Struggling Berkley American Legion Post Needs $100K To Stay Open

BERKLEY (WWJ) - The American Legion Post 374 in Berkley will be forced to close its doors if help doesn't come soon...to the tune of $100,000.

Commander Tom Bustance says the post is deeply in debt and needs to pay the bank by April 27 or shut down for good.

Bustance said the trouble began with someone the Legion hired who mismanaged the post's finances.

"About four years ago, the club was totally renovated by a manager — who I didn't even know, because I wasn't a member then — and there was just some wrongdoings there," Bustance said. "There was overspending, leases signed that shouldn't have been...and then that person left the state."

"A lot of it didn't come to light until our past commander brought in a new finance guy and we started to uncover things...but things were kept from us," he said.

Another problem, he said, was a decline in membership — which they've been building back up.

Bustance said the post important for vets who need to talk to fellow soldiers about their experiences.

"We've got some members that have purple hearts," he said. "We've got some that still are trying to get over, you know, things that happened in the war that are still in their heads, and they feel more comfortable being with another veteran."

"You build up a nice camaraderie," Bustance said. "And, as one donor put it...'These heroes need a place to gather.' And, while I don't consider us heroes, we do like getting together as past military people. It's just a nice environment for us."

Bustance said the group does a lot of charity work, including delivering Christmas baskets to vets in Detroit and hosting dinners for homeless vets.

The Legion has put up a GoFundMe page to raise money. More than 7,900 had been raised as of Wednesday morning. To learn more or to contribute, click here.