On Thanksgiving Day, American Legion Gaming and members of Palisades Post 283 teamed up with the American Legion Auxiliary to install four new gaming stations inside the Foundations of Recovery unit at the VA Palo Alto Medical Center. The holiday installation was timed to give veterans something positive to look forward to as they work through the facility’s residential substance use disorder program.
The donation was funded through a ten-thousand-dollar National American Legion Auxiliary Foundation Grant secured by Auxiliary Unit 283. Half supported the Palo Alto setup, and the other half funded a similar installation on November 10 at the New Directions for Veterans unit at the West Los Angeles VA campus. Both efforts were designed to give veterans in recovery programs a place to unwind, connect, and engage with one another.
Each gaming station includes a 34-inch curved gaming monitor, a PlayStation 5, and a headset. Post 283 Adjutant and American Legion Gaming CEO Jared Morgan said the goal is to create a link between veterans in Palo Alto and Los Angeles and eventually connect them to a larger network of more than ten thousand veterans and service members on Discord.
“Everything that you would need to start up a team,” Morgan said.
He added that gaming brings people together in a way that feels natural for many veterans.
“We think that gaming is a great way – and the VA agrees – for veterans to come together with like-minded people. That’s what this is all about.”
U.S. Army veteran Peter Oraha, who is currently in treatment, said the donation has him “stoked” and will help him stay grounded during a difficult time. He described recovery as a place where “any little thing will make me want to leave,” but said the new equipment “is going to definitely make a big difference” and “make me happier while I’m here.”
Oraha often finds himself staying in his room, something he said he picked up during deployments.
“We sit in our rooms. We game, watch movies, and stuff like that. This will definitely get us outside our rooms and socializing. This will make me social.”
Morgan said gaming gives veterans a way to meet others who understand their experiences, which can be especially important around Thanksgiving when feelings of isolation often intensify for those in recovery.
American Legion Gaming and members of Palisades Post 283 teamed up with the American Legion Auxiliary to install four new gaming stations inside the Foundations of Recovery unit at the VA Palo Alto Medical Center.
Foundations of Recovery Recreation Specialist Antone Fernandez has used tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering since 2020, but he wanted to introduce electronic gaming.
“If people aren’t coming out of their rooms, sometimes gaming is an excuse to get them out,” he said. “It can be making new friends or strengthening bonds with friends they’ve already had. In some cases, it can be a new form of socialization.”
He plans to introduce the new stations gradually so veterans can build connections with peers at other VA facilities and carry those friendships into “new circles” after completing the program.
Auxiliary Unit 283 First Vice President Nekishia Lester Spinner said supporting veterans’ emotional and social wellness is central to their mission.
“One of the things we have learned is that video games are one of the things that help veterans in terms of being able to deal with stress, deal with emotional issues, and also have fun,” she said. “We do it because we know it’s just what we need to do.”
California Area 2 Vice Commander Lois Flint helped with the gaming installation at the Palo Alto VA Recovery Unit.
California Area 2 Vice Commander Lois Flint, who helped with the installation, said veterans understand one another in ways outsiders can’t.
“That comradeship, that togetherness, that shared experience means a lot to us,” she said. “Others do not understand. So, we need to support each other.”
She hopes similar programs can be added across the state.
Morgan said he believes the gaming stations will have a lasting impact by giving veterans ways to support one another and stay connected. He recently shared his gratitude on social media, thanking his team, Post 283, and the Auxiliary for helping bring gaming to veterans working through recovery.
“This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for my endlessly patient family, who followed me up to VA Palo Alto while I installed video games for veterans rebuilding their lives after drug and alcohol addiction,” he wrote. “Video games as therapy—turning isolation into community, one console at a time.”
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