American Legion Dexter Allen Post 90
Following organizational efforts by American veterans of the First World War, Congress chartered The American Legion in 1919 and it quickly grew to a veterans' organization consisting of more than one million members. The movement for the establishment of an American Legion outpost in Bulloch County began in 1920. Commander A.J. Mooney and Adjutant Leroy Cowart publicly called for an April 3 meeting at the Bulloch County courthouse to discuss plans for the founding of a local post. The attendees of that meeting unanimously voted in favor of establishing a local post under the name "Dexter Allen Post of the American Legion" in honor of the first Bulloch County soldier known to have died in battle on the western front. The founding members of Post 90 then quickly set about to increase their membership through the sponsorship of entertainment evenings and various gatherings of local veterans.
In its early days, the American Legion was controversial. Early critics of the American Legion labeled it a militaristic organization, and the Statesboro press closely followed Legion members' run-ins with populist politician Tom Watson, a vocal opponent of the Legion. When local Judge J.A. Brannen wrote in support of Watson and his views, American Legion Officer Wesley Cone responded with a a scathing rebuke of Watson's politics in which he defended the American Legion as a group dedicated to the defense of the constitution and the concept of law and order. Judge Brannen defended himself in the pages of the Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, refusing to back away from his characterization of the American Legion as a political group. He pointed to the fact that the Statesboro Post's membership accounted for only one tenth of the eligible veterans in the area as proof that the American Legion should not be seen as representative of all veterans of the Great War. Other Statesboro residents accused the American Legion of attempting to "monopolize all of the patriotism in Georgia" and defended Judge Brannen as a man whose honor was above reproach. Judge Brannen associated the American Legion with militarism and a movement away from democracy, and his debate with the Legion's Wesley Cone demonstrated that the organization was unable to escape politics, even at the local level.
However, many of the Dexter Allen Post's early activities were decidedly apolitical. When the bodies of Carswell Deal and Warren Williams, both of whom had perished during the sinking of the Otranto, were returned to Bulloch County in Sept. 1920, the American Legion oversaw the burial of the young soldiers with full military honors. Both ceremonies were reported to have been attended by large crowds. Dexter Allen was buried at Bethlehem Church in July 1921, and unformed members of the post bearing his name participated in the funerary ceremonies.
In the years after its foundation, the Dexter Allen Post appears to have been impacted by criticisms of the organizations and consistently reminded the people of Bulloch County of its purpose. In February 1921, for example, the post called for new members and claimed that it stood for "Americanism solely" with the goal of binding "ex-servicemen together with the ties of comradeship and mutual service..." The Dexter Allen Post 90 demonstrated a commitment to assisting veterans throughout the 1920s. In some cases, post officials personally helped veterans secure medical care for war related conditions. When a veteran suffered from what we would now refer to as PTSD, Leroy Cowart arranged his transfer to a government hospital in Augusta. Post 90 provided recreational activities, including a post baseball team that competed in the city league, traveled to regional meetings on a regular basis, and campaigned for the soldiers' bonus.
In 1927 the Dexter Allen Post received assistance in the form of an auxiliary post. Ms. Irene Arden responded to Post 90's Dan D. Arden, Jr.'s claim that "the women of Bulloch County have no love and patriotism for her boys who served in the World War; those who paid the Supreme Sacrifice and those boys whom the Armistice will not be signed until the Great Commander summons them to the Great Reward" by calling a meeting with Post 90 at the high school auditorium. The resulting women's auxiliary was given the task of helping Post 90 to carry out its mission. Irene Arden served as the Post 90 Auxiliary's first president and presided over 25 charter members. The Post 90 Auxiliary's charter was signed on October 27, 1927 and the organization went on to hold weekly meetings and participate in fund raising and awareness campaigns for Bulloch County's veterans of the First World War.
The Dexter Allen Post 90 is currently located at 100 Rucker Lane in Statesboro.
Works Cited
"Important Meeting Called for Saturday," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 1 April 1920, pg. 3.
"Returned Soldiers form Local Post," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 22 April 1920, pg. 1.
"Ex-Servicemen to be Gathered in Statesboro," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 20 May 1920, pg. 1.
"Soldier Boy Breaks up Watson Meeting," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 5 August 1920, pg. 1.
Wesley Cone, "How will you vote?" Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 12 August 1920, pg. 3.
"Mr. Brannen makes reply to Mr. Cone," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 19 August 1920, pg. 3.
"Mr. Hunter Replies to Letter of Wesley Cone," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 19 August 1920, pg. 6.
"Otranto Victims are Buried in Bulloch," Bulloch Times and Statesboro News, 2 September 1920, pg. 1.
"American Legion to Hold Big Meeting," Bulloch Times, 24 February 1921, pg. 1.
"Body of Dexter Allen Arrives Here for Burial," Bulloch Times, 21 July, 1921, pg. 1.
"Groover is Carried to Government Hospital," Bulloch Times, 23 February 1922, pg. 1.
"Statesboro to have Four-Team League," Bulloch Times, 8 June 1922, pg. 1.
"Soldiers' Bonus now Nearing a Reality," Bulloch Times, 9 February 1922, pg. 1.
Dexter Allen American Auxiliary. Box 1, Folder 2. Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA."History of the Dexter Allen Unit #90."