By Scott Perry
Post 84 Seth Perry American Legion has never been about veterans alone. It has always been about memory, duty, and the responsibility to preserve the story of ordinary men who accomplished extraordinary things. As our new Post Home rises at 106 Knobbs Creek Drive in Elizabeth City, we are reminded that this effort has been 10 years in the making and built on the dedication of Legionnaires who believed in this vision enough to “stay the steady course” (as a wise one once taught me). To each of you, thank you.
Post 84 is one of the most historic American Legion posts in North Carolina because it bears the name of Seth Perry, one of Elizabeth City’s own sons of the 119th Infantry Regiment of the North Carolina National Guard. Perry is buried on the grounds of the Pasquotank County Courthouse, but too few today know his story or the story of the men of the 119th who helped break the Hindenburg Line during World War I.
The Hindenburg Line was considered by military experts to be nearly impenetrable. It was Germany’s strongest defensive system on the Western Front, protected by massive belts of barbed wire, machine gun nests, artillery positions, and fortified bunkers. Yet in September 1918, the men of the 119th Infantry, many of them ordinary North Carolina citizens only months before, fought through that line in one of the war’s defining offensives. They trained hard, endured terrible conditions, and did what many believed was impossible.
Seth Perry served as a runner, one of the most dangerous assignments in the war. Runners carried messages between units across battlefields where telephone lines had been destroyed, and radio communication was unreliable. They crossed open ground under artillery and machine-gun fire because the success of the entire operation depended on those messages reaching the commanders. During combat near the Hindenburg Line, Perry was killed while carrying out those duties. He died doing exactly what soldiers of his generation were called upon to do, placing mission and duty above personal safety.
For the past several months, our newsletter has carried continuing historical narratives about the 119th Infantry and the men who served in it. (see attachment below for this month’s edition) Those articles are now being compiled into a book by Ron Ben Dov. The completed volume will tell the full story of the 119th Infantry National Guard and the role North Carolina soldiers played during World War I. The book will be released on Kindle Direct Publishing by the end of the summer, and paperback copies will be available for purchase during the dedication of the new Post Home on September 26. All proceeds from the book will go directly to Post 84.
The dedication ceremony for the new Post Home will take place on September 26, from 10 a.m. until noon. The event will begin at the Pasquotank County Courthouse, where Seth Perry is buried, and then continue to the new Post Home at 106 Knobbs Creek Drive in Elizabeth City.
I transferred from Post 126 to Post 84 in 2015 because I believed this history mattered and deserved to stay alive for future generations. The men of the 119th were not celebrities or career soldiers. They were regular men who answered the call, trained together, fought together, and proved themselves under impossible circumstances.
This new Post Home is also about something larger than the Legion itself. It is meant to serve as a true community venue where civic groups can meet freely, regardless of politics, disagreements, or personalities. Even people who may not personally agree with me are welcome to use the space because freedom of association and freedom of speech belong to everyone. During the Andrew Brown protests and throughout the Covid 19 era, many civic organizations found themselves pushed out of meeting spaces across the county. This facility stands as our answer to that trend.
The American Legion operates on a democratic model. We believe civil liberties must remain protected for future generations, especially during difficult times when those rights are most vulnerable. This Post belongs to the community as much as it belongs to veterans, and we hope it will serve Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County for decades to come.
Scott Perry is Commander of Post 84 Seth Perry American Legion.
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