Blackwell-Frazier American Legion Post #142 Hominy, Oklahoma

NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

This year has been a year of new faces and members at the Hominy Post 142. There have been several articles posted in the Hominy News-Progress about the need for new members and younger members from the Desert Storm, Terrorism wars and Afghanistan Military Campaigns since the attack on the World Trade Center buildings on September 11, 2001at 7:46 AM CDT. The response to those articles has been great. So far this year, there have been four new members that have joined the American Legion, Blackwell-Frazier, Post 142 in Hominy, OK.

The first new member was Russel Hanoch who is a veteran of the United States Air Force and served in Panama. The next member to join was Michael Callahan, another United States Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. Then, amazingly, we had two young veterans join our post at the same time on the same night. John Carter, who, also amazingly is another United States Air Force veteran who served our country in the Persian Gulf. The young man who joined at the same time was Jonathan Engle and he is a veteran of the United States Army who also served in the Persian Gulf. The post now has 26 USA Veterans, 14 USAF Veterans, 7 USN Veterans, three USMC Veterans, and one USCG Veteran.

The Hominy Post 142 has been around for some time. The first Post Commander was recorded as Ernest Walker in 1920 to 1927, although the application for a permanent post charter that was sent to National Headquarters in 1923 listed a Robert L. Lewis as the commander. This 1923 application was signed by the first American Legion National Adjutant Lemuel Bolles. In 1923, there was a total post membership of 50 legionnaires with a possible 75 local veterans to draw from. By 1948, when Post 142 in Hominy applied for a name change from Andrew Blackwell to Blackwell-Frazier, the total number of members enrolled since the formation of the post was 107 out of a possible 140 ex-service members to draw from. Currently the post has an active membership of 53 Legionnaires

NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

Without a doubt, one of the most interesting news items to Americans currently, especially families with family members in the military deployed in the Afghanistan area, is the daily reports about the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan. Whether you are a Vietnam veteran, or one from the war on terror or another era, we all thank you for your service. No matter when you served, your service matters, and it’s what will allow freedom to continue.

The American Legion National Commander further encouraged our American Legion Family saying, “But we need to let the returning Afghanistan and Iran veterans know that their service matters today, and it will matter tomorrow. I strongly encourage American Legion Family members to take this time to perform Buddy Checks on Afghanistan, Iraq, and other veterans during this time. Reach out to your brothers and sisters in arms, and make sure they are doing OK and ask what they need.”

NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

The Hominy Post 142 was started in 1920 with the first Post Commander being Ernest Walker who served seven years from 1920 to 1927. To date there have been 50 Post Commanders but, the post does not have all of their photos. The list below represents the 50 Post commanders that served from 1920 to 2021. All of the blank names of commanders are the ones we already have photos for. The years with a name listed are those Commanders without photos. I am trying to enlist the help of all those Hominy News-Progress readers out there with trying to help us locate these missing photos. Please let me thank all of you in advance for your help with this search.

NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

This is going to be a “Flashback” series about veterans who have been part of the history of the HUT, Post 142 in Hominy, Oklahoma, and part of the history of the Hominy community. All veterans are special patriots and deserve to be honored, but the veterans who are no longer with us also deserve to be honored, and that is the purpose of this “Flashback” series for veterans that have passed into the Hominy Post 142 Post Everlasting Memorial in our hearts

Sgt. Louis Marvin Hale, Sr.

Sgt. Louis Marvin Hale, Sr. was born April 2, 1926, in Pecos, Texas to Joseph L. and Vera Amerson Hale and lived in Amber, OK and Hominy OK. Louis M. Hale enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve (USNR) on March 30, 1944, at the Naval Reserve Station in Oklahoma City, and then entered into active duty on April 8, 1944, in the United States Navy (USN) at the Naval Training School in Williamsburg, Virginia. He continued to the NTADC at Camp Peary in Williamsburg. The first ship Louis was stationed on was the USS Lake Champlain and then the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. Louis attained the rank of E-5 or Yeoman Second Class (Y2C), aka Petty Officer Second Class (PO2). Louis M. Hale PO2 received an Honorable Discharge from the Navy at the USN Personnel Separation Center at Lido Beach, Long Island, New York on June 7, 1946. Louis received the American Theater Medal and the Victory Medal for his service while in the Navy.

Not long after getting discharged from the Navy, Louis married a local Hominy lady named Zelda Cody on August 17, 1946. Zelda was born and raised in Hominy, OK. To this union were born six children, four boys and two girls. Three of the sons, Louis M Hale, Jr., Jim Hale, and Pat Hale followed their father into the Oklahoma Army National Guard.

NEWS FROM THE HUT by John Hamilton

The American Legion Post #142 in Hominy was organized in 1920, following World War I and following the organization of the American Legion in 1919. The post was originally named after Pvt. Andrew Blackwell, the first known Osage County resident killed in action during WWI.

Andrew Blackwell

William “Andrew” Blackwell was a private in the U.S. Army, serving in the 58^th Infantry Regiment, 4^th Division, during World War I. He was killed in action on May 23, 1918, when the RMS Moldavia was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in the English Channel.

There are conflicting birth records, but Andrew Blackwell was probably born on December 23, 1893, in Warm Springs, Arkansas. His father, William Bell Blackwell, was a local merchant and a farmer. He married Andrew’s mother, Emma Earnest Hand, in 1889, and together, they had a large family. In the late 1890’s, the entire Blackwell family relocated from Arkansas to the Osage Nation in Oklahoma to take advantage of territories that were opening up to white settlers. They settled in Hominy where Andrew grew up. Andrew Blackwell was 15 at the time of the 1910 census. On the census form, Andrew and his older brother Robert were listed as farm laborers, and they were both listed as being able to read and write.

Blackwell registered for the draft on May 6, 1917. On his draft card, he indicated that he was single without children, and that he had been employed at the Union Station in Wichita, Kansas. He also indicated that he was supporting his sister. From contemporary accounts, Andrew Blackwell was inducted into the service on January 28, 1918, in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Within a few months, he had completed his expedited training with other fresh American troops, and he was assigned to the 58th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. With the European theater of war heating up, Blackwell began his journey to join the American Expeditionary Forces.