Mike Thompson, a Vietnam era veteran, talks of how “devastating it is for longtime members” when American Legion Post 414 shuts down this summer. VFW and American Legion posts are closing all over the country. The principal reason is declining membership.
“The post is down to 25 members,” said Joe Byrnes, who received a Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam. “We tried membership drives, but that didn’t work. The 25 members that are left will be transferring to other posts.”
It isn’t just the lack of members; the Post building at 500 Circle is in urgent need of repairs. It’s over a century old and is in need of a new roof and new plumbing. It didn’t help when someone recently shattered the front door with a BB gun.
It was costing the Post $700 to $800 a month to keep the doors open. Only five members showed up for a recent meeting where they voted to sell the building and donate the proceeds to a veterans charity.
“We’re going to keep the charter until summer,” Thompson said. “We’ll have a blowout party to thank all who supported it.” They plan to donate the panels bearing the names of WWI and WWII veterans to the Historical Society of Forest Park.
The post’s historic photos will also be available for scanning. Thompson is hoping these can be displayed at village hall or at District 91 schools. Ironworkers Local 1 might also take some of the memorabilia. They have been helping veterans start careers with their “Helmets to Hardhats” program.
“It’s not end of an era,” Thompson said. “It’s the end of a century.” The American Legion was started in 1919 by Colonel Robert McCormick. Since then, veterans’ groups were instrumental in the founding of the Veterans Administration and the passing of the GI Bill.
American Legion Post 414 used to be a vibrant organization with hundreds of members. They held huge parades in Forest Park. This older generation was made up of patriotic joiners. The younger veterans are patriots but they haven’t been joiners.
Fifteen years ago, Thompson replaced Neil Scarpelli as caretaker of the post. Thompson carried on finding bookings for the hall. The number of bookings decreased and the ones they held were not always profitable.
They hosted plays put on by Forest Park Theatre but did not charge them for using the space. They also hosted political events and served as campaign headquarters. “We were giving away more than we were taking in,” Thompson said.
Some American Legion posts are surviving on revenue from video gaming. Others are hosting Queen of Hearts raffles. Some are open seven days a week serving alcohol. Thompson did not believe video gaming, or becoming a bar, would be well-received in Forest Park.
When the post’s building is sold, the land will be zoned R1 for residential use. Thompson will be relieved, but he will continue to serve on the board of Fisher House, where families can stay, while their relatives are treated at Hines Hospital.
Still, he finds the closing of the post to be very disturbing. He’s concerned that “many of our holidays have lost their meaning.”
Forest Park sustained the meaning of Memorial Day with a moving ceremony this past Monday at The Park.
For the first time, Thompson spoke at the ceremony. He talked about a soldier he knew, Army Staff Sergeant Todd Ryan, who volunteered to train Iraqi troops. The father of two was killed on Nov. 9, 2004.
Ryan had just promised his mother, Renee, “Mom I have one more mission and I’ll be home.”
