By David E. Schroeder
Special to NKyTribune
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Allies and the Germans signed an armistice at Compiegne, France bringing about the cessation of hostilities of the First World War on the Western Front. Beginning in 1919, Armistice Day began being celebrated in the United States on this date. The day was set aside to memorialize the 116,708 Americans who made the supreme sacrifice.
The celebration of Armistice Day evolved over time. In 1938, Armistice Day became an official national holiday in the United States. In 1954, the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day as a way to honor all those men and women who served in our armed forces throughout history.
Ludlow war memorial originally on the grounds of the Edgar B. Ritchie Post #25 and later redesigned and moved to the Ludlow Park in 1968. Seen here are Don Winterburg, Larry Miller, and Andy Loschiavo. Courtesy of the Kenton County Public Library, Covington, KY.
Returning World War I veterans quickly established an organization that still exists today. In 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force met in Paris and held the first American Legion meeting. Between May 15-17, 1919, a second meeting was held in St. Louis. At this meeting, the name American Legion was adopted and a constitution for the new organization was approved.
The American Legion was established to provide mutual support to veterans and to keep alive the memory of those lost in the war. Local organizations, called posts, were quickly chartered throughout the nation. This was certainly true in Northern Kentucky. A few of the earliest were the Norman Barnes Post #7 in Covington and the James Wallace Costigan Post #11 in Newport.
Many of the early posts in our region purchased meeting places and began reaching out to veterans. They provided social spaces for veterans to talk and share stores and raised funds for wounded veterans and those suffering from shell shock, an early term used for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The many successes of the American Legion nationwide and locally included: drafting a flag code in 1923 which was adopted by the United States Congress in 1942; establishing the Legion’s baseball program in 1925; good government programs; the sponsorship of countless Boy Scout troops; high school oration contests; and support for the G.I. Bill following World War II. The Legion also played a key role in the founding of the National Association of Mental Health in 1950.
Over time, the American Legion was open to veterans of World War II and the Korean War. It is now open to all veterans. Auxiliary groups were also formed by the veterans’ wives to assist in the work of the local posts.
American Legion Parade circa 1965 at the corner of Madison Avenue and Pike Street in Covington. Courtesy of the Kenton County Public Library, Covington, KY.
Many of the local posts financed the construction of the war memorials that are spread across Northern Kentucky. These memorials continue to be the focal point of Veterans Day and Memorial Day activities. In 1982, the National American Legion donated $1 million toward the construction of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C.
One of the most popular campaigns conducted by the Legion is the annual poppy drive. In 1920, the poppy was named the official flower of the organization. The poppy became associated with World War I. primarily due to a poem written by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae M.D.
While on active duty in Europe during the war, McCrae wrote a poem that was quickly popularized throughout the world. The poem, which described the bravery, heroism and sadness of war, resonated with many. Beginning in 1924, members of the American Legion began selling poppies as a remembrance to those lost and as a way to raise funds for veterans’ causes. This practice continues to this day.
In time, more than a dozen American Legion posts were established in Northern Kentucky, including the Boone Post #4 in Boone County, Norman Barnes Post #70 in Covington, James Wallace Costigan Post #11 in Newport, Simon Kenton Post # 20 in Elsmere, Edgar B. Ritchie Post #25 in Ludlow, Albert Leroy Gahr Post #53 in Dayton, Robert D. Johnson Post # 98 in Ft. Thomas, Edward W. Boers Post #153 in Bellevue/Dayton, Latonia Post #203 in Covington, Simon Gosney Post #219 in Alexandria, Moon Brothers Post #275 in Independence, Johnson-McElroy Post #277 in Walton, and the Campbell County Post #327.
Some of these posts continue to exist today, while others have been lost to time.
“In Flanders Field”
by Lt. Col. John McCrae M.D.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
David E. Schroeder is director of the Kenton County Public Library. He is the author of Life Along the Ohio: A Sesquicentennial History of Ludlow, Kentucky (2014), coeditor of Gateway City: Covington, Kentucky, 1815-2015 (2015), and coauthor of Lost Northern Kentucky (2018).
Norman Barnes Pist #70 not #7.