PerryCountyMissouriRepublic Monitor
Published onFriday, March 25, 2005 7:32 AM CST
Legion honors 50, 60-year members
Leo Klump (right) shakes hands with American Legion Department Commander David Shafer at Post 133's annual birthday celebration. Klump was among 21 veterans honored for 50 years of continuous membership in Post 133. Looking on is District Adjutant James Kline. (staff photo by Kate Martin)
by Kate Martin
They gathered to honor longtime members but, like all good soldiers, did not forget their fallen comrades.
American Legion Post 133 of Perryville held its birthday celebration Saturday, where Commander William Richardet presented certificates to members with 50 and 60 years of continuous membership.
Before the awards were presented, though, Post Chaplain Larry White read the names of 30 members who died since last year's party.
Those men are Ray Pourney, Lonnie Unterreiner, Earl Walther, Cletus Walter, Bill Fortner, Carl Brune, Howard Geile, H. Quentin Klaus, Robert Blatt, Eugene Hahs, William Moll, Willard Roth, Arnold Gerler, Curt Meinz;
Melvin Klaus, John Schwach, Robert Sutterer, Floyd Zoellner, Merlin Guyot, Edgar Degenhnardt, Kennth Popp, Harold Fuhrmann, Melvin Detjen, Thomas Tomlinson, Eldor Lueders, Elmer Heuring, John Harvey Michaud, Harold Klaus, Edward Popp and C. Norman Moonier.
Missouri Department Commander David Shafer of Dixon, Mo. spoke to over 250 veterans and guests gathered for the event.
"Since the beginning of the history of men, there have been wars," Shafer said. "And with each war, there have been war veterans and an association of those veterans.
"In 1215, King John of England signed perhaps the most important document in history, a document that changed the course of mankind with notions like trial by jury. That document was the Magna Carta and it was the result of a veteran's organization."
Shafer said, "Centuries later, another veterans' organization was born to take care of veterans, their spouses and their orphans. That organization is the American Legion."
Shafer said this generation of veterans saw a "future at risk" and changed history again.
"They presented a plan to provide for veterans that was so sweeping, it changed the future of 18 million World War II veterans," Shafer said.
"It was the Serviceman's Readiness Act of 1944, or the GI Bill of Rights, which allowed returning veterans to not just come back to civilian life, but to an education.
"This plan was drafted, promoted and passed by the American Legion, and the veterans it helped shaped the future of this country as the most powerful nation on earth."
Richardet then presented certificates to Post 133 members with 60 years of continuous membership.
"I think that's a first," he said. "It's truly an honor to recognize the 11 men who receive this certificate.
"A week before he died, we took John Michaud his 60-year certificate and I think he was very happy to have it."
Along with Michaud, the 60-year members were Erwin Buchheit, Herb Buchheit, Harry Guth Jr., Clinton Koenig, Leo Rozier, Homer Rubach, Leroy Schindler, Chalmer Schott, Wilbert Schuessler and Curt Vogel.