Dale Barnett is crisscrossing the country on a whirlwind schedule this year in preparation for what would be an influential position on the national stage.
The Fayetteville resident is the frontrunner to become national commander of the American Legion a year from now. That would make him the primary spokesman for 2.4 million veterans and their families.
The American Legion has a selection committee that meets each year and selects one person to move forward for a two-year candidacy run, which Barnett is in the middle of right now. He is visiting 32 states this year to gather campaign endorsements and learn about the unique challenges faced by Legion posts in different parts of the country.
Should he complete the campaign successfully, he would assume the national commander’s role Sept. 3, 2015, in Baltimore.
“I’ve already received endorsements from some states,” he said Friday by phone while on an out-of-state trip. “You have two candidates at any given time. You don’t run against each other, but if I were to get into a legal concern or something that could bring discredit on the organization, I would not be elected.”
His schedule would not slow down as American Legion commander, as he probably would visit all 50 states as well as departments in such locations as Europe, the Philippines, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Through the American Legion, Barnett has had the unique chance to give back to a younger generation what the organization provided for him nearly 50 years ago.
He was introduced to the American Legion as a teenager through its popular Boys State program, and he acknowledges now that the experience likely played a role in his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“At the time I went to Boys State I had no idea I would go into the military despite the fact that my father was a World War II naval veteran,” he said. “That was just not something that was in the cards. But it was an opportunity I took advantage of, and I enjoyed the opportunity to serve my nation with my military career and can still serve through a great organization like the American Legion.”
Barnett served 22 years in the U.S. Army after graduating from West Point in 1974. That is also the year he married the former Donna Egbert, and the couple has two adult children, three adopted children and one granddaughter.
His commissioned infantry service around the world included combat in the first Gulf War as a battalion executive officer in a mechanized infantry unit, where he earned a Bronze Star. His other military decorations include a Legion of Merit, combat infantryman, and three meritorious service medals.
After retiring in 1996 as a lieutenant colonel, he became a high school teacher and coach at Creekside High School in Fairburn. He was the school’s Teacher of the Year in 2005-2006 and coached several sports before retiring in 2011.
It was during his final military assignment at Ft. McPherson that he made his home in Fayetteville, and shortly after arriving he learned from a newspaper article about a local meeting of American Legion Post 105. That was when he got involved, moving up through the organization at the post and state levels. He has particularly enjoyed helping young people do what he was able to do so many years ago.
“It’s been fun working the youth programs,” he said. “It allowed me to give other kids the opportunity to be associated with our outstanding youth development programs that we have.”
Barnett was Georgia’s state commander in 2007-2008 and has served as national chairman for various Legion committees.
Membership in the American Legion is open to any veteran who has been on active military duty during an official time of war – not necessarily in combat, but in military service. There has been a continuous period of open enrollment since the 9/11 attacks, so anyone who has been in the military since then is eligible.
“We love having people from all generations – from recent veterans to those who were in World War II, Korea and Vietnam,” said Barnett.
Of course, with more than 2 million members, this is an organization that is taken very seriously in Washington, D.C. As national commander Barnett would work directly with the president and, with his term lasting through most of 2016, he would have the ear of the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees.
The most recent hot-button issue that saw extensive media coverage was the crisis involving the Veterans Administration and the many problems veterans were having with their medical treatment. At the American Legion’s spring conference in Indianapolis the current commander called for the resignation of the VA secretary.
“It’s not something we liked to do,” said Barnett. “We did it because we wanted to ensure that our veterans receive the best health care possible.”
As recently as July, Barnett attended hearings with the U.S. House and Senate’s committees on veterans’ affairs to discuss this and other timely issues.
“The president has worked very closely with our organization for advice,” he said. “They [congressional leaders] have a high regard for the American Legion because we are not one single political party. We are for veterans and we lobby on behalf of active-duty families.”
Another issue that came to their attention this year was veterans’ benefits. The American Legion spoke out against a proposed move to cap the cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for veterans and their families.
“We didn’t think reducing benefits to people who had stood up to serve their nation was where we needed to balance the budget,” said Barnett. “Not on the backs of military members.”
As national commander, he will be expected to address these congressional committees on behalf of his membership and answer questions from members of Congress as well. He has already had the opportunity to testify in the past in the area of employment opportunities for veterans. At the state level, he worked to help pass a bill that gives credit for military training that is transferrable to a civilian occupation.
The chance to be perhaps the top civilian in the United States to speak on behalf of the nation’s veterans is something Barnett is not taking lightly.
“This is going to be a capstone experience in my life. I look forward to the challenge,” he said. “To be a spokesperson for 2.4 million American heroes is a big deal.”
