News
Members Breathe New Life
Into American Legion Post
A metal plaque affixed to a basalt pillar identifies the Frank E. Bauers Post 42 American Legion Hall at 211 E. Clay in Dayton.
The Columbia County Veteran’s Memorial, which proudly stands at the west end of Dayton’s Main Street, is a testimony to the honor and respect the citizens of Columbia County pay to members of the armed forces both past and present. The success of the project and the attention it drew to local veterans has had a positive ripple effect into Dayton’s American Legion Post.
The Post is experiencing a renaissance after 16 long years of dormancy. “The group didn’t meet on a regular basis,” says member Brian Black. “We pulled together just enough people to take care of the bare necessities, but it was always the same few people.” Now a young new commander has been elected, the Legion Hall is being upgraded and membership is at a 20-year high.
The American Legion is a service organization intent on serving veterans, service members and their communities. Locally, the Legion provides an honor guard for funerals, a color guard for events, and places flags and crosses on veterans’ gravesites on Memorial Day. As a national organization, the Legion supports many youth and community programs, and lobbies for funding for medical, disability, education and other benefits for veterans.
The Dayton post, officially known as the Frank E. Bauers Post 42, was established in 1919 and has a long and interesting history. Frank E. Bauers was one of three soldiers from Columbia County who died as a direct result of the fighting in WWI. Bauers was wounded during the Battle of Argonne in France and died on October 11, 1918. He is buried in France. The Bauer family was well known in Columbia County and relatives still reside in the county.
The Legion Hall, located at 211 E. Clay Street, was originally built as a Christian Science church. The land and building belonged to Ben Turner and his wife, Anna Borofsky Turner. The Turners were very active in the Legion and Legion Auxiliary. Ben died in 1934. Anna willed the property to the Legion in 1943. The Post took possession in 1945.
Several upgrades to the Legion Hall are currently underway. A wall was moved in the kitchen to make room for an industrial-sized stove, grill and hood. The exterior will be given a fresh coat of paint this spring and the building insulated. A handicapped-accessible ramp leading up to the back door was completed in 2009. Now the Legion meets in the Hall every second and fourth Tuesday. The local VFW group also started meeting there a couple of years ago.
Post Commander Chuck LoomisPost Commander Chuck Loomis grew up in north-central Washington and moved to Dayton in 2002. He served in the army from 1989 to 1998 and has worked in Iraq for a private contractor off and on since 2003. He joined Post 42 in 2008 and was elected commander in 2009. Loomis is passionate about the role the Legion can play in supporting veterans and the community. “I’d really like to see younger members join the Legion,” says Loomis. “There’s great benefit in the camaraderie and unique understanding and support the Legion has to offer guys readjusting to life outside the military, especially coming out of active combat.”
Roughly 15 new members joined the local post in the last three years. The Post recently received a Certificate of Meritorious Service from the national commander for enrolling a record number of members for the 2010 year. The Post had 58 members going into 2010, although, sadly, three longstanding members have died since January. However, Legion Auxiliary member, Loraine Harting, says the national records are only accurate for the last 25 years. “Our local records show a membership high of 155 in the years following WWI,” says Harting.
With a renovation in the works and new energetic members, the future looks bright for the Frank E. Bauers American Legion Post.