Moulton welcomes Robert Nieto as new American Legion Commander

A local veteran, Robert Nieto, was named as the new commander of American Legion Post 392 in Moulton. He’s been the new commander for several months now

“We’re a small group, we have less than 50 members,” Nieto said. “I’ve been doing a lot of recruiting and trying to get some younger ones in. A lot of times the younger generation is still trying to make a living, so it’s harder for them to help out on certain events. It’s a new experience for me too, I started in August, and I am still learning a lot.”

Nieto is proud to serve as a new commander.

“As far as being the commander goes, I make sure we have our monthly meetings,” Nieto said. “It’s a huge honor to serve as commander. I’ve been a member of the American Legion for 28 years, but the last two years, I’ve been making all of the meetings. Our previous commander was Johnny Dierschke, and he did a phenomenal job for about eight years. But he has a granddaughter that lives in Shiner and he wants to spend more time with her. The commander is more work than I thought it would be, there’s a lot of paperwork. Most of our members are Vietnam Veterans and they’ve been getting older, and I knew I had to step in.”

Nieto is already spearheading some projects as the new commander.

“Currently, we are doing a raffle,” Nieto said. “We do a major fundraiser every two years and this is a big one. It’s the only fundraiser we have, so we have to make sure we raise enough for two years.”

The raffle drawing will occur next week on Veterans Day. Most of the businesses in town have raffle tickets available. Those wanting to purchase a raffle ticket can contact Nieto at 979- 820-6618.

“We have some older gentlemen that work really hard selling these tickets,” Nieto said. “Some of these guys are going out to Hallettsville selling these raffle tickets at Brookshire Brothers and Hoffers. They probably sold about $4,000 worth of raffle tickets.”

Nieto is a proud veteran. He did a tour on the Multinational Force Observers for a year in 2007. He was then deployed to Iraq for nine months in 2010 and, afterwards, deployed to Afghanistan for nine months in 2017.

“I joined the Texas National Guard in 1983, and I retired in November of 2021,” Nieto said. “I put 38 years in it.”

Veterans Day is next Monday and Nieto said Veterans Day is an important day that people should honor.

“It’s a day that we acknowledge those that wear the uniform,” Nieto said. “I take a lot of pride in wearing that uniform. A veteran sacrifices a lot when he leaves his family to protect the United States. After 9/11, the men and women who joined the military knew they were going to be deployed and there’s a lot of respect for that. It takes a certain kind of person to do it. I appreciate the people who stepped up to the plate and served.”

Nieto knew from a young age he wanted to join the military.

“I had two brothers that are older than me and they both were in the service,” Nieto said. “One was a Marine and one was an airborne trooper, and I admired what they did, so I wanted to be in the military too. I wanted to be a part of that group.”

Nieto holds a lot of core values as a veteran.

“The Army has seven core values,” Nieto said. “That’s leadership, duty, respect, service, honor, integrity, and courage. I favor integrity the most, but if you look at the definition of integrity, the other six follow beneath it. My integrity made me the leader I am.”

Nieto aims to continue to serve as the new commander for years to come.