{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Ask A Kansan","title":"Supporting Kansas Veterans with James Seipel of American Legion Auxiliary Post 421","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3040,"description":"What happens when the wars end and the welcome home fades? For thousands of veterans across Kansas, coming home is only the beginning of a much longer mission—rebuilding a life, finding community, and navigating a world that often doesn't understand what they've been through. This week, with Veterans Day approaching, we sit down with James Seipel, District 1 Community Service Chairperson for the American Legion Auxiliary Post 421, to talk about the changing face of veteran organizations, the push to reach younger post-9/11 veterans, and the very real costs—visible and invisible—that service members and their families carry long after deployment. From a Hy-Vee parking lot food drive that brought a Vietnam veteran to tears, to the heartbreaking loss of a cousin to veteran suicide, to an American Legion post in Alaska where younger vets gather to play Magic: The Gathering—this conversation is a reminder that supporting those who served isn't just about parades and free meals. It's about showing up, listening, and meeting people where they are.\n\nHighlights\n\nJames explains the difference between the American Legion Auxil, the VFW, and the American Legion Auxiliary—and how recent eligibility changes have opened the auxiliary to sons, grandsons, fathers, and grandfathers of veterans\nOnly 40% of post-9/11 veterans enroll in VA healthcare, meaning 60% are going without earned benefits\nThe Battle Buddy Linkup program, launched October 10, specifically targets post-9/11 veterans who aren't showing up at traditional post meetings\nJames shares the heartbreaking story of his cousin Cameron, a specialist with the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan who died by suicide—and how it fuels his mission today\nAn American Legion post in Alaska draws younger veterans by hosting Magic: The Gathering game nights, proving outreach means meeting veterans where their interests actually are\nA Vietnam veteran walked up to a food drive at Hy-Vee in Topeka and handed over a $100 bill, explaining how...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/31uDhQmE-73zaqpWjXtwnyYffNMsUnDPiL6GtjTddEQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mNzBm/YzFkNDBkODVjNGM2/MzMwMGViYjhmZTY4/Nzc0Mi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}