Post 1760 Calendar

On 6 June 1944 – ‘D–Day‘ – Allied forces launched the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare. Codenamed Operation ‘Overlord’, the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy marked the start of a long and costly campaign to liberate north-west Europe from Nazi occupation.

When the American Revolution broke out, the rebellious colonies did not possess an army in the modern sense. Rather, the revolutionaries fielded an amateur force of colonial troops, cobbled together from various New England militia companies. They had no unified chain of command, and although Artemas Ward of Massachusetts exercised authority by informal agreement, officers from other colonies were not obligated to obey his orders. The American volunteers were led, equipped, armed, paid for, and supported by the colonies from which they were raised.

In the spring of 1775, this “army” was about to confront British troops near Boston, Massachusetts. The revolutionaries had to re-organize their forces quickly if they were to stand a chance against Britain’s seasoned professionals. Recognizing the need to enlist the support of all of the American seaboard colonies, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress appealed to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to assume authority for the New England army. Reportedly, at John Adams’ request, Congress voted to “adopt” the Boston troops on June 14, although there is no written record of this decision. Also on this day, Congress resolved to form a committee “to bring in a draft of rules and regulations for the government of the Army,” and voted $2,000,000 to support the forces around Boston, and those at New York City. Moreover, Congress authorized the formation of ten companies of expert riflemen from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, which were directed to march to Boston to support the New England militia.

George Washington received his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army the next day, and formally took command at Boston on July 3, 1775.

John R. Maass
Historian
US Army Center of Military History

Timeframe TBD

The official date of the founding of the US Air Force is 18 September 1947. It was a momentous event that over six decades later has demonstrated the achievement of an Air Force second-to-none, yet the Air Force’s history and heritage goes back a lot further.

From the time that the US military purchased its first aircraft in 1909 up to 1947, the US Air Force did not exist as a separate and independent military service organization. It went through a series of designations: Aeronautical Section, Signal Corps (1909); Aviation Section, Signal Corps (1914); United States Army Air Service (1918); United States Army Air Corps (1926), United States Army Air Forces (1941).

WWII illustrated the value of airpower, and the need to change the basic organization of the US Military Forces. The result was the creation of a single Department of Defense with a strong Joint Chiefs of Staff with Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs. In 1947 President Truman signed the National Security Act which established this new defense organization, and along with it the creation of the US Air Force as an independent service, equal to the US Army and US Navy. The official birthday of the US Air Force is 18 September 1947.

Through the years history has shown the wisdom and foresight of the creation of a separate Air Force. The US Air Force emerged quickly from its cradle and began to create its own history and heritage.

(2018) AIR FORCE BIRTHDAY. Retrieved from https://www.military.com/air-force-birthday

In 1899 13 Spanish-American War veterans gathered in a small tailor shop in Columbus, Ohio, to discuss how they could assist their fellow veterans and the dependents of their fallen comrades. Soon joined by American veterans from the Philippine Insurrection, their selfless desire to care for those who share a common bond forged by war laid the foundation for the multifaceted, powerhouse organization that is known worldwide as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

The men who founded the VFW challenged the status quo, and helped to forever change how our nation cares for her veterans, service members and their families. Virtually every military and veteran quality of life program created in this century and last is due to the tenacity and perseverance of VFW members to ensure that a nation that creates veterans properly takes care of them when they return home.

And though the VFW has evolved over the years, it still operates with the same vision that birthed it back in 1899, which is to care for those who serve our nation in uniform. The VFW is an organization created by veterans, for veterans, and owes all that it has accomplished to its members: the lifeblood of our organization.

Now, as then, the VFW is proud to proclaim “No One Does Does For Veterans.” Happy Birthday, VFW!

(September 25, 2017). Happy Birthday, VFW! Retrieved from https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2017/9/happy-birthday-vfw

The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which the Continental Congress established on 13 October 1775, by authorizing the procurement, fitting out, manning, and dispatch of two armed vessels to cruise in search of munitions ships supplying the British Army in America. The legislation also established a Naval Committee to supervise the work. All together, the Continental Navy numbered some fifty ships over the course of the war, with approximately twenty warships active at its maximum strength.

