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As recently as 1990, American Legion Post 296 on Tillman Road had 1,400 members, healthy crowds for lunch and dinner, and money in the bank – enough to hand out $10,000 a year in scholarships and to sponsor dozens of programs.
Slowly, though, over the past couple of decades, times have changed.
The World War II veterans who once formed the backbone of the post’s membership began to die off. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the military became much more secretive. Legion members couldn’t meet with soldiers when they returned to pitch membership and the various ways the post could assist them with paperwork, veterans’ benefits, agencies for veterans, job assistance and so on. Membership dwindled to half what it was at its peak.
More recently, the smoking ban cut into business, and the ban of Cherry Master machines robbed the post of a little more income.
But the real hardships for Post 296 started in 2003. The St. Marys River, which had never flooded, began to overflow the banks that lie just across the street from the Legion post. During this first flood, the post had 4 feet of water inside. Damage totaled about $300,000, and the post was closed for months. It still owes $160,000 on those repairs.
Then the post was flooded again, causing more damage, and other floods made the road impassable, cutting off customers for periods of time.
So last week, its back against the wall financially, the post dismissed all of its bartenders and cooks and closed its doors.
During a meeting Sunday to discuss the post’s fate and how it might be saved, some members protested. Tuesday was Veterans Day. The post had always been open on Veterans Day, where it served free soup or whatever to all veterans. That couldn’t change. It had to open on Veterans Day.
So with cooks who worked for free and bartenders who worked for tips, the post opened Tuesday, just for the day, serving hot dogs and sauerkraut and other food, all for free to veterans.
And while eating, members talked about the fate of the organization.
Manuel Fernandis, the current post commander, pulled out a piece of paper that pretty much summed up the story. The balance on the post’s books showed it owed more than $10,000 and had something more than $7,000 on hand.
Gordon Anthony, past commander, pulled out a list of options presented to members Sunday. It contained few desirable outcomes: close and sell out, find a bingo operator, hire a food and bar management firm to run the place, share the post with a joint tenant, lease the place for receptions or assess members a one-time fee to catch up on bills, which is a tough choice in tough times.
What the post really needs, Anthony said, is to have members take part in more post events, but that can’t happen, at least not right now. The doors are closed.
The post could put out the word to past lunch clients, the ones who drifted away after the floods closed the post or kept them away, telling them the post is still there and needs their business. But that won’t work. The post is closed, at least for now.
Post officers also fret about what will happen if they miss a payment on the Small Business Administration loan they had to take out to repair flood damage. They haven’t been able to get an answer.
The post will have other meetings to ponder ways to get the doors back open.
What they need is a benefactor, Anthony said.
Or for someone to win the lottery, another member piped up.
“We need Bush to give us a bailout,” another member said. “Bail out the mainstream.”
