[2] His father directed units of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression and was influential in bringing The American Legion to Iowa starting John's interest in the subject.
[4][3] His tenure as National Commander was marked with his campaign for better healthcare for veterans and opposition to blanket amnesty for draft dodgers.
[3][5] He was also a staunch defender of presidential power during the Vietnam war saying, "Any limitations on the ability of the president as commander in chief to conduct military operations in southeast Asian would endanger the lives of our fighting men and make more difficult the achievement of a just peace".
[6] He believed those who objected to President Richard Nixon's war policies were" divisive and defeatist and likely to encourage Hanoi in its demands".
[6] On March 1, 1971, he spoke before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure of the Committee on Judiciary on The American Legion's opposition to draft dodging,[7] he believed amnesty would devastate morale of those who served in the war and dishonored the memory of the dead.