A VETERAN IS someone who has given everything to their country — someone who has fought and protected and should be respected as such. They have done their service and deserve rest, but many never stop.
The veterans at American Legion Post 23 are like that, serving their community at home as they did abroad. Post 23 has fed people without homes, furnished veteran housing, donated to the school system and the Boys & Girls Club, and done so much more for the citizens of Bowling Green. Some of their work has been substantial, but equally important are the little things. Paying to fix a transmission or buying a washer are the things that seem small but really help the individual.
It is a community effort, as the American Legion makes great use of local donations, but the one at the head of it all is Post 23’s finance officer, Jim Manley. Manley served the United States in the Marines and served with the American Legion for 54 consecutive years. For the past 32 years, he has been the finance officer, taking care of the books, paying the bills, and keeping the post up to date with its charitable gaming license and its gaming hall. While the job may feel secretarial at times, his work makes sure the money the American Legion raises goes back to Bowling Green. “Not only [do] we help veterans, but we do help the community as a whole,” Manley said. “We have donated back to the community over $2 million since I have been the finance officer here.”
The Legion didn’t start out being so involved in the community. Manley said the group realized what they could do for the community through their work with veterans.
“We saw what we were being able to do through the [Department of Veterans Affairs], then we saw the other needs in the community and thought, ‘Hey, these people need more,’” Manley said. “We want to do everything that we can to help all of the people that are in need.”
It’s a goal that is reflected in Manley as well and was the reason he joined the Ameican Legion. He grew up in a family that didn’t have much — at one time no electricity or running water — but they always helped each other. That mindset translated to his military service, and then beyond to his work and his membership with the Legion.
“I wanted to help everybody that I could, and I wanted to stay doing that, and as long as I stay healthy and well, I am going to keep doing that,” Manley said.
With so much experience with the Legion and his role as finance officer, Manley has been in a unique position to make all of Post 23’s efforts worthwhile. He doesn’t work alone, however.
Post 23 partners with other organizations throughout Bowling Green, like Good Deeds KY. It is through these organizations that the Legion furnishes veterans’ apartments, getting furniture, clothing, and other items for those who need it. The veterans work with Room in the Inn and the Salvation Army in the winter, setting up cots and feeding the unhoused at night. It is the school resource coordinators who call the Legion when there are kids who need beds or who can’t afford a field trip.
Another big outreach Post 23 does is with local nursing homes. Legion volunteers are assigned to each nursing home in the area, and those volunteers visit with veterans in the homes and make sure they have everything they need.
“We go into the nursing homes at least once a month, and we visit the veterans,” Manley said.
They help provide for the other residents as well. Manley himself goes to Greenwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and when he brings things for the veterans, Toys for Tots will often send puzzle books, socks, and other items the residents might need.
There are many other organizations that the American Legion works with, from Room in the Inn and the Salvation Army to the Marine Corps League and more. It’s one of the greatest things about Bowling Green — that everyone works together.
“We really, really enjoy working with the community,” Manley said. “It’s a great feeling that you’re helping somebody, and … we’re here helping someone, not expecting anything in return.”
Hundreds of people have felt the effect of the veterans’ work, and hundreds more will continue to have their lives changed in the future.
“As long as we’re doing the right thing and we are working for the people and for the Lord, I feel that things are going to keep working out,” Manley said. “As long as we’re able [to] do these things, we’re going to do them.”
With a servant like Jim Manley at the helm, there is no doubt they will. GN
