On November 11, 1919, the small town of Centralia, Washington gathered to honor the first anniversary of the end of the Great War. What began as a peaceful Armistice Day parade ended in gunfire, chaos, and death. As members of the American Legion marched proudly in uniform, celebrating service and sacrifice, they were ambushed by members of the Industrial Workers of the World, a radical labor group that despised the very ideals those veterans represented.
Four Legionnaires fell that day, murdered on American soil by men who claimed the mantle of revolution. Their names became symbols of loyalty and courage, while their killers became a rallying cry for those who mistook treason for justice. The tragedy at Centralia was not only an attack on men in uniform but an assault on the principles of law, order, and patriotism itself. It remains one of America’s starkest lessons in vigilance.
