American Legion, Coast Guard spend Veterans Day repairing post 131

Members of American Legion Post 131 and the U. S. Coast Guard Greater New Orleans Chief Petty Officers’ Association pose for a picture on Veterans Day.

American Legion Post 131 in Luling received substantial damage from Hurricane Ida, but the post’s roof was patched and a substantial amount of demo was done recently when the U. S. Coast Guard Greater New Orleans Chief Petty Officers’ Association visited and volunteered.

­­Jessica Tull, an active-duty Coast Guard member and post 131’s finance and fundraising officer, said the work was done on the most-fitting of days – Veterans Day.

“Because the average age of our members is 70 years old, we don’t have the in-house labor to do the repairs ourselves,” Tull said. “We need our building back up and running to be able to rent it out … and most importantly to hold our meetings our sweet veterans look forward to each month.”

Tull said the collaboration with the Petty Officers’ Association will continue, as the association has offered to accept donations on the post’s behalf.

“The roof definitely has to be repaired,” Tull said, adding there was extensive structural damage to the post’s building. “It’ll be an easy $50,000 to $60,000 worth of work.”

Tull said what the post needs most is volunteers and skilled professionals to point post members in the right direction to get started on repairs.

“We only had liability insurance due to the loss of income over the last couple years due to COVID,” she said. “We are setting up an account for donations at First American Bank in Boutte to assist in paying for materials to rebuild.”

Tull said the work completed on Veterans Day was a bright spot during a dark time for many of the post’s elderly members.

“It just really means a lot to the members to know that this post is going to survive,” she said. “It kind of gave them hope. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend Veterans Day at any other place … it brought hope.”

Donations to the post can be mailed to:

First National Bank USA Boutte/LaPlace

PO Box 508

Boutte, LA 70039

Checks can be made out to: American Legion Post 131 – Hurricane Relief.

 

About Monique Roth 919 Articles
Roth has both her undergraduate and graduate degree in journalism, which she has utilized in the past as an instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University and a reporter at various newspapers and online publications. She grew up in LaPlace, where she currently resides with her husband and three daughters.

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