The American Legion
American Legion Post 286 Douthit-Specker
Legion Post #286 — Odessa, MO. American Legion Post 286, meeting — Odessa, MO.
- Legion Post #286
- Odessa, MO
American Legion Post 286 Douthit-Specker, the American Legion Post 286 — Odessa, MO. The post dates to 1942, when veterans home from the World Wars wanted a room of their own and a way to keep serving after the uniform came off.
Over the years the post has taken on the jobs a town actually asks for: rides to a clinic, a meal after a funeral, help with a ramp, a speaker for a school program. The Legionnaires keep a notebook of what got done and what is still open, and they read it aloud before the meeting adjourns.
The meeting line says the second Tuesday at 7:00 PM, which is the rhythm the directory lists. Come for the business, stay for the people. The portraits and the posts here are sample material, standing in until the post writes its own — Odessa, MO.
Programs
Our Programs
A few of the things the post keeps on the calendar — Odessa, MO. These write-ups are sample stories, in the voice the post might use.
Veterans
Memorial observance
The post leads a short observance each Memorial Day and again near Veterans Day — Odessa, MO.
Community
Holiday drive
Before the winter holidays, Post 286 fills the hall with gifts and groceries for local families — Odessa, MO.
Community
Community table
Once a month the post sets a long table and feeds whoever comes, veterans first and neighbors welcome — Odessa, MO.
84
Years on the calendar — Odessa
Charter story set in 1942
60 hours
Given to local projects
A sample tally from last year
45
Neighbors helped
Rides, meals, and the holiday drive
Calendar
Upcoming
| Sun, Mar 8, 2026, 7:00 PM | Regular meeting | Business meeting of American Legion Post 286 Douthit-Specker, written here as the second Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Confirm with the group before you travel. |
| Mon, May 25, 2026, 11:00 AM | Memorial Day observance | A half-hour observance, then coffee at the hall. The Legionnaires read the names they have been given — Odessa, MO. |
| Sat, Apr 11, 2026, 6:00 PM | Scholarship evening | A short note on service, read by students, and then this year’s check from the post — Odessa. |
| Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 6:30 PM | Past officers’ night | A short program for people who have held an office, then the regular business of Post 286. |
News
News
Jan 16, 2026
Notes from the first meeting
American Legion Post 286 Douthit-Specker. The year opens the usual way: a short meeting, a full pot of coffee, and a list of local families the post already knows. The Legionnaires voted to keep the winter gift drive on the calendar and to pass the word person to person — Odessa, MO.
Apr 9, 2026
Showing up for the winter gift drive — Odessa
By spring the hall had the winter gift drive underway. Nothing about it was complicated. The Post 286 set a date, split the jobs, and showed up. A few neighbors who are not members came for the afternoon and stayed to ask about the next meeting — Odessa.
Aug 21, 2026
What the notebook says so far
Late summer the post looked back at the notebook. The honor detail had been out more than once, the community table had fed a crowded room, and the officers reminded everyone that the next business meeting is the second Tuesday at 7:00 PM. This note is a sample of how the post might tell that year — Odessa, MO.
Officers
Officers
Commander
First Vice Commander
Adjutant
Finance Officer
Chaplain
Sergeant-at-Arms
Membership
Become a member
Eligible veterans and their families are welcome at a meeting of Post 286 — Odessa, MO. The application stays at the hall. The regular night is the second Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
Give
Gifts in this story go to the hall, the holiday drive, and quiet help for local veterans — Odessa, MO.
Sponsors
Our Sponsors
Two local businesses are written in here as sample sponsors — Odessa, MO. American Legion Post 286 Douthit-Specker. Sponsor names here are sample copy, not a list the group published.
Post Home Kitchen
Memorial Hall Bakery
Contact this group
This organization hasn't been claimed yet, so there is no contact information.