Horn
Recently elected adjutant Troy Horn said the public is always welcome to come in, get a cup of coffee and see the history of the Carnie Welch Post 27. He said the doors are open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“The Carnie Welch Post 27 currently has 70 members, both local and at large. The majority of the post members are from the World War II, Korean and Vietnam Conflict eras,” Horn said.
Post 27 was named in honor of Sequoyah County resident Carnie Welch of the Price Chapel community who gave his life in defense of America during World War I.
Horn explained that Post 27 was ratified by the national headquarters in August 1921 and has faithfully served the City of Sallisaw and surrounding communities for over 89 years.
“The local post assists in fundraisers for Boys and Girls State, Junior Shooters Competition, Boys Scouts, and Legion baseball. It also serves as primary color guard and honor guard for Veterans Day and Memorial Day celebrations, providing color guard services for the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce and various ceremonies, parades and funerals. The post also provides banners and flags to surrounding cemeteries and public speakers for area high schools during the holidays,” Horn said.
Congress chartered the American Legion in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. It focuses on services to veterans, services to members and communities. The legion currently has about 2.6 million members in 14,000 posts worldwide. These posts are organized into 55 departments; one each for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines.
“In recognition of our veterans both past and present we offer a heartfelt salute to our communities and our sincere thanks for supporting our collective and individual plights while serving our nations. We hope that more local veterans will come forward and join our organization so that we can uphold our founding motto of, Still Serving America and continue to function as an organization that supports and defends the rights and privileges of our local veterans, the great people of the City of Sallisaw and of Sequoyah County,” Horn said.
