Nestled in the alcove under the Chapel of the Nativity Catholic Church at 231 Route 9, Barrington, NH 03825, is the American Legion Barrington POST 114.   POST 114 was first chartered as BARRINGTON POST 114 on 14 Aug 1990. Then it was rechartered for a name change to ROGER E. CARDEN JR. POST 114 on 13 Mar 1995. The Auxiliary was chartered on 28 April 1991 and then they were rechartered due to name change on 31 July 1991.  Presently the Post 114 has 104 members. Our all-time high was 105.

The Legion is an organization of and for military personnel who have been honorably discharged from the US military service without regard to the branch of service. The Auxiliary is an organization for and of wives, daughters, grand-daughters and mothers of American Legion members with the intention of supporting the Legion.  There is no Junior Legion but there is an individually chartered organization for the sons and grandsons of Legion members called The Sons of the American Legion. Dual membership is fairly common. A person can actually hold membership in the Legion, Sons of the American Legion and Auxiliary all at the same time. Barrington does not have a Sons of the American Legion chapter.

The American Legion, the Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion are chartered by Congress.

“The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. Focusing on service to veterans, service members and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. Membership swiftly grew to over 1 million, and local posts sprang up across the country. Today, membership stands at nearly 2 million in more than 13,000 posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments: one each for the 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines.“ From History of the American Legion - https://www.legion.org/history

Women who are honorably discharged from the military are equally eligible for membership in the Legion as are the men. Prior to 2019 congress established specific “war” periods during which a person had to have served during to be eligible for membership. With passage of “The Legion Act” in 2019 Congress changed the service requirement to any federal military service during WWII and after WWII to the present. Since the passage of the Legion Act, husbands of qualified female veterans can be members of the auxiliary.

While membership is the lifeline it is not the primary emphasis of the Barrington POST 114. They would like to maintain their current membership level, but would really like to have more younger members active in the operations of the Post.

All of Post 114’s events are open to the public. The public is encouraged to attend our regular monthly meetings, special ceremonies/events like Memorial Day Parade, Veterans Day ceremony, Flag disposal ceremony and our presenting the nation's colors at events like the BYA opening Day. We also present group flag education sessions upon request. The only members-only “closed event” they have is the annual family Christmas party. Attendance, while we are providing military courtesies at funerals, is up to the family and not our responsibility.  

One of the biggest benefits to the American Legion is bonding with others. Socialization with other former military members is a strong drawing factor. Being able to continue to serve the community is like an extension of our military service time and it provides feelings of satisfaction.

Over the past twenty years the general membership has aged some. The Barrington Post is always looking for younger members to step up and take more charge in the operations.

During the past 15 years, POST 114 has been active in the Barrington community. One of the things done was to provide all the classroom and building flags prior to the opening of both the elementary and middle schools. The group still continues to provide flags to the schools and the Police/Fire/EMS complex. The Post sponsors a Cub Scout Pack in town. They recognize student accomplishments at BMS Graduation and grant scholarships each year to graduating Barrington high school students. Post 114 also provides inexpensive or free meeting space to community service groups like the Grange and the Lyons Club. There have been occasions when some town committees have utilized the space as well.  The hall is available for private rentals.

There is a real need in our area that the local American Legion Post 114 could use help with.  
Approximately 22 current and former members of the military take their own lives each and every day. Community involvement is important in trying to stem this flow. Involvement can be as easy as a donation or assisting with a fundraiser or event. 

For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.