American Legion Post celebrating birthday on March 15; honoring Cpt. Leo Lebron

On March 15, The American Legion Post in Guthrie will be celebrating the American Legion’s birthday by having a large celebration at their Post.

As part of the celebration, they will be hosting the descendants of the man their Post is named after, Captain Leo P LeBron.

“We will have several members of the city and state governments in attendance,” Ryan Alley said.

A proclamations will be made making March 15 as “Captain LeBron Day” in both the city of Guthrie and The State of Oklahoma.

The public is invited to the event to be held at 123 N. 1st Street in downtown Guthrie.

About Captain Leo LeBron

Capt Leo Parrott LeBron was formerly from Guthrie. He was killed on February 5, 1918 when the Tuscania was torpedoed off the Irish coast with the loss of 101 men. His body was temporarily buried on the island cemetery in a plot given by Lord Morrison. LeBron’s body was later shipped to his birthplace, Keokuk, Iowas.

Capt. LeBron was the son of Frank and Mrs. Elizabeth LeBron of Keokuk, and the grandson of Brig-General Parrott of Iowa. While he lived in Guthrie, LeBron was a civil engineer for the Fort Smith and Western Railway. He was born July 2, 1876, and educated in the public schools of Iowa and graduated from the Kemper Military Academy and Iowa State University.

He volunteered for the service on August 6, 1917 and was commissioned a captain from the Department and sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He sailed for France with the Corps of Engineers on January 23,1918 on the U.S. Transport, Tuscania. Captain LeBron was killed on February 5th, 1918, when the Tuscania was torpedoed off the Irish coast with the loss of 101 men. His body was buried on the island, in a cemetery for which the land was given by Lord Morrison. He is now buried in the cemetery of his birthplace.

Captain LeBron was also the first member of the B.P.O.E. in the world to be killed in the war. He is survived by Mrs. LeBron, his widow, and two children, Leo, Jr., and Miss Nan, of Oklahoma City.