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American Legion Post 180 hosts dinner for both groups just ahead of arrival of program’s 202 senators.

American Legion Past National Commander Dan Dellinger started cooking at around 7 a.m. on Thursday. More than 12 hours later, he was washing dishes. 

In between, dozens of staff and volunteers from American Legion Boys Nation and American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation had reaped the benefits of his culinary expertise at American Legion Post 180 in Vienna, Va. The two groups met up at the post just ahead of the arrival of the 202 senators for their respective programs on July 18.

Smoking pork tenderloin and chicken in temps that reached mid-90s with a heat index topping 105 degrees left Dellinger a bit on the damp side. But to him, it was worth it.

“It’s one of our Four Pillars,” Dellinger said, “It’s very important that we take care of those that take care of our Children & Youth. These people take time out of their busy schedules to be here. It’s the least we can do to assist them.”

Dellinger also noted that the value of Boys Nation can be seen in the numerous current junior counselors who previously went through the program. “It’s the quality of the entire experience,” he said. “What we teach. Setting up the government and everything else. It’s just phenomenal.”

Boys Nation Assistant Director Corey Brooks said taking the staff and volunteers to area American Legion posts can be both eye-opening and have positive long-term impacts on the Legon.

“The Legion Family is part of the overall fabric of what we do here,” said Brooks, director of Oklahoma Boys State and a member of American Legion Post 301 in Lexington, Okla. “Sometimes, especially the younger staff, will just get involved with their Boys State program back home and not see the larger Legion message. So getting to go to a post, a local area where the rubber meets the road, they can meet the Legionnaires that are doing things in the community, share those stories, hear about why it’s important.

“And they take that back home and maybe join the Sons (of 91Ӱ���ƽ��), get involved locally, maybe talk to a parent who’s in the military about joining the Legion. So maybe we grow the Legion Family.”

Girls Nation Chairman Valerie Hardy said the two programs getting a chance to meet up, “is such a great opportunity for all of us to share stories, to learn about the programs, to talk about our state programs. It’s super valuable. I think it helps us every year to get a little better once we get the input from all the different voices in the room.”

Post 180 Commander David Wallace, who also serves as chairman of the National Media & Communication Commission, said he hopes that his post can continue to host the staff and volunteers from both organizations. “I’m such a strong supporter of Boys Nation,” he said. “I think it’s an honor – an honor to be that post that gets to host.”

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