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Catoctin Veterans Honored as American Legion Celebrates 100th Anniversary

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Andrea Myers Mannix

During the Opening Ceremonies of the Thurmont & Emmitsburg Community Show in September at Catoctin High School, Veterans representing the Thurmont American Legion and the Francis X. Elder American Legion Post No. 121 in Emmitsburg were honored in recognition of the American Legion’s 100th Anniversary in 2019.

The American Legion organization was founded in 1919 by Veterans returning from Europe after World War I. It was later chartered as an official American patriotic society and carries on the tradition to support Veterans, families, and their community. The Legion continues to volunteer in patriotic service of mutual help to our country’s Veterans and has touched virtually every facet of American life. Even to this day, American Legion members carry on their objective to serve their community, state, and nation.

Veterans honorees of the Francis X. Elder American Legion Post No. 121 of Emmitsburg were:

Kevin Cogan

Kevin entered the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1979 and was assigned to Construction Battalion Unit 416 and then Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133, proudly serving until his honorable discharge in 1986.

Kevin now serves as the commander of the Francis X. Elder American Legion Post No. 121 in Emmitsburg.

Thomas E. Hoke

Thomas served as a Combat Medic during World War II in the European Theater, and his Division was part of Patton’s Third Army.  He fought in the Hurchin Forest, Siegfried Line, and the Battle of the Bulge.

On April 11, 1945, the Division which Thomas was part of, liberated the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, and then were the first Division home after the War. His Division was to get a furlough and then be the first wave to hit the Japanese Mainland.

Thomas was home on August 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb was dropped. After that, Thomas was sent to the 95th Division at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and was discharged on January 9, 1946, as a staff sergeant.

Edward E. “Gene” Lingg

Gene served as a Gunner with the 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam from July 1966 through August 1967, as a corporal. He was stationed in northern South Vietnam near the DMZ – The De-Militarized Zone.

Gene was re-assigned about halfway through his 13-month tour to Headquarters Battalion S-3, Intelligence, which planned and carried out field operations. 

Sanford “Mac” McGuire

Mac joined the U.S. Air Force in January 1959 and served our country until his honorable discharge in November 1962 as Airman First Class. He then entered into Federal service—as a civilian—for 43 years.

Mac has continued his service and support through memberships in different Veteran organizations and appointments that he has held in these organizations. He is currently the finance officer of the Francis X. Elder American Legion Post No. 121 in Emmitsburg.

Paul J. Sutton

Paul served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years as an aviation mechanic and has been a life-long resident of the Emmitsburg/Thurmont area.

Legion leadership positions include Past Post Commander and the Western Maryland District Adjuvant.

Martin R. Williams

 Martin served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1969 through 1971 and was part of the 5/2 Artillery 2nd Field Force, 25th Infantry. Martin is also a life member of American Legion Post 121, and an active member of AMVETS Post No. 7. He is presently serving in his eighth year as commander of VFW Post 6658, where he is also a life member.

TheEdwin C. Creeger, Jr. American Legion Post No. 168 of Thurmont honorees were:

The Late Kenneth Allen

Kenneth served in the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel and was a personnel service clerk from 1970 through 1973 and—in both active and reserve duty—was a Judge Advocate from 1976 through 2002. He was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; the Judge Advocate General School in Charlottesville, Virginia; the Court of Military Review in Northern Virginia; and various reserve units in both Pennsylvania and Germany.

Kenneth was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, and came to the Thurmont area after being hired as a contract lawyer at Fort Ritchie.   His leadership position at the Legion was as judge advocate.

Kenneth passed away in May of this year. His contributions to the American Legion, the members, and the families it serves are too numerous to list. He was a man of integrity, honor, and service, and is greatly missed.

Robert H. Brennan

Bob served in the Army from 1960 through 1964. For 50 years, he has lived in Thurmont with his wife, Marie, and been a member of Post 168.

Bob’s leadership positions have included being adjutant for 30 years.   He is also adjutant of Frederick County and at the department level.

Lee Fisher was a great teacher and mentor for Bob, and between them, they know so much about Post 168. Bob is a very dedicated Legion member and loves helping all Veterans.

Edward Gravatt

Edward served in the U.S. Air Force from 1961 through 1969 in Vietnam, working in the Air Police with Base Gym-Photographic Systems Repair. He is originally from Wilmington, Delaware, and his wife’s family is from Thurmont.

