Founded in 1919 the American Legion Auxiliary has nearly 1 million members from all walks of life, to claim itself as the world’s largest women’s patriotic service organization. It promotes hundreds of volunteer programs, gives tens of thousands of hours to its communities and to veterans, raises millions of dollars to support its own programs and other worthwhile charities, all accomplished by its volunteers.

The Ehrig-McTurk Post #127 of The American Legion was chartered in August of 1920 and its members soon realized the importance of sponsoring an Auxiliary to help in their efforts. In September 1921, the wives, daughters, mothers and sisters of WWI military veterans met in the old Masonic Hall to organize the Ehrig-McTurk Auxiliary Unit #127 of The American Legion. Mrs. Maude Foster served as temporary chairman with Mrs. Leta Stauffer elected the first president. Twenty four ladies signed the original charter and by 1922 their numbers had grown to 43, dues were $1.50 and 50 cents for Juniors. By-Laws were written and adopted with per capita to the District of 10 cents and County 5 cents. New members filled out an application and were voted into membership by the Unit and by 1980 membership was 191. Our 2020 100th anniversary year shows we are again a Goal Unit with 263 members, fourth largest in the state. Dues are now: $25 for seniors and $5 for our Juniors.

By Sept, 1922, the first order of business was to plan a Veterans Day observance. It was held in the German ME Church and a charge of 25 cents for entertainment. The years have been filled with Memorial Day activities, Field Days leading to Corn Carnival celebrations by 1913 and shared activities with the Legion as the Legion Food Stand with social and fund-raisers as: dances held in the school gym, box socials, plays, lots of music and banquets held in the German ME Church and recognition of the Legion Birthday and Veterans Day activities with regular meetings held in the I.O.O.F Hall with rent at $25 per year. One fundraiser was to sell 6 month subscriptions to the Ladies Home Journal with the Unit receiving 50 cents per subscription. Department assigned Units ‘birthday boxes’ for disabled soldiers at Knoxville, and later the Des Moines VA, also stamped greeting cards and newspaper and magazine subscriptions were donated. Carpet rags were first requested and sewn in 1923. Delegates were sent to State and National Conventions. Installation of officers each June was alternated with the Garwin Unit. This practice continued until Garwin disbanded in 2017.

In 1923, Poppies were ‘sold’ for 5c with the Memorial Service in the gym and found the Auxiliary sponsoring the flag raising program at the Gladbrook Public School, with the new flags donated and raised by members of the Junior Auxiliary. A speaker was invited and the school year started. This continued until 2015 when the G-R School Gladbrook campus was closed.

A Mother’s Day Tea honoring WWI mothers was started and continues but now includes a graduation of Juniors to Seniors ceremony, a Memorial Service for those lost during the past year and recognize Gold Star Mothers and Sisters plus recognizing years of membership in the Auxiliary. The Dept President is invited.

In 1930, the Golden Jubilee year of Corn Carnival, the Auxiliary featured collections of pictures, exhibits of family relics, homespun linen articles, old books/dishes, furniture and farm equipment. Corn Carnival has been an annual 3 to 4 day affair since 1933. We all remember the Legion/Auxiliary’s main fund-raising food stand with loose meat sandwiches, hotdogs, egg coffee, homemade pies, waiting on customers seated around the stand and frying hamburger in black cast-iron skillets. By 1980’s, the PUCC and Legion combined their food stands into one structure using Ploen’s maid-rite cooker, electric perk coffee, and one kitchen. Hours were shortened and more people could be served and seated. They were served cafeteria style, chose their own piece of pie and at the end of the line a cashier was there to collect. By 2000’s, we had added brats and walking tacos but still feature those homemade pies.

In 1935, Junior members had sent 700 magazines to Knoxville along with puzzles and playing cards. In July, 1937, 30 juniors hiked around Union Grove Lake followed by a picnic with sponsor Mrs LeRoy Hall. A wool comforter was on display in Goettsch Furniture window at Christmas with tickets being sold for 10c for a chance to win and a piece of gum.

