First American Legion prison post established at Stafford Creek

A group of incarcerated veterans at Stafford Creek Corrections Center have a way to decompress, while putting their leadership skills to good use, thanks to the American Legion.

The American Legion granted Stafford Creek a permanent charter Oct. 30 to form a post inside the prison. This makes the prison southwest of Aberdeen the first in the state to have an officially charted American Legion post. The group plans a ceremony to mark the occasion in January.

“It gives us an outlet to be part of something positive while engaging with men who have also been in the service,” said 51-year-old inmate Gary Packer. “A lot of us when we come to prison, we’re forgotten. I did serve my country, and this lets us know that we’re not forgotten. To have something like this here is very humbling.”

Packer, who served in the United States Air Force from 1987-89, is one of the inmates who petitioned the American Legion to start a post at the prison. He serves as the post’s vice coordinator. He spends a lot of time introducing other incarcerated veterans to American Legion services.

The American Legion is the largest wartime veterans’ service organization in the country. It has more than two million members and 12,000 posts. Congress established the organization in 1919. Members wrote the first draft of the G.I. Bill. The organization supports community youth mentorship programs and helps veterans file benefits claims with Veterans Affairs.

Incarcerated veterans at the prison started holding American Legion meetings this year . About 40 people are involved in American Legion activities, prison officials said.

Meetings are once a month. Members practice American Legion rituals, such as posting of colors, reciting the pledge of Allegiance and setting up a POW/MIA table to honor fallen veterans. They discuss current events and follow congressional bills related to veterans issues. The American Legion also has a couple servicemen volunteers in the community help inmates file benefits claims.

The inmates held a fundraiser this year for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Seattle. Each veteran donated part of the money earned from their prison jobs over several months to raise $460. Most prison jobs pay less than $2.40 per hour.

Many of the veterans who attend the meetings at Stafford Creek also live in the prison’s veteran pod. To be eligible to live in the veterans pod, an inmate needs to have served in the military, not have a dishonorable discharge status and no major infractions for six months. The Department of Corrections has about 1,200 incarcerated veterans in its 12 prisons. Stafford Creek and Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell have veterans pods.

Sarah Sullivan, a correctional unit supervisor at Stafford Creek, says the veteran-centered programing like the American Legion and being in the company of other veterans helps address challenges incarcerated veterans are prone to.

“What I’ve witnessed is a sense of belonging and being part of a group that seeks purpose,” Sullivan said. “Having veterans living in the same area allows community organizations with veteran resources an easier way to connect with incarcerated veterans.”

COURTESY PHOTO Incarcerated veterans at Stafford Creek Corrections Center gather for an American Legion meeting Oct 16. Stafford Creek’s is the first ever prison-based American Legion post in the state.

COURTESY PHOTO Inmates look at the flag during an American Legion meeting at Stafford Creek Corrections Center Oct. 16.

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FILE PHOTO Veterans incarcerated in Stafford Creek Corrections Center salute the United States and POW/MIA flags. The prison has become the site of an official American Legion Post.

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FILE PHOTO Incarcerated veterans unfold the American flag during a flag-raising ceremony at Stafford Creek Corrections Center.