Members from the American Legion Allen O. Delke Post 16 gathered Saturday in Slatington’s Union Cemetery to remember their namesake, a soldier who died in battle a century ago.

The Allen O. Delke Post 16 in Slatington was the 16th American Legion Post to form in the commonwealth. It was organized in 1919, and chartered in 1920. The other part of the organization’s name comes from a Slatington resident and the first person from the borough to die in combat during World War I: Allen Otto Delke.

Bob Churetta has been a part of Post 16 for nearly 18 years. A navy and Vietnam veteran, he heard about it through his work with Boy Scouts.

“Since I was involved with Scouting, and the post is our sponsor, I thought I might as well support them too,” Churetta, the post’s finance officer, said. “Being a veteran, I thought ‘Why not join the post?’”

Churetta said Post 16 is the oldest American Legion Post in Lehigh County. Today, it’s affiliated with five different organizations, including local chapters of the American Legion Riders, Sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary.

Churetta said that twice a year, to commemorate Memorial Day and Veterans Day, the post puts out around 2,600 flags in 12 cemeteries in the area. The organization also lays a wreath on Delke’s grave. But this year was special, as it marked 100 years since the soldier’s death.

“The importance (of Saturday’s memorial) is honoring Allen O. Delke and his sacrifice,” Churetta said.

Because of that, members from the entire Post 16 family congregated in Union Cemetery to honor Delke.

Dennis Ziegler delivered Delke’s biography.

Delke was born in Lehigh Gap on May 30, 1887. His father, William, died when he was 10 years old, and his mother, Sabilla, passed about eight years later.

After losing both his parents, Delke rented a room from a woman named Eva Schlosser Krum. The Schlossers’ house on Main Street later became Delke’s permanent home.

The Schlossers became family to Delke, and after he began work in construction, he continued to send money home. He affectionately referred to Eva as “mom.”

In 1918, 31-year-old Delke was drafted. Only two days after receiving his notice, Delke went to the Allentown Courthouse and reported for active duty, where he was inducted into the Army.

In July 1918, Delke left for Europe from Hoboken, New Jersey, on the USS Leviathan.

Toward the end of his service, Delke pushed alongside other American troops through the Argonne Forest in France, steadily advancing more than 10 miles into the bush. But in the third phase of the offensive, the 314 Infantry, which included Delke, was ordered out of their trenches to fight.

As they advanced toward the town of Meuse, Delke was killed in action on Nov. 2, 1918, just nine days before the signing of the Armistice. He was originally buried in France, but was reburied with full military honors in Union Cemetery on Dec. 12, 1921. He was laid to rest next to his parents.

“(American Legion Allen O. Delke Post 16) was instrumental in returning Allen’s body from Europe to Slatington three years after his death,” Ziegler said.

Churetta then spoke about Post 16’s history, highlighting the post’s reputation for community engagement. For example, in 1937, Post 16 purchased an ambulance and used it to provide free emergency transportation to Slatington residents for more than 60 years.

“For many years, if you had an emergency and needed the ambulance, you called the post, or the bar at the post,” Churetta said with a chuckle.

Churetta said Post 16 is still involved in the community. Between Saturday’s memorial for Delke, the Memorial Day service it hosts annually, or any other way it commemorates those who have served, Allen O. Delke Post 16 in Slatington is woven in the fabric of the borough.