Keith John Whiteside, a resident of Nutley, New Jersey, was elected 90th Commander of The Bergen County American Legion on Saturday, May 9, 2026.

Commander Whiteside served fourteen years in the United States Navy enlisting at Bronx NY April 1999 and was discharged March 2013. He attended Reserve Basic Training (RBT) at Gulfport MS and was then assigned to NWS Earle at Colt’s Neck NJ in the security detachment. He later transferred to the small boat units which were only staffed by the reserve component. This proved vital after 9/11 as the boat units were used extensively during the Iraq campaign and Commander Whiteside served three combat tours in support of OEF/OIF/GWOT. As a Patrol Boat Commander and Patrol Leader he commanded over 500 successful combat missions in theater with a 0% casualty rate.

He is a member of American Legion Post 109, Rutherford, NJ. Commander Whiteside has held several offices at the Post, including Post Commander, Post Vice Commander and Post Adjutant.

An advocate for Veterans, he vows to strengthen the commitment to the four pillars, end the stigma toward mental health and get younger Veterans involved, as noted by his slogan:

“Together we are stronger. Stronger we are one. Be The One.”

Commander Whiteside retired from the NYPD as a Sergeant and now works as the Area Emergency Manager for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. He is looking forward to his time in office and helping Veterans throughout New Jersey.

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