Marine feels 'duty' to help in Geneva post's 100th anniversary project
As a Marine for eight years, Matthew Lutz enjoyed the brotherhood of serving with his comrades.
And as a man born on the anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he also has an interest in history.
These two ideals are intersecting as the Geneva resident works with the Geneva History Museum to find, restore and catalog the items at the Geneva American Legion Post 75 that have accumulated and been donated over the decades.
The plan is to be ready for the 100th anniversary of the post's charter on Aug. 14.
"It's all interesting. There's so much stuff. As we go through more rooms in the building, we find more stuff," said Lutz, 34, a native of Pittsburgh who served in the Corps from 2004 to 2012, including a deployment to Iraq as a field radio operator from October 2006 to October 2007.
Lutz welcomes the challenge of preserving the post's story for the next generation as well as bringing history to life.
Some items are yellowed and moldy, having been exposed to seepage and moisture over the years. Others are fragile, delicate and irreplaceable.
"I feel it's my duty to do it," added Lutz, who was recruited by Post Cmdr. Brian Noonan several months ago to help with the project. "Part of joining the post is to bring back some of the brotherhood I had in the service."
Lutz moved from the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina to the Fox Valley in March 2012. He balances volunteer hours at the post with married life, two kids and volunteering at Cub Scouts.
Lutz said it's fascinating to see items from past conflicts and he was excited to find a Pearl Harbor survivor beret that belonged to Charles T. Sehe, a Geneva native who now lives in Minnesota.
"It was moldy and mildewy," Lutz said of Sehe's beret, which along with old uniforms and other clothing has been restored with the help of Geneva Cleaners, across the street from the post.
The final product is still in flux, but Lutz and others want to have some type of display to help tell the post's story. The Geneva History Center will host a brown-bag lunch beginning at noon May 14 at the legion, 22 S. Second St., for community members and area veterans to tell their stories.
"They grew quickly and had 100 percent participation in 1928. Every veteran in Geneva was a member. They were the only legion in the state to have that," said Terry Emma, the museum's executive director. "This is the hub for old-town Geneva. The (centennial) celebration is a big deal. Let's make it 100 more."
Lutz hopes the lunch serves as a springboard for more area veterans to get involved.
"We need veterans in the community to come out and join the post and help us get going," Lutz said. "It is daunting, frustrating because you see stuff you want to fix but can't. One step at a time, one piece at a time."
• Do you know of veterans helping other veterans? Let us know at veterans@dailyherald.com.