On March 15, 2019, Colorado Springs American Legion Post 5 hosted the Centennial Celebration of the Paris Caucus. On March 15, 1919, the founding fathers got going the first mass meeting which would become The American Legion. Theodore Roosevelt is considered as the main founding father who decided to invite all ranks of the American Expeditionary Forces. So all the different ranks came together in Paris. Post 5 has links to not only to Paris but to the founding of The American Legion in the Department of Colorado.
In October 1928, while on a specking tour, Roosevelt visited Post 5. So he is the first link Post 5 has to the founding of TAL..
The second link was to have a member of Post 5 at Paris. Local papers have said that a Victor Hungerford was there. On the March 21, 1919 Stars and Stripes, the headline was about the founding of The American Legion. On page 3 there was the list of committees and who was on them. Under the convention committee was the name of Victor Hungerford. It seems that Victor liked to be in the front of a lot of different areas.
The 3rd link, and the important one of The American Legion being founded in Colorado, was that its first commander was also a charter member of Post 5. Haib Saidy was picked to head the delegation to the St. Louis Caucus May 8-10, 1919. H.A. Saidy was elected to be the first department commander of Colorado for 1919 and 1920.
The 4th person there to get Post 5 into Colorado Springs was their first commander, John Carruthers. John was very into showing support for the military in his time by helping found the Soldiers and Sailors Club in Colorado Springs at 28 E. Bijou St. (which is at the end of the alley where Post 5 is standing now). John allowed American Legion Post 5 to meet at the Soldiers and Sailors Club for the first few years.
Fast forward to March 15, 2019. Colorado Springs American Legion Post 5 hosted a public event to mark the centennial of The American Legion. The meeting hall - which is the original hut that was built in 1923 - had the Stars and Stripes of March 14 and 21 of 1919, so people could read what was said 100 years ago. On the back wall was the U.S. flag of Battery C that was in France during World War I. On a table was a helmet with dog tags of a Ward Cramer who was in the same battalion as Harry S. Thurman. Around the helmet were photos of the four American Legion founding links to Colorado Springs, with Roosevelt having his autograph.