A new chapter of the American Legion has started up in Dillingham. The group’s first efforts to honor local veterans the group is looking to clean up and restore the dilapidated memorial site downtown.
The small fenced in park across the road from the Carlson House in Dillingham might be better known for sleeping off last night’s shenanigans than honoring soldiers but Don Meyers aims to change that. He’s the Post Commander for the new Dillingham chapter of the American Legion.
“We were up here in March cleaning this stuff up and people are using it for whatever they want to use it for I guess," said Meyers.
Empty cans, trash, and even a pair of pants decorate this patch of land. Meyers says the veterans here deserve better than this.
“We’re going to put it back as a memorial like it should be," added Meyers.
Meyers and the legion are starting efforts to restore the park. They are hoping the community will volunteer time and resources to help in the process.
The American Legion is a network of charter groups that provide support to veterans. The new Dillingham chapter recently received a 90-day authorization, the first step in setting up a permanent American Legion charter. There are currently a little over 20 members.
Meyers walked around the space to see what improvements needed to be made and said, "We’re going to keep the flag pole. I believe that was a mast off an old ship and it’s still pretty solid.”
Meyers and the legion are hoping to have the place fixed up by July but there is still a lot of work.
“All the stumps got to come out of here yet. We’ve got to level the ground a little bit, try to get some top soil brought in and try to get some grass sowed in here,” said Meyers.
This Memorial Day weekend the legion is planning to place flags on the graves of veterans around Dillingham. For anyone interested in joining the American Legion or helping with the memorial site project, the group meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6 o’clock at the Aleganik Building.
Contact Matt Martin at (907)-842-2200 or matt@kdlg.org.