Warsaw Legion Looking For New Digs
WARSAW — Warsaw’s American Legion Post, which is as old as the military-oriented fraternal organization itself, has announced it will leave its home of nearly seven decades to serve its current membership and to prepare for future growth as a community resource.
Leadership of the John C. Peterson Post No. 49 in Warsaw officially announced that it would be looking for a new location and leaving the location at 310 N Buffalo Street, which has served as post headquarters since 1950.
“As we prepare for our 100th anniversary in 2019, our post is excited about the opportunities ahead to serve our Veteran members and to establish the post as a resource in the Warsaw community,” said Post Commander Bruce Knuoff “We believe a new location is important to serve our current members, who now represent veterans who served during eight different decades, and to make our post more visible in the Warsaw area.”
American Legion Post #49 was chartered in 1919, the same year that American Legion was founded nationally and was named in honor of the first soldier from the city of Warsaw to die in World War I. The post moved to its current location near Center Lake, which was built by post members, in 1950 after being in a space located above the First National Bank in downtown Warsaw.
“The American Legion has always and will continue to support veterans of our community through our multiple programs,” said Post Manager Josie Ryan, “Our extensive outreach includes providing temporary financial assistance, flag education, school awards, Veterans Day ceremony, in-home support, and honor guard.”
The post has engaged with Michael Kinder & Sons, a fourth-generation, family owned design-build commercial contractor that serves clients in Northeast Indiana, to determine reuse options for the current location. Additionally, the post is working with MKS to identify a new location within the city of Warsaw.
“The American Legion has been an important resource in the Warsaw community for many generations,” said Mayor Joseph Tallemer, “We look forward to seeing the post grow to serve new generations of veterans at its future location.”
Post leadership will discuss progress with the building search at regularly scheduled meetings at 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at the current post location. The public is welcome to attend.