A DIFFERENT WAY TO SERVE

An interview with US Air Force Veteran, James Tomlin

James Tomlin loved Anchorage, Alaska, calling it the most gorgeous place he had ever been. But when his

time in the Air Force ended, he chose to return to his hometown of Lynchburg, where most of his family lived. “The majority of my family is here, and we're all very family-oriented.” He says. 

Coming home meant leaving a career he had intended to keep. James loved the Air Force, but an accident left him unable to deploy and led to a medical discharge after a couple of years. As an F-15 Crew Chief, he had learned what it meant to have someone else’s life depend on his work.

“Every time somebody pulls off of that flight line, that's a life,” he said. The responsibility stayed with him. “When you get used to something, you get comfortable. If you get comfortable, you get sloppy.

The transition after service was difficult; 

James didn’t know what help was available to him at the time. About a year after his discharge, a DAV representative at the Salem VA asked whether he had filed a disability claim; James hadn’t known that he could. Thankfully, the representative helped him through the process.

Years later, at his Uncle’s funeral, a Navy Veteran, members of American Legion Post 16 performed military honors. “And I felt like that was a really good closure for my Aunt. And that meant a lot to me that somebody in the community came out there to do that.”

So, when a Veteran at his daughter’s school later invited him to the Legion, James remembered those honors. He joined the post’s Uniformed Services Group to offer other families that same comfort and respect. “It was my way to continue to serve,” he said.

His involvement continued to grow through conversations with fellow members. A discussion about Halloween decorations became ideas for a community trunk-or-treat event and a haunted maze; both ways to introduce younger Veterans and their families to the post, and to show them that they are much more than a social club.

When other members encouraged James to run for Commander, he saw an opportunity to build on that mission, taking the Legion’s programs into the local community so people could see everything it offers. Supporting families, partnering with organizations and welcoming younger Veterans means respecting traditions, while also creating new ideas and trying new things.

For those still serving, James’s advice is to learn about available support before leaving the military, lean on fellow Veterans and the community, and pass that knowledge along to others.

“You have to be your own advocate.” James wants to leave Post 16 stronger than he found it. As he puts it: “It's about service. It's about taking care of the people around you. And it's about leaving something better for the people who come after you.”