From
the
December
6,
2007 Perinton Post_
A
Column
by
Perinton
Historian Jean Keplinger
VETERANS’
GROUPS:
VETERANS
OF FOREIGN WARS
For
as long
as
citizens have
gone to war, there have been veterans’ organizations
of some
sort. In 1879, local
Civil War
veterans formed the Fairport chapter of
the
Grand Army of the Republic, E.A. Slocum
Post
#211.
Named after Edmund Slocum, who was
killed at Gettysburg,
the post worked for
veterans’
benefits, assisted indigent veterans and
their
families, and cared for veterans’ graves.
I
n 1899, veterans
of the Spanish-American War formed Veterans of
Foreign
Wars (VFW)
essentially to
provide aid to needy or disabled veterans.
The Grand
Army of the Republic’s national commander, General John Logan,
officially
proclaimed Memorial Day on May 5, 1868, as a day to honor the war dead.
It
was first observed on May 30, 1868,
when
flowers were
placed on the graves of
Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to
officially recognize the
holiday was New
York in
1873, and Fairport’s chapter of the
GAR oversaw
the establishment of Decoration Day (
now known as Memorial Day)
ceremonies in Perinton.
The
E.A.
Slocum
Post
closed
in 1937 when
Horace Waddell, its
last surviving member,
died.
Aside
from
one photo taken in 1914, little else is known about the activities of
the Post.
Those who
fought in the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the
Philippine
Insurrection and the Cuban Pacification, as well as the numerous wars
f the
twentieth century, and were honorably discharged, have all been
eligible to
join
the VFW, which was founded in 1899.
At first the groups were small and widely
scattered and as a
result had
little clout in trying to obtain government aid for needy
or disabled
veterans. However, after World War I,
where about 4,000,000 American
saw service, the organization grew to
the point
where they were able to lobby
successfully for adequate pensions and
medical
care. World War II, in which about
16 million served, added to the size
and
influence of the VFW. The landmark GI Bill
of Rights, passed in 1944
with VFW
support, gave returning service men and women
stipends, health
benefits, access
to higher education and loans for financing the
purchase of a home or
for
starting a business. In effect, the bill
contributed significantly
to the rise of a strong educated middle class.
Locally,
95
Perinton and Fairport veterans established the Perinton Memorial Post
#8495
of
the VFW in November of 1946. Official
recognition of the Post and installation of officers took
place in the
Cottage
Hotel on North
Main Street. Officers were
Ted King, commander;* Ken Maine,
adjutant;
Richard Hogan, officer of the day; Robert Laird and Thomas
Streppa,
color bearers;
E. Sipple and
Albert
LaPietra, color guards; and William Zimmer, guard.
The Post first met in various
places,
including the Green Lantern Inn, the Cottage Hotel, the fire hall, the
American
Legion hall, and
in members’
homes, but by 1948 had acquired and on Macedon
Center
Road where they planned
to
construct
their
own building. One of their many fund
raising methods was the sale of 7500 “building
blocks” at 25
cents
apiece,
eventually netting $2, 321. The concrete
blocks were to create the foundation
for the
building.
Combining successful fund raising with the
talent of many of their members, the VFW’s
new home was
completed and
dedicated
in 1952.
Over the
years, the VFW has sponsored many community events.
A 1948
news article describes the All-Vets
celebration, which was to feature a “ gigantic military
parade,” with
bands and
floats and prizes for the best unit and for those who traveled
the
farthest; a
concert by the VFW band; attractions on the grounds of the VFW facility
including a Shetland pony and cart to provide rides, culminating with a
“mammoth fireworks
display.” Carnivals,
dances,
concerts, and Christmas parties have all been activities
sponsored by
the Post
as have various fund drives for those in need.
Today the
VFW sponsors the Memorial Day parade and the ensuing ceremonies to
honor those
fallen in war. They have constructed
“Freedom Hill,” a memorial at the Post’s
home on Macedon
Center Road featuring an M-60 tank, a Huey
helicopter, and a walk with
bricks that have been engraved with
veterans’
names. Along with the American Legion,
they
see that flags adorn the graves of fallen service people and sell
poppies
to raise money.
For over 20 years,
Wednesday has been Bingo night at the Post and regularly draws nearly
100
players. Proceeds from the games allow
the Post to support veterans’ and community
causes which include, among
others,
the Perinton Ambulance Corps and Little League
baseball. The
plaque at Potter Memorial, honoring all
those from the Perinton-Fairport community that
served in the nation’s
wars and
memorializing those who died, was co-sponsored by the Post.
