Post - Department Headquarters Des Moines, Iowa
Post - Department Headquarters
Des Moines, Iowa
About This Post
Notable Members
Hanford MacNider - National Commander 1921, Ray Murphy - National Commander 1935, Donald Johnson - National Commander 1964, Dale Renaud - National Commander 1985, David K. Rehbein - National Commander 2008
President Ronal Reagan, Ambassador Terry Branstad
What Makes this Post Unique
Nearly 600 posts and 50,000 members fill nearly every corner of Iowa. The Hawkeye State is home to Legion Baseball legends, war heroes and veterans who chose lives of public service. Future President Ronald Reagan broke into broadcasting here, the same state where he trained to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. The Iowa American Legion Family, including The American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of The American Legion and Legion Riders, always make a splash at national events and parades. Through the decades, the Iowa American Legion Family could always be spotted in the National Convention Parade, from the first one in 1919 through today, with their trademark cornstalks in hand. It is a state where patriotism is expressed in many ways, from professional rodeo in Sidney to the famous Freedom Rock and its many progeny across the state. Hundreds of Iowans have been mentored through Hawkeye Boys State, Junior Shooting Sports, Oratoricals, the 5th Grade Flag Essay Contest and other wholesome, healthy youth programs.
Photos
LTG Mathew A. Tinley Ceremony
Ceremony commemorating First Adjutant John MacVicar
List of past commanders and adjutants
LTG Mathew Tinley, our First Department Commander
Gov. Reynolds signs 100 Years of American Legion in Iowa Proclamation
Early Years
HISTORY
1910
The Department of Iowa Begins
May 12, 1919
The American Legion Department of Iowa began accepting applications for post charters on May 12, 1919. As in many American Legion departments, it was determined that the post whose charter was approved the earliest would be Post 1.
Thus was staged the great race between Council Bluffs and Spencer.
At the stroke of midnight, 15 charter Legionnaires of each city signed the application form, had it notarized and sped off to Des Moines. The Spencer veterans set..
Mathew Tinley Elected as First Department Commander
Sep 4, 1919
Mathew Adrian Tinley, physician and surgeon, retired Lieutenant General and Commander of the 34th Infantry Division was the first Commander of the Iowa Department of the American Legion.
Born on March 5, 1876, over a small grocery store in Council Bluffs, Mathew was one of 8 children of Mathew Hugh and Rose (Dolan) Tinley, both natives of Ireland. Mathew attended public schools in..
Department of Iowa's First Convention
Sep 4, 1919
The first convention for the Department of Iowa was held on September 4, 1919, at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.
The initial Department Officers were:
Commander
Mathew A. Tinley of Council Bluffs
Vice Commander
Hanford MacNider of Mason City
Adjutant
John MacVicar of Des Moines
Finance Officer
Fred M. Hubbell of Des Moines
Historian
Raymond Smith of Council Bluffs
Chaplain
W. E. Robb of Des Moines
Master-At-Arms
J. F. Cole of Oelwein
1920
Hawkeye Hero
May 14, 1921
More than 5,000 people attended his funeral on that warm spring day, May 14, 1921, in Waterloo, Iowa. Mourners filled the church and flowed out onto the parking lot. Later that afternoon, they packed the local cemetery.
They came from all over the state to honor Fred Becker, who had given his life fighting in France during World War I. It was believed to be the largest crowd ever assembled in Waterloo..
Hanford MacNider Elected National Commander
Nov 2, 1921
1921 – Hanford MacNider of Mason City, a highly decorated combat officer of the American
Expeditionary Forces and veteran of the Pancho Villa expedition, is elected national commander
of The American Legion and leads a cross-country victory tour for Supreme Allied Commander
Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France. MacNider would go on..
1930
Ronald Reagan in Iowa
Oct 22, 1932
1932 – Future U.S. President and American Legion member Ronald Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932, when jobs were tight because of the Depression. Reagan, 22, breaks into the broadcasting field by announcing University of Iowa football games for WOC Radio in Davenport and, soon after, WHO Radio in Des Moines. Reagan's first assignment - for $5 and bus fare - was the University of Iowa's homecoming game against Minnesota on 22 October. While..
Ray Murphy Elected National Commander
Sep 26, 1935
Full Story
1935 – Ray Murphy, a founder of Leo McNamara Post 61, Ida Grove, is elected as the 18th American Legion national commander. Murphy had been a star football and basketball player at the University of Iowa before he served in the National Guard along the Mexican border and, later, as a captain of a machine-gun company in France.
1950
Charles Grassley Attends Hawkeye Boy's State
Jun 10, 1950
Charles Grassley of New Hartford participates in American Legion Hawkeye Boys State, first step in a career leading to decades in Congress.
Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Iowa, first elected in 1980. A Republican, he previously was a member of the United States House of Representatives (1975–1981) and of the Iowa House of Representatives (1959–1975). He was chairman of the Senate Finance..
1960
Donald Johnson Elected National Commander
Sep 24, 1964
Donald Johnson of Post 514, West Branch Iowa Elected as National Commander.
Donald Johnson of West Branch is elected national commander of The American Legion in 1964. He later serves as administrator of the VA for five years under President Richard Nixon
Mr. Johnson, a onetime seed and fertilizer dealer was appointed administrator of the Veterans Administration in 1969.
Mr. Johnson, a World War II Army veteran who received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart while serving..
1980
Dale Renaud Elected National Commander
Aug 28, 1985
Dale Renaud, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran of the Korean War, is elected national commander of The American Legion. Of his 31 years in the Legion, 29 were spent as a member of Samuel H. Bridge Post 396 of Bondurant.
Jennifer Demmon wins American Legion National Oratorical Contest
May 6, 1986
Jennifer Jane Demmon, sponsored by Frank Lewis Glick Post 46 of Marshalltown, claims first place in The American Legion National Oratorical Contest in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Betty Andrews elected as the first Female Commander for the Department of Iowa
Jul 1987
Betty Andrews of Cedar Rapids Post 5 was elected as the first Female Commander for the Department of Iowa.
2000
Max Miller Wins the National American Legion Oratorical Contest
May 6, 2000
High school junior Max Miller, sponsored by Ankeny Post 42, wins the 63rd American Legion National Oratorical Contest in Indianapolis, earning an $18,000 college scholarship.
Parkersburg Tornado spurs Legion Post 285 into action
May 25, 2008
Full Story
2008 – A May 25 tornado rips through Parkersburg, killing seven and destroying hundreds of homes, soon followed by severe storms and flooding in New Hartford. American Legion Post 285 in Parkersburg transforms to become relief center, serving more than 30,000 meals in a six-day period. The area receives numerous American Legion National Emergency Fund grants. Post 285’s response inspires the creation of the national NEF Post Excellence Award.
David K. Rehbein of Ames is elected national commander of The American Legion
Aug 28, 2008
2008 – David K. Rehbein of Ames is elected national commander of The American Legion.
He is the fifth Iowan to lead the nation’s largest veterans service organization.
A research metallurgist and U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam era has been elected national commander of the nation’s largest veterans organization. Delegates to The American Legion’s 90th National Convention here chose David K. Rehbein of Ames, Ia., to lead the 2.7 million-member organization of wartime veterans for a..
2010
Sal Giunta, of Hiawatha Post 735 Recieves the Congressional Medal of Honor
Nov 16, 2010
Sal Giunta, of Hiawatha, was the fourth member of the U.S. Armed Forces to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. A member of American Legion Post 735 in Hiawatha, he received the medal after stopping an enemy ambush and killing a high-value Taliban combatant who was trying to drag away one of Giunta’s fellow soldiers. After learning that he would be nominated, Giunta didn’t like being singled out...
First Female Veteran, Joni Ernst, Sworn into U.S. Senate
Jan 3, 2015
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, a member of Stanton American Legion Post 407, was the first female veteran to be elected to the U.S. Senate. A former Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard, she has been a frequent speaker at the American Legion Auxiliary Iowa Girls State.
LTC Ernst served as logistics officer and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Iowa National Guard. Near the end of her career, she served as the..
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a 47-year member of The American Legion, and former Commander of Post 235 in Lake Mills, Iowa, is the new U.S. ambassador to China
May 24, 2017
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a 47-year member of The American Legion, and former Commander of Post 235 in Lake Mills, Iowa, is the new U.S. ambassador to China, following a 82-13 confirmation vote recently in the Senate.
Branstad, the longest-serving governor in United States history, was selected for the ambassador role because of his long-standing friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Their friendship began soon after Branstad was elected governor in 1982.
In the 1980s, Branstad led..
Mike Etzel Elected as the 102nd Department of Iowa Commander
Jul 23, 2017
A Marion resident has spent most of his adult life in public service, both as a United States Marine and as a Marion firefighter. So it was only natural for him to say "yes" when asked to be the new American Legion Department of Iowa Commander.
Mike Etzel, 65, was nominated for the volunteer position by the Marion American Legion Post 298, the county and the district. All three endorsements are necessary, and..
Governor Reynolds signed a proclamation that 11-22 March was proclaimed as the 100 Year Anniversary of The American Legion.
Mar 19, 2019
On 19 March, 2019 a delegation of Legionnaires from across Iowa met at the State Capital in Des Moines to be honored by the state govenrment. There was a ceremony of passing a proclamation by the House of Representatives followed by a similar ceremony in the Senate. Afterwards, the Proclamation was signed by Governor Kim Reynolds in a very nice ceremony where all of those present were thanked for their service in the armed services,..
