Honoring the Legion founders in South Carolina

When The American Legion 100th Anniversary Observance Committee Chairman and Past National Commander Dave Rehbein called on American Legion posts and departments to find and visit the graves of their first commander, Department of South Carolina Commander Michael Strauss took it to heart.

Strauss will be the commander for the department’s 100th convention, and says that when he heard Rehbein’s comments, “I could not help wondering how it all got started … When you look back at how far the treatment of our returning veterans has come, much of it can be attributed to The American Legion.”

The Army veteran was determined to find the grave of Julius Walker, the first South Carolina commander. His identity wasn’t an issue; a plaque in the lobby of the department headquarters in Columbia lists the department’s founders, including Walker and Irvine Belser, the first department adjutant. Learning more about Walker and his final resting place took more effort, but Strauss credits his “investigative” nature with seeing him through; “I also enjoy doing genealogy in my own family,” he says, “so why not check into the background of my Legion Family?”

Strauss ultimately found Walker’s grave through the Find a Grave website, which claims 165 million grave records. He visited and spruced it up, as well as that of Belser, which turned out to be in the same 18,000-site cemetery. Discussion in the department now revolves around making this an annual event, with each commander visiting the grave of his or her 100-year counterpart. The information obtained on Walker, Belser and others will also go into a commemorative 100-year convention book being developed. Visits are planned to the graves of all the founders listed on the headquarters plaque.