Wednesday, June 24th, 2020
Welcome back to Mendon
After a century, the Legion returns, presents charter
By Leslie Gartrell
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Commander of Ohio's Second District Walter Meharg welcomes attendees to the new Mendon American Legion Post on Tuesday night.
MENDON - The American Legion has returned to Mendon after a roughly 100-year absence.
State and local American Legion commanders gathered at the old farm store in town on Tuesday to present the charter to community members.
The Henry Drake-Ricky D. Zizelman Post 2019 charter was presented by State Commander Roger Friend and Ohio Second District Commander Walter Maharg.
The post is named after relatives of Jim Shaffer, who discovered the original charter application and member list of the village's American Legion from 1919 in a building his father and grandfather owned.
The original American Legion Post 341 opened in Mendon in 1920, Shaffer said. However, the group disbanded in 1925 for unknown reasons.
Although Shaffer isn't a veteran, he felt the need to get a charter restarted to honor and support area veterans who must travel to other towns to be a part of the organization.
Shaffer in August reached out to friend and longtime Legion member Alvie Louth to seek members for a new charter. Louth, a recently retired Army veteran after 37 years of service, had been a member of the Fort Recovery post for 18 years.
Now interim post commander, or as Louth prefers to be called "the voice of the charter," he said they gathered 25 veterans, enough to apply and seek verification.
Shaffer said he wanted to name the post after his grandfather as well as his brother-in-law Army Sgt. Ricky Zizelman Sr.
Zizelman was a founding Night Stalker in the Army who served as a crew chief until he died during a Black Hawk helicopter training flight crash in 1982.
One of his two sons, Bobby Zizelman, later joined the Army and became a helicopter pilot. The warrant officer and Mendon native, now stationed in South Korea, was the first to sign up for the new charter.
Louth was presented a temporary charter from Friend on Tuesday, with the names of all the veterans who had registered. After the temporary charter is verified by state officials, the post will receive the official charter to hang proudly on the walls during meetings.
"I'm extremely happy and extremely proud," Friend said.
State Rep. Susan Manchester, R-Waynesfield, also presented a commendation from the Ohio House of Representatives to Louth during the presentation.
Maharg said he saw plenty of passion when it came to getting a new Legion post up and running in Mendon. During the first membership sign-up, Maharg said people would go door-to-door in town, telling veterans they were eligible to join and encouraging them to do so.
Maharg said the second district encompasses posts in Van Wert, Coldwater, St. Henry, St. Marys, Bellefontaine and beyond, with 36 posts in total and roughly 5,000 members.
The district commander said this is the first new post he can recall in the district and said that's why state and local commanders were so excited.
"We want to make this thing thrive," Maharg said. "We want to make this thing flourish."
To jump-start that flourishing, Maharg presented Louth with $500 to launch the post.
Maharg and Louth both spoke about the importance of giving back to the community, something Louth believes everyone should do.
"People need to take ownership of their community," Louth said.
"It's about our entire family, which encompasses our Sons (of the American Legion), the (American Legion) Auxiliary and the Legion Riders," Maharg added. "We not only support veterans, but we support our community."
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Attendees are welcomed by Alvie Louth as the American Legion Post in Mendon receives a temporary charter on Tuesday night.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Jim Shaffer talks with Commander of Ohio's Second District Walter Meharg during the reception as Mendon's new American Legion Post received its temporary charter on Tuesday night.
