American Legion Post 168, Thurmont May was Poppy month. Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird started off Poppy season by getting the first Poppy from Miss Poppy, Ella.       Did you register for the 3rd Annual Golf Tournament at Maple Run Golf Course?  This will benefit Platoon 22. Not a golfer? Think about sponsoring, and there are many…

by Jim Houck, Jr. Francis X. Elder Gets a New Head Stone Roger Melton, president of the Board of Directors Francis X. Elder American Legion Post 121 Emmitsburg, said that while he was at the 2014 Veterans Day volley by our American Legion and VFW combined Color Guard, over the grave of Francis X. Elder,…

You are eligible to be a member of any VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Men’s Auxiliary if you are a man over the age of sixteen, a citizen of the United States, and are a husband, widower, father, son, grandson, brother, foster brother, step brother, foster son, or step son of persons who were or…

Fred Shinbur, Coordinator of the Maryland Public Television (MPT) Vietnam Project, visited the AMVETS Post 7 in Thurmont during a Wing Feed fundraiser on October 17, 2015. Shinbur was driving in style in a green KIA decorated with information about the project he’s promoting. He was on a trek throughout Maryland to spread the word…

James Rada, Jr. It is estimated that more than 1,100 World War II Veterans die each day. The United States and Frederick County is quickly losing its “greatest generation.” The Frederick County Veterans History Project is working to make sure those important histories are not lost. Working with the Library of Congress, these county volunteers…

Sgt. 1st Class Bruce Wayne Rice U.S. Army Retired Born to Mary and Garnett Rice on April 26, 1951, at home in Mountaindale, Maryland, was a boy they named Bruce Wayne. Bruce was given the name of the super hero, Batman, and later in life, even though he wasn’t Batman, he was a super hero…

STAFF SERGEANT RICHARD L. FLEAGLE U.S. AIR FORCE RETIRED A Son Becomes a Veteran and A Father Becomes A Son by Jim Houck, Jr. Richard Lee Fleagle (Rick) was born to Dick and Joyce Fleagle on March 3, 1960. Rick graduated from Catoctin High School in 1978. He liked to have fun and was considered…

North Point Center The New Beginning for Homeless Veterans and a Challenging Volunteer Project for Department of Maryland Sons of AMVETS and their Squadrons by Jim Houck, Jr. The sad truth about many Veterans is that when they return home from active duty, some of them have problems adjusting back to civilian life, sometimes turning…

by James Rada, Jr. — 1938 — The End of a Generation in Thurmont When Thomas H. Shelton died on February 19, 1938, Frederick County lost its last Veteran of the Civil War, seventy-three years after the war ended. Shelton died at the home of his daughter-in-law, Stella Shelton, who lived near Rocky Ridge. The…

  by Jim Houck, Jr. Loren “Curly” W. Kruen     E-6 U.S. Navy (Retired) Loren was born to Lawrence W. and Clorence Kruen in a small town in Minnesota in the northeast corner named Edgerton, population approximately three thousand, a farming community. Curly grew up with two brothers, Donovan and Carroll “Buck”, and two…

The People in My Life for Whom I am Most Thankful by Jim Houck, Jr. I have many people in my daily life at this time for which I am very thankful. I would like to start out by thanking my wonderful family. I thank my mother, Mary Jean Wantz Houck, for giving me life…