The
Post
has also made an effort to reach out to those veterans of more recent
wars like
Korea, Vietnam,
and
Iraq
who
were not welcomed home with parades and
hoopla to help
them feel
appreciated
and valued. In all of its activities,
the VFW attempts
to live up to
its motto: “honor the dead by helping
the
living.”
Other Post information
List of Charter members (click here)
Charter
member
and
past
Commander (1959 and 1996) Frank Pittinaro
reports that
"The
first elected officers when we got our charter from
national were: Ted King, Commander;
John Ellis,
Senior Vice Commander
and; Frank Pittinaro Junior Vice Commander"
The cannon at the post entrance
is a 37mm gun:
This was
installed
shortly after the post was created.
The 37mm Gun M3 was the first
dedicated anti-tank gun fielded by United
States
forces. Introduced in 1940,
it became the
standard anti-tank gun of the U.S. infantry with its size
enabling it to be pulled by a jeep. However,
the continuing
improvement of German tanks quickly rendered the
37 mm ineffective, and by 1943 it was being
gradually
replaced in the European and Mediterranean theaters by the
more powerful British-developed 57mm Gun M1.
In the Pacific,
where the Japanese tank threat was less significant,
the M3 remained in service until the end of the war.
Freedom Hill
In
2001,
Freedom Hill was
constructed and included an M60A3 Main Battle Tank
and a Huey UH-1H
Helicopter. The major personnel involved in obtaining,
maintaining and construction
of Freedom Hill were 2001-2002 Commander Pete Swanson, 2001-2002 Senior
Vice Commander Bob Gill,
and Perinton Overseas Veterans President Jim Schenkel. They were
assisted by many of the post members
at that time. Freedom Hill was dedicated following the Memorial
Day Parade on May 27, 2002.
The
Tank
was
received
from
Ft.
Drum in upstate NY
The M60
Series was a
second-generation main battle tank
(MBT) introduced in
December 1960.
It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially
those in NATO, and remains in
service throughout the world today despite being superseded by the M1
Abrams
The M60 traces
its
roots to the late WWII-era M26 Pershing heavy tank from which the M48
was
developed.
In 1957, plans were laid in the US for a tank with a
105 mm main gun and a redesigned
hull offering
better armor protection.
The resulting
M60 series largely resembles the M48 it was based on, but
has significant differences.
The M60 mounted
a bore evacuated 105 mm main gun, compared with
the M48's 90 mm, had a hull
with a straight
front slope where as the M48's hull was rounded, had
three support rollers per side to
the M48's five,
and had road wheels constructed from aluminum rather
than steel.
The Huey Helecopter was obtained from Fort
Rucker
in
Alabama
The Bell Huey family of helicopters
includes a wide range of civil and military aircraft produced since
1956 and still manufactured in 2010. This H-1 family of aircraft
includes the utility UH-1 Iroquois and
the derivative AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter series and ranges from the
XH-40 prototype, first flown
in October 1956 to the 21st Century UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper.
The UH-1
Iroquois is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft
engine, with a two-bladed
main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell
Helicopter to meet the United States
Army's requirement for a medical
evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew on 20
October
1956. Ordered into production in March 1960, the UH-1 was the first
turbine-powered helicopter to enter
production for the United States military,
and
more
than
16,000
have
been produced worldwide.
The first combat
operation of the UH-1 was in the service of the U.S. Army during the
Vietnam War.
The original designation of HU-1 led to the helicopter's
nickname of Huey.
In September 1962, the
designation was changed to UH-1, but Huey remained in common use, as
well as being chosen as the
official name by the United States Marine Corps. Approximately 7,000
UH-1 aircraft saw service in Vietnam.
August
23,
2009 Our Post Hosts
the Vietnam Wall That Heals
The Wall
that Heals, a half-scale
replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC
will bring the
message of The Wall to Fairport from August 20th through
August 23rd, 2009.
Located next to
Freedom Hill at Perinton Memorial Veterans of Foreign
Wars Post 8495, the
exhibition will
feature the dramatic replica - stretching nearly 250
feet in total length - as well as
an Information
Center and traveling museum displaying memorabilia left
at The Wall in Washington DC
The Wall That
Heals will arrive with a motorcycle escort starting at
the Geneva Thruway
Exit at 2 PM on
August 18 and following Rt 96 to Rt 250 through
Fairport and on to the post.
Pictures
and
Wall information
return to
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