Friday, November 7, 2008 10:17 PM CST
Cisna is new Sons of American Legion national commander
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — When he used to blow Taps as a kid for veterans’ funerals, Tommie Cisna knew when he was hitting the notes right.
“I knew I was doing good when I made the veterans cry,” said the 49-year-old Sons of The American Legion national commander. “I used to get out of school for half a day and got paid $20. Then after the funeral I would hear those veterans talk about their buddy. It was kind of an after-wake. And all that left a mark on me.”
He fondly recalls sipping on a glass of Coca-Cola as he listened to those old stories at the former American Legion Post 88 building at the corner of South 17th Street and Wabash Avenue in Mattoon. Now Post 88 is in a new building on the south end of town at 1903 Maple, but the old traditions still live on.
“Look at that old clock over there,” said Cisna with a twinkle in his eye at he pointed to a grandfather clock. “Now that old clock has quite a past. They used to have a clock winder here at the post. Think of all the history that goes with all of it.”
In many ways, the American Legion has become like a second home to Cisna, whose father served in the Air Force during the Korean War. And on Saturday, Legionnaires, Auxiliary members and Sons of the American Legion will honor the newly installed national commander with a homecoming. The event will draw national commanders of the Legion and Auxiliary.
Cisna was installed as the 2008-09 national commander during a national convention in Arizona.
“To me this is my Legion home. I’ve been elected to this office and they are coming here to celebrate that with me in Mattoon,” Cisna said.
But Cisna is not a man obsessed with personal honors, noting he is an average guy who works for a fuel truck company at Arcola. Over the past 25 years, he and his wife, Cathy, have dedicated their lives to helping others, whether they are disabled veterans or children fighting cancer.
“We’re both active in our veteran organizations like the Sons and the Legion Auxiliary. It is all about time management. Cathy has been there through the thick and thin,” he said.
The SAL service programs like those in the medical center at Danville help remind Cisna of why he has been paying his dues for 25 years for different generations of veterans.
“I’ve found out one person can make a difference in a veteran’s life. This really has become a passion with me. The feeling you have when you give of yourself is so great,” said Cisna.
He realizes many people helped him attain national office with the SAL as he went through the different levels from commander of the local squadron, then division commander, then state and vice national commander. His quest for national office was even longer than some White House aspirants. That is why he takes pride in the 88 on his gold commander’s hat.
“There are 323,000 Sons of the American Legion members nationwide. But this is a service-based organization. And when I take the podium as national commander I will talk and try to inspire more people to volunteer.”
Over the coming months, Cisna will be crossing the country during weekend trips to meetings, events and memorials. He will be sharing his hat pin with its iconic Lincoln Memorial image — he has an extensive hat pin collection on display at Post 88 this week.
“I plan to be at the presidential inauguration. On Thanksgiving we’ll be serving dinners to disabled veterans. And I am going to lay a wreath at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial on Sunday, Dec. 7,” said Cisna.
And that wreath ceremony has a link to his past in Mattoon, too.
When Cisna was a Boy Scout in Troop 45, Carl Browning was Scoutmaster.
“He’s a Pearl Harbor survivor. He helped me become an Eagle Scout. And I remember setting up the flags around town with the scouts. Growing up here I’ve always been around this kind of stuff,” he said.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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roger_wrrn wrote on Nov 7, 2008 3:33 AM: