OUR POST HISTORY

In January 1992, it was announced in the Citrus County Chronicle that a new American Legion Post was being formed to serve veterans in the Homosassa, Chassahowitzka, and Lecanto areas.

 A meeting was held a short time later at the Lions Club in Homosassa, and 28 veterans attended.  The new Post, #166, was named in honor of a local man from Lecanto, Marine WO4 Arnold Vern Allen (01/22/1915 - 09/16/1991). See below for more information on our namesake.

A temporary charter was issued on March 30, 1992, and the actual charter was presented to the Post on February 17, 1993.  The first Post officers were: Commander Bruce Bowland, Adjutant Charles Hall, and Finance Officer Bob Sorensen. 

The post began to grow and by 1995 and even had a color guard.  But unfortunately, by 2002, the post began to fall apart due to the attrition of members ageing and others tired of not having a Post home and by 2007, the post membership had shrunk to just twelve members.

But rather than close the Charter, Robert Scott stepped up and became Commander and worked to grow the membership. By 2014, under the leadership of Commander Clayton Scott, the Post had about 70 members and five years later there were 103 members 35 Auxiliary members and 15 SAL.

And finally, in 2019, after 26 years of the Post moving from one meeting place to another, always looking and saving for a permanent meeting home, the Post found a home! With the help of many members, they worked hard to make the space right for the Post and opening celebration was held on April 20th, 2019.  It was a glorious day for all!

Today we have 329 American Legion members, 166 Auxiliary members, 82 SAL members and 22 American Legion Riders. And we are growing in numbers every day.  

All our progress has been made possible by the hard work of all our members over the years and the leadership of Past Commanders:

• Bruce Bowland
• Rheuben M Hair Sr
• Charles Norris Sr
• Joseph Stapleton
• M. O. Byrnes
• Marie Kraemer 07/2006 - 06/2012
• Robert Scott 07/2012 - 06/2013
• Clayton Scott 07/2013 - 06/2020
• Rick Starkey 07/2020 - 12/2021
• Robert Scott  01/2021-02/2022
• Robert "Bob" Ballew 02/2022 - Present

Vern Allen was born January 22, 1915 in Lecanto to Dow and Idella Vinson Allen. He was the oldest of their four Children. He had one brother, Eulin, and two sisters Edith and Virginia. The family was farmers and their families before them also farmed the area.

From an early age, Vern hated his first name, Arnold, and preferred to be called Vern.  In fact, the only one who called him Arnold was his mother.

On April 4, 1942, he married Lottie E Barnes, (12/12/1914 – 12/26/2003), a schoolteacher, also from Citrus County, in Washington DC. They had one daughter, Verna.

Vern was a career marine, mustering in at  Camp Pendleton on November 2, 1930 as a Marine Gunner, assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, Twentieth Marines (Engineer), 4TH Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force. He reached the rank of Warrant Officer 4th Class before retirement.

During WWII, Vern Allen’s company was assigned to the Marianas Islands.  

The Marianas Islands had not been a key part of pre-war American planning because the islands were well north of a direct sea route between Hawaii and the Philippines. But as time went on, it  was believed the islands could be the strategic location for submarine operations and air facilities in overcoming the Japanese.

The bombardment of Saipan began on 13 June 1944 with battleships and destroyers  arriving.  The following day, two naval bombardment groups arrived.

Then the landings began. At 07:00 on 15 June 1944, more than 300 Landing Vehicles landed 8,000 Marines on the west coast of Saipan including Vern Allen.  Eleven fire support ships covered the Marine landings. 

By nightfall, the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions had a beachhead about  6 miles wide and 1/2 mile deep. The Japanese counter-attacked at night but were repelled with heavy losses. 

On 16 June, Units of the U.S. Army's 27th Infantry Division landed and advanced on the airfield at Ås Lito.  Again, the Japanese counter-attacked at night. 

On 18 June, the Japanese abandoned the airfield, but not before Allen Vern Allen was wounded in action.

The result of the invasion was at least 29,000 Japanese dead and for the Americans, the victory was the most costly to date in the Pacific War.  Out of the 71,000 who landed, 2,949 were killed and 10,464 wounded. 

After recovering from his injuries, Vern Allen continued to serve as a Marine. After his retirement from the Marine Corps, he and his wife lived in Tampa for a while and later returned to Lecanto to live and where he died September 16, 1991 of natural causes.

Vern Allen was a member of American Legion Post 155, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4252 in Hernando, the Retired Officers Club, and the Seminole Club.   

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