NRA Board Member Rick Figueroa Addresses Veterans

An American Legion post based in Katy, Tex., started their new community-speakers program with a talk given by National Rifle Association board member Rick Figueroa in early September (view the full speech above). This talk is part of a larger initiative undertaken by the American Legion executive committee to bring local speakers in to share their perspectives with veterans and discuss how alignment may be mutually beneficial to both veterans and local post communities-at-large.

“We were fortunate to have a NRA board member from Texas in our area,” said Andy Valadez (a U.S. Marine Corps veteran), PR Officer for the Katy post. “We wanted to invite Mr. Figueroa, who has been very active in business and his role as a leading board member and influencer helping to educate the nation about our gun rights.”

“It was my honor to speak to the warriors of the American Legion about our country and freedom,” Figueroa said.

The NRA recently granted a Champions Choice T200 Sporter Class Air Rifle, six-position firing lane and compressed air-tank valued at $4,300 to the American Legion Post 164 Junior Shooting Sports Program. The veterans post is in the process of setting up a program for Junior Shooters at their location in Katy.

Jonathan D. Rozier Post 164 was named after the first KIA soldier from Katy, Tex., during the War on Terror, was founded in June 2002. This post has been active with Boys and Girls State, Flag Retirements, Honor Flight Houston, Wreaths Across American, Junior Shooting Sports Program and Breakfast With a Veteran. Now, they're ramping up more community-oriented programs to include blood drives, voter registrations, first-responder service days, community awards and more.

The American Legion recently celebrated more than 100 years of national service promoting veterans and rehabilitation, national security, Americanism, and children and youth, known as The Four Pillars. The American Legion has 14,000 posts nationally, comprising 2.4 million members.

The American Legion membership known as Legionnaires is comprised of wartime veterans and is supported by the auxiliary units made up of spouses, and the Sons of the American Legion for children and grandchildren of veteran members.