Captain James MacFarland American Legion Post 79 - Burlington, New Jersey

06/21/2026

Good luck to these 6 young men as they start their American Legion Jersey Boys State Experience this week!

Today was the Burlington County American Legion Jersey Boys State Orientation. This year, Post 79 will be sending six high school juniors to attend Jersey Boys State,

Top Photo: Commander John Lowden, Jamison Graham, Gabe Vertucio, Richmond Kumah, Khristian Collins and Vivek Patel

Bottom Photo: Vincent D'Ambrosio and Commander John Lowden

Good luck to all the delegates!

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

This year marks the fifth year of Juneteenth as a federal holiday in the United States, but the celebrations are far from new. For more than 150 years, June 19th has been a deeply important observance for many African American communities across the country.
While the Emancipation Proclamation declared freedom for enslaved people in the Confederate states and the Civil War ended in April 1865, freedom didn’t reach everyone. In remote areas, slaveholders made no effort to free those they held in bo***ge. News of emancipation traveled slowly, and for many isolated from Union forces, life continued as though freedom had never come. Over 250,000 enslaved African Americans were unaware of their liberation until military intervention came two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
On June 19, 1865, news of emancipation finally reached the last group of enslaved individuals at the furthest edge of the nation. Union General Gordon Granger with 2,000 Union troops arrived to Texas in Galveston Bay, announcing that all enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree:
“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”
–General Order Number 3, June 19, 1865
On December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified and extended the prohibition on slavery beyond the former rebellious states, saying that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
It took the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment to finally bring slavery to an end throughout the United States. The moment when freedom finally reached the furthest corners of the nation became the foundation of Juneteenth.
The first Juneteenth celebrations began in 1866, centered in churches and community gatherings in Texas. These traditions spread across the South and beyond, sustained by newly freed African Americans and their descendants. Juneteenth was finally recognized federally in 2021, observing it as an official holiday.
https://www.facebook.com/armedforcesheritage

06/18/2026

We mourn the loss of the eight airmen who were killed in the B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base.

Our hearts are with their families, friends, fellow service members, and all those affected by this tragedy.

Read more about the airmen and the impact they made through their service: legion.org/information-center/news/security/2026/june/our-hearts-are-shattered-air-force-names-8-killed-in-b-52-crash-at-edwards-air-force-base

06/18/2026

The Underground Railroad Museum of Burlington County will host a special event on Saturday, June 27, to salute the legacy of Black veterans who've served across generations - from the Revolutionary War to the present day.

06/12/2026

Recently I had the honor of meeting and talking to an Air Force Veteran named John Wallace at an informal weekly Veterans gathering at Panera Bread in Mt. Laurel. Through small talk I learned that he was originally from Burlington and soon after graduating from Burlington City HS in the early 60’s he enlisted into the Air Force and was trained as an Avionics Instrument Systems Specialist. While assigned to the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina, he and his unit were suddenly deployed to South Korea to Kunsan Air Base in South Korea.

The timing of this deployment coincided with two different military events. On January 23 1968 the USS Pueblo and crew was captured in international waters off the coast of North Korea.The crew was taken prisoner and held for 11 months before being released. On January 30 1968 in South Vietnam the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive which would last for about 8 months.

During the 1968 USS Pueblo Incident, the U.S. Air Force rushed temporary strike assets to Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. The 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) deployed to Kunsan from Seymour Johnson AFB to bolster defenses and deter further North Korean aggression during the crisis. The deployment of fighter squadrons like the 335th to Kunsan was part of an emergency build-up known as Operation Combat Fox. Because of this need for additional airpower in Korea and the ongoing fight in South Vietnam, the 335th and other units based in the United States were deployed to Korea and remained there during these tense times.

The photos I posted are that of a Challenge Coin that John Wallace gave me that commemorates the mission of the 335th TFS and the 336th WPNS during the Pueblo Incident. It shows his rank of E4 (Sgt) and his Specialty Code 32251P with an F4 Fighter on one side. On the “flip side are the dates the crew of the Pueblo were held captive from Jan 23 68 to Dec 23 68 with an image of another bird that was made famous by three of the crew in a photograph their captors took of them for a propaganda purposes. The North Korean government was told it was a Hawaiian good luck sign.

06/12/2026

The Burlington County Historical Society and the Armed Forces Heritage Mobile Museum will be there!

06/11/2026

Join BCHS on June 27th as we welcome reenactor Stacy Roth for her program, "Over Here, Molly Pitcher"!

“Over Here, Molly Pitcher: Stories of a Woman of the Army in the American Revolution” is an interpretive storytelling presentation about Mary Hays McCauley, the plucky woman who assisted her husband and his artillery crew during the Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778. Her tales are related from the perspective of 1822, the year she receives a pension for her service from the State of Pennsylvania. Molly, dressed in her Revolutionary War attire and armed with the material remnants of her service, touches upon topics that include the aftermath of the war for the veterans of the Revolution, as well as Molly's adventures from the time of her husband’s enlistment to the Battle of Monmouth, what life was like as a “woman of the army,” and her exciting day of battle.

Tickets for this event are $10 per person. All ages are welcome to this program. To guarantee a spot, email us at [email protected] to RSVP

Program is to be held in the Corson Poley Center at the Burlington County Historical Society.

06/09/2026

Play Ball!

Last night Burlington County Commander Acey Wilburn and Post 79 Commander John Lowden presented contributions to Post 26 Commander and Past Burlington County Commander John McGowan for the Bordentown Post 26 American Legion Baseball team.
This is the only American Legion Baseball team in Burlington County and it draws players from several American Legion Posts and towns in the county. American Legion Baseball has been a traditional part of the organization for decades and we are happy to support this program.
If you or your post would like to support Burlington County American Legion Baseball you can send a check made out to Post 26 Baseball and mailed to:

American Legion Post 26
PO Box 548
Bordentown NJ 08505