Roughly three months after the founding of the American Legion, Tulsa’s post received its charter, and it has operated continuously now for more than a century.

Recently, the decision was taken to update the post’s branding, with several goals in mind.

[Hear the KRMG In Depth Report on Tulsa’s Historic American Legion Post 1 HERE]

Not least, of course, is the drive to recruit new members, and that has proven somewhat challenging for the American Legion across the country, as well as for similar organizations.

The percentage of veterans in the population is much smaller than it was in prior decades, for one thing, but it’s also the case that the young men and women who have served in recent years have different interests and needs than some of their older peers.

“They’re not interested in the same things that an older veteran would be involved with,” Allen Usry told KRMG Wednesday. “Not that older veterans are just interested in the health care piece, but that becomes more important as you get older.”

The Legion certainly can offer help for veterans to secure home health care, hospice care, and other benefits they have - but may not realize they have.

But the rebranding of the Tulsa post is not just about increasing membership, it’s also about taking pride in its role as a longstanding institution in the city.

“We want the people of Tulsa to know that we’re not just American Legion Post 1, we’re Tulsa’s Historic American Legion Post 1,” Usry said, “and we’ve been a part of the heart and history of Tulsa for over a hundred years.”

Raising the post’s profile will help get the word out on important events or developments, Usry said, for example the recent announcement by the Republic of Korea that it’s offering the Ambassador for Peace Medal to all veterans of the Korean War, something that was previously reserved only for those veterans who returned to South Korea for a visit.

The American Legion’s helping vets get their paperwork filled out and hopes all the Korean War veterans in northeast Oklahoma can participate.

Moreover, Usry says, “June 25th - which happens to be the 74th anniversary of the start of the Korean War - we will have a big event, exciting event, out at the post where we will honor those Korean War veterans. But also, if the Korean War veteran has passed away, this is also available to surviving spouses and surviving children.”

The post is also inviting the public to attend a special concert on March 30th, featuring actor and musician C. Thomas Howell, well-known to Tulsans due to his involvement in the Outsiders House, and of course his role as Ponyboy Curtis in the film.

You can visit Tulsa’s Historic American Legion Post 1′s website HERE, and its Facebook page HERE.