WE ARE AN ACTIVE POST IN HAYESVILLE, NC WITH 222 MEMBERS
A MEETING ONCE A MONTH WITH VETERANS FROM ALL SERVICES TO DISCUSS IDEAS TO BENEFIT OUR POST AND COMMUNITY.
WE SUPPORT BOYS STATE & GIRLS STATE, JUNIOR SHOOTING SPORTS PROGRAM, SONS OF AMERICAN LEGION,SCHOLARSHIPS FOR COLLEGE BOUND STUDENTS, CLAY COUNTY FOOD PANTRY, COMMUNITIES FOR STUDENTS, CHRISTMAS CARE OF CLAY COUNTY.
COMMANDER: RONDALL BROWN pheasantrr77@aol.com
1ST VICE: Sherry McHenry sherrymac1@bellsouth.net
2ND VICE: BILL CHRISTY wrchristy@me.com
ADJUTANT: CHARLES GAINES alpost532.adj@gmail.com
FINANCE OFF MARK RUNGE markrunge@frontier.com
CHAPLAIN: CARL MAXWELL boatman100@frontier.com
SGT. AT ARMS:PHIL CANTLEY pcantley1951@yahoo.com
HISTORIAN: GEORGE LEDUC thumperspirit@gmail.com
JUDGE ADV: BOB EPPERSON somnybks@brmemc.net
SERVICE OFF: LARRY SAMS samsl@frontier.com
The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veteran’s organization. Focusing on service to veterans, servicemembers and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. Membership swiftly grew to over 1 million, and local posts sprang up across the country. Today, membership stands at over 2.4 million in 14,000 posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments: one each for the 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines. Over the years, the Legion has influenced considerable social change in America, won hundreds of benefits for veterans and produced many important programs for children and youth. Following is a chronology of significant dates in Legion history: History of Post 177 & Post 532 Hayesville’s First American legion Post, named after Robert Napoleon Roach, who was killed in action on October 22, 1918 during WW I in France. He is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in France. On July 30, 1927, a meeting was held for forming a Post of the American Legion. All men that served any time during the World War at home or abroad being eligible, were invited to be present. An application for a Charter was filled by the following; Bascom Neal Haigler, George B. Thompson, Robert M. Tiger, Roy Smart, Will Taylor, Bynum Penland, Carl Parker, Allen Bell, A.B. Ledford, Carmen Anderson, Wayne Anderson, Dent Nelson, Gad Nelson and Walter Burch on July 30, and accepted by the national organization on August 2, 1927. At the August 26, 1927 meeting the first officers were elected; Post Commander-Bascom Neal Haigler, 1st vice Commander-George B. Thompson, 2nd Vice Commander-Will Taylor, Adjutant-Allen J. Bell, Finance Officer-Marvin Alexander, Chaplain-Roy Smart, Historian-Claude C. Long, Sgt-at-Arms-Henderson Setzer. In 1936/37, the Post was no longer active. On August 22, 1940, a group of ex-servicemen got together to reorganize the Bob Roach Post 177. The Commander- Arthur Jones, Vice Commander-J.N. Alexander, Adjutant-Allen J. Bell. On Saturday October 19, 1946, The War Memorial on the Hayesville Square, was dedicated to those who gave their lives in the two World Wars. The Commander, Vernon F. Martin, of the Bob Roach American legion Post 177, conducted the ceremony. The black draped stone was unveiled while the Legion Boys Choir sang “My Buddy” with piano accompaniment by Mrs. C.E. Standbridge. The American Legion Charter for the Bob Roach Post 177 was cancelled two years later in October 1948. In summer of 2008, Veterans of Clay County, applied for a Charter to form a new American Legion Post in Hayesville, to be named after George Lee. Mr. Lee passed in December 2008, he was a prominent Clay County resident, a World War II Veteran and recipient of a Purple Heart. He had also been a member of the original Bob Roach Post 177. On January 17, 2009, an American Legion Charter was presented, establishing the George Lee American Legion Post 532
A little history most people will never know. Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall. There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added in 2010. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. It is hard to believe it is 57 years since the first casualty. The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth, Mass. Listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965. There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall. 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger. 8,283 were just 19 years old. The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old. 12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old. 5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old. One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old. 997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam. 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam. 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. 54 soldiers attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia. I wonder why so many from one school. 8 Women are on the Wall, Nursing the wounded. 244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall. Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall. The Marines of Morenci - They led some of the scrappiest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. 5,058) had ever known and cheered. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest . And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morenci's mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Only 3 returned home. The Buddies of Midvale - LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in Midvale, Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues. They lived only a few yards apart. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field And they all went to Vietnam. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day. Tom was shot dead assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 deaths. The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 - 2,415 casualties were incurred. For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that the Vietnam War created. To those of us who survived the war, and to the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain that these numbers created. We are, until we too pass away, haunted with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. There are no noble wars, just noble warriors.