101-year-old document leads to Purple Heart for namesake of Grand Haven Legion Post
The Charles A. Conklin American Legion Post 28 recently had its 100th anniversary. That s when a document surfaced, producing an overdue honor, for a hometown hero. Author: Brent Ashcroft Updated: 5:03 PM EST February 26, 2021
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. More than a century after he died on the battlefield during World War I, Charles A. Conklin - the namesake of Grand Haven s American Legion Post 28 - will receive the Purple Heart, thanks to a local researcher finding a 101-year-old document that led to Conklin becoming eligible for the honor.
Grand Haven resident Chris Petras, PhD, was hired by Post 28 in 2017 to help promote and market for the national organization s 100th anniversary celebration that was going to unfold two years later. During that time, Petras began an in-depth research project about Post 28, which led him to scour over thousands of newspaper articl