Colbert Legion post memorializes fallen heroes

TUSCUMBIA - The faces of about 100 heroes stare back when you examine the back wall at the American Legion Post 31.

Some photos depict smiling soldiers. Some are of sailors fully decked out in uniform. Others are senior portraits of soon-to-be soldiers. Some pose with military buddies.

The military men on the wall have two things in common: All came from Colbert County, and none returned.

"It's hard to describe when I look at those pictures what it does to me," said Pat Johnson, past commander for the post. "Every time I see it, it just brings back memories of what they sacrificed for."

The Wall of Honor began in 1996 when Post 31 member Harry McCluskey suggested it, said Richard Sheridan, the post's adjutant.

"We liked it and immediately got busy on it and collected quite a few right away," Sheridan said. "Since then, it's slowed down. It's hard to find families from 50 and 60 years ago."

Each of the approximately 100 photos is framed with the person's name and how he was killed in action. Generally, background such as the person's hometown, high school and family is included.

The photos range in date from a few Confederate soldiers in the Civil War to the war in Iraq.

Sheridan, a local historian, finds various sources for information, including newspaper obituaries and family members of the fallen military men.

He tries to contact family members listed in obituaries so he can explain what he's doing and see if they have a photo of their lost loved one for the wall.

"I try to put a few facts with each picture, and on a lot of them I have a lot more information in the files," Sheridan said. "This is an ongoing project and we work on it when we have time."

Johnson, whose post has just received the Post Excellence Award for Alabama, said Legion members are proud of the wall.

He said the wall helps keep memories of fallen Colbert County residents alive.

"We have a lot of people come look at that wall," Johnson said. "Every meeting night, I see some guys over there looking at it.

"When we have a Veterans Day or Memorial Day ceremony and guests come over, that's the first thing they're drawn to."

The image of Colbert's Floyd Rutland is among those on the wall. The Army soldier was killed in World War II, said his nephew and namesake, Floyd Maynard Hester.

"He was a No. 1 soldier," Hester said. "They kept him over in the Philippines. He was supposed to come home after he served a hitch, but they kept him for three hitches."

Hester was a boy when his grandparents received the news that a section of mortar shell went through his uncle's heart and killed him.

He said it means a lot to know his uncle's memory is preserved at the post.

"It's great. I think they need more recognition than what they get, and I know he'd be honored to know they are doing that."

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@TimesDaily.com.