2021 marks 100th anniversary of establishment of American Legion post in Wilcox County, Alabama

Lt. Harry Irby Savage

The month of May is an important month among the military community. It is Military Appreciation Month, and Memorial Day is also observed on the last Monday in May. With that in mind, I think it’s noteworthy that Wilcox County’s American Legion Post will celebrate its 100^th anniversary later this year.

The American Legion was chartered in 1919 by the U.S. Congress as a patriotic veterans organization. It is currently the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization and is a strong advocate for patriotism and service to all veterans. The American Legion also sponsors a wide variety of youth programs like American Legion Baseball and Alabama Boys State.

Although the American Legion was founded in 1919, an American Legion post wasn’t formed in Wilcox County until 1921. On the front page of the Nov. 10, 1921 edition of The Wilcox Progressive Era, under the headline “American Legion Post For Wilcox County,” it was reported that “at a very enthusiastic meeting of ex-service men Monday night, there was organized an American Legion Post for Wilcox County. Mr. H.A.T. Brazelton, Dept. Field Representative, was present and explained the purpose of the American Legion and assisted in perfecting the local organization.”

After Brazelton finished his presentation on the American Legion, “it was unanimously voted to have a post at Camden for Wilcox County and to call it the Irby Savage Post in honor of Lieutenant Irby Savage of Camden, who was wounded in battle and later lost his life.”

Harry Irby Savage was a school teacher in Camden before he went off to fight in World War I. He served as a young officer is Co. D of the 168^th Infantry in the Army’s 42^nd Division. He was wounded during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and died in Europe from influenza on Dec. 17, 1918 at the age of 24. He was later buried in the Camden Cemetery.

The first group of elected officers for Camden’s American Legion post were Post Commander John Paul Jones, Vice Commander C.M. Howard, Adjutant J. Kenneth Morris, Finance Officer J.M. Moore and Chaplain Peyton D. Burford. After the election of officers, their first order of business was to make plans for the celebration of Armistice Day, which we now call Veterans Day. They agreed to meet at the courthouse on Nov. 11 and to walk to the Camden Cemetery for “impressive member exercises” at the grave of Lt. Irby Savage.

Legion members also agreed to contact local school officials to have all school children present for the event. They also agreed to ask all Camden businesses to close on that day since President Warren G. Harding had declared it a national holiday. They also planned at 11 a.m. to “bow in fervent prayer for two minutes in memory of the unknown American soldiers to be buried in Arlington cemetery at that time.”

The American Legion of Alabama currently has around 19,000 members. American Legion Post 84 in Camden is still active today and meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Legion Hall on Legion Road in Camden. Camden accountant Ken Wilder, a Korean War veteran, has been the Post Commander for a number of years. Jim Brock is the Post Adjutant, and Johnny Webb is the Post Treasurer. The post currently has about 40 members.