American Legion Post 109: The 3 Amigos

American Legion Post 109: The 3 Amigos

Three veterans, age 73, started a Facebook page called "The 3 Amigos." They have known each other since junior high school.
The 3 Amigos are officers with American Legion Post 109 in Cherokee County, S.C..
Larry Sossamon served three years in the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Cu Chi, Vietnam, in 1968-1969. He flew in UH1D helicopters with 20th Transportation and 159th Medivac.
Mike Honeycutt served from 1968-1972 in the U. S. Navy. He flew in Navy EKA-3B jets serving in Squadron VAH-10, on USS Forrestal in the Mediterranean Sea, and Squadron VAQ-134 on USS Ranger on a West Pac cruise.
Bill Blanton served on USS Saratoga from 1965-1968 as an aviation ordnance man.
The Facebook page has grown to over 650 members and is by invitation only. Here are some of the things they have done for their post:
• They have orchestrated putting out American flags on veterans’ graves and cleaning up the headstones with volunteers from the local ROTC;
• They donated to the Veterans Day book, listing all servicemembers from Cherokee County by getting pictures submitted and buying full-page ads;
• They purchased a banner that is on display at the American Legion baseball field; and,
• They made donations to get equipment for the Cherokee County Veterans Museum, one of the best veterans’ museums in South Carolina.
In 2019, “The 3 Amigos” were contacted by the Spartanburg and Cherokee County Cancer Association. They needed volunteers to raise money by rappelling down a 10-story building. The association person felt “The 3 Amigos” were crazy enough to attempt this, and had a following from their Facebook page to raise a minimum of $3,000.
They volunteered and raised over $10,000 from members of the page. Because their posts are outrageous, it took “The 3 Amigos” weeks to convince its members they were serious. Once they completed the fundraising event, they bought a full-page ad in a local newspaper, thanking each donor by listing their names.
In 2020 they knew of a 5-year-old boy, Samuel, who was suffering from leukemia. Samuel had problems with his bone marrow and blood and had his first chemo treatment. All over our county, people know of Samuel with signs all over stating STAY STRONG SAMUEL.