I retired from the U.S. Army after 25 years of service, and there is something that has bothered me for a while: for some veterans, service seems to end the day the uniform comes off.

We are proud to say “I served.” We appreciate the recognition, the handshakes, the discounts and the free Veterans Day meals. There is nothing wrong with that. Veterans earned the nation’s gratitude.

But I think we also need to ask ourselves a harder question: What are we doing now?

If military service taught us leadership, discipline, duty, teamwork and sacrifice, those qualities should still be visible in our communities. A DD-214 marks the end of military service. It should not mark the end of citizenship.

The same question applies to our American Legion posts.

There is nothing wrong with having a successful cantina, a good kitchen or a place where veterans and the community can gather. Those things can support a post. But they cannot become the mission.

If a post measures success by having the busiest bar, the best food or a packed building every weekend, then somewhere along the way we have lost sight of why The American Legion exists.

A full parking lot does not necessarily mean a successful post. Neither does a profitable cantina. Those things should support the mission. They should never become the mission.

Here is the question every post should be willing to ask:

If our American Legion post disappeared tomorrow, what would our community lose?

Would veterans lose someone helping them? Would students lose scholarships? Would families lose assistance? Would the community lose an Honor Guard, mentors, volunteers or people willing to step forward when help is needed?

Or would it mostly lose a building and a bar?

The worth of a veterans organization is not measured by the number of veterans sitting inside its building. It is measured by what those veterans are doing outside it.

I am proud to say “I served.”

But “I served” is past tense.

Maybe we veterans should spend a little less time asking, “What do I get because I am a veteran?” and more time asking, “What can I do because I am a veteran?”

The uniform comes off.

The mission changes.

The service shouldn’t.