The American Legion Post 423 was organized in 1920, almost 106 years ago. Since that time the Legion has given so much to the community of Houston.
In 1987 legal gambling began at the Legion; originally physical pull tabs were sold. In recent years, the addition of e-tabs greatly increased the gambling income at the Legion.
Proceeds from the gambling that are shared with the community are now around $90,000 a year. The post is legally required to share a certain percentage of the profits with charitable organizations. The Legion has also given to individuals undergoing hardships; people do not need to be Legion members to receive such help.
The proceeds are shared monthly; at their monthly meetings, members of the post decide to whom and how much is given. This past year 26 different groups and activities received funding from the legion. The Scouts, the Houston Fire Department and the Houston Ambulance are among groups regularly supported.
Other fund raisers held by the Legion include steak frys monthly on the third Saturday from April through October, meat raffles, bingo, and gun raffles.
The Houston Legion has a meeting room that is used as a meeting place for many groups in Houston. The Snowmobile Club, Chamber of Commerce, Sheldon Valley Sportsman’s Association, Houston Area Cancer Society, Hoedown Board and the Mat Club all use the room at no expense for their meetings.
Memorial Day services are presented at the city park by the legion; all Memorial Day observances are done at the park including the gun salute. During COVID, the legion traveled to
area cemeteries. American flags are placed on veterans’ graves and on light poles around Houston by Legion members.
The Houston Legion Family (Legion, Auxiliary, and Sons of the American Legion) hosts several community events annually. At Christmas, Santa visits both children at the Legion and residents at Heritage Court; in addition, John Geiwitz delivers fruit to residents at Valley View
Manor.
At Easter, an egg hunt takes place; at Halloween, the Legion has plenty of candy and treats for all the ghosts and goblins. Hot dogs and sodas are provided by the Legion at the events as well.
Post 423 sponsors both boys and girls baseball teams; the Post pays for uniforms, umpires and supplies; it also takes care of all the paperwork involved with the activity.
Boys and Girls State are also sponsored by the Legion. High school juniors can apply for the week-long leadership camps. The Legion has helped out other area schools with their programs as well; a couple years ago, the Houston Legion sent six youths in total to the camp. On occasion, when only two students applied, they sent them both.
The Legion sponsors junior gun shooting which is indoor target shooting. This takes place at the community center. Jay Johnson started the program originally; Korey Kinstler now runs the program. An enclosed trailer has been purchased with the help of the Legion to store the equipment.
Houston’s Scout Troop #53 has a very strong Eagle Scout program which the Legion helps to support. In the Veterans Memorial Park, there are the results of the work of several Eagle Scouts. One scout had helped establish the park, others added flags, flag poles and benches.
Of course, the Legion was involved in the tank display at the park. They are still on the waiting list for a helicopter that will also be displayed there. The tank, helicopter and all their guns are property of the armed forces.
Each year the Legion performs military honors for five or six military funerals. Families of veterans can request such honors. The Legion also does military honors for out of town members being buried in one of the local cemeteries. The color guard has performed at a high school basketball game at the request of the school.
Currently the Houston Legion has 90 members, but the monthly meeting attendance is low. There are a lot of members who live out of town. There are 10 female members including Gretchen Hill, daughter of Commander Tom Hill. As is the case in many American Legions, Houston Legion is losing membership as members pass away.
The monthly meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. Any veteran (they do not have to have been involved in a war or conflict) can stop in and fill out a form to become a member. Dues are $45. Houston Legion will cover the dues for active military; they also cover the dues for veterans now in nursing homes who were members in the past.
Commander Tom Hill, Treasurer Ron Belongie and John Geiwitz who is in charge of gambling and military funerals are the heart of the post, taking on much of the work of the post.
They in turn give credit to Lisa Onsgard for her work in managing the Legion.
The Houston community has indeed benefited greatly through the years from the service and generosity of the Houston Legion!
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