness.

Retired Air Force veteran Paul Evans knows how video games and the gaming community provide mental health benefits to veterans. For him, it’s helped with the PTSD he associates with his deployment to Afghanistan.

But he has also witnessed how gaming can be a lifeline for veterans who may be in crisis.

“One of the benefits of gaming is that it pulls you out of your current thoughts and makes you focus specifically on the tasks that you're dealing with in a virtual role,” said Evans, a member of American Legion Post 114 in Barrington, N.H., and the department’s senior vice commander. “But when you bring it into a community like on Discord or even at a Legion post, you're able to interact with other veterans who have experienced or have like experiences, and they can talk to each other.”

During the Department of New Jersey’s convention June 11 in Wildwood, Evans shared a story about how gaming helped save a veteran. While playing Discord one night, some players noticed one veteran was not having a good night.

“So we did a tactical pause on our Call of Duty and we talked to him for a bit, kind of assessed it through our Be the One training,” Evans recalled. “We identified that this gentleman was not in a good head space. So we encouraged him to go to the ER and get some help, which he did. 91Ӱ���ƽ�� two weeks later, he was back again on the server and we started playing again.”

That led to a Buddy Check, as the players asked how the veteran was doing.

“He said, ‘If it hadn't been for you guys that night on the server, I would not be here right now,’" Evans said.

During his presentation to New Jersey Legionnaires, Evans talked about American Legion Gaming, how the hobby can boost membership and his initiative to create a post for gamers in the Granite State. “By bringing tabletop games and video games to a post, it helps bring the local community in,” he explained. “Members who haven't been going to the post can come in and become social.”

Gaming has evolved since Evans first picked up a controller in the 1990s.

“With the help of Discord, if we leverage these things to create a community, that's what's helping and that's what we're trying to do,” he said. “At the end of the day, we want to use gaming to form a community of veterans to advocate for each other and for the program.”

Evans nudged Legionnaires to tap into this group of veterans.

“Let’s find these gamers,” he said. “Let’s find this community. Let’s flip this traditional model and appeal to this younger generation and encourage them to join 91Ӱ���ƽ��. Let’s create this space for them to come in and find fellowship with other people.”

During their convention, New Jersey American Legion Family members also participated in various initiatives. Among them:

• Eight Legionnaires conducted a Buddy Check for Harry Weimer, a seven-time past commander of Post 184 in Wildwood. Weimer, a Vietnam veteran whose wife passed away recently, was praised by Legionnaires for his volunteer efforts over the years. For example, after a severe hurricane struck Florida about seven years ago, Weimer drove a truck of relief supplies to a Legion post there.

“These Buddy Checks are what 91Ӱ���ƽ�� does for veterans,” said Past National Vice Commander Chuck Robbins, a member of Post 351 in Seaside Heights. “Harry is a very special guy to us. I’m sure you made a lot of people happy, and took care of a lot of people. You’ve been doing that for your whole life. Now, it’s our turn to help take care of you.”

• Legion Family members learned about New Jersey’s role in the nation’s 250^th birthday celebration from Chief Development Officer Lawrence Schmidt, who called himself a “proud Boys Stater.”

Schmidt said the goal was to make New Jersey a heritage tourism destination, showcasing its historic parks and other sites.

“2026 is not the end of the observance, it's really the starting point for our nation's next 250 years,” he said. “What will your revolutionary moment look like? What will your legacy be? It is so important that our older generations who have been carrying the torch, who have been keeping the flame alive, pass it on to our succeeding generations. You do that through all of the service programs and activities like Boys State and other programs for the younger generations. Join us in making this time meaningful and impactful for the future generations.”