Up to 1938, regular Legion and Auxiliary meetings had been held in homes or the I.O.O.F Odd Fellows Hall. National Auxiliary reports 450,000 members and growing. Gladbrook’s membership goal was 105 with 114 signed up. It was at this time, the Legion formed a corporation and proceeded to purchase the St Elmo Hotel as their permanent home. After major remodeling and volunteers, the upper story was rented to the Masonic Lodge and the basement kitchen used by both. Upon its March Birthday, the Auxiliary presented the Legion with a walnut gavel made from a tree growing at Union Grove Lake Legion Hill. The Legion Hill property was sold back to the Lake Holding Corp in 2010.

Several local soldiers were lost during WWl: William McTurk and John Ehrig after which the Post was named and had memorial trees planted in the city park. In 1944, Mrs J.O. King, a Gold Star Mother. presented a picture she had painted called ‘Pharaoh Horse’ in memory of her son, Earl, who was killed in the Battle of Verdun during WWI. Others lost were: Earl Schulz, Roy Walters and Jesse Bryan.

1942 found Auxiliary members organizing collection drives of tin cans, scrap metal, milk weed pods and waste paper. Remember the ration books for coffee, sugar and silk stockings and waiting for your turn to get new tires or a new tractor/car. Everyone was involved in helping our soldiers and the war effort. The Lee Engel family along with Mary Lee Engel Goos, June Slate Haack, Marjory Plett Storjohann and Hildegard Engelland Pappas went to Oregon state to work in the shipyards and later became known as ‘Rosie the Riverters’

A collection of photos of all the military men and women from the community was put up in the window of Foster’s Drug Store for the war duration. Those from our community lost were Raynard Boege, Lester Delfs, Elmer and Robert Dudolski, Peter Ehrig, Gerald Fink, Merl Hutchinson, Noble Klink, Russell Mathern, Charles Raum, Keith Springer, Gaylord Stauffer, Lester Thaden, Charles Timberlake, Leon Lage and Lyle Klink. Female Veterans from Gladbrook serving were Louise Engelland Lynch, Myrtle Gene Schoel and Carol King Cowen.

In 1947 we sent Dana Rowden as our first Girls State Representative, a practice we have continued. Our Junior organization grew to one of the most active and largest in Iowa. Many have continued to serve as District and Dept officers. In 1987, Nicole Paustian was installed as National Honorary Junior President in 1987 and on to National President in 2019, the Auxiliary’s Centennial year.

By 1964 and Memorial Day, the Cemetery drives were lined with Avenue of Flags, and crosses with each veteran’s name. Each gravesite is recognized with a military marker, flag and wreath made by the Auxiliary. Over 240 wreaths are still made each year to be placed with a flag by Auxiliary members. As a 100th Legion Celebration project in 2019 by the Gladbrook Legion Family, the military markers were updated, repaired, drilled/cemented and replaced into the stone foundations of gravestones at Maple Hill, Lincoln Twnshp, Badger Hill, Union Grove, Crystal, and Gethmann. On the Monday, designated as Memorial Day, each cemetery is visited with a short memorial service and Color Guard firing/TAPS with the main service and speaker at the last Cemetery visited with placing of wreaths by Gladbrook Legion Auxiliary, Lincoln and Gladbrook AmVet Auxiliaries. The Gladbrook group disbanded in the 1990’s and the Gladbrook Legion ladies took over many of their projects as making over 250 popcorn balls for the Commercial Club Santa Sacks. A dinner has been served following at the Memorial Building since 1989. The All Veterans Park and Memorial dedicated on Memorial Day 2006 with a flyover and Lt Greg Hapgood of the Iowa National Guard as guest speaker, has since been the final stop of the Memorial Day services with the six new service flags, POW-MIA, Iowa raised and the American Flag raised by an honored Veteran each year. In 2016, the Tama County Freedom Rock was added to the park and dedicated.

