Walk Across Illinois: Day 13, Part III of III

On many days of this walk, I have been done walking by noon or shortly thereafter, and have had lots of time to poke around into the local history, or to walk or bike the streets of a little town in search of veterans. Often a veteran may have a veteran, reserve, or National Guard license plate, or may have an American Flag or service flag flying. On Monday, I saw some National Guard signs in yards, and where I saw them, I stopped and asked why the signs were there. The most common response was that a family member was in the Guard, so I asked the family member I met to convey my thanks for that person’s service, and I gave the person one of my walk flyers.

Larry Crossett had called the son of a member of the American Legion, which was meeting that evening, and I received an invitation to attend. I was asked to arrive at 6:30. Though I have been a member of the American Legion for quite a few years, my wife told me earlier this year that I hadn’t paid my dues, so, at the moment, I’m a lapsed Legionnaire. Nevertheless the members of Mason City’s Jackson Keen Post 496 accepted me as a brother.

When a death flag (the flag that drapes the coffin of a veteran) is presented to the next-of-kin, that flag is often boxed in a display case to be hung on a wall, and to be passed down to the descendants of the departed veteran. In Mason City, though, the American Legion has always displayed hundreds of American Flags before, during, and immediately after national holidays. The park right next to the Legion hall, for instance, is absolutely bedecked with flags.

Families of departed veterans began donating their death flags to the Legion, asking that these flags be displayed on national holidays. Each death flag has the departed veteran’s name stenciled in black along the inner border of the flag (the end of the flag that attaches to the pole it’s displayed from). A recent holiday saw the usual display of flags, but a terrific wind blew through Mason City, destroying and damaging over 200 of the flags on display.

American Legion Post 497 Building in Mason City

The American Legion is working hard to replace those flags, and they are in the process of looking at samples and getting prices. Several members were in the field, working in the corn harvest, as one might expect here in the breadbasket of the world. The Post commander gave me an opportunity to present my walk, hand out flyers, and shake the hand of each man present, thanking each one personally for his service to our country.

As older veterans die, the numbers of some of the veterans’ organizations are diminishing. We veterans should remember that it was legislation introduced at the request of the American Legion that brought the original G.I. Bill into existence. That act of Congress resulted in the education of hundreds of thousands of returning World War II veterans and changed the face of our nation.

I salute the members of American Legion Post 496 for their unique mission and beautiful display of our flag, and I wish them success in replacing the lost and damaged flags. I also thank them for letting me address their meeting on Monday evening.

Just south of the Legion hall are a municipal swimming pool and a lovely park. The park has a unique statue of a Civil War–era Union Soldier, and the monument was erected by the Friends of the Federal Soldiers. The soldier is carved out of a tree.