Hide Article Text (OCR)
thetelegraph.commmm•• mirnm mow »Proud members came back home and also served River Bend communityBy ANDE YAKSTISTelegraph staff writerALTON — Veterans of the Allen Bevenue American Legion Post 354 of Alton answered the call of their country to serve in the wars and then came back home to serve the people in the Alton community.“The proud veterans ofDeLoyceMcMurrayWorld War II Marinesour Legion post have been involved in the life of the Alton community since 1922 when our Legion post was founded,” said World War II Marine veteran DeLoyce McMurray, commander of AllenBevenueAmerican Legion Post 354.Veterans of the famed Alton Legion post fought for their country on the battlefields of WorldRev. Willis BruceWorld War IIArmy_ The Telegraph/MARGIE BARNESThe Allen Bevenue American Legion Post 354 of Alton has members from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, including, from left, Fred Young, treasurer; Ernest Griffin; Bill Johnson; Floyd Arbuckle, a member for 44 years; and DeLoyce McMurray, commander of the post.w c* oCharles A. Young Post 354. said Young, the post treasurerThe name was changed to Allen Bevenue American Legion Post 354 in 1927.Members will honordeceased veterans in a patriot ic ceremony Memorial Day weekend at cemeteries at Rocky Fork Church and Salem Baptist Church nearFostefburg.“Our members want to make repairs to the flag poles at cemeteries at Rocky Fork and Salem Baptist Church, McMurray said.The veterans will ride in the 133rd annual Memorial Day parade today through Upper Alton.War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. “The veterans of our post love their country and served with honor in the armed services,” said Alton Fourth Ward Alderman Fred Young, a decorated Army veteran and treasurer of Post354.The 37 veterans of Legion Post 354 show their heart for their country in a patriotic ceremony to start each meeting at the post headquarters on 300 Elm St. in Alton.World War II Navy veteranFloyd Arbuckle, 89, and veter-wan Tim Cross stand alongside Korean veteran Bill Johnson and Vietnam battle veteran Ernest Griffin to salute Old Glory and recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag and their country.“We fought in different wars, but we’re all comrades. We’re like brothers in our love for our country and the flag,” said Griffin, who shows the scars of his wounds from the fierce battles in the jungles of Vietnam.Arbuckle and World War II veteran Harold Killion areamong the loyal members who joined Post 354 in the 1940s.Arbuckle was a sailor in World War II on the aircraft carrier Enterprise, where Navy fighter planes took off to bomb Japanese forces on the South Pacific island of Iwo Jima. “Our planes bombed Iwo Jima to support U.S. Marines who were battling Japanese soldiers on the island, said Arbuckle, who joined Legion Post 354 nearly 44 years agoArbuckle remembers when Japanese fighter planesbombed his aircraft carrier May 14, 1944. “The firemen fought the fire on our carrier.” he said. “The Japanese bombers knocked out the elevator that lifted our planes to the flight deck ”The post was founded 78 years ago by World War I veterans.“The post received its original charter on March 14, 1922,The Telegraph/MARGIE BARNESJoseph Berry, a World War II veteran and the adjutant of Allen Bevenue American Legion Post 354 of Alton, speaks at a memorial ceremony at thehistoric Hamilton Primary School ir Otterville.
Newspaper Details
Alton Telegraph
Alton, Illinois, US
Mon, May 29, 2000
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Hayner P.
IL, USA 19 Apr 2023
Other Publications Near Alton, Illinois
Alton Evening Telegraph
Alton Observer
Labor World
Alton Weekly Telegraph
Alton Telegraph and Democratic review
