Part 2 of a Series
Concerned about discipline and to boost morale, one officer, Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt Jr., proposed an organization for veterans. A group of 20 officers met in February 1919, and formed a temporary committee and selected several hundred officers who had the confidence and respect of the army. About 1,000 officers and enlisted men attended the Paris Caucus in March 15-16, 1919. They adopted a temporary constitution and the name The American Legion. The group elected an executive committee to complete the organization’s work and on September 16, 1919, Congress issued a charter. 8
The Return After the Big Parade
It took a full year for all the doughboys to return home. At the time of discharge, the servicemember was allowed to keep one uniform, helmet, gasmask, and overcoat (if it was winter). Each man was given 60 dollars and train ticket to the closest rail station near their home. As they made their way across the country, they realized that the US had become a grim and bizarre place. There were race riots, labor disputes, unemployment, a Bolshevik movement, and anarchists bombings across the country. While the rest of the country was embroiled in social disorder, the San Saba doughboys found life much the same as when they left, except for a decline in agricultural commodity prices. 9
The very first veteran’s organization of the county was the William P. Rogers Camp No. 322, United Confederate Veterans (UCV), chartered in 1893. A second camp (Hardee No. 653) was formed at Bend. The Bend camp existed until 1900 before disbanding. The UCV was formally organized June 10, 1889, complete with a constitution and an elaborate system of management like that of the Confederate Army. 10
The veterans of the UCV Camp No. 322 were a respected veterans organization representing stability, and an appreciation for the past. These mature men were guardians of the old order, known for their desire to care for one another, their widows, and other indigent Confederates of the “Lost Cause.”As they arrived, and before they could organize an American Legion post, the Rogers Camp made them honorary members and invited them to their meetings. This was the genesis of the American Legion in San Saba. 11
TO BE CONTINUED
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