Edward has been a member for 12 years. His leadership positions have included post commander, second and first vice commander, and the post executive committee.

His Legion memorable moments were renovating the kitchen, Legion College at the Convention, Wounded Warrior Fishing, the Community Show, and the Catoctin Colorfest.

Rick L. Hall

Rick served in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam from 1970 through 1973 as a gunner aboard the USS San Bernardino, USS Alamo, and Patrol Boat Riverine. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he came to Frederick County in 1965, when his father was transferred with State Farm Insurance Company. Rick enlisted on July 15, 1970—just 24 days after his 17th birthday. Rick joined the American Legion in Clear Spring, Maryland, and then transferred to Thurmont. He was also involved with the Sons of the American Legion at the Woodsboro American Legion under his father, E. J. Hall.

Rick has been a Legion member for 23 years, and his leadership positions have included first vice commander, commander, and the post executive committee. His Legion memorable moments are the Ocean City Department meetings.

Rick stays as a member for all the important things the Legion does for our Veterans, families, scouts, scholarships for high school students, baseball teams, and the great friends he has made. The American Legion is a place for healing for some and a place of remembrance for others.

Alvin L. Hatcher

Alvin served in the U.S. Navy from 1984-1996 as hospital corpsman and was involved in Grenada and Desert Storm.

Alvin is from Mansfield, Ohio, and his wife is from Thurmont. His wife’s grandfather, Charles Downs, Sr. was a founding member of Post 168.

His leadership positions have included sergeant at arms, first vice commander, second vice commander, commander, post commander, county commander, and district commander.

Memorable moments at the Legion include becoming commander at Post 168 and his First Legion Convention in Ocean City. Alvin has enjoyed meeting many great memorable Legionnaires over the years.

Raymond A. Long

Raymond served in the Army from 1954 through 1956 and was a Morse Code interceptor during the Korean Conflict. He is a lifetime Thurmont resident, and joined the Legion so he could volunteer for his community.

Leadership positions in the Legion have included post commander, county commander, and district commander. While a member of the Veterans Affairs Department, Raymond was able to get funding for the Martinsburg, West Virginia, Veterans Affairs Center. 

His most memorable moments were being installed as commander of Post 168 and going to play bingo with Veterans at the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Center.

James “Buzz” Mackley

Buzz served as a sergeant in the Maryland Army National Guard from 1962 through 1968, with Light Weapons Infantry and Heavy Weapon Infantry. He was stateside for Vietnam and involved in riot duties while being stationed in Baltimore in 1968. He was also stationed twice in Cambridge, Maryland.

James is originally from Thurmont and has been a Legion member for over 50 years. His grandfather, Lloyd Mackley, was a previous commander. Leadership positions have included commander, vice-commander, and board chairman of the post executive committee. 

Cooking for the Wounded Warrior Fishing Day at Camp Airy Ponds, sponsored by the Brotherhood of the Junglecock, was one of his best Legion memories.

Sidney A. Wolf

Sidney served in the U.S. Marines, and also served as the Legion’s Post Commander.

He also served on the House Corporation and Colorfest committee and helps to play bingo at the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Center.

Pictured from left are: (front row) Paige Riley; Emmitsburg’s Francis X. Elder American Legion Post #121 Honorees: Martin Williams, Sanford “Mac” McGuire, Paul Sutton, Thomas Hoke, Edward “Gene” Lingg, Kevin Cogan; (back row) Andrea Mannix; Amy Poffenberger; Daniel Myers; C. Rodman Myers; Cathy Little; Jennifer Martin; Frederick County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Theresa Alban; Jennifer Clements; Barry Burch; Dave Harman; and Cheryl Lenhart.

Pictured from left are: (front row) Paige Riley; Thurmont’s Edwin C. Creeger, Jr. American Legion Post #168 Honorees: Alvin L. Hatcher, Raymond A. Long, Robert L. Brennan, Edward Gravatt, James “Buzz” Mackley, Rick L. Hall, and (not pictured) Sidney A. Wolf. Also honored was deceased member Kenneth Allen; (back row) Andrea Mannix; Amy Poffenberger; Daniel Myers; C. Rodman Myers; Cathy Little; Jennifer Martin; Frederick County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Theresa Alban; Jennifer Clements; Barry Burch; Dave Harman; and Cheryl Lenhart.

