Spring 2020 may have had the same number of days as any other spring, but being stuck at home for months, with all our businesses, churches, and other gathering places shut down, made this spring feel longer than ever. That’s part of the reason why the reopening of American Legion Post 72 in Cheney, Washington, was so special and well attended. A lot of old service members were more than ready to celebrate the end of the quarantine.
The American Legion is always a great place to find military and veterans’ stories, and as soon as I stepped into the Legion hall, I knew at once the place was ready for a new story, for a return to the freedom and fellowship that has always made the Legion great. The walls had been newly painted, and new upholstery had been applied to the bar rail and stools.
The reopening was a potluck dinner starting at 1500 hours (that is, 3 p.m.), and despite the early start time, it didn’t take long for the place to fill up. Soon enough, the hall was full of veterans and the ladies auxiliary talking, laughing, or shooting pool.
There was a man there named Sam Cutter who was new to our post. He was having a good night: Earlier that day, he had graduated from Eastern Washington University, up the hill from the Legion hall. He had completed his time as an ROTC cadet and received his commission as an Army second lieutenant. Cutter’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all Navy men, so his decision to join the Army came as something of a shock to his family. Very soon, he’ll be off to combat engineer school to learn about explosives, mobility, and counter-mobility tactics. This old combat engineer ended up talking the new lieutenant’s ear off with old explosives stories.
Eventually, Cutter joined the crowd shooting pool, sinking the three ball on an open table after the break. “Good one, sir!” I said. On his next shot, he sunk the eight ball and lost. “That’s more like the lieutenants I remember!” I said. Everybody laughed, for young lieutenants have a hard time. They catch a lot of crap. But everyone wished him well. I don’t think he had to buy a drink for himself all night.
Fifties and ’60s music played, and people enjoyed great food. There was a potato soup contest. I’m not sure which of the two excellent treats won most-favored status, but I know we all won by getting to eat it.
Amid this festive atmosphere, there remained a few signs of the coronavirus. The bartender wore a mask. Half the bar stools had been removed. But that was as far as the precautions went. Without stools, people simply stood at the bar. Nobody else wore a mask.
Weaving my way among the many different conversations, I heard people talking about how great it was to be back with their fellow legionnaires and auxiliary members. Many said they were “done” with the coronavirus — ready to go back to normal life. Footage of protests and riots played on the news on a TV on the wall, and the consensus among the legionnaires seemed to be that if such large gatherings were approved of and even supported by various government authorities, then the legionnaires no longer cared about limitations placed on other gatherings.
My friends, I won’t tell you what to do in response to the coronavirus. I hope you and yours remain happy and healthy. But if the attitude present at the American Legion Post 72 is shared by others across the country, the authorities may have a hard time putting America back in quarantine again. The club was packed with veterans who once fought for our freedom and who were very happy to be free of strict quarantine protocols. I pray we can all remain safe and free of such restrictions in the future.
Trent Reedy served as a combat engineer in the Iowa National Guard from 1999 to 2005, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Some names in this story may have been changed due to security or privacy concerns.
