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The American Legion , dating back to its establishment in 1919, has largely been known for its advocacy for U.S. military veterans as well as active members of the military and their respective families, but one of the organization's most prominent activities does not focus on the military personnel of the past or present, but rather, on future generations of leaders.
In South Carolina, hundreds of teenagers are reached each year through Palmetto Boys State and (as a project of American Legion Auxiliary) Palmetto Girls State , programs offering a hands-on "laboratory of government, " with participants taking part for several days of Locations have varied over the decades, but the girls program is currently held in Clinton, at Presbyterian College; and the boys session is now held in Anderson, at Anderson University. Teens who complete the "PBS" and "PGS" programs eventually head into a wide range of professional fields, and some have wound up spending a few years or an entire career in the military. "They kind of ingrained discipline that hadn't been there before," said 2004 North Augusta High School graduate Evan Williams, who took part in Palmetto Boys State in the summer of 2003, when the program was held at The Citadel.
Post 26 softball debuts, makes history for Aiken "It gave you the appreciation of the government on any level, whether it's the city, the community, the state or the national level," he said. "They gave you more of an appreciation for that, and what goes into it." Williams, largely known at the time as a standout football player in high school, went on to attend the U.
S. Military Academy, join the Army and serve in a variety of roles in special operations forces in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. His PBS time, he said, was an eye-opener.
"I'd never planned on being in the military, ever, and then that kind of sparked my interest a little bit more, and then, obviously, once military academies started recruiting me, it made me more interested in actually going towards that field, and I know for sure it helped me get into West Point, because I know that's something they look for, once they're looking through your paperwork." Williams, having been medically retired by the military in October 2023, is now a strength and conditioning coach at a school near Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), North Carolina, which was one of his home bases during his Army years. Long may she wave: Boy Scout troop holds flag retirement ceremony Aiken resident Mike Martin, a Navy retiree, had a similar teenage experience, although separated by a generation and about 1,500 miles.
A native of Huron, South Dakota, he took part in South Dakota Boys State in the summer of 1960 — "one giant civics class," as he recalled the experience. "It's one of the few places that you can get fairly deep into how our local and federal government works," he said. Teens "run for offices and they get assigned or voted into various places, like mayors of cities and heads of county council and judgeships, all the way up to governor, and in that process, there are mentors all over the place to help you understand what you're doing, why you're doing it, and what the laws and rules are within the state.
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