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Legion Post #13
remembers
Veterans Day
PUTNAM — Three veterans were honored by the Mayotte-Viens American Legion Post 13 at the annual Veterans Day event.
This year’s three honorees bring the total of those honored in a 12-year span to 26.
The 2021 honorees were WWII veteran Carl Eisen, Vietnam veteran Peter M. LeClair and John W. Kirchner, a Vietnam veteran who was honored posthumously. Eisen served in the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945 in the European Theater of Operations in Italy. He was a radio operator mechanic on the B-24 Liberator. Discharged with the rank of corporal, Eisen received the WWII Victory Medal, the European, African, and Middle Eastern Theater Medal with four Oak Leaf clusters, the Balkans Campaign Medal, the Army Air Corps Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. He’s a member of American Legion Post #13.
LeClair was called to serve his country in 1966 at the height of the Vietnam war. A military policeman who was part of the 1st Cavalry Division, he was shipped to An Khe in the Highlands of Vietnam. His unit was assigned to escorting convoys of food, ammunition and medical supplies to the troops fighting in the Pleiku region. He was discharged at the rank of Spec 4 and is a member of American Legion Post #13.
Kirchner, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, served two tours in Vietnam and received two Purple Heart awards. The 6-foot, 7-inch Kirchner, affectionately known to his fellow troops as “Tree,” was actively engaged in the Tet Offensive as a marksman sniper. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnamese Service Medal, Vietnamese Campaign Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and Good Conduct Medal. Discharged in 1973 at the rank of Sgt. – E5, Kirchner died in 2020 suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. His plaque was accepted by his daughter Candice Kirchner.
“Honoring veterans on this night is always the most memorable portion of our program. As American Legion veterans this program is very meaningful to us and the recipients and their families. It’s a very small way of extending our thanks to those who served defending our freedom,” said Michael Vassar, Post #13 commander.
The program included celebrity bartending and an auction and a drawing. More than $19,000 was raised and will be used for two scholarships, the high school Constitutional Oratorical contest, the TriTown American Legion Baseball Program, Boys State, veteran families during the holiday season, Americanism programs in the Putnam Middle School and other local charitable causes. Along with the Post golf tournament and the charity club, the Veterans Day event is the largest fund-raiser of Post #13.
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