Don De Kock was elected Department Commander of The American Legion, Department of Iowa, at the 107th Department Convention on July 19, 2026. De Kock is a proud six-year veteran of the U.S. Navy. He deployed three times during the Vietnam War, serving aboard the USS Neosho (AO-143) as a Hull Maintenance Technician. Much of … Read more
Legion Family As my time as your Department Commander comes to a close, I am filled with overwhelming gratitude for the honor of serving the Department of Iowa. This year has been a journey of shared challenges and collective hard work, and I want to express my deepest appreciation to the team that made it … Read more
Legion family, As we enter the home stretch of our Legion year, it is time to look squarely at the numbers and remember exactly why we wear the cap. Right now, the Department of Iowa is 1,466 members behind where we were at this time last year. That isn’t just a number on a spreadsheet. … Read more
Legionnaires, As we move forward in this membership year, I want to speak directly to the value of what it means to be a member of the American Legion. Membership is more than a card—it is a continued commitment to service. It is the promise that we stand for veterans, their families, and our communities. … Read more
Fellow Legionnaires and friends, At this point last year, our department stood stronger in numbers than we do today. As of now, we are 949 members behind where we were at this same time last year. That number matters—not because it’s about statistics, but because it represents voices, service, and strength that Iowa veterans depend … Read more