After his return from France after WWI, Paul V. Eakle, one of the charter members of American Legion Post 654 in Waterman IL, was deeply impressed with the USS New Jersey that had brought him home. His impressions were put on paper, and then into a model. Then in 1934 with a loan to purchase a truck, some lumber on credit, and the help of several members of post 654, he built a parade float and named it USS Illinois. Paul took his float to many American Legion national conventions. He drove it to San Francisco in 1946 and New York in 1947. And this in the days before interstate highways, was quite a feat in itself.
Float Goes to National Convention
