When James JagoThaCiv logs on to stream with ALG, he brings more than gameplay to the screen. He brings lived experience shaped by military service, personal loss, and a deliberate decision to rebuild his life around connection and purpose. For him, streaming is not a pivot away from service, but a continuation of it in a modern form.
Before becoming a streamer, JagoThaCiv spent years working as a general contractor building high-end homes, a career he describes as intense and unrelenting.
“It was really stressful,” he said. “Too much responsibility. Delegation wasn’t really a thing.”
The strain of the job compounded after a tragic house fire destroyed his home roughly a year before the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic followed, the pause it forced brought deeper issues to the surface.
“I had some health issues come up with my PTSD,” he said. “I went to the VA, and we started talking about doing something different because my job was just too stressful.”
That conversation prompted him to look seriously at streaming, something that had quietly been part of his life for decades. Long before platforms like Twitch became mainstream, he and fellow veterans were already gaming together online.
“In the early 2000s, after I got out of the military, my buddies and I would stream on our PCs and watch movies together,” he said. “When I saw what streaming had become, I thought, this is actually a thing now.”
He began researching streaming in earnest, a process that lasted years.
“This past September was five years since I really decided I wanted to do this for myself,” he said. “I wanted a job where I could handle my disabilities, handle myself, and still have something meaningful to do. Sitting around just isn’t it.”
His introduction to American Legion Gaming came unexpectedly through an email from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I saw ALG’s promo, and it hit me right away,” he said. “I told Justin I had been waiting for something like this for about 22 years.”
Having worked in nonprofit leadership roles before, JagoThaCiv said ALG immediately felt different.
“A lot of organizations have good intentions, but their vision isn’t always aligned with veterans,” he said. “ALG understands the transition between generations. They understand what gaming does for people because everyone on the team has lived it.”
That alignment led him to join the organization, where he now streams twice a week with American Legion Gaming on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern. His content focuses primarily on extraction shooters and survival games, genres he connects with both personally and professionally.
“When I was in construction, I built for people who planned for everything,” he said. “I resonate with survival games for that reason.”
While those titles anchor his channel, he considers himself a variety streamer. More important than the games themselves, he said, is the community they help create.
“My goal is to get veterans into the fold,” he said. “Into the family of ALG and The American Legion at large.”
He is especially mindful of veterans living in rural or suburban areas who may feel disconnected.
“I see a lot of veterans neglecting themselves,” he said. “I want them to know they don’t have to do that. We’re not therapists, but we can guide people toward resources and toward people who understand.”
JagoThaCiv is also passionate about preserving the legacy of The American Legion itself. Having visited posts across the country, he sees them as an essential part of American culture.
“There’s a lot of history and integrity there,” he said. “To lose that would be a tragedy.”
At 44, he understands the generational shift veteran organizations face but sees opportunity in it.
“Millennials are in their forties now,” he said. “We can still connect with the younger veterans and bring that energy in.”
His message to veterans considering streaming or community involvement is straightforward.
“Come join us,” he said. “Let’s get some healing going on.”
My boy you doing it again!