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District 1 News
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Post 240 hosts Memorial Service
On Veterans Day 2007, Troy-Webster
Post 240 in Luckey held a Memorial Service
at Otterbein Portage Valley, to pay
tribute to all deceased veterans, those
serving in the Armed Forces at the present
time, as well as those who are residents
of the nursing home. Harold Cousino, a
member of Post 240, received special
recognition from Post Commander Steve
Levorchick and was presented with a
certificate for 35 years of continuous
membership. Several members of the Post
240 Auxiliary were in attendance along
with many nursing home residents. Pictured
behind Cousino in the front row are Lauren
Stange, Merril Shaffer, Glen Briggs and
Dale Daman. The back row has Harold
Wachter, Wayne Young, Bill Compton, Lloyd
Meyer, Steve Levorchick, and Art Helm.
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Holiday at the Sandusky Veterans
Home
Current and Past First District
Officers joined to honor the veterans at
the Sandusky Veterans Home for Christmas.
Among those present were from left: Fred
Ehlers, Department Adjutant Roger Hight,
Ted Lewis, David Lupien (SAL), Past
Department Commander Hub Houser (seated),
George "Scoop" Willets, Phil Lupien, Jr.
Robert Klostermeier, Bob Holmes and Bobby
Darr.
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Post 28 supports
disabled Iraq vet
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Perrysburg American Legion Post 28
presented a $500 check to a local disabled
veteran, injured while serving in Iraq.
Post Commander Jack Shaffer presented the
$500 grant to Joshua Thompson during a
ceremony at the Schaller Memorial building
in Perrysburg. The $500 grant was part of
the half-million dollar grant from the
Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.
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Homecoming for Iraq
vet
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On Tuesday, December 18, approximately
100 family, friends and veterans turned
out for a homecoming for Staff Sergeant
(SSG) Matt Keil and his wife, Tracy, at
the Swanton American Legion Post 479.
The event was organized by Swanton Post
Commander Virginia Spurgeon, Kevin Kruse
of American Legion Post 646 of Holland and
family.
The master of ceremonies was Jerry
Anderson from WTOL-TV and along with the
Swanton High School "Marching Bulldog"
band supplying the music. The color guard
presenting were SSC Roberto Guzman, SSG
Cynthia Stewart and Army Specialist Matt
Hassen, U.S. Army Reserves of the 983
Battalion out of Monclova. The mayors of
Swanton and Toledo presented proclamations
to Matt along with Commander Gil Urban of
the Swanton V.F.W. Post presenting Matt
with a lifetime membership to the
V.F.W.
Matt Keil entered the U.S. Army,
attached to the 10th Mountain Division, in
Ft. Drum, N.Y., and he saw action in
Kosovo and Korea. Later he attached to the
2nd Infantry Division, Ft. Carson,
Colorado, where he met Tracy; the two were
married after retuning from his first tour
in Iraq in January 2007.
Shortly after he returned for his
second tour to Iraq, SSG Keil was hit by
sniper fire near Ramadi, Iraq, on
Saturday, February 24.
He was diagnosed a quadriplegic and
spent weeks at Walter Reed where he was
presented his first Purple Heart by Major
General Robert W. Mixon. Unbeknownst to
everyone, SSG Keil was able to move his
left arm and he raised it partially to
salute the general. After Walter Reed he
was transferred to James A. Haley Veterans
Hospital, near Tampa, Florida. The Keil's
are now living in Colorado after a stay at
the Craig Hospital, near Ft. Carson. In
August the Homes for Our Troops selected
the Keil's to receive an adapted home
through Pulte Homes of Colorado where they
will make the home as livable as possible
for Matt and Tracy.
Matt is to receive the Christopher
Reeves Inspiration Award on March 6, 2008,
for recognition of his outstanding
contributions aimed at enhancing the lives
of others with paralyzing
disabilities.
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Holland Post 646, ROTC cadets retire
flags
American Legion Post 646 in Holland
performed a flag retirement ceremony on
October 6, 2007, assisted by Junior ROTC
Cadets from Springfield High School in
Holland and members of the Sons of The
American Legion and American Legion
Auxiliary.
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Post 539 stands guard for WWI
vet
Pictured from left are Karen Talbert,
Keith Talbert, and Ron Kujawa, members of
North Baltimore Post 539 and the Patriot
Guard of America. They stand guard for Dr.
J. Russell Coffey. Dr. Coffey was one of
two World War I remaining survivors. The
remaining survivor is Harry Richard
Landus, 108, of Sun City, Florida.
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Perrysburg Legion
Post 28 sponsors speaker
series
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American Legion Post 28 in Perrysburg
began its third annual speaker series on
January 28th. On that date, Dave Puckett,
Lt. U.S.N., who spent four years on the
U.S.S. Patrick Henry, a Polaris type
nuclear submarine, was the speaker. On
Feb. 25 the speaker was Irwin Welling, a
Staff Sergeant who flew with the 8th Air
Force, 457th Bomb Group as a left waist
gunner during World War II, shot down on
his 33rd mission and spent 340 days as a
POW was the speaker.
Future speakers are Charlie Peyton USN,
a Navy Deep Sea Diver on March 24th and on
April 28th the remarks of a Holocaust
Survivor (TBA).
All programs begin at 7:30 p.m. at the
Schaller Memorial Building, 130 West
Indiana Avenue in Perrysburg and are open
to the public at no cost.
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