American Legion Post 328 Morrison, Illinois

09/03/2026

Congratulations to Chad Hudson on 25 Years of Service with Morrison Fire Department!

Morrison American Legion Post 328 is incredibly proud to congratulate fellow Legionnaire Chad Hudson on achieving 25 years of dedicated service with the Morrison Fire Department. The presentation of his ceremonial axe, is a testament to a quarter-century of bravery and commitment to our community.

The Hudson family’s legacy of service runs deep in Morrison. In addition to his role as a first responder with MFD, Chad serves as a dedicated Legionnaire at Post 328 alongside his brother, Rob Hudson, and his father, Neal Hudson.

Thank you, Chad, for your unwavering dedication to keeping Morrison safe and for your continued service to our community in and out of uniform!

Pictured Chad (L) receiving the axe from Fire Chief Rob Vegter.

09/03/2026

As the charter holder for Cub Scout Pack 328 - Morrison, IL we encourage you to enjoy the ice cream social and introduce your K through 5th children to learn and join the Cub Scouts.

Pack 328 is excited to announce an ice cream social event inviting children from kindergarten through 5th grade and their families to experience Cub Scouts. Please join us on September 8th at 6pm at Northside School.

Learn more about Cub Scouts at https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/.

08/13/2026

🇺🇸 **New Flags for a New School Year!** 🇺🇸

We always jump at the chance to support our community and share our pride in the American flag. Recently, Morrison School District Superintendent Dr. Matt DeBaene reached out to us with a request: he wanted to purchase new flags for each school in the district to ensure they were flying fresh, crisp colors for the upcoming school year.

Instead of selling them, our members proudly voted to DONATE a new flag to each school in the district!

Commander Larry Zuidema (presenting the flag), flanked by Legionnaires Lloyd DeShane and Jesse Habben. Receiving the flags on behalf of the district are Superintendent Dr. Matt DeBaene, High School Principal Dr. Dusti Markham, Junior High Principal Joe Robbins, and Northside Principal Andy Harriage. (Not pictured: Southside Principal Matt McCormick).

We were deeply moved by the Superintendent's dedication to our community and his reasons for prioritizing this project:

"As Superintendent, one of my primary goals over the past few years has been to invest heavily in modernizing, repairing, and taking pride in our district’s facilities. From building upgrades to grounds enhancements across our campuses, we are actively showing our community and our students that Morrison School District takes deep pride in the physical spaces where our children learn and grow.

However, building upgrades and modern facilities are incomplete if the very first thing people see, our American flag, is faded, worn, or weathered.

Flying fresh, pristine flags at every school in our district is not just about curb appeal or physical maintenance; it is about civic pride and fundamental respect. When our students, staff, and community members pull up to our schools each morning, seeing a vibrant, dignified U.S. flag sets a standard. It serves as a daily, visible reminder of the freedoms we enjoy, the sacrifices made by our veterans, and the shared values that unite us.

Partnering with the American Legion to replace these flags allows us to marry our physical district improvements with a renewed emphasis on civic education, flag etiquette, and patriotism for our youth."

We couldn’t agree more! Thank you to Dr. DeBaene and the entire district leadership team for partnering with us to ensure our nation's colors are proudly displayed.

Wishing all Morrison students, teachers, and staff a fantastic, safe, and successful start to the new school year! 🎒📚🦅

07/31/2026

Congratulations to the new 13th District officers of the American Legion!

It was an honor to have 2nd Division Commander Lee Gibbs swear in:

* Korey Zigler (center), of Morrison Post 328, as the 13th District Senior Vice Commander.
* Erik Gerischer (right), of Sterling Post 296, as the 13th District Commander.

Thank you to these dedicated individuals for their service to our veterans and community!

07/08/2026

07/01/2026

🎖️ Celebrating a Century of Service: Marvin Geerts' 80-Year Legionnaire Milestone! 🎖️

What an absolutely incredible and historic day for our Post! We had the distinct honor of coming together to celebrate a true American hero, Legionnaire Marvin Geerts, marking two unbelievable milestones: his 100th Birthday and an astounding 80 years of continuous membership with the American Legion.

Our very own Commander Zuidema had the privilege of presenting Marvin with his official 80-year membership certificate, kicking off a ceremony filled with love, gratitude, and well-deserved honors.

