“STILL SERVING AMERICA”

American Legion OnLine Catalog Order caps, shirts, emblems.  Infocentral Post Historial Membership

The American Legion is the world's largest veterans' organization.  The American Legion was born at a caucus of the First American Expeditionary Force, March 15-17, 1919, in Paris, France.  It was at this caucus that The American Legion received its name. Also at this time the Preamble to the Constitution of The American Legion was put into final form.   The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual-help, wartime veterans organization. A community-service organization which now numbers nearly 3 million members -- men and women -- in nearly 15,000 American Legion 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. The American Legion's national headquarters is in Indianapolis, Indiana, with additional offices in Washington, DC. In addition to thousands of volunteers serving in leadership and program implementation capacities in local communities to the Legion's standing national commissions and committees, the national organization has a regular full-time staff of about 300 employees.

Euclid American Legion Post 343 was chartered in 1930. Over 50 Euclid World War One veterans were on the charter membership roll. Glenn Haven was the first Commander. In 1934, the Post bought our present property [20750 Arbor Avenue] from the school board. The basement was dug [our basement bar, kitchen and meeting area is called “The Dugout”], and two portable school buildings were moved from behind Roosevelt School to form the main building of the current Post.  The W.W.I members held annual carnivals [for over 20 years], track meets, kid’s camp, and SAL Drum and Bugle Corps. During World War II, the post was a unit of the Ohio Highway Patrol Auxiliary, and bought the city ambulance, the first to contribute to the city hall war memorial and donated to the High School band uniform fund.  As W.W.II killed in action were repatriated, the color guard functioned at more than 85 funerals.

After World War II and the Korean War  the post vets continued Euclid Post 343’s tradition of “still serving America” with Euclid Post 343 American Legion Baseball team, and boys’ league baseball at the post field. The Legion Auxiliary worked with the schools in Euclid to display a flag in every classroom, and flag and patriotism visits.  The Post worked with the City of Euclid to build a public swimming pool next to the post for the youth of the city.  Working with the City as part of the Euclid Joint Veterans’ Council, oversaw the completion of the Euclid War Memorial [next to Old City Hall & Euclid Library], helped start the Euclid Memorial Day Parade [one of the largest Memorial Day Parades in Ohio], which continues to this day.. .For 40 years, Euclid American Legion Post 343 Color Guard opened each Euclid High School home football game, until recently turning it over to the High School NROTC Color Guard. The Post and Auxiliary send 3 boys and 3 girls to Buckeye Boys’ State and Buckeye Girls’ State each year, hold the annual American Legion Americanism and Government Test at Euclid High School, support the High School NROTC and other Euclid High School activities, donate scholarship materials to the library, support Euclid charities. Euclid Post also hosts the annual Veterans’ Day program at Euclid City Hall with the assistance of the City of Euclid and the Euclid Joint Veterans’ Council. The post annually donates over a $1000 to the “Gifts to Yanks that Gave” program.