“Our community is a fabric made up of threads. Some stronger than others. … Christine being a soldier, I see her being a Kevlar thread. There is nothing stronger than a Kevlar thread, and she is an incredible person who helps hold our community together.”

That’s the example Commissioner Chris Lukasevich used when speaking about Christine LeClair and her dedication to Carbon County, both as the county director of Veterans Affairs and as a leader in a number of area organizations.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners, flanked by various veterans and the former Veterans Affairs director, surprised LeClair with a resolution honoring her on being named the 2020 John C. “Ace” Mann Blue Cap of the Year Award recipient.

The award is one of the highest awards given through the American Legion in Pennsylvania. There are 720 posts in the state.

Harry Wynn, representing the 30th district, which encompasses Carbon, Monroe and Northampton counties, said this is the first time that he knows of that a Carbon County resident has received this honor. The closest recipient geographically to receive the award was Andrew Leibenguth of Tamaqua in 2011.

LeClair, of Lansford, is a mother of two and the daughter of Arthur and Mary Williams of Lansford.

She is a 1998 Marian Catholic High School graduate and has served two tours in Iraq and one in Central America.

Since 2009, she has been active in American Legion Post 123 in Lansford, St. Joseph Parish of the Panther Valley, the Valor Clinic Foundation, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Carbon County Homelessness Task Force and Panther Valley Library, and has served on a number of boards in these organizations.

She now serves as the first female director of Veterans Affairs in Carbon County and has made it her mission to lead by example.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein jokingly said that the resolution outlining her service was one of the longest the county has put together and thanked LeClair for everything she has done for both area veterans and the general community.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner commended LeClair for her dedication to her family, her county and her country.

Lansford American Legion Post Commander Nate Krajcirik also spoke about how LeClair helped make the post the top in young membership in the state for two years.

“A few years ago, we were struggling as a post,” he said. “When Christine got involved, it snowballed with getting younger veterans.”

He noted that in 2011, about one-third of the post’s membership was veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, but today that has changed to about one-third membership of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as female veterans.

“We are one of the few posts that could put that distinction out there,” Krajcirik said. “We went from barely making membership to number one in our class in the state for two years in a row, and a lot of that was Christine’s recruitment of other Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.”

Henry Desrosiers, former Veterans Affairs director, said she will do wonderful things for Carbon County.

LeClair thanked everyone but said that while this award has her name on it, she couldn’t have done it without her fellow veterans, family and friends.

LeClair received notice in July that she was this year’s recipient, but due to the pandemic she will not officially receive the award from the state until the Department’s convention in 2021.

She was nominated for the award by Krajcirik, Richard Pogwist, her father, District Attorney Michael Greek, Desrosiers and Judge Joseph Matika.