· Post 188 was chartered November 1, 1919 with 46 members.
· In 1920 Post 188 added the name “Herbert Cawley” American Legion Post 188
· March 13, 1930 we became incorporated with the State of NJ
· June 24, 1941 44 members formed a “40 & 8” charter # 1208, a sub-chapter of The American Legion at that time.
A society of forty men and eight horses was derived from World War 1.Soldiers were transported to front lines on French rail systems. Cramped, narrow gauge boxcars were each stenciled “Capacity 40 Men or 8 Horses”. The Forty and Eight was founded in 1920 by American veterans returning from France a lighthearted symbol of the deeper service, unspoken horrors and sacrifice that bind all.. In 1960 40/8 became a separately incorporated veteran’s organization in open to all veterans.
· 1947 the post created a committee and formed the High Bridge American Legion Ambulance service that served High Bridge and local communities providing transportation 24 hrs. a day with 17 Post 188 members.
· In 2000 Post 188 took over the project to build a Memorial Park in town. The land was donated to High Bridge Borough by Mr. and Mrs. Chat Hoffman to only be used as a Veterans Memorial
-2-
named after Chat’s father C.K. Hoffman. We started March 3rd clearing the site of
trees and bringing in fill dirt. By August of 2002 we had installed the flag pole and we began selling bricks. With the help of Robert Batch Eagle Scout Project, Troop 149, Post members, volunteers and contractors logged in over 1200 hours 2005. Today we can all enjoy C.K. Hoffman Memorial Park where we hold services each Memorial Day & Veterans Day.
· Today 2019 we have 4 Honorary Life Members, 16 PUFL and 30 members. Our oldest member is 98 years old a Pearl Harbor survivor and has been a Post 188 member 73 years.
· For more than 30 years we have placed American flags and markers on 7 country cemeteries each Memorial Day at total of about 500 flags.
· We have committees for American Legion New Jersey Boy State and New Jersey Girls State programs, High School Essay contest, Elementary School Coloring contest and we participate in local school graduations awarding 4 school awards each year.
