POST FALLS — American Legion Post 143 prepared some of Idaho’s best potatoes Monday morning for a brunch with the American Legion National Commander Dan Wiley. 

About 70 people attended the breakfast as Post 143 welcomed the national commander to their facility for the first time in several years during his current tour across the country. 

“This is what we do; I love doing it," Wiley told the crowd. "It does get a little long in the tooth, I’m not going to lie to you, but it is a great experience."

Having as few as 22 days off the entire year, Wiley’s tour has taken him to almost every state. Idaho was among the last states he had not visited yet, with Wisconsin being the last. 

Wiley will visit hundreds of American Legion posts during his tour, some as small as a few people in a small room and some as big as Post Falls Post 143, which is the largest American Legion Post in Idaho.

Post 143 Commander Tim Shaw thanked all of the volunteers who work hard to make sure events like the brunch happen. 

“Our volunteers are everything in this post. They step up when they’re needed, and they take charge," Shaw said. "Without them, we wouldn’t be heading in the direction we are today."

Wiley shared a story about a small Legion post naming the bathroom they constructed just for his visit after him. 

“That’s pretty special. How many of you have a bathroom named after you?” Wiley joked. 

During his speech, Wiley spoke about the American Legion’s national campaign centered around suicide prevention. 

“That is our biggest mission at a national level is suicide prevention,” Wiley said. “I think we’ve made progress towards that.” 

Wiley said veteran suicide is the biggest crisis facing veterans and that he would guess every single person in the American Legion banquet hall had personally been affected by it. 

He recommended getting trained to recognize episodes and suicidal behavior and how to intervene to help stop them.

Another thing Wiley highlighted was the American Legion’s Veterans and Children's Foundation, a national-level 501(c) (3) charity. The charity funds provide temporary financial assistance to families with children in crisis and also training for veteran service officers. 

Veteran service officers are spread across the U.S. and, according to Wiley, helped return $29.5 billion in benefits through the Veterans Affairs disability process in 2025. 

“It’s clear that in our organization, that's where the rubber meets the road. That’s where people get taken care of,” Wiley said.