Sixty-seven years ago, Morgan Odom was on a 30-day leave from the Army after serving in Europe at the end of World War II.

He came home to Baldwin County and immediately went to the American Legion Post 99, the only one in the county at the time, and joined.

Oct. 12, Morgan and his wife Marie were recognized for the longevity of their membership to the American Legion — 118 years between the two of them. It also happened to be their 61^st wedding anniversary.

“Everybody coming back (from the war) then was joining (American Legion),” Morgan said. “Everybody went to the meetings and functions they put on to raise money for this and that. But people just don’t join it anymore for some reason.”

Throughout his 67 years of membership, Morgan has served as commander of the post and as state department commander, and Marie has served as president of Unit 99.

Morgan said he and Marie were both surprised about the recognition.

“I went down to the Legion on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night, and they didn’t say nothing to me about nothing,” Morgan said. “Then our son came and picked us up and pulled into the Legion and said, ‘I’ve got to stop here for a minute.’ When he parked beside my daughter’s car, then it dawned on me that something was going on inside.”

When they entered the room, all of their family and many friends were waiting for them. Several people were assigned to take pictures, and everyone yelled “Surprise” when they walked through the door. The meeting opened with a prayer, and then Commander Steve James and President Betty Morris presented the Odoms with their awards and an envelope with $1 for every year of service.

Morgan worked in the printing business after his military service, and for a while, he even worked with the Foley Onlooker. He was also a volunteer fire fighter with the Foley Volunteer Fire Department for more than 40 years. Marie raised the couple’s five children.

Morgan, 87, and Marie, 80, both attended Foley High School, but they didn’t meet until after the war.

“We just sort of ran around with the same bunch, and that’s how we met,” Marie said.

Both Morgan and Marie are involved in church, but they are members of two different congregations. Marie attends St. Margaret’s Catholic Church in Foley, while Morgan goes to Morgan’s Chapel in Bon Secour, the same church his parents attended.

“We just kept our own religions,” Marie said. “We just don’t talk about that stuff. In fact, I started first going, and he wasn’t really going all the time, but when they opened up that Morgan’s Chapel in Bon Secour, he went there.”

Because Morgan was drafted into the Army his senior year of high school, he never received his diploma. In the late 90s, the same year his grandson graduated high school, he was awarded a diploma.

After a lifetime of hard work and service, Morgan said it felt good to have the diploma in his hands.

“They drafted me out of high school,” he said “I didn’t ever expect to get it.”