🌟 A Shower of Well-Deserved Honors 🌟

During the milestone ceremony, Marvin was presented with several prestigious awards and tokens of appreciation recognizing his lifetime of dedication:

🇺🇸 U.S. Capitol Flown Flag: A beautiful shadow box featuring an American flag flown over the United States Capitol in Marvin's honor.
💝 Quilt of Valor: Handcrafted and presented by the Illinois Valley Chapter of the Quilts of Valor Foundation to wrap him in comfort and gratitude.
🎂 100th Birthday Certificate & Challenge Coin: Awarded directly by the Illinois American Legion District 13 Commander.
🏛️ State Legislative Honors: Official Certificates of Appreciation from State Representative Ryan Spain and State Senator Li Arellano, Jr. (who graciously joined us to present his certificate in person!).
🪙 Flags of Freedom Challenge Coin: A special commemorative coin gifted by the I-80 Flags of Freedom committee.

Be sure to scroll through the attached photos to see the highlights from this moving day, including:

Family First: Marvin flanked by his wonderful family, many of whom traveled several hours to share this special day.

The Quilt of Valor: Emotional moments showing Marvin seeing the gorgeous quilt for the first time, followed by Terry Johnson wrapping it safely around him.

A Touch of Emotion: Catching a few tender moments of Marvin contemplating the upcoming events as the room filled up with family, friends and veterans alike to show respect.

Honored Guests: State Senator Li Arellano, Jr. presenting his certificate in person, alongside the stunning U.S. Capitol shadow box display.

Thank you, Marvin, for 80 years of service, loyalty, and inspiration. Happy 100th Birthday from everyone at the Post!

06/18/2026

🇺🇸 Honoring a Legacy: A Generous Donation to Post 328 🇺🇸
Morrison American Legion Post 328 recently received a wonderful and heartfelt contribution in memory of a truly dedicated veteran.

Lisa Goodenough and her sister, Shelley Tiesman, proudly presented Commander Larry Zuidema with an honorarium check of $1,225 in honor of their late father, Harvey "HO" Ottens.

Harvey was a proud United States Marine Corps veteran who served during the Korean Conflict, as well as a deeply valued member of Morrison American Legion Post 328.

Thanks to additional, generous community contributions, the total honorarium grew to an amazing $1,435!

We are incredibly grateful to HO’s family and everyone who contributed. These funds will directly support our continued mission to serve local veterans and our community.

Please join us in thanking the Ottens family for keeping his memory alive through such impactful generosity. Semper Fi, HO! 🕊️❤️

05/30/2026

A huge THANK YOU from The American Legion! 🦅🇺🇸

This morning, we had an amazing group of volunteers help us carefully retrieve 1,076 flags from the graves of our veterans at Grove Hill Cemetery. We truly appreciate your time and dedication!

What happens to the flags now?

Sorting & Counting: We will organize the flags so they are ready to fly proudly again next year.

Respectful Retirement: Any flags that are worn, torn, or no longer pass muster will be set aside. We will retire them with dignity at our annual Flag Burning Ceremony this September.

We couldn’t do this without the support of our wonderful community. Thank you for helping us ensure our veterans are always remembered and respected.

05/28/2026

Big Congratulations to Our Outstanding Students!

Join us in celebrating now-freshmen Easton Swanson and Eliana McDearmon for receiving the prestigious American Legion Patriot School Award!

This honorable award was presented on May 27, 2026, by Legionnaire Korey Zigler, Adjutant of The American Legion Post 328 in Morrison, Illinois.

What makes this recognition so incredibly special is that these students were chosen by their very own classmates to acknowledge their outstanding merit, character, and patriotism. Along with the honor, the award carries a $50 monetary grant for their discretionary use.

Legionnaires of Post 328 are so very proud of these young students.

05/27/2026

🇺🇸 Honoring a True Treasure of Post 328: Bob Brands 🇺🇸

Today, we want to take a moment to recognize an incredible man who embodies the very spirit of service, dedication, and comradeship.

Bob Brands is a 96-year-old Korean War veteran and has been a proud, dedicated member of American Legion Post 328 for an amazing 45 years.

For decades, Bob has been at the heart of everything we do:

🎖️ The Honor Guard: He faithfully served on the Honor Guard, paying final respects to his fallen brothers and sisters at veterans' funerals until just two years ago.

🥁 Parades: He was right there with us, proudly marching down the street until just two short years ago (at the incredible age of 94!).

Bob, thank you for your service to our country and your unwavering devotion to our Post. You are a true treasure, a living legend, and an inspiration to every single one of us.

Join us in celebrating Bob! Drop a comment below to thank him for his lifetime of service. 👇 Or share a favorite memory of Bob if you have one!