A Tuskegee Airman Surprise

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Loudoun County resident and member of the Leonard W. Kidd Memorial American Legion Post 2001 (AL Post 2001) of Ashburn VA, Carl Johnson, was the last Tuskegee Airman to earn his wings in 1946. The Tuskegee airmen were the first African American Aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps. At 94 years old, he can remember a time when he overcame many obstacles to achieve the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army. He selflessly served his Country with 30 years of military service and tenures at DOD and the FAA.

When AL2001 heard about Carl’s mobility challenges, from a Post wellness checkup phone call several weeks ago, the answer was clear – find a way to help a fellow Veteran who had an essential need. At about the same time, an Ashburn resident, Mrs. Cheryl Broome, decided it was time to donate her two power wheel chairs, one from her deceased husband, also a Veteran, and one that she had replaced for herself.  She contacted Mike Ross who owns/operates Batteries and Bulbs for ideas. Mike, in turn, contacted our Post, as we had worked with him before to place a donated power wheel chair with a Veteran in need.  AL2001 sprang into action, visited Mrs. Broome, picked up the power wheel  chairs, had Mike replace the batteries that he donated and began the match to need process.

On Friday, 29 May, five American Legion Post 2001 members met with this special WWII, Korean war and Vietnam war Veteran to deliver the much needed power wheelchair. Carl will use this to go down the street to his community’s Recreation Center so that he can continue his workouts! He was very pleased that anyone would take the time to worry about him.

Although, social distancing was in effect the AL2001 managed to take a peak at 30+ years of legacy. Several Post members asked if they could learn more about his life. In a most humble way, Carl said, “well, we  could  go inside and I could show you some photo albums.” The doorway was jammed as we all rushed  in to share in this view of a remarkable man and career. An hour later, we realized it was time for us to go, but promising to come back in another couple of weeks if he was willing to share with us some more history, which he graciously agreed to. There will be a follow up to this story, stay tuned.

Belmont Country Club: AL Post 2001 Feature Article

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The following article will appear in the Belmont Country Club publication: Summer 2020

The mission of the Leonard W. Kidd Memorial American Legion Post 2001 in Ashburn,
VA, is to support our Veterans and Active Duty members and families, promote
Americanism, and mentor our youth. The Post is a 501(c)(19) nonprofit organization
established in 2000 and named after the first Loudoun County serviceman killed in the
Vietnam War.

Note: eligibility for membership in the American Legion changed in 2019 — now all
veterans who served on active duty since December 7, 1941 are eligible to join the
Legion and our Post.

We meet monthly on the second Thursday of the month at 730PM at the Ashburn
Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department Station Six, 20688 Ashburn Road. However due
to the Pandemic, we will meet virtually for the near term. Because we do not own a building, all of our efforts and finances are focused strictly in the mission areas mentioned above. A short summary of some of our activities follows.

Veterans helping Veterans: Post 2001 members have been annually increasing our
support to the veterans of Loudoun County. In 2019, we provided over $22,000, on
behalf of 38 military veterans (87 total children and family members), to landlords and
utility companies for eviction avoidance and/or to prevent utility cut off. Unfortunately,
this need is growing dramatically in high-cost Loudoun County, up over 30% from 2018.

Americanism: Post 2001 coordinated a Vietnam Veterans pinning ceremony for 25
veterans and 25 surviving spouses in special recognition of their service during that war.
Additionally, the Post 2001 sponsored a Flag Retirement Ceremony with a local Boy
Scout troop in which over 250 American flags were properly disposed of. An Eagle
Scout project we sponsored several years ago provided collection boxes in six local
communities, including our HOA office area, so that any resident can drop off worn flags
for collection by Post members, who will insure they are properly retired.
Twice a year during Memorial Day and Veterans Day weekends, Post Legionnaires
hand out approximately 5,000 paper poppies in remembrance of those who served
and/or have lost their lives serving in the Armed Forces. The generosity of the community is wonderful and the stories we hear from veterans or family members about
their relatives are very inspiring.

Mentoring our Youth: Post 2001 coordinated and helped to fully sponsor (no cost to the
student) 16 junior class boys and girls from 7 of our local High Schools, including
Riverside and Stone Bridge, to attend a life-changing, week long Virginia Boys or Girls
State educational program. The cost is approximately $400 per student. Unfortunately,
while our goal was to more than double the students we would select and sponsor this
year– 49 students were recommended by the Guidance Counselors of those schools —
the programs were cancelled due to the Pandemic.

And, the Post’s 2019 American Legion Baseball team provided summer skill sharpening
opportunities to 18 of our some of our most promising baseball athletes (ages 15-19)
and we were delighted when they made the Divisional playoffs.

We are always looking for Veterans who would like to be involved in the American
Legion’s mission areas. Please contact us if you would like more information on
membership and how to get involved. Our web address is: http://ashburnlegion.org/
All donations are tax deductible. There is also a supporting 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the
Leonard W. Kidd Memorial Post 2001 Charitable Foundation which also accepts tax
deductible donations.

The web address is: http://ashburnlegion.org/post2001cf/
Post 2001 and its members are standing by to assist members of our community at this
time of crisis. We work very closely with Loudoun County’s Veteran Services Officer,
Tom Grant. He is a wonderful source of information for services and assistance. The
official website is https://www.loudoun.gov/3555/Veterans-Services-Program .
If you know of a veteran in need of financial or other support, you may also contact the
Post’s Financial Officer, Richard Ryan at 202-258-4109/ Richard.ryan@verizon.net or
the Post 2001 Adjutant at adjutant@ashburnlegion.org
Thank you for taking the time to read this, stay well.
Picture and caption

American Legion (AL) Post 2001 in Ashburn, VA donated a battery operated scooter
to a Vietnam Veteran and successfully delivered it on Monday, February 10. AL 2001
led the way to give our Veteran added mobility to get “out and about.” It will not only
enable him in a physical sense but will also serve to reduce his feelings of isolation, as
he can now get out and interact with his neighbors and community.