Legionnaire Larry Klauser from Post 867 in Mundelein, Ill., was honored at the Association of 3D Armored Division Veterans reunion in November 2017. Klauser received the Col. Daniel A. Merritt President's Award for his work as lead on the project to build a 3D monument.
As Klauser puts it, "Over the past decade, being a veteran of the U.S. Army and being a member of The American Legion has become more and more important to me. Though I have been a member of the Legion for 16+ years, I just started going to meetings three years ago. Going to the monthly meetings and participating in other post events heightened my awareness of who I am and how being a veteran can help others.
"In July 2016, while attending the annual reunion of the Association of 3D Armored Division Veterans in Washington, D.C., I volunteered to become involved in the final designs and construction of a memorial at Fort Benning, Ga. The monument will be the one definitive memorial to all of the men and women who served in the division during World War II, the Cold War and Desert Storm.
"I am an engineer by trade and have had some project management experience, and that is exactly what this project needed. Since then, I have become very active in the fundraising element of this program and I am pleased to say that construction will be completed this year and the dedication of the memorial will take place on or near Veterans Day 2018."