FAYETTEVILLE -- The American Legion, like other veterans organizations, has watched membership rolls shrink locally and nationally with the dwindling population of World War II, Korean and Vietnam war veterans, but the Fayetteville post is bucking that trend, officials say.
The Fayetteville post had fallen on hard times a few years ago. The building needed repair, the finances struggled and membership lagged. Members had to decide whether to strike their colors or dig in and start over.
The American Legion
The Legion is the largest veterans service organization locally and nationally, boasting about 14,000 members in Arkansas. The Department of Arkansas American Legion was the first in the U.S. to be incorporated in 1919. About 15,000 posts worldwide have nearly 2.3 million members spread across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico, France and the Philippines.
American Legion Shelton, Tucker, Craft Post 27 in Fayetteville is named to honor three heroes. It was organized and chartered July 31, 1919, as the Lynn Shelton Post No. 27 in honor of Martin Lynn Shelton, who was killed in France during World War I while trying to carry a wounded friend back to safety. William Marion Tucker was a Marine killed in action in 1941 on Wake Island in the Pacific. Clarence B. Craft was a Medal of Honor recipient for actions he took during the battle for Okinawa during World War II. In his later years, Craft volunteered thousands of hours to assist others at the Fayetteville Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Source: Staff report
"The state American Legion came and put a padlock on the door it was being run so bad," said Raymond Jones, a longtime member of the post. "The people that have it now have been trying to resurrect it with the help of some old guys and their own intestinal fortitude, trying to keep it running and keep the programs going, which is super important to us."
The Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Bella Vista recently merged with the Rogers post, according to Randy George, a past VFW district commander. There also are VFW posts in Siloam Springs and Springdale.
In Bella Vista, the VFW was started by World War II veterans, and many of those members were simply too old to keep the post going, officials said. The VFW differs from the American Legion because members of the VFW were in combat. Legion membership is open to all veterans on active duty or with an honorable discharge. About 15 posts operate in Northwest Arkansas.
The Fayetteville Legion post opted to regroup, reorganize and renovate rather than fold, according to Dan Meek, adjutant for the post.
"The tough decisions were made. They worked hard for two years because it was really in bad shape," Meek said. "And, we had to dissolve our debt somehow."
Land adjacent to the post that had once been used as a ball field was sold and the proceeds used to pay off the debt. The building was renovated inside and out. Most of the material for the renovation, along with much of the labor, was donated, a lot of it by Lowe's.
"We've made a lot of modifications. It was in a state of disrepair five years ago, and we've made slow and very steady inroads into bringing the post up to date and making sure we can get it as comfortable as possible for our patrons, first of all for the members of the post," Meek said. "This is a member post, so it's owned, operated and run by the members. There is nobody in the post that's on a paycheck. Everybody there is a volunteer, anybody you see working in here, they're here out of the kindness of their heart and to promote the ideals that the American Legion stands on."
Membership is recovering, and the post has about 300 members now. Events include live music nights, veterans appreciation lunches and dinners, holiday celebrations, pancake breakfasts, and karaoke and trivia nights on a regular basis. Most events are open to the public.
"Our goal is to help veterans at the end of the day, but we have various programs we participate in to help the community, to help the veterans in the area and to help the kids," Meek said.
Meek said he's particularly proud of the post's support of Boys State and Girls State.
"We're one of the leaders in that area for the state of Arkansas," Meek said. "We routinely send between 15 and 25 kids every year and give them the opportunity to set up their own government and learn what it means to be in politics. And that, to me, is huge."
R.D. Kinsey, commander of the American Legion's Arkansas headquarters, said the Fayetteville post is one of the more active ones in the state.
"That post up there in Fayetteville is a stellar post," he said. "They are actively engaged in our four pillars of the American Legion."
The four pillars are veterans affairs and rehabilitation, national security, Americanism, and children and youth.
The post works with local schools to promote public speaking programs.
"Every year we select nominees from the local high school who are into the speech or oratorical contests," Meek said. "And, we actually have a pathway for them to not only participate in that oratorical program, but there is the possibility to have really large scholarships awarded to them as a result of winning a contest in those areas."
The post continues to face the challenge of recruiting younger veterans for membership.
"The problem we're having with membership with the younger generation is, while they're jazzed up and eager, they're also in the workforce, and it's a difficult challenge sometimes to raise a family and put bread on the table. Sometimes that may mean you have two jobs. So, they don't have a whole lot of time to devote to the Legion like they think they should," Meek said.
"My counter to that is please, come out and join, help us to help you to make sure your benefits are never further eroded and your dues help us do that."
The primary focus remains serving the needs of veterans, whether that involves helping them obtain benefits or health care through the Department of Veteran Affairs or working with the National Cemetery, Meek said. The post has a service officer to help veterans access the help they need.
"The vets that go in for four years, some come back a little bit damaged in one way or another and they're needing help," Meek said. "We get them that help, or they get that help through the VA system. We help remove some of those roadblocks."
The Fayetteville post appears about three times per month at the National Cemetery for military honors, said Kevin Caillouet, program support assistant at the cemetery. The post coordinates with funeral homes to arrange the honors, and then the guards appear at the services, he said.
"They're a great bunch to work with," Caillouet said. "They're always on time. They're formal. They get everything done correctly."
The post, at 1195 S. Curtis Ave., is hosting breakfast today after the ceremony at the cemetery marking the 100th anniversary of the World War I armistice.
The post also provides a refuge where vets can just talk to others with similar experiences, he said.
"Come in and maybe sit down and talk with some vets that may share some of your problems, maybe you can sit down together and figure out a way to get through it," Meek said. "We're a meeting place for veterans to help in that regard as well."
NW News on 11/11/2018