Initially, Post 259 was named after James Hennessy, Private, US Army, KIA @ Chateau Thiery, France on July 29, 1918. In 1944, the name of James L. Cunningham, 2Lt, US Army Air Force was added. Cunningham was KIA on January 15, 1944, when the aircraft in which he was assigned as co-pilot, B-24J Liberator, S/N 42-73252 crashed while dispatched on a Sea Patrol mission in the China Sea. Cunningham was flying his 54th mission out of Chunming,China and was scheduled to return home soon at the time crash occurred.

NASA Astronaut (Retired), Charles D. "Sam" Gemar; a veteran of three Space Shuttle Missions, and a retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel.

Post 259 is a RE-OPENED/REVITALIZED Post; shuttered following the death of Post Commander, Kenneth LeValley, who had served as Post 259 Commander since 1969. At the time of his death, Comrade LeValley's tenure as Post Commander spanned more than 40 years! Since re-opening, Post 259 has grown from three members to 47 paid up in 2014. We have won two Keep Oklahoma Beautiful Awards (2012 and 2013), and participate/collaborate with the Kaw Nation and Town of Braman in operating a state-of-the-art Recycling facility. In 2013 and 2014, Post 259 donated nearly $2,500 to the Oklahoma State University Medical Research Sciences Facility to support Hyperbaric Chamber studies and treatment regimens for veterans suffering from the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We support local school children through funding of the annual class trip, and provide community support for local parades and other celebrations in the area. Since 2011, we have served as Honor Guard for the Kaw Nation Annual Pow Wow; held in October on the shores of Kaw Lake Reservoir. Our greatest honor is to have been the initial stop and host Post for the commemorative and historic visit to Oklahoma of National Commander, Mike Helm and National Vice-Commander, Paul Sanford on December 28, 2014! More than 120 Legionnaires and distinguished guests enjoyed a very successful and enjoyable reception and luncheon. We are a three-time recipient of the 100% membership award; a milestone we will duplicate for 2014-2015!