JOHN DAY — A leading candidate to become the American Legion’s national commander, Dan K. Wiley, came to John Day on Saturday, April 20, for the Legion’s Be the One walk seeking to shine a spotlight on the epidemic of veteran suicides.

The walk was followed by a meet-and-greet with local leaders at the Legion’s Ellis Tracy Post 77 in John Day. The visit to John Day doubled as a campaign stop for Wiley, who will spend the next year touring all 50 states in his bid to become the American Legion’s top officer for 2025-26.

The American Legion Department of Oregon conducted its spring department executive committee meeting and activities over the weekend, during Wiley’s visit to John Day.

Wiley, a national committeeman from Kansas, is an Air Force veteran and previously served as municipal judge for the city of Leavenworth and as a district court judge for the state.

The American Legion is the largest veterans organization in the nation, with 1.6 million members. The group was instrumental in passing the Montgomery GI Bill, which helps cover college costs for eligible veterans, as well as authoring the current U.S. Flag Code.

The Legion is currently championing its Be the One campaign, which encourages people to be the one to help end veteran suicides. Suicides are a critical issue facing veterans, with more than 6,000 incidents of veteran suicide occurring annually.

Be the One seeks to destigmatize asking for mental health assistance, provide peer-to-peer support to prevent veteran suicides and utilize FDA-approved therapeutic treatments for veterans to help identify issues and find resources for support.

“It’s exactly what we’re trying to do,” Wiley said. “I think we’ve all had someone we know, whether it’s an acquaintance or a friend, who has taken their own life.”

The organization also sponsors American Legion baseball and softball leagues for boys and girls, a state and national oratorical contest and a cadet law program that sees participants spend a week with highway patrol officers to learn the ins and outs of the job.

The journey to becoming national commander of the American Legion is a two-year process. Wiley started campaigning for the post in 2023, with hopes of being elected to a one-year term that would begin in 2025.

If elected, Wiley said, he’ll be sworn in as national commander next year.

“Hopefully, if everything goes according to my plan, it’ll be Aug. 28, 2025,” he said.