American Legion national commander urges stronger veteran services, honors two legislators

Dan K. Wiley, national commander of the American Legion, told a joint assembly of the South Carolina legislature on Feb. 25, 2026, that while the state is a ‘‘veteran-friendly’’ model the legislature should continue strengthening services for veterans, including staffing county Veterans Affairs offices and improving data coordination on veteran suicides.

Wiley opened by praising South Carolina’s policies for veterans, noting exemptions for military pensions and certain pay, property tax relief for disabled veterans, and veterans preference in state employment. ‘‘There is a good reason more than 380,000 veterans choose to live across your 46 counties,’’ he said, crediting the Legislature’s actions and local veteran-service organizations.

The commander highlighted operational strain in county VA offices, saying at least 20 offices ‘‘have two or fewer employees’’ and that some officers must travel long distances to serve veterans in multiple counties. He cited House Bill 3510 (as referenced in the address) from a prior session as a step toward addressing the staffing problem.

Wiley raised concerns about veteran health and suicide. He said veterans ‘‘take their own lives at a rate that is 50% higher than non-veterans’’ and cited a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimate of ‘‘17 a day,’’ adding that some studies put the figure ‘‘as high as 44.’’ He urged improved coordination between county coroners and the veterans community to better identify such deaths and their causes.

Speaking about benefits advocacy, Wiley criticized unaccredited claims representatives who charge veterans for services that accredited service organizations provide for free. He said American Legion credited service officers were able to obtain ‘‘more than 29,500,000,000.0 in benefits for veterans’’ during calendar year 2025 and underscored that the Legion did so ‘‘without charging a single penny.’’ (Number quoted as stated in the address.)

Wiley also noted state investments in veteran care, saying the state operates six veterans nursing homes and referencing his visit to Patriots Village, a recently opened facility.

Near the close of his remarks, Wiley presented the American Legion Department of South Carolina’s Special Legislative Award for 2026 to Senator Jeff Zell and Representative Cody Mitchell, calling them ‘‘veterans champions’’ and inviting them to the platform to accept the awards dated Feb. 25, 2026. Both were thanked by the presiding officer and the commander before the joint assembly concluded.

The presiding officer had earlier indicated, by previous motion, that the Senate would stand in recess for one hour after the joint assembly (anticipated around 2:00 p.m.). After the national commander and his delegation departed, the presiding officer declared that the purposes of the joint assembly had been completed and adjourned the session.

The joint assembly record did not include sponsors for the cited House Bill 3510 or the exact statutory citations for other programs Wiley referenced; those details were described in the address and are marked below as "as referenced in the address" where the transcript did not specify legislative identifiers.