A group of local military veterans recently obtained a charter to start a new American Legion Post in Hot Springs, citing the need for a chapter located closer to the center of the city.
"We're just getting started and trying to get the word out," Curtis Craft, one of the main organizers, told The Sentinel-Record Monday, noting they already had 15 members so far who had paid their dues as of their last meeting on Aug. 18.
"We're getting more in every day and I think once people find out about us we'll start getting applications."
The next meeting will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Webb Community Center, 127 Pleasant St., and anyone who served in the armed forces is eligible and welcome to join, he said.
The group received its charter at the Aug. 18 meeting from R.D. Kinsey, the outgoing state commander of the American Legion of Arkansas, who is also the first African American to hold that position. A support team from Post 74 in North Little Rock, which has helped the group with their application process, will be in attendance to direct the meeting.
Craft, a U.S. Army veteran, said he came to Hot Springs about 15 years ago, in October 2004, "right after I came home from my second tour of duty in Iraq," to get married. His wife, Joyce Craft, is the former superintendent of the Hot Springs School District.
"I noticed there wasn't a lot of visibility of veteran services organizations here," he said, noting he heard about the American Legion Post 13 in Hot Springs but "it was on the other side of town." The Post, located at 3227 Albert Pike, is just outside the city limits of Hot Springs near the Piney Junction.
"I was watching TV and saw this group sponsoring an event in Sherwood so I drove over to it just out of curiosity. I met up with some representatives from Post 74 who were doing a job fair there."
Craft said he had been a member of an American Legion Post in Memphis where he was teaching ROTC, but after meeting with the members of the North Little Rock Post he ended up transferring his membership there.
"I didn't go to a lot of the meetings because of the distance, though. It's a long drive," he said.
"There were some other guys I served with in the military that live here in Hot Springs, some buddies, and I got to talking to others in my church and we decided we could use a Post in town to find out more about veterans benefits. You had some folks who were dying who wanted to be given last rites at their funeral, that sort of thing."
Craft said "one thing led to another" and they had an exploratory meeting about four years ago and "several guys came out," but the idea "kind of languished for a while" until he met up with Kinsey, who by then had become state commander.
"He wanted to help us get on board before he left office," he said. "We finally got some members, but unfortunately we lost some since that first meeting. Some died in the meantime."
One of the ones who had shown an interest four years ago was Edgar Lee Atwater, a Hot Springs native and veteran of World War II, who has since died. "He was right at 100 years old," Craft said. "So we're thinking about naming the post after him. You have to name it for a deceased veteran and he seems like a good choice."
Craft said they are chartered as American Legion Post 2020 and will be holding their meetings, at least for the foreseeable future, at the Webb Center. "It looks like I will be an officer," he said, laughing. "They gave me the gavel."
He said some of the members of the Post are employees of the Veteran's Administration so "they know the system and can help other members. I know a lot of the guys had questions. They were talking about conditions they had and how they didn't feel they were getting what they needed.
"We're hoping to get the word out and get some other guys to come and sign up. Anyone who might be interested."
Local on 09/15/2019