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The People in My Life for Whom I am Most Thankful

by Jim Houck, Jr.

I have many people in my daily life at this time for which I am very thankful. I would like to start out by thanking my wonderful family. I thank my mother, Mary Jean Wantz Houck, for giving me life and guiding me through my informative years. I thank my sister Connie and my brothers, Bob, Tom, and Marc for helping to keep my youth exciting and adventurous. I am very thankful for them today, because if I need them, I know that all I have to do is contact them and they will be there. I am thankful for my wonderful wife, Joan Wormley Houck, for putting up with my weirdness for… let’s see, November 7, 2014, will be fifty years of marriage and two years of courtship—wow, that’s fifty-two years! I am thankful for my beautiful and talented daughter, Missy Houck Saylor, and my workaholic son, Jim Houck III, for making me so proud through the years. I am thankful for my six grandchildren and my thirteen great-grandchildren, and regret not seeing them as much as I would like. I love my family and thank God for them every day, and pray for Him to watch over them. I am thankful for all of my relatives in the community, and you know who you are—way too many to name in my column.

I want to thank all of the great people at Francis X. Elder American Legion in Emmitsburg and, especially, Sons of the American Legion Squadron 121. I have been their commander for a few years now, and I can truthfully say I am proud of them all and, especially, my officers. My 1st vice commander is Mark Zurgable. Mark is well known in the community and operates Zurgable Bros. Hardware Store. Mark is always willing to help with our many fundraising events to help the people in need throughout our community. Mike Hartdagen is my 2nd vice commander and takes care of our membership and does a great job. Mike is very detail-oriented, which comes from the many years he worked in the air conditioning and heating industry. He has health issues, as I am sure anyone who knows Mike is aware, and he still continues being a great aid mentally, if not physically, to our projects. My treasurer is Gary Stouter, and he does a great job at keeping our finances straight. Gary owns Mountain Liquors, and he not only helps with events, but he donates a lot of things we use at the fundraisers. Fred Hoff is my adjutant (secretary) and does a good job taking care to keep our minutes from one meeting to the next. I can call Fred to assist with something one of our members has been assigned to but is not able to attend, and Fred—if he is in the area—will always say yes. Dick Fleagle is my chaplain and takes care of our opening and closing prayers. He keeps check on our members; if someone is sick, in the hospital, or has passed on, he sends them and/or their family cards, fruit baskets, or flowers. Tim Hane is my sergeant at arms and maintains order at our meetings, makes sure the flags are in place, and my gavel is present. Tim also guards the door; when we have ceremonies, such as the swearing in of new members, he instructs and escorts them to their proper post.

I am very thankful for having these people and our members in my life. A friendly reminder to all SAL members: dues are now payable for 2015 and are $20.00, but if you wait until after December 31, 2014, dues will be $25.00.

I am thankful for VFW Memorial Post 6658 and their people, but especially thankful for VFW Men’s Auxiliary Unit 6658, where I am the senior vice president. The president of this great unit is Leo Hobbs, and he does a great job of leading us. Leo controls his meeting and reminds everyone we exist to help the children in our community. When Leo has a plan for a fundraising event, he gets right to the point, and after discussion by members, his plan usually is voted a go. We are having our annual Shrimp and Chicken Feed on November 8, 2014, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Please check the VFW website and Facebook for all the information about Feeds and other events at the Post. Leo’s junior vice president is Josh Weatherly. Josh is in charge of membership and has done a great job for a few years now. He also is at most of our functions and helps in many ways. Leo’s secretary is Steve Seidel, and he has been taking minutes for MAVFW Unit 6658’s meetings for a few years. Steve recently got married and has been “missing in action” for a few months. Steve Wojciechowski is Leo’s treasurer and keeps the checkbook in order. He comes out to help at most events and does a really good job. Mark Zurgable is the chaplain for the unit and never misses a meeting, unless he forgets—you know how old age affects some people. He helps with most events and is usually there from start to finish. Leo’s trustees are Dick Fleagle, Bruce Weatherly, and Lu Norris; they all do a great job of double-checking the treasurer’s report, as well as volunteering at our events. Bob Kuhn is Leo’s sergeant at arms and announces and escorts in anyone visiting our meeting. MAVFW Unit 6658’s officers are all people of whom I am very proud, and I thank God to get to work with such a great group of people.

