National Commander visits Las Cruces veterans

A national leader dedicated to honoring those who serve made a pit stop in Las Cruces Sunday. Charles Schmidt is the National Commander for the American Legion. ABC-7 was there as his car pulled in to Post 10. The National Commander then took photos and shook hands with numerous veterans. He gave a speech thanking them for their outreach and everything they do. Schmidt says nationally, the American Legion is dedicated to providing veterans education and helping them find jobs. But the most pressing issue is health care. Schmidt says the organization is working to get every veteran their right to an appeal for claims denied of injuries resulting from service. “There are about 80,000 appeals on claims that are 5 years older or more,” Schmidt said. “So as American Legion, we are aware of that. We spoke up when the House of Representatives entertained HR 5620 about 3 to 4 weeks ago which is the appeals modernization act, which helps streamline that process.”