Celebrating 96 years of service, pride

Every year, the U.S. Navy has a birthday ball, and every year during his 20 years serving in the Navy, Leroy Davis looked forward to it. That experience made Davis want to make The American Legion’s birthday an event to look forward to.

The Alabama Legionnaire came up with the idea to have Fletcher-McCollister Post 135 in Phenix City put on a birthday ball last year. And that’s why Davis will continue to lead the celebration efforts, much like he did March 21 for the Legion’s 96th birthday.

“We were glad to have (the Navy ball) and glad to go to it,” said Davis, a 23-year member of the Legion and Post 135’s commander since 2013. “(It was) a sense of pride, and I felt that’s what we need to do: Make the people proud to be in The American Legion and proud to help other veterans.

“I felt that by starting a birthday ball – which is something I haven’t really seen a lot of throughout the country – that that will bring attention to The American Legion. The community needs to know that we are here and what we do. So that’s why I started the birthday ball.”

Nearly 100 people attended the ball, which took place at Marriott’s Courtyard Hotel in Phenix City and featured a buffet dinner, an American Legion birthday cake, music and dancing. During the ball, Post 135 also honored two longtime members: World War II veterans Carson D. Mitchell and Daniel M. Parish, who have been a part of the Legion for 70 years.

Central High School’s Navy Junior ROTC presented the colors to an audience that included various city and municipal government officials. Phenix City Mayor Eddie Lowe was one of those individuals; his attendance was evidence of the strong ties between Post 135 and its community.

“The common denominator, and the reason why (the relationship) is so strong, is because of the veterans,” Lowe said. “If it had not been for people giving up themselves, (paying) the ultimate price, we could not be able to have this event here. It’s important that we do remember that veterans are mission critical in this country. This is the best country in the world, and if it had not been for our veterans, we would not be able to be the best country in the world.”

Department of Georgia Legionnaire Dale Barnett, leading candidate for 2015-2016 national commander, was the guest speaker at the ball. Barnett spoke of how participating in Georgia Boys State influenced his decision to attend the U.S. Military Academy.

“I didn’t know then, but I know now, (applying at West Point was) because of The American Legion,” Barnett said. “It was because of the Boys State program: what people believe our organization stands for and has stood for for 96 years. You have changed lives.”

Prior to the ball, Barnett said Post 135’s birthday ball is a good model for other posts and states to follow. “I think as we move forward to our 100th anniversary, I hope we’re looking at (similar celebrations) all across the nation with departments (and posts) coming together,” he said. “There aren’t too many times you have an organization that survives 100 years. But to survive and be as vibrant as The American Legion is is truly outstanding and something worthy of celebrating.”

Barnett was joined at the ball by fellow Georgia Legionnaire – and department commander – Randy Goodman. For Goodman, coming to the ball was “a no-brainer,” he said. “We’re a family here in the Columbus (Ga.)-Phenix City area. We have one goal: to support the troops at Fort Benning and support the veterans in this metropolitan area.”

Goodman said the ball was an opportunity for the Legion to brag a bit. “We rarely tell our story,” he said. “This is a perfect way to do it. When we get together at events like this, the story unfolds. The public will never know unless we do those types of things.”

Alabama National Executive Committeeman Willis Frazier attended the ball and offered a similar perspective. “This is a time for the Legion to let the community and people who don’t know about us (know) what we’re all about,” he said. “This is tradition, and you don’t ever want to lose your tradition. We come together to reinforce what we do as Legionnaires to support our servicemembers, our veterans and our community.”

Davis admits putting the ball together takes a lot of work. But, he said, it’s worth it, “because of the publicity we get. Our elected officials, city and county, see that we are a valuable asset. They support us 100 percent."