Dec. 3, 2013, at the Columbia Falls City Council Chambers at 7 p.m. will be the one and only attempt to re-organize the American Legion Post No. 72.

I say it is the one and only attempt, as I will not do this myself, as what needs to be done is to get enough concerned vets involved, active and wanting to do something for our Columbia Falls area.

We have been given the responsibility to get the Veterans Memorial Wall going again, get a program going for vets to get their names on it to be remembered, and to do one of my favorite things, maintaining the Legion Fatality Markers that need desperate repair along our highways in this area.

Yes, those are the crosses as placed by our fellow, older Legion members, as a reminder of a sad accident that resulted in a fatality. We stand alone in this project, period.

I will stand as the acting commander until we have a formal meeting. Hopefully, if many of you will step up to that plate, we can formally re-organize during our first meeting in January 2014.

There are a myriad reasons why not to do this, but I for one have hope that enough pride is in our area that we can at least have  a veterans group active in this town.

I will be there, will you? If I could help save the Post in Whitefish from going under, I am sure we can save this one.

Mike Shepard is the Past Commander of Whitefish American Legion Post 108. To contact the post in Columbia Falls, write to American Legion Post 72, P.O. Box 3306, Columbia Falls MT 59912.