American Legion Post 57

A clinic designed for women who are military veterans was held on July 27 at the Veterans Club, 130 Veterans Club Drive off U.S. Highway 29 just north of the bypass in Newnan. The event was hosted by the combined efforts of American Legion Post 57, VFW Post 2667, Marine Corps League Detachment 1325 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 31 in LaGrange. Female veterans from all surrounding counties were invited. The meeting was specifically oriented to female veterans who want to apply for VA medical benefits or seeking information regarding filing claims for service connected or non-service connected benefits. Dottie Pridmore was the featured speaker and assisted veterans in filing for veterans administration medical benefits by completing the VA form 10-10EZ. Pridmore is the assistant supervisor at the Atlanta Disabled Americans Veterans (DAV) Office. She is a U.S. Marine Corps retired gunnery sergeant with 20 years of service. She served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm w...

Armed Forces Day was created in 1949 to honor Americans serving in the five US military branches: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Read more at  Wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_Day#United_States

Congratulations to Commander-elect Dick Dennis and the new slate of officers elected for 2011-12. The elected slate of officers is: Commander: Dick Dennis Sr. Vice Commander: Fred Scott Jr. Vice Commanders: Ron Freese, Gary Ivey, John Lager, Robert Moore, John O'Connor, Dick Stender Finance Officer: Greg Landry Service Officer: Hank Berkowitz Adjutant: Diane McEver Chaplain: G.D. Hendrix Sgt @ Arms: Jeff Carroll Historian: Robert Moore, assisted by John Lager Thanks to all of these comrades, along with the other nominees for stepping up and volunteering to run Post 57.

American Legion Post 57 participated, along with other local veterans' groups, in the Wreaths Across America program on Saturday -- placing wreaths at Veterans Memorial Plaza. Post 57 Jr. Vice Commander Dick Stender said American Legion Post 57, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2667, the local AMVETS and representatives of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution will be participating in the program. "Our program will begin at noon and last only about 30 minutes," Stender said. Veterans Memorial Plaza is located in the city park at Jackson Street and Temple Avenue -- just north of downtown Newnan. Individuals and organizations can provide wreath sponsorships for $15 and up. Information is available at WreathsAcrossAmerica.org . Donations may be sent to: Wreaths Across America, P.O. Box 256, Harrington, ME 04643. More details @ Times-Herald

Post 27 Commander Ron Freese presents the Veteran of the Year plaque for 2010 to WWII veteran Jim Goodrum, left Photo by Lisa Carroll World War II veteran Jim Goodrum was recognized as Veteran of the Year in ceremonies Thursday at Newnan's Veterans Memorial Plaza. Goodrum, who lives in the Sharpsburg area, attended the ceremonies with his wife Elsie and daughter Linda. "I am really overwhelmed by being chosen as Veteran of the Year. By honoring me, I feel like you're also honoring every man who served on the USS Bogue with me" and "every person who has put on a military uniform in the service of the United States of America," he said. About 450 people attended the annual Veterans Day event. Jeff Carroll, Sergeant at Arms of Alvin Hugh Harris American Legion Post 57, was master of ceremonies for the program. The Veteran of the Year is named annually by the local American Legion Post. Current Commander Ronald Freese presented a plaque with two Ameri...

Rob Tornow and Harold Barron, local veterans who died since the last Veterans Day, were remembered at Newnan and Coweta's Veterans Day tribute on Thursday. The event was held at Veterans Memorial Plaza at Jackson Street and Temple Avenue, which was created as the result of work by a committee that included Barron and Tornow. Ronald Freese, commander of Alvin Hugh Harris American Legion Post 57, presented American flags in glassed boxes to Tornow's wife, Barbara, and Katie Brady, Harold Barron's daughter. Jeff Carroll, American Legion Sgt at Arms and master of ceremonies, spoke of the work Rob Tornow and Harold Barron put into making Veterans Memorial Plaza a reality. "The park is the culmination of the vision of these two men and a a lot of other people in the community," he said. Tornow and Barron were the caliber of leaders "we may never see again," Carroll said. "I hope one day to be some fraction of what they were to this community." ...

For the twenty-ninth year, Newnan’s American Legion Post 57 will sponsor the November 11 ceremonies in Veterans’ Memorial Plaza. As it has since 2004, the program will honor a Veteran of the Year for Newnan/Coweta, recognizing one individual who served his nation in uniform and came home to better his community, state and nation. The honoree will be announced in the Times-Herald on November 10. In addition, Robin Tornow and Harold Barron, who were instrumental in the construction of Veterans’ Memorial Plaza, will be remembered as a part of the program. The program will begin at 11:00 and will be followed by the traditional community luncheon at the Coweta Veterans’ Club, from noon till 2:30 PM. The Atkinson Elementary Chorus will again perform inspirational music that will be as big a crowd pleaser as was their routine for 2009. Commander Ronald Freese, directing his first Veterans’ Day program, issued a special invitation to our newest veterans from the Gulf War and the War ...