AMVETS Post 7 Thurmont has some fantastic people in their organization, and I am thankful I know a lot of them. I am also proud and thankful to be a member of Sons of AMVETS Squadron 7 and an officer under the command of Commander Mark Zienda. This is Mark’s second year as commander of Squadron 7, and he has done a great job thus far. Mark, along with taking care of his ailing father, manages to do his job and more. Even if he has to get back to his dad, he puts in an appearance to let the members know he is behind them. Mark’s 1st vice commander is Dick Fleagle, and he takes care of membership—there is no one better at it than Dick. Dick is a very serious person when it comes to his job of membership; he could probably get around a few things regarding membership, but his ethics won’t allow him to do that. With Dick, it is either right or wrong, and you can bet your last dollar that it’s always going to be done the right way. I am Mark’s 2nd vice commander, and my job is to report to National SOA with all of our volunteer hours accumulated monthly to get credit, and to give our delegates more power to negotiate on Capitol Hill for our Veterans. Mark’s 3rd vice commander is Brian Payne; his job is to come up with events for fundraisers to aid Veterans and our community. Brian has been doing a great job, and we are proud of him. He also volunteers at various functions at the Post. Joe Forrest is Mark’s adjutant, and he keeps account of all things happening at our meetings. Joe volunteers at our functions and supplies lots of desserts at our events. Mark’s treasurer is Bob Gouge, and he controls the money flow for Squadron 7. Bob gives an accurate and up-to-date report at each meeting. He also volunteers at many of our events when possible. Craig Williams is Mark’s chaplain, and he reads the prayer before and after meetings; he finds out who is sick and who has passed and handles them appropriately. Tim McKinnon is Mark’s judge advocate and interprets our standing rules and bylaws and enforces them. Tim also volunteers at many functions. Jim Payne is Mark’s VAVS officer and attends meetings at Martinsburg Veterans Center; he keeps us informed of what is happening with our Veterans. Jim is an active volunteer, also. Mark’s provost marshall is Pauly Krygier, and he guards the door and escorts those to be sworn in to the proper position. I am truly thankful for being able to associate with such a great group of officers and members.

The Department of Maryland Sons of AMVETS is another organization of which I am proud to be a part. The Commander is Ed Stely and he is a fantastic man. I really gained a lot of respect for him when he and I were in Memphis, Tennessee, at our National Convention. Ed’s 1st vice commander is Doug Penwell, and he is the right man for the job. Doug takes care of membership and stays right on top of things, because he has to account for membership at the Squadron level as well. Wade Clem is Ed’s 2nd vice commander, and he takes care of the reports for volunteers at Squadron level and reports to National. I am Ed’s 3rd vice commander, and it is my job to come up with fundraiser projects for the Department of Maryland and distribute them to the Squadrons. Bobby Stouffer is Ed’s adjutant and keeps the minutes from one meeting to the next, and he does a very good job. Joe Forrest is Ed’s judge advocate, and he interprets standing rules and bylaws. Ed’s chaplain is Dick Fleagle, and he does a fine job, as he does in everything else. I am Ed’s public relations officer, and it is my job to keep us in the spotlight. Ed’s VAVS officer is Jim Payne; and, for being new at it, Jim is doing an excellent job. Doug Penwell is acting treasurer for Scotty and doing an excellent job. Billy Kolb is Ed’s provost marshall and has always been good at it. I am proud and honored and very thankful to know and be a part of this great organization.

The Catoctin Banner is the best monthly community newspaper I have ever read. I am proud to call Deb Spalding a friend. And I think she understood a long time ago that if you are going to publish a community paper, you write about things happening in your community, not things happening halfway around the world. The community you live in and the surrounding communities are the world for the people living there. I am very proud to have had the opportunity to write for the Banner and will continue writing for her as long as I am mentally able. I listen to a lot of feedback from folks and I see lots of people, and I feel confident this paper will be around for many years, as long as it prints the quality material it has been writing. I am thankful to be associated with The Catoctin Banner and all the great people that help to put it together.

Thank God for the United States of America; my family; the American Veterans; and our community newspaper, The Catoctin Banner.