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• Friday, January 02, 2015

  Post Honors WWII Vet Bud Mohr in Oxford

  OXFORD – Members of Fort Hill American Legion Post 376 recently gathered at the State Veterans Home here to honor World War II Army veteran Elbert “Bud” G. Mohr. Also participating were Oxford Village Mayor Terry Stark, friends, and family.

  They honored the 90-year-old Mohr on Dec. 8 with a commemorative “Gold Leaf” engraved with his name, on the “Giving Tree.”

  Speeches were given by Mayor Stark and Post 376 Commander Darlene Ardron, the Norwich Evening Sun reported. The Mayor brought along a copy of Bud’s book, “Rambling Fever – An old Tyme View of Central New York” as a reminder of all the stories Bud has shared as “The Oldtimer.”

  Anyone who has read The Oxford Review-Times over the past years got to know “The Oldtimer” through his column, “Rambling Fever,” that started in the early 1970’s. Bud expressed his “happy thoughts” about many of his experiences while growing up in the 1930’s.

  In 1941, Bud left high school to enter the Army at the age of 17 where he served in the South Pacific as a truck driver with the combat engineers. Bud was discharged from the Army in 1946. In his Rambling Fever column, Bud was requested a couple of times to tell about the real Kilroy. This was the WWII soldier who inspected ship weldings and marked them with a cartoon face and “Kilroy was here” graffiti that became legend.

  Upon returning from the military, Bud worked in law enforcement, first with the Police department in Oxford working his way to the Chief position, eventually leaving this job to work for the County Sheriff’s Department.

  Bud has been a long time member of the American Legion (70 years) and the Oxford Fire Dept. (66 years). He helped with innumerable Community Breakfasts, rode in Memorial Day parades, and participated in flag disposal ceremonies, Veterans Day observances and more with Post 376.

  The Giving Tree is a plaque of gold engraved leaves and bronze branches on the wall in the piano lounge of the Veterans’ Home. It serves as a permanent record of special past and present residents of the facility who have been honored by friends, family or organizations. Donations for the leaves go into an account used exclusively for the benefit of residents in this home. The Tree was donated by the Detachment of NY, Sons of the American Legion (SAL).

  

  Bud Mohr (center) with Legionnaires, friends, and family.