NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

I guess that everyone has heard of or read about “The Gunfight at the OK Corral” at some time. It was a very real shootout that took place in Tombstone, Arizona on Wednesday, October 26, 1881 between lawmen led by Virgil Earp and group of outlaws called the Cowboys led by Ike Clanton.

Here in Hominy, OK we have our own “shootout”, although it is nowhere as dramatic as the one in Tombstone, AZ, portraited in the move “Tombstone” by Kurt Russell (Wyatt Earp), Val Kilmer (Doc Holliday), and Stephen Lang (Ike Clanton).

The terminology “shootout” is only used as a good-natured intra-Service rivalry and camaraderie that all veterans do among themselves. The Army and Marines harass the Navy and the Air Force and visa-versa. It is all-in good fun and only veterans can pick on each other.

A group of American Legion Veterans from Post 142 in Hominy, OK meet on Wednesday mornings each week at Bucks Eats and Treats on Main Street, right across from the Hominy Library, to solve the problems of the world and enjoy a hot cup of coffee and something for breakfast if you want. This event started out with Jimmy Himes (Army) and Don Rainwater (Air Force) after putting out or picking up the flags on Main Street. Then they decided to meet at Bucks Eats and Treats on Wednesday since the flag deployment only happened once or maybe twice a month if at all. Slowly other post 142 members joined the “shootout” for breakfast. Other Hominy citizens started joining the group. Everyone has many stories to share about their Military experiences, and life experiences. Everyone has something to share/offer and to learn from each other. If you are a Veteran, please join us at 7:30 on Wednesday each week.

Finally, after all the freeze and snow, we had our meeting for February at the Hut. An issue that was discussed was if we should resume the Monday morning breakfast at the Hut. The members that were present voted on this issue and all the members voted unanimously to resume the Monday morning Koffee Klatch since most of the members have been meeting on Wednesday mornings at the Bucks Eats and Treats, referred to as the “Shoot out”, for coffee and breakfast. We also discussed getting with Hominy High School officials about any suggestions they may have for possible candidates for the Boys State Event and contacting the Hominy High School Principal about the possibility of a modified Veterans award ceremony.

One of Hominy’s well-known citizens and Naval Veteran, Bill Walls, will be laid to rest on March 6, 2021 at 11:00 AM at the Riverside Cemetery in Ralston, Oklahoma. Bill Walls had a long history in Hominy as the owner of the Bill Walls Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick dealership for 30 years that Bill purchased from Cal Newport, a former American Legion Post 142 Commander (1948-1949). Bill was not a member of the American Legion but was still an honored veteran in the Hominy community.

Until further notice, our regular Legion meeting will be the third Thursday of each month. Due to current weather issues, our next meeting will be on Thursday, March 18th. at 7:00 PM. The Sons of the American Legion meetings have been suspended until further notice, depending on the future COVID-19 situation. All dinners have been cancelled until further notice. The Monday morning Koffee Klatch meetings have been postponed as well for the same reason. If you are a veteran, come by for our monthly meeting, and if you have a good story, it may end up in print. Also keep up with us at the Post 142 website “americanlegion142.org” and Hominy Legion on Facebook.