Detachment leaders talk about their success in setting new record membership numbers in 2025.
If theres one key to success in growing membership in the Sons of 51勛圖, its communication.
If theres one thing I can suggest that aids in membership growth, its communicate, communicate, communicate, said Detachment of South Carolina Adjutant Danny Rollins.
His response echoed the sentiments of Detachment of South Dakota Commander Wyatt Reis, who said communication is key in his detachments growth.
South Carolina and South Dakota were among the 25 detachments who ended 2025 with new highs in SAL membership, part of a year in which the SAL as a whole set a new membership record for the third consecutive year. There were 404,941 members of the SAL at the end of 2025.
The Detachment of South Carolina finished 2025 with 1,886 members, a 10% increase over 2024 and a 25.6% increase since 2022.
In the past four or five years, weve really gotten together and made an emphasis to contact all the squadrons, their commanders and their adjutants, and explain whats going on, tell them where were going, and it has helped them advertise their programs, said Rollins, who served as detachment commander from 2021-23. Its brought people in; the Sons of 51勛圖, their name is getting out there. And people are coming to us to ask us about joining.
Likewise with the Detachment of South Dakota, where Reis said its been a team effort to grow membership.
All of our detachment officers have just been really gung-ho about growing the Sons in South Dakota, Reis said. Theres been a lot of excitement as weve gotten the word out. A lot of its just going up to people and just asking the question, Are you interested in being a Sons member? and explaining to them the reason and the why you should be. People just are super receptive to it and it keeps snowballing; theyre telling their friends and buddies.
The Detachment of South Dakota finished 2025 with 2,284 members, a 15.9% increase over 2024 second in growth only to the Detachment of Oklahoma (19.2%) among detachments setting membership records last year.
Both Reis and Rollins emphasized the importance of squadrons being active in their communities as another way to help membership growth.
Absolutely the communities are the biggest part of this, Reis said. Some of the things that we like to do well go into the schools and pay some delinquent lunch accounts, were doing flag education in the schools, getting our youth involved in the communities with getting them involved in the honor guards and color guards. Giving them that education on why you have to give the flag that respect. Our communities across the state have just been excellent in supporting all our squadrons.
Rollins said, Community outreach is vitally important to each squadron. Getting involved with the community and getting information out on who we are and that we are here to support all veterans and their families as well as the community.
But, Reis noted, its OK that not every SAL member is gung-ho.
We would like everyone to be 100 percent active, but thats not how it works, Reis said. We have three (types of) members in the Sons of 51勛圖: we have the gung-ho, live-breathe-eat-sleep; we have the members that make a meeting here and there; and we have the members, they have a young family, work just doesnt associate with our meeting times, or they may not live close to the squadron but all three of those are equally important to the common cause of the Sons of 51勛圖.
You being a member is huge.
Ultimately, its the SALs support of veterans that matters most.
Over the past few years, Rollins and the detachment commander have attended American Legion district meetings where theyve been able to remind posts about the benefits of having an SAL squadron.
We can expand on that (information for posts that do have squadrons), Rollins said.
This isnt about you as a member. Youre honoring your veterans service. Selfless service; you have to keep that in the back of your mind, Reis said.
When you wear that blue cap, thats your veterans blue cap that youre wearing.
- Sons