“Every year we acknowledge the legionnaires that have gone above and beyond the call,” Diaz told the Brooklyn Eagle. “But I’m the commander of the American Legion Post — and I never expected to be recognized; I was totally in shock.”

“It’s not an easy task to surprise Major Diaz,” explained Legionnaire and Sgt. First Class Ruben Vega, who was the self-proclaimed “culprit” in surprising the major.

“Many times it almost slipped,” Vega pointed out. “We were planning this months out because Juan Diaz has done so much for us and the community, and we wanted to go that extra mile for him.”

Diaz, 59, who is originally from Sunset Park, started in the service a bit later in life  — at the age of 34 — and simply fell in love with it, he said. 

“I decided to retire just shy of 25 years of service because I felt it was the right time,” he said. 

But Diaz, who said that he is not one to remain sedentary, is now currently a canine training instructor with the Department of Homeland Security. 

“I have to be busy and doing something,” he explained. “That’s just the way I am.”

Among other Post 668 honorees at the event were John Ponte, John Cullen, Chris Morales, Manuel Oquendo, Edwin Mateo, Cesar Baquerizo, Adriana Bello, Ray Aalbue and Sang Lee — who were all given the Veterans Strengthening America award.

The Joan of Arc award was given to Legionnaire Marisol Mateo; Legionnaire of the Year was awarded to Ruben Vega; Legionnaires Robert Guddahl and Tyrone Morrison received the Chaplain Awards; and the Community Award was given to singer Margaret Kelly of the Highland Divas.

“We have roughly 130 members in this post,” Diaz said, adding that unfortunately, the numbers are not what they once were. “We’re having a difficult time recruiting, as kids today are so preoccupied with technology and social media. There was a real sense of patriotism after 9/11, but sadly it’s decreased somewhat.”

But Diaz did point out that while it’s not easy, it’s certainly possible to entice people and to convince them to be a part of the Legion.

“The first step is having them learn who we are and what we do — participate in the parade — things like that. This is especially important for the kids.” 

The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a nonprofit organization of United States war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises state, U.S. territory and overseas departments that are, in turn, made up of local posts.

The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans’ organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans’ service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and ensuring continued devotion to service members and veterans.