Turnbow-Higgs American Legion Post 240 (Chartered in 1920) and Auxiliary Unit 240 (Chartered in 1992) Department of Texas began its 104th year of ‘Veterans Still Serving America’ service Tuesday evening, July 18, 2023, at 6PM when Commander Matt Hallgarth, called to order Post 240’s annual Awards and Officer Installation banquet to acknowledge and award the exceptional 2023 performance of members and to Install 2024 membership year officers. American Legion Department of Texas 17th District Commander, Jeff Eaton, and 17th District Auxiliary President, Nancy Cobb traveled from their home Post 163 in Weatherford, Texas, to present National and Department awards and administered the oath of office to 2024 officer elect members.
17th District President Nancy Cobb congratulated Unit 240 for their 2023 accomplishments and presented the following Unit 240 certificates of participation. 1) Cancer Research 2) General Scholarship fund 3) Donation to VA & R 4) Constitution & Bylaws Certificate.
17th District Commander Jeff Eaton presented the following awards to Post 240 Commander Hallgarth. From The American Legion National Headquarters: 1) National Membership Retention Award for retaining 90% and above 2022 Membership by the May Target date; From The American Legion Department of Texas: 2) the Post Retention Award for retaining 90% and above 2022 Membership by the May Target date; 3) Certificate of Recognition for achieving an All-Time High membership of 152 as of June 2023 4) Post Recruiting Award in recognition of achieving a 10% or higher increase in New Members over 2023 Membership Goal for the Membership Year.
Post 240Adjutant and Finance Officer, Chris Grantham was the recipient of the 2023 Post 240 Legionnaire of the Year award, and Legionnaires Tim Tatom, Chris Grantham, Walter Dotson, and Willis Moon were presented Certificates of Appreciation for their Perfect attendance in 2023.
The meeting agenda continued with17th District Commander, Jeff Eaton, and 17th District President Nancy Cobb administering the oath of office to their respective organizations. The 2024 Auxiliary Unit 240 taking the oath were: President, Martha Fredrickson; Vice President, Jan Anderson; Secretary/Treasurer, Joanna Lay; Sgt at Arms, Jean Moon; Executive Committee Members at Large, Decie Jones, Julie Littlefield.
The 2024 Post 240 officers taking the oath this evening were: Commander, Keith Fredrickson; Vice Commander, Charles Dotson; Adjutant/Finance Officer, Chris Grantham; Service Officer, Tim Tatom; Judge Advocate, Curtis Anderson; Chaplain, Matt Hallgarth; Executive Committee Members at Large, Walter Dotson, Willis Moon, Sid Moon.
Husband-and-Wife team, Keith, and Martha Fredrickson will be at the helm in 2024, Keith, as Post 240 Commander, and Martha, as Auxiliary Unit 240 President. Martha begins her fifth consecutive year as Unit 240 President. She is a graduate of Abilene Christian College and a retired schoolteacher. Her myriad of talents has and will continue to serve Unit 240 well as Unit 240 pursues established, and new goals.
Keith earned his American Legion membership via 20-years of United States Air Force service retiring in the rank of Lt. Colonel in 1989. He joined The American Legion Post 240 in 2015. During his 8-years of continuous service he has served as Vice Commander and Chairperson of Post 240 Veteran Visitation committee. In 2020, Keith played a leading role in improving Post 240 public awareness by overseeing the purchase and installation of an LED outdoor sign and obtaining city and state approvals to proceed with the project. He was the recipient of Post 240 Legionnaire of the year Award in 2020.
