[Holmes:] Our "Mission Possible" on this Memorial Day, the American Legion. The largest veterans service organization has over 2.5 million volunteers. Chartered and incorporated by Congress back in 1919, founded on four pillars. Number one, veterans' affairs and rehabilitation, which makes sure vets get access to medical care, career opportunities, and help transitioning back into civilian life. Number two, national security, which offers support for the Department of Homeland Security, helps provide decent quality of life for active troops and their families, and works towards disaster preparedness. Number three Americanism, which supports voter registration and participation and the Boy Scouts of America, as well. And children and youth, works to strengthen the family unit, and supports quality organizations for young people. And one of the people at the helm of the American Legion, Mr. Peter Gaytan, executive director of the D.C. office. Mr. Gaytan, I certainly appreciate you being here with us on this Memorial Day. You know what, I kind of went through it there, the four pillars, but do you think, as large as you guys are, do people know enough about you?
[Peter Gaytan, Executive Director, The American Legion:] It's our hope that the people do know about the American legion, and I think a lot of that falls on us. As the volunteer members of this great organization, we don't tell our story quite well enough. We don't let people know that we're there in their local communities, that we're there to help transitioning veterans and their families. That we're there to support great programs for our youth in America today, like Boys' Nation where we teach young men and women about our government and about our nation, and they can start with a strong foundation when they're young people to find a direction for their own lives, be that military or anywhere else in the last. But your question about do enough people know what we do, I think we need to do a better job of telling our story.
[Holmes:] Well, that's something else, as large as you all are, you are still a secret almost and it sounds like you need a good PR agency.
[Gaytan:] We're doing the best we can. If you visit our website, www.legion.org, you can learn about not only the national organization which is here in Washington D.C., and goes to Capitol Hill and works with the Department of Veterans' Affairs and works with the administration to make sure that we as a nation meet our obligation to our servicemen and women when they take that uniform off, when they return home, that they have the benefits and health care and services they need that we owe them as a nation.
[Holmes:] And like you said, legion.org make sure people hear that, legion.org. What would you say now? We're going through the four pillars of what you do, but what would you say your largest impact where do you make the biggest difference? And has that evolved, I guess, over the past several years, given what we have seen in Iraq and Afghanistan?
[Gaytan:] Well, with the many different layers of our great organization, we're effective in a lot of different areas. I mentioned what we do here on Capitol Hill and Washington D.C. We provide the largest voice for America's veterans and service members to our Congress, saying we owe these men and women who are defending our freedoms as a nation, we owe them what they return. They need quality health care, they need improved GI benefits, which we, the American Legion, helped pass. They deserve employment opportunities, specifically our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are coming back from combat. We need to make sure that when they take that uniform off they have the opportunities ahead of them to live a full life. Now the other layer is we're effective at the local community level. The organization and the influence we have within the Beltway in Washington D.C. is only as strong as our membership. And we have a devoted volunteer membership in this organization and that's what makes us great.
[Holmes:] And, Mr. Gaytan, you said in there, make sure we give them what they've earned. We owe them what they have earned when they come back. How good are we right now, how good of a job are we doing at meeting that obligation?
[Gaytan:] The American Legion is working hard
[Holmes:] I know the American Legion. I'm saying us as a nation. What would you say, how good a job are we doing as a country to make sure they get what they have earned when they come back?
[Gaytan:] We're improving, but we need to do is listen. We need to know what the military families need. We need to know what the spouse who is at home with two young children while her husband is deployed or he or she their spouse is deployed for two or three times. We need to listen to them and make sure we know what they need. Do they need quality health care, daycare for their children? Do they need help when their spouse comes back and they're a different person? What do they need from us as a nation? And what we need to do, we as active citizens, not only veterans, not only American legion theirs, but as citizens of this country, we need to remind our elected officials of our obligation as a nation to care for he who has born the battle and his widow and his orphan. So it's our obligation as a nation, not just the American Legion, but the citizens of this country to help the American Legion, to help our veterans who are coming back, especially this weekend. You mentioned it earlier, we need to recognize the meaning of today. Of we need to recognize the meaning of today every day because every day we as a nation are making new veterans, and the men and women of this country are defending our freedoms across the globe.
[Holmes:] You're absolutely right. Again, it's Legion.org. Peter Gaytan, we appreciate you taking the time out of this special day to spend it with us. Thank you so much and good luck getting that message out.
[Gaytan:] Thank you for this opportunity.
[Holmes:] We'll hook you up with a good PR agent possibly to get that word out. Thank you so much, Mr. Peter Gaytan.
[Gaytan:] Thank you.
[Holmes:] Stay with us here. One of the favorite parts of filling in for Ali Velshi is I get to talk to that guy right there, Mr. Ed Henry. "The Ed Henry Segment" coming up, right after the break.