The arrival of thousands of uniformed personnel to the Port of Los Angeles for LA Fleet Week created a prime opportunity for outreach and respite. American Legion Gaming (ALG) established a comfortable, shaded exhibit near the historic USS Iowa where sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen could step off ship and into an informal atmosphere built around video games and conversation. The initiative combined community building with recruitment and wellness outreach while partnering with the USO to increase the event footprint.
ALG’s presence coincided with visits from vessels such as the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2), patrol boat USCGC Halibut (WPB 87340) and the Fast Response Cutter USCGC Terrell Horne (WPC-1131). Volunteers staffed multiple gaming stations, including consoles and a racing simulator, encouraging troops ashore to relax, socialize and learn about The American Legion programs and online resources.
Creating a welcoming space for service members
ALG’s exhibit intentionally emphasized comfort and low pressure: soft seating, a mix of multiplayer and solo setups, and a visible presence that invited passersby to stop in for a quick match or a longer session. In a partnership with the USO, Alg supplied three PlayStation consoles and a racing simulator inside the USO entertainment area next to the USS Essex. The equipment was available around the clock throughout the event, making the space a reliable retreat for personnel coming ashore after extended deployments.
Why games as outreach work
Gaming provided an accessible entry point for conversations about veteran services and community. Volunteers used informal play to introduce attendees to membership options, local posts and digital hangouts. The strategy leveraged the universal language of competition and collaboration: a quick race or a cooperative match turned into a relaxed environment for discussing benefits, mental health resources and opportunities for engagement within The American Legion.
Recruitment, reconnecting, and community building
One of the measurable outcomes of the activation was the recruitment of new members to Legion initiatives. Jeff Sterling, incoming commander of Vanguard Post 1337—an online post focused on gaming—reported that the post signed up roughly 25 new members as a direct result of Fleet Week outreach. Sterling framed online posts as a necessary evolution for the organization, saying that virtual connectivity allows the Legion to reach veterans and service members who may not interact with geographically based posts.
Digital platforms and real-world reconnections
ALG volunteers encouraged enlistment not only into traditional posts but also into digital communities such as the Legion’s Discord channels. Jacob Hammersmith, ALG’s senior team lead for development and operations, described how the platform facilitated unexpected reunions—he reconnected with a former Army colleague through the Legion’s online network, illustrating how virtual spaces can restart conversations that began years earlier in uniform.
Wellness, purpose, and peer support
Beyond recruitment, the activation served as a demonstration of how gaming can support veteran wellness. Volunteers and post leaders emphasized the role of shared play in reducing isolation, easing stress and creating peer support networks. Steven Travali, incoming commander of Pacific Palisades Post 283, highlighted gaming as a practical tool for addressing issues such as PTSD and depression by offering veterans a structured, social activity that fosters belonging.
Voices from the event
Ryan Okita, executive director of the USO in California, praised the collaboration, noting that gaming expanded the range of recreational choices available to crew members who had been at sea for long stretches. ALG’s logistics and planning lead, who uses the call sign Medic Always, captured the mission succinctly: veterans often lose everyday community after separating from the military, but the bond itself doesn’t disappear; it just needs new channels to surface. ALG’s setup was one such channel.
By combining a visible on-the-ground presence with ongoing online communities and targeted partnerships, American Legion Gaming used LA Fleet Week to both serve and educate visiting service members. The shaded gaming pavilion, continuous console access in the USO area and outreach by volunteers resulted in new memberships, renewed connections and an example of how low-barrier activities like gaming can strengthen veteran engagement and well-being.
