On 25 July 2021, SGT. Charles A. Fricke Veterans of Foreign
Wars (VFW) Post 805 in O’Fallon, Illinois observes its Centennial Anniversary
of service to fellow Veterans and our community.
The history of VFW Post 805 began on 25 July 1921 when
twenty-five (25) original charter members of the United States of America
Veterans of Foreign Wars mustered as a local VFW organization under the name
Erwin
L.
Dann VFW Post 805 in Waterloo, Illinois. That
date was nearly fifteen (15) years prior to the initial chartering of the
National VFW organization by the 74th Congress of the United States
on 28 May 1936. Sergeant Erwin L.
Dann, the initial namesake of Post 805, was born on 16 March 1896,
and as a resident
of Waterloo, IL, enlisted in the 1st Missouri National Guard on 19 June 1916
during World War I. In May 1918, he
deployed overseas and participated in the initial American Expeditionary Force
(AEF) battles of St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France, which is
still the largest military offensive maneuver in US history involving 1.2 million
American service members. Sergeant
Dann was killed on the very first day of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive on 26
September 1918 at the age of twenty-two (22) years old. Having assembled with SGT Erwin L. Dann as their namesake on 25 July 1921, VFW Post 805 then sponsored
the repatriation and interment ceremony
of SGT Erwin
L.
Dann’s remains three and a half years after his death on 5 March 1922 at the
Waterloo Illinois City Cemetery. So began 100 years of exemplary VFW Post 805
service to foster camaraderie among United States Veterans of overseas
conflicts; to serve fellow Veterans and their families; and to serve our
military and our communities. Several years later on 8 June 1927, VFW Post 805
moved to East St Louis and consolidated with VFW Post 1299 from Belleville,
Illinois, which initially mustered on 18 December 1924, and VFW Post 1300 from
East St Louis, which initially mustered on 25 February 1925. The consolidated organization carried
forth with the name Erwin
L. Dann VFW Post 805 from East St Louis based on VFW organizational tenure.
Parallel to the ongoing service of VFW Post 805 in East St
Louis, and after returning home from World War II, eligible Veterans mustered
separately in East St Louis, Illinois on 15 October 1946 to form SGT. Charles
A. Fricke VFW Post 8475. The namesake
of VFW Post 8475 was selected as part of an effort to honor one of eighteen
(18) fellow employees of the Alcoa Aluminum Ore Factory in East St. Louis that
had perished during World War II. Given
the significant list of nominated honorees from the Alcoa Aluminum Ore Factory
that were killed during World War II, and given all were truly worthy, Veterans from
VFW Post 8475 blindly drew the name of United States Army Sergeant Charles A. “Chub”
Fricke as their original
namesake. Sergeant Fricke
was born in 1924 in East St
Louis, Illinois. Upon entering the
U.S. Army, he deployed to Italy where he engaged in several World War II combat
operations. Sergeant Fricke was
wounded twice prior to his final engagement during the intense Battle of Anzio
as part of the Italian Campaign during World War II. During that battle, Sergeant Fricke was mortally wounded by a
mortar shell on 13 May 1944, just weeks prior to Germany’s capitulation and the
American breakout to retake Rome, Italy on 4 June
1944. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries
four days later on 17 May 1944 at the age of twenty
(20) years old. He now rests in Mount
Carmel Cemetery in Belleville, Illinois. After
calling East St Louis home for thirty-five (35) years, SGT. Charles A. Fricke VFW Post 8475
experienced
a catastrophic fire at their home facility on Pershing Boulevard, East St
Louis, Illinois in September 1981. They
then purchased their new home at 223 West First Street in O’Fallon, Illinois on
26 December 1981. Notably, that same building had recently been the home of Walter Alexander VFW Post 3468 for twenty-nine
(29)
years. Walter Alexander Post 3468
initially mustered in O’Fallon, IL on 26 June 1946 and purchased the facility
at 223 West First Street in O’Fallon, Illinois on 15 February 1950. After surrendering that facility in 1979,
and after struggling to coexist in O’Fallon, Illinois with SGT Charles A.
Fricke VFW Post 8475 for two years, the dwindling membership of Walter
Alexander VFW Post 3468 disbanded on 23 February 1983, whereupon many of the remaining members transferred to
SGT Charles A. Fricke VFW Post 8475 in O’Fallon, IL.
On 29 April 1987, and after having sold their home facility
on Bunkum Road in East St Louis, Illinois, SGT Erwin L. Dann VFW Post 805
consolidated with SGT Charles A. Fricke VFW Post 8475 in O’Fallon, Illinois. The consolidated organization carried forth under the name SGT. Charles
A. Fricke VFW Post 805 of O’Fallon, Illinois. This new name continued to honor
and memorialize the heroic sacrifices of SGT Charles A. Fricke while
maintaining the VFW Post 805 numerical designation based on VFW
organizational tenure. Moreover, VFW Post 5165, which initially assembled on 4 April 1975 in
Swansea, Illinois, later consolidated into SGT Charles A. Fricke VFW Post 805
in O’Fallon, Illinois on 19 March 2007. Once
again, the consolidated organization maintained the SGT Charles A. Fricke name
and Post 805 designation due to organizational tenure. That organizational name and designation continues to this day.
Today, SGT. Charles A. Fricke VFW Post 805 in O’Fallon, IL
has nearly six hundred (600) Veteran members and is the largest VFW Post in the
14th District of the Department of Illinois, encompassing most of Southwest
Illinois. Post 805 is also the
largest VFW Post south of Springfield, Illinois and consistently ranks as one
of the top five largest VFW Posts in
the entire Department of Illinois comprising over two hundred seventy (270) VFW
Posts throughout the State
of Illinois. It is one of the most
active and successful VFW Posts in
the State of Illinois
and enjoys the tremendous support of the community. Over the course of its storied 100 years of service and multiple
consolidations, VFW Post 805 has been designated as an All-State and
All-American VFW Post many times, including this very year of 2021, denoting
exceptional achievement of VFW program execution and service to Veterans and our community. Most recently, Post 805 was selected as a VFW National
Outstanding Community Service Post in the 2018-2019 VFW year, being one of only
61 Posts to receive that prestigious designation out of over 6200 VFW Posts
worldwide. Post 805 continues to be
highly engaged in VFW National and Departmental Veterans and active-duty
military support programs; contributes significantly to local Veterans-In-Need
and the VFW National Home for Children in Eaton Rapids, Michigan; and is consistently
engaged in numerous Community Service projects. The VFW Post 805 home facility in O’Fallon, Illinois is one of
the most active and productive community centers in the St Louis Metro-East
region and consistently collaborates with, and hosts, numerous other
community-oriented not-for-profit organizations.
For 100 years, SGT Charles A. Fricke VFW Post 805, including
all of its feeder units, has consistently supported fellow Veterans, their
families and their communities. It
regularly organizes life-saving community blood drives; leads patriotic
community parades; and maintains and provides one of the most active and
prestigious Honor Guard and Color Guard teams in the St Louis metropolitan
area. Post 805 continues to support
our local, State and National governments; serves in our public and private
classrooms teaching Patriotism and Americanism to our youth; and continues to
work tirelessly to aid and assist fellow Veterans, their families, and the community at-large.
