Post 31's most-asked-about program is its veteran gift-bag effort. Commander Doug Hargett started it about four years ago to reach veterans who might not see family or visitors during the holidays — residents of nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, hospice care and homebound veterans across northwest Alabama.

The work has grown every year. Recent cycles:

• 2025 holiday: 247 bags delivered with TVA, the Shoals Elks Lodge, the TVA Retirees Association, Ladies Auxiliary and Easterseals — reaching veterans in Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale and Lawrence counties.
• 2024: 370+ bags delivered.
• 2023: 124 bags.
• 2022: 85 bags — the first year.

Beginning in 2026, the Post is adding a second annual cycle for Memorial Day, with donations collected April 1 – May 11 and bags delivered across Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale counties.

Bags include practical items chosen to last several weeks: men's large and extra-large T-shirts, socks for men or women, lip balm, hairbrushes, toothbrushes, mild deodorant, lightly scented body wash and shampoo, snacks like crackers and peanuts, large-print puzzle books (word searches, crosswords, Sudoku), pencils and pens, and personally signed greeting cards. Monetary donations are welcome and go directly toward the bags.

If a family member wants the Post to deliver a bag to a specific loved one, the Post will make every effort to do so in person, allowing for veteran-to-veteran visits. Names and locations stay confidential.

Twice a year the Post leads the community in remembrance. The Memorial Day program is held on the last Monday in May, 11:00 a.m., on the front lawn of the Colbert County Courthouse (the Circle of Valor), with the presentation of colors, a memorial wreath, keynote speaker, music, rifle salute and Taps — followed by a barbecue meal at the Church of Christ Annex.

The Veterans Day parade and program on November 11 begins with a parade down Main Street to the courthouse, where the Post hosts the program at 11:00 a.m. The Post Color Guard advances, posts and retires the colors; Taps is sounded; and the community is invited to a meal at the annex.

The Color Guard, under the direction of Lance Smith, also leads parades, participates in school and church programs, supports TVA veterans events, and provides military funeral honors for families across the Shoals — work the Post does in cooperation with local funeral homes.

Beginning in 2025, the Post added a new grave-flag project at Colbert Memorial Gardens. With help from 35 TVA volunteers and the Color Guard, nearly 500 flags were placed in about fifteen minutes. The Post hopes to make grave flags an annual tradition, expanding to other cemeteries including both Oakwood locations in Sheffield and Tuscumbia. The Post also conducts flag retirement ceremonies for worn American flags — a 2022 Flag Day ceremony at Spring Park retired roughly 480 flags.

Post 31 speaks up for veterans in northwest Alabama. Commander Hargett's public advocacy was part of the community effort that helped bring a Veterans Service Office back to Colbert County — the office opened in 2025 on the second floor of the Colbert County Courthouse after years without local service, ending a long stretch in which area veterans were having to travel to neighboring counties or Tennessee for help with claims, benefits and scholarship assistance.

The Post also helped surface the need for the new Sheffield veterans clinic, a 16,000+ square-foot facility at 410 Cox Boulevard that opened in January 2025 with primary care, women's health, mental health, telehealth, audiology and optometry. Post 31 continues to advocate for accessible services close to home.

The Post is not a federal benefits office and this site is not an official VA channel. For benefits questions, contact the Veterans Service Office at the Colbert County Courthouse, the Sheffield clinic, or va.gov.

The Legion's Children & Youth pillar shows up locally through American Legion Baseball. Post 31 has fielded teams across recent seasons — junior, varsity and 19U — playing under the Alabama Legion Baseball umbrella. Current and recent team pages:

• Tuscumbia Post 31 on Alabama Legion Baseball
• 2026 JV team
• 2025 Varsity (national registration)
• 2025 19U (national registration)

Coaches, scorekeepers, sponsors and volunteer drivers all have a place in the program — ask about helping a season any time of year.

Post 31 has also hosted a high-school American Legion Oratorical Contest, a citizenship-focused speaking competition on the U.S. Constitution.

Service is sustained by relationships. Post 31 meets monthly, shares a meal, hosts an annual Christmas dinner at the Church of Christ Annex, and works alongside partners like TVA, the TVA Retirees Association, Bicentennial Volunteers Inc., the Shoals Elks Lodge, Shoals Area Master Gardeners, local schools and churches, and individual donors.

Visitors are welcome at a meeting before any commitment. The fastest way to see what's happening this week is the Post Facebook group.