After the American War for Independence, Congress sold the surviving ships of the Continental Navy and released the seamen and officers. The Constitution of the United States, ratified in 1789, empowered Congress “to provide and maintain a navy.” Acting on this authority, Congress ordered the construction and manning of six frigates in 1794, and the War Department administered naval affairs from that year until Congress established the Department of the Navy on 30 April 1798.

Not to be confused with the Navy Birthday or the founding of the Navy Department is Navy Day. The Navy League sponsored the first national observance of Navy Day in 1922 designed to give recognition to the naval service. The Navy League of New York proposed that the official observance be on 27 October in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, who had been born on that day.

In 1972 Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt authorized recognition of 13 October as the Navy’s birthday. In contrast to Navy Day, the Navy Birthday is intended as an internal activity for members of the active forces and reserves, as well as retirees and dependents. Since 1972 each CNO has encouraged a Navy-wide celebration of this occasion “to enhance a greater appreciation of our Navy heritage, and to provide a positive influence toward pride and professionalism in the naval service.”

Retrieved from https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/commemorations-toolkits/navy-birthday/OriginsNavy.html

The official birthday of the United States Marine Corps is on 10 November 1775. That was the day when the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Marines with the following decree:

“ That two battalions of Marines be raised consisting of one Colonel, two lieutenant-colonels, two majors and other officers, as usual in other regiments; that they consist of an equal number of privates as with other battalions, that particular care be taken that no persons be appointed to offices, or enlisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve for and during the present war with Great Britain and the Colonies; unless dismissed by Congress; that they be distinguished by the names of the First and Second Battalions of Marines. ”

Tun Tavern, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is regarded as the birthplace of the Corps as the location of the first Marines to enlist under Commandant Samuel Nicholas, though it is disputed if a recruiting drive may have occurred earlier at Nicholas’s family tavern, the Conestoga Waggon. When the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the Continental Navy was disestablished, and with it, the Continental Marines. The Corps was re-established on 11 July 1798, when the “act for establishing and organizing a Marine Corps” was signed by President John Adams.

Veterans Day is a U.S. legal holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in World War I, then known as “the Great War.” Commemorated in many countries as Armistice Day the following year, November 11th became a federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became legally known as Veterans Day.

Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-veterans-day

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1760 was chartered in Mesa, Arizona on November 19, 1929. Then known as Geronimo Post 1760 (under a different namesake) the newly formed charter elected their first post commander to be, James E. Coberly. The initial years for the Post progress was slow and had low interest.

A few years later in 1936 another well organized effort was made for the post, this time under the commandership of Merlin Shumway. It was under Commander Shumway’s administration that the namesake for Post 1760 was changed to Dode Morris in honor of Joseph Smith Morris, who was better known locally as “Dode” in the area (pronounced ‘doh-dih’). At the time it was believed Dode was the first citizen of Mesa killed in action during World War I, thus renaming Post 1760 with him as the namesake. This was in fact false as another Mesa veteran, Marion E. Rogers was killed in action 17 days before. Regardless of who was killed in action first, both those men and 4 other Mesa veterans made the supreme sacrifice for our country in the Great War.

Through the beginning years Post 1760 held meetings in schools, churches, homes of members or any place where the members could congregate. In 1946, Post 1760 leased the basement of the Passey-Gurtler building on W. Main. This was the first regular meeting place since the founding in 1929.

Then in 1948, Post 1760 bought the property on the northeast corner of 1st Avenue and S. Macdonald. In 1951 construction was started on a hall adjacent to the main building. And officially the Post paid off their mortgage and celebrated with a “Mortgage Burning Ceremony” on March 17, 1956. Post 1760 resides in the very same building you see and visit today as a result of many years of work by the entire membership of Post 1760.

Moving forward, Post 1760 has remained active long enough to now be one of the five oldest VFW Posts in the state of Arizona.