Veterans’ group celebrates long history
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ST. IGNATIUS — Veterans, their families and friends packed Doug Allard’s Buffalo Ranch Café for a birthday celebration last Tuesday evening. The American Legion turned 92 this year, and St. Ignatius’ American Legion Post 106 celebrated its own 64th birthday with a dinner and presentations by Linda Thompson, daughter of a U.S.S. Missoula veteran, and Marine Corps veteran Chuck Lewis.
Thompson’s father, James L. Hoeft, served in the Navy from April 1944 to August 1946 aboard the U.S.S. Missoula. The battleship, named after the city of Missoula, carried all the men who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima, including local hero Louis Charlo. The Americans wounded in the fighting on Iwo Jima were also treated in the ship’s hospital.
Growing up in Minnesota, Thompson didn’t hear her dad talk much about his World War II experience, and she didn’t realize that his ship was named after Missoula, Mont., until 2003 when she saw the ship mentioned in a newspaper article. Her father had passed away in 1989 of heart disease — complications of malaria he contracted while serving in the South Pacific — but Thompson researched the ship’s history on her own.
“I’ve kind of got a soft spot for it all, you might say,” Thompson said. “I feel real lucky to be able to be a part of this and (the legacy) my father left us.”
Honoring veterans like Thompson’s father is a cause near and dear to Lewis’ heart, as he shared an educational slideshow on the proper execution of military funerals. Many people don’t realize that every detail, from the direction the flag is draped over the coffin to the three-volley gun salute, is significant, Lewis explained. He also discussed various veterans’ organizations such as the Patriot Guard Riders and the local Mission Valley Honor Guard, and the importance of honoring military mothers. A veteran’s service doesn’t end when he or she returns home, Lewis explained, and one of the most important functions for veterans at home is to honor and support other veterans.
And that’s what the American Legion is all about, explained Homer Courville, adjutant for Post 106. The local branch’s 52 members perform community service projects each year, supporting local youth and veterans, providing equipment for the Mission Valley Honor Guard, erecting and maintaining white crosses on state highways to honor crash victims and hosting Boys’ State events. Last year, the group placed 365 flags on local veterans’ graves for Memorial Day, in addition to holding Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. The Ladies’ Auxiliary performs many similar functions, serving local youth, hosting Girls’ State and supporting the veterans of Post 106.
“It’s a lot of local support … it’s veterans continuing to serve,” Courville said.
