American Legion Fort Dearborn Post 364 holds it 22nd annual Hog Heaven event, featuring Harley-Davidsons, not swine, Sept. 14 at 3001 S. Telegraph Road in Dearborn.
U.S. Air Force veteran Janet Montoya, 56, of Dearborn, who served during Desert Storm, is the first female commander of American Legion Fort Dearborn Post 364.
Post elects first female commander
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – It was Hog Heaven – the Harley kind – on Sept. 14 as the American Legion Fort Dearborn Post 364 held its 22nd annual event at its 3001 S. Telegraph Road location.
The 2024 Hog Heaven Chairman and past Commander Phil Smith said the late Joe Stempel started the event to raise much needed money for the post and its mission.
“We had no money and we were broke, totally,” he said. “Joe Stempel reached out to the mayor – (Michael) Guido, at the time – and he reached out to MotorCity Harley-Davison, and they donated a bike, and what it’s all able is veterans helping veterans and their families.”
Smith said the local American Legion and Legion Riders run the event together.
The top three raffle prizes were a 2023 Harley Davison motorcycle, as well as $500 and $300 awards.
New Post Commander Janet Montoya, 56, of Dearborn, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Desert Storm, is the first female to serve in Post 364’s top spot.
She said fundraisers like Hog Heaven are used to help veterans in many ways.
“Recently we got a call from a female veteran who had been homeless,” Montoya said. “She had secured housing, but she had to sell her car to be able to pay her bills, but she was still delinquent on her DTE bill, so we paid the rest of her DTE bill.”
She said the American Legion can sometimes move faster to help a veteran than other organizations because they don’t have as much “red tape.”
Montoya and Smith said veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam are often in need of help, and the local American Legion can help them find the resources available to them.
“We have a lot of veterans here that are going through treatments for different cancers and stuff right now,” Montoya said.
She said the American Legion also provides camaraderie.
American Legion Fort Dearborn Post 364 holds it 22nd annual Hog Heaven event, featuring Harley-Davidsons, not swine, Sept. 14 at 3001 S. Telegraph Road in Dearborn.
“Some of the guys will tell you that this is their home,” Montoya said. “Many of these vets come in every day, and this is where they go when they need help or need to talk to somebody.”
She said the American Legion continues to reach out to younger veterans to get them to join, which it needs to survive and continue its mission of helping veterans in need.
Montoya said Sunday football watch parties are planned, as well as a Thanksgiving dinner and a Veterans Day dinner.
“We pack this hall on Veterans Day,” she said.
Smith added that they also put wreathes on veterans’ graves during the holidays.
“We got a lot of people with some new and interesting ideas that we are looking at,” Montoya said. “We are trying to bring in some new things to try.”
She said it was wonderful to see the turnout the post had for the 22nd annual Hog Heaven event.
“It means that we can once again provide for veterans in need,” Montoya said. “So, the more people here, the better, because everything we do today is for veterans.”