Military Moms Form New American Legion Auxiliary

When Chris Hughes’ son, Ryan Tenscher, for a 15-day leave from Iraq, she didn’t welcome him home alone. Along with motorcycle and police escort, a group of dedicated mothers — some of whom had never met Ryan — was there to welcome him home.

These moms are all members, with Hughes, in the newly formed American Legion Auxiliary Unit 179 out of the Log Cabin in San Anselmo.

And, as much as they work to support the troops, Hughes was also quick to point out that the group also support each other and has helped support her while her son has been deployed.

“It doesn’t really hit home with you until you have one in there,” she said.

Hughes said she was a typical American, going to Fourth of July celebrations, but not really thinking about the troops, until her son enlisted after graduating from high school. It was then that she, like many of the moms involved in the auxiliary now, came to Blue Star Moms – the Novato chapter of a nationwide nonprofit that supports the veterans and troops serving on active duty as well as their families back home.

But in the past year, a number of the women left the Blue Star Moms for “the same reasons,” said Jan Darmody, who is now president of the Auxiliary Unit 179. Darmody said it wasn’t an organized effort to leave, but that disagreements simply arose over the direction the organization was headed.

Those moms remained committed to supporting the troops, and some still had kids in the military.

“We thought how can we continue to do this,” said Darmody, a San Rafael resident.

The veterans at the Log Cabin, which houses American Legion Post 179, stepped forward and suggested the women form an American Legion Auxiliary unit. (The legion used to have an auxiliary, but it died out more than 10 years ago.)

“It was just a match made in heaven,” Darmody said.

Since the 10 military moms came together in October to charter the new auxiliary unit, they’ve been hard at work.

The group held a fundraiser dinner to support the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Novato High School, which serves all of Marin County. It participated in Veterans Day services, and, most importantly, collected donations for, sending 125 care packages and 130 holiday stockings to troops overseas. Another 33 boxes were sent last week, after more donations came in from local dentists and the Girl Scouts.

It is clear from the binder full of thank-you letters and cards from soldiers that the packages are appreciated.

“I just wanted to say thank you for all the support we have received,” reads one letter.

The packages don’t go to their own sons and daughters, who are already well-supported by their families — “He gets package after package after package,” said Hughes of her son. The donations the women collect go to soldiers who aren’t as well supported or don’t receive care packages from home.

Ellen Boesner, a San Anselmo resident and the unit’s vice president, said when friends of her son Jeff were deployed to Iraq she offered to send them care packages and the need for these small items and love from home became clear.

“Everything is so appreciated,” Boesner said.

“It’s just the fact that someone cared enough to send a package,” Hughes said.

And they’re not done yet.

The group will have another collection and donation day at the Safeway in Corte Madera as soon as they have a date confirmed for March. They’re also planning another fundraiser benefit and collection centers at gyms, where people visit frequently.

When they first started working to support the troops a few years ago, said Darmody, lots of people told her Marin residents would never donate for soldiers. With a fiercely liberal (and heavily anti-war) reputation, local residents might be expected not to donate to an effort to help the boys overseas.

But, that hasn’t been the case.

“We get a good response from the public,” Darmody said. “They’re able to differentiate between support for the troops and support for the war.”

Once you have a kid in a war zone and know what the soldiers go through, it’s hard not to support them. The average person doesn’t see how the troops live, Hughes said. They go weeks without showers or clean clothes. In Afghanistan, it can be hard to even get mail or basic necessities.

And once these moms knew that other people’s children were going through the same things, they’ve done all they can to support the sons and daughters.

Any woman is welcome to join the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 179. It meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month at the Log Cabin, 98 Veterans Place, San Anselmo.