American Legion Gaming connects with troops at LA Fleet Week

Effort introduces active-duty servicemembers to Legion whereas offering protected house to calm down, unwind and recreation.

It was a two-pronged mission for American Legion Gaming (ALG) throughout LA Fleet Week 2026: introduce active-duty service members to The American Legion whereas offering a welcoming house the place troops might calm down, unwind, and join by means of gaming. As a part of Southern California’s America 250 Summer Kickoff Event, LA Fleet Week introduced hundreds of sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen into the Port of Los Angeles aboard vessels, together with the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2), Coast Guard patrol boat USCGC Halibut (WPB 87340) and Fast Response Cutter USCGC Terrell Horne (WPC-1131).

Adjacent to the battleship USS Iowa, American Legion Gaming established an exhibit space that includes a number of gaming consoles and a racing simulator. The shaded house rapidly turned a well-liked vacation spot for servicemembers and veterans on the lookout for a break from the crowds. ALG volunteers used the chance to introduce troops to Legion applications whereas demonstrating how gaming can foster camaraderie and neighborhood. At the identical time, the group partnered with the USO, which operated a big leisure space close to the Essex the place sailors might calm down after coming ashore.

Within the USO space, American Legion Gaming offered three PlayStation consoles and a racing simulator accessible to servicemembers across the clock all through the occasion. Comfortable couches and gaming stations gave troops an opportunity to socialize, compete and decompress.

Ryan Okita, govt director of the USO in California, mentioned the partnership enhanced the expertise for visiting servicemembers. “Having the opportunities to play games out here has really enhanced what we’re doing,” he mentioned. Many of the sailors visiting Fleet Week had been at sea for prolonged intervals, whereas others had been experiencing Los Angeles for the primary time.

The occasion additionally served as a profitable recruiting alternative for The American Legion. Jeff Sterling, incoming commander of Vanguard Post 1337—The American Legion’s on-line gaming-focused put up — mentioned the response from servicemembers exceeded expectations. “A lot of servicemembers are not aware of The American Legion, and they are now becoming aware of The American Legion, and so far we are at 25 new members,” Sterling mentioned.

He believes on-line communities akin to Post 1337 characterize an essential evolution for the group. “It’s the future,” he mentioned. “Every day we are changing, and to have this online post, this connectability where it’s not community based other than a global community, it’s going to allow us to make great changes to help the veterans in The American Legion.”

For many volunteers, Fleet Week highlighted the rising function gaming can play in veteran engagement and wellness. Steven Travali, incoming commander of Pacific Palisades Post 283, sees gaming as a software to fight points akin to PTSD, despair and isolation amongst veterans.

Meanwhile, ALG Senior Team Lead for Development and Operations Jacob Hammersmith linked servicemembers to each Legion membership functions and the group’s energetic Discord neighborhood, which incorporates hundreds of veterans, active-duty personnel and navy relations. “It’s a really small world,” Hammersmith mentioned,whereas recounting how he unexpectedly reconnected with a former Army colleague by means of the platform.

That sense of connection was echoed by ALG Director of Logistics and Planning Medic Always, who emphasised the group’s mission: “The sense of community and camaraderie that we lose when we get out is never gone. You just have to find it. And we’re here.”

Through gaming, on-line communities, and occasions like LA Fleet Week, American Legion Gaming continues to assist veterans and servicemembers discover that connection.