In the 1980’s, the Legion and Auxiliary remained an important and active part of the Gladbrook Community. The original ‘Stauffer House Hotel’ built in 1880, sold and renamed ‘The St Elmo’ in 1905 and purchased by the Gladbrook Legion in 1938 was badly in need of repair and remodeling. The Gladbrook Centennial Committee had a monetary savings from the 1976 celebration and wished to use it for community betterment. The lot to the west of the Legion building was deeded to The American Legion by the Wieland family so with the property offered and with the ‘nestegg’ centennial funds, the fundraising started in August 1987 under the diligent leadership of Dick Bruene, a member of both groups. By February, 1988, pledges and donations for a large community Memorial Building was over $90,000. The old building was razed in May, the new 70×90 ft metal pole building was delivered and by October 1 was ready for inside finishing. Over 150 local volunteers donated over 5000 hours to pour cement, put up insulation and wall board, install the ceiling, build walls, tape, paint and complete the kitchen in the fall and winter of 1988. We had 25 workers just one day as we blew the ceiling full of insulation. By January 1, 1989, our goal of $100,000 had been reached and we celebrated the completion of this project with a dance/show by Britt Small and Festival on a blizzardy March 3, 1989. A small accomplishment by our Gladbrook citizens and best of all, it was paid for. A free dinner was served to the community on Memorial Day that year as a special thank you.

In 1992 the national ‘Wreaths Across America’ program was started at Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC. Mary Wegner (Mrs Kermit) purchased a wreath to be placed in our Memorial Park each December 15 to honor all those who had given their lives for our freedom.

For the 75th anniversary of the American Legion in 1994, the Third District initiated an idea to build a float depicting the Tomb of the Unknowns. Darrell Paustian drew the design and went to work. The result was a traveling tomb that has been in most Corn Carnival parades, the Department parades and to several National parades including the 2019 parade in Indianapolis to start Nicole’s Centennial year.

The Gladbrook Auxiliary hosted a special Veterans Day program in 2003 for the 50th anniversary of the Korean War honoring those serving and the families of those lost. In 2010, the Gladbrook WWII veterans were honored as the Grand Marshalls of the 88th Corn Carnival parade. The 37 honored veterans able to attend were treated to supper, given honorary CC caps and rode on people mover trailers as those along the parade route stood to salute, cheered and expressed ‘Thank You’s’.

In the fall of 2010, the Gladbrook Auxiliary chose five program areas of the organization and entered those in a contest for the National President’s Unit Award of Excellence. Requirements were to be in a form of; Objectives, Action Steps and Outcome. Area included were Americanism, Children and Youth, Education, Community Service and Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation. At the National Convention in Minneapolis in 2011, it was announced that the Ehrig-McTurk Unit had been chosen as one of the Best Five Units in the Nation. We received a glass statuette from National President Caroline Ashworth of Texas and were able to get a photo with her and Dept President Marilyn Block on the stage.

In 2014, the SAL (Sons of the American Legion) Squadron was chartered in Gladbrook. They support the programs of the Legion Family, giving financial support from their successful fish fries and young labor in building the food stand, scrubbing floors and putting up Avenue of Flags.

As we celebrate our 100th year anniversary, we remember several members of the Legion and Auxiliary who have gone on to leadership roles in the County and District. Pat Oettchen served as District President in !976 and Jolene Denbow in 1997. Jolene also served on many Department committees and as Dept V-P in 2001. Others serving as Tama County President were: Hilda Claussen, Irene Thomae, Arlene Mehaffey, Pat Oettchen, Jeanne Paustian and Jolene Denbow. We are especially proud of Nicole Paustian Clapp who served as National Honorary Junior President in 1987, appointed to the National Finance Committee and on to National President 2019-20, our Auxiliary Centennial Year.

We are also proud of Carroll Wegner, Department Legion Commander 1996-97, and Chairman of The American Legion Foundation and Richard Denbow, Department Commander 2001-02 and National Vice-Commander 2003-04. Both men served in many Department leadership roles.