American Legion Post 175 Honor Guard raising funds for new bus to continue mission
A light snow was falling and temperatures hovered in the low teens on Friday, but members of American Legion Post 175 Honor Guard provided military honors for veterans at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies and Woodruff Memorial Park in North Strabane Township.
The next day, 10 members of the Honor Guard honored the lives of veterans at funerals in Greentree and Washington.
To get to those funerals, the guard members piled into a 14-passenger bus that has racked up nearly 250,000 miles over the years.
But the bus – which has hauled the Honor Guard to more than 500 veterans funerals over the past six years, and to Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies, Flag Day and 9/11 tributes, and community programs including the PONY League World Series – is on its last leg.
“It’s costly to maintain, and without it, we may not be able to do what we do day in and day out,” said Honor Guard member Dennis Bailey, who has participated in 481 funerals in his six years as a member of the Honor Guard.
In August of 2025, the Honor Guard launched a fundraiser to purchase a new bus, and the community has gotten behind its efforts to raise funds for the $115,000 vehicle.
So far, thanks to more than 70 donations, including 30 local businesses, the American Legion Post 175 Honor Guard has raised more than $90,000. Among the large donors are Washington Financial Charities and U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works, and Accutrex.
“I really didn’t think it was going to happen, and that we’d get so close to our goal,” Dennis Bailey, who is the fundraiser chair. “Then Accutrex came up with $10,000, and then I got a call from U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works for a $30,000 check. That got me excited. Last year in 2025 we did 102 funerals, this group right here. It takes our uniformed members, our guns, our flags, our flag cases, grave markers everywhere. We’ve been to Hundred, W.VA., we’ve been to Grindstone. We go whenever the veterans need military honors.
Bailey, who served in the U.S. Air Force with assignments in Japan, England, and Alaska, and later served with the Air National Guard, said the Honor Guard ensures that every veteran receives military honors at their funeral.
“Every veteran deserves military honors, it’s our brothers and sisters. Whether it’s snow, rain, whatever. Sometimes you’re at the Cemetery of the Alleghenies in July and it’s sweltering,” said Bailey.
Full military honors include the sounding of taps, the firing of rifles, and presenting a folded U.S. flag to the next of kin.
Additionally, any funds raised that exceed the cost of the van will be used for the American Legion’s philanthropic efforts, which include youth scholarships and veteran assistance programs.
Bailey said donations are being collected through Zeffy, an online platform where 100% of contributions go to nonprofit organizations, and there are no processing fees.
On Friday, Washington Financial Bank Charitable Foundation presented the Honor Guard with a $20,000 check.
Said Michael Chaido, President and CEO of Washington Financial Bank, “These are men and women who have served their country and are still serving through the Honor Guard and are committed to their community. We’re really proud to be a part of the effort to help them get a bus that will help them continue to serve.”
Donations can be made to the Honor Guard of American Legion Post 175, 168 Park Ave., Washington, Pa., at zeffy.com.