Dan Wiley: The Air Force Veteran and Judge Leading The American Legion
#250FOR250, Nex-finityNews

A Judge Turned Commander: Air Force Veteran Dan Wiley Leads The American Legion

June 9, 2026June 9, 2026By Dominick Bianco, Editor-in-Chief
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Dan Wiley: The Air Force Veteran and Judge Leading The American Legion
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TAMPA, Fla. — Dan K. Wiley, an Air Force veteran and retired Kansas judge who raises cattle in Leavenworth, was elected national commander of The American Legion on August 28, 2025, taking the helm of the nation’s largest veterans organization.

This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 by recognizing 250 veterans and the leaders who serve them — Americans whose commitment to country did not end when they left the uniform. Wiley is honored for pairing a judge’s perspective with a deeply personal mission to prevent veteran suicide.

From the Air Force to the Bench

Following his service in the U.S. Air Force, Wiley earned a bachelor’s degree in business at the College of Great Falls in Montana, then returned to his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, and earned a law degree at the University of Kansas. He served as Leavenworth’s municipal judge beginning in 1997 and was appointed a Kansas district court judge by the governor in December 2008, spending roughly 28 years on the bench.

As a judge, Wiley helped establish and presided over the Leavenworth County Veterans Treatment Court, a specialized court designed to connect justice-involved veterans with treatment rather than incarceration. He also runs a cattle farm in Leavenworth.

Rising in the Legion

Wiley is a paid-up-for-life member of Byron H. Mehl American Legion Post 23 in Leavenworth and a past department (state) commander of the Kansas American Legion. He has held leadership positions at the post, department, and national levels, including service on the organization’s National Executive Committee, its governing board.

‘Be the One’ and ‘Better Together’

Wiley has made the Legion’s “Be the One” suicide-prevention initiative a centerpiece of his term, and the cause is personal. In his convention address he told the story of a young attorney whose doctor recognized signs of distress and intervened — a man who went on to become a judge. “I can tell you he made a difference in my life,” Wiley said of the physician, Dr. Richard Whitlow, framing his own experience as the reason he champions mental-health advocacy.

His other priorities include his slogan “Better Together,” the Legion’s legislative agenda, the Veterans and Children Foundation, the celebration of America’s 250th birthday, and what he calls the three C’s: communication, community, and camaraderie.

What The American Legion Is

Founded in 1919, The American Legion is the nation’s largest veterans organization, with roughly 1.6 million members. Wiley was elected to the 2025–2026 term as national commander during the Legion’s 106th National Convention in Tampa.

The Legion’s reach extends from local posts that anchor community life in towns across the country to a national legislative presence in Washington. The organization helped write the original GI Bill and remains a force on veterans policy; its “Be the One” campaign, which Wiley has elevated, aims to reduce the rate of veteran suicide by encouraging Legionnaires and the public to reach out to struggling veterans and connect them with help.

Conclusion

Wiley, who is married to Sonia and has two children, Austin and Christy, brings the perspective of a judge who spent decades watching how untreated mental-health struggles can derail lives — and who now leads a national push to keep that from happening to fellow veterans.

Key Takeaways

  • Dan K. Wiley was elected national commander of The American Legion on August 28, 2025, in Tampa.
  • An Air Force veteran, he is a retired Kansas judge who spent about 28 years on the bench and runs a cattle farm in Leavenworth.
  • He helped establish and presided over the Leavenworth County Veterans Treatment Court.
  • His priorities include the “Be the One” suicide-prevention initiative, the slogan “Better Together,” and America’s 250th anniversary.
  • The American Legion, founded in 1919, is the nation’s largest veterans organization with about 1.6 million members.

Sources

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