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American Legion
The American Legion is a wartime veterans’ organization which supports service to veterans, service members and community. They have been influential in securing many benefits for veterans, influenced social change and provided many programs for children and youth. The American Legion was formed in 1919 by members of the American Expeditionary Forces who had fought in World War I. Membership quickly grew as many veterans in communities across the nation joined.
In Arizona, American Legion posts were established including a number along the area we know as the Copper Corridor. In its early years, it was customary to name a post after a local service member who had been killed in action. In 1919 the communities in the Copper Corridor that established posts were: Ray, Hayden, Superior, Globe and Miami.
The town of Ray established the John H. Pruitt Unit #18. United States Marine Corporal, John H. Pruitt, died in France at Blanc Mont Ridge, Oct. 4, 1918. In 1919 he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. The Tucson Daily Star reported: “According to the official citation, Pruitt attacked single handed two German machine guns which were spraying the American troops with a hail of lead. He silenced both, killing their operators. Continuing, he raided a German dugout, capturing forty of the enemy.” The following day, Pruitt was killed in action.
Pruitt’s mother, Belle Pruitt, accepted the medal. In 1920, a Navy cruiser ship was named for John H. Pruitt. His parents attended the christening in Maine. There was some controversy about the Ray post taking the name of John Pruitt as it was known that the Pruitt family lived in Alhambra and Phoenix where John grew up and the newspapers had been calling Pruitt a Maricopa County resident. The Ray post Adjutant, Orion M. Zink, wrote a letter to the Arizona Republic which said that John Pruitt had enlisted in Ray and was considered a Pinal boy. It was also known that Pruitt had been living in Kelvin in 1916. There were other local men who had lost their lives in World War I.
The first group of officers for the John H. Pruitt, Ray American Legion Post #18 were: A.P. Maygar, Post Commander; S.E. Stretton, Vice-Commander; Miss Josephine Cunningham, Treasurer; and Orion M. Zink, Adjutant.
Following World War II, the town of Sonora, what started out as the Mexican section of Ray (Ray-Sonora) established a post which was known as a Spanish-American chapter of the Legion. The Sonora American Legion Post #69 received its charter in May 1947. It then became known as the Amador – Larini post. It was named for two men from Sonora who were killed in World War II, Louis L. Amador and Manuel H. Larini.
Louis Amador lost his life while serving as a B-24 aerial gunner during a bombing mission. Staff Sergeant Amador posthumously received the Air Medal with two oak clusters “for exceptionally meritorious achievement while participating in ten separate bomber missions and for meritorious achievement in the destruction of one enemy airplane while serving as crewman in a bombardment mission over enemy-occupied Continental Europe.” His father, Auralio Amador of Sonora accepted the medal from Colonel M.M. Munn, Commander of Davis-Monthan Field. Louis’ mother and two younger brothers were present during the ceremony.
Staff Sergeant Manuel H. Larini was killed in action in France June 6, 1944 during the landing operations of D–Day. He was 19 years old. He left Ray High School to enlist in the air corps in 1943. He was stationed in England and had completed many bombing missions and had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was survived by his mother Lupe H. Gomez, his step-father Salvador Gomez and three sisters, Esther, Eva and Emma Larini.
The first group of officers for the Amador-Larini post were: Lawrence Cittadini, Commander; Fred Flores, Adjutant; Joe Duarte, Finance Officer; Luis Mesques, Sergeant at Arms; and Eulalio Acevez, Chaplain. In 1965 the town of Ray Sonora was destroyed by the Kennecott Copper Corporation to expand their open pit mine. The Legion posts were temporarily on hold. The John H. Pruitt post would be re-established in the new town of Kearny. In 1968 the Sonora American Legion would merge with the Kearny post and become known as the John H. Pruitt & Amador-Larini Post (P.A.L. Post #18).
In October 1919, the Hayden American Legion Post #22 was established. It would be named for Norman E. Griffin, who was killed in France while operating a tank machine gun advancing towards some German machine gun nests. A German shell blew off the top of the tank as well as Norman’s head as reported by newspapers. The tank driver survived.
The Norman E. Griffin post boasted that 100% of veterans in the Hayden area had joined. The Ray Consolidated Copper company had donated $100 to the support of the post. Dues were $5 per year. The first group of officers for the post were: H.R. Christie, Commander; L.J. Reinhardt, Secretary; and George H. Parsons, Treasurer.
In the summer of 1919, the Kern American Legion Post #17 was formed in Superior. It was named for William P. Kern. Private William Kern while serving with the 109th Infantry was fatally wounded in June 1918 during action in the Aisne offensive in France. He had been reported missing in action until July 1919, when his parents received the news.
On Nov. 11, 1919, the Kern Post sponsored an Armistice Day (now known as Veteran’s Day) ball at the Magma Club. All Superior’s veterans were there, as Magma Copper had given the evening shift veterans the day off with pay.
The American Legion Post in Globe was organized in July 1919. It was named the Henry Berry Globe Post #4. According to the Bisbee Daily Review, “Henry Berry was one of the first Globe boys killed in action on the battlefields of France and the World War veterans of this city felt that his name should be honored in those who returned. Henry Berry was the son of J.H. Berry a well-known resident of this city.”
The officers of the new post were Post Commander, M.F. Murphy; Vice-Commander, Ed Chilson; Executive Committee: C.C. Faires, Jack Low and Dr. Wales.
In Miami, the Harrington-Gray Miami Post #5 was also established in July 1919. It was named for Parmer Harrington and Bertram Gray. Harrington was killed in action in December 1918. Gray had enlisted in July 1917 and was reported to have died in December 1918.
American Legion membership peaked following World War II. In the 1990s it began to dwindle. Legion halls have closed around the country. In small town Arizona, some posts have closed down while others that once had their own American Legion halls, now meet in public facilities. Two American Legion posts that are no longer shown as being active are the Miami and Hayden posts. A post in San Manuel which was established in the 1950s is no longer active. The Kearny and Superior posts now meet in public venues. The Globe Henry Berry Post #4 is still active and has its own clubhouse on Broad Street. These active posts will be 100 years old next year. They continue to work for veterans and give to their communities as well as keep the memory alive of some of the brave soldiers who have given their lives for their country.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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