New York American Legion Post 873 Commemorates Centennial of Charter with Daily Taps at the National World War I Memorial

As the Great War raged in Europe, the United States prepared to enter the war in 1917.  Men from all around a small hamlet near the shores of Lake Ontario in New York State began to register for the draft and volunteer for service.  They came from the orchards and farms which were plentiful in this community as they are today.  They also came from the mills that lined Eighteen Mile creek.  Some made the trip “over there” while others served their nation in other ways.  Some of the older volunteers made their way to the US Guard units used to protect vital assets here at home, others used their instrumental skills to help recruit servicemen at recruiting centers, while others worked at the many military hospitals set up to treat the wounded.  Being close to the Canadian border, a few made their way back to serve in the Canadian Military.  Many that made the trip overseas did so with New York’s 77th and 78th Infantry Divisions but some did go to fledgling aero and tank units whose use was first seen in the Great War.

There were twelve service members lost during the war to end all wars from the surrounding community of Newfane.  Some were killed in action or died of wounds on the battlefields and others passed from disease, several attributed to pneumonia and the Spanish Flu pandemic..

After the November 1918 armistice, a group of American Expeditionary Forces servicemen met in Paris, France while awaiting the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and transport home.  The idea behind the meeting was to address ways to help returning veterans from the war. The American Legion’s founding was formalized at the Paris Caucus, where a temporary constitution and the name “The American Legion” were adopted.  The primary goals of the organization were to support veterans, maintain the memory of their experiences, and foster a sense of community among them. The United States Congress chartered the organization on the 16th of September 1919.

Service members called to duty returned home, back to the small hamlet from which they came.  Some had disabilities from the war which varied from wounds from bullets or shell fragments to breathing or vision issues from chemical agents used in the war.  On a cold day in December 1921, thirty six veterans of the Great War gathered to start the process to form a local unit of the American Legion.  Their goal was to assist and support the veterans in the area and the families of veterans who did not return from the war.

The Post’s official  charter was signed by the National American Legion Commander on July 25th, 1925.  It was the 8,118th American Legion Post Charter in the Nation and was given the number of the 873rd post in New York State’s Department of the American Legion.

Over the last 100 years, the Post has held true to the pillars of the American Legion: Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth with its programs in the Post and in the community.  On this centennial anniversary of the signing of the Post’s Charter, the current post members will pay tribute to our founding members, as well as the twelve servicemen that did not return, by having Taps played by the Doughboy Foundation in their honor at the National World War One Memorial in Washington DC on the 25th of July 2025.

We Remember…..

Ricci Hoffer is Post Commander and Treasurer of Newfane American Legion Post 873.   The Post’s Facebook page can be found here.

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