CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - In the six months since Sylvia Thweatt has taken office as Commander of American Legion Post 637 of Citrus Heights, she and the board are working on a plan to reach out to returning Gulf War veterans and others who are having difficulty transitioning back into civilian life in Citrus Heights and surrounding areas

Thweatt brings a wide array of personal, military and other life experiences to her position which has enriched her perspective of living in this country and serving in the United States military.

Thweatt began her life in Prague, formerly Czechoslovakia where she was born and raised until her graduation from high school in 1984. Following graduation, she, her father, mother and sister packed their bags for a “vacation” to the former Yugoslavia where they applied for asylum at the United Nations office in Belgrade, Serbia. Nine months later, in 1985 the family arrived in San Francisco to begin their new life.        

Thweatt’s grandmother, already in the United States for 19 years became their sponsor. Living in her grandmother’s Millbrae home, Thweatt attended San Mateo College where she added to the English she had learned from a private teacher in Prague. She found however, that watching American TV, especially “I Love Lucy” and ‘MacGyver” taught her to speak real American English. 

Thweatt then earned money working as a housekeeper to purchase a car and other necessities before joining the Air Force in 1987.  She was stationed at Mather Air Force Base where she served as an Air Passenger Service Representative and an Airfield Dispatcher. In early 1991 she was deployed to Saudi Arabia as a member of the Redeployment Task Force during the early Gulf War. Following her separation from the military in 1992, Thweatt purchased a home in Antelope, ran a home day care center, earned an accounting degree at Sacramento State University, then worked as an accountant for 15 years. She also became a certified Tour Manager/Guide in 2015.

All of Thweatt’s education, training, management and people skills gained through military and civilian work, and life experiences has given her valuable skills for her position of leadership as a post commander.

Thweatt became involved with the Citrus Heights American Legion as a volunteer at the first Battle of the Bands and BBQ fundraiser in 2015. After joining the post, she moved up in rank quickly until she was voted in as commander of Post 637 in July of 2019. Thweatt said in an email, “As of August last year I am honored to become a Commander of Post 637.” She follows Paul Reyes who served in this position for seven years.

Thweatt knows she is facing the challenges of an aging membership. “I would like to see the post get more involved with our local veterans and community. We are having a hard time reconnecting with the existing membership as they are aging and may not be physically able to come to the meetings or events the post is involved with. Communication is further hindered by the inability of some members to communicate through emails and large mailings are costly.

To ensure that this largest veteran organization (American Legion) keeps going and growing, we need to reach out to post-Vietnam and the younger Iraq and Afghanistan conflict-era veterans and other veterans transitioning to civilian life.”

American Legion Post 637 meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the Citrus Heights City Hall at 6360 Fountain Square Drive.

All active and retired veterans and their families are invited to attend their annual Veteran’s Appreciation and Resource picnic on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rusch Park, 7801 Auburn Boulevard. Website: chalpost637.com

Email: [email protected]                                                            

Source: American Legion Post Commander 637