On Friday, April 17, 2026, the American Legion 1st, 2nd, 9th, and 10th districts of the Department of New York honored National Commander Dan K. Wiley at Antun’s in Queens, N.Y. Wiley was accompanied by a host of other distinguished guests, all of whom held important positions for the Legion. Other special guests included Past National Commander Vincent Troiola, Past National Commander Fang Wong, Detachment Joseph Guidice, Department Commander John Miga, Department Adjutant James Casey, Past Department Commander Francis LaMarsh, Department Auxiliary President Maureen Morgan, National Executive Committeeman Frank Peters, 1st District Commander Miguel Ramirez, 2nd District Commander Russell Goller, 9th District Commander Steven Felsenfeld, 10th District Commander John Hassett, Suffolk County Commander David Isaacs and Nassau County Commander Dawn Samuel.

Wiley addressed the room. He discussed the Legions continued fight against veteran suicide. Although pleased with the progress, he noted that he believes veteran suicide remains one of the most serious issues facing veterans and their families. As a result, he said he is committed to reducing the stigma associated with mental health and encouraging people to utilize resources from betheone.org. Wiley also discussed the upcoming semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the creation of the United States. The Legion is celebrating this anniversary with a challenge that can be found at their website. The challenge involves completing 250 tasks in 2026. Wiley mentioned these can range from a mental challenge, physical challenge or even community-orientated challenge. One suggestion made was to reach out to membership on their birthdays. Buddy Checks are always encouraged to keep in touch with membership and see how they are doing. What better way to do this than on a member's birthday? Wiley made reference to the impact the Legion had in passing protections for veterans. He discussed how it was The American Legion that led the way in getting veterans exposed to Agent Orange the services and medical benefits they needed after being denied for so many years. The Legion has the ability to make impactful change with collective support on legislation that will help reclassify certain drugs from schedule 1 to schedule 3. This way they can be studied to see if they can help veterans.