A Marine Veteran’s Journey from Service to Finding a New Mission with the American Legion
My name is Roxanne Moss. I am a fifty-one-year-old female veteran of the United States Marine Corps. I served a total of fourteen years between active and reserve duty and was discharged from the corps as an E6 (general under honorable, because who can be that good every three years). And then I was lost. Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
I turned eighteen on November 7, 1990, and became a DEP (delayed enlistment poolee), because I knew the Marines would get me out of the house right after I graduated and get me near the helicopters my heart was set on. I abandoned ship on the Coast Guard, thanks to the rapid engagement of the female Marine Corps recruiter I met on our school campus. She appeared on that day when I needed her the most. And that dress blue uniform moved me to tears. I knew I had to earn one.
So far, this sounds like too many of our veterans who needed a plan after high school, who didn’t come from the best homes or cities sometimes, but who always knew they would serve this nation. And I served, stateside and combat deployed. I didn’t mind deployment because I was paid, fed, clothed, housed, and living a defined purpose. When it ended, because it needed to end, as I had a son with a terminal diagnosis and my dad’s death needed to be faced and grieved, I was lost and wandering.
I stayed lost and wandered for almost two decades. I went through a marriage, too many bottles of alcohol, and bad relationships. I went through jobs. I graduated college and got an AA and a BA but could not navigate civilians. I did not command a professional vocabulary, and out here in the free world, we need words with more than four letters. I was well-read, intelligent, and able to speak clearly and directly, but that gave me a civilian employment reputation of being arrogant, aggressive, or unable to work well with others. Typical misunderstood Marine. We cannot help our nature; we are made to be Marines and life after ‘grunt’ is hard!
I needed to find a safe place to land. I needed other veterans who would understand my difficulties and have the knowledge to help me help myself. The politics, the generations born after me, and the state of the nation did not offer much hope that veterans like me still had a safe place, but I believed it existed anyway.
In starting over from zero for the third time in my life after enlistment, in January of 2021, which included Covid-sponsored income loss, repossessed vehicles, selling my horses, and domestic violence, I found myself here in Huntsville, Texas. I found an apartment. I found a job with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Then, because they graciously employed my cousin who came here with me to start over too, I found our post, American Legion Sam Houston Post 95. This was the safe place my soul and fragile esteem needed to find. This was where I blossomed and came back to life. Real life. Civilian life with purpose that felt like being enlisted again.
I am asked all the time why I am a Legionnaire, how the Legion brought me back to life, and why I do so much for a bar full of old guys and cigarette smoke. I revel in the glory of these questions because they allow me to share my ‘why’ and offer some education about what our American Legion is.
The American Legion was the first veterans’ organization, established in 1919 by WWI veterans. The American Legion created the Veterans Bureau, which became the Veterans Administration. The veterans who joined the Legion were the soup kitchens and women and children’s services before those services were federally established. The American Legion is the organization that includes all veterans who served one day in military service and have an honorable DD-214, whose service was from December 1941 onward.
The American Legion National Commander speaks on the floor of Congress, to enforce veterans’ rights, benefits, way of life, and necessary programs. The membership dues paid by members of the American Legion ensure that our commander speaks to Congress and pushes forward all important veterans’ legislation. The American Legion members were the voices on the phones to local, state, and federal representatives in each state of this nation, pushing the PACT ACT through after it was voted down. The American Legion’s vision statement is “The American Legion: Veterans Strengthening America.” And that is what we are, veterans strengthening America by serving our veterans and their families in need, upholding our Constitution, and being a pillars in our communities.
In our post, Sam Houston Post 95, being in service as a volunteer member healed my mental health. I learned beautiful lessons about allowing myself a healthy emotional range through the tireless, albeit painful, commitment and dedication of our auxiliary unit. Those ladies made room for me, took my membership first, helped me learn how to “civilian” in a way that made me feel valuable and successful again, and then gave me over to those drinking and smoking old men, who made me a Legionnaire. As a Legionnaire, I learned to turn my Marine Corps nature into human nature, fundraising, and event chair challenges as new missions in my daily life. As our post includes a SAL (Sons of the American Legion) squadron and Riders (American Legion Motorcycle Riders program), I learned to cooperate, delegate, communicate, and serve a whole community of supporters outside of our veterans. I finally overcame those employment warning labels and earned a promotion at work thanks to everyone who cared to mentor and believe in me in our post, our district, and our division.
The American Legion has taught me that returning to service and staying in service is valuable and worthy. Our post chaplain reminded me of the importance of faith and giving back, regardless of the source driving your faith. Our canteen manager shows me constantly why we can never tire of talking about our Legion and recruiting new members. There is safety in numbers, and we need to see our numbers grow again.
So, why am I a Legionnaire? I think the better question is, “Why aren’t you?” Don’t let the notion of VFW vs the Legion be a barrier. We work together to promote good lives for the veterans of every community. We help each other by pooling resources to make impossible things become possible for our veterans’ families. Don’t let yourself get inside your head and decide that nothing can help because no one cares. WE CARE. And we are here for you. We are the safe place. We are the American Legion.
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More About Sam Houston Post 95:
Sam Houston Post 95, located in Huntsville, Texas, is a dedicated chapter of the American Legion, a national veterans’ organization committed to supporting veterans, their families, and the community. The American Legion focuses on promoting patriotism, strong national security, and continued devotion to fellow service members and veterans. Membership is open to all military personnel who have served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces since December 7, 1941. For more information about Sam Houston Post 95, their services, and upcoming events, visit their website at http://www.samhoustonpost95.org.
