U.S. Military Veterans in Brown County are recognized and helped in a number of ways, including the County operated Veterans Service Office, a Veterans Administration health clinic, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3278, and the Central Texas Veterans Memorial in the City of Brownwood’s Camp Bowie Memorial Park. Sometimes overlooked is the American Legion. Post 196 Commander Paul Wade is determined to change that.
American Legion Post 196 is almost one-hundred years old, chartered in 1930. The American Legion itself was started in 1919 and now has over three million members in 14,000 Posts across the United States and around the world. Texas has more than 100 American Legion Posts. Membership in the American Legion is open to anyone who has served in any branch of the United States military, including Reserves and National Guard. Deployment to a combat zone is not required. “The American Legion is for any man or woman who has served one day of active duty in the U.S. Military, and has a DD-214 to prove it,” according to Commander Wade. A membership fee of only $45 gets you in and makes you “eligible for every program, support, grant, etc. that we have.” Wade went on to explain that “we are not a government organization. We are not government funded. All the funds we have are from contributions, raffles, and different kinds of fund raisers.”
Some American Legions Posts are Activity Posts, with bingo, snack bars, and various types of entertainment for veterans. “We are a Support Post,” said Wade. “Our goal is to provide education and support for the Veteran. The ability for them to ask for help, get fellowship, and be able to talk to other veterans, and be involved in what we do” is the focus of Post 196.
The American Legion national organization has four “Pillars” of service:
Pillar I: Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation. The AL helps veterans file benefit claims efficiently, quickly, and accurately. They also provide referrals and resources on education, employment, business, death benefits, and other topics.
Pillar II: National Security. American Legion posts throughout the nation adopt military units, deliver care packages, provide emotional support for families of deployed service members, and welcome the troops home. The AL is also heavily involved in blood donation efforts.
Pillar III: Americanism. The American Legion strives to teach to young people how our country works, and pride in our country. Every year thousands of high-school students are sent to Boys State or Girls State, where they enjoy a hands-on experience in civics on the state level. The AL also has an Oratorical Contest, sponsors American Legion Baseball, air rifle shooting sports competition, and many Boy Scout troops. The AL also provides many educational scholarships for young folks.
Pillar IV: Children and Youth. According to an American Legion pamphlet: “The American Legion’s Children and Youth pillar is guided by three main objectives: strengthen the family unit, support organizations that help children in need, and provide communities with well-rounded programs to provide hope and opportunity for young people facing difficult challenges. Temporary Financial Assistance is designed to assist minor children of eligible American Legion members through cash grants. These grants help families meet the costs of shelter, utilities, food and medical expenses. The American Legion provides more than %500,000 to help these families annually.”
Local Post 196 participates in all the above, and more. This year they provided college scholarships to two graduates from Early High School: John Acker and Allison Diaz. Also Post 196 is sending two boys and two girls to from Brownwood High School to Boys State and Girls State this summer: Ty Tindol, Justin Valdez, McKenna Blethen, and Olivia Ringer.
The American Legion also has a National Emergency Fund, which has provided over $9 million in direct funding to AL Posts affected by natural disasters, such as forest fires, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, etc. This funding is available for AL members who suffered losses from natural disasters. It is meant to complement their insurance, and no payback is required.
The local AL Post 196 is located at 1600 Burnett Drive, across the street from Hendrick Medical Center. They share the building with the County’s Veteran Service Office, and the open hours are Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The AL side of the building includes a large meeting area, a fully-equipped kitchen (provided by Home Depot), and a Day Room which includes a TV, refrigerator, books, etc.
Recently added is a Computer Lab, provided by Howard Payne University and the local Boys and Girls Club. The computer lab is meant to be a mechanism where members can go online and learn about programs available to them. “The American Legion provides hundreds of online courses to train our members in everything from disabilities to grants to scholarships to medical support to long-term support, to a myriad of topics,” said Wade. They are currently getting high-speed internet added to the building, and will offer computer skills mentoring to members also.
Post 196 Commander Paul Wade enlisted in the Army in 1968. He was a helicopter pilot, with 1,500 combat missions in Vietnam, a test pilot in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, and an air-traffic controller. He also served in the Texas National Guard. First Vice-Commander for the Post is James Waller. Waller graduated from the University of North Texas in 1965 with a degree in chemistry. He then joined the Air Force, and with his educational background was sent to Edwards Air Force Base in California where he assisted in Flight Test programs, and also worked in the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory.
If interested in joining the American Legion, call Commander Paul Wade at 512-560-0194 or go by the American Legion hall at 1600 Burnett Dr. They meet the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. The next meeting will be July 11. More information is available online at www.americanlegion.org.
Post 196 is known as the “Isham A. Smith-Scott Brothers” Post. Isham Smith was the first man from Brown County to be killed in World War I. The brothers Churchill Scott and J. Fred Scott died in World War II, both pilots in the 8th Air Force in Europe. The entire text of the American Legion Post 196 plaque in the Central Texas Veterans Memorial is shown below.
Isham A. Smith-Scott Brothers
American Legion Post 196
Service – Patriotism – Camaraderie
The American Legion was established on March 15, 1919 and was granted a national charter by Congress in September 1919 to help the 2 million veterans who served in Europe in World War I. The American Legion is our nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans. All honorably discharged or serving veterans who served one day of active duty during wartime are eligible for membership. Post 196 was chartered on September 10,1930 and memorializes Isham A. Smith and the Scott Brothers. Isham A. Smith was born on May 6, 1899. He served in Company F, 26th Infantry Regiment, First Infantry Division (Big Red One). He was gassed at the battle of Cantigny (the first battle fought by the American Expeditionary Force) and died on June 14, 1918. He was the first Brown County Veteran to be killed in World War I and is buried in Zephyr. Four Scott brothers from Brownwood served in World War II, and two were killed in action. Churchill L. Scott Jr. (LTC, USAAF, 13th Combat Wing, 8th Air Force, European Theater of Operations) was a B-17 pilot and was killed in action on August 12, 1943 during a bombing mission over Belgium. J. Fred Scott (1LT, USAAF, 4th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, European Theater of Operations) was a P-51 fighter pilot and was killed in action on June 8, 1944 during a fighter mission over France two days after D-Day. 259 Brown County Veterans have died from World War I forward including 39 Brown County veterans who died in World War II. American Legion Post 196 is involved in many patriotic and civic programs including sponsoring High School juniors to American Legion Boys State (A fantastic patriotic, educational, and leadership venue) and honoring High School seniors for scholastic